The RECORD

THE RESURRECTION MAKES CHRISTIANITY UNIQUE

One way that Jesus makes Christianity unique is that He is both fully God and fully human. He is unconventional. He tells us who He is. He came to die for us. He rose again. It would be convenient if Jesus fit neatly into the kind of categories we construct for people and things so that we can be comfortable. But He doen't and that is one of the things that makes Him unique.

I. The Unique Jesus. (John 14:6)

For centuries people have been confused about Jesus. How could He be both man and God? In the first few centuries of Christianity, some Christian groups tried to explain this in simplified terms. They taught that Jesus was the adopted Son of God, not fully divine as God is. The adoption took place when the voice from heaven came at Jesus baptism, proclaiming, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11). This teaching came out of the passage which is known to the Jews as Shema. It has become the Jewish creed of faith. In Deuteronomy 6:4, it says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." They understood that God is one, therefore, they could not see how Jesus could be divine. As far as they were concerned, to say Jesus was God was to contradict the Old Testament affirmation that God is one. Eventually this view of Jesus adoption died out.

Another group tried to resolve the problem by arguing that Jesus was truly God, but He only appeared to be human. He was actually a spirit disguised as a person with a human body. He had all the power and knowledge but chose not to reveal them except in a limited way, in order to fit in with society and the culture of His time. Again this idea was rejected by the early church.

Most scholars say that 1 John was written to combat this way of thinking. John wrote, "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world" (1 Jn. 4:2-3). John also declares, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1). A little later we read, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (Jn 1:14).

If we abandon the divine nature of Jesus, we end up rejecting the idea that God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ; therefore, He remains remote and we cannot know Him in a personal and intimate way.

On the other hand, if we abandon the humanity of Jesus, we deny the incarnation. When we make Jesus all divine but not human, He would be far removed from where we live, far from our trials and temptations, far from our pain and suffering, far from our finite existence. We could excuse our sinfulness by saying that the reason Jesus was able to live a holy life was because He was God. We might ask, How can I be holy when I'm only human? Hebrews 4:15 reminds us, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin."

Jesus got tired, thirsty, and hungry. John tells us He had normal limitations and emotions on His human body. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He enjoyed eating. He experienced anger. He was bound by time and space. He lived at a particular time in history and lived according to the customs of that time. Even historians, such as Josephus of first-century Palestine, confirm that Jesus lived then.

Jesus spoke more about the kingdom of God than about Himself, He did speak clearly about who He is. In the Gospel of John He makes several I am statements: "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (Jn 14:6). "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9b). "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30). In Luke we read of Him saying, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Lk 10:22).

II. The Unconventional Jesus. (Rom. 6:6)

Jesus dying on the cross does not make Him unique. Thousands of Jews were crucified. His willingness to die does not make Him unique either. History is filled with tales of self-sacrifice. So what is it that makes Jesus unique? How would we help someone understand the importance of a crucifixion that took place over 2, 000 years ago? Paul tells us, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 3b-4). Mark quotes Jesus as saying, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45).

Although Jesus was the Son of God, He was very aware of His limitations as a finite human being. He was also aware of His need for God's presence and provision in His life through prayer. His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane prove that He had no desire to die. If there could be another way He was more than willing to let that happen. There was no other way to usher in the Kingdom of God. Jesus death was both agonizing and humiliating. From the cross He was crying out to His father, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Mk 15:34)? God was not abandoning Jesus. Jesus was not doubting God in His final moments. Jesus was fulfilling prophecy in His final moments. This fulfillment of prophecy led into fulfillment of still more prophecy in how His Crucifixion would impact the world: "Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unbornfor he has done it" (Ps. 22:30-31).

Jesus was not some disillusioned fool. He went willingly to the Cross believing that His death would be the difference. Jesus died believing that His death was not the end but only the beginning. He believed that His death was the only way the Kingdom of God could come. Jesus death wasn't the end of His story, it was the beginning of the greatest event in history.

III. The Resurrected Jesus. (Rom. 6:11)

The single most important fact about the Resurrection is the fact that Jesus was raised by God the Father. This is something God did Himself. It didn't just occur. Jesus didn't just arise. It was God who reversed the death. God demonstrated His power when He raised His Son from the dead, and offered us grace and salvation. All this after we, sinful man, had done everything in our power to send Jesus to His death. Jesus death and resurrection are both demonstrations of God's love and grace for us. John writes, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 Jn 4:10).

There are no shortages of opinions on the Resurrection. One says His body was resuscitated in the coolness of the tomb because of the trauma of Crucifixion. They say it because some people are found still alive when they are delivered to the morgue or mortician.

Christ's resurrection can in no way be compared to this. It was a dramatic demonstration of God's power over sin and death. The end of life here on earth is not the end of life.

The Resurrection empowers us to stop living in sin. Evangelist Reuben Welch was preaching an outdoor Easter service in San Diego, CA, he said in his message, "The story of Jesus dying and God raising Him from the dead is not just a tragic story that has a happy ending. It is a story that shows how God provided a way for the human race to break out of its cycle of sinning." He went on to say that humanity was in a downward spiral. It took Jesus resurrection to break that downward spiral. This was The Way that was provided for us to begin an upward spiral in a new life with Jesus. Jesus gave us more than hope when He went to the Cross and conquered sin and death. He gave us the life changing power of God available to whosoever.

Christianity is unique because Jesus is unique, being both fully God and fully man.

Christianity is unique because Jesus is unconventional, being an ever living founder who offers hope beyond the grave.

Christianity is unique because Jesus was resurrected, He loved humanity so much that He demonstrated His love by giving His life for you and I.

CHRISTIANITY IS NOT JUST ANOTHER RELIGION!

How many Christians do you know that think Christianity is just another religion?

Some believe, concerning Christianity, that:

It has a god like all the other religions.

It has a code of conduct and expectations like all other religions.

It promises an afterlife like other religions.

Many ask the question: is there any difference between Christianity and all other religions?

Well, for starters, Christianity is the only faith where the One worshipped loves us so much He was willing to pay the penalty of sin and die for us so we can be acceptable to Him.

All religions including Christianity have a code or a law spelling out to their adherents what is expected of them. Everyone has failed when it comes to satisfying the requirements of their religion. This is where the big difference comes in.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER CONCERNING SELECTING THE RIGHT RELIGION:

Did Buddha or Confucius or Allah do anything to bring their followers back into a right relationship with them? The answer is a resounding NO!

Christianity is unique in that the One worshipped did something unbelievable for His followers:

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Only Christianity has a means by which its disobedient followers can be welcomed back into the presence of God.

What does that mean? God died for us so justice would be satisfied, but He also imputed His righteous to us so that we would be acceptable to Him.

NKJ Corinthians 5:21 "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

NLB 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

No other religion has a god like our God who loved us this way.
The Gospel is the good news of mercy to the undeserving and that is why the symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not a set of scales - John R. W. Stott

In the comic strip B.C. two women are sitting on a small hill. One is reading the Bible and says, "my goodness. . . Says here. . . Jesus descended into hell"! The other is shocked and says, "You're kidding"! Then the woman with the Bible says, "no. . . Not to stay! He just dropped in to cancel our reservations"!

No other religion has a God who went to hell to cancel our reservation

2. Christianity is the only faith that makes it possible for its followers to live up to the expectations of its God

All religions including Christianity have a code or a law spelling out to their adherents what is expected of them.

No one has ever lived up to the expectations of any law regardless of its origin whether it be Gods or mans.That's why most religions include a system of penance for when the law is broken having to bring an offering or perform some ritual in order to appease the wrath of the gods.Even the Mosaic Law had a sacrificial system for disobedience.

Christianity, too, requires a sacrifice, but that sacrifice is Jesus, which is the only one acceptable to God. So we are accepted, but now He requires us to live like the son of God.

We do we do that by being Born Again, by being birthed spiritually.
This is the discussion Jesus had with Nicodemus in John Chapter 3.
• He gives us a new heart, His heart, the heart of God comes and lives in us through the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

1 Peter 1:22-23 "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."

3. Christianity is the only faith that provides living proof of life after death.

There is plenty of evidence to prove that Jesus rose from the dead: the 500 eyewitnesses, the fact that a bunch of fisherman put their lives on the line and would not have done so for a fraud. But the greatest proof of all that Jesus is alive today is that He lives in our hearts.

Changed lives are proof of His resurrection. Also, we have experienced His guiding hand in our lives. We sense His presence with us.

1. Christianity is the only faith where the One worshipped loves us so much He was willing to pay the penalty of sin, death, for us so we can be acceptable to Him.

2. Christianity is the only faith that makes it possible for its followers to live up to the expectations of its God.

3. Christianity is the only faith that provides living proof of life after death.

By Myrl Allinder

It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly and at stated seasons, to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience... Massachusetts Bill of Rights

Separation of church and state is one thing. Separation of faith from home, family or work is quite another. After the Admiral soundly cursed everything and everyone within earshot... including me...I smilingly asked, "Admiral, may I ask you a question?"

"Well, what the blankety-blank is your question, you blankety-blank Marine?"

"Sir, do you believe in freedom of speech?"

"Freedom of speech? You better blankety-blank-blank know I believe in freedom of speech!"

Whereupon I raised both arms in the air, and shouted at the top of my Marine Corps lungs, "Praise the sweet lovely name of Jesus my Redeemer! Alleluia!", then politely assured the Admiral that in future I would have least ten public "Praise the Lords" for every one of his public blankety-blanks.

For a businessman, a working man, any man, to have a Biblical worldview, it stands to reason that the man must have read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation at least once. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the majority of Christian men; less than 10% have read the Bible through even once. Consequently, 90% of Christian business/working men (and, of course, 100% of non-Christian business/working men) have a worldview at variance with a Biblical worldview.

There is to be no separation of faith and work; faith in God is to permeate work, family, worship, all that we do in word or in deed. (Col 3:17, 22, 23)

Standards and measures are to be consistent. It's eight hours of labor for an eight hour pay check, it's also 16 oz. of meat per pound charged. (Prov 20:23)

A non-religious English butcher, out of curiosity, went to a Billy Graham crusade in London. His wife began to be concerned -- they lived on the 2nd floor over the shop -- when 11 p.m. came, and the husband had not returned. At last she heard the front door unlock, but instead of coming directly upstairs, the husband bustled around the butcher shop below. At last he came trudging up the stairs with a dazed look. "Where have you been all this time?"

"At the Graham meeting."

"Well, what did Mr. Graham say?"

"I'm not really sure."

"You look strange, what happened to you?"

"I don't really know."

"Well for heaven's sake, man, what have you been doing in the shop just now?"

"I put the honest weights back on the scales."

The Ten Commandments give instruction regarding relationship/duty/worship toward God; for relationships and duty toward parents and family; and duty towards fellow men in the work place. The problem: most Christian men cannot write down the Ten Commandments. They do not remember them, if they ever read them. Christ told the rich merchant that only reading Moses (Ten Commandments) and the Prophets would increase the faith of his five rich brothers...not miracles. (Luke 16:28-31)

And there's the problem again: neither the rich merchant burning in Hell nor his five alive rich brothers, all sons of Abraham, none of them read/studied/ remembered Scripture.

Scripture is written for believers, not unbelievers. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Remembering Scripture is so important that Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit to cause believers to remember all things that He said to us. (John 14:26) It is rather difficult to remember Scripture one has not read.

God desires to be in partnership with farmers in all their labors; but in Georgia they say, " God don't plow; He's in charge of rain, lightning and sunshine."

There are three words for manin the Hebrew: adam, ish,and zechar. Interestingly, zechar has a second meaning: remember. The inference is, the true man remembers; he remembers what Scripture has to say regarding daily life in vows, work, commerce, duty, government. Solomon searched for the true man, couldn't find him. (Prov 20:6) Christ repeats the puzzle question of Solomon, and then answers the question in John 7:18 ...the true man seeks the Glory of Him Who sent him¦ If there is a true man, it follows there is also a false man. In fact, Scripture indicates that most men are false men. (Matt 7:13) The false man seeks his own glory (John 7:18), seeks his own profit ...... and does not/will not remember the Biblical worldview and way of life, family, commerce.

Psalm 15: "Blessed is the (true) man, who keeps (remembers it, does it) his word, even to his own hurt". Thank God, He remembered... and kept His Word, even in the market place, even to His own hurt...the Cross.

Myrl Allinder is married to the former Martha E. Smith of Augusta, GA since 1956. They rejoice in 4 children, and in 5 grandchildren. Myrl retired as a Colonel of Marines in 1986 after 29 years, 375 combat missions, and command of 3 squadrons. He served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense for 3 years, and as a Strategic Planner for the Department of the Navy at the Naval War College, Newport, RI for 4 years. His final job was Chief of Plans, Joint Deployment Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, developing Logistics War Plans for all Theaters, including the Middle East.

Upon retirement he served as a missionary in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America from 1987-2000. Today he volunteers in the Pinellas County Jail (4,000 prisoners, 1000 arrests per week), in the Suncoast Haven of Rest rescue mission (7,000 homeless); and as a Gideon distributes thousands of Bibles each year to students and foreigners in the Tampa Bay area. He is an usher at Bayside Church of God in Safety Harbor, FL, serving on the Missions Committee.

By Rev. Dallas E. Henry

It's when you see the world and live out your morals based on the Word of God. A believer's morals are dictated by the Word of God and what it says. Every individual needs to firmly establish where they stand on moral issues in life. Everyone is aware that our world is heading in a direction that would have been unheard of 10 or 20 years ago. As Christians, we need to take a stand on issues that are facing our nation today or we will lose our freedoms that we are presently enjoying.

Too many Christians today don't know what a world view is, nor do they live by it. Few Pastors today preach on it, perhaps because they themselves don't live by that standard. We should always go back and find out what the Word says concerning everything from the Great Commission (Evangelism) to how we live (Morals).

In his book and a subsequent research report on world views, author and researcher George Barna made waves by citing statistics showing just 9% of all born again adults and just 7% of Protestants possess a Biblical worldview. That information created curiosity regarding the world views of the nation's religious leaders and further prompted Barna Research to conduct a national survey on that topic among Protestant pastors. The numbers are now in and the outcome may again shock many people.

Based on interviews with 601 Senior Pastors nationwide, representing a random cross-section of Protestant churches, Barna reports that only half of the country's Protestant pastors 51% have a Biblical worldview. Defining such a world view as believing that absolute moral truth exists, that it is based upon the Bible, and having a Biblical view on six core beliefs (the accuracy of Biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace, and the personal responsibility to evangelize), the researcher produced data showing that there are significant variations by denominational affiliation and other demographics. The obvious reason why churches today our struggling with morals and the Word of God is because half of the leaders and religious teachers don't have one either.

The Denomination Gap:

An example of the gap among churches is reflected in the outcomes related to the nation's two largest denominations, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. (Of the nation's 320,000 Protestant churches, more than 42,000 of them are Southern Baptist and more than 35,000 are United Methodist; these two denominations alone account for roughly one-quarter of all Protestant churches in the U.S.) The Southern Baptists had the highest percentage of pastors with a Biblical worldview (71%), while the Methodists were lowest among the seven segments evaluated (27%).

Among the other segments examined, 57% of the pastors of Baptist churches (other than Southern Baptist) had a Biblical worldview, as did 51% of non-denominational Protestant pastors, 44% of pastors of charismatic or Pentecostal churches, 35% of pastors of black churches, and 28% of those leading mainline congregations.

Barna says that 6 out of the 7 congregations where their pastor has a Biblical worldview, the congregation does not share the same thoughts or worldviews. The reason could be that it's a lack of respect for the office of the Pastor, or they don't care. If churches would come together with their Pastor and share the same Biblical worldviews, the impact on our society would be powerful.

If all of the 51 percent of churches were to follow the leadership of the Pastor concerning the Biblical worldviews of the 6 that Barna mentioned earlier, the churches would be a force to be reckoned with. Governments would be coming to us for advice, and revival would sweep across the land.

In Col 2:6-8, Paul emphasizes that receiving Jesus is not enough. The challenge is to continue to live in Him. How do you do that without having a standard or a Biblical worldview to follow?

The distinction between beginning and then continuing in the relationship with Christ is critical. The Evangelism techniques today can overemphasize the decision to believe in Jesus and become a Christian. When this happens, too little attention is given to living out the Christian experience. Paul expresses very well that receiving Christ and being built up in Him are linked together.

Donald C. Posterski, in his book Reinventing Evangelism, says it this way: "Becoming a Christian and being a Christian are like sunshine and warmth, they are inseparable. If people today accept Christ but remain as mere infants in Christ, they are in danger of premature spiritual death. I Cor 3:1 says, 'Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly, mere infants in Christ.'"

So our goal should be to grow in our knowledge of God, the morals set out in the Word and Evangelism. All this needs to be done with purpose and without compromise. The ways of the world are often inviting. Satan is crafty. He is clever and very patient. He will be found to return and return again at a more convenient time. Without the full armor of God and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the people of God will be persuaded to go in the world's directions.

How Do We Know This To Be True:

Of the ten moral behaviors evaluated, a majority of Americans believed that each of three activities were morally acceptable. Those included gambling (61%), cohabitation (60% ), and sexual fantasies (59%). Nearly half of the adult population felt that two other behaviors were morally acceptable: having an abortion (45%) and having a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex other than their spouse (42%). About one-third of the population gave the stamp of approval to pornography (38%), profanity (36%), drunkenness (35%) and homosexual sex (30%). The activity that garnered the least support was using non-prescription drugs (17%).

Perspectives of morality vary tremendously according to people's faith commitments. Of the seven faith groups studied, evangelicals were the least likely to accept each of the ten behaviors as moral. Less than one out of every ten evangelical Christians maintained that adultery, gay sex, pornography, profanity, drunkenness and abortion are morally acceptable. In contrast, every one of those ten behaviors was deemed morally acceptable by more than one out of ten people from each of the other six faith groups studied. (The other faith segments included non-evangelical born again Christian, notional Christians, adherents of non-Christian faiths, atheists/agnostics, Protestants, and Catholics.)

It is not my desire to present a message of doom and gloom, but rather stress the importance of what Paul is saying in Col 2:6-8 -- "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principals of this world rather than on Christ."

Even though the stats indicate that it's getting worse and not better, believe it or not, God is still working behind the scenes bringing people to Himself, setting churches on fire and people are getting saved.

With that in mind we must be aware of the facts and at the same time strengthen our faith and realize that God desires to use the church for something great and wonderful. The church is here to guide people into truth found in the Word of God. We must be concerned about the church's view of morality and the larger question of its Biblical worldview. If we do not define where we stand on issues, it will be easy to be swept away and form our own doctrine. Some have called it "The Gospel according to me."

(All information was gathered from George Barna research and can be found here)

The Christian Civic League of Maine has been fully engaged in this war of the clashing of worldviews for over a century now and has some experience at the battle. Churches, ministries and individuals who partner with the League are also engaging in this battle and helping to win it. Please consider supporting the League with regular contributions if you haven't already. Another very important blessing to the ministry of the League is prayer. Pray for Executive Director Michael Heath, the staff and Board of Directors. The League has a prayer partnership network that receives regular prayer updates. You can contact the League office to become part of the network. Thank you for your support and may God richly bless you and your ministry.

May we be found faithful and fully committed to the cause of Christ here in Maine. May we be willing to endure persecution as we stand unashamed for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus.

The League is committed to proclaim the truths of Jesus Christ. It is bringing its influence to the State House. You can log on to the Record web site here and read about the proposal to ban ministers from "Approving" marriages in Maine. By the way, we won on that one. After the response through the Citizen Action Center, one of the Judiciary committee members said "With the hundereds of emails we have received, the will of the people is abundantly clear."

Also keep your eyes open for a report in the RECORD of the hearing having to do with granting homosexual couples even more benefits. It is LD 375. You can express your opinion on this one too. It is even more important than LD 779. A church denominational representative lobbied at the hearing IN FAVOR of LD 375.

If you haven't checked out our Citizen Action Center on the internet you need to do it. This is a very easy and quick way to communicate with your legislators and others who you select. It can be done from the comfort of your home or office. To further help you, a message has been prepared for you to use or, even better, you can write your own. An initial registration is required and then you can use it on a regular basis. You will see a list of issues the League is interested in bringing a Christian/Biblical influence to. Please pass on this information to others you regularly communicate with.

And finally, if you are not aware of it, Mike Heath regularly speaks on current issues of today, from a biblical perspective. He speaks at regional conferences and radio programs, and also speaks in churches across Maine bringing an update of the work of the League.

Please consider having Mike Heath speak at your church for a "League Sunday". He teaches adult/teen Sunday School classes, using multimedia and leading a discussion. Mike also preaches on the subject of Christian Citizenship, bringing a biblical sermon in morning and evening worship services. He is glad to provide pulpit supply for pastors.

You may contact Paulie Heath to schedule an event with Mike.
Phone: 207.215.6886
Email: paulie@paulieheath.com

You can join other churches and ministries in financially supporting the League by visiting here

Thank you for your support.

For your convenience, here is the link to the Day Of Truth Teen witnessing project for Public High Schools to counter the Homosexual project called Day of Silence.

There are also good materials for Day Of Truth from PFOX; Parents and Friends Of Ex-Homosexuals.

By Col. Myrl Allinder

Russ Fiedler called last week. Remember Russ? Former combat Marine, Korea vet, taxicab driver in Washington DC in the late '60s. And Christian businessman. Maybe I should say, Christian businessman.

Russ led over 5,000 taxi-riders to salvation by witnessing to them in the back seat of his cab whilst he rushed them about the nation's Capital. Then, in 1969, using his taxi-driver earnings, Russ went to the most popular commercial radio station in DC, and paid to have the Bible read every morning for 15 minutes during the rush-hour time of 6:00-6:15 a.m. Just the Bible. No ads, no pleas for donations, no comments on the Scripture. The daily Bible reading was a phenomenal success, and it continues today over the same commercial station, though, ahem, at slightly higher cost than in 1969.

Also last week my BW of 51 years was delivering meals to the blind, the widows, the crippled, and the elderly through Meals-on-Wheels. I'm the designated chauffeur every Wednesday for route 7 out of St Paul's Lutheran in Clearwater, FL. Mrs. P. is a legally-blind 80-year-old one-legged widow who lives in a 2nd floor walk-up, which is the best her 60-year-old daughter can afford while working two jobs to pay the rent. Usually my BW yaks with her M.o.W. customers, so I bring along a newspaper or two, a crossword puzzle, and a good book. Last Wednesday, though, I didn't even get started on the sports page before my BW was back out to the van. "Mrs. P. has a problem and we need you to come fix it for her."

The problem was a broken plug-in prong on the electric vacuum cleaner cord. Mrs. P. had tried to help her hardworking daughter with household chores by vacuuming her own tiny bedroom. She was distressed and upset over the broken plug, had no money nor transport nor means to repair/replace the plug. I wasn't exactly happy about the broken plug myself; I had plans for my afternoon and didn't want to try my amateur electrician skills at replacing the plug. Well, no problem. I would carry the vacuum cleaner to a place I knew on Drew street, pay a few dollars for the repair which shouldn't take over an hour, and get on with my plans for the afternoon. Besides, pure religion and undefiled before God is to comfort widows. (James 1:27) I felt very religious.

I got to the appliance repair place I knew on Drew, which I found had been closed for a year. Looking under the Yellow Pages, there were several Appliance Repair shops, but not one would accept the tiny job of replacing an electrical plug and/or cord for a vacuum. Then I remembered: the BW had spent a lot of money at XYZ vacuum company. I'm sure they'll be glad to help out with this problem. And they were.... for $80! $40 for a new cord (they don't do plug replacements, only cords) plus $40 for the labor.

Disgusted and glum, I headed back home when the BW asked, "What other vacuum repair shops were listed in the Yellow Pages?" I hadn't looked under 'vacuum repair,' I had looked under 'appliance repair.' Sure enough, there was a listing under 'vacuum repair.' And only one. It was Matt in downtown Clearwater, near the hospital. Matt is a businessman, a Christian businessman. Or should I say, Christian businessman. "Matt, can you replace a vacuum cleaner wire right away?" "Yes, come on down, I'll do it while you wait."

There are no doves/crosses/lambs/etc. at Matt's shop. Still, I was expecting, hoping, he would charge something less than $80. "How much to replace the cord?" $26. "And then how much for the labor?" That's it, total price, cord and labor: $26. But why do you want to replace the cord? There's nothing wrong with the cord, just replace the plug. "How much to replace the plug?" $5. It took two minutes, it was professional, and Matt's replacement plug-in looked like the same original one-piece molded plug-in that came with the new vacuum cleaner.

The next fifteen minutes I sat quietly while Matt explained the Christian businessman philosophy he had learned from his dad, who had started the shop over 50 years before. "We are here to serve the people of Clearwater, not to make money. Yes, we need money to pay the bills, too. Yes, we want you to pay me on time. But I learned from my dad that the primary objective of business is to be a servant to the community. For us, that's servicing vacuum cleaners, not to make a lot of money. Vacuum cleaner companies have petitioned us to sell their products, which we 've considered inferior products. When we refused, the company rep would tell us we could make piles of money on the high-priced repair parts. But that's not the way my dad taught me to do business."

What did Job mean in Job 29:13? I found out when I delivered the good-as-new vacuum back to the poor, blind, one-legged widow. She couldn't have been more joyful if I had given her a sackful of money. And we won't tell your daughter how you broke the plug-in, Mrs. P. This will just be our little secret.

Myrl Allinder is married to the former Martha E. Smith of Augusta, GA since 1956. They rejoice in 4 children, and in 5 grandchildren. Myrl retired as a Colonel of Marines in 1986 after 29 years, 375 combat missions, and command of 3 squadrons. He served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense for 3 years, and as a Strategic Planner for the Department of the Navy at the Naval War College, Newport, RI for 4 years. His final job was Chief of Plans, Joint Deployment Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, developing Logistics War Plans for all Theaters, including the Middle East.

Upon retirement he served as a missionary in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America from 1987-2000. Today he volunteers in the Pinellas County Jail (4,000 prisoners, 1000 arrests per week), in the Suncoast Haven of Rest rescue mission (7,000 homeless); and as a Gideon distributes thousands of Bibles each year to students and foreigners in the Tampa Bay area. He is an usher at Bayside Church of God in Safety Harbor, FL, serving on the Missions Committee.

By Col. Myrl Allinder

Sometimes when I see a fish or a lamb or a dove on a business sign, I want to turn and run the other way. Pastor Reggie Scarborough in his Sunday sermon, 18 March 07, Lakeland, FL

In 1966 IBM was pitching computers to the Services. I was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps and was astonished to learn that some staff officers had been treated to $50 lunches by IBM salesmen and programmers, seeking to influence government contracts. The sales promise was that computers would reduce paper work, speed up data/information transmission, reduce work hours (for staffers not unaccustomed to 10-12 hour days, sometimes weekends in DC), and help lead the way to a business and military utopia. In 2007 we can only grin as digitalized laptops, cell phones and gps turn evenings, weekends and vacations into 70 and 80+ hour work weeks.

It was also the late 60s or early 70s that the first Shepherd's Guides appeared in the DC area... directories to local Christian businessmen, the pitch being that a business displaying a cross or dove or lamb in its logo or signage would provide honest, professional, expert service at a reasonable price. As with IBM, the hype exceeded the expectation/performance. The first 3 businesses I patronized which used crosses/doves/lambs in their logos ripped me off.

When churches began discussing church book stores in 1970, the pitch was that church books stores would make Bibles more available for parishoners. Pastors were reminded that the word profane simply means outside the temple, that the book store industry was honorable outside the house of worship, but Christ insisted that buying and selling in the Father's House of Prayer was profane. John 2:15-16 A survey of many church book stores today will reveal that Bibles constitute less than 10% of the inventory of bingles, baubles, bangles, cd's, photos, statuary, inspirational this and uplifting that.

One church began to show advertising slides for parishoners' businesses before the morning worship began. Another mega-congregation has an electronic billboard out front, advertising appearance times for the next brilliant speaker, award winning singer/music group. Ninety pages of a 120-page christian magazine contain at least one item for sale. A famous christian speaker grosses over $100Million per year in fees and sales.

The Hebrew word for mixed is arab. Arab. Is it a coincidence that many of America's and Israel's problems have to do with Arabs? Do not sow your vineyard with various mixed seeds--Deut 22: 9 Do not plow with an ox and an ass together. Do not wear a garment of wool and linen [mixed] together. vv 10-11 Ephraim [doubly blessed] has mixed himself among the people--Hosea 7:8 Israel separated out the mixed multitude--Neh 13:3

Make no mistake: GOD loves the Arabs. GOD loves the World. John 3:16 forever. Thank GOD for the Arab Christian brothers who are fearlessly preaching the pure Gospel of Christ in regions where American or European missionaries stay away in droves.

It's just that American christian businesses and churches have more arabs... men who are mixing Christ into commercial ventures, and pastors who are mixing the world into spiritual ventures... than Arabia.

Buying and selling of doves and lambs and Bibles and books and insurance and truck tires are all honorable businesses.... outside the House of Prayer. But American businessmen .... and churches....are mixing it up: using the symbols and logo's of the Spirit of Christ as a worldly come-on or advertisement to entice christian customers to buy stuff; while churches use worldly advertising and PR and come-on's to draw customers into the House of Prayer.

The first sermon of John Baptist was: Repent! The Kingdom of GOD is at hand! Matt 3:2 The first sermon of Jesus Christ was: Repent! The Kingdom of GOD is at hand. Matt 4:17 Christ sent the Holy Spirit for 3 purposes: to convince the world of sin, of righteous, and of judgment. John 16:8

Businessmen and churchmen in America have attempted to turn Christ and the Christian faith into commercial enterprises, both in the market place and in the House of Prayer for all Nations. Render to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to God what is God's. Mt 22:21

Is GOD using islam as a rod of correction against America? It is not without cause and sufficient wicked evidence that some Arab nations call America the great satan.

Myrl Allinder is married to the former Martha E. Smith of Augusta, GA since 1956. They rejoice in 4 children, and in 5 grandchildren. Myrl retired as a Colonel of Marines in 1986 after 29 years, 375 combat missions, and command of 3 squadrons. He served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense for 3 years, and as a Strategic Planner for the Department of the Navy at the Naval War College, Newport, RI for 4 years. His final job was Chief of Plans, Joint Deployment Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, developing Logistics War Plans for all Theaters, including the Middle East.

Upon retirement he served as a missionary in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America from 1987-2000. Today he volunteers in the Pinellas County Jail (4,000 prisoners, 1000 arrests per week), in the Suncoast Haven of Rest rescue mission (7,000 homeless); and as a Gideon distributes thousands of Bibles each year to students and foreigners in the Tampa Bay area. He is an usher at Bayside Church of God in Safety Harbor, FL, serving on the Missions Committee.