Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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to Moses and begged him to intervene with awesome gift of having original sin taken
God. They admitted their sin and asked for away, of having our natures restored to their
God’s mercy and pardon. This time God pristine beauty, and of having the Kingdom
responds to Moses’ intercession by giving of Heaven open once more to us. But there
him a strange order: He told Moses to erect is an application beyond us: As intercessors,
a pole, to fashion a bronze serpent, and to brothers and sisters, we are called to plead
place it on the pole. He then had Moses tell for God’s mercy on the lost, on our
the people to look at the pole when they were communities, our nation and on the entire
bitten, and they would get well, they would world. The venom of sin is rampant all
not die from the venom coursing through around us – and we, too, sin, but we know to
their bodies. This probably seemed an odd look at Jesus, to repent and to have our sins
thing to do; but Moses obeyed. And it forgiven – and people are getting bitten,
worked. What Moses did not realize when people are dying, our nation is weakening
this happened and when he later wrote it and perhaps even tottering because of its
down in the Book of Numbers, was that this turning away from God by so many. I
was a highly prophetic event. Think about it firmly believe that the “signs of the times”
with me: The serpents represent Satan and around us are no accidents: The rising
his demonic forces. The venom represents prices and the weakening economy, the
sin, both original sin and actual sin. The increasing immorality and Godlessness, the
pole – ah, the pole – represents the Cross!! turning to and the glorification of the self,
But wait!! What about the serpent on the the immigration problems which seem to
Cross? Surely a serpent cannot represent include the desire by many to accept illegal
the crucified Son of God, the Messiah who immigration on the same par as the legal
would come fifteen hundred years later or immigration that has brought millions to our
so? Here is what I believe is the answer to shores and at the same time an ignoring of
this puzzle: Jesus is the Messiah; but His the desperate plight of many who are coming
coming was a reality far beyond what even here illegally, an almost frenzied presidential
the most devout Jew could imagine. He was race, the continuing threat of terrorism
not just a man raised up among men for a coming to our land again, wars and rumors
Messianic role. No, He was the Second of wars, droughts and floods, hunger around
Person of the Blessed Trinity who took on a the world and in our own nation and rapidly
human nature and a human body when He increasing food prices, and it goes on and on.
was miraculously conceived by the Holy I truly believe that God is trying to get our
Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. So, attention, trying to tell us that we cannot
though He was sinless, though He did not solve these
have original sin because He was not problems on our
conceived in the normal way and therefore own but that we
did not have original sin passed on to Him, need Him and that
He nevertheless had a human body and a we must fall to our
human nature and was subject to knees and on our
temptation, to hunger and thirst, to fatigue, faces and seek
to everything that we are subject to except Him. We must
sin. So, the analogy of the serpent changes look to the Cross,
when that bronze snake was placed on the and to the
pole; it became a representation of the Son Resurrected and
of God, bleeding, suffering, thirsting and Risen Lord. This,
dying on the Cross at Golgotha. And when folks, is the
we gaze at Him, when we turn to Him, when urgency of the call
we cry out to Him, we now have the to intercession, to repentance, to
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thanksgiving for His love and mercy, and to who want to work and succeed. As part of
adoration of Him as the Creator and Lord of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese
all. We need to get to 24/7 prayer! And to 7- allowed some prisoners to receive packages
8 deep in 24/7 prayer! If you are an UP from home. In some of these packages were
member, your time of prayer is precious and handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of
critically important. If you are a friend of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle.
UP, your prayerful support is urgently Over a period of a couple of months, he
needed. Please commit to an hour, or more, created an American flag and sewed it on
or recommit; please encourage others to join the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon,
the UP Team; please work with other prayer before we had a bowl of soup, we would
groups so that we may all join in this urgent hang Mike’s shirt on the wall of the cell and
work of prayer. The venom is sin; the say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the
antidote is God’s grace; the chosen Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most
methodology by God is the prayer of His important of our day now, but I can assure
people. you that in that stark cell it was indeed the
most important and meaningful event. One
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as
“M
School. Then he became a Naval Flight
y drug problem: I had a drug
Officer and was shot down and captured in
problem when I was young. I was
1967. Mike had a keen and deep
drug to church on Sunday morning. I was
appreciation of the opportunities this
drug to church for weddings and funerals. I
Country and our military provide for people
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was drug to family reunions no matter the Commandments. One little girl raised her
weather. I was drug to the bus stop to go to hand, stood tall and said, “Thou shalt not
take the covers off thy
neighbor’s wife.”…After the
christening of his baby brother
in church, little Jason sobbed all
the way home, in the back seat of
the car. His father kept asking
school every weekday. I was drug by my him what was wrong, and Jason finally
ears when I was disrespectful to adults and replied, “That preacher said he wanted us
teachers. I was also drug to the woodshed brought up in a Christian home, and I
when I disobeyed my parents. Those drugs wanted to stay with you guys.”…More about
are still in my veins today; they affect my the Our Father from kids: “Lead us not into
behavior in everything I do, say, and think. temptation, but deliver us some e-mail.
They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or Amen.”…”And forgive us our trash baskets,
heroin, and if today’s children had this kind as we forgive those who put trash in our
of drug problem, America would certainly baskets.”…A Sunday School teacher asked,
be a better place!” “Why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”
The reply from one little girl: “Because
MORE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE people are sleeping.”…A six-year old girl
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The preceding are in honor of all the marker in hand, marking the deeply
mothers reading this. Thank you for your discounted items as you order. This day, I
love and care!! was there because I had been asked to cook a
meal for a group with some serious needs
and I knew that the warehouse was my best
hope for getting the amount of food I
needed. But, the warehouse only takes cash,
PRESIDENTIAL QUOTE and the items were quickly adding up. I was
M any thanks to
Mary
Helen Jeruzal,
girl in bad pain…Joe, who contemplated
suicide and all of the people ministered
today by Reflection of Christ ministry…A.
the Chaplain at and all who are trying to quit smoking…
Skaggs Community Richard, cancer…Upcoming Arab
Health Center, Christian/Messianic Jewish Fellowship
who is an UP convention, for radio Bible study programs,
Team member and all people in the Middle East…Margo,
and who has health and job…Mark Aldred, beginning
offered to take on new show in Branson…Catherine, health
the role of the Prayer and direction and all her intentions,
Leader for the Medical Sector, now that including preparation for Veterans’ Week…
Jackie Hartman has gone to be with the Tim Blacke, upcoming serious surgery,
Lord. overall health, and finances…John/Jan
Goldsberry, finances, direction, health…
KINGDOM BUILDER AWARD Tom Fish and Merrilyn…Joan, surgery…
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Bob Burton
331-1028.