Very last track

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready.'

His Pastor dad asked, 'Ready for what?'

'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out.'

Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?'

Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'

Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?'

His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son..'

'Thanks Dad!'

And with that, he was off and out into the rain.. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract .

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted. Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered.

He rang it again and again, but still no one answered.. He waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.

Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.

Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?' With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE.'

With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.

She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'

Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked, 'Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?'

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.

As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, 'No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, 'I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.'

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly...

I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be?

Nobody ever

rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!

The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU .'

Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand..

As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.

You see-- -I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell..'

There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated....

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son.... Except for One.

Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.

Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. Heaven is for His people!

Remember, God's message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you.

Please share this wonderful message...

If you love JESUS, please forward this message.

Spread His word, and share His goodness and faithfulness.

Matthew 10:32 says:

'Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven

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Are there limitations to Speaking in Tongues and Performing Miracles?

My bunkmate, Emeka, returned from the impartation service held at the Corpers' Fellowship at the NYSC Camp looking worried. A senior pastor had come from town to lay hands on those who had responded to the altar call. They were told that speaking in tongues would be the sign that they had been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Emeka couldn't speak in tongues like others and so he thought something was wrong with him.
Emeka's experience brings the following questions to one's mind:
1. Are all believers expected to speak in tongues and perform miracles?

2. Are these gifts for all Christians of all time?

3. Who benefits from speaking in tongues?

4. Who benefits from miracles?

5. Have these gifts ceased today?
Shall we listen to the Bible?

In Mark 16:17-20, Jesus tells His disciples that they would do many signs, among which are speaking in tongues and miracles. But verse 20 affirms that these signs were *to confirm the Gospel preached to those who heard them*.

✔Note that not all Christians in the first century spoke in tongues or performed miracles. 1Cor.12:5-10
✔1Cor. 12:11 shows us that it was the Holy Spirit who determined which gift to give to those who had spiritual gifts.
✔Because these gifts could only be received by the laying on of the Apostles' hands, it indicated that they were for a specific period. Acts. 8:17-19; 1 Cor. 13:8 No pastor today reserves the right to lay hands on you to receive gifts of the Holy Spirit talk less of determining the gift you are to receive.
✔Possession of spiritual gifts did not make the possessor more spiritual. Otherwise, Paul would not have had to write to the Corinthians rebuking some of them for abusing the gifts. Also, God would be partial for not giving these gifts to all the Christians then and now if the gifts enhanced the spirituality of the possesors. 1 Cor. 12:28-30
✔ What All Christians of All Time share in common is the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:32; 2:38; Romans 5:5.
✔The Holy Spirit indwells Christians who obey the Gospel of Christ by being baptized. Acts 19:1-7
✔The Apostles and first Christians on whom the apostles laid their hands did not use their gifts indiscriminately. They used it solely for the purpose of confirming the message preached. 2 Timothy 4:20b and 1 Timothy 5:23 affirm that Paul had companions who needed healing but did not use the gift of healing on them. Even he was not healed of a 'thorn in his flesh' 2Cor.12:7-8. The signs and wonders performed by the Holy Spirit through them was for confirmation of the word. Hebrews 2:4
✔Those who claim to speak in tongues today do not speak in human languages but claim to speak in 'angelic' languages whereas those who spoke in tongues in the Bible spoke human languages could be understood and interpreted. Acts 2:1-12; 1Cor.12:10b shows that some had the gift of interpreting tongues(languages).
✔The tongues spoken today are for their edification and not for unbelievers but 1Cor.14:22 says tongues are to benefit unbelievers and NOT for believers.
✔Our focus as Christians should be on the salvation of our souls and worshipping God in an acceptable manner. Jesus said one could perform miracles and still go to hell. Matt7:21-24.

I hope with these truths, you, like Emeka my bunkmate, will be equipped to know the truth about speaking in tongues and miracles. Prove all things and hold fast to the truth.
Written by Daniel 'Jimi for evangelismportal.org

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A MUST READ!!! WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS

WHAT IS CHRISTMAS
Christmas though claimed to be Christian festival is not found in the bible.
Christmas is a word that evolved from the fusion of two separate words Christ and mass. While Christ mean messiah, mass refer to a religious ritual performed by a denominational group as part of her self-willed practice and worship.

THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS
The origin of Christmas and its celebration cannot be traced from the bible but history point it to bishop liberious of Rome, who order the people then to celebrate Christmas on December 25th as the birth day of Christ in the year 354AD. See word book encyclopedia Vol.3 page 416. However before December 25th was finally chosen as the birth day of Christ and for its celebration, various dates were selected such as January 6th , march 25th and December 25th . See comptions puetered encyclopedia vol.3 page 332.
History also states, according to the Christian calendar page 21, word book encyclopedia vol. 3 page 416 and the new illustrated encyclopedia of kwonledge page 112 that December 25th was mainly chosen then to be the birth day Christ and the celebration of its as Christmas, in order to dissociate the roman “Christian” from participating with the roman pagans who were celebrating their roman feast of Saturn,in which the celebrate the birth day of the sun(the roman god of agriculture and vegetables) on the same day of December 25th
Furthermore, because Christmas festival is not found in the bible but modified pagan feasts by the Romans some of the practices which were being done during the celebration of the pagan feast of Saturn in Rome were also incorporated in the Christmas celebration, eg Christmas tree, yule log, giving of presents and decoration of houses. See the New illustration Encyclopedia of knowledge page 112.
Christmas is not a christen feast, so we must not observe it for the following reasons
The origin is the way of the heathen and in Jeremiah 10:1-6, God warned his people not to learn the way of the heathens. What dose Xmas tree represent? The book of Jeremiah 10:2-4 state “thus says the lord” do not learn the way of heathen; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the custom of the people are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest. The work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold;, they fasten it with nails and harmers, so that it will not topple” see the wisdom of man.
Do not forget that we are disusing why you should not celebrate Christmas-the second point is that “the narration of the fact of Christ’s birth is not a command but a fulfillment of prophecy
The dates which were fixed by men are not uniform but laced with confusion as Eastern Europe observes Christmas as January 6, others on 18th and 19th. God is not the Author of confusion. See 1 cor.14:33
Christ did not begin his existence from here. See col. 1:15-17 “who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities, or power; all things were created by him and for him and he is before all things, and by him all things consist’. Thus, his birth into the world is clearly known and should be understood only as God’s manifestation “in the flesh 1 tim.3:16. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angles, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”. So needless to celebrate his birth as he had existed before time and season.
Christmas should not be celebrated by true Christians because anything we do religiously is Christianity must be done in the name (authority) of our lord Jesus Christ which can only be found in the New Testament scripture. Therefore, the facts that Christmas festival is nowhere to be found in the new testament scriptures either by being commanded or by being celebrated by Christ himself, his apostles, or the early Christians, evidently shows that such religious feast is not authorized by Christ our only lawgiver, the author and finisher of our faith, rather it is a commandment from men which Christ condemned totally in the scriptures. See James 4:12, Heb 12:2, col. 3:17
It is a blatant fallacy to make Christmas Christians festival, because there is no command from Christ or any act of apostles (Apostolic example) to authenticate its celebrations. This is the wisdom of men which does not adore God even as Christ as stated in his word “But in vain they do worship men, teaching for doctrines the commandment of men.” Matt. 15:9. Man cannot replace the word of God with his own and be accepted.
The bible says for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to established their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God Rom.10:1-3. God has never left man unguided in man’s search to please him. Hence, the warning” and whatsoever you do in words or deed, do all in the Name of the lord jesus, giving thanks to God and the father by him Col. 3:17. “in the name of the lord Jesus” quoted above means in the authority Christ and Christ has commanded. Whereas, the bible says there is ignorant worship. Rom.10:1-3, there is vain worship. Matt. 15:9 but the true and acceptable worship must flow from a sincere heart and must be done in truth. John 4:24

Conclusion
The worshipers of the living God are expected to walk by faith and not by sight. Not by of wisdom of men but by the will of God. (11Cor. 5:7, 1Thess. 2:3-5) Christ commanded the Christians should celebrate a feast to remember his death not his birth. Math 26:26-30, 1Cor. 11:23-26. We would not serve God and be pleasing on him if the items of such service are born out of our instinct. Christmas is traced to a pagan feast in the then Rome and it is idolatry. Therefore, no matter how enticing and glamorous it may be, it does not glorify God and all the celebration amount to ignorance, waste and heresy ….BEWARE!!!

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THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS

INTRODUCTION
The world today believes that “Christmas” is the birthday of Jesus Christ. But it should be noted that the word “Christmas” is derived from two words – “Christ” and “mas”.

We Christians know that the word “Christ” means the Messiah or the One sent to redeem us from sin. On the other hand, the word “Mas”, according to James Gibbons, a Catholic scholar, is derived from the Catholic sacrifice of Mass (during Eucharist or Holy Communion celebration). Candles are usually burnt during the process. ( See Faith of Our Fathers, page 355).

Thus, it is clear that the word “Christmas” has nothing to do with birthday. The word is therefore a misnomer for our Lord’s birthday as Christ and Mas do not connote Christ’s birthday. We Christians must therefore separate our Lord (Christ) from Mass as the term, apart from lacking support of scriptures, does not mean birthday.

ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS
Before the advent of Christianity, the Roman heathen had the feast of Winter Solstice (i.e feast of the sun) usually celebrated in December period.

It is said that with the advent of Christianity and consequently Catholicism, many of the heathen believed in Christ. In spite of this “conversion” they were still observing the heathen feast of Winter Solstice. So, in 354 AD a Roman Catholic bishop named Liberius declared December 25 as Christ’s birthday so that instead of worshipping the Sun, the heathen who have been converted to “Christianity” will now use the occasion to worship the Son of God (See World Book Encyclopaedia Vol. 3 Page 1425). So, “Christmas” has its origin from paganistic heathenism, 321 years after Christianity started in AD 33. This might be a good idea humanly speaking. But in matters of faith, we cannot think for God as His ways are not our ways Isa 55:6-9.

WHEN WAS CHRIST BORN?
The Bible has record of Christ’s birth in Matt. 1:18-21 and in other corresponding passages of Mark and Luke but the date is not recorded. In Deut 29:29, the Bible says that the secret things belong to God but those that are revealed to us belong to us. So, if God and the Holy Spirit did not disclose the birthday of Christ to us in the Bible, the silence of the Holy Spirit and God in that regard must be respected. Otherwise, it will be an addition to the word of God to purport to fix a date as Bishop Liberius did in AD 354. Please note that God warns against such unauthorised addition to His word towards the beginning of the Scriptures in Deut 4:2, that warning was sounded; in the middle of the scriptures in Prov 30:5-6, the warning was re-echoed and finally at the end of scriptures in Rev. 22:18-19 the warning and its consequences were laid down by the Holy Spirit. So, let us avoid the wrath of God and desist from any act that will amount to an addition to God’s word.

December 25 is a common assumption as the birthday of Christ just as we have other common assumptions that are erroneous in the Christendom today. For example, it is often assumed by many that “three wise men” brought gifts to Christ when He was born. But please my dear reader/listener have you ever taking time out to find out if the number of wise men was given in the scripture? The story of the wise men’s visit when Christ was born is recorded in Matt. 2:1-11 and the Bible only reveals that wise men came from the east to Jerusalem Matt.2:1. The fact that the wise men presented three different types of gifts to Jesus in Matt. 2:11 does not automatically mean that the visitors were three. The only truth that can be derived from Matt. 2:1 is that the visitors were in their plural. They could have been two, three or even more. Two visitors can present three types of gifts (if one brings two types of gifts and the other brings the third gift, just the same way more that three visitors can present the same gifts). Other erroneous assumptions in the Christendom include, Catholic Church being the first church. This is wrong because the Church of Christ, established in AD 33 (Acts 2) is the first church. Also, many do refer to the building where the church worships as the church. From the Bible point of view, the word “church” is derived from the Greek word eklesia meaning “the called out”, “a gathering” or “an assembly”. The church can worship anywhere that is convenient for her to assemble or gather.

Moreover, it should be noted that from the Bible point of view, Jesus could never have been born in December going by the account of Lk 2:1-8. This is because in verse 8 of that passage, we read that when Christ was born, Shepherds were seen abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock. Those who are familiar with the city where Christ was born know that Shepherds are not normally seen in the field during winter, which is the period of December.

If God had intended that Christians should celebrate the birthday of Christ, it would have been clearly stated in scriptures. After all, God did it before in the Old Testament when he wanted the Jews to celebrate Passover, He gave them the exact date to be on the 14th of the first month. Ex.13:4; Lev.23:5; Num.9:2-3. So, giving date is not a big deal to God.

THE ONLY FEAST FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY
The only feast meant for Christians to celebrate in honour of Christ in a religious sense is the Lord’s Supper otherwise known as the Holy Communion Matt 26:26; Acts 20:7; ICor.11:23-30. Observe it with great respect and honour for Christ because it is a remembrance of the death and resurrection of Christ, which is the bedrock of the Christian faith. But unfortunately, this is the feast most neglected by those who claim to be Christians No instruction could be more clear than “Do this in remembrance of me” as clearly stated in ICor. 11:26.

CONSEQUENCES OF OBSERVING CHRISTMAS
Let us note the following facts: a) Christ did not celebrate His birthday when He was alive; b) His disciples did not celebrate it either; c) The Bible did not command us expressly nor impliedly to observe Christ’s birthday; therefore to observe it is an addition to the word of God which is punishable according to Deut 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19.

CONCLUSION: It is only sentiment that makes people to think that if Jesus was such a great man in history then his birthday must be observed by his followers. But we should not forget that we cannot think for God. His thoughts are different from ours (Isa 59:8-9). Moreover, statistics has shown that the sins of fornication, drunkenness and reckless driving leading to unwarranted accidents are more during the so-called Christmas celebration. Can this be the best way to mark the birthday of the One who came to seek and save the lost and saved us from our sins?? Lk 19:10; Matt 1: 21. Definitely not!

What therefore should Christians do during Christmas since December 25 has been universally accepted by men as the birthday of Christ? The period should merely be observed as just any other holiday. But definitely not the way the people of the world mark it with all sorts of sins. The fact that the whole world has accepted it does not mean acceptance by God. After all, the Bible says in Romans 3:4   “……….let God be true and every man liar”....

Jeremiah 10:1-5....origin of Christmas tree

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