ENGLISH TEXT FOR REFERENCE

Activated Magazine 2004 / 02

(Traditional Chinese Activated mag 2 -English text mostly from English mag issue 1)

cover
New Beginnings
Mountain Men
Man of Love

page 2

This is the second issue of Activated magazine. If you are interested in receiving more issues or ordering some of our inspiring and strengthening Bible-based publications, please write, phone or e-mail us today! Thank you!

Activated USA
P.O. Box 4307
Orange, CA 92863-4307
USA
e-mail:
"mailto:activatedUSA@activated.org"

Activated Europe
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Enterprise Way
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ENGLAND
e-mail:
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Bangalore - 1
India
e-mail:
"mailto:activatedIndia@activated.org"

 

Editor: Sunny Hsu
Graphic Design: Giselle LeFavre, Marcus
Illustrations: Hugo Westphal,
Ana Fields
Production: Francisco Lopez
© 1999 Aurora Production, Ltd.
All Rights Reserved
Unless indicated otherwise, all
Scripture quotations in Activated! are
from the Chinese Union Bible, Chinese Living Bible,
Modern Chinese Bible & new Chinese Bible.

Page 2
Personally Speaking

Dear Friends,
How are you? We are very happy to see you again! In this Activated! We’ll continue to talk about topics that concern you the most. We all know life can be sweet & pleasant, but at the same time full of challenges, difficulties, trials & problems.
We are faced with these problems, we would of course try our best to deal with & solve them. But have you ever thought that human’s strength is very limited, some problems cannot be solved by men? Have you ever thought that how nice it’d be if there’s Someone who loves you so much, that He’s always by your side, ready to help you at anytime, & share your joy & pain together?
Yes, you guess it! The answers to all these questions and more are found in a very personal and close relationship with Jesus, our “Man of Love,” who promises us not only eternal life in Heaven, but that He will stick by our side until we get there. He has a world of happiness, joy, peace, freedom, and contentment and everlasting love waiting for you! All you have to do is connect to the source of this life-changing power by receiving Jesus into your heart. Then He will fill your life with the love and understanding that you have always longed for.
And this is what Activated! is all about - helping you connect to God’s power of love so you can experience that love in your daily life. The Bible says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and His love has such life-changing power that once you connect to Him you are never the same again!
In upcoming issues of Activated! You will learn how to tap into God’s power through prayer, studying His Word, and putting His principles of love into practice in your daily life. We invite you to turn on the power and connect to His love today!

            Sunny Hsu
For your Activated! family

 

pages 3-4
The Man of Love (Part 2)

Jesus didn’t have to die

Not everyone liked what Jesus said and
did. In fact, the Scribes and Pharisees-the rich
and powerful religious leaders of His day-
became infuriated at Him because His teachings
undermined their authority by setting the
people free from their traditions and dictatorial
control! His self-righteous foes finally forced
the authorities to arrest
Him on trumped-up
charges, condemn,
torture and cruelly
execute Him by crucifixion.
Jesus didn’t have to
die on that cross. He said,
“All authority has been
given to Me in Heaven
and on Earth” (Matthew
28:18). He was the Son of
God, and all the powers
of the universe were at
His disposal, at His
command. He told His captors, “You could
have no power at all against Me unless it had
been given you by My Father,” and “I could lift
My little finger and thousands of angels would
immediately deliver Me from your hand.” (See
John 19:11; Matthew 26:53.) He could have
called on all the forces of Heaven to slaughter
His enemies, conquer Rome, take over the
world, and force all men to fall down and
worship Him there and then! But instead He
chose to lay down His life for you and me.

So why did He die?

Why would the Lord of the universe, God in
the flesh, allow Himself to be captured, falsely
accused, tried and condemned, whipped,
stripped, and nailed to a cross like a common
criminal? The answer is simple: Because He
loved you and me!
All of us at times have done wrong and
been unloving and unkind to others. The Bible
says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God” (Romans 3:23). The worst thing about
our sins is that they separate us from God, who
is absolutely sinless and perfect. In order to
bring us to God, Jesus, the sinless Son of God,
took the sins of all mankind upon Himself. He
took the punishment for our sins, and suffered
the horrible pain of death by crucifixion. He
died the death of a sinner, that through His
sacrifice, we might find forgiveness and freedom
from our sins.

Defeating death!

Three days after His lifeless body was buried,
something happened that shocked His enemies
and proved to all of His followers that He really
was the Son of God: He arose from the dead, the
victor over death and Hell forever!
After His resurrection, Jesus personally
appeared to literally hundreds of His followers,
encouraging, strengthening, and comforting
them. He told them that He was going to return
to be with His heavenly Father, but that He
would always be with them in spirit, living in
their hearts forever. He also gave His followers a
wonderful promise, saying, “One day I will
come again.” (See John 14:3.) But when He
returns, it will not be as an ordinary man, but
as the mighty Ruler and great King that He is.
He said, “The Son of Man shall come in the
clouds, with power and great majesty.” (See
Luke 21:27.)

Meet the Man!

Would you like to find out and know for
sure that this Man of love, Jesus Christ, really is
the Son of God, the way to salvation and
eternal life? All you have to do is believe that
Jesus died for you, and accept Him and His free
gift of forgiveness for your sins. Then you will
be pardoned, brought into fellowship now with
God, our heavenly Father, and when you die,
you’ll live with Him forever in Heaven! You can
receive Him and His salvation by simply and
sincerely praying a prayer like the one which
follows:

Dear Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God
and that You died for me and arose from the
grave. I need Your love to cleanse me from my
mistakes and wrongdoing. I need Your light to
drive away all darkness. I need Your peace to fill
and satisfy my heart. I now open the door of my
heart and I ask You, Jesus, to please come into
my life and give me Your free gift of eternal life.
Thank You for suffering for all of the wrong I
have done, and for hearing my prayer and
forgiving me. Amen.

 

page 5
Answers to your ?uestions...

Q: How can I get through to someone who has difficulty opening up and communicating?

Most people who are very quiet and
withdrawn don’t really want to be that
way. They know they need to be freer
and they don’t really want to stay behind their
walls, but they need somebody to be loving
and understanding enough to help them open
up to others. If you’re interested in people and
you love them, then you need to learn how to
get them to come out of themselves and
communicate.
One way to do this is to ask questions.
“You look like you’re having a rough day. Is
everything all right?” And if they were to say,
“No, but it’s my problem. I’d rather not talk
about it,” you could say something like, “I wish
you would, because I’d really like to help if I
can.” With most people, if you show that you’re
sincerely concerned about them and what
they’re going through, they’ll eventually come
out of themselves and be more specific. They
do want to, but they just need help. The Bible
says, “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep
water; but a man of understanding will draw it
out” (Proverbs 20:5).
Some people are brought up from child-hood
to believe that it’s a sign of weakness to
show their emotions, or to talk too much about
their feelings. They’re suffering from the classic
condition of “the stiff upper lip,” and consequently
they have never developed the ability
to talk meaningfully with another person. They
have never learned how to share openly with
someone else, and they have difficulty finding
the words to say.
Others are fearful of exposing what they feel
or think. They don’t want to run the risk of
being rejected or hurt if someone else disagrees
with them.
Others have the attitude that talking won’t
do any good, so why bother? They may have
tried at some point to get through to another
person and it didn’t work, so they stopped
trying altogether.
And some people simply don’t believe they
have anything to offer others. They don’t think
that their ideas are worthwhile. They have a low
opinion of themselves, and so withhold their
comments and personal feelings.
Hang-ups and fears such as these keep us at
a shallow level of communication. But love,
understanding, patience, and a listening ear
can free us from these negative and restrictive
attitudes so we can move to deeper, more
meaningful levels.
- Maria David

page 6
ONE SOLITARY LIFE
-That changed the world!

HERE IS A MAN who was born in an obscure
village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in
another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter
shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He
was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office.
He never owned a home. He never had a family.
He never went to college. He never put his foot
inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred
miles from the place where He was born. He never
did one of the things that contemporary society
would consider a sign of greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself. He had
nothing of this world, only the power of His divine
manhood. While still a young man, the tide of
popular opinion turned against Him.
His friends ran away. One of them denied Him,
another betrayed Him. He was turned over to His
enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying, His executioners gambled for
the only piece of property He had on Earth-His
coat. When He was dead He was taken down and
laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a
friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and
today He is the centerpiece of the human race, the
greatest source of guidance and divine inspiration.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the
armies that ever marched, and all the navies that
ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever
sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together,
have not affected the life of man upon this
earth as powerfully as that one solitary life!-
Jesus!
-James A. Francis

page 7

Feeding Reading
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

The four Gospels of the New Testament-Matthew, Mark, Luke and John-tell the
beautiful story of Jesus’ life on Earth. If you read the fourth Gospel first, the Gospel
of Saint John, you will find that it is one of the easiest to understand, contains the
most Words of Jesus, and outlines His loving plan for your life! Following are some
of the key passages and verses from the Book of John which deserve special
attention as you read and study:

Jesus: The Word of God,
the True Light of the World
Chapter 1, verses 1-18
Key verse: John 1:12

What does it mean to be “born again”?
Chapter 3, verses 1-21
Key verse: John 3:16

The woman at the well:
“He told me everything I did ...”
Chapter 4, verses 1-30
Key verse: John 4:24

All you can eat!-Jesus Feeds 5,000.
Chapter 6, verses 1-13, 25-40
Key verse: John 6:35

The Good Shepherd
-An all-time favorite chapter!
Chapter 10, verses 1-30
Key verses: John 10:27-28

Lazarus raised from the dead.
-How did it happen?
Chapter 11, verses 1-46
Key verse: John 11:25

Jesus, the True Vine
Chapter 15 (all)
Key verses: John 15:4-5

Jesus’ last prayer, for love and unity
Chapter 17 (all)
Key verse: John 17:23

 

page 8-9

New Beginnings

“I began to see that the things I
owned, owned me…”
By Michael, from Canada

As the son of a successful corporate
lawyer, growing up was pleasant for
me. Many comforts and opportunities
were mine from childhood. In my early
teen years my parents sent me to one of the
most elite private boarding schools in Canada.
Due to my great interest in art, I was then sent
to a high school specializing in art and academic
studies.
After achieving honors in my studies, I
attended the Ontario College of Art, the most
prestigious art college in Canada. My artwork
and academic achievements won me an
entrance scholarship and free tuition. When I
entered college, I was placed in the third year of
the four-year art course. I was the second
student in the history of the college to receive
this placement. At the end of my fourth year, I
was given another scholarship
and a large sum of money to
travel anywhere in the world.
Soon after returning from
extensive travels in Europe, I was
given a job with the government-sponsored
Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC). For four
years I was a graphic designer for CBC. I also
did freelance illustration work for a top agency
in New York and major newspapers, magazines
and book publishers, as well as TV work
and animation.
I had climbed the ladder of success in my
field, but from that height I saw life from a
different perspective. I began to understand
that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance
of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).
My money, sports cars, and trips to Europe
were not enough. Something important was
missing; my heart was not
satisfied. I began to see that
the things I owned, owned
me. I decided that I wanted to
find the true meaning of life,
and I was determined to pay
any price to get it. I knew that
what really counts is to have
love, joy and true happiness
in one’s heart, but I had no
idea where to find those
things.
One cold winter night on
the downtown streets of
Toronto, Canada, I met a total
stranger who, in less than an
hour, explained passages to
me from the Bible that
changed my life in the most
profound way. That night I
asked Jesus into my heart and
found the greatest of all
riches, the most valuable
things in the world-Jesus
and the Word of God! I’m so thankful to God that through His Word has brought some real positive changes in my life!

From disillusionment to finding a new life of Real Love!
From Heidi’s personal experience, Taiwan.

    I grew up in a traditional Buddhist family, when I was 10, my parents divorced because my father had an affair. My mother brought my two brothers to Northern Taiwan, while I stayed with my grandparents. My parents’ divorce was a big blow & shock to me, a growing teenager at the time. I didn’t know what forgiveness was, only judgment & criticism. I condemned my parents for their faults, and felt bitter towards their selfishness in cruelly tearing apart a perfect family. I remember because of this, for a long, long time I closed myself into a no man's world, not willing to talk, neither did I want to communicate, and I couldn’t get rid of the pain and shame that I had in my heart.
After graduating from high school, I went to Northern Taiwan to work, started to have boyfriends, tried to learn how to smoke, and went to disco dancing after work until midnight. One time after having an argument with my boyfriend, I told him I wanted to break up with him, but he threatened that if I did, he’d finish both of us off. After hearing what he said, I felt so discouraged & scared, that I burnt my hand with a cigarette butt to find out what pain felt like. Since then, the scar of this burn has remained, whenever I see these scars I can’t help but laugh at my childish behaviour at that time.
For years I have been asking myself, does God exist? Is there a god in the universe? I’ve burnt incense to the gods in Buddhist temples, trying to find peace in my heart. I’ve also gone to church to worship, wanting to know about the so called God there, but not getting the answer that I wanted. In the year when I was desperately searching for truth the most, I came to know Jesus & received Him as my Saviour, and my life has totally changed! Because of Jesus’ Love, I learned about the power of forgiveness, and my negative feelings of being forsaken by my parents were turned into love & forgiveness in a instant.
One year later, I quit my job & since then I have been a missionary for 13 years so far. This Christmas I married a brother who loves the Lord, he has 10 children already, his wife died 2 years ago due to breast cancer. I know these children are God’s gift to me, I’m very happy about each of them, and cherish and feel thankful for each one of them. I am especially thankful for my husband, because his perseverance & courage causes me to know that as the Bible says, “God is faithful, who will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor 10:13) I wish you would come to know Jesus Who loves you as well!

 

Forsaken by family, found by Jesus!
By Eddie, from Zimbabwe

If children are the youngest
casualties of war, I was the
youngest of all. My father
was a soldier during the
guerilla conflicts that over-turned
social order in Zimbabwe
in the 1970s. He survived
the war, but did not return to
my mother and me. My
parents both remarried, and
when I was two
years old, my
mother sent me to
live with my grandmother
because my stepfather didn’t
want me with them.
I didn’t meet my father
until I was 12, when I set out to
look for him. He was happy to
meet his son, but my step-mother
resented me because I
was his firstborn and
would inherit his
goods. So after three
months, my father
asked me to leave and
fend for myself.
One of my school teachers
decided to take care of me, so I
spent the next two years
working for him while he paid
my school fees. But then he
was transferred to another part
of Zimbabwe, and at 14 I was
left to fend for myself again.
I didn’t have enough
money to pay my school fees,
so I asked the Social Welfare
Department for help. Instead,
they sent me to a reformatory.
Most of the other boys were
there because they had
committed crimes but were
too young to be sent to jail. I
spent four years there. I
learned mechanics and
welding, but I was very
unhappy and didn’t have any
friends because all the other
boys cared about was smoking
and stealing and things like
that.
Then one day I met Alain
and Patricia and their children,
missionaries from The Family*
who had begun making weekly
visits to the reformatory. After
we had talked for a while, they
explained how I could ask
Jesus to come into my heart,
and I did. (*Family Web Site:
www.the <http://www.the>family-chinese.org)
We became friends, and
some time later they invited
me to live and work with them
on one of their projects,
helping blind people. I’m now
a happy full-time missionary
with a new family-Alain and
Patricia’s! “When my father and
my mother forsake me, then
the Lord will take care of me”
(Psalm 27:10)

 

page 10-11

The Future Foretold
PART 1

As we move into the next millennium,
many of us can’t help but wonder what
the future holds for us and our planet. Are
we on the threshold of a brave New World
Order, with peace and plenty for all? Or are we
tottering on the brink of unprecedented chaos
and disaster?-Or both?
This series of articles provides answers that
will prepare you for what’s ahead.
A remarkable fact about the description of
today’s world in these articles is that much of it
was written thousands of years ago. We will
examine specific predictions and prophecies
that are two to three thousand years old, which
accurately depict conditions and events that
have taken place-or are soon to take place-
during our lifetime.

When will the end
of the world be?

Among the prophecies we will be looking
at are predictions describing our modern rapid
transportation systems, today’s unprecedented
increase in world travel, as well as the
explosion in knowledge of all kinds.
The effects of global warming, as well as the
outbreak of modern killer diseases such as
AIDS and cancer, were also foretold.
Awareness of these predictions will give
you a new perspective on the radical trans-formation
the world is currently undergoing,
as well as prepare you for the cataclysmic
changes to come.

THE BIG QUESTION

On a hillside just outside the ancient city of
Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, a small band of
truth-seekers gathered around their Teacher, a
carpenter-turned-preacher known as Jesus of
Nazareth. The question they asked Him
prompted a response that spans the centuries
and zeroes in on the days in which you and I
are now living:

And as He sat upon the Mount of
Olives, the disciples came unto Him
privately, saying, “Tell us, what shall be the
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the
world?” (Matthew 24:3, KJV)

What His followers were asking Him about
is often referred to as the Second Coming, the
dramatic personal return of Christ to take over
the world and establish the Kingdom of God on
Earth. The term “the end of the world” is used
here not to signify the end of the planet, but
the end of the current unjust and inhumane
reign of man.
Jesus answered their question with not
only one sign that would indicate when “the
end” would be near, but He gave dozens of
specific indicators to be on the lookout for.
Outstanding predictions by a number of other
biblical writers help fill in the picture. It is
these prophesied “signs” that we will now
focus on.

THE EVEN BIGGER ANSWERS

(Jesus speaking:) “You will hear of wars and
rumors of wars. … For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And
there will be famines, pestilences, and earth-quakes
in various places. All these are the beginning
of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).
Everyone knows that the world has experienced
wars, famines, plagues and earthquakes
for millenniums. However, you may be surprised
to learn how the severity and frequency
of all of these things have radically increased in
recent years. Take the first part of this passage,
for example:

A WORLD AT WAR

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
… For nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom.”
The world has never been completely free
from the scourge of war, but no period in all of
history has witnessed the escalation of wars as
has the 20th century. The International Red
Cross estimates that over 100 million people
have been killed in wars since this century began.
Prior to 1914, war had never been universal,
but in both World Wars I and II, global war was
waged. In the latter, only 12 small nations of
the earth were not militarily or technically
involved.
Since World War II, which was supposed to
be “the war to end all wars,” there have been
over 150 major wars (conflicts resulting in over
1,000 deaths a year), as well as hundreds of
smaller conflicts, armed rebellions, and
revolutions. Together they have claimed more
than 23 million lives.1

SINCE THE FALL OF THE WALL

The world hoped the fall of the Berlin Wall in
November 1989 would not only signify the end of
the Cold War between the superpowers, but
usher in a new era of global peace. Unfortunately,
this has not been the case.
In its annual report, the National Defense
Council Foundation, a U.S. research and
lobbying organization, counted 71 wars in
1995. 2

“ETHNIC CLEANSING”
AND TRIBAL TERROR

The Greek word for “nation” originally used
in this prophecy, “nation shall rise against
nation,” is ethnos, which is more accurately
translated “a race” or “a tribe.” In other words,
Jesus was saying that ethnic groups would rise
against each other. This has been tragically
fulfilled in recent times.
During this century, the murders
perpetrated by nations against their own
people have exceeded the deaths caused by
wars with rivals outside their borders.
Examples include Stalin’s purges, China’s
Cultural Revolution, Cambodia’s “killing
fields,” the so-called ethnic cleansing in
Bosnia, and the horrors of Rwanda. Ours is the
century that coined the term “genocide.”3
Although the outlook may appear bleak,
the day is soon coming when God Himself will
intervene in this violent world and war shall be
forever abolished. (See Isaiah 2:4.)

(Don’t miss more on the future in upcoming
Activated! issues, featuring amazing predictions from
the Bible about the events of our times, including
the AIDS virus, a dramatic increase in travel and
scientific knowledge, and a One-World cashless
society!)

(Excerpted from The Future Foretold, by Michael Roy.)

1. AP, 10 Nov 1993
2. “Group: 71 Wars Exist Worldwide,” AP, 2 Jan 96
3. Levinson, Arlene. “20th Century Awash in Blood,” AP, 16 Sep 95
Excerpted from The Future Foretold, by Michael Roy

Let the Light in!
The outlook may be difficult, not easy and smooth, but when you look up to the Lord, He’ll cause everything to look much more easy! Because the Bible says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.” (Ps 34:19)
The most encouraging & comforting thing is, when we hit the bottom, that’s when we can start climbing up -- if you look to the Lord to help you! When things look darkest, don’t look down, look up! Start praising the Lord, that way you’ll be able get out of the pit that the Devil is trying to cast you in! When the Devil tempts you to be down & discouraged, hit him back! Don’t listen to him, much less surrender!
It all depends on where you point your spiritual antenna. If you are downhearted & downcast, it’s because you have pointed your antenna towards hell, & not Heaven. Doubts, fear, discouragement & murmuring can kill you; but faith, trust, courage & praising the Lord will fill you up with life again. So look up to Jesus & live!
Open your heart and let the sunshine in!
When you look up, the sky is the limit! Up there above the clouds, the sun is always shining!
--David Brant Berg

page 12-13
Mountain Men
By David Brandt Berg

When Jesus climbed the
mountain, He left the
multitude behind. “And
seeing the multitudes, He
[Jesus] went up on a mountain,
and when He was seated His
disciples came to Him” (Matthew
5:1). Mountain peaks are
never crowded. Why? Because
it’s hard work getting there. Not
very many people desire to
climb mountains.
If you’re going to climb a mountain, you
have to have the feeling that it’s worth dying
for! Any mountain-the mountain of this life,
the mountain of accomplishment, the mountain
of obstacles, of difficulty-has to be worth
braving wind and cold and storm, symbolic of
adversities.
Only pioneers climb mountains-people
who want to do something that few have ever
done before, people who want to get above
the multitude and go beyond what has already
been accomplished. Pioneers must have
vision-vision to see what no one else can
see; faith-faith to believe things no one else
believes; initiative-initiative to be the first
one to try it; courage-the guts to see it
through!
On the mountain you feel like you’re living
in eternity, whereas down below they’re living
in time. You see the world in its proper
perspective, with range after range to be
conquered, and a world beyond the vision and
horizon of normal men. You
see distant peaks yet to be
climbed, distant valleys yet to
be crossed. You see things that
the men in the valleys can
never see, or even
comprehend.
In the valley, people get so
caught up in the multitude
and the little make-believe
world of materialism that they
can’t see anything but time and creatures of
time and things of time, which are soon to
pass away. But if you thrust your head above
the multitude, you become like a mountain in

Beaten paths are for
beaten men, but
mountain peaks are for
the mighty pioneers!

their midst, and they will resent and resist and
fight you because they can’t understand you
and don’t want you.
Man dominates the valley, but only God
dominates the mountain, and the men living
on the mountains know this. But men living
in the valleys think they are God, because they

There is more light
on the mountain.

dominate themselves. They have become so
secure that they think they don’t need God.
They have forgotten there is any God, for they
can’t see the sky any longer.
Beaten paths are for beaten men, but
mountain peaks are for the mighty pioneers.
What do you hear on the mountain?
Things that are going to echo around the
world. What do you hear in the stillness?
Whispers that are going to change the course
of history! The greatest laws ever given to man,
whereby most of the world is still ruled, were
given to one man alone on a mountain.
Moses came down from a mountain with the
Ten Commandments, and the Hebrew nation
was never the same, nor was the world!
The greatest sermon ever preached,
the “Sermon on the Mount,” was given to
a handful of mountain men by the greatest
mountaineer of all, Jesus, who finally
climbed His last mountain-Mount
Calvary, Golgotha-and died alone for the
sins of the
world. That
was a mountain
that only
He could
climb for you
and me, but
He made it!
After Jesus’
disciples
heard His
“Sermon on
the Mount,”
they came
down and changed the world. They were never
the same. What changed them that changed
the world? They heard the voice of God
teaching them things that were completely
contrary to what was being said in the valley!
In the valley they were saying, “Blessed are the
Romans-the proud and the powerful. Look
what they’ve done! They’ve conquered the
whole world!” But on the Mount, Jesus was
saying just the opposite:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit [the humble],
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew
5:3). Simple little illiterate fishermen were
listening to a carpenter tell them something
that would make them greater rulers than the
Caesars of Rome!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they shall be filled”
(Matthew 5:6). The people on the mountain
hunger and thirst for the truth, and only God
can satisfy them. The people down in the
valley can’t see any further than the end of
their nose and are satisfied with themselves
and are full-and He sends
them away empty. (See
Luke 1:53.)
“Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see
God” (Matthew 5:8). There’s
no smog on the mountain.
The air is pure. The
water is pure. The
people are pure in
heart. They see God.
Life is on the
mountain! Get out of
the valley! “Flee as a
bird to your mountain”
(Psalm 11:1).

(The above was excerpted
from David Brandt Berg’s
article by the same title.)

 

page 14-15
Hey, Wait a Minute!

Dave and Anne met at a travel
agency. Dave was buying an
airline ticket from Anne, when
they got into a conversation that
went something like this.…

ANNE: I’m sorry this is taking so
long. I’m so tired I can hardly think! I
don’t know which is worse-the
illness I’m just getting over, or the
medication I’ve been taking for it! It’s
going to be a long day!

DAVE: I know what you mean
about the medicine. Personally, I do a
lot better by simply keeping God’s
health guidelines in the Bible. Then I
can have faith that God will either
keep me healthy or heal me if I do get
sick.

ANNE: Really? That sounds nice,
but how can I have faith in God when
I don’t even know if there is a God?

DAVE: If you want proof of God’s
existence, just look around. It re-minds
me of the answer the world-renowned
nuclear physicist Robert
Millikan gave a skeptic who asked
him how a man of science could
believe in God: “Just as behind every
watch there had to be a watchmaker,
so behind the intricate precision and
timing of this great universe there had
to be a great Creator or Designer!”

ANNE: Well then, how do we know
what God looks like? Nobody’s ever
seen Him.

DAVE: We don’t know what God
looks like, because He’s a Spirit. He’s
not some old bearded gentleman way
off somewhere, but He is the basic
power and guiding light of the universe.-
The all-powerful, all-knowing
Spirit that pervades all things. He
is everywhere!

ANNE: Well, if there is a God, then
why is there so much suffering and
pain in the world? Why did God allow
Hitler and all sorts of other atrocities?
Why doesn’t He put a stop to that, if
He’s in control?

DAVE: First of all, God doesn’t do
those things, man does. And if God
didn’t allow evil men to carry out
their evil plans, then He’d have to put
a stop to man’s freedom of choice,
which is an important part of His
great design. Man was put here to
make a choice between good and
evil, to do right or wrong. And in the
process God gives us the opportunity
to learn the benefits of loving Him
and keeping the loving rules He has
made for our own good.

ANNE: So, if there is a God, where
did He come from? Who made Him,
and when and where and how long
has He been in existence?

DAVE: If you knew the answer to
that question, then you’d be God,
wouldn’t you? The Bible simply says
that God has always been: He is the
great “I Am” who lives in the Eternal
Now, where there is no past nor
future and “time shall be no more.”
Now let me ask you a question. How
much do you know about electricity?

How
can I
have
faith in
God
when I
don’t
even
know
if
there
is a
God?

How
much
do
you
know
about
electricity?

ANNE: Not much.

DAVE: Well, you’re not alone. Not
even scientists understand it completely.
But does that stop you from
using electricity?

ANNE: Of course not!

Dave: You use it even though you
don’t understand it?

ANNE: Yes, I just turn on the
switch.

DAVE: My point exactly. You flip
the switch and make the connection,
and it works! You benefit from electricity,
even though you don’t under-stand
it fully. All you know is, it
works! You make contact with the
power of electricity, and it does the
work for you. And that’s how it is with
God. We don’t know where He came
from or how He got here, we simply
know He does exist and He is here,
ever-present, all-knowing and all-powerful-
omnipresent, omniscient
and omnipotent. God exists, you
may be sure, just like electricity
exists, and both of these great powers
can do us a great deal of good, even if
we don’t fully comprehend them. We
can benefit from “turning on the
switch” and making contact with
God.

ANNE: Benefit from God?

DAVE: Yes! You just need to make
personal contact with the power of
God and He will do the work of
bringing joy, health and happiness to
your everyday life. He’ll also give you
faith, comfort and peace of mind.

ANNE: Just how do I make this
contact?

DAVE: You can contact His power
through prayer, a spiritual seeking of
contact with His Spirit. Just as you
flip the switch of your radio and tune
in to a certain frequency, so you can
make contact with God. And if you
do, He will speak to you, both
through His written Word and directly
to your heart and mind when you
pray.

ANNE: So you’re saying that I don’t
have to understand God in order to
believe in Him?

DAVE: You got it! We only have to
make the connection that lets God’s
power into our daily lives. All we have
to do is reach out our hand of faith
and flip the switch of decision which
makes contact and starts the flow of
God’s power into our lives to light,
guide, warm, feed, provide, protect,
work for us, and give us pleasure. Just
try Him! You don’t have to know
where He came from, just meet Him!
ANNE: Okay! I can’t lose by trying,
can I?

DAVE: That’s right! Don’t try to
figure Him out. Just let Him in! Try
Him!-You’ll love Him! He works,
and that’s all you need to know!

Prayer for the day

Dear Jesus …

Sometimes when I feel weak,
when I feel low, when I feel muddled
and lack words to express what’s on
my heart, I bring a silent prayer to
You. I know You understand, because
You lift my would-be worries and
fears, and You kiss away my tears.

Page 15b
Wealth, Success & Love
A women saw 3 strangers at her door, so she invited them to come in to eat something.
“We can’t all come in!” they told the woman.
“Why not?” She asked.
“His name is Wealth,” one of them explained, then pointed to the other, “He’s Success,” then introduced himself, “I’m Love.” Love  said further, “Please go inside & talk about it with your family, & see which of us you’d like to invite in.”
When the woman explained the situation to her husband, he was overjoyed & said, “Let’s invite Wealth, so we can become rich! It’s wonderful!”
His wife disagreed, “Why don’t we invite Success? Then everyone in town will envy us.”
Their little daughter overheard them & interrupted them, saying, “Isn’t it better for us to invite Love to come in? Then our house will be full of love!”
The couple decided they’d listen to their daughter, so the woman invited Love to come in.
Wealth & Success were quickly invited in by other families. But of course they didn’t stay long, and always moved on -- this is how they operated all along.
But Love doesn’t, Love stays forever.
So this family has had a happy life since then.
Of course, things are not always perfect nor smooth, but they don’t seem to mind, because Love prevails over everything.
They are not the wealthiest nor most successful family in town, but they are the happiest, because Love’s brought them all these.
--Story adapted, author unknown.

page 16

TO YOU,
WITH LOVE!

Dear one,
You are My child and I love you. It’s just that simple. No matter what you’ve done or haven’t done, I love you!
You are on Earth, living your life, trying to find out what’s the best thing to do and how to do it-how to live, how to survive-and it is a struggle. I know this and I understand, for this is the struggle of life. But all of this can be made easier if you will just spiritually connect to Me.
For though your life carries on and you age and then die, your spirit never ages. It never dies. The real you, the you that now dwells within the confines of your body, will live forever.
This is why the material things of this world are not the things to strive for, because one day you must leave them behind.  The only things that truly matter are those of the spirit: love, kindness, mercy, understanding, giving.
So do good. Love your family. Love your friends. Love your neighbors. Love those you meet. Show mercy, kindness, and compassion. By showing love, you show Me to others, for I, God, am Love.

       With love everlasting,
Your Heavenly Father