Dennis McClead and Steve Martin at the Billy Graham Library, May 31, 202,5 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Hi y'all, the common phrase from Texas, I even have the hat to prove it.
Yes, they may speak another language over there. A report will be forthcoming regarding the trip to the conference, but in the meantime, here is a thought from one of my many.
Flights, from 50 minutes to 17 hours. No wonder I came down with a cold oncI was e ho;e, the elderly body may have needed a rest.
Blessings to All,
Dennis McLeod
Chapter One and Chapter Two
During my recent trip to the Christian Friends of Israel conference in America, I sat next to a young secular Jewish man on one of the many flights. We spoke about the Bible, and something he said gave me something to think about. He referred to the Old and New Testaments, as we call them, as chapters one and two. Through this statement, I thought of the general novel one reads, and who reads. The second chapter ignores the first.
In the modern church, there are a lot of people who totally disregard Chapter One as irrelevant; in fact, a lot of the rioting called peaceful protests, as stated by the MSM, are being carried out by people who claim to follow God's word. I can make this statement, as I have spoken to several on the protesters' line, who claimed to be Christians. In fact, I have come to the realization that the very reason many of these protests are carried out on Saturday is because many of those who are downvoting Israel on Saturday go to church on Sunday!
A similar occurrence has happened before in my life; eighty years ago, the same thing was happening. When a lady in a meeting says, the Jewish people have been suffering under the persecution of Christians, since the time of Jesus, we can't deny that this has taken place. A man who survived the Sobibor Death camp and the large escape, when a few hundred desperate people fled the horrors of the camp, was later murdered by the Polish Underground, just because he was Jewish.
On my first visit to the Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem. I heard a young tour guide speaking to a large group of Israeli youth.
As I listened, I heard several discourses about how the Christians had done this and how they had done that, none of which could be refuted. Many Jewish people who survived the Holocaust camps told of how the guards murdered their people in the chambers one day, then followed this up the next day with Christmas carols as they continued with their lives as if nothing had taken place.
Many of these atrocities have taken place because the church has failed to teach from the Word of God to bring the people into a Biblical understanding of the truth, instead directing the people into a world view of what you need to claim, and live a good life. However, to be good, there must be a standard by which to judge our morality and actions, of course. Even the true Bible Believer, this standard is the life of Jesus. However, in the modern age, people are always looking for someone to blame for the ills of their lives.
Instead of directing the congregation to raise themselves to work to the standard of the positivity of Jesus.
We have been taught to look down from our Ivory Tower to where our troubles have started and who possibly could have caused them. To cite a more recent example, this is what was done in Rwanda and Cambodia, and we are all aware of the consequences. Of course, we are saved by grace, but surely the words of Jesus should always be a focal point, as in p'ases such as 'take up your cross'and follow Me.' This should be a reminder to nevWorldok back [Luke 9:62] to the world, remembering whaLot'spened to Lot's wife when she did. [Genesis 19:26]
Yes, the reason we are here at this point in time is that we have been more than encouraged, in fact, we have been told, in many cases, to totally disregard the first chapter of the bookWhoeverer reads chapter 2 of a novel without reading the opening chapt, er whichlays typicallys out the introduction and plot of the story.
But that is precisely what the church has done over the centuries.
They have not only convinced the church population that chapter one is not essential, and even unnecessary, that everything in the chapter is bad, including the people, with stateme'ts tha' they 'killed' Jesus, and because of their disobedience, God has discarded them. Which could not be further from the truth, [Jeremiah. 31:35-3 31:35-3Thereere are far too many references to the contrary to list.
Becausdon'tthis, we don't just have the attacks on the Jewish people today, we have many within the church rising up calling for the annihilation of a total race of people, just as Haman did in the time of Esther. [Esther 3:1-]
Chapter one gives the rules and regulations on how to live and behave, preparing us for Chapter two. Chapter Two presents the very God'susion of God's plan and direction, preparing us for what is to come. We start with the beginning of the promise, if only we would follow the word in Chapter 1, which is followed by the fulfillment of the promise in Chapter 2.
We have to God'sw all of 'od" word as 'All' Scripture is essential, not just the second chapter. [2 Timothy 3:16] To defeat the evil world, life, in society, and the World.
How else can we be ready to speak of the hope we read about within the scripture, which is a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet, [Psalm 119:105] which is written in Chapter One.
We need to put on the whole armor of God, not just half of it! [Ephesians 6:10]- The cry in much of the world today is, they will destroy first the Saturday people and then the Sunday people. We are called, both Jew and Gentile, the people of the book. Arafa claimed that the PLO flag would fly from every Synagogue and Church.
We need toWorld the word up high for all thWorldld to see, Jew and Gentile together as one new man [Ephesians 2:15-16] with the dividing wall destroyed, divided we will fall, But walking arm in arm towards the Messiah as Messianics ready to applaud Him as He descends on to the Mount of Olives, will give us the strength to finish the race to receive the prize. [1 Corinthians 9:24]
As laid out in both Chapter One and Chapter Two of the Bible.
Amen