“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

This caused quite an uproar but I wonder if, at that time, The Beatles across the UK society might have been more popular than Jesus. And just how popular is Jesus today in the UK? I don’t know but the way so many people in the U.S. today want to get Jesus out of the public arena, do they perhaps believe that they or the leaders they put their trust in are more popular than Jesus? And do they agree with John Lennon’s song, “Imagine” which said:

Imagine there’s no Heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today.

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace.

It doesn’t matter if The Beatles were more popular than Jesus to some or many in their heyday. Jesus remains forever and will always have the last say for both time and eternity. Furthermore, when here on earth Jesus promised that he would come again and take all his true believers to be with him in Heaven forever.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house [Heaven] are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”¹

Men will come and go. False Christs and false prophets will come and go, even heaven and earth as we now know them will pass away, but the Word of God—including God’s promises—will remain forever.²

Please read the article, “What If There Is a Heaven?” online at: http://tinyurl.com/8jcepz and whatever you do, make sure you have your “Passport for Heaven” before leaving earth. It’s totally without charge. You can see how to get it at: http://tinyurl.com/passport-heaven.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your promise that you are preparing a place in heaven for all your true followers. Please help me to be sure that I am ready for heaven should you come today or when I pass from this life—whichever should come first. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help see the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian

1. John 14:1-3 (NIV).

2. See Matthew 24:35.

The online video, “The Cougar vs. Bear,” a film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, is a powerful and moving illustration of how God knows when his children are in need and is an ever-present help in time of trouble … and of how God takes care of his children when we daily commit and trust our life to him.

To watch this video on your computer go to: http://www.flixxy.com/bear-animal-nature-film.htm or www.flixxy.com/game-of-survival.htm.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you always hear the cry of your children, and are always an ‘ever-present help in trouble.’ Again today I commit and trust my life and way to you. Please help me never to stray from you and thereby distance myself from your help and protection when needed. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV).
2. Psalm 61:3-4 (NIV).

I have read how, when Henry Ford purchased a large insurance policy, a longtime friend who had been an insurance agent for many years, was upset with Ford for not purchasing the policy from him and wanted to know why. To which Ford replied, “You never asked me.”

I wonder how many loved ones, friends, and contacts you and I have to whom we have never shared or sent the message of God’s love and eternal salvation. I had one friend a few years ago with whom I planned to send a copy of a gospel message. Sadly, before I got around to it, I received a notice to let me know that he had passed away.

I am reminded of the anonymous poem, “Remember.”

Dear reader, is there someone with whom you need to share the gospel message and have been putting it off? Remember, today is the only day we ever have. For an extremely simple and non-offensive way to reach family, friends and contacts with the gospel go to: https://learning.actsweb.org/people_power02.php.

Furthermore, if you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, be sure to do this today as this is also a day of opportunity for you. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”1 For help, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian,” go to: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see that life is full of opportunities—opportunities to reach out to share your love and the gospel with others. Help me always to be ready and use these opportunities to glorify you. And above all, help me to be sure of my salvation and not end my life eternally lost without hope. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV).

“All of the wonders around us are accidental. No almighty hand made a thousand-billion stars. They made themselves. No power keeps them on their steady course. The earth spins itself to keep the oceans from falling off toward the sun. Infants teach themselves to cry when they are hungry or hurt. A small flower invented itself so that we could extract digitalis for sick hearts. The earth gave itself day and night, tilted itself so that we get seasons. Without the magnetic poles man would be unable to navigate the trackless oceans of water and air, but they just grew there.

“How about the sugar thermostat in the pancreas? It maintains a level of sugar in the blood sufficient for energy. Without it, all of us would fall into a coma and die. Why does snow sit on mountaintops waiting for the warm spring sun to melt it at just the right time for the young crops in farms below to drink? A very lovely accident.

“A human heart will beat for 70 or 80 years without faltering. How does it get sufficient rest between beats? A kidney will filter poison from the blood, and leave good things alone. How does it know one from the other? Who gave the human tongue flexibility to form words, and a brain to understand them, but denied it to all other animals? Who showed a womb how to take the love of two persons and keep splitting a tiny ovum until, in time, a baby would have the proper number of fingers, eyes and ears and hair in the right places, and come into the world when it is strong enough to sustain life?”²

Furthermore, “Without the moon being the size that it is and just the right distance from the earth, we would have no tides in the oceans to keep the algae stirred up and constantly moving, thereby keeping the algae alive and creating most of the oxygen in our atmosphere!”³

And some would claim there is no God! And all this—and millions of other miracles of nature—all happened by chance?

Regarding agnostics and atheists, theirs is not so much an intellectual problem, but a moral responsibility problem. If they choose to believe in God, they know that they will be morally responsible and accountable. It is much easier, more convenient, and more self-centered to believe there is no God. Indeed, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (See the article, “Where Is God” online at: http://tinyurl.com/where-god)

1. Psalm 14:1.

2. Jim Bishop. Cited on KneMail www.oakhillcoc.org.

3. Fred Mueller.

If you happened to watch the world-wide TV New Year’s Eve 2000 celebrations a decade ago, you would have seen, not only the impressive fireworks display in Sydney (Australia), but also emblazoned in extremely large neon writing right across the Sydney Harbor Bridge the word, “Eternity.”

This word was in celebration of the “work and witness” of sidewalk chalk artist (if that’s what you could call him), Arthur Malcolm Stace, who became affectionately known as “Mr. Eternity.”

“July 30 of this year marked the 43rd anniversary of the death of Arthur Stace. Born in 1884 into a drunken Australian family, Arthur described what he’d become, “a petty criminal, a bum, and a metho (metholated spirits alcohol) drinker.”

“His new birth from an old life in crime and sin to a new life in Christ and service took place on the night of August 6, 1930.

“This spiritual turn around occurred after he heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached faithfully by Rev. R.D.S. Hammond at St Barnabas church in Broadway, Sydney. Twelve years later, on a Sunday night, November 14, 1942, at his home church in Darlinghurst, as he sat listening to ‘The Echoes of Eternity’ proclaimed forthrightly by Australia’s beloved evangelist—the late Rev. John G. Ridley—Stace was challenged to go out and write with chalk the word Eternity multiplied thousands of times on city sidewalks. This he did continuously and consistently for the next quarter of century till he died on July 30, 1967.

“By the time Arthur Stace was called by God to exit this world into eternity, he had left behind a legacy of an enormous value in the copperplate writing of one word—Eternity.

“God took his tool—a piece of chalk—his text of one word, Eternity, and his territory of one pavement at a time in Sydney, and multiplied it abundantly.

It was witnessed first by many thousands in Sydney, Woolongong, Newcastle, and Melbourne. Then on the eve of the new millennium celebration, more than a million people who crammed around the Sydney Harbor Bridge saw it electronically emblazoned across the bridge of our Olympic city after a spectacular display of fireworks. It was also beamed around the world to more than two billion viewers, as well as at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games later on in the year.”²

Eternity. It is a powerful word with eternal consequences. In his own simple but profound way, Arthur Stace was posing the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”

Eternity! Where will you spend it? Whatever you do, don’t leave earth without your “Passport for Heaven.” To pick up your “Passport for Heaven” go to: http://tinyurl.com/passport-heaven it comes without charge.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have provided the way to spend eternity with you through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, so that all who will believe in and accept him as their savior have your promise and guarantee of spending eternity with you in heaven. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV).

2. Peter Rahme, Pastor, Inner West Baptist Church. www.innerwestbaptist.org.au.

As you can well imagine, when I have written on tithing, I have usually received an unusually high response from Daily Encounter readers. Most are favorable. Some ask for further advice. And there are those who strongly oppose what I have to say.

At the risk of getting criticized again, allow me to share the response of just one reader.

Jennifer (name changed) wrote: “In response to an earlier Daily Encounter on tithing, I was deeply in debt one year ago. The day my husband walked out I found out that I was $25,000.00 in credit card debt that I knew nothing about. In the course of our breakup, I was awarded $10,000.00 of this debt because it was community debt even though I had not charged any of it. I didn’t know how I would ever be able to pay it off while supporting two children.

“So I prayed . . . and prayed . . . and prayed . . . !

“And today, barely a year later, I am debt free with a modest savings to boot. I would like to tell you how ‘I did it,’ but the truth is that I didn’t do it. Once I put it in God’s hands, the money started coming in . . . some from expected places and others from unexpected places.

“During the times when I tithed, life was good and there always seemed to be enough. When I cut God short, or even completely out, money was tight, or not enough at all. I have learned my lesson. God does love us and takes care of us even when we, as humans, don’t see how it could possibly work out. But it does.”

Speaking personally, a few years ago I, too, had some major setbacks and borrowed quite a bit to survive and to keep our ministry alive . . . I kept tithing anyhow and God provided me with a second job so I was able to pay off my debts. I am still working a second part-time job and it isn’t always easy, but my debts are all paid.

You need to decide what is the right thing for you to do. However, one thing I do know is this: We can’t out-give God.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to appreciate all the innumerable blessings you daily provide for me, not the least of which is your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Give me a grateful heart and a spirit of generosity for your work and the betterment of others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV).

Some Christians say that it is not required for Christians to tithe because tithing (giving 10% of one’s income) was part of Old Testament Law. On the other hand, many Christians believe that tithing (and giving offerings) is still important because this is God’s plan for financing his work on earth. However, tithing is not to be a legalistic requirement but a willing offering to God in appreciation for all he has done for us . . . especially for giving his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins and thereby making it justifiable for God to be able to fully forgive us and give us the gift of eternal life. With this in mind—plus endless other blessings of God—how can we not want to give our tithes and offerings to the Lord?

Furthermore, in today’s Scripture lesson Jesus confirms that tithing should not be neglected. If we say that tithing is no longer valid, will we also say that the Ten Commandments are no longer valid because they were given in Old Testament times? Of course not.

Surely the following Scripture, that applied to the ancient Israelites, is even more relevant to Christians for whom Christ died: “Will a man rob God?” God’s Word says, “‘Yet you rob me.’ But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ ‘In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’”²

Billy Graham, in his sermon, “Partners with God,” said, “One of the greatest sins in America today is the fact that we are robbing God of that which rightfully belongs to Him. When we don’t tithe, we shirk a just debt. Actually we are not giving when we give God one-tenth, for it belongs to Him already.³ This is a debt we owe. Not until we have given a tenth do we actually begin making an offering to the Lord!”⁴

As someone else noted, “It is amazing how big a $20 donation to God’s work is but how little it is when we spend it on entertainment.”

Tithes and offerings have always been God’s way for his people to support his work on earth and the fact is that if every Christian tithed, there would be sufficient funds to do all of God’s work on earth: the hungry would be fed, the homeless would be helped and given work, the sick would be better cared for, etc., etc., and worldwide missions would thrive and every person in the world would be given the gospel and the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior.

Furthermore, when we give our tithes and offerings to the Lord, we are being an active part in God’s plans and what he is doing in the world today. From what I have read, fewer than 10% of Christians tithe. What a slap in the face this is to God. Could this be one reason why America is losing more and more of God’s blessings? Are we robbing God? Yes, as a whole, we are. So . . . are you and I an active partner in God’s plans or are we among those who are robbing God?

NOTE: When tithing and giving offerings, we need to make sure we are giving responsibly to what is truly God’s work and not to some religious program or irrelevant churchianity that may have an appearance of doing God’s work but lacking any real substance.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in appreciation for all you have done for me, please awaken in me a need to be as generous in giving to you (including the giving of at least a tithe of my time and talents as well as of my income) as you have been generous to me. And please give me the wisdom to discern what is truly a part of what you are doing in the world today and what is truly your work on earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 23:23 (NIV).

2. Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV).

3. See Leviticus 27:30.

4. Paul Lee Tan, Encylopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 473.

Recently I went into a small local museum and asked if I could go into the back yard to take some photos of the San Clemente pier. The people at the front desk gave me the OK but told me to make sure I was back at the entry by their closing time at 5 pm. I made sure I was back several minutes before closing time and to my horror, all the staff had gone home and locked up shop for the night, and I was locked inside. I sure got a fright. Fortunately I was able to find a back exit and set the door to lock behind me when I exited the building. Big relief!

Mike Benson tells about a woman in Brooklyn who was locked overnight in a dental clinic. She was given an anesthetic prior to getting her wisdom teeth extracted, but when she came to, she still had her wisdom teeth and discovered that all the staff had left the clinic and she was locked inside. She panicked. When she calmed down somewhat, she called 911 and was rescued.²

But can you imagine the absolute terror of being locked in down on Earth, with no way of escape at the end of time when God’s final roll call is taken and your name is not written in God’s book of life? As Jesus said, “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”³ Tragically, this will be a reality for the millions who have never received God’s gift of forgiveness for all their sins by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

If you have trouble believing this, take note that Jesus Christ’s first coming to earth to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins is an indisputable fact of history. Note, too, that every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ’s first coming was fulfilled in detail, so we can be just as certain that every prophecy in the Bible regarding Christ’s second coming will also be fulfilled in detail. Furthermore, Jesus Christ himself promised that he would return for his followers.⁴

Whatever you do be absolutely certain that you are ready for when Jesus comes again so, as today’s Scripture announces, you will be “caught up to meet the Lord in the air. . .” and not be left behind. To make absolute sure you are ready for Christ’s return be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you not only for Jesus Christ’s first coming to earth to die in my place on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, but also that Jesus promised he would return for all who have accepted him as their Savior and have received your forgiveness. Please help me to be absolutely certain that I am ready for when Jesus comes again. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NIV).

2. Mike Benson in KneEmail, http://www.forthright.net/kneemail
3. Matthew 8:12 (NIV)
4. See John 14:1-3. Read also, “Will Jesus Christ Return to Earth?” at: http://tinyurl.com/jesus-return

At the memorial service remembering the anniversary of the terrible abduction and murder of young Samantha Runnion, Bradley Scott, aged 4, had a question for Sheriff Mike Carona—the sheriff who was so emotionally involved in the capture of Samantha’s killer. Bradley asked the sheriff how he could go to heaven without dying.

“That’s an incredible question, pal,” Carona replied. “Sorry, I don’t have an answer.”²

I can vividly remember as a kid how I believed the way to heaven was by being good. I figured that if I did enough good things to outweigh the bad things I did, that would satisfy God and I would go to heaven.

Wrong. In today’s Scripture we read how John the Baptist was warning the people of ancient Israel that the long-promised Messiah (Jesus the Christ) was coming and to prepare El Camino Real (Spanish for the King’s highway or the Highway of the King) for him. This was all about Jesus’ first coming to die for our sins and that only through accepting him as our Savior and receiving his forgiveness could we get to heaven.

Today we, too, need to prepare El Camino Real for Jesus Christ’s second coming to earth. Jesus himself promised his disciples and followers that if he went away (back to Heaven), which he did, that he would return for all his true followers. One of these days, the heavenly trumpet will sound announcing the climax of mankind’s history with the coming again of Jesus, the Messiah, to take all his true followers to be with him in Heaven forever and ever.

I trust, dear reader, that you are safely on the heavenly Camino Real—the King’s Highway—knowing without a shadow of doubt that when Jesus comes, you will not be left behind, but on your way to Heaven to be with God for all eternity. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”³

Note: To be sure you are on the King’s Highway read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have provided the Camino Real as mankind’s only way to Heaven which is via the cross of Jesus who died to save me from my sins. Help me to know without a shadow of doubt that I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and am safely on the Highway of the King, bound for Heaven. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 3:2-3 (NKJV).
2. The Orange Country Register, July 16, 2003, p. Local 2.
3. John 14:6 (NIV).

When it comes to divine healing, there is never a shortage of quacks. There are faith-healers and there are fake-healers. And when it comes to some TV so-called evangelists, I sometimes wonder which ones are in the majority.

Among us ordinary people some claim that God still heals today. Others aren’t sure. Some agree that God can heal but they don’t believe he will heal them. Others say that if it’s God’s will, or if we have enough faith, God will heal us. And some say we are as sick as we choose to be. Personally, I like the saying I heard the other day: “Christians shouldn’t be any sicker than they ought to be.”

Regarding faith, as Jesus pointed out, we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to receive God’s blessings. Furthermore, if I understand it correctly, the faith of the faith-healer is just as necessary (perhaps even more so) as that of the one being prayed for. With fake-healers when a person they pray for (often prey on) isn’t healed, they pass the blame onto the sick person telling them they just didn’t have enough faith. Yeah, right!

What James is saying is tremendously important in that to be healed of many ills, we need to first confess our sins and faults. What the Bible taught 3,000 years ago and what modern medical science has confirmed is that “A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.”²

When we fail to resolve past hurts, bitterness, guilt, anger, hostility, a critical spirit and so on, and bury, repress, and deny these negative emotions, we never bury them dead but very much alive. Either we confront and resolve these issues in a creative way or they will express themselves in a destructive way. This can be through any or all of the following ways: (1) emotionally in depression, anxiety, fears, stress, and/or through impaired relationships; (2) spiritually in our relationship to God, feeling that he is distant or we get angry at him; and/or (3) through a physical illness. Regarding the latter, what we often don’t realize is that many of our ills are either caused by or greatly aggravated by these super-charged repressed negative emotions.

To be healed we need to follow God’s instructions and confess and resolve all of our sins, our negative spirit, and all of our super-charged repressed negative emotions—the things that make us sick. As Peter said, “Get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing.”³ Repressing these harmful emotions does not get rid of them.

Some illnesses are simply because we live in a sinful, broken world and are all affected. Other ills may be allowed by God to help us grow. The Apostle Paul had some ailment that he prayed three times for God to heal. God didn’t. Through this, Paul learned the efficiency of God’s grace which helped him to live with his problem.

Jesus said to those who were infirm, “Do you want to be made well?” As I’ve said before, wishes don’t wash. We need to genuinely want to be made well and accept personal responsibility for doing our part in the healing process. God doesn’t go against his own laws. We either resolve our sins and issues or suffer the natural consequences.

Speaking personally, in my youth I was taught that Christians should never be angry and that you can’t trust your feelings—so I learned early in life to repress and deny my pent-up negative emotions. By the time I was in my early 30s I suffered from painful bursitis in both shoulders and miserable hay-fever. But when I got into recovery and resolved my anger, hurts, grief and fears, I was healed. I haven’t suffered from either bursitis or hay-fever in years, for which I am very thankful.

Thus I believe it is true that “Christians shouldn’t be any sicker than we ought to be.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in all of my problems, conflicts or ills, please help me to understand the nature of my issue so that I will know if there is anything that I can and need to do to be healed. Help me not to settle for anything less than what you have for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 5:16 (NIV).
2. Proverbs 17:22 and 15:13 (NASB).
3. See 1 Peter 2:1-2 (NLT).