Thanksgiving - a free will offering

Leviticus 22:29 And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

The Israelites were instructed to bring various offerings to the Tabernacle to offer to God. Some of the sacrifices were compulsory meaning these had to be brought. Other offerings were considered free will. In other words the people could bring these offerings to the LORD spontaneously. They were not offerings for sin but simply out of love and gratitude to God for his goodness.

As the Psalmist considered the fact that God had heard his cry and answered his prayer he declared:

Psalms 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

As the Psalmist thought about going to the house of God to worship he says:

Psalms 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Let us bring a free will offering of thanksgiving to God. We have no more compulsory sacrifices to bring because Christ has been sacrificed once for all - for us! We of all people should be overwhelmed with gratitude to God for the precious blood of Christ shed for us.

Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Things are heating up in the Muslim world

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Persecution is on the rise and hatred toward the truth is growing daily.

Islamists in Pakistan Kill ‘Blasphemy’ Accused, Four Others

Disciples and Salt

Recently some of the men of our church studied the requirements for being a disciple of Jesus. It was a challenging discussion. Here is an essay with some of the areas we discussed:

Disciples and Salt

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans had mental illness in 2009

According to a Reuters article, nearly 1 in 5 Americans suffered from 'mental illness' in 2009. That accounts for 11 million adults. By this, it seems that depression is what is considered 'mental illness' and is highest among 18 to 25 year old's presumably because of rising unemployment.

God's Word tells us:

Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The cure for a troubled heart is to trust Jesus and pray.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The article by Reuters suggests that not enough people are getting the help they need. Our country is hurting right now and the answers are to be found in the Word of God. Let's pray for those without a job and let's share the gospel with them. They need Jesus, he is the Provider!

How far would you walk to gather with God's people?

Young William Bradford who would become the leader for the Pilgrims that traveled to this country on the Mayflower in 1620 was faced with a dilemma. He was born and raised in the Anglican church, but because a friend gave him a Bible to read he became aware that the church had departed from the teachings of Scripture. He heard that Mr. Clyfton read from the Bible and preached mightily from it. Will Bradford would walk 20 miles on the Lord's day to hear Mr. Clyfton preach and be a part of the Separatist's church.

He was warned that some had been hanged for leaving the Anglican church to join the Separatists but he replied:

"To keep a good conscience and walk in such a way as God had prescribed in his Word, is a thing which I must prefer before you all, and above life itself. Wherefore, since it is for a good cause that I am likely to suffer the disasters which you lay before me, you have no cause to be either angry with me, or sorry for me. Yea, I am not only willing to part with everything that is dear to me in this world for this cause but I am thankful that God hath given me heart so to do; and will accept me so to suffer for him."

How far would you walk to gather with God's people? What would you give up to be associated with the true church?

Right now in Iran, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a warning to the people in regards to the house church movement that, he says, "threaten[s] the Islamic faith and deceives young Muslims". You can read the article here.

What does it cost you to follow Jesus in America right now? Not much, but the day could come very quickly when it will be illegal to gather in the name of Jesus. Would you walk 20 miles to hear the Bible preached? Would you risk your possessions, relationships and life to be a part of the church?

Many have made these decisions in the past and many make them right now today.

FOUR STAGES FOR TRANSFORMING A NATION INTO SOCIALISM

Take the time to view this. It is very informative.

Halloween in Great Britian

Here is a link to BBC news. It seems that Druidism is now recognized by the British government as a religion. Here is where 'Halloween' comes from. Do you think this lines up with what Jesus would want his followers to do?

Druids, witches and other pagans celebrate festival of Samhain