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BEARING WITNESS CONTEST

Bodie & Brock Thoene — 2008-05-09T09:04:00-08:00

Blog: BEARING WITNESS CONTEST

BEARING WITNESS CONTEST
by
Bodie and Brock Thoene

In today’s scripture readings, Paul (who is ‘off-stage’ and still in prison), is being discussed by a Roman governor and a Roman client-king. You’ll notice that the discussion between the two officials includes a reference to the resurrection of Jesus! Perhaps that would not have occurred if Paul had taken another way out of his difficulty. Perhaps these lives would never have heard the gospel proclaimed if the Lord had not allowed Paul’s imprisonment to be prolonged.

Have you had similar experiences? Have you ever been led by the Lord through a situation that seemed to go on forever? In retrospect have you been able to see how the Lord used what seemed interminable to impact your life….or the lives of others?

Use today’s scriptures to think through your own circumstances. Write and tell us about it!

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,
Bodie and Brock
www.familyaudiolibrary.com

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 25:13b-21

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea
on a visit to Festus.
Since they spent several days there,
Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,
“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.
When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews
brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.
I answered them that it was not Roman practice
to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers
and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.
So when they came together here, I made no delay;
the next day I took my seat on the tribunal
and ordered the man to be brought in.
His accusers stood around him,
but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected.
Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion
and about a certain Jesus who had died
but who Paul claimed was alive.
Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy,
I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem
and there stand trial on these charges.
And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision,
I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”

Responsorial Psalm
103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab

R. (19a) The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 21:15-19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

AMEN!

Who Will Tell Them?

Bodie Thoene — 2008-05-08T09:27:00-08:00

Blog: Who Will Tell Them?

                                 Who Will Tell Them?
                                           by
                                    Bodie Thoene

     My sister carries WHY A SHEPHERD books to hand out to whoever she meets. She takes them into hospitals and rest homes.   She gives them to waiters in restaurants.
    "Do you like to read," she asks? And then she gives them a little book which carries the message of salvation.
     She says, "Giving these away is my ministry. I believe everyone I meet is someone God sent to me."

   Today’s readings carry on with the story of Paul who returned to the people and the place where he began in Jerusalem. He stood before the Sanhedrin, accused of heresy.   Meeting the Risen Lord Jesus had transformed him forever.   The Holy Spirit had filled him.   Instead of hating and hunting Christians, he had become a believer. Now those who did not believe in the Lord sat in judgment over him.    He shared the TRUTH with those with whom he had once worked to suppress the TRUTH...

So. Here we are, each of us changed by God’s mercy forever. We understand that we are saved only through the Grace and mercy of God’s love. We stand at the foot of the cross and look up at our savior to say, “My Lord and my God!”

What do we do with that glorious truth?   Do we keep it to ourselves, go to church each week and be content and apathetic?   Or are we called for something more?

Whatever church we attend, all around us there are unsaved people who long to truly know the Lord.   That is why they have come. They kneel and pray and say, “Lord, what can I do to really know you.”

In this week’s readings we have seen that Paul always returned to the synagogues to share the Gospel with those who thought they had it all figured out.

This week we first received an email from a former Methodist who did not find Christ until she left that denomination.

Same with a former Lutheran. A former Baptist. A former Catholic. A former Pentecostal.

     “Nobody told me how to receive Christ. No one shared the plan of salvation. I didn’t have any Bible teaching in the church I grew up in…”

     Our answer to each of you is this.   If you’ve got it now, go back and share it with those you left behind.

     If you are Jewish, go back to synagogue.
     If you are Catholic, go back to mass.
     If you are Protestant, go out from that mega-church and seek souls in the dying congregations who long for the fire of the Holy Spirit to fill them too.

     It’s not about you. It’s not about what makes you FEEL good. It is about Jesus. It is about sharing his love with those who are looking but unable to see him from where they sit.

     It is important that you continue to study God's word and fellowship with believers, but why not also open your home to those who would love to really know Jesus?

     I believe the people who go to church and yet do not have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, are like fields which have been plowed and yet remain unplanted. There can be no harvest without the seed of the Word.

     You are called to carry the seed of the Gospel into those waiting places.
     You are the source of revival.
     Jesus says to you today, “Raise your eyes. The fields are white with the harvest.”

     Revival will come when you are willing to go back to find those dear people who wait in that cold dead place where you started your journey.
   YOU CARRY CHRIST WITHIN YOU!

The change will come to others when you personally begin to share the Gospel message with those you left behind.

     This is a hard saying, I know.   But it is true.   Who will go?



Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Responsorial Psalm
16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”

To SUM UP:
   This is the WORD OF THE LORD

Baruch atem b’Shem Yeshua

Bodie
www.familyaudiolibrary.com

Nutcakes, Wolves, and Tearing Down Walls

Bodie & Brock Thoene — 2008-05-07T12:06:00-08:00

Blog: Nutcakes, Wolves, and Tearing Down Walls

Nutcakes, Wolves, and Tearing Down Walls
by
Bodie and Brock Thoene

    For many years we taught history and literature to American college students in England.   Every summer our little house in London was jammed with young men and women eager to discover and learn!
         One of the history classes we taught was Tudor England and the Reformation.
    The years of the Reformation were horrific for all Christians; Catholic and Protestant.   Never mind the doctrines set forth to purify and reform the corrupt Medieval church, each faction regularly tortured, and burned the other at the stake, in order to achieve their goals. Though couched as ‘religious goals,’ often these aims were really political power grabs.
         The label, “Protestant” comes from the word, “PROTEST.”
          Protestants were so named because they rightly “protested” corruption and hypocrisy which existed at that time within the Catholic Church.
         Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, originally never intended to break away from the church, only to reform it.
         One thing led to another…In the name of the Lord, atrocities were committed by both Protestants and Catholics which now may be forgotten but which are still unforgiven….there remains a residual suspicion and prejudice.

         This is the truth about how the Reformation came about in England:
         King Henry VIII, in his youth regularly approved the torture and execution of Protestants. In fact, for his denunciation of Luther, Henry was awarded the title ‘Defender of the Faith’…the Catholic faith, that is! (The initials F. D. for the Latin of Henry’s award still appear on British coinage…ironic, eh?)
         Later, as he became a lecherous, syphilitic megalomaniac who wanted a male heir to his throne, Henry divorced his first wife to marry his pregnant mistress, Anne Boleyn. When Rome denied Henry’s divorce from Katherine of Aragon, Henry became a Protestant. He declared himself Supreme Head of the Church in England and slaughtered anyone who did not bend to his will. (For an accurate and Oscar-winning depiction of this era, rent and watch A Man for all Seasons, starring Paul Scofield)
        Everyone reading this blog should now pause and picture a president or prime minister abolishing freedom of worship and declaring himself the Supreme Head over YOUR church. This is what happened in Tudor England.
        Would fighting against that abomination be worth dying for? Many Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, suffered persecution and martyrdom for refusing to worship Henry and his successors.
        After six wives Henry VIII died. His Catholic daughter Mary, nicknamed “Bloody Mary,” became queen and began a program of revenge and slaughter which swept over the Protestant population in England.
        When at last Henry’s Protestant daughter Elizabeth I became Queen some tolerance crept back into England. Even so, the brutal slaughter of Catholics in Ireland was ramped up beyond what we can imagine today. (This period of Protestant brutality against Irish Catholics led to 400 years of revenge and violence in Ireland. Both sides became guilty and stained with the blood of innocent victims.)
          The Monarch of England is still Supreme Head of the Protestant Church of England.
         It is certain that the American obsession with Freedom of Religion grows from those horrific years when the Tudors ruled England. The Pilgrim Fathers who came to these American shores came to escape another persecution by the authorities of the Church of England against their different form of Protestantism that lacked "official state" approval!

         It has always been our hope that there would be reconciliation between Christians of Protestant denominations and Christians of the Catholic faith, once an understanding of the political roots of our divisions are understood.

        The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed are the fundamental statements of faith in both Protestant and Catholic worship. (Look those creeds up on the Internet).

This is what we all have in common:

    Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
       The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for our personal sins.
    The resurrection of the Lord Jesus and our resurrection.
    The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Life of every true Christian.
        The truth of the words of Jesus, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No man comes to the father but by me…”

     Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they believe on me."

         We have found amazing clarity through our work fighting against abortion. With Catholic and Protestant Christians there is a unity of Faith in the Grace and Mercy through Jesus Christ alone which transcends our differences.

         To all Protestants who doubt that Catholics are Christians we say,   “Yes, there are a handful of nutcakes in the Catholic Church." (Any Spirit-filled Catholic Christian will admit this) But the nutcakes are a minority. The most public seem to be Catholic politicians who support abortion against every teaching of the Catholic Church.

         To all Catholics who believe all Protestants are rabid, fanatical Catholic- haters, who would like to see Catholics burned at the stake, we say, “Yes. There are nutcakes embedded within the 2,000 Protestant denominations." (Any Spirit-filled Protestant Christian will admit this.) The nuts in all our denominations may be LOUDEST, but they are a minority.

     What separates us now is ignorance of our true beliefs. A Protestant may meet a Catholic who believes some weird superstition which is actually opposed to the teaching of the church. The Protestant then judges all Catholics by that one person.

     A Catholic may meet a true dyed-in-the-wool Catholic basher. The Catholic then judges all Protestants by that one person.

     In every church we will meet those who are unsaved.   But they have come to church seeking to know God.   Your mission field is before you...in the church!

     We have to stop judging one another by the rogues who rage and rampage and PRETEND that they are Christians while they oppose all righteousness!

         The unifying TRUTH is that we are all saved through Jesus alone. This TRUTH must now break through the deceptions and barriers that first sprang up as POLITICAL divisions in Tudor England. (And throughout Europe, according to our reading of history)

         When we begin to tear down these 400-year-old POLITICAL barriers and proclaim the Gospel together with one heart we will see a Spiritual revival like has not been seen since the first century.

         The life, atoning death, and resurrection of Jesus our Lord is the core of our faith. (Note--One faith, not two: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from yourselves, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8 NIV)
    Accepting Jesus as personal Savior and Lord, baptism and the in-filling of the Holy Spirit, and following Jesus alone, leads to Eternal Life.

        Agree to disagree. Accept that whatever church you go to there may be nutcakes or idiots lurking in the pew behind you.
         Admit that every church has been savaged by the WOLVES which Paul describes in today’s readings. Those who divide are false Shepherds and false Christians.

         When the nutcakes spring up like evil jack-in-the-boxes in someone else’s church to embarrass everyone, pray for that congregation.   Pray for your own church that shameful behavior by false Christians will not keep hurting-people from finding Jesus.

     Read today’s daily ancient scripture readings aloud:


Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 20:28-38

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.

Responsorial Psalm
68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab

R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;
For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.
R. Sing to God, O Kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.
Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:
“Confess the power of God!”
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Over Israel is his majesty;
his power is in the skies.
Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 17:11b-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

Amen!

To SUM UP:

         If you read these scriptures every day for three years, almost the entire Bible will be read through. The scripture readings we present here daily are the actual liturgical readings of the ancient church and are proclaimed every day in every Catholic church around the world.

    If you are a Protestant it may be a big surprise that Catholic Christians read and proclaim the scriptures daily in the same manner in which the Parasha (Torah portion) was presented and proclaimed in first century synagogues.

    If you are a Catholic, it may come as a big surprise that the scriptures proclaimed today in your parish church are proclaimed in the manner of first century Jewish synagogue worship.

    Hey, guys?   Everything means JESUS.   Get real. Time for the walls to come down.

Blessings,
Bodie and Brock Thoene
www.familyaudiolibrary.com

JESUS PRAYED FOR YOU!

Bodie Thoene — 2008-05-06T11:08:00-08:00

Blog: JESUS PRAYED FOR YOU!

JESUS PRAYED FOR YOU!
by
Bodie Thoene

         In our novel Third Watch we portrayed the worship you would have experienced if you had attended a Jewish synagogue in the time of Jesus’ ministry.
         Each day the Word of the Lord, known as the Law and the Prophets, was removed from a cabinet called “The Ark.” Held aloft in honor, the scrolls where carried to the podium, or Bema, where their outer covering was removed and then the day’s selection was read.
         Daily selections from the scripture called Parasha or Torah portions were read aloud. Different members of the congregation were called up to proclaim the Word of the Lord to those who gathered there. Then the rabbi offered commentary on the portion of scripture. The account in Luke 4 of Jesus reading in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth depicts this pattern of Jewish synagogue worship.
         Two thousand years later, many Christians still follow this outline of Jewish worship. The liturgy of our church from its earliest beginnings is a Jewish pattern.
         The Word of the Lord is read from our pulpit every day: Old Testament passages, Psalms, the letters of the apostles are all proclaimed by members of the congregation who are called up to read. Finally, our pastor proclaims the portion of the Gospel which is fulfilled by the Old Testament readings. He preaches on the meanings and the connections of these scriptures to our daily life as Christians.
         The climax of our service comes when we personally receive the living Word of the Lord through communion. Just like the Torah scrolls are removed from the Ark in a Jewish synagogue, the bread and wine are removed from their place of honor, and those who believe in the sacrifice of the Son of God receive communion.

         Today Brock proclaims these scriptures in our church.   There is a note of sorrow in Paul’s final words to the Ephesians when he tells them that he has done all he could and now he leaves them in God’s hands.
         All of us, at one time or another, have spoken of God’s love and forgiveness to men and women who have rejected the truth of Christ and instead followed after the ways of this world. When that happens, it is easy to believe those misguided folks are rejecting us when they are really rejecting what we stand for.
         There comes a time when we must, like Paul, simply say to those who reject truth, “Well, we have done everything we could do to help you find the Way. Now your fate is no longer my responsibility but the Lord’s.”

         It is a way of repeating the words of the Lord to His beloved people, “Today I put before you life or death…good or evil…choose life!”

         Not everyone you meet will choose the Life you share with them through Jesus. Many will hear the word, as in Jesus’ parable of the Seed and the Sower, and reject it, seeking after the things of the world.

         We are called to PRAY for those dear ones, no matter how they may have hurt us personally.

         Like Paul, we must someday let go and leave them behind as we follow the voice of our Good Shepherd. They no longer control our lives no matter how they wish to do so. We can walk away, knowing that the Lord will continue to work with them.

         By this, you and I are free from the tyranny of broken promises. You and I are free from the disappointment of lies. You and I are free to follow and serve Jesus, wherever He leads.

        In today’s Gospel reading we hear the words of Jesus as he personally prayed for us.   Sit with your Lord and Savior today and LISTEN to what he asked the Father in heaven to do for YOU!

         Jesus saw you and me personally as He prayed in today’s Gospel.   Your face and your name was in His mind as He prayed!

     Believe and claim the prayer of Jesus for you today.   His prayer for you IS ANSWERED!

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 20:17-27

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
“You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.

“But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”

Responsorial Psalm
68:10-11, 20-21

R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished; Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

Amen!

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,

Bodie Thoene
www.familyaudiolibrary.com

GO SEE EXPELLED!

Brock Thoene — 2008-05-05T08:53:00-08:00

Blog: GO SEE EXPELLED!

GO SEE EXPELLED!
by
Brock Thoene

Today’s scripture readings in Acts 19:8 recount how Paul entered the synagogue and for three months boldly debated with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God.

This past weekend Bodie and I witnessed a courageous man named Ben Stein lay his reputation on the line in his documentary, “Expelled.”

Stein’s documentary about bias in the scientific community against Intelligent Design is well worth your time and money.

It does an excellent job of illustrating how if a scientist holds to a belief in a Creator-God he or she had better keep such faith secret, or expect to face dire career consequences. (It is interesting to note that some theater chains initially refused to offer Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed in their movie houses, thus supporting the main-stream media bias Stein also suggests in his film)

And lest you think Stein is exaggerating, consider this: The National Center for Science Education maintains a website called ‘Expelled-Exposed’ for the purpose of challenging Stein’s assertions. (My own examination of their website indicates that while the NCSE violently denies Stein’s claims, the examples they cite actually PROVE his case)

But Expelled goes far beyond just documenting the ostracism directed against people of faith who are also scientists. Expelled also explores the expansion of the Darwinian mind-set to its logical…but terrifying…conclusions. No Intelligent Design means no life after death, means no moral absolutes, means no meaning to life, means no purpose to existence, means no free will…..

All for want of recognizing the manifestly astronomical odds against the complexity of life forming by chance and evolution alone. At all levels (from what we see down to molecular biology and beyond) postulating a Creator provides a much MORE logical explanation of how life began.

Stein also makes a compelling case for a direct link between Darwinism and Eugenics (deliberate breeding of ‘better’ humans) From that connection there is no difficulty relating Darwin to Nazi death camps and the Holocaust.

(Readers of the Zion Covenant series will recognize that we wrote about this horrifying side of Nazi Germany in the story of Alfie.)

What’s more, Expelled reveals the deep-rooted animosity felt by some members of the pro-Darwin community against any who profess faith in God. You may very well shudder when you recognize (as I did) that according to the most radical Darwinists, belief in God automatically qualifies you for inclusion in the set of ‘feeble-minded’ worthy only of forced sterilization or execution.

(If you think I’m exaggerating, go see the film and write and tell me why I’m wrong)

To be sure, there are lighter moments, as when Mr. Stein gets a leading opponent of Intelligent Design to offer aliens planting life on earth as a better alternative to a Creator! (Begging the question, Who created the aliens?)

Go see Expelled. Do not expect to see an overtly Judeo-Christian message; the film is not a defense of Biblical Creationism.

But it is an excellent wake-up call and a terrific resource. Take your friends (believers or not) and get them to respond to the film’s message. Take high school and college age youth who are probably already pressured to abandon their faith at the door of the science classroom.

Go see it and get hold of this: Science which claims to investigate Truth wherever Truth may lead, but begins by denying the POSSIBLE existence of God, leads not to Truth but to Nazism.

Blessings,
Brock Thoene
www.familyaudiolibrary.com

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 19:1-8

While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul traveled through the interior of the country
and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.
He said to them,
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
They answered him,
“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said, “How were you baptized?”
They replied, “With the baptism of John.”
Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.”
When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.

He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly
with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God.

Responsorial Psalm
68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab

R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;
as wax melts before the fire.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 16:29-33

The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Amen!