NETANYAHU TRIES TO REASSURE ARABS THAT ISRAEL IS NOT DIGGING UNDER THE TEMPLE MOUNT

There has been considerable unrest over the Temple Mount in recent weeks. Muslims started a rumor that Israel is digging under the Temple Mount, in order that it will collapse and bring down the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement this morning to reassure local Arabs that the rumor is completely untrue.

There has been digging under the Temple Mount, however, in recent times, although not by the Israelis but by the Muslims. A few years ago truck loads of dirt were removed from under the Temple Mount in order for the Muslims to construct a huge mosque beneath the Temple Mount in an area known as Solomon's Stables. In doing so, they removed so much dirt that the walls holding up the Temple Mount on both the south side and the east side began to buckle. The buldges in the walls have been repaired; however, there is little doubt digging by the Muslims weakened the entire structure. It would not take much of an earthquake to bring down the buildings on the Temple Mount. Knowing this, the Muslims want the blame to be placed on Israel, not on themselves, should such a disaster occur. In the meantime, this present rumor about Israel digging under the Temple Mount was started by Muslim leaders to further the unrest over the Temple Mount and support their claim that the entire Temple Mount belongs to the Muslims.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133804

TODAY'S WORD FROM THE LORD

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

What a glorious invitation is given to us by our heavenly Father! Bring your cares and needs to Him. Jesus made the statement: "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." The old hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus says it so well: "O what peace we often forfeit; O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."

Lord, forgive my lack of faith and my failure to cast all of my burdens upon You as You have invited me to do. Bring your grace, love and power into every situation in my life, and let me rejoice that, because of my salvation in Jesus, I have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for me. This I pray through Christ, my Lord and my Redeemer, Amen.

ISRAELIS BRING LIGHT TO WEST BANK VILLAGE

News reports coming from Israel are often critical of the Jewish nation's relations with the residents of the West Bank and Gaza. Here is a story that challenges those perceptions, as the Israelis endeavor to bring electrical power to some poor and remote villages in the West Bank.

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1107ap_ml_west_bank_green_peace.html

TODAY'S WORD FROM THE LORD

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).

Paul is surely one of the greatest examples we could ever choose to follow. He once said, though not with arrogance, "imitate me." He could say this only because he was living a sanctified life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Are we walking today in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit so that we may say with Paul, "Imitate me?" If not, maybe we need to spend some time at the cross.

Lord, let your Word and Holy Spirit control my life today so that others will see Jesus in me and desire Him in their lives too. Let my life show forth thy praise! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

CHRISTIANS JAILED IN IRAN FOR SPREADING CHRISTIANITY

Christian persecution is alive and well on planet earth! Here in America, we often take our liberty to witness the gospel of Christ for granted. (Hebrews 13:3). Two young Christian women in Iran have been arrested and thrown into prison "for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus." Read, remember and pray!

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091009/iranian-female-converts-charged-with-apostasy-spreading-christianity/index.html

NO ONE HAD THE COURAGE TO TELL HER SHE SHOULD LET GO

The value of some pictures still exceeds a thousand words. This little girl held on to her Daddy's hand in an official formation line as he headed off for Iraq.

http://www.parentdish.com/2009/10/07/little-girl-cant-let-go-as-daddy-leaves-for-iraq/?icid=mainmaindl2link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parentdish.com%2F2009%2F10%2F07%2Flittle-girl-cant-let-go-as-daddy-leaves-for-iraq%2F

TODAY'S WORD FROM THE LORD

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:41-42).

Shortly after Pentecost, the apostles were arrested and put in prison for preaching and teaching in the temple that Jesus was the Christ. They were miraculously set free and went back to preaching and teaching in the temple. Soon, they were arrested again, flogged, and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus. "So they went on their way...rejoicing they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name."

Each of us has a unique opportunity today to stand up and speak out for Jesus in a society that is growing less and less tolerant of His name! Let us follow in the footsteps of the apostles who "kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."

RED-LETTER CHRISTIANS: NEO-MARXISM IN THE CHURCH? by Jan Markell

In many Bibles, all the words of Jesus are in red. There is nothing wrong with that. But something is wrong when Leftist Christians or so-called Christians want to mute the words of Paul and other writers and only follow Jesus' words. They call themselves "red-letter Christians."
They feel it is convenient to blot out the words of Paul on homosexuality and focus in on the good deeds Jesus talks about. Most are pacifists who reject an "eye for an eye" (Leviticus 24:19-20). They focus on Jesus' words about helping the poor, ministering to "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40), loving our enemies, etc. That justifies abandoning hundreds, even thousands of condemning verses in the Bible they choose to wish away. That makes homosexuality OK and war wrong! And remember, Paul and the others in the Bible represent Jesus' words. They were His spokesmen. Some who believe this way practice a form of neo-Marxism and others would call it "Christian Marxism" -- an oxymoron if there ever was one. They note that the early church shared everything (socialism). A close cousin to this is "liberation theology." Those who are high profile in this movement include Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren and his Emergent bunch, and the National Council of Churches. Jim Wallis says, "In those red letters, Jesus calls us away from the consumerist values that dominate contemporary American consciousness." Translate that to mean he loathes capitalism and opts for socialism and/or communism.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101818841456/archive/1102743499673.html

HEAD OF LC-MS ASKS ELCA BISHOPS NOT TO IMPLEMENT DECISION TO INCLUDED HOMOSEXUAL CLERGY

"It would be a blessing" if certain actions taken by voting members of the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) were not implemented, said the president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), the Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick.

The problem with Kieschnick's appeal is that it comes much to late. The ELCA has been hijacked by church leaders, including some of the very bishops to whom he makes his appeal. They have fought for over 20 years to achieve this result. They are not about to overturn it now.

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4309

TODAY'S WORD FROM THE LORD

Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye kow that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).

Life can be a challenge, especially as we endeavor to live it faithfully for the Lord. The opposition can be unrelenting and critical. However, our call is to stand fast, remembering the words of Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Lord, let me live today being steadfast, unmovable and abounding in the work you have given me to perform. Let not man prevail over the work of the kingdom, not allow me to become discouraged by his fleeting efforts. Let your joy be my strength today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

LARGE CONGREGATION IN VIRGINIA TAKES FIRST VOTE TO WITHDRAW FROM ELCA

St. John's Lutheran Church, located in southern Roanoak County, Virginia, voted with a 70% margin, to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America over that body's decision to ordain practicing homosexual clergy.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/220520

MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH TAKES FIRST VOTE TO WITHDRAW FROM ELCA

St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, voted this past Sunday, with a 96% margin, to withdraw from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The congregation's pastor, Roland J. Wells Jr., stated that 20 years ago the congregation decided that if the ELCA ever voted to sanction practicing homosexual clergy, they would leave. The congregation is fulfilling that commitment after the ELCA's August 21st decision.
Under ELCA rules, St. Paul's congregation will now consult with the office of the Minneapolis bishop. To leave the ELCA, the church must hold a second vote at least 90 days after the first, and the proposal must pass by a two-thirds majority.