(September 8, 2010)
Prayer & Medication

This coming weekend we have the Vandenberg Family ministering to us. It begins with a Men's Breakfast on Saturday. They will be leading us in worship as well as bringing the word. Please be in prayer for these special services.
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This is Family Week at Prayer House. That means we are not having any midweek services - which, hopefully, will give your family extra time together.
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Devotional!
I want to take a few moments to look into what a city of refuge was or is. Cain was the first man to establish a refuge city. So often we look at Cain in a negative light because he was the first man to kill another man. However, remember our God is a merciful God, and if someone actually repents of his sin and seeks forgiveness, God, in His mercy, grants it to him.

Genesis 4:13-17 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. (14) Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." (15) But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. (16) So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (17) Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Cain was building a city of refuge because prior to this there was no safe place for him to live. Plus since God put his mark on Cain stating that anyone who brought harm to him would receive vengeance seven time over, the city of refuge became a means of protecting them also. The root meaning of the Hebrew terms for "city," means "to keep watch for the approach of an enemy." That was the primary reason cities came into existence. The leading purpose of gathering into towns was security against marauders.

Within the network of cities were certain ones appointed as cities of refuge. A city of refuge was a place where someone who had committed a crime could go to be safe from those seeking revenge. In the ancient Middle Eastern countries if a person were killed, it was the custom that the nearest relative of the slain one would became the "avenger of blood."

Numbers 35:19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

It became his duty to slay the slayer. He had every right to do it – unless the one who committed the crime made it to a city of refuge before he could get to him. Then he was safe – for the time being. The city of refuge was a type of what we call in our justice system – innocent until proven guilty.

The person who committed a crime could find sanctuary in the city of refuge until it was time to hear his case. The courts would then take the accused one back to the scene of the crime for his trial. If it could be proven that what happened was truly an accident then the accused could go back to the city of refuge and live as a free man within the confines of that city for the rest of his life or until the High Priest of that city died. Then he was free to return to his original city.

Do you see the typology here? Jesus is our refuge. He is our strong tower. We go into him for protection. We all have committed the crime of sin. There was a sentence of death upon us. But we made it to our refuge. If Satan could have killed us before we made it to our refuge then we would have died in our sin. Once we entered into our place of refuge we became safe from harm. However, if a person left the city of refuge before the death of the high priest, he then became subject to death at the hands of the avenger of blood.

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Medication: A Merry Heart

Hebrew Lesson

At the Henry Street Hebrew School, the rabbi finished the
day's lesson. It was now time for the usual question period.

"Rabbi," asked little Melvin, "there's something I need to
know."

"What's that, my child?" asked the rabbi.

"Well, according to the Scriptures, the Children of Israel
crossed the Red Sea, right?"

"Right."

"And the Children of Israel beat up the Philistines, right?"

"Uh--right."

"And the Children of Israel built the Temple, right?"

"Again you are correct."

"And the Children of Israel fought the Egyptians, and the
Children of Israel fought the Romans, and the Children of
Israel were always doing something important, right?"

"All that is correct," agreed the rabbi. "So what's your
question?"

"What I need to know is this," demanded Melvin. "What were
all the grown-ups doing?"

(September 8, 2010)
Prayer & Medication

This coming weekend we have the Vandenberg Family ministering to us. It begins with a Men's Breakfast on Saturday. They will be leading us in worship as well as bringing the word. Please be in prayer for these special services.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Family Week at Prayer House. That means we are not having any midweek services - which, hopefully, will give your family extra time together.
====================================
Devotional!
I want to take a few moments to look into what a city of refuge was or is. Cain was the first man to establish a refuge city. So often we look at Cain in a negative light because he was the first man to kill another man. However, remember our God is a merciful God, and if someone actually repents of his sin and seeks forgiveness, God, in His mercy, grants it to him.

Genesis 4:13-17 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. (14) Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." (15) But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. (16) So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (17) Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Cain was building a city of refuge because prior to this there was no safe place for him to live. Plus since God put his mark on Cain stating that anyone who brought harm to him would receive vengeance seven time over, the city of refuge became a means of protecting them also. The root meaning of the Hebrew terms for "city," means "to keep watch for the approach of an enemy." That was the primary reason cities came into existence. The leading purpose of gathering into towns was security against marauders.

Within the network of cities were certain ones appointed as cities of refuge. A city of refuge was a place where someone who had committed a crime could go to be safe from those seeking revenge. In the ancient Middle Eastern countries if a person were killed, it was the custom that the nearest relative of the slain one would became the "avenger of blood."

Numbers 35:19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

It became his duty to slay the slayer. He had every right to do it – unless the one who committed the crime made it to a city of refuge before he could get to him. Then he was safe – for the time being. The city of refuge was a type of what we call in our justice system – innocent until proven guilty.

The person who committed a crime could find sanctuary in the city of refuge until it was time to hear his case. The courts would then take the accused one back to the scene of the crime for his trial. If it could be proven that what happened was truly an accident then the accused could go back to the city of refuge and live as a free man within the confines of that city for the rest of his life or until the High Priest of that city died. Then he was free to return to his original city.

Do you see the typology here? Jesus is our refuge. He is our strong tower. We go into him for protection. We all have committed the crime of sin. There was a sentence of death upon us. But we made it to our refuge. If Satan could have killed us before we made it to our refuge then we would have died in our sin. Once we entered into our place of refuge we became safe from harm. However, if a person left the city of refuge before the death of the high priest, he then became subject to death at the hands of the avenger of blood.

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Medication: A Merry Heart

Hebrew Lesson

At the Henry Street Hebrew School, the rabbi finished the
day's lesson. It was now time for the usual question period.

"Rabbi," asked little Melvin, "there's something I need to
know."

"What's that, my child?" asked the rabbi.

"Well, according to the Scriptures, the Children of Israel
crossed the Red Sea, right?"

"Right."

"And the Children of Israel beat up the Philistines, right?"

"Uh--right."

"And the Children of Israel built the Temple, right?"

"Again you are correct."

"And the Children of Israel fought the Egyptians, and the
Children of Israel fought the Romans, and the Children of
Israel were always doing something important, right?"

"All that is correct," agreed the rabbi. "So what's your
question?"

"What I need to know is this," demanded Melvin. "What were
all the grown-ups doing?"

(September 7, 2010)

Prayer & Medication
Our ladies are praying this morning at 9:00am. Join them if you can.
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This coming weekend we have the Vandenberg Family ministering to us. It begins with a Men's Breakfast on Saturday. They will be leading us in worship as well as bringing the word. Please be in prayer for these special services.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Family Week at Prayer House. That means we are not having any midweek services - which, hopefully, will give your family extra time together.
====================================
Devotional!
Some of the leaders of the Vietnamese people who came to America after the war in Vietnam have been making some bold statements to the Afghanistan leaders (regarding the 9/11 attack in New York City). They are saying, “You don’t attack a refuge nation.” America is a refuge nation. Its borders have always been open for anyone seeking safety from an oppressive government. Obviously we have had some struggles with illegal aliens but the word “illegal” defines that problem. There is an accepted way to become a citizen of our nation and we have always been open to anyone. Everyone wants to come to America (at least they used to).

I believe there are two primary reasons why the Arab world is turning on America. 1. Our foreign policy. When they say it’s our foreign policy what they are actually referring to our foreign policy as, in our support of Israel. I pray that America will always be pro-Israel. My concern is that many of our younger non-churched citizens, don’t have a clue as to why we support Israel. Just the other day an eight year-old Israeli boy, whose parents were killed recently by a car bomb in Jerusalem, was asked why it happened. He said that it was because of his country’s fight for independence, and it was because of the Messiah and them being the people of God. How many of our eight year-old children have any understanding about why the terrorist attacked us? If our convictions are not based on our religious beliefs then we will eventually find no good reason to continue to fight the fight.

Initially our support of Israel came from our allegiance to Christ. Israel is God’s chosen nation. As Christians with the Messiah living in us we become “spiritual Israel.” We are now a part of the chosen, having been grafted into the family of God. We are told to pray for the peace of Israel.

2. Secondly I believe it’s because as a refuge nation we become a type of Christ for the world. So we are right in the mix of spiritual conflict. We too become a target of Satan because of our testimony to the world that in Jesus Christ you are protected you have a place of refuge.


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Medication: A Merry Heart

Bald Eagle

How do you identify a bald eagle?

All his feathers are combed over to one side.

(September 6, 2010)
Prayer & Medication
It's Labor Day. Isn't it interesting how nobody works on labor day! We had an average weekend of ministry. It wasn't too bad but we've definately had better. Sometimes the spiritual opposition is thick. However, one great thing happened on Sunday morning. After the service Charlie Brandes brother accepted Christ into his life.
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This coming weekend we have the Vandenberg Family ministering to us. It begins with a Men's Breakfast on Saturday. They will be leading us in worship as well as bringing the word. Please be in prayer for these special services.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Family Week at Prayer House. That means we are not having any midweek services - which, hopefully, will give your family extra time together.
====================================
Devotional!
A Refuge Nation

I thought it might be quite interesting to see America’s role in the last days. The fact is, most prophecy teachers cannot find much of what they would consider a reference to the United States in the Bible. While that may be true, it is might be possible to see what America is. We are in the last days and our nation is only 200 years old. In the greater picture of world history we are relatively insignificant. I was on an airplane flying from London to Entebee, Africa once. I began to talk to the girl seated beside me. She was from London. She expressed an interest in visiting America one day. I had been in Boston just a few days prior to this flight so I said to her, “You would probably really like the Boston area, there is so much history there.” She looked at me and said, “You think you have history in your country? We have church buildings that are centuries older than your entire nation.”

So in the big picture America may only be a little blip on the screen of world history. We are probably a lot more self-important than we really are. However, the modern-day missions methodology did come from America. Obviously the idea of missions did not originate in America. Paul had many missions trips in the Bible. But if we were to look at our history we would find a missionary to the American Indians, David Brainerd, who wrote a diary of his ministry amongst the Indians titled, “The Diary of David Brainerd.” His diary has gone on to inspire some of our greatest Christian leaders. Jonathan Edwards (Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God) was greatly inspired by this diary. Johathan Edwards was one of the key figures in the last Great Awakening in 1857. In fact, David Brainerd was engaged to be married to Edwards daughter when he died at the age of 28.

William Carey decided to go into missions as a result of reading this diary. He started the whole Moravian missionary movement which gave birth to the modern day missions movement we know today. So America has done some significant things as far as the gospel is concerned. However, is it possible that we are not mentioned in Scripture because we aren’t quite as important as we think we are? History does not necessarily revolve around America. We only think we are the center of everything. While it’s true that America has done much to spread the gospel around the world there might be even a greater significance than that for us.

This is why I also don’t put a lot of interest into end-time prophecies that are based on what is happening in America. Did you know that when Communism took over China, which forced the church to go underground, many Christians were persecuted and killed. Most Chinese Christians fully believed that they were just months away from the return of Christ. They related their struggles as Christians to the very last days. The same is true of Romania. It’s quite interesting how when any church faces persecution they believe that they are just moments away from the return of Christ. That just shows us how we tend to think everything revolves around us.

The truer measure of the end times is that of what’s happening in Israel. History does revolve around Israel. Isn’t it interesting that all of these very large Arab nations are not simply concerned with a Palestinian state but also the annihilation of Israel? They are flat out calling for the eradication of all Jews. This really should not surprise us. The heart of spiritual conflict has always been the complete destruction of God’s people on earth. If Satan were able to actually kill all of God’s people then this earth would become his dwelling place. God would no longer have a witness on earth. If you want to know how close we are to the very last days – watch Israel.

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Medication: A Merry Heart

Athletes Speak!

This is why "Sports Scholarship" is an oxymoron . . .

"You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a
circle."
- Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach

"That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still
find my clothes."
- Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why
he keeps a color photo of himself above his locker

"You guys line up alphabetically by height."
- Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach

"I play football. I'm not trying to be a professor. The
tests don't seem to make sense to me, measuring your brain
on stuff I haven't been through in school."
- Clemson recruit Ray Forsythe, who was ineligible as a
freshman because of academic requirements

"I know the Virginia players are smart because you need a
1500 SAT to get in. I have to drop bread crumbs to get our
players to and from class."
- George Raveling, Washington State basketball coach

"Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to
prison for three years, not Princeton."
- Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson hooking up again
with promoter Don King

"I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went
to."
- Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon
during his visit to Greece

"The ballparks have gotten too crowded. That's why nobody
goes to see the game anymore."
- Yogi Berra

"I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it
takes."
- Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh

"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a
guy like Norman Einstein."
- Football commentator and former player Joe Theisman

(September 3, 2010)
Prayer & Medication
RPM was good again last night. It's just good to pray with a bunch of men.

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Devotional!
When Satan came to temp Jesus in the wilderness, how did Jesus come away from that victoriously? By dying to what he may have wanted to do. He humbly submitted his will to the will of His Father stood against the attack and walked away from temptation unscathed. The only things Satan can get ahold of in our lives are the things we haven't died to. Everything dead is free from Satanic influence. Running away from the roar could also be called pride. When the proud man is confronted with his weakness he wants nobody to know about it. So he runs away and in doing so he runs directly into Satan's trap. If Satan has an area of influence in your life, it's because you have forgotten about Jesus in that area and you have yourself first. You are very much alive in that area subsequently it has become the playground of the enemy.


So James says, "When you face trials - that's great!" James is not saying that the trial is great but rather the potential to become like God is great. He says, "The testing of your faith develops perseverance. The word "perseverance" is the same word for "patience." James says the reason trials still throw your life into conflict is because you don't yet have patience. Patience is the ability to endure. So James is not even saying that once you have patience you will no longer have trials or temptations. He is saying that trials and temptations have within them the potential of many blessings because of what they can help us develop in.

(4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Once patience has finished its work in us we will then be complete. What does that mean?

Lets go further into James 1 for our answer.

James 1:5‑6 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (6) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James makes these comments right after talking about our need to have patience. Patience means constancy. It means - the ability to endure. It is related to faith. A person of faith is a person who has an unwavering trust in God. He says in verse 6 that if a person doubts he is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Here is the picture this is painting. Life is going to toss us all kinds of junk. It's going to come in the form of trials and temptations. If you have allowed those trials to develop patience within you, you will have the ability to stand firm in the midst of them. If you have failed to develop patience you will be tossed about every time something adverse comes your way. So James is saying that if it weren't for trials - patience would never have a chance to complete its work in you. And until patience completes its work you will never possess everything you need to be able to stand firm in the midst of pressure.


The humble man has set his eyes on Jesus. In the midst of a trial he keeps his focus heavenward and simply stands looking to his source in the midst of the storm. He is not being tossed by every wind of doctrine. He is not scrambling to find a foothold - he is solid.

When trials hit the proud man - he scrambles to get away. Trials make him look bad. He cannot admit to a weakness. So a wave hits him and he's gone with it. Then another wave hits him from the other direction and he's back. He is tossed to and fro. He is carried about by every wind simply because he does not have an anchor.

So what is the solution to this dilemma? Remember Jesus! Look to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:12‑13 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! (13) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.


If you think you are standing firm in your own strength, be careful. That's pride. Pride says, "I've arrived, I am no longer so weak as to be dependant upon prayer." Be careful!

Temptation is common to all men. However, the good news is that God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. However, notice that this verse does not say that God will remove the temptation. It says he will provide us with the means to bear up under it. When it says, "He will also provide a way out," it's not saying that God allows you to escape temptation but rather that God becomes your means to escape the weight or burden of temptation. If he was going to provide a way out from the temptation there would be no need to be able to stand up under it. He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

God is the way out. When we are tempted - remember Jesus. Let your weakness become God's source of strength in you. If you will allow weakness, temptation, and trials to draw you to prayer then the weaker you are the more you will pray - subsequently God will gain strength in your life because of weakness.

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Medication: A Merry Heart

Books for College

A clueless freshman was in his college campus bookstore.

Questioning the store clerk about a book for one of his
classes, the clerk responded, "This book will do half the
job for you."

"Good," the freshman replied. "I'll take two."

(September 2, 2010)
Prayer & Medication
We had a great mid-week wrap up of the Summer VBS program. Thanks to Pastor Kevin and Aimee, Pastor Nick and all the other helpers who worked very hard to make this a very fruitful summer program.
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Mighty Men meets tonight at 6:30pm at the church. Then at 9:00pm RPM will meet for prayer in the sanctuary.
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Devotional!
"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Let’s consider this issue for a moment. Satan is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. In Africa when lions go out to hunt for food they do it in packs. When they happen to come upon an opening that has prey in it they will station the old lions that cannot run on one side of an opening and then the young ones position themselves on the other side. As the prey comes into the opening the old lions roar - scaring the prey into the grip of the young lions. The roaring lion is one without power - without the ability to capture something - no teeth.

Here is an interesting fact about the male lion. The male is the big one. But he is not the hunter. The female lions do the hunting. The male just shows up to eat after the females do all the work. That’s how it’s supposed to be – correct! The males primary purpose is to protect his pride. Isn’t that an interesting play on words? Earlier I said, “People who are plagued by temptation are those who have a lot of pride.” So obviously, male lions face a lot of temptation because their entire purpose is to protect its pride.

When we think back to the illustration of the prey being scared into the pack we can use that to demonstrate the idea of standing up to your temptation. You must realize that the one making the noise is an old worn out enemy that needs you to fall into his trap because if you run to the roar you are safe. If you stand against the enemy he can't do much even if he catches you. He doesn't have any teeth. What's he gonna do even if he catches you, gum you to death, he's go no teeth.

So how do we humbly stand up to something? Isn't that an oxymoron? How do we humbly stand up to our opposition? To humbly oppose something would be as odd as, restaurants that serve, Large Shrimp dinners, or Hot Chili, those are oxymorons and so is the idea of humbly standing in opposition to something. Isn't it interesting to think that there is power in humility! When you humbly stand up to temptation you can defeat it. When you humbly accept a trial it no longer controls or confuses your life. So where is the power in humility? It's in dying. Remember Jesus! His victory over Satan was in his death, not just his physical death but in his dying to self also. His victory came by humbly accepting his plight and following His father's directive to go to the cross and die. Through that - Satan was defeated.

Satan was coming to Jesus as a roaring lion. There was a lot of noise associated with the trial of Jesus. The crowds were calling out for His crucifixion. The Pharisees and rulers were beating him. They slammed a crown of thorns on His head. They whipped him with 39 lashes. They made him walk through the jeering crowds carrying his own cross. All of this looked like defeat. It looked like weakness. In reality, all of this was simply the roar of a defeated enemy. Jesus willfully died - and in so doing he stood against the enemy. He faced the roar and defeated it through humility.


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Medication: A Merry Heart

Breathe

A lady on a commuter train was reading a newspaper article
about life and death statistics. Fascinated, she turned to
the man next to her and said, "Did you know that every time
I breathe somebody dies?"

"Really!?" he said. "Have you tried mouthwash?"