Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Please pray for Pastor Youcef
Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. Hebrews 13:3
Iran: Letter from Youcef
Greetings from your servant and younger brother in Christ, Youcef Nadarkhani.
To: All those who are concerned and worried about my current situation.
First, I would like to inform all of my beloved brothers and sisters that I am in perfect health in the flesh and spirit. And I try to have a little different approach from others to these days, and consider it as the day of exam and trial of my faith. And during these days which are hard in order to prove loyalty and sincerity to God, I am trying to do the best in my power to stay right with what I have learned from God’s commandments.
I need to remind my beloveds, though my trial has been so long, and as in the flesh I wish these days to end, yet I have surrendered myself to God’s will.
I am neither a political person nor do I know about political complicity, but I know that while there are many things in common between different cultures, there are also differences between these cultures around the world which can result in criticism, which most of the times response to this criticisms will be harsh and as a result will lengthen our problems.
From time to time I am informed about the news which is spreading in the media about my current situation, for instance being supported by various churches and famous politicians who have asked for my release, or campaigns and human rights activities which are going on against the charges which are applied to me. I do believe that these kind of activities can be very helpful in order to reach freedom and respecting human rights in a right way can bring forth positive results.
I want to appreciate all those are trying to reach this goal. But on the other hand, I’d like to announce my disagreement with the insulting activities that cause stress and trouble, which unfortunately are done with the justification (excuse) of defending human rights and freedom, for the results are so clear and obvious for me.
I try to be humble and obedient to those who are in power; obedience to those in the authority that God has granted to the officials of my country, and pray for them to rule the country according to the will of God and be successful in doing this. For I know in this way I have obeyed God’s Word. I try to obey along with those whom I see in a common situation with me. They never had any complaint, but just let the power of God be manifested in their lives, and though sometimes we read that they have used this right to defend themselves, for they had this right, I am not an exception as well and have used all possibilities and so forth and am waiting for the final result.
So I ask all the beloved ones to pray for me as the holy Word has said. At the end I hope my freedom will be prepared as soon as possible, as the authorities of my country will do with free will according to their law and commandments which they are answerable to.
May God’s grace and mercy be upon you now and forever. Amen.
Youcef Nadarkhani
persecution.com
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The crowning sin of the ungodly!
The crowning sin of the ungodly!
(William Bacon Stevens, "The Parables" 1857)
"The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him!" John 3:36
Unbelief is the crowning sin of the ungodly! And until Christ is believed in, by a faith which "purifies the soul"--all other changes will be of no avail.
We may correct this evil habit;
we may prune away that sin;
we may turn from debauchery to purity;
we may turn from profanity to reverence;
we may turn from covetousness to charity;
we may polish our characters until we shall appear beautiful to ourselves and others;
we may even have a sentimental regard for Christ, and experience a sort of respect for His ordinances, and join with external devotion in the praises of the sanctuary--
yet, build up these characters as high as we may, adorn them with every worldly ornament, set them off with every earthly virtue--unless Christ is formed in our hearts as the hope of glory--they are nothing "but white-washed sepulchers, which, indeed, appear beautiful outwardly--but within are full of dead bones and all uncleanness!"
On the other hand, no matter how evil may have been our former course, no matter what the turpitude of our character--though our sins are as black as midnight, and as numberless as the stars, and as vile as Hell itself; yet, if we now receive Christ into our hearts in the fullness of a faith that trusts in Him alone--all will be well! "Though your sins are like scarlet--I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson--I will make them as white as wool!" Isaiah 1:18
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We have published William Bacon Stevens' insightful and sobering article, "Man's Universal Epitaph!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Feel free to forward this on to your friends.
Courtesy of Grace Gems-
(William Bacon Stevens, "The Parables" 1857)
"The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him!" John 3:36
Unbelief is the crowning sin of the ungodly! And until Christ is believed in, by a faith which "purifies the soul"--all other changes will be of no avail.
We may correct this evil habit;
we may prune away that sin;
we may turn from debauchery to purity;
we may turn from profanity to reverence;
we may turn from covetousness to charity;
we may polish our characters until we shall appear beautiful to ourselves and others;
we may even have a sentimental regard for Christ, and experience a sort of respect for His ordinances, and join with external devotion in the praises of the sanctuary--
yet, build up these characters as high as we may, adorn them with every worldly ornament, set them off with every earthly virtue--unless Christ is formed in our hearts as the hope of glory--they are nothing "but white-washed sepulchers, which, indeed, appear beautiful outwardly--but within are full of dead bones and all uncleanness!"
On the other hand, no matter how evil may have been our former course, no matter what the turpitude of our character--though our sins are as black as midnight, and as numberless as the stars, and as vile as Hell itself; yet, if we now receive Christ into our hearts in the fullness of a faith that trusts in Him alone--all will be well! "Though your sins are like scarlet--I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson--I will make them as white as wool!" Isaiah 1:18
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We have published William Bacon Stevens' insightful and sobering article, "Man's Universal Epitaph!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Feel free to forward this on to your friends.
Courtesy of Grace Gems-
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Sobering Statistic- Repent and trust the Savior!
US police fatalities up 13 percent in 2011 to 173
Wednesday - 12/28/2011, 12:55pm ET
By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press
(AP) - One Oregon police chief was killed when a man allegedly took the officer's gun and shot him in the head. A policeman in Arizona was fatally shot when he went to a suburban Phoenix apartment complex to help a probation officer. And two South Dakota officers were killed in a shootout after a traffic stop.
The number of fatalities from departments across the country caused by firearms made 2011 one of the deadliest years in recent history for U.S. law enforcement.
Across the nation, 173 officers died in the line of duty, up 13 percent from 153 the year before, according to numbers as of Wednesday compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The nonprofit group that tracks police deaths also reported that 68 federal, state and local officers were killed by gunfire in 2011, a 15 percent jump from last year when 59 were killed. It marks the first time in 14 years that firearms fatalities were higher than traffic-related deaths. The data shows that 64 officers died in traffic accidents, down from the 71 killed in 2010.
Craig Floyd, the group's chairman, blamed the rise on budget cuts to public safety departments. He cited surveys by police groups that showed many cut back on training and delay upgrading equipment, and referenced a Department of Justice report issued in October that said an estimated 10,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies have been laid off within the past year.
"I'm very troubled that these drastic budget cuts have put our officers at a grave risks," he said. "Our officers are facing a more brazen cold-blooded element and fighting a war on terror, and we're giving them less training and less equipment they need to do their jobs safely."
It's the second year in a row the number of officers killed in the line of duty has grown. In 2009, the death toll dipped to 122 in a 50-year-low that encouraged police groups even though the year seemed to be an aberration. Otherwise, the number of police deaths has topped 160 five other times since 2000. It routinely topped 200 in the 1970s.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the deaths a "devastating and unacceptable trend" and said the Justice Department was determined to reverse the numbers. He said the office is supporting new training regimens and programs, one of which reimbursed departments with more than $23 million for about 80,000 new bulletproof vests. Those vests, he said, saved the lives of 16 officers in the last year.
"I want to assure the family members and loved ones who have mourned the loss of these heroes that we are responding to this year's increased violence with renewed vigilance and will do everything within our power _ and use every tool at our disposal _ to keep our police officers safe," Holder said.
The police deaths were spread across 41 states and Puerto Rico. The largest number of fatalities was reported in Florida, where 14 officers were killed, followed by Texas (13) New York (11), California (10) and Georgia (10). The New York City Police Department and Puerto Rico Police Department, which both lost four officers, were the law enforcement agencies that reported the most deaths.
Meanwhile, one city saw its first ever police death in the line of duty. In Bismarck, N.D. _ a city of 60,000 residents and about 100 sworn officers _ 32-year police veteran Sgt. Steven Kenner was fatally shot. Kenner had been responding to a domestic disturbance call.
The number of firearms-related fatalities, which have risen 70 percent since 2008, was particularly alarming to analysts. Of the 68 deaths, 14 took place while the officer was attempting an arrest, nine occurred during a domestic disturbance call and five were ambushes, according to the data.
One of the victims, Rainier, Ore., Police Chief Ralph Painter, was shot once in the head during a Jan. 5 struggle with a suspect who was accused of taking Painter's pistol from his belt. Glendale, Ariz., Officer Brad Jones was shot in August after a fight with a suspect being sought by a probation officer. And the two officers in South Dakota, James McCandless and Nick Armstrong, were killed in August after conducting what Rapid City authorities have said was a routine traffic stop.
The glimmer of good news in the report was the falling number of traffic-related fatalities involving law enforcement officers, the lowest since 2005. Floyd said revamped policies adopted by some departments on police chases and a revived focus on road safety helped bring down the number of those deaths.
"It's perhaps the most preventable death for law enforcement," he said. "Better training and better awareness of the dangers of traffic safety will help to spare more police lives as we move forward."
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=209&sid=2685547
Wednesday - 12/28/2011, 12:55pm ET
By GREG BLUESTEIN
Associated Press
(AP) - One Oregon police chief was killed when a man allegedly took the officer's gun and shot him in the head. A policeman in Arizona was fatally shot when he went to a suburban Phoenix apartment complex to help a probation officer. And two South Dakota officers were killed in a shootout after a traffic stop.
The number of fatalities from departments across the country caused by firearms made 2011 one of the deadliest years in recent history for U.S. law enforcement.
Across the nation, 173 officers died in the line of duty, up 13 percent from 153 the year before, according to numbers as of Wednesday compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The nonprofit group that tracks police deaths also reported that 68 federal, state and local officers were killed by gunfire in 2011, a 15 percent jump from last year when 59 were killed. It marks the first time in 14 years that firearms fatalities were higher than traffic-related deaths. The data shows that 64 officers died in traffic accidents, down from the 71 killed in 2010.
Craig Floyd, the group's chairman, blamed the rise on budget cuts to public safety departments. He cited surveys by police groups that showed many cut back on training and delay upgrading equipment, and referenced a Department of Justice report issued in October that said an estimated 10,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies have been laid off within the past year.
"I'm very troubled that these drastic budget cuts have put our officers at a grave risks," he said. "Our officers are facing a more brazen cold-blooded element and fighting a war on terror, and we're giving them less training and less equipment they need to do their jobs safely."
It's the second year in a row the number of officers killed in the line of duty has grown. In 2009, the death toll dipped to 122 in a 50-year-low that encouraged police groups even though the year seemed to be an aberration. Otherwise, the number of police deaths has topped 160 five other times since 2000. It routinely topped 200 in the 1970s.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the deaths a "devastating and unacceptable trend" and said the Justice Department was determined to reverse the numbers. He said the office is supporting new training regimens and programs, one of which reimbursed departments with more than $23 million for about 80,000 new bulletproof vests. Those vests, he said, saved the lives of 16 officers in the last year.
"I want to assure the family members and loved ones who have mourned the loss of these heroes that we are responding to this year's increased violence with renewed vigilance and will do everything within our power _ and use every tool at our disposal _ to keep our police officers safe," Holder said.
The police deaths were spread across 41 states and Puerto Rico. The largest number of fatalities was reported in Florida, where 14 officers were killed, followed by Texas (13) New York (11), California (10) and Georgia (10). The New York City Police Department and Puerto Rico Police Department, which both lost four officers, were the law enforcement agencies that reported the most deaths.
Meanwhile, one city saw its first ever police death in the line of duty. In Bismarck, N.D. _ a city of 60,000 residents and about 100 sworn officers _ 32-year police veteran Sgt. Steven Kenner was fatally shot. Kenner had been responding to a domestic disturbance call.
The number of firearms-related fatalities, which have risen 70 percent since 2008, was particularly alarming to analysts. Of the 68 deaths, 14 took place while the officer was attempting an arrest, nine occurred during a domestic disturbance call and five were ambushes, according to the data.
One of the victims, Rainier, Ore., Police Chief Ralph Painter, was shot once in the head during a Jan. 5 struggle with a suspect who was accused of taking Painter's pistol from his belt. Glendale, Ariz., Officer Brad Jones was shot in August after a fight with a suspect being sought by a probation officer. And the two officers in South Dakota, James McCandless and Nick Armstrong, were killed in August after conducting what Rapid City authorities have said was a routine traffic stop.
The glimmer of good news in the report was the falling number of traffic-related fatalities involving law enforcement officers, the lowest since 2005. Floyd said revamped policies adopted by some departments on police chases and a revived focus on road safety helped bring down the number of those deaths.
"It's perhaps the most preventable death for law enforcement," he said. "Better training and better awareness of the dangers of traffic safety will help to spare more police lives as we move forward."
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=209&sid=2685547
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The threatenings of God (read all the way through!)
The threatenings of God!
(James Smith, "The Threatenings of God")
"What will you say when He punishes you?" Jeremiah 13:21
God has threatened to punish lost sinners--every sinner who lives and dies in unbelief.
His threatenings are written in His Word--that we may read them;
they are published by His ministers--that we may hear them;
they are often repeated--that we may not forget them;
some of them are fulfilled in this world--that we may believe and fear them.
No unbelieving, impenitent, careless sinner shall escape! The whole of the wicked shall be turned into Hell--and all the nations that forget God.
Every one will be punished . . .
justly--in exact proportion to the nature and number of his sins;
universally--in every part of body and soul;
fearfully--without any mixture of mercy;
eternally--without cessation or end!
The threatenings of God are backed and sustained . . .
by His omnipotent power;
by His unchangeable purpose;
by His impartial justice;
by His inflexible holiness;
and by His solemn oath.
They cannot be more sure--nor can they be more dreadful.
Lost sinner, they are all pointed at you! They speak . . .
of snares,
of fire and brimstone,
of a never-dying worm,
of a lake of fire,
of blackness and darkness,
of gnashing of teeth,
of eternal separation from God, and
a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire, that will consume the enemies of God! Hebrews 10:27
Punishment is in store for you! You are warned of it, and invited to escape from it! But if you do not, then "What will you say when He punishes you?"
Can you say that you did not believe that God would be true to His Word? This would be to insult Him to His face, and to tell Him plainly that you thought Him to be a liar!
There is but one alternative; you must make up your mind to suffer the torments of quenchless flames forever--or flee to the Lord Jesus Christ for life and salvation! He is the only way of escape--there is salvation in no other.
There is pardon in His blood.
There is mercy at His throne.
There is pity in His heart.
There is veracity in His Word.
There is hope for you.
Flee to Him--and you are safe!
Reject Him, persevere in sin, prefer the world--and you must forever . . .
be lashed by an accusing conscience,
be tormented by a cruel and remorseless devil,
be punished by a just and holy God, and
condemn yourself throughout eternity!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Compliments of Gracegems
(James Smith, "The Threatenings of God")
"What will you say when He punishes you?" Jeremiah 13:21
God has threatened to punish lost sinners--every sinner who lives and dies in unbelief.
His threatenings are written in His Word--that we may read them;
they are published by His ministers--that we may hear them;
they are often repeated--that we may not forget them;
some of them are fulfilled in this world--that we may believe and fear them.
No unbelieving, impenitent, careless sinner shall escape! The whole of the wicked shall be turned into Hell--and all the nations that forget God.
Every one will be punished . . .
justly--in exact proportion to the nature and number of his sins;
universally--in every part of body and soul;
fearfully--without any mixture of mercy;
eternally--without cessation or end!
The threatenings of God are backed and sustained . . .
by His omnipotent power;
by His unchangeable purpose;
by His impartial justice;
by His inflexible holiness;
and by His solemn oath.
They cannot be more sure--nor can they be more dreadful.
Lost sinner, they are all pointed at you! They speak . . .
of snares,
of fire and brimstone,
of a never-dying worm,
of a lake of fire,
of blackness and darkness,
of gnashing of teeth,
of eternal separation from God, and
a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire, that will consume the enemies of God! Hebrews 10:27
Punishment is in store for you! You are warned of it, and invited to escape from it! But if you do not, then "What will you say when He punishes you?"
Can you say that you did not believe that God would be true to His Word? This would be to insult Him to His face, and to tell Him plainly that you thought Him to be a liar!
There is but one alternative; you must make up your mind to suffer the torments of quenchless flames forever--or flee to the Lord Jesus Christ for life and salvation! He is the only way of escape--there is salvation in no other.
There is pardon in His blood.
There is mercy at His throne.
There is pity in His heart.
There is veracity in His Word.
There is hope for you.
Flee to Him--and you are safe!
Reject Him, persevere in sin, prefer the world--and you must forever . . .
be lashed by an accusing conscience,
be tormented by a cruel and remorseless devil,
be punished by a just and holy God, and
condemn yourself throughout eternity!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Compliments of Gracegems
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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