Oxford-University United Methodist Church Parent: Fill & Download for Free

Generally no, they don’t think rich people are closer to God or specifically blessed to have wealth. The scripture I grew up hearing about wealth, in my family and United Methodist Church was; "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24. Jesus is saying that the things a person does to get and stay rich are usually inherently sinful, and therefore offensive to God, and even possibly leading to damnation. In those who inherited or gained wealth passively. Then why do you still have it all, instead of using it to help people? I was never taught that any of this was dogma, or an absolute, but more as a warning about the love of money over your love of God and of your fellow human beings.The idea of Protestant Christians believing that wealth is a sign of God’s favor does exist though, and it comes from a couple of different, but similar sources. The French-Swiss Protestant reformer John Calvin, whose teachings exist most strongly in the Reform tradition as practiced by the Reform Churches, Presbyterian Churches, Congregationalist Churches, and some Baptist Churches. Calvin believed that the saved and damned were pre-elected in a belief called Predestination. Therefore, you could know who was saved because they led sinfree, happy, and prosperous lives. This included financial prosperity.This was coupled with another Calvinist belief, the Protestant work ethic. Good saved Christians were hard workers who then succeeded financially. The Protestant work ethic had a huge influence in the United States, probably through the influence of early New England Congregationalist Puritans, usually called Pilgrims.Another connection is the attitudes of southern Churches in the United States, before and during the Civil War. Slave ownership split many mainline churches like the Baptist’s, Presbyterians, and Methodists into pro and anti slavery denominations. The pro slavery Southern Baptists, Southern Methodists, etc justified imprisoning and forcing human beings to work with a form of paternalism, casting themselves as caring parent figures to their human captives. This fantasy also assuaged their guilt somewhat, for the distinctly unchristian practice of slavery. This was mixed with the Calvinist idea that they had the money to own slaves and were therefore naturally the leaders of their community with dominion over the poor, as well as the enslaved.The more current trend of wealth equaling piety that was influenced by these earlier ideas is called The Prosperity gospel, which begins in the late 1940s. Historian and Duke University, Professor of The History of Christianity, Kate Bowler in her book Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel (Oxford University Press, 2013), wrote that Prosperity Gospel was formed from the Intersection of Pentecostalism, the Nineteenth Century New Thought Movement, and, "an American gospel of pragmatism, individualism, and upward mobility". Bower uses Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth as an example. New Thought was a collection of thinking around Christianity in the nineteenth century like Christian Science, and similar movements that believe that all illness is mental and can be cured through right thought, and right thought can fix any problem in life. Pentecostalism became enamored with New Thought healing as well as inheriting the American southern prosperity gospel through their own southern Baptist lineage.Baptist minister and early Pentecostal leader E.W. Kenyon was also a follower of New Thought who first instilled mind healing into Pentecostalism. Oral Roberts a radio and later televangelist preached Prosperity Gospel as early as the late 1940s. Roberts would even claim that God turned his one dollar bills into twenties so he could pay his debts. The healing revival movement of the 1950s brought it even further into the national consciousness. Healing revivalists like A.A. Allen and T. L. Osborn began marketing items with Allen even writing a book, The Secret to Scriptural Financial Success, describing the process.In the 1960s the mainline Pentecostal Assembly of God Church denounced the prosperity gospel of traveling healing ministries as preying on the needy. In the 1970s Benny Hinn, Jim Bakker, and Kenneth Hagin refined the idea of Prosperity Gospel on television, as a lure to followers and as justification for their own lavish lifestyles Paid for by their followers, and ever increasing requests for donations from their audience. Hagin was said to have codified orthodox prosperity gospel. Jim Bakker was one of the most successful televangelists in the 1980s before being indicted and convicted for tax fraud and rape. He recently got into legal trouble again for selling a useless tonic that he claimed could cure covid-19. After his initial release from prison Bakker publicly renounced prosperity gospel and became involved in End Times, right wing doomsday prepping.Current televangelist and mega church pastor Joel Osteen is a major proponent of of the philosophy. As is Joyce Meyer, and Donald Trump’s extremely controversial spiritual advisor, evangelist Paula White. In the US this belief is mostly found in Pentecostal, and Evangelical Churches with their southern Baptist and Pentecostal background. Also the Pentecostal inspired charismatic Churches. Recently the rise in Neo-Pentecostalism in Africa and South America has popularized Prosperity Gospel in those areas.The majority of American Protestants find the idea that God blesses people with wealth to be somewhat blasphemous, scripturally unfounded, and unseemly. Recently, Prosperity Gospel has been tied with other far right Christian movements like Christian Nationalism, Mosaic law, and Dominionism, which are popular among the extreme right in the United States.

There are many misconceptions about Malcolm X. Here are a few:There is a misconception that Malcolm X advocated violent revolution and indiscriminate violence. That is not true. He advocated self-defense for black people and the second amendment. He was never violent in his actions and when he said “the ballot or the bullet” and “by any means necessary”, he was not suggesting that the time had yet come for the bullet. He himself was trying to use peaceful methods to avoid a “bloody revolution” at the time of his death. “By any means necessary” included everything from voter education and psychological warfare against those in power to his plan to indict the U.S. at the UN for its human rights violations and widespread protest in the form of nonwhites refusing to pay taxes until the government speeds up the pace of fixing the oppressive conditions. Violent revolution was the last resort. Malcolm X did correctly predict that there would continue to be violent explosions such as out of control riots or indiscriminate killings so long as those in power refused to remove the oppressive conditions that were leading to many poor nonwhites in the ghetto becoming fed up to the point of violence. However,again, he himself did not promote or advocate that kind of behavior. He also said he did not want a race war.There is a misconception by some that Malcolm X was part of the Black Panther Party. In reality, he had nothing to do with the Black Panther Party. In fact, he was assassinated before the party was even formed. The Black Panther Party was partially influenced by his ideas on self-defense, but overall, The Black Panther Party founders were more influenced by other thinkers such as Karl Marx, Robert Williams, Mao Tse Tung, and Stokley Carmichael, and in his autobiography, Huey Newton admitted that Malcolm X would not have done things the way the Black Panther Party did. For one, Malcolm X was deeply religious and a spiritual man who lived a life of strict moral discipline. He promoted clean living for black people, including no profanity, prostitution, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. He even promoted abstinence from sex before marriage to avoid having children out of wedlock and he treated women with respect. His lifestyle and intentions with respect to moral reform in the black community were antithetical to the values of the Black Panther Party leadership, and several who knew Malcolm X personally have acknowledged this.There is a misconception by some that Malcolm X was racist. He was not. There was a time whilst he was still in the Nation of Islam that he endorsed a racist doctrine (Yacub, God’s return to destroy the white race, the divine superiority of nonwhites, and that white people were devils by nature). However, he boldly denounced that doctrine after the split between him and the Nation of Islam. Wallace Muhammad (son of Elijah Muhammad) said in an interview that Malcolm X had stopped believing in those doctrines even whilst in the Nation of Islam. Moreover, there are white and Arab American students who knew Malcolm X while he was still in the Nation of Islam who have recalled their time spent with him, and they assert that despite the racist doctrine that he sometimes preached on behalf of Elijah Muhammad, they themselves did not believe he was ever truly racist as it was clear that he loved spending time with them and was kind and engaging. Similarly, Alex Haley and a few others have stated in books and essays that they do not believe Malcolm X ever had genuine blanket hatred in his heart for the white race. Dr. Mahmoud Shawarbi, an Islamic scholar who taught Malcolm X orthodox Sunni Islam after his split with the Nation of Islam and before his trip to Mecca, recalled how Malcolm X would weep during their sessions because he was so spiritually and emotionally moved by the Quranic scriptures about the brotherhood of all races under God. In May 1964, Malcolm X said, “In the past, I committed myself to the indictment of all whites. But no longer do I subscribe to a sweeping indictment of any race.” By October 1964, he said, “I shall never rest until I have undone the harm I did to so many well‐meaning, innocent Negroes who through my own evangelistic zeal now believe in [Elijah Muhammad] even more fanatically and more blindly than I did. I declare emphatically that I am no longer in Elijah Muhammad's ‘strait jacket,’ and I don't intend to replace his with one woven by someone else. I am a Muslim in the most orthodox sense; my religion is Islam as it is believed in and practiced by the Muslims here in the Holy City of Mecca. This religion recognizes all men as brothers. It accepts all human beings as equals before ‐God, and as equal members in the Human Family of Mankind. I totally reject Elijah Muhammad's racist philosophy, which he has labeled ‘Islam’ only to fool and misuse gullible people, as he fooled and misused me. But I blame only myself, and no one else for the fool that I was, and the harm that my evangelic foolishness in his behalf has done to others. Some of my dearest friends are Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, and even atheists—some are capitalists, Socialists, and Communists—some are moderates, conservatives, extremists —some are even Uncle Toms. My friends today are black, brown, red, yellow, and white!” There are also a number of well-respected white journalists and authors who got to converse with Malcolm X who did not believe from their experiences that he was ever truly racist. Some even formed a friendship with him. Here are a few: M.S. Handler of the NY Times (who became Malcolm X’s friend), Charles Silberman (author of Crisis in Black and White — a book highly praised by Malcolm X), Russell Kirk (the conservative historian who admired Malcolm X), Barry Farber (a conservative radio personality with whom Brother Malcolm formed a minor friendship), Mike Wallace (the journalist who had started as an enemy with the documentary, The Hate That Hate Produced, but later became a friend of the family. Brother Malcolm turned to Mike Wallace for help in the summer of 1964, asking to do an interview to set the record straight to the public with respect to his split with the Nation of Islam). Other white journalists who developed a friendly acquaintanceship with Malcolm X include Peter Goldman (a liberal journalist who authored the biography, The Death and Life of Malcolm X), Barry Gray, and Irv Kupcinet.There is a misconception that Malcolm X was anti-American. Malcolm X was neither anti-American nor “un-American” and he really tried to emphasize that point the last few months of his life. He was anti-oppression. He was anti-imperialism. He was anti-racism. He was anti-hypocrisy. The American government happened to have been engaging in all of those “isms” at the time. He did say in “The Ballot or the Bullet” that he is “not even an American and have sense enough to know it.” But I think people need to more critically analyze his statements to try to get to the true meaning, rather than taking it at face value. Malcolm X also, at other times later in 1964, very openly referred to himself as an African American and black American. In June 1964, he said, “As Americans, we will not give up a single right guaranteed under the Constitution.” So what had Malcolm X meant when he said previously that he was “not American”? Well, it is simple. He explains it himself. What he meant was that he could not genuinely consider himself an American until he and all 22 Million black Americans were actually treated by the white run government as Americans. He meant that for centuries, many white Americans in power had intentionally excluded those of African decent who were born in America from enjoying the constitutional freedoms granted to white Americans. This is a fact that cannot be disputed. All one has to do is read the Dred Scott decision to understand this sad truth. And many white American politicians who obtained power even after black Americans were granted the right to citizenship with the ratification of the 14th Amendment (and the right to vote in 1870) tried very hard to exclude black people from actually enjoying these rights granted to them. In fact, this exclusion continued on into the 1950s and 1960s, which is what led to the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm X used this analogy to explain what he meant by his statement that he was not American, “I have a plate in front of me but nothing is on it. Just because all of us are sitting at the same table, does that make all of us diners? I'm not a diner until you let me dine. Then I become a diner.” So there you go. He seemed to want to be American, but until black people were treated as Americans, he used extreme language like this to make his point to the people he was talking to in fighting for the human rights of 22 Million black people.There is a misconception by some of his followers that Malcolm X was a socialist or that he embraced socialism at the end of his life. This is, in fact, a myth. Here is an exchange between Malcolm X and Gordon Hall three days before his assassination when Hall accused him of "breaking bread with socialists and communists”: Malcolm X: "What communists, what communists have I been [breaking bread with]?"/ Gordon Hall: Socialist Workers Party--/ Malcolm X: "You are absolutely out of your mind, I have never broken bread with--"/ Gordon Hall: "You have given several speeches which they have reprinted--/ Malcolm X: "Well, that's not breaking bread. I speak anywhere. I spoke in London, England, and ... I spoke in a church in Rochester a couple of nights ago. Does that make me a Methodist? ... Just because you speak somewhere doesn't make you that ... I speak to the public and I speak on any platform ... If speaking on the socialist platform makes me a socialist, then when I speak in a Methodist church [that makes me a Methodist] ... I was in Selma, Alabama, last week, speaking in Martin Luther King's church. Does that make me a follower of Martin Luther King? No, your line of reasoning, sir, doesn't fit me." Ask yourself if that sounds like someone who “embraced” socialism. If someone wants to challenge me, I would be happy to provide more quotes from Malcolm X towards the end of his life showing that he had not embraced socialism. He was merely interested in African socialism because he was pro-African and the leaders of African states whom he had met had embraced a form of socialism. But Malcolm X had not himself embraced any such ideology. He was studying African socialism but reached no conclusion. He had also rejected other forms of socialism (especially European socialism) and admitted to knowing little about Karl Marx. When asked about his political and economic philosophy, his straight forward response usually was, “I don’t know, but I’m flexible.” His friend, Jan Carew (who was a self-identified socialist, communist, and Marxist) even directly asked Malcolm X if he agreed with him on socialism, communism, or Marxism about 10 days before Malcolm X’s assassination. Malcolm X told Jan Carew that he had not adopted any of those ideologies. “I’m a Muslim and a revolutionary, and I have been studying different political and economic philosophies,” he explained, instead. Would he have embraced communism had he lived? I highly doubt it. Malcolm X was very critical of communism and even implied it was “dangerous” the week of his assassination. He also acknowledged that most communists hated him. Would he have embraced Marxism? There is no concrete evidence to suggest he would. He had little use for it, nor did he show that much interest in it. While he did recognize a struggle between the oppressed and the oppressor, he never drew Marxist conclusions. Would he have embraced Socialism? It is hard to say, but he was nowhere close to making that decision when he died, and he was critical of any socialist regime that ceased to promote the importance of God and religion for his people. If anything, it can be said that he had been moving in the direction of socialism for a few months, and then moved away from socialism again the last month of his life. Some of his close companions have drawn this conclusion. Malcolm X was on a search for truth. He would move in whatever direction the facts led him. He also had an intense distrust of the government. It’s hard to be a socialist and distrust the government considering the government controls the means of production in true socialism. I think it would be more accurate to say that Malcolm X supported the idea of black people in small communities pooling together their wealth to help create private cooperatives, community businesses, medical clinics, and communal-like operations. Perhaps he would even support some of these operations being publicly funded by local government but privately run. However, that is not socialism. He also was nowhere close to becoming a democratic socialist as he was not a fan of welfare, public schools, government housing, and other compensation programs. In short, he wanted black people to own their own property and make money independently of the government and he saw these programs as a trap put in place by hypocritical liberals to keep black people dependent on the power structure.There is a misconception by many that Malcolm X represents the beliefs of “separate but equal” and that black people should return to Africa or be granted a separate black state by the U.S. government. What many people often fail to recognize is that he rejected all three of these ideas by mid 1964. Malcolm X stopped believing in a society where races were separated. The “separate but equal” stance and separate black state solution were views held by Elijah Muhammad (to this day, Louis Farrakhan still holds these views). The “back to Africa” view was held by Marcus Garvey, who influenced Brother Malcolm and his activist parents before him. However, Malcolm X evolved from all three of these views. There are several quotes I can cite where Malcolm X specifically said he no longer believes black people should physically go back to Africa or live in a separate black state. Instead, he believed black people should physically stay in America but return to Africa “psychologically, spiritually, and culturally,” learn the languages of Africa (in particular, Arabic, French, Swahili, and Housa) and strengthen ties with Africa. He believed it was impractical for black Americans to return to Africa, although he did not oppose some going back if they had a strong desire for that. Nevertheless, there is also a misconception by some that Malcolm X became an integrationist. That is a myth, too. He never subscribed to what he called “forced” or “token” integration. His end goal was a society where all humans could live side by side in peace, but realistically, he realized that in order for that goal to be realized, white people had to be re-educated to eliminate the racism in their hearts and black people in America had to free themselves from the chains of mental slavery, have self-respect, be proud to be black, become educated, and solve their own problems. Here is an important excerpt from an interview in January 1965: “Berton - Now, before you left Elijah Muhammad and went to Mecca and saw the original world of Islam, you believed in complete segregation of the whites and the Negroes. You were opposed both to integration and to intermarriage. Have you changed your views there?/ Malcolm X: I believe in recognizing every human being as a human being, neither white, black, brown nor red. When you are dealing with humanity as one family, there’s no question of integration or intermarriage. It’s just one human being marrying another human being, or one human being living around and with another human being. / Berton: But you no longer believe in a Black State? / Malcolm X: No. / Berton: In North America? / Malcolm X: No. I believe in a society in which people can live like human beings on the basis of equality.”There is a misconception that Malcolm X was sexist. That, in fact, is not true. He believed in traditional gender roles just the same as any profoundly religious man in the 1960s. However, the last year of his life, he put women in leadership positions within his Organization of Afro-American Unity even after protests from the male members. Some male members left as a result. He also promoted women’s education and was a firm opponent of those who raped or mistreated women. He praised women who were active in the Civil Rights Movement and gave women such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Gloria Richardson, and others a platform, even though other male Civil Rights leaders wouldn’t. A white woman at Oxford University who had a lengthy political conversation with Malcolm X said he was the first man on that campus to treat her as an equal intellectually. He was good friends with Maya Angelou, and she said he was also considering taking sexism (against women) to the United Nations. Lastly, although Brother Malcolm does not describe himself as being romantic in his Autobiography (in fact, reading it one would think quite the opposite), Dr. Betty Shabazz told many stories about her husband being not only romantic, but charming, gentle, loving, and faithful.There is a misconception by some Jews that Malcolm X was anti-Semitic. He was not. He called out any group of people on wrong things they did. There were a good number of Jews during that time who were hypocritical and exploitative. Malcolm X called out anyone who acted hypocritical. Sometimes the mistake he made was to use language that gave the impression that he was stereotyping or over-generalizing. Nevertheless, after Mecca, he really did not say anything that could reasonably be interpreted as anti-Semitic. He was anti-Zionist, but that is a completely different concept. He praised Jews quite a bit and even wanted black people to emulate them in certain things (their sense of pride in Israel, their banding together as a community, their emphasis on education). He also criticized Jews quite a bit, but he criticized his own people. In fact, he criticized himself more than anyone. Bottom line is, he did not hate Jews, nor was he against them. In fact, from a religious standpoint, he acknowledged them as brothers in Abrahamic tradition worshiping the same God as him (just as most Sunni Muslims are taught to do).

How salvation is brought to man...This question and the two answers I found on a website called Quora.Why does Christianity have branches? …i mean why cant there be one church?People who actual receive revelation from God to interpret the Scripture, you will inevitably get different interpretations, leading to schisms.When there is no vision, the people perish.Each one has it's own emphasis. Catholics believe what folks do to show their love of God is important. Lutherans believe in emphasising God's gracious love towards people by faith. Reformed stress the Sovernity of God. Methodists believe in putting Christianity to work in their communities. Baptists underline one’s personal relationship with Christ. Pentecostals believe in having the Holy Spirit in one's heart. All these help to include different folks’ personalities of Faith and what one understands is spiritually important.This ends the questions i Quora at that time then I wrote the following answer. Somewhat lengthy but it will pay you handsomely to read it and adhere to it.It must be rather confusing for men to not understand why there are so many religions.However it is important to understand the history of religion in general before one can understand the Lord`s Way of Salvation which was coming from Eternity and established on earth by Jesus Christ.Mark 9.38....John..saying” Master we saw someone casting out devils on thy name and he followeth not us and we forbade him...Jesus said forbade him not...if he uses my name he can (at least) not speak evil of me .. ”Beware of false prophets...Mark 13.22.. ”.for false Christ’s and prophets shall arise and shall show signs and wonders....The devil is very pleased with these people. They proclaim and confess Jesus, believe in the blood He shed yet they are not walking in the narrow Way. ”[ (300 yrs AD all the little Churches which were established by the Apostles were either destroyed or scattered abroad. Constantine invited in 305 AD more than 1000 false christian religious leaders to attend the conference of Nicea... they had thousands of followers. Where they came from is a mystery but it does show how false religion sprung up in the name of Jesus Christ, during the time of the Apostles particularly those who preached amongst the heathen nations.Those people had not the authority from God or Christ....today there are more than 4500 of them. It is assumed that those original false churches disappeared and the 4500 or more arose much later after the Roman Catholic Church arose.) Where does the RC Church come from. History has it all written down. Prof Harris of the Oxford University spells it out and so many other books which you will find in reputable libraries. The Roman Ceaser organise the hijacking of the little home Church in Rome probably by threats . They crucified Peter upside down and beheaded Paul. Neither of them established the RC Church as so commonly believed and most definitely not by Jesus as so many believe referring to Peter being the rock on which…….. The Roman Ceaser appointed the head of RC church called him the Pope and the organisation structure quickly followed. It was then called the Roman Church but it expanded quickly. The history of the RC Church is one of atrocities too horrible to mention. At a stage they owned half of Europe and large portion of South America and portions of Africa. They afterwards dished them out to the Portuguese and the Spaniards. The worst black mark against them is the Spanish Inquisition.From them the Eastern Orthodox Church broke away serving countries from Russia to Turkey.- but all on the same principles as the RC Church.The Anglican Church was established by King Henry the viii who appointed the first Arch Bishop and had the Pope`s representative murdered. Today the head of the Anglican Church, also known as the Church of England walked away from the doctrine of the RC Church albeit in part only. The Queen is the head of that Church and she appoints the Arch Bishop on the recommendation of the Prime Minster.A few hundred years later they had such shortage of money that the Pope issued a decree that any one giving a thousand lire or more to the Church such a person will not have to go to purgatory (place of cleansing before going to heaven) but will go straight thru to heaven.Then a problem arose. A few very staunch catholics (Erasmus,Luther, Calvin and others) after a long battle with the Vatican for changes, became the protestors.. To shorten the historical story, they drew up their own articles of constitution, hammer it on to a cathedral door and the following happened: The Protestant movement was established. But instead of forming one united church they were divided right there and then. Calvin wanted his own Church and chose Switzerland and the Netherlands, Luther chose Germany and the northern countries. Wesley took on the Wesleyan Church, Knox the Presbyterian Church and so on.Calvin became a murderer when a man from Spain with the name Silvanus questioned and challenged Calvin on his doctrine of the trinity and pointed out to him that nowhere in the Bible you will find anything to support that statement> Jesus prayed to His Father in Heaven. God spoke out of heaven for many to hear: “This is my beloved son believe in him and reading Hebrews l it is quite clear that they were not one and the same person or entity. Yes they were one like a man and wife are one. Calvin invited Silvanus to Switzerland and promptly put him on the stakes and burned him to death.What did God told the Devil in the Garden of Eden when he put a curse on him. On your belly you shall go and from dust you shall live and you will bruise the ankle of the women`s seed. The Devil the opponent of God is the creator of all false doctrines and churches.The result of that curse was and still is that the creator of false doctrine declared war against God. . He started to bite and pumped poison in men`s ankle. Men got intoxicated up to this day by the false doctrine which the old snake choose for his victims.. Then this kind of poison and then that kind of poison. The result of this was that men started to establish their own churches each with its own name and from dust (materialism) they survive and conduct services to their respective followers in the name of Jesus Christ. Take money away from any church and he will collapse. They even transgress the Law of God or float the Law of God by demanding tithes from their followers which God meant to be only for the Levites because they did not receive land in Israel and had to do temple duty.Another reason people leave a church and establish a new one of their own has two reasons. One is that naturally men `s desire is to find God and he does not find Him in a false Church and hope that he will find God in another church, alternatively is that the preacher see it as a way to make money.Now please keep in mind that the hijacking the little home church in Rome, the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church were all established without the authority of God or Jesus Christ. The Protestors broke away from the mother Church which by definition means they were a sect .Further more it should be very obvious to any right thinking man that God is not in these false churches despite the fact that they use His name and the Name of Jesus Christ freely.The astonishing fact further is that most if not all of them will quite openly talk or refer to all these false churches as THE CHURCH. How blind can you be ? Answer is simply that they have false preachers and trade with the Word of God, they do not have the Holy Spirit with them although they may think so and proclaim so. One false preacher will baptise the member of his church and when that person walks over to the next false church he again is baptised by another false preacher. . The church member gets baptised with this in mind that he is doing the right thing laying off the old life and raise up from the water to a new life. Some preachers submerged his convert three times. The poor man or woman don’t realise the futility of it all.Already in Hosea 4 vs 6 God told his people that they failed because of lack of knowledge.Unless man considers the fact that he was born in sin, lives in spiritual darkness and has no desires for salvation of his soul, God cannot have mercy on him.Why are men groping around in darkness. It is simply because he either is content to stay there and can do things which he thinks nobody sees above all not God, or, he reads the Bible and takes a verse here and another verse there and proclaim that he has salvation. Conclusion: he gropes around in darkness.One thing which God allows to have happened and even put it in writing is that Jesus said and so did his apostles ‘ He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”.This is where lack of knowledge comes in. Men will not read and if he does, he skips over it and turn a blind eye to it; for instance the instructions of Jesus (mark 16 vs 15) and many other places (like John 5 and 6) that before any person can believe he must first listen to the Gospel. What Gospel? The Gospel which His true preachers had to go and preach. The Gospel is brought by a preacher. Not a false preacher. How do you know it is not a false preacher? A rich young man came to Jesus and apparently wanted to follow him as an apostle. Jesus told him to go and sell everything he possesses and then come , take up your cross and follow me. He walked away. He was not wiling for that. Peter said ‘Lord we left everything and follow you. Jesus made him a wonderful promise. ”...Luke 18.28.. ”.we have left all and followed thee. “..and that is the sign of a true messenger of God: one who left all to bring the Gospel free of charge as Jesus instructed them.....How does man believe -Rom 10.17 ”..faith comes through the hearing. ”vs 14: ”How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not heard and how are they to hear without one to proclaim it. How are they to proclaim him unless they are sent. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news of the Gospel”” But not all obeyed the Gospel. Isaiah 53.1: ....who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? ”Rom 9.18“...He has mercy whomsoever He chooses and hardens the heart of whomsoever He chooses.”Nevertheless God thru His good Grace arrange it so that the Gospel (His Will) must be proclaimed thru his Word and His true Messengers.Matt 10.7. (and Luke 9.1) . ”as you go preach (the Gospel): Freely you received freely give.”Luke10 vs 1 ”..and he sends them two by two...but they were not learned men. ”2 Thessalonians 13/16(Read from the last word to the first of in vs 14)”He called you by our Gospel- and you believed in the truth- Because of this belief, God chose you for salvation thru sanctification by the Spirit, obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus.And that is how you are born again John 3. ”Rom 5.8.. ”..we are justified by His blood....and saved by His life.... ”The matter of Believe in Jesus , His death, shedding His blood, His resurrection and ascension, must be seen in the right context. The Jews were told Christ died, shed His blood to cleanse man from sin and then he will be saved. This is said because the Jews did not believe Jesus was the Christ….up to this day.However God said to Paul in sending him to the gentiles (which applies to all God's messengers)-Acts 26.18 ”..to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God.......and then only...and then only >>they may receive forgiveness of sins and (then only) they will receive an inheritance amongst those who are sanctified by faith... ”. Conclusion of this statement is then contained in one word” repentance. What is a good example: Cornelius in Acts 10, not a Jew, was from man`s stand point a godly man: prayed a lot, very dedicated to serve God and gave to the poor. BUT God said I have noticed your prayers now send for my servant Peter who is in Joppe. Why did He tell him to do that. Obviously he first had to hear the Gospel from God`s true messenger..seven simple verses brought life, salvation and peace into his soul. The Gospel message is very simple and looks and sounds rather dead not unlike a corn of wheat or a muster seed but put in the right ground then the power of God causes it to germinate, grow and bear fruit.This means then that all of mankind are in darkness until God chooses to show man the light. God will certainly not show man the light and His true Way of Salvation unless he goes down on his knees and asks Go in all humility to have mercy on him and show him what to do..2 Thess..vs 16:.... ”God has given us everlasting and good hope by grace. ”Luke 13.22/24 .. ”then one said to him 'Lord is there few who are saved ?He said 'strive--to enter thru the narrow gate, for many, I say to you will seek to enter and will not be able'. ”Matt. 7 vs 13 .. ”Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life and there is a few that find it. ”Jeremiah 6.16.... ”ask where the good way is”"And walk in it, then you will find rest for your souls.But they said we will not walk in it"Jacob`s parents served God but he did not. God chose him as a vessel he could take and form him to His will. ...to make him part of His family.The great Potter started his work in Jacob. Rom 9 He had no interest in Esau or Ishmael. They were not suitable for the Potter. When Jacob left home, in the night, God showed him the way (Paul speaks three times in Acts that he belongs to the Way). God spoke to him and made him some promises Gen 28, 13 and following versus.... What did Jacob say when woke up? “ ,,,,,How dreadful is this place vs 17,,this none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven”. He then made a covenant with God. Luke 13.22/24 ..then one said to him 'Lord are there few who are saved ?He said 'strive--to enter thru the narrow gate ,for many, I say to you will seek to enter and will not be able'. Many individuals had the opportunity to listen to God`s servants delivering the Gospel and they realised that this is the Gate to heaven but when the look closely at it they say :” what a dreadful place.. we will not walk in it...the gate is too narrow...I will bring calamity to the fruits of their thoughts. vs 19Matt 7.21...."not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven"Colossians 2.8.. ”Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy.... ”James 2.14 . ”..what doth it profit if a man says he had faith but not the works....Faith without works is dead...the devils also believe and tremble... ”(Every so called christian in the western world believes in God, believes in Jesus Christ and the blood he shed and proclaims he is born again (because the Bible says so) and is saved but they follow him not... each one “follows” as he prefers and calls it “I am part of the universal church". There is no such a church). And what’s more is that that believe did not come thru the hearing of the Gospel. He just read it in the Bible.(Jesus made it clear what is required from those who believe.. in John5 and 6)Galatians 1.8 ..though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel to you than that we have preached ....let him be accursed.Acts 7 vs 48 ..God does not dwell in temples made with hands.."Acts 4.7 '..When Peter and John told the scribes, the High Priest and his companions about the gospel, they recognised them as un learned men and asked them ‘by what power and by what name have you done this...Peter said 'From vs 7….”by the name Jesus Christ of Nazareth... there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved"Pharaoh and the elders of Israel asked Moses the same question and God did not give them a Name to use, He said” I am who I am...”The Will of God, His Church and his manner of worship came right out of eternity. Jesus came down to earth to establish it. Jesus started a new covenant, a new testament and a new Way and He did not allocate a name to it. Jesus is who He is.WE need to build on the foundation laid by the prophets and apostles of which Jesus is the corner stone.Matt 6 vs 33/34....seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you... but remember salvation is a serious matter and God does not entertain a commercial transaction with man. He provides for His children as He sees what they need and provided they remained in the vine.Analyse each quote and see it in the right context. Just remember that self deceit has the deepest root of them all.Plse read it carefully and prayerfully.How did Jesus choose His Apostles:. He saw one here and one there, he called them out of their work and out of their respective religions. They left all and followed Him.What happened in modern times ?. Keep in mind God takes His time to reorganise the world and its nations. He allows many things which to us appears to be wrong and has taken a very long time, but God allows it for a purpose. A purpose He has in mind and we don’t know what it is. We will at the end see it Jeremiah 20.20.It took God a long time to work exactly the same way when the time was ripe as when His Son was on earth. Many a man will tell you things cannot work the same as in the olden days.it -&nbspdays Resources and Information. is modern times now with modern technology. God does not change His Plan of Salvation to suit man. Man must fall in line with God`s order of things.He called men and women out from the respective religions and their work. They left all and went out to preach the Gospel free of charge all over the world. No salary, no pension, no assets, no medical fund, no collections, no tithes, no Man Made Manual how things must be done except the Bible., no head office except Heaven.Now I make it personal namely:I was with God`s Grace been in may Gospel meetings listening to true preachers and saw God`s way of Salvation like Jacob saw that night when he laid his head on a stone and God showed him a vision of his way. I made my choice to serve Him in His Way.I (We) walk on two legs: One leg is the Ministry: true preachers who left everything, put their young lives in the alter of service, did not go to a college or theological training school or the like, join and older companion who is his help. They get allocated by and older preacher in the area he stays where to go. And so is the Gospel preach right thru the world to day except the Moslem Countries and North Korea. Same as in olden days, when a few decided to serve God in His Way in a town they are directed to a home where an overseer arrange the meeting in the correct order which meeting is held on a Sunday morning and the bread and wine taken to commemorate the sacrifice of God`s son and on that first day of the week He has risen from the grave to give us hope to also one day meet with God`s children if we keep ourselves separate from worldly things and take up our cross and follow His teachings.The second leg is Fellowship.We have fellowship in our meeting and sometimes we come together with other meetings to form a union meeting but still in a home. There is not one hour in a 24 hour period from 1am the Sunday morning to 12 pm Sunday evening that a fellowship meeting is not held somewhere in the world. Should I want to go to New York, or Seoul or Tokyo or Amsterdam and I have phone number and I phone there and ask where the Sunday morning meeting will be held then I am always welcomed and the I find that the meeting is held exactly the same as in my own country, the same Spirit of God is present and the same manner of meeting procedure is followed.There is not a more wonderful people like God`s children. He chose them Himself and if each one abides in the vine and bring his/her sacrifices in the morning and evening and in between and lives an upright life. Then God is with him/her. Even prepares the way forward since He knows the future of every one. We only need to trust Him. There is no God, No Father like our God and no Sheppard like our Sheppard Jesus Christ.