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This book of the bible is frequently and erroneously referred to as the start of "The Church, The Body of Christ". 99.44% of fundamental, bible-believing teachers and pastors embrace this falsity as truth! The fact is, The Book of Acts is primarily about the unbelief of Israel and God's postponement of her program.

1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory - Ephesians 3:1-13

Where Was
Darwin at
Virginia Tech?
By Pastor James T. Penney, Jr., Th.M.
Pastor of Falls Bible Church, Associate Professor of Theology, St. Louis Theological Seminary

Once again, the nightmare of every parent and grandparent has come to pass. 28 students and 5 staff members were recently killed at Virginia Tech University, including the gunman. 15 were wounded, some critically. One of the staff members was Liviu Librescu, 76, who survived the holocaust perpetrated by Hitler upon the Jews. He was here on a teaching visa, only to be killed in America by a young man who was an immigrant himself, here on a student visa.

Until that Monday, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history was in Killeen, Texas, in 1991, when George Hennard plowed his pickup truck into Luby’s Cafeteria and shot 23 people to death, after which he shot himself.

The deadliest previous campus shooting in U.S. history took place in 1966 at the University of Texas, where Charles Whitman climbed
to the 28th-floor observation deck of a clock tower and opened fire. He killed 16 people before he was gunned down by police. After that,
we had Columbine in Littleton, CO where two young men methodically went from class to class, executing their high school classmates, especially those who professed to be Christians. If I were a betting man, I would bet that not one of those victims or their family members had in mind that this would be their last day on earth. I doubt that
any one of them awoke and said that this would be a good day to go to class and be shot.

At times like this, one of the first questions that come to mind is this: Where was God in all of this? If there is a God and He is in Control, why do these kinds of things happen? The argument goes something like this: either God is good but impotent and not in control, or He is omnipotent but He is not all good. He cannot be both all good and all
powerful; otherwise these things would not happen. In response to those who pose the question “where was God,” I would counter that the question is not where was God, but where
was Darwin? By Darwin I mean Darwinian philosophy and secular humanism. I know where God was, but where was Darwin, because
it appears to me that this shooting is not a failure on the part of God, but a failure on the part of secular humanism.

The Psalmist tells us something about where God was during this tragedy: .1
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. - Psalms 139:7-12

Where was God during this inexplicably evil act? He was there all along, and He was a comfort to the extent that those individuals allowed Him to be. But we are still left with the nagging question of
why? Why do these things happen in our society?

Déjà Vu: In 1968, conditions in the country were eerily similar to that which we face in our country today. We were in the middle of an unpopular war. The country was divided politically, culturally, and morally. Young Americans were coming home in body bags. President Johnson’s approval ratings were in two categories: Low and lower. Bobby Kennedy was running for president, and in a speech given in response to a request by the president for an increase in troop levels, Kennedy questioned the wisdom of sending more troops to Vietnam. At the end of the speech is the following quote:
“You are the people, as President Kennedy said, who have ‘the least ties to the present and the greatest ties to the future.’ I urge you to learn the harsh facts that lurk behind the mask of official illusion with which we have concealed our true circumstances, even from ourselves. Our country is in danger: not just from foreign enemies; but above all, from our misguided policies—and what they can do to the nation that Thomas Jefferson once told us was the last, best hope of man. There is a contest on, not for the rule of America, but for the heart of America....I ask you to go forth and work for new policies—work to change our direction—and thus restore our place at the point of moral leadership, in our country, in our hearts, and all around the world.”

Bold words. The last, best hope of man. One can only wonder where he would have taken the country had he not been assassinated. I don’t need to wonder however, about the kind of country envisioned by those who heard his words that day, for it is that generation that is among the ruling elite; from the halls of Congress to the halls of the local school.

I don’t know what Bobby Kennedy had in mind when he quoted Jefferson; but I know what his followers have done with the country.
The first thing they did was:

Remove God from the classroom: It’s ironic that when tragedy strikes, people start questioning where God is, or why He allowed a particular tragedy to happen. They treat God like Superman, expecting him to stay hidden until they need him, at which time He will pop out of a phone booth and come to the rescue. God is not a God of force, but a God of love. Love doesn’t force, and God doesn’t force Himself on any individual or society. By removing God from the classroom and putting Darwin in His place, America has removed the moral foundation of our society. By removing God and His word, we have a whole
generation that has grown up on moral relativism; i.e. there are no moral absolutes. When you have no moral absolutes, then you have no right or wrong, nothing that is intrinsically evil or good.

In 1987, Allan Bloom wrote a book called THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN MIND.2 In the introduction, he wrote, “If there is one thing that a college professor may count on among all of his students to believe, or think they believe, is that all truth is relative” (Interesting that Bloom uses an absolute to support relativism) Just one look
at the faces of those young people at Virginia Tech will tell you how wrong Bloom was. At least for that one that day, they were not moral relativists. There is an innate, moral sense that tells us that certain acts are evil, no matter how much you try to deny the existence of evil.
That act of violence perpetrated upon their fellow students and teachers forced them to confront the stark face of evil. No one can say that this kind of evil is culturally relative; i.e. it’s evil here but not there.

On Virginia Tech’s website, I noticed that they offer no courses in theology or religion. All of the sciences are represented. There is a
philosophy department, a psychology department, but nothing about God or the Bible. None of those students deserved what happened to
them. But I thought it was revealing that the first two murders took place in a coed dormitory. If we have great universities in America where there is nothing morally wrong with unmarried young men
and women sharing the same dorm, then we have a moral crisis; and I believe that we have just seen the tip of the iceberg.
The Psalmist said it best in Psalm 53:1: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.”

And Paul reflects in Galatians. 6:7: “Do not
be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will
also reap.” While some might suggest that Virginia Tech is proof that God is judging America for her wickedness, under Grace we believe
we are simply reaping what we have sown. America has been sowing the seed of Darwinian philosophy for at least the past 150 years, and
we are now reaping the whirlwind.

Thus, the first step that led to Virginia Tech was removing God from the classroom. The second step I have already alluded to, but consider, not only did they remove God, they Replaced God with Darwin: What I mean by that is in American schools, media, government and in almost all of public life in America, God, and especially Bible-based Christianity, has been systematically attacked and ultimately removed. The result is the loss of a moral compass and the distinction between right and wrong.

According to marketreasearch.com, the average American child watches 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing
elementary school. Darwin taught that only the fittest survive and that nature is morally neutral. When you remove God and replace
Him with the moral relativism of secular humanism, add the constant exposure to violence, and you create monsters like Jeffery Dahmer, and mass murderers like Cho Seng Hui. When you remove the restraining influence of Christianity, the ethics of Jesus in the Gospels and Paul in his epistles, you have a whole generation who have been brainwashed to believe that nothing is right or wrong within itself.

If you kill a child before birth, that’s not morally wrong, but choice; if you crush its skull and suck out its brains, that is protecting the reproductive rights of the mother (thank the Lord partial birth abortion was overturned recently by the Supreme Court). If you assist old Uncle Homer in committing suicide, that’s called mercy.

When you extend the philosophy of secular humanism to its logical conclusion, you have a society in which life has no value, and chaos
reigns. In order to keep society from imploding, society demands more and more laws. It wasn’t long after the shooting that the anti-gun lobby
was on the television. “If only we had stricter gun laws, this wouldn’t have happened.”

This guy broke so many laws already on the books, what makes the humanists think that adding yet more laws will stem the tide of violence? The only hope for our society in the dispensation of Grace is for the Body of Christ to rise up and stand in the gap to stem the tide of evil in our society. Our form of government was not created for the atheist; it will never work outside of a Biblical worldview and framework. Paul makes it clear in Galatians that no law, whether written
on stone tablets or paper, can force a person to act morally. Only a life led by the Spirit, can hope to, “crucify the flesh and walk by the Spirit.”
You see, legislating morality isn’t the answer—Christ is the answer!

Just because we are in a church building does not make us immune. Recall the shootings at the church meeting in a motel in Brookfield; or the shooting at a church in Milwaukee last year.

I saw the ranting of Cho Seng Hui on the internet. It was obvious that he had come to the point where he no longer valued life, neither his nor those that he perceived as the source of his pain. He was a social outcast who taped his plan for murder in advance. It wasn’t long after NBC aired this rambling diatribe when the talking heads
were excusing his behavior based upon mental illness or a chemical imbalance. The one word that was noticeably absent was the word “evil.” In the absence of a transcendent God, in the absence of an external standard, you cannot call those murders evil. In Darwinian naturalism, there is no evil. Call it an inconvenient truth; call it a
tragedy for the students and their families; but you can’t call it evil. Evil implies the existence of transcendent good, and when you replace
God with Darwin, you have lost all standards of ultimate good and are left adrift on a morass of moral relativism.

I ask again, where was Darwin at Virginia Tech? America has removed God from the classroom, replaced God with Darwin, and in the face of a mass murderer, Darwin was M.I.A. May I suggest that only Christianity explains our moral outrage?3 It’s explained by the fact that we are created in God’s image and that we have in us a sense of moral right and wrong. Paul writes in Romans
2:14-15 concerning the Gentiles who did not have the written Law: “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Christianity also explains our desire for justice. We know some things are morally wrong and are deserving of punishment. We want to make a strong enough impression on the guilty that he (or
observers of the case) doesn’t do it again. The NKJV has 135 verses that use the word “justice”; God is very interested in justice.

Acts 17:31: “He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world
in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” The Greek word
for righteousness in this context is “justice” or “righteous judging.”

Besides moral outrage and a desire for justice, Christianity offers hope. Even in the worst of situations, the person who has received the
grace of God in salvation has the hope of a future in which death has no place. In the New Testament, hope is presented as the assurance
of the future. We have the hope of eternal life—of that life which has no room for death—by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The Apostle Peter wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Jesus proved that He has broken the hold of death through His own death on the cross, breaking free from the tomb and appearing live to hundreds of people. Because He rose and conquered death, we who trust in Him will also.

Please go to the third column " Darwin"

BIBLE - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.......

Today's World News

Damascus- Shortly after the glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven of the glorified Christ, God sent His Holy Spirit to empower and strengthen believers amidst a time of great and fierce persecution. At that time, a modern day Adolph Hitler, Saul of Tarsus, whose name struck fear into the hearts of kingdom saints, was wreaking havoc to all who would believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God and Messiah of Israel!  Saul of Tarsus was consenting to the deaths of many saints while imprisoning others. He most recently consented to the death of Stephen (Acts 7) as zealous followers laid the bloodied clothes of the stoned saint at his feet!

Then, an event occurred that changed how man would view God and his relationship with Him until this very writing and onward until He calls us home through death or the catching away of His saints otherwise known as the rapture! Follow along as we investigate how God would move again in the course of man's history and change His dealings with mankind using a figure in history least expected......  

Acts 9

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

In verses 1 and 2 Saul increased (yet) the threatening and murder in opposition of the disciples of Jesus Christ. The word "breathing" used here describes that Saul's purpose in life, the reason he took his breath was to exterminate those referred to as "The Way". Friends, we cannot mince words on the persecution that Saul caused to those beloved kingdom saints (saints who waited for the return of Jesus and the establishment of the kingdom on earth - RICK). In Acts 8:2 the bible tells us that Saul "wreaked havoc" or in other words he:

• He affixed a stigma to it.
• He dishonored it
• He defiled it.
• He spotted it.
• He treated it shamefully
• He laid it to ruin.
• He ravaged it.
• He devastated it.

In addition, he took with him letters from the Jewish High Priest to send to religious rulers at Damascus in order to persecute those saints who lived (what Paul later referred to as "strange cites") in cities beyond even Jerusalem. It was also Saul's intention to bring these saints back to Jerusalem so that if he found any of "this way" he would bring them back bound; man or woman! Read Paul's own account below:

And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. -  Acts 22: 4,5

It is of special interest to note that more information is available to bible students in addition to what we read in Acts 9 about Saul's conversion. Acts 22 and Acts 26 give us an inside slant on more events that occurred that are awesome and insightful indeed!

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

At around noon (ref. Acts 22:6) EDT (Eastern Desert Time) a light shined round about him from heaven. It was a great light, a light that shined...

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

A stunned, Saul asked; "Who art thou Lord"". I can only imagine the astonishment in Saul when he heard that it was The One of whom he had indeed been persecuting that was speaking to him!  Further, Christ identifies Himself as Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 22:8) and tells Saul it is hard to kick against a pricks (Greek kentron - a sting; of bees, scorpions, or locusts) or hard to kick against something that hurts or injured.

I often thought about whether Christ was implying that Saul was beginning to be convicted of the harm he was doing to the kingdom saints. But in fact other definitions of this word (an iron goad, for urging on oxen, horses and other beasts of burden) show us that Our Lord was telling Saul that this painful and ruinous resistance is in vain! was that (Please note: The distinction I am referring to when talking about kingdom saints is purely intentional. These saints were waiting for Christ to establish the kingdom as He promised to Israel and part of that program. - RICK)

The bible tells us that the men who were with Saul stood speechless but in verse 9 of Acts 22 Paul recounts his conversion on the steps of a Jerusalem castle. He tells the people that when Christ appeared to him, the men heard a voice and were afraid. Those men heard "a voice" but did not hear what Jesus Christ was saying to Saul in the middle of the desert (Re-read Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9).

Saul (soon to be Paul) arose (verse 8) from the earth but when he opened his eyes he saw no man and was in fact blinded as those with him took him by the hand into Damascus.

10 And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. - Acts 22:10,11

Many bible teachers make the error in believing that Paul received ALL of the revelation of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus based on Acts 22:10. What the Lord said unto Saul was to arise, go into Damascus and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed to do. What Christ meant here is that Saul would be instructed as to what to do next...and the man to do that was Ananias!

12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, 13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. - Acts 22:12-16

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

Notice, Ananias did not freak out here and warmly answered the Lord knowing fully that God was dealing with man audibly and through miracles. It is also interesting to note that we do not read about the testimony of Ananias until Paul later describes him in Acts 22:

And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, - Acts 22:12

As we read verses 11 through 14 Ananias was not too excited about the thought of confronting this madman.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

The Lord's first instructions were for Ananias to arise and go to Straight Avenue and enquire in the house of Judas about Saul who would be in prayer. During his prayer, Saul will see a vision from God concerning Ananias....this man would put his hands upon him.

Understandably so, Ananias told the Lord that he had 'heard by many' the havoc Saul was wreaking across the region and how much evil (Greek: kakos - of a bad nature, of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting, troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful) he had done to the saints at Jerusalem. In addition, Ananias did not want to be one of those bound and sent to prison by Saul or the chief priests. The Lord did not hit Ananias with dumbness as he had done earlier with Zacharias and as recorded in Luke 1 being merciful and understanding of his caution given Saul's destructive ways. Also, Ananias would be used by God to witness to Saul and validate what had been revealed to him in the desert.

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

The Lord in fact comforted Ananias by telling him:

• Saul was a chosen vessel unto Him (Jesus Christ)

• Saul would bear His name before the Gentiles, kings and the Children of Israel

• Saul would be shown great things in his suffering for the namesake of Jesus Christ

Notice that Ananias does not comment on how Christ switched around the order of "to whom" He would be revealed: the Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel.  Instead, Ananias had heard what he needed to hear and went on his way.

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Saul received a double-witness to what had recently occurred in his life. Just moments earlier, his life's purpose was to do harm to those that preached Christ. Up until his encounter with The Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus had letters in his hands and was ready to take them to the chief priests in order to wreak further havoc to the kingdom saints beyond even Jerusalem!

Now Ananias put his hands on Saul. How Ananias did this is also significant as noted in the Greek word for "hands" which is cheir:

1. By the help or agency of any one, by means of any one

2. Figuratively applied to God symbolizing His might, activity, power

a) in creating the universe
b) in upholding & preserving (God is present protecting and aiding one)
d) in determining and controlling the destinies of men

God is quite involved here in the ordainment of the chief of sinners as the laying on of hands here is by the agency of His work! As inspired by God, Ananias calls Saul brother (adelphos - as a brother in Christ) and confirms what had just happened to him letting him know that the Lord....yes Lord Jesus Christ.....the same One that appeared to you came to me so that you would receive your sight AND be filled with The Holy Spirit. Friends, Saul who would become Paul the apostle of grace was quickly getting an indoctrination of the Tri-Unity of God!

COFFEE CORNER

Mail Call!   While at work, Joe Smith received an e-mail about some disturbing news that stated "Due to the expiration of important certifications, your access to area XYZ has been revoked". Joe knew that this could be a major problem in that he would not be able to get his work completed without access to area XYZ! However, after further review of the e-mail, the man quickly discovered that he was not the intended recipient but instead "copied"  or "cc'd" as a reference only! As it turns out, a collogue of his was the man who lost his access! Joe, as the superintendent of area XYZ, simply needed to be aware of this. For a brief moment, Joe confused his TO mail with his CC mail. Not understanding that distinction for those brief seconds after reading the message caused severe anxiety for Joe until he realized the message was indeed TO someone else!  In a much similar example, when we read the bible, identifying our TO  mail is very important lest we make the same fundamental mistake as the person above. Without understanding the distinction between our "to" mail and our "cc" or our "reference only" mail, believers inadvertently "read themselves" into areas of the bible that God did not intend. The result when this happens: confusion! (see The Introduction of Dispensationalism)