Volume 18 Issue 12 - December 2003

RARITY DETERMINES VALUE

"Inasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18,19)

Merry Christmas saints of the Most High God!  In honor of our Lord’s birth, this newsletter is going to focus on the great salvation of God that is full of glory and joy unspeakable.  I preached this message at our church just recently and many hearts came under the conviction of the Holy Ghost.  Nine souls made peace with God and were reconciled to God by the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  The message is called "Rarity Determines Value" and I pray this article will draw us all back to our first love and our first works in the Lord.

There are a lot of truths our knowers need to know and this glorious truth is certainly one of them (speaking of 1 Peter 1:18,19).  Our redemption, the salvation of our souls, was not purchased with any currency that springs from this poor-fallen world, but it comes by the precious blood of the Lamb of God.  A Lamb without blemish or spot who offered Himself up as a costly sacrifice to save His people from their sins.

Notice in this passage that the Apostle Paul dares to compare silver and gold to corruptible things.  Would anyone beside the inspired Apostle make such a comparison?  I think not, simply because man chained to the temporal realm of this fleeting life tends to place high value on these metals. But even in the earthly sphere, why does man prize these metals and ascribe such worth?   They are simply rare metals.  If we could go outside and pick up silver and gold and stuff our pockets like we picked up stones, they would lose their worth.   Conversely, if stones were rare, they would increase in value.

It is this concept that makes Jesus Christ and His shed blood on a cruel cross so valuable and precious.  Every soul born of man, regardless of our different blood types, were still born with original sin and a corrupt nature flowing in our veins.  The Bible teaches that there is none that does good, no not one.  There is none righteous.  All have gone astray.   We were all conceived in sin and run amuck from our mother’s womb.  This is true of every man, except one, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin, and thus His blood was not contaminated by sin.  It is the pure blood of the Lamb of God that is without blemish nor spot that has the power to take away the sin of the world.  Rarity determines value!

This proposition is also true when it comes to the Bible, the Word of God.  Many religions and so-called enlightened philosophies claim divine inspiration.  Each boldly declares its writings to be sacred text, but are they?  The answer is a resounding No!  Every book on this planet combined pales in comparison to the Bible, the masterpiece of inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy.  The Bible is a self-authenticating book that declares this word came by holy men of old as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  All sixty six books of the canon of Scripture stands alone.  It does not need man’s opinions or approval to validate its truths, revelation, or that it is indeed the word of God.  The creature can never stand as judge over God and His word.  The Bible is not subject to the bar of man in order to gain credibility or to prove its authority or authenticity.  For it is not man’s belief that determines the truth of God‘s word, it is the truth of God’s word that is to determine man’s belief.   Something this generation has forgotten to the failure of the Church and the demise of America.

Many of the world’s hammers have been broken on the anvil of God’s word.  Many a tyrant, dictator, and skeptic have sought to burn its pages, destroy its influence, and rip its truths from the heart of man.  They are dust and the Word made flesh, the Incarnate Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, is still at the right hand of the Father expecting henceforth till all His enemies become His footstool.

All Scripture is inspired or God breathed.  In other words, when God exhaled, His word went forth and it is alive and full of power to transform the souls of men. When God said, "Let there be light" the creative power of the Holy Ghost was unleashed to form the universe and all its glory.   And when God says let there be light to your soul that same creative power in unleashed into your life to set you free from sin, Satan, and the darkness of this world.   That is why the wisdom that is found in this Bible is more valuable than silver, gold, and treasures of every sort, simply because God chose to record His word, will, and way in one book out of all the books in the world.  Rarity does indeed determine value.

Mark 8:36,37, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? From Jesus’ words, we understand that the human soul is of great value.  In fact, out of the approximately 6 billion people on planet earth, your one soul is valuable beyond compare.  Just as rarity determines value in precious metals, so your value is determined by the fact that there is only one unique you in all the earth.  According to Jesus, all the combined wealth on earth cannot compare to the preciousness of your one soul to God.  He also said that you can gain all the wealth this world has to offer and still lose what is of true and lasting value, your own soul.

One of the stated missions for our Lord coming to the earth is to seek and save that which is lost.  Pastor Daniel Thompson our OSA leader in Wichita wrote this commentary on the three parables espousing this truth by our Lord in Luke 15.  "Jesus gave us three parables that reveal His intense love and desire for those that are lost in sin, groping in darkness, and despairing for life.  He speaks of one lost sheep, one lost coin and one lost son. In the first parable of the lost sheep, we find Him "leaving" and "going after."  In the second parable of the lost coin, we find Him "diligently" laboring, and in the third parable of the lost son, we find Him "watching and waiting" until the son comes to himself and returns home.

You will find all who are lost to be one of these three types of people: sheep, coins or sons.  "Sheep" speak of the nature of those who are lost.  (All we like sheep have gone astray.)   "Coins" speak of the value of those who are lost.  (What if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?)  And "sons" speak of the Divine desire for all those who are lost.  (Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters.)

Each story ends in great success, that is, if we would dare call one a great success.  The parables read after each conversion, ‘I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one that repents; I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one that repents; and let us eat, drink and be merry: for my son was lost and is found.’   Clearly, the emphasis of our Lord’s teaching in all of these stories is the supreme value of just one and the efforts we should make on their behalf.  Why so much rejoicing?  Because one’s true value could then finally be realized.   It is only when what has been lost is found that true value is realized."   Rarity determines value!

How about you?  What is it that is precious and rare in your life?  What do you value above all else? Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Do you see the rarity and value of the shed blood of Christ on a cruel cross.  Do you recognize the rarity and value of God’s truth, His words that are spirit and life to those who find them?  Do you see the rarity and value of being birth into the very Kingdom of God and added to His Church?  Jesus said, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."  This teaching cuts both ways.  In one sense, to the Lord, you are that treasure hid in the field and the pearl of great price.  Jesus gave everything He had and poured out His life’s blood to purchase you, redeem you, and to buy you back from the bondage of slavery and sin.

In another sense, how do you see Jesus?  Is He the great treasure hid in the field, that you would give everything you had just to know and be with your Savior, the lover of your soul?  Is He that pearl of great price that you would forsake all others to follow Him?  Can you see how rare and precious our Lord truly is? The only way possible is for you to be born again.   You must be born again to enter and see the Kingdom of God.  Your eyes, your heart, your understanding, and this word must be opened to you by the power of the Holy Ghost in order to receive the revelation of God’s precious gift of salvation that is filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

I’ll conclude this message with a story.  It concerns a former director of a ministry that I initially cut my teeth in serving the Lord.  His name is David Woodrow and the ministry is New Life Drama Company.  This is a true story on how his parents who were former Jehovah Witnesses came to the saving grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It happened years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner.  The Woodrow family went to Grandma’s house to celebrate the holiday. The problem was Grandma was an orthodox Christian and the clash between Christianity and the Jehovah Witnesses was inevitable.  After some small talk, the subject of hell came up and Grandma with all the passion she could muster assured them that there really was a burning hell that they needed to shun by the saving grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  You see, Jehovah Witnesses conveniently don’t believe in hell contrary to the teaching of the Bible. Anyway, the conversation became so heated, the Woodrow family got up and left the Thanksgiving dinner in a huff.

They piled in the car and sped off from Grandma’s house.  As they were traveling, they saw a strange sight.  A little old lady, very similar to Grandma, was on a street corner hitchhiking.  Being good Jehovah Witnesses, they pulled over to give her a lift.  After she got into the car, they asked her, "Where can we take you mam?"  She replied, "You really don’t have to take me anywhere.  I was in my house and the Lord spoke to me that I was to go outside on this street corner, stick out my thumb, and the first car that stopped to pick me up I was to tell them ‘there really is a burning hell.’"   Needless to say, two ex-Jehovah Witnesses thanked the little old lady and surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Christ.

My friend, there is no ritual, no good work, no religious ceremony, no baptism, no church or denomination that can save your condemned soul.  We are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.   I pray this Christmas you will repent and call upon the Lord to receive the precious gift of God, which is the salvation of your soul.

Just recently, Elijah Ministries joined forces with Missionaries to the Preborn on their Truth Tour through Texas.  We went to two Waco High Schools, Baylor, the local death camp at Planned Parenthood, and took the Gospel/Pro-life message to the highways and byways in our city.   All heaven and hell brook loose. Friend and foe alike were up in arms.  The ramifications are still being felt as this outreach continues to reverberate.

One of the most poignant moments in this public witness came at University High School.  We passed out hundreds of tracts and got to preach to several hundred students all at once.  The authorities tried to vainly stop the preaching of God’s word with no success.  They kept encouraging the young people to go inside the building and not to listen.  To my knowledge, not one student left as the Church of the living God came to the gates of their school.

At one point, a good friend of ours from the Ft. Worth area, Dan Lefreniere, was moved to offer his personal Bible to any student that would come forward to receive it.  Dan ministered the Lord’s heart to them concerning the crucial importance of God’s word in their lives.  Dan then let me have the Bible to offer up my two cents.  I began to cry out to them and declare, "The Bible is a dangerous book. It has been banned from your school and every school in America. It is a danger to darkness, it is a danger to sin, it is a danger to ignorance, it is a danger to error, lies, and deception, it is a danger to tyrants, dictators, and oppressors of mankind.  It is indeed the most dangerous book on the planet as far as the forces of evil are concerned."  I challenged them to step out of the crowd, demonstrate some courage, and be leaders a time like this demands.   Finally, a young man in the midst of hundreds of his peers shouted aloud, "I’ll do it!"  He boldly came forward and humbly received the word of God.  Dan laid his hands on him and prayed for his soul that he would learn of Jesus and come to know His great salvation.

As a result of this tremendous opportunity, several articles were written in our local newspaper, in which most condemned our actions.  Mr. John Young, our local liberal opinion page editor, took it upon himself to write an article to the high school students in defense Planned Parenthood and their destructive practices. His goal was to limit the damage truth had afflicted upon the wicked, murderous, lie of abortion.  The following is a guest column I submitted as a rebuttal to his article.  He did not publish it as a guest column, but cut it in half and placed it in the letters to the editor section.  This is the full article.

PAMPHLETS AT YOUR SCHOOL REBUTTAL

Apparently, our outreach at University and Waco High School reached its desired effect.  So much so, that Opinion Page Editor, John Young, felt it was his pro-abort duty to explain the wonders and benefits of abortion to a generation that has suffered the loss of one third of its peers by this grisly practice.  Mr. Young reached back to pull off the dusty shelf all the worn out pro-abort talking points, arguments, and justifications that attempt to defend the indefensible.  In typical liberal fashion, he takes the worst case scenarios that are extremely rare to justify the wholesale slaughter of innocent children made in the image of God.

First, Mr. Young deals with the "medical necessity" argument.  Historically, even when abortion was banned, there was an allowance in the law for abortion, if the birth of the child legitimately threatened the life of the mother.  It was an excruciating decision for the mother and father to make and many mothers of that time chose to lay down their lives to grant life to their children.  Besides, with the advancement of technology and science the dilemma of having to decide who lives and dies between mother and child is in all actuality a moot point.

Secondly, Mr. Young played the old trusty rape and incest card.  According to his logic, the innocent child pays for the crime of the father.  Is it justice or does it bring healing to put to death someone not responsible for a crime?  How would you like it, Mr. Young, if I raped a woman, and you received the death penalty for my criminal actions?  Would that alleviate the violation and suffering of the woman?  Besides, I have personally dealt with women who have suffered the horrors of both violations: rape and then aborted the child conceived.  Most of them suffer more trauma over the abortion than the rape.   Simply because, they know deep down in their hearts that they ended up committing a violent act to another in order to somehow compensate for the violent act done to them.   One cannot free a victim by victimizing others.  You cannot become what you are seeking to end.

Thirdly, Mr. Young addresses when options are not available.  His concern is centered on the state forcing women to gestate if abortion was made illegal again. According to Mr. Young, the civil government has no business whatsoever to intervene to protect the most defenseless, vulnerable, and innocent American citizens amongst us.  Thomas Jefferson, our third President, has a contention with that premise. He stated, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government."  The very purpose civil government exists is to protect life and stop the shedding of innocent blood. Abortion violates civil government’s sacred trust.  Abortion violates the organic law articulated in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." A ccording to Mr. Young, the one area our civil government should be involved in, their duty is no longer required.  Thus men and women are "free" to kill their children to remove the evidence of their fornications and adulteries.

Fourthly, the most preposterous statement made by Mr. Young is that Planned Parenthood is the "most anti-abortion organization in the land."  The truth is, Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and promoter of abortion.  They make millions of dollars annually exploiting the fears of women in crisis pregnancies.  It is in the best interest of any business to expand their client base and bring in more customers.  If you’re in the bloody business of abortion and you make millions of dollars performing the brutal act, does it make sense for them to diminish the need for their "services?"   They must have our nation’s young people sexually active in order to justify peddling birth control which inevitably leads to abortion.  Planned Parenthood is a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is devouring little baby boys and girls in the wombs of their mothers in the name of love, compassion, and reproductive health care.  How long will America be deceived by this angel of light?

Finally, a word to our young people.  Mr. Young presents the idea that you weren’t around in the days before abortion was legal.  As a result, you aren’t aware of what is at stake if abortion was made illegal again.  My heartfelt response is, young people, you have been brought up in a culture of death and you do not know what it is like being raised in a culture of life.  You do not know a time in America when life was considered sacred and of immense value.  Abortion has ripped this precious view of life from the heart of our nation and your generation has borne the brunt of our bloody, deceitful, and idolatrous ways.

Planned Parenthood and its defenders are the architects of death that targeted your generation for destruction.   One third of you are gone.  All the arguments that Mr. Young presented are designed to continue this reign of terror.  Each and everyone of could have been legally killed and thrown away like a piece of trash according to the "law" of the land, Planned Parenthood, and the arguments of John Young.  You have survived and it is your destiny to bring down this evil system of abortion and liberate unborn babies from their cruel oppressors.

ROE VS. WADE 2004

"AFTER 30 YEARS... of Marching on Washington , begging crumbs for infants and messing politicians' heads... If today they can vote life to babies, they can later vote them death; begging politicians is basically a pro-choice activity even if you beg for life; you're giving them life/death power, making them think they can exercise God's prerogative over life and death, the very sin the Supreme Court fell into in the first place.  And yet you know that even if Congress unanimously outlaws abortion, a judge or judges somewhere will cancel it out.   Is there something better?

Has the time come to judge the judges using the rules and measures of God's revealed word and the founding principles of the United States in the spirit of 1776 and the Spirit poured out in 33 A.D.?

Beginning today I shall forsake my over-reliance on man's laws, repenting of my acedia which makes me spiritually lazy.   Over-reliance on law brings death to infants, the elderly and the weak.  And ultimately persecution of the Church.

FOR THE 31ST YEAR...on Roe vs. Wade Day, January 22, 2004 we are hauling the U.S. Supreme Court before a higher court.  We are suing and litigating the Not-So-Supreme Court before the High Court of the Most High.   From His decisions, given via the revelation of Jesus Christ to His Church, there is no appeal.

Beginning this 31st year I am refusing to go to where babies are not saved [ Washington , D.C. ] and going to where infants are directly saved - Bridgeport , CT. There we will conduct an Ecclesiastical Court on the steps of the Federal Courthouse.  Unlike the long drawn out man-made courts, a decision from ON HIGH will be handed down that day, before the Ecclesiastical Court recesses.

I must be there in order to bring back this concept and experience to my locality.  Your presence at the Ecclesiastical Court will ennoble you to make history as part of the desperate struggle that returns the United States of America to the sanctity of life.  Prepare yourself for this litigious pilgrimage through prayer and fasting."

E-mail: elijahmin@ifriendly.com Websites: http://mttu.com/elijahmin  www.operationsaveamerica.org