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PRAYERGEAR.COM / SPIRITUAL RESOURCE SERVICES
NEWSLETTER
June 29, 2000; Issue 51: The Call to Christ, Part 1
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<>< CONTENTS <><
1. Mini-Reflection
2. Cruising Christian Cyberspace!
3. Prayergear.com product and services updates
4. Let us know!
5. Weekly Reflection: "The Call to Christ", Part 1 of 4
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We are once again delighted to have you allow us to join you. We
consider our subscribers as a family and we trust our newsletters
connote that feeling and love in Christ's Name. In that spirit,
consider this a sort of special edition. Read on to find out
why...
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1. ~~ ** Mini-Reflection ** ~~
In a previous newsletter I mentioned my readings of and encounter
with Richard Wurmbrand, a former leader of the underground church
in Communist Romania in the 1940s. The book, "Jesus
Freaks" by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs (Albury
Publishing), tells of a poignant experience Wurmbrand had with a
captain in the Russian military. He said this warrior never saw a
Bible, never experienced any religious services or education and
had no knowledge of God. Yet, somehow, the captain had a great
longing and obvious love for God. Wurmbrand read to this man the
Sermon on the Mount and some of Jesus' parables. He was surprised
at the captain's reaction: "After hearing them, he danced
around the room in rapturous joy, proclaiming, 'What a wonderful
beauty! How could I live without knowing this Christ?' It was the
first time that I saw someone jubilating in Christ." (p.
202.)
Then Pastor Wurmbrand "read to him the passion and
crucifixion of Christ, without having prepared him for this. He
had not expected it." The captain just fell into a chair and
cried and cried. Wurmbrand remarked, "I looked at him and
was ashamed that I had called myself a Christian and a pastor, a
teacher of others. I had never shared the sufferings of Christ as
this Russian officer now shared them." (p. 203.)
Wurmbrand then continued to read from the Scriptures...It was
about the resurrection and promises of Christ. Wurmbrand reports,
"...he slapped his knees and shouted for joy: 'He is alive!
He is alive!' Again he danced around the room, overwhelmed with
happiness!...When this man received Christ, he knew he would
immediately lose his position as an officer, that prison and
perhaps death in jail would almost surely follow. He gladly paid
the price. He was ready to lose everything." (p. 203.)
This Russian military officer, although unknown to us, is our
brother and we will someday meet him, along with the many others
who have embraced Christ through out human history. This story
directly relates to this month's Weekly Reflection theme, as you
shall see.
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2. ~~ ** Cruising Christian Cyberspace! ** ~~
Our web site feature of the week is
http://godspeaks.net
A dear friend and consultant wrote, "Hi John, I'm sure you
heard of the God Speaks billboard campaign...but did you know it
started right here in Broward County? We don't know who but a
local wealthy Christian got it started and now it's all over the
country and has its own website: http://godspeaks.net which you
need the free Flash player to view. Also there is a link to a
very cool site for teens called http://www.wuzupgod.com and right
now the wuzupgod ads are plastered all over our local transit
busses." Yes, I've read about the billboard campaign and
knew it originated in south Florida, but I didn't know about the
web site.
The web site introduces itself this way: "The GodSpeaks
campaign, propelled by the creation of 10,000 billboards in more
than 200 cities, myriad newspaper articles and special news
reports from NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC, has become a cultural
and spiritual phenomenon. The campaign has spread like wildfire,
and has touched hearts all over the country--and around the
world. Looking back, who could have guessed that a selection of
thoughtful "reminders from God" would ever connect so
powerfully with so many?"
Don't let the need for a FLASH Player hold you back from checking
this site out. For one, you can download it for free right from
the site (and you should have it on your pc anyway since audio
and video players are essential now for viewing many web sites),
and, for two, there is a lot on this site that is just great text
(although graphic intensive and may require a little time to
load.) Here's an example of what I would call great text:
"Could St. Augustine have been right, when he wrote in the
third century that "Our hearts are made for God, and we are
restless until we find Him?" Could it be that there is more
to this life (as the song goes) than living and dying?
Maybe we've made our search too complex...
After all, many of the world's religions come packed with a
tremendously detailed list of do's and don't's--all of which are
supposed to help us connect with God. Maybe the answer is much
simpler than we think.
What if the God of the universe had already taken the necessary
steps? What if He had done the hard part in enabling us to
connect with Him? What if the God who created everything was just
as interested--perhaps more interested--in having a relationship
with us than we are with Him?"
This text, again, relates directly to this month's Call to Christ
series and your part in it. The Godspeaks web site runs like a
feature-length movie. So wait until you have a little leisure
time, grab a cup of java or a cold juice, and enjoy and be
nourished spiritually.
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3. ~~ ** Prayergear.com Product and Service Updates ** ~~
During the past week we have received several inquiries regarding
compact and inexpensive Bibles. We posted very small versions of
the Testament (with the Psalms and Proverbs) that fit into a
shirt pocket, but decided to include a varied selection of entire
compact Bibles in the $6 to $7 (US) range. We offer 10% to 15%
rebates on quantity orders to encourage organizations and
individuals to get the Word out. We also added portable
electronic Bibles (one with speech for the visually impaired)
that work like computer software with search capabilities and
even choices of text size.
Those of you familiar with the Calvary Chapel church growth
throughout the world will recognize the name of Greg Laurie. He
edited a version of the Bible for new believers in our Lord and
for those seeking to rededicate their love and commitment to Him.
This fits into our monthly Reflection theme and garners our
recommendation, so we put it at the top of the Bible selection
list. Please check these out in our Bible and Guides section of
our on-line store or click
Bibles
(http://www.prayergear.com/bibles.html)
You will find on many pages of our web site a small icon:
"Translate". We will continue to add these onto pages
we believe hold special value or interest to our non-English
speaking visitors or those who have an elementary knowledge of
English but would benefit from a translation in their native
languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese). These
computer generated translators are still only about 85% accurate
and may render the original meaning into grammatically erroneous
or even compromising renditions. However, we trust they will
provide the reader with a good grasp of what is being written and
he or she will be able to discern what is meant from what is
actually an occasionally computer generated faux pas. (Having
pointed this out, Prayergear.com, ICS., Inc. or the translator
service waives and denies all responsibility for the final
rendition of meaning by this computer generated translator.)
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4. ~~ ** Let us know! ** ~~
Now for some clarity on what I have been hinting at until this
section. We all have accumulated tons of knowledge and skills in
various disciplines. Some of us are experts in computer
programming, world history, finance and marketing, plumbing,
heating and building homes and highways. On this earth, we need
these and all the other skills and services we provide each
other. However, in the next world beyond our earthly grave, all
that will be totally useless and irrelevant. The only knowledge
of eternal value, of pertinence both here on this earth and in
the heavens, is that of the Gospel, of the Kingdom of God. I am
calling upon you, our family of subscribers, to write this
month's Weekly Reflections: The Call of Christ. I strive to make
this newsletter interactive, a collective endeavor. There are so
many of you more eloquent than me, more rich in spiritual
experience and wisdom than me. The most eloquent to the heart is
often the most simply said. I know this is a risk, but I am happy
to exercise my faith in the Body of Christ to produce a series of
powerful testimonies inviting others to love and embrace our
Lord, Jesus the Christ. Please, together, let us speak to one
another and to the world in encouragement. This week's Reflection
provides the details. The Holy Spirit provides the motivation.
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5. ~~ This week's Weekly Reflection follows below ~~
Please forward this newsletter (in its entirety) to whomever you
believe would be interested, encourage them to subscribe
(instructions are always at the end of the newsletters) and help
this ministry and each other to grow.
God bless!
John
John S. Hilkevich, Ph.D.
Spiritual Resource Services: Prayergear.com
~ Education, Services and Products
in the Christian Faith ~
www.prayergear.com
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For a more attractively formatted Weekly Reflection or links to
previous
Reflections, point your browser to
http://www.prayergear.com/weeklyintro.html
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WEEKLY REFLECTIONS
The Call of Christ
Part 1 of 4
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What's New/Article Index / Home/Welcome Page
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletters and have them sent directly
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