A little information about this day in history...

In 1815- Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the island of Elba.

In 1870- A 312-ft long pneumatic subway was opened in New York City; funding for a larger version never materialized.

In 1901- Leaders of the Boxer Uprising in China, Chi-hsui and Hsu Cheng-yu, were beheaded.

In 1919- Grand Canyon National Park was established.

In 1935- RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) was first demonstrated by Robert Watson-Watt.

In 1993- A bomb exploded at the World Trade Center in New York. The blast killed six people and injured more than 1,000.  The man who paid the terrorists to set the bomb off was the same man who planned the attacks on 9/11. The government is trying to give him his rights to the constitution. (Is this justice or stupidity?)

I Shall Know Him!

One of my all time favorite hymn writers is Fanny Crosby. She is the blind American poetess of more than 8,000 sacred hymns. Fanny Crosby wrote on a great variety of many subjects but the themes of heaven and the return of Christ seem to have been her favorites. At the age of eight, she wrote these words:

Oh, what a happy soul am I!

Although I cannot see,

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy

That other people don't;

To weep and sigh because I'm blind,

I cannot, and I won't.

Once she was talking with a Scottish minister and he remarked to her, "I think it is a great pity that the Master, when He showered so many gifts upon you, did not give you sight." Without hesitation, she rebuked, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition to my Creator, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because, when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior." Later, Crosby penned the words to one of my favorite hymns:

My Savior First of All

When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,

When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;

I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,

And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face,

And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;

How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace,

That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I Shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,

And our parting at the river I recall;

To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home;

But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Through the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,

He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;

In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight;

But I long to meet my Savior first of all.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Jesus is Coming Again!

Well, last night ended our last revival meeting at church. Before I get in to what the service was actually about, let me recap on the blessings that the Lord showed to us during the week. We had a lot of visitors at the church which was a HUGE blessing! Many of them came just because they saw the church sign while they were driving past. We also had a number of people who came to know Christ as their personal Savior! Many of the church members made decisions to better their relationship with Christ and others. The Lord truly answered our prayers. It was so great having the Pelletier's and the Murray's with us again. We had a great time of fellowship with them this week and we can't wait until they come back!

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Last night, Brother Mike talked about the second coming of Christ. The Bible speaks very clearly about this (Acts 1:11; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 1:7; 22:12, 20). The Bible tells us that Christ will come back as a "thief in the night" (I Thessalonians 5:2; II Peter 3:10). Even though we don't know for sure when that will be, the Bible tells us that there are signs that we can see that the day is drawing near (Luke 21:11). If you're not ready for heaven, the book of Revelation tells us that you will face great tribulation here on earth.

Some signs of the second coming of Christ: Revelation 17 talks about a one world government forming. There are many countries who have signed on to join the International Criminal Court. The ICC was established in 2002 and as of January 2009, 108 states are members of the Court. The Bible also talks about a one world currency (Revelation 13:16-18). There is already a card out called "The Smart Card." It is generally the same size as a credit card with a small chip inside. This chips can contain any information about you: medical history, credit card history, etc. Some countries are already using this kind of like a debit card would be used. The Bible also tells us about the formation of a one world religion. Are you seeing signs of this today?

For more insight to the events surrounding the Rapture and the Tribulation, please read, in your Bible, I Thessalonians 5, II Peter 3, and the book of Revelations. This is so important! This is not a legend or a myth. We have God's word on it! This is something that will happen one day. Will you be ready? The only solution is Jesus Christ. As stated in yesterdays blog post, II Peter 3:9 tells us, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

I Thessalonians 5:2-3: For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Thursday Evening Service

Last night, Brother Mike preached on hell in Revelation 20. He talked about the different words for hell that the Bible lists and the meaning of those words.

In Mark 9:47, the Bible tells us that hell is more painful than plucking your eye out. Also from the Bible we learn how God sees sinners (Psalm 14:1,3; 53:1,3; Romans 3:12). It should be more important how God sees us than how we see ourselves! 

In Revelation 20, the Bible talks about the Great White Throne Judgement (v. 11). It goes on to say (v. 15) that those not found written in the book of life (believers) are cast into the lake of fire (hell). The Lord wants us all to live in eternity with Him. II Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

While Brother Mike was preaching this sermon, I kept thinking about a phrase that the president at my college always had us quote in chapel. "The most sobering reality in the world today is that people are dying and going to hell today." We, as believers of God's Word, should be out there winning souls for Jesus one by one! 

Tuesday and Wednesday

Sorry that we didn't post yesterday. Don't worry, we won't leave anything out! We will cover both Tuesday and Wednesday evening services on today's post.

On Tuesday evening, Brother Mike asked, "Are you prepared?" It was mostly for unsaved people or those who might have been unsure about salvation. I still took something away from that evening. There is an urgency to prepare for eternity. We must tell others about eternity because life is brief and life is uncertain. (That is one of the reasons why we titled our blog as "Our Vapor." Please read the verse description under our blog title.) Our life is but a vapor. We are only here on earth for a little while. We, as Christians, need to help others be prepared for eternity.

One thing that I want to make sure that I explain to you is that salvation doesn't come from good works or praying to an idol. It is about faith in a God who is still alive. All of us have sinned and have fallen short (Romans 3:23) but God sent His Son to take the punishment for our sins (John 3:16). All we have to do is put our faith and trust in Him (Acts 20:21). Mark 1:15 tells us that we need to "repent and believe." If we confess our sins, God is faithful to us and He will forgive us our sins (I John 1:9).

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Wednesday's Service was a little bit different. It was Family Night so Brother Mike preached on the family. The design of the home is support. Ecclesiastes 4:10 tells us that we are to uplifting. There are a couple of ways that we should be uplifting in the home. We should uplift with our attitudes. I Peter 3 tells us that husbands are supposed to give honor to their wives and wives are supposed to obey their husbands. Ephesians 6:1 says that children are to honor their parents. One thing to remember is that before honor comes humility. A second way that we can uplift is with our words. The Bible tells us that the tongue is a deadly poison (James 3:8). We can change our tongues by changing our hearts.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that we are to be protectors. A view that even society agrees with is that family sticks together! If you're in trouble, you're family is always there to bail you out. The Bible also talks about godly discipline (Proverbs 19:18, 22:15, 29:15). This is a view that society has warped our minds about. Discipline is not what you do TO a child, it is what you do FOR a child (Proverbs 23:13-14). One thing to remember is that you need to stay in control when you discipline and you do it out of love for your child.

The delight of the home should be satisfaction. The home is where we can find comfort in the time of need and it is also where we find a cause to live. We should make our home a happy place for our families. At the end of the day, they should love coming home. One important thing to remember is that you need to keep God first. You can't do right by your family unless you're right with God and you can't be right with God unless you do right by your family.

The defense of the home should be spiritual (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The family should be a three-fold cord: two family members (husband and wife) and God bound together as one. Also, there should be three altars in our home. The public altar is church attendance. Only 1 out of 40 families that attend church together end in divorce. Church attendance is one thing that strengthens families. What we do as parents will set the course of what our kids do. Another altar is the private altar which says that any family is a strong as its weakest member. The final altar is the family altar. We should not only be spending daily time in God's Word individually but also as a family. It's our fault, as spiritual leaders of the home, if our family isn't led in the Word of God. 

We only have two more nights of services. Please continue to pray for Missouri Avenue Baptist Church and its members. So far this week, two visitors have made professions of faith and many people have made decisions for, not only their spiritual lives, but their families as well.