Ubcky4’s Weblog

"We would see Jesus."
- John 12:21

Evermore the worldling's cry is, "Who will show us any good?" He seeks
satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the
quickened sinner knows of only one good. "O that I knew where I might
find
HIM!" When he is truly awakened to feel his guilt, if you could pour
the
gold of India at his feet, he would say, "Take it away: I want to find
HIM." It is a blessed thing for a man, when he has brought his desires
into a focus, so that they all centre in one object. When he has fifty
different desires, his heart resembles a mere of stagnant water, spread
out into a marsh, breeding miasma and pestilence; but when all his
desires
are brought into one channel, his heart becomes like a river of pure
water, running swiftly to fertilize the fields. Happy is he who hath
one
desire, if that one desire be set on Christ, though it may not yet have
been realized. If Jesus be a soul's desire, it is a blessed sign of
divine
work within. Such a man will never be content with mere ordinances.
He will say, "I want Christ; I must have him-mere ordinances are of no
use to me; I want himself; do not offer me these; you offer me the
empty
pitcher, while I am dying of thirst; give me water, or I die.
Jesus is my soul's desire.
I would see Jesus!"

Is this thy condition, my reader, at this moment? Hast thou but one
desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou art not far from the
kingdom
of heaven. Hast thou but one wish in thy heart, and that one wish that
thou mayst be washed from all thy sins in Jesus' blood? Canst thou
really
say, "I would give all I have to be a Christian; I would give up
everything I have and hope for, if I might but feel that I have an
interest in Christ?" Then, despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the
Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and
rejoice
in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free.

Editor’s Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Mark Mittelberg’s new book, Choosing Your Faith… In a World of Spiritual Options, (Tyndale House Publishers, 2008). Our reader commented: “I’m passionate about apologetics…, and this is one of the best apologetic books I’ve ever read! …Lots of seekers… will start thinking critically about faith after reading it.”

You live your life by faith, whether or not you place your trust in a set of religious beliefs. Every day, you eat meals with the faith that your food hasn’t been poisoned. You drive from place to place with the faith that you can make it to your destinations safely. You type personal information into your computer with the faith that it won’t be broadcast to people who will use it steal from you.

So, no matter what your religion or lack of it, you already have a faith. But is it a wise faith — one that truly works and is supported by facts? Did you intentionally choose the faith you have, or did you just slide into it at some point along the way?

The faith you base your life on is vitally important, so it makes sense to think it through well. Here’s how you can choose your faith wisely:

Think about how you’re thinking. Before you consider what faith to choose, you should consider how you’re thinking about the various faith options you have. Are you just arbitrarily deciding on a particular approach? Are you accepting an approach that’s been handed down to you from others, such as your family members? It’s important to think critically about faith so you can truly discover what you believe, and why.

Understand the Relativistic approach. This approach says, “This is my truth. You find your own.” It claims that truth is what fits each person’s individual perspective, so something can be true for you but not for others. But this approach is self-defeating, because if someone says that truth is limited to his or her own point of view, then the claim itself — that all truth is a matter of perspective — must itself be limited to the speaker’s point of view, and thus is not relevant to or binding others. If it is relevant to or binding on others, then it’s the exception that proves that all truth is not a matter of perspective. While religious tolerance is a good thing because it respects people’s free will, all religions can’t be true at once. Many of different religions’ claims contradict each other. All the various religions could all be wrong, but they couldn’t all be right. Truth is objective; it’s simply what’s real. Truth is a matter of the way things really are — whether you like it or not, whether you can prove it or not, whether you have a different perception of it from someone else, and whether you think about it or believe it. Your faith needs to be based on something more than what you sincerely hope will work for you. You can be sincere, yet still be sincerely wrong. Whatever is real in the spiritual realm was already real before you arrived; it doesn’t depend on you. So set out to find what’s truly real and then align your life with that reality.

Understand the Traditional approach. This approach says, “But I’ve always believed what I believe.” It claims that truth is reflected by the traditions that others who have influenced you — such as your family members–have carried over into your life. But just because it’s become a habit to adhere to a certain set of beliefs doesn’t mean that those beliefs are true. Rather than passively accepting them without question, it’s wise to actively examine them. Step back to study your inherited beliefs to make sure you’ve thoughtfully and intentionally chosen a faith that’s worth following. Be willing to consider the real possibility that what others close to you have taught you is wrong, even though they’ve sincerely believed it. Lower your defenses so you can become a lover of truth instead of just a defender of tradition. Seek to discover what’s accurate, no matter what. You can still maintain respect for your family and friends while challenging their points of view and considering the evidence for what’s true and what’s not.

Understand the Authoritarian approach. This approach says, “You’d better believe it!” It claims that truth consists of the ideas espoused by religious leaders to whom you’re in submission. But the problem is, you won’t know for sure if those ideas are correct unless you critically examine them yourself. Ask God to give you the courage and clarity you need to reconsider what you’ve accepted until now and test the credentials of the religious authorities in your life. A trustworthy spiritual leader should have at least these characteristics: integrity, consistency, accuracy, and openness.

Understand the Intuitive approach. This approach says, “I just feel that it’s true.” It claims that truth is found in feelings and instinct. But ignoring information from your senses and refusing to think logically can be dangerous. Many people’s lives have been shattered by following their hearts alone. To discover the real truth, you need to test your feelings and intuitive hunches against other, proven methods of finding and affirming truth. It’s wise to carefully scrutinize and corroborate your instincts by testing what you sense to be true against evidence and logic.

Understand the Mystical approach. This approach says, “God told me it’s true!” It claims that truth is discovered through an encounter with a supernatural entity (such as the Holy Spirit or an angel). But keep in mind that, while such experiences can indeed be genuine, they should be tested and confirmed against other evidence because they can also be imaginary or deceptions from evil sources. What you feel doesn’t necessarily equate with something that’s real, and even if it does, it doesn’t necessary equate with something that’s good. One way to test the validity of a mystical encounter is to consider whether or not it’s: true to the world, true to the messenger’s own words, and true to God’s words. Carefully test the mystical experiences you have, remembering that the ones that come from God are those that communicate His love, truth, encouragement, or guidance to you in ways that don’t contradict what you know to be true about the world and God’s revelation so far.

Understand the Evidential approach. This approach says, “I’ve got to see it to believe it.” It claims that truth can only come from information you gain through your five senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting). It stresses the importance of logic and experience, which can prove very valuable in discovering truth. However, it ignores the fact that you can gain knowledge about truth through supernatural means as well as natural ones. By limiting the ways in which this approach seeks truth, it severely limits the amount of truth toward which it leads. Instead of viewing science as an end in itself, see it as a means to help you discover more about truth — wherever that quest may lead you. Realize that there is much more truth to be discovered than what science alone can show you. Be open to all the possible answers to your questions.

Pray for wisdom. If you believe in God already, ask Him to guide you to spiritual truth. If you don’t believe in God, but are open to the possibility that He exists, try praying a skeptic’s prayer: “God, if You’re there and You can hear me, show me the way to truth.”

Consider the reasons for faith in Christ. There are many reasons that point you toward biblical truth and away from opposing viewpoints. Among them are: Design in the universe points toward an Intelligent Designer; Fine tuning in the universe points to an intentional Fine Tuner; Information encoded into DNA points to a Divine Encoder; The Beginning of the universe points to a Divine Originator; the sense of morality throughout the human race points to a Moral Lawgiver; The Bible shows itself to be a uniquely consistent religious book; The Bible is a uniquely historical religious book; The Bible is a uniquely preserved work of antiquity; Archaeology shows the Bible to be a powerfully verified book; The Bible shows itself to be a uniquely honest religious book; Miracles, performed in the presence of believers and critics alike, point to the prophets, apostles, and Jesus as messengers of God; Fulfilled prophecies point to the Bible as a divinely inspired book and to Jesus as the unique Messiah of God; Jesus’ sinless life backed up in His claim to be the Son of God; Jesus’ resurrection powerfully established His credentials as the Son of God; The emergence of the church points to the authenticity of its message; The changed lives of early skeptics affirmed the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and the teachings of the church; The willingness of the disciples to die for claims they knew to be true affirms the trustworthiness of their claims; The changed minds of many modern skeptics further support the Christian truth claims; The testimonies of countless believers throughout history attest to the reality of God and the value of following Jesus; and It’s true because Jesus said so, and He has the credentials to speak with authority.

Embrace both belief and action. Once you’ve decided what you believe, act on it. Move in the direction in which the evidence points. If you’ve decided to follow Christ, who declared that He is the truth, begin a relationship with Him. Trust Him with your life both now and for eternity, and make Him your highest priority.

11. PROVISION OF BIBLES AND HYMN BOOKS  FOR THE DEVOTIONAL AND CHAP

DEARLY BELOVED.

Dearly beloved brethren in  the Lord .{ Churches Of Christ World Wide}
Greetings to you and to your family with all the
saints who are there with you.
May the peace of our father who dwells in Heaven abide
with you continually. In Jesus name, Amen.
Beloved, I am counting it all joy to come your way
through this medium though we have not met nor written
to each other before. By way of introduction, I am
UCHENNA F. BEKEE, a gospel preacher with the Church of
Christ that meets at Oyigbo Express in the Rivers
State of Nigeria.
I have being into the vineyard of our Lord for well
over sixteen years now, and am married with a young
daughter  7 months old.
I became a preacher of the gospel due to the love I
have for the souls that are living in darkness and the
burning desire to be a part of the building up of the
body of Christ.I was born into a Christian family.My
late father was also a minister of the gospel before
he died in 1992 after a
protracted fight with
diabetes.
I have desired to continue the work which my father
left behind and also to glorify God. Many souls have
been led to be born into the family of God in our
ministry.
Brother,a  few years back the Lord ministered to my
heart and opened my eyes to see the great need which
our African children have and the associated dangers
or setbacks they will face if Christian education is
neglected. I have noticed and discovered the great
damage being done to Christian homes here through
Non-Christ centered education. From a population study
which I did and from many spot experiences in Bible
classes that I have organized for our children, It was
discovered that the devil is using the public schools,
which are meant to be tuition-free, to attack the
strength of the Church.  Also the so called
private-schools, which are mostly owned  by
denominational churches, eat on the fabric of the
behavior of
our children and their faith. It became
obvious that the near absence of Church of Christ
schools in our State,  which has about 13 million
people , is contributing to the absence of leadership
in almost all the congregations here. This happens
even to an extent that we hardly recover our children
from falsehood and create separation, weakness, and
unfaithfulness in the parents and guardians.
.We have lost so many young people to drug abuse,
promiscuity, rape, indecent life styles and doctrinal
error that many are discouraged from following the
Christ.
Some good families that are poor cannot afford to pay
for the education of their children and resort to
these schools that offer free education and
scholarships to them, and as a result, they fall away
from the faith. Seeing these trends disturbed my soul
and I began to think of what to do to salvage the
situation. I discovered that if we can begin to set up
Christian
schools where our children can be trained
and nurtured both academically and spiritually, we
shall save the situation to a large extent.
Hence, the coming into existence of HIDDEN TREASURE
CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL. After a discussion I had last
year with brother Glenn Boyd (Searcy Arkansas)  who
oversees the work going on at a Bible school in the
South east part of Nigeria ,God used my poor talents
to begin this all-important school, which is two
months old this week.
This school is meant to offer full curriculum
education to the children born into poor Christian
families, and to serve the entire church family and
the community as well. it is intended to also minister
to the physical and spiritual needs of these children,
and to those who are underprivileged, delinquent, and
neglected children by providing quality Christian
residential education and care. Many of these children
have been neglected, rejected, and abused.
through no
fault of their own, they suffer from the ills of
dysfunctional families, Emotionally, they are torn
apart. We want to help them become useful to
themselves, their families, and the community of
believers.
We seek to provide activities to assist the well
rounded development of each child or student, a
development similar to Jesus’ development in Luke.
2″52. Here, intellectual growth will be stimulated
through academic training, Physical growth promoted
through various physical activities, and spiritual
growth fostered through religious training and worship
periods.Students in Hidden Treasure now are encouraged
to always give their full effort in these areas.
Our moral philosophy rest on the moral principles
found in the Bible. the educational goals therefore
seek to help each student become the best he / she can
be in life.

Hidden treasure Christian High School has been
established to provide
both the atmosphere and
training most conducive for developing well educated
and faithful Christians. Hence, every member of the
administration, faculty and staff is committed to live
by and to teach the bible
.
Brother, presently, we have  children from Christian
homes in the school and they are learning very fast.
We have seven teachers, including four females and
three males, and a minder who takes care of the KG4-5.
The school is intended to be a purely missionary
Christian school, and that is why this long letter is
been sent to you who also know the value of education.
I know of your faithful work in the lord’s vineyard
and strongly hope that you people can help us and
as well  guide us toward congregations or individuals
who could help our great need.

Presently, we are using a leased apartment and we
lack
many basic facilities  to  encourage learning and
development of the boy and girl child. We
are
outgrowing our space and need to relocate to a place
we can call our own. We need a minibus, for the
transportation of the children to and from school,
classroom books,library, science equipment, school
desks,  and a set of computers.

I have included an estimated monthly budget of the
school with our immediate needs, and pictures of the
present children and staff. I am located on the far
right of the smaller children. The faculty and staff
are Christians, working on faith that their salaries
can be raised.

An executive board of four Christian brothers is being
set up to oversee the school and its finances. More
detail can be provided upon request. We are praying
that God will bless us with sponsoring congregations
and individuals. At present our income is about
$400/month, far less than needed .Of course parents of
students will be expected to contribute what they are
able, but most are very poor. Some
of the needs are
urgent.

The brethren at Storrs Road Church of Christ send
their greetings to you ,especially brothers Jim Bell
and Tom Yoakum. The church in Storrs has supported the
work here for many years, but  it is small and can
only provide a small amount.

Brethren, we will appreciate it if you can be of help
to us in this work we are doing for our God.

until I hear from you, remain blessed forever.
Yours In Him.
UChenna F. Bekee.
CONTACT PERSONS:
Brother Boyd of College street Church of Christ in
Searcy Arkansas. e-mail. gsboyd@sbcglobal.net
Brother Jim Bell of Storrs road Church of Christ.
e-mail; bell3563@sbcglobal.net.   {THE CHURCH AT
STORRS ROAD CONNECTICUT IS THE US OVERSEEING
CONGREGATION}
brother TERRY MONREO OF TOLEDO OREGON
CHURCHE-MAIL.tmmonreo22@yahoo.com

MY MAILING ADDRESS IS :
UCHENNA F. BEKEE
P.O.BOX A 179 OYIGBO

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