----- Forwarded message -----
From: Becky Stayton
sbstayton87@gmail.com
Kingdom Kids Saturday!
Calling all Kids of the Kingdom ages 8 - 12.
Come TOMORROW to see what Kingdom Kids is all about!
Saturday, August 31st
From 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Living Hope Restoration Branch-
2425 1/2 S Crysler
Independence MO
Parents please come in to register your children.
They will be ready to be picked up at 3:00 pm.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Francis Harper Message for 8/30/2019
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 8/30/2019
The Principle of Partial Fulfillment
The principle of partial fulfillment can be utilized to determine the credibility of a prophetic message. Mormon, who abridged the records of three migrations of people who came to the Western Hemisphere, beginning with those who were scattered “abroad upon the face of all the earth,” from the tower of Babel; (Genesis 11:6 IV; 11:8 KJV); understood this principle. He wrote: “yea, and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day, have been fulfilled; and as many as go beyond this day, must surely come to pass . . .” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
Several of the prophecies of the prophet Daniel illustrate the principle of partial fulfillment. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a dream he could not remember. So he said to his magicians, astrologers and sorcerers . . . “tell me the dream, and I shall know you can show me the interpretation thereof” (Daniel 2:9). He was asking for an added witness of their ability to interpret his dream. Their response was: “There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter . . .” (Daniel 2:10).
Daniel heard of the king’s decision to have his wise men put to death, so he “went in and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation” of his dream (Daniel 2:16). Then Daniel went to his house and prayed with his close friends. Their prayers were answered. “Then was the secret revealed in a night vision” (Daniel 2:19). Daniel praised God: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his; . . . I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers . . . for thou hast made known unto us the king’s matter” (Daniel 2: 20, 23).
The king’s dream was of a great image which perfectly illustrates the principle of partial fulfillment. It accurately depicts the successive history of some of the greatest empires of the world. Eighty percent of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream has been fulfilled. The final twenty percent is presently being fulfilled. As Mormon wrote, I write: “yea, and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day, have been fulfilled; and as many as go beyond this day, must surely come to pass . . . (Words of Mormon 1:7).
The final segment of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream will be fulfilled. The kingdom of God will be fully established when Jesus returns and it “shall never be destroyed . . . it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44). “. . . and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof (is) sure” (Daniel 2:45).
The vision received by General George Washington at Valley Forge Pennsylvania, during the winter of 1777, also illustrates the principle of partial fulfillment. An angel appeared to Washington and addressed him several times with these words: “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” Each time our first president heard these words he was shown another portion of our nation’s history.
Finally, the angel in the same voice as before, said, “Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted. Three great perils will come upon the Republic (the first peril was the war being fought at the time of the vision). The most fearful is the second, passing which the whole world united shall not prevail against her.”
When this prophetic vision was given, only the first peril could be seen. Later in the 1860’s the second peril was seen and fulfilled. When the angel described the final peril she said the inhabitants of our country “were well nigh overcome” before God would intervene to save our nation. The third great peril is still ahead of us, but our faith is greatly strengthened by the principle of partial fulfillment. Since two-thirds of the prophecy has been fulfilled we are confident the final one-third will be fulfilled and our nation will be saved by a divine intervention.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Ones,
I have shared illustrations of the principle of partial fulfillment in the message preceding this letter to show how this principle can help us determine the credibility of the following prophecy given in 1968 to a 90 year old woman who lived in Valdres, Norway. I am sending you this prophecy for your prayerful consideration.
JESUS is COMING SOON (SUDDENLY)
An old woman of 90 from Valdres in Norway had a vision from God in 1968. The evangelist Emanuel Minos had meetings (services) where she lived. He had the opportunity to meet her, and she told him what she had seen. He wrote it down, but thought it to be so unintelligible that he put it in a drawer. Now, 50 years later, he understands he has to share the vision with others. (Please note the many portions of this prophecy which have already been fulfilled. By these portions already fulfilled we are given confidence that all of her prophecy will be fulfilled. I have color-coded the fulfilled portions of her prophecy).
The woman from Valdres was a very alert, reliable, awake and credible Christian, with a good reputation among all who knew her. This is what she saw:
“I saw the time just before the coming of Jesus and the outbreak of the Third World War. I saw the events with my natural eyes. I saw the world like a kind of a globe and saw Europe, land by land.
“I saw Scandinavia. I saw Norway. I saw certain things that would take place just before the return of Jesus, and just before the last calamity happens, a calamity the likes of which we have never before experienced.
1. “First before Jesus comes and before the Third World War breaks out there will be a détente like we have never had before. (We have not had a major war since Vietnam which ended April 30, 1975). There will be peace between the super powers in the east and the west, and there will be a long peace. (Remember, that this was in 1968 when the cold war was at its highest. E. Minos). In this period of peace there will be disarmament in many countries, also in Norway and we are not prepared when it (the war) comes. The Third World War will begin in a way no one would have anticipated – and from an unexpected place.
2. “A lukewarmness without parallel will take hold of the Christians, a falling away from true, living Christianity. Christians will not be open for penetrating preaching. They will not, like in earlier times, want to hear of sin and grace, law and gospel, repentance and restoration. There will come a substitute instead: prosperity (happiness) Christianity.
“The important thing will be to have success, to be something; to have material things, things that God never promised us in this way. Churches and prayer houses will be emptier and emptier. Instead of the preaching we have been used to for generations – like, to take up your cross up and follow Jesus, - entertainment, art and culture will invade the churches where there should have been gatherings for repentance and revival. This will increase markedly just before the return of Jesus.
3. “There will be a moral disintegration that old Norway has never experienced the likes of. People will live together like married without being married. (I do not believe the concept of co-habitation existed in 1968. E. Minos).Much uncleanness before marriage, and much infidelity in marriage will become the natural (the norm), and it will be justified from every angle. It will even enter Christian circles and we pet it – even sin against nature (homosexuality). Just before Jesus’ return there will be TV programs like we have never experienced. (TV had just arrived in Norway in 1968. E. Minos).
“TV will be filled with such horrible violence that it teaches people to murder and destroy each other, and it will be unsafe in our streets. (This describes 2019) People will copy what they see. There will not only be one station on TV, it will be filled with stations. (She did not know the word ‘channel’ which we use today. Therefore she called them stations. E. Minos). TV will be just like the radio where we have many stations, and it will be filled with violence. People will use it for entertainment. We will see terrible scenes of murder and destruction of one another, and this will spread in society. Sex scenes will also be shown on the screen, the most intimate thing that takes place in a marriage.” (I protested and said, we have a paragraph that forbids this kind of thing. E. Minos.) There the old woman said: “It will happen, and you will see it. All we have had before will be broken down, and the most indecent thing will pass before our eyes.”
4. “People from poor countries will stream to Europe. (In 1968 there was no such thing as mass immigration. E. Minos.) They will also come to Scandinavia and Norway. There will be so many of them that people will begin to dislike them and become hard with them. They will be treated like the Jews before the Second World War. Then the full measure of our sins will have been reached (I protested at the issue of immigration. I did not understand it at the time. E. Minos.)
The tears streamed from the old woman’s eyes down her cheeks. “I will not see it, but you will. Then suddenly, Jesus will come and the Third World War breaks out. It will be a short war.” (She saw it in the vision.) (Her vision agrees with the vision given to George Washington during the winter of 1777). This double witness also gives us greater confidence in her prophecy.
“All that I have seen of war before is only child’s play compared to this one, and it will be ended with a nuclear atom bomb. The air will be so polluted that one cannot draw one’s breath. It will cover several continents, America, Japan, Australia and the wealthy nations. The water will be ruined (contaminated?). We can no longer til the soil. The result will be that only a remnant will remain. The remnant in the wealthy countries will try to flee to the poor countries, but they will be as hard on us as we were on them.
“I am so glad that I will not see it, but when the time draws near, you must take courage and tell this. I have received it from God, and nothing of it goes against what the Bible tells.
“The one who has his sin forgiven and has Jesus as Savior and Lord, is safe.” (This agrees with “. . . my people will I preserve” Doctrine and Covenants 36:12-e).
This prophecy of a third world war ending with a nuclear bomb agrees with the words of Jesus! “. . . and except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved. But for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened” (Mathew 24:19-20).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 8/30/2019
The Principle of Partial Fulfillment
The principle of partial fulfillment can be utilized to determine the credibility of a prophetic message. Mormon, who abridged the records of three migrations of people who came to the Western Hemisphere, beginning with those who were scattered “abroad upon the face of all the earth,” from the tower of Babel; (Genesis 11:6 IV; 11:8 KJV); understood this principle. He wrote: “yea, and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day, have been fulfilled; and as many as go beyond this day, must surely come to pass . . .” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
Several of the prophecies of the prophet Daniel illustrate the principle of partial fulfillment. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a dream he could not remember. So he said to his magicians, astrologers and sorcerers . . . “tell me the dream, and I shall know you can show me the interpretation thereof” (Daniel 2:9). He was asking for an added witness of their ability to interpret his dream. Their response was: “There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter . . .” (Daniel 2:10).
Daniel heard of the king’s decision to have his wise men put to death, so he “went in and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation” of his dream (Daniel 2:16). Then Daniel went to his house and prayed with his close friends. Their prayers were answered. “Then was the secret revealed in a night vision” (Daniel 2:19). Daniel praised God: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his; . . . I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers . . . for thou hast made known unto us the king’s matter” (Daniel 2: 20, 23).
The king’s dream was of a great image which perfectly illustrates the principle of partial fulfillment. It accurately depicts the successive history of some of the greatest empires of the world. Eighty percent of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream has been fulfilled. The final twenty percent is presently being fulfilled. As Mormon wrote, I write: “yea, and I also know that as many things as have been prophesied concerning us down to this day, have been fulfilled; and as many as go beyond this day, must surely come to pass . . . (Words of Mormon 1:7).
The final segment of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream will be fulfilled. The kingdom of God will be fully established when Jesus returns and it “shall never be destroyed . . . it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44). “. . . and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof (is) sure” (Daniel 2:45).
The vision received by General George Washington at Valley Forge Pennsylvania, during the winter of 1777, also illustrates the principle of partial fulfillment. An angel appeared to Washington and addressed him several times with these words: “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” Each time our first president heard these words he was shown another portion of our nation’s history.
Finally, the angel in the same voice as before, said, “Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted. Three great perils will come upon the Republic (the first peril was the war being fought at the time of the vision). The most fearful is the second, passing which the whole world united shall not prevail against her.”
When this prophetic vision was given, only the first peril could be seen. Later in the 1860’s the second peril was seen and fulfilled. When the angel described the final peril she said the inhabitants of our country “were well nigh overcome” before God would intervene to save our nation. The third great peril is still ahead of us, but our faith is greatly strengthened by the principle of partial fulfillment. Since two-thirds of the prophecy has been fulfilled we are confident the final one-third will be fulfilled and our nation will be saved by a divine intervention.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Ones,
I have shared illustrations of the principle of partial fulfillment in the message preceding this letter to show how this principle can help us determine the credibility of the following prophecy given in 1968 to a 90 year old woman who lived in Valdres, Norway. I am sending you this prophecy for your prayerful consideration.
JESUS is COMING SOON (SUDDENLY)
An old woman of 90 from Valdres in Norway had a vision from God in 1968. The evangelist Emanuel Minos had meetings (services) where she lived. He had the opportunity to meet her, and she told him what she had seen. He wrote it down, but thought it to be so unintelligible that he put it in a drawer. Now, 50 years later, he understands he has to share the vision with others. (Please note the many portions of this prophecy which have already been fulfilled. By these portions already fulfilled we are given confidence that all of her prophecy will be fulfilled. I have color-coded the fulfilled portions of her prophecy).
The woman from Valdres was a very alert, reliable, awake and credible Christian, with a good reputation among all who knew her. This is what she saw:
“I saw the time just before the coming of Jesus and the outbreak of the Third World War. I saw the events with my natural eyes. I saw the world like a kind of a globe and saw Europe, land by land.
“I saw Scandinavia. I saw Norway. I saw certain things that would take place just before the return of Jesus, and just before the last calamity happens, a calamity the likes of which we have never before experienced.
1. “First before Jesus comes and before the Third World War breaks out there will be a détente like we have never had before. (We have not had a major war since Vietnam which ended April 30, 1975). There will be peace between the super powers in the east and the west, and there will be a long peace. (Remember, that this was in 1968 when the cold war was at its highest. E. Minos). In this period of peace there will be disarmament in many countries, also in Norway and we are not prepared when it (the war) comes. The Third World War will begin in a way no one would have anticipated – and from an unexpected place.
2. “A lukewarmness without parallel will take hold of the Christians, a falling away from true, living Christianity. Christians will not be open for penetrating preaching. They will not, like in earlier times, want to hear of sin and grace, law and gospel, repentance and restoration. There will come a substitute instead: prosperity (happiness) Christianity.
“The important thing will be to have success, to be something; to have material things, things that God never promised us in this way. Churches and prayer houses will be emptier and emptier. Instead of the preaching we have been used to for generations – like, to take up your cross up and follow Jesus, - entertainment, art and culture will invade the churches where there should have been gatherings for repentance and revival. This will increase markedly just before the return of Jesus.
3. “There will be a moral disintegration that old Norway has never experienced the likes of. People will live together like married without being married. (I do not believe the concept of co-habitation existed in 1968. E. Minos).Much uncleanness before marriage, and much infidelity in marriage will become the natural (the norm), and it will be justified from every angle. It will even enter Christian circles and we pet it – even sin against nature (homosexuality). Just before Jesus’ return there will be TV programs like we have never experienced. (TV had just arrived in Norway in 1968. E. Minos).
“TV will be filled with such horrible violence that it teaches people to murder and destroy each other, and it will be unsafe in our streets. (This describes 2019) People will copy what they see. There will not only be one station on TV, it will be filled with stations. (She did not know the word ‘channel’ which we use today. Therefore she called them stations. E. Minos). TV will be just like the radio where we have many stations, and it will be filled with violence. People will use it for entertainment. We will see terrible scenes of murder and destruction of one another, and this will spread in society. Sex scenes will also be shown on the screen, the most intimate thing that takes place in a marriage.” (I protested and said, we have a paragraph that forbids this kind of thing. E. Minos.) There the old woman said: “It will happen, and you will see it. All we have had before will be broken down, and the most indecent thing will pass before our eyes.”
4. “People from poor countries will stream to Europe. (In 1968 there was no such thing as mass immigration. E. Minos.) They will also come to Scandinavia and Norway. There will be so many of them that people will begin to dislike them and become hard with them. They will be treated like the Jews before the Second World War. Then the full measure of our sins will have been reached (I protested at the issue of immigration. I did not understand it at the time. E. Minos.)
The tears streamed from the old woman’s eyes down her cheeks. “I will not see it, but you will. Then suddenly, Jesus will come and the Third World War breaks out. It will be a short war.” (She saw it in the vision.) (Her vision agrees with the vision given to George Washington during the winter of 1777). This double witness also gives us greater confidence in her prophecy.
“All that I have seen of war before is only child’s play compared to this one, and it will be ended with a nuclear atom bomb. The air will be so polluted that one cannot draw one’s breath. It will cover several continents, America, Japan, Australia and the wealthy nations. The water will be ruined (contaminated?). We can no longer til the soil. The result will be that only a remnant will remain. The remnant in the wealthy countries will try to flee to the poor countries, but they will be as hard on us as we were on them.
“I am so glad that I will not see it, but when the time draws near, you must take courage and tell this. I have received it from God, and nothing of it goes against what the Bible tells.
“The one who has his sin forgiven and has Jesus as Savior and Lord, is safe.” (This agrees with “. . . my people will I preserve” Doctrine and Covenants 36:12-e).
This prophecy of a third world war ending with a nuclear bomb agrees with the words of Jesus! “. . . and except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved. But for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened” (Mathew 24:19-20).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Women's Council 2019 Fall Retreat
From: Angela Goff
24zion@comcast.net
Women's Council 2019 Fall Retreat
Restoration Women’s Council Fall Retreat
September 21-22, 2019
We would like to invite all ladies to our Fall Retreat! Our theme will be “Joyful Together” (2 John 12, Alma 14:96, D&C 36:14c). We hope to see everyone there! Please RSVP so we can have an accurate headcount for food.
Cost: $40 for the weekend, $25 for Saturday only.
Location:
Odessa Hills Campground
6505 Odessa Hills Road
Odessa MO 64076
Contact: Karen Parker, 816-589-4633 (cell)
Registration Form
Name__________________________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________
Phone # _______________________ Branch attending ____________________________
Entire weekend: $40 _________
Saturday only: $25 _________
Pay at the door – cash or check only
Make checks payable to: Conference of Restoration Elders
Sponsored by the Restoration Women’s Council
24zion@comcast.net
Women's Council 2019 Fall Retreat
Restoration Women’s Council Fall Retreat
September 21-22, 2019
We would like to invite all ladies to our Fall Retreat! Our theme will be “Joyful Together” (2 John 12, Alma 14:96, D&C 36:14c). We hope to see everyone there! Please RSVP so we can have an accurate headcount for food.
Cost: $40 for the weekend, $25 for Saturday only.
Location:
Odessa Hills Campground
6505 Odessa Hills Road
Odessa MO 64076
Contact: Karen Parker, 816-589-4633 (cell)
Registration Form
Name__________________________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________
Phone # _______________________ Branch attending ____________________________
Entire weekend: $40 _________
Saturday only: $25 _________
Pay at the door – cash or check only
Make checks payable to: Conference of Restoration Elders
Sponsored by the Restoration Women’s Council
Highleah Townhouse Jobs
From: DAVE JOHNSON
lp849@att.net
Highleah Townhouse Jobs
HIGHLEAH TOWNHOUSES IS LOOKING FOR RELIABLE MAINTENANCE WORKERS; FULL TIME AND POSSIBLE PART TIME.
THE PROPERTY OFFERS "PAID" HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES, ALONG WITH VACATION AND SICK TIME.
DO YOU HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR EQUIVALENT WITH PROVEN EXPERIENCE?
FOR MORE DETAILS CALL BETSY AT:
816-421-1555 .
MAKE SURE YOU TELL HER THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT IT FROM DAVE JOHNSON !!!
GOOD LUCK......THIS OPENING COULD BE FILLED BY YOU! ...............
DAVE JOHNSON
lp849@att.net
Highleah Townhouse Jobs
HIGHLEAH TOWNHOUSES IS LOOKING FOR RELIABLE MAINTENANCE WORKERS; FULL TIME AND POSSIBLE PART TIME.
THE PROPERTY OFFERS "PAID" HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES, ALONG WITH VACATION AND SICK TIME.
DO YOU HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR EQUIVALENT WITH PROVEN EXPERIENCE?
FOR MORE DETAILS CALL BETSY AT:
816-421-1555 .
MAKE SURE YOU TELL HER THAT YOU HEARD ABOUT IT FROM DAVE JOHNSON !!!
GOOD LUCK......THIS OPENING COULD BE FILLED BY YOU! ...............
DAVE JOHNSON
Griffin Sale Canceled
Rebecca Griffin
centerplacemother@hotmail.com
Griffin Sale Canceled
Due to the volume of rain coming overnight and all day Saturday we have decided to close at the end of today.
For more info call 816-254-0610
centerplacemother@hotmail.com
Griffin Sale Canceled
Due to the volume of rain coming overnight and all day Saturday we have decided to close at the end of today.
For more info call 816-254-0610
RULE THOSE EMOTIONS!
From: Holly McLean
holly4candles@hotmail.com
RULE THOSE EMOTIONS!
MOMS, learn how to teach your child to rule over their emotions appropriately and stop struggling!
Listen to the podcast...
MOMS, CLICK HERE
The Mommy Answer Lady
holly4candles@hotmail.com
RULE THOSE EMOTIONS!
MOMS, learn how to teach your child to rule over their emotions appropriately and stop struggling!
Listen to the podcast...
MOMS, CLICK HERE
The Mommy Answer Lady
Pat Allen Property For Sale
----- Forwarded message -----
From: Kayla Dodds
booiebee1056@gmail.com
Pat Allen Property For Sale
Selling a beautiful 38 acre property with a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home.
Property includes an out building and a gorgeous pond.
Attached is a link to the listing.
Kayla Dodds
https://www.realtyexecutives.com/office/kansascity/propertydetails/14804-s-outer-belt-lone-jack-missouri-64070-2176681-lid95981456
From: Kayla Dodds
booiebee1056@gmail.com
Pat Allen Property For Sale
Selling a beautiful 38 acre property with a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home.
Property includes an out building and a gorgeous pond.
Attached is a link to the listing.
Kayla Dodds
https://www.realtyexecutives.com/office/kansascity/propertydetails/14804-s-outer-belt-lone-jack-missouri-64070-2176681-lid95981456
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Garage Sale - August 29 to 31
From: Rebecca Griffin
centerplacemother@hotmail.com
Garage Sale - August 29 to 31
Garage Sale
2010 S Vermont Ave
Independence MO
August 29, 30, 31
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
China cabinet, TV cabinet, household items, books, bedding, clothes, collectibles, etc.
Everything priced to sell.
For more info call 816-254-0610
centerplacemother@hotmail.com
Garage Sale - August 29 to 31
Garage Sale
2010 S Vermont Ave
Independence MO
August 29, 30, 31
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
China cabinet, TV cabinet, household items, books, bedding, clothes, collectibles, etc.
Everything priced to sell.
For more info call 816-254-0610
CPRS Junior Class Fundraiser
------ Forwarded message -----
From: Julia Anderson
cprsanderson@hotmail.com
CPRS Junior Class Fundraiser
Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, September 14
8:00 am – 11:00 am
Center Place Restoration School
819 W Waldo
Independence MO 64050
$6 per person - $25 for family up to 5
Pancakes and Syrup
(Gluten Free Pancakes and sugar free syrup also provided)
Scrambled Eggs
Sausage
Fruit
Milk/Juice
Tickets are available from a CPRS Junior Class member
Tickets also available at the door
From: Julia Anderson
cprsanderson@hotmail.com
CPRS Junior Class Fundraiser
Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, September 14
8:00 am – 11:00 am
Center Place Restoration School
819 W Waldo
Independence MO 64050
$6 per person - $25 for family up to 5
Pancakes and Syrup
(Gluten Free Pancakes and sugar free syrup also provided)
Scrambled Eggs
Sausage
Fruit
Milk/Juice
Tickets are available from a CPRS Junior Class member
Tickets also available at the door
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Restoration Christmas Choir to begin rehearsals
------ Forwarded message -----
From: Larry Ward
laward.01@comcast.net
Restoration Christmas Choir to begin rehearsals - You're invited to sing!
If you want to join the choir, send an email to:
laward.01@comcast.net
so we can have a folder ready for you.
Larry Ward
From: Larry Ward
laward.01@comcast.net
Restoration Christmas Choir to begin rehearsals - You're invited to sing!
If you want to join the choir, send an email to:
laward.01@comcast.net
so we can have a folder ready for you.
Larry Ward
Book of Mormon Study Class
From: Brianne Specker
brianne.specker@yahoo.com
Book of Mormon Study Class
You are invited to attend a Book of Mormon Study Class at Missionary Restoration Branch.
It starts on Sunday, September 8, from 6-7 pm.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Brian Mundy at 816-668-4521
or
John Mundy at 816-729-4336
More information is listed below.
brianne.specker@yahoo.com
Book of Mormon Study Class
You are invited to attend a Book of Mormon Study Class at Missionary Restoration Branch.
It starts on Sunday, September 8, from 6-7 pm.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Brian Mundy at 816-668-4521
or
John Mundy at 816-729-4336
More information is listed below.
Training Classes for ALL Priesthood
From: Janet Dickson
janet_e_dickson@yahoo.com
Training Classes for ALL Priesthood
Space is limited, please RSVP to:
janet_e_dickson@yahoo.com
janet_e_dickson@yahoo.com
Training Classes for ALL Priesthood
Space is limited, please RSVP to:
janet_e_dickson@yahoo.com
Meeting Reminder and Information
From: Muriel Luedeman
mur620@gmail.com
Meeting Reminder and Information
Dear IIAW Friends,
Our next general IIAW meeting is this evening, the 27th, at 6:30pm, at the Unity Center 803 W. 23rd Street. For this meeting we will hear reports from the committees on the various activities of the past month: The neighborhood work day on South Avenue, Unity Center renovation, the Jesus Store progress and needs, the health and wellness program, and orders taken for IIAW T shirts. Also, Ramona Austin of Olathe, Kansas and an IIAW volunteer will speak briefly on her skills and experience.
We are collecting supplies for Standing Rock Reservation. Pastor C at the request of the Standing Rock Council, is asking for donations of computers and printers as well as bikes. The residents can also use box fans, household goods, automotive and carpentry tools, sewing machines, personal hygiene items, winter clothing, blankets, bottled water, nonperishable food, etc. Bring items to the Unity Center today and tomorrow from 9-2. A caravan will take off for Standing Rock Thursday morning for the Labor Day weekend to distribute and minister to our beloved brothers and sisters in that region.
Please let your friends and people you do business with, know about the IIAW meetings and activities and the encouragements and helps to be found at the Unity Center. I will be happy to add their names to our email list.
Muriel Luedeman
IIAW Secretary
mur620@gmail.com
Meeting Reminder and Information
Dear IIAW Friends,
Our next general IIAW meeting is this evening, the 27th, at 6:30pm, at the Unity Center 803 W. 23rd Street. For this meeting we will hear reports from the committees on the various activities of the past month: The neighborhood work day on South Avenue, Unity Center renovation, the Jesus Store progress and needs, the health and wellness program, and orders taken for IIAW T shirts. Also, Ramona Austin of Olathe, Kansas and an IIAW volunteer will speak briefly on her skills and experience.
We are collecting supplies for Standing Rock Reservation. Pastor C at the request of the Standing Rock Council, is asking for donations of computers and printers as well as bikes. The residents can also use box fans, household goods, automotive and carpentry tools, sewing machines, personal hygiene items, winter clothing, blankets, bottled water, nonperishable food, etc. Bring items to the Unity Center today and tomorrow from 9-2. A caravan will take off for Standing Rock Thursday morning for the Labor Day weekend to distribute and minister to our beloved brothers and sisters in that region.
Please let your friends and people you do business with, know about the IIAW meetings and activities and the encouragements and helps to be found at the Unity Center. I will be happy to add their names to our email list.
Muriel Luedeman
IIAW Secretary
Monday, August 26, 2019
Historic Life of CORRIE TEN BOOM
From: Karen Brown
Historic Life of CORRIE TEN BOOM
Everyone Invited to come hear the Historic Life of CORRIE TEN BOOM and how she helped others and Witnessed of Jesus.
Friday, September 27, at 7:00 p.m.
Come to Atherton Restoration Branch
4910 North Main Street
Independence, MO
* $$ Donation Basket to help with Speakers Travel Expenses
***Please Share this Invitation
Historic Life of CORRIE TEN BOOM
Everyone Invited to come hear the Historic Life of CORRIE TEN BOOM and how she helped others and Witnessed of Jesus.
Friday, September 27, at 7:00 p.m.
Come to Atherton Restoration Branch
4910 North Main Street
Independence, MO
* $$ Donation Basket to help with Speakers Travel Expenses
***Please Share this Invitation
Mt. Zion Annual Fall Bicycle Ride
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Garrett Jones
18165003390@tmomail.net
Mt. Zion Annual Fall Bicycle Ride
Please note on your calendar that on Saturday, September 14th we (Mt. Zion) will hold our annual fall bicycle ride. The ride will be along the Little Blue Trace Trail in Independence. Again we'll meet at 8:30 a.m. at Dick's Sporting Goods at Independence Center Mall. Hopefully we'll start the ride at 9:00 a.m. As usual we'll transfer all bicycles to the truck and trailer to disperse them for each groups' choice of distance to ride. At the end of the ride will be prizes and the picnic. Don't forget to invite family and friends!
Call of R.S.V.P. So we can make our plans for the picnic.
Activity Directors, Garrett and Helen Jones
816-500-3390 (G)
816-500-3566 (H)
From: Garrett Jones
18165003390@tmomail.net
Mt. Zion Annual Fall Bicycle Ride
Please note on your calendar that on Saturday, September 14th we (Mt. Zion) will hold our annual fall bicycle ride. The ride will be along the Little Blue Trace Trail in Independence. Again we'll meet at 8:30 a.m. at Dick's Sporting Goods at Independence Center Mall. Hopefully we'll start the ride at 9:00 a.m. As usual we'll transfer all bicycles to the truck and trailer to disperse them for each groups' choice of distance to ride. At the end of the ride will be prizes and the picnic. Don't forget to invite family and friends!
Call of R.S.V.P. So we can make our plans for the picnic.
Activity Directors, Garrett and Helen Jones
816-500-3390 (G)
816-500-3566 (H)
September @019 Australian Restoratin News
------ Forwarded message -----
From: Noel Rowlatt
nandjrow@bigpond.com
September @019 Australian Restoratin News
Attached is our September Newsletter.
With kindest regards and many thanks,
In gospel bonds,
Noel Rowlatt
++++++++++++++++++++
AUSTRALIAN RESTORATION NEWS
SEPTEMBER, 2019
Around and About the Centre Place by High Priest Paul J. Gage, Independence, Missouri.
God's Blessings upon all the Saints of Australia, I trust the good Lord God Almighty has been and continues to bless each of you in His special way, as you go through each day. I doubt there is a person in the world who does not have daily struggles in dealing with life. How marvelous it is that we have Jesus Christ as our Savior, Shepherd, Light, Life, and all the other names by which He is known. I love, so much, the promise in DC 83:15 C. It tells us that there is no part of our lives that go without His watch care and protection also, angels around us to bear us up.
Brothers and Sisters, of all ages, don't ever forget how valuable and precious you are, as one individual, to our Lord, Jesus Christ. He knows our every struggle, doubt, fear, concern, etc. and is always true to His promise. He was praying for each of us in John 17:20. As He was praying for the disciples then, He also prays for you and me, because it says, " For them also which shall believe on Me through their word." We know the disciples, after Jesus ascended into Heaven, took the gospel to the world and the Church was established in many areas, and the rest is history. We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ today because someone shared the same gospel they had received from another and so the gospel is now to us in our day to share with all we can.
Jesus came to save us from our sins, so He knew we would sin. Many times we get down on ourselves and feel unworthy. That is when we need to go to God in mighty prayer and repentance and ask forgiveness for our sins. It is a promise that when we sincerely repent, He will forgive us. I like the scripture in Philippians 1 especially verse six. Read the whole chapter and be revived in Christ. You can pull up the lyrics to this song on the net. Look for "He who began a good work in you.” I also like I Corinthians 10:13 for the promise of Jesus. Many people misquote this verse by leaving off the last sentence. He shows us the way out of temptation. That verse is the same in the King James Version as it is in the Inspired Version, so no follower of Christ has to remain "lost," because the "way out" is to run to Jesus.
The reunion and camp season is history....His Story! Do you have a testimony of "His Story?" Share it. The Pastors of Zion Summer preaching series has also concluded. It ran from June 16-August 11. There were some excellent sermons during the series as well as at the In-town reunion. The final service was a youth service with a number of very good testimonies from the youth about their camping experiences this past summer. Many services were live-streamed and are available for viewing. The website is http://www.waldoavenuerestorationbranch.org
Centre Place Restoration School has started the fall session under the leadership of Brother Dan Schoenemann. This is his fourth year. Enrolment is up which is great news. They have a matching fund program to begin upgrading the sanctuary, pews and lighting. If anyone wants to help, let me know or you can contact Brother Schoenemann at CPRS.
September is a very important month, for the Church, because it was September 21, 1823, that Joseph Smith Jr was visited by an angel and told about the plates, from which came the Book of Mormon. You can find Joseph's testimony of this marvelous experience in Church History, Volume 1, Chapter 2. This would be a good time for each church member to review this part of our history. If you don't have the Church History Volumes, you can pull it up on CenterPlace.org and go to the library. September 14-15, 2019 is also the annual CRE priesthood retreat in Kirtland.
The missionary groups are all still functioning. ARM is planning another mission to Africa. Eric and Pam Odida from Kenya were with us for the in-town reunion. GEM has a current mission to Germany and England this month. LAMB is active in Central America and Mexico. Seventy Juan Reyes and wife, Tina, from Mexico were with us for the In-town reunion. SEAAM is planning a mission to Mindanao in the southern Philippines in October. There is also a mission to Nepal and India this fall. Brother Ram Baral, from Nepal was with us for the in-town reunion.
For those who may not yet know, Sister Judith Hawley is now Sister Judith Davis. She was married to Elder Bob Davis of the Lexington, Missouri Restoration Branch on Sunday August 18, 2019. They will be living in Odessa, Missouri and attending the Lexington Branch. Another item of news: Elder Dan Schwartz is serving as pastor at the Belton, Missouri Restoration Branch this year. May The Lord be praised for all the blessings we received that week! To God be the Glory!
God bless and keep you til we meet again.
****************
Riches From The Scriptures by Elder Neil Kerswell, Queensland, Australia Vol 4 Chapter 3 Atonement
Many years ago I taught a class at a Reunion at Mount Glorious just outside of Brisbane. It was great to get away from Brisbane where temperatures can reach 37 degrees Celsius, and be extremely humid that time of year and go up the mountain where it was much nicer. The class was on the atonement, many of the ideas originated in High Priest brother Loving, from Coorparoo Branch. He wrote a book with much greater detail and understanding than what we will share today. However I hope you find it interesting. Description - The ‘atonement’ is the heart of Christian theology which means simply: God created man: man fell: God planned to redeem him and Jesus Christ was the way through which redemption was accomplished.
Creation
[Genesis 1:27] And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so.
[Genesis 1:28] And I, God, said, Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[Genesis 1:29] And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.
[Genesis 1:30] And I, God, blessed them and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
From these words we see that God has Creative Power, upon which all existence rests. As created beings we are in the likeness of God, not by accident or chance, but by design and creative purpose. It is easy to see why Satan influences worldly people today to dismiss our creation and say it was chance over long periods of time, choosing to believe in a state of chaos rather than a state of intelligent creation under the authority of God Himself.
What is the purpose of our creation?
[2 Ne 1:115] Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
[2 Ne 1:116] And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.
God made mankind that they might have joy. The fullness of Joy God intends for us is Eternal Life with Him in this world and the next. The need for a saviour is raised here, giving us to know we are accountable beings over a stewardship of life.
Fall of Man
God gave Laws unto Adam and Eve, the purpose of law is found in D&C 85: 8A-B
[Sec 85:8a] And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law, is also preserved by law, and perfected and sanctified by the same.
[Sec 85:8b] That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, can not be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, or judgment; therefore, they must remain filthy still.
True law initiated by God, Preserves, Perfects, and Sanctifies those whom it governs. In the absence of law, the strongest oppress the weak because of a lack of moral consciousness. Law begins a knowledge of good and evil. Man was given a simple test of obedience to God’s law in the beginning. However Satan the father of lies sought opportunity to destroy the works of God by alienating man. Thankfully God knew of his plan and from the very beginning prepared a way for man’s escape.
[Genesis 3:6] And now, the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which I, the Lord God, had made.
[Genesis 3:7] And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, for he had drawn away many after him; and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God; wherefore, he sought to destroy the world.
[Genesis 3:8] And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And he spake by the mouth of the serpent.
[Genesis 3:9] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[Genesis 3:10] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[Genesis 3:11] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
[Genesis 3:12] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they had been naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
[Genesis 3:13] And they heard the voice of the Lord God, as they were walking in the garden, in the cool of the day.
[Genesis 3:14] And Adam and his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden.
[Genesis 3:15] And I, the Lord God, called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where goest thou? And he said, I heard thy voice, in the garden, and I was afraid, because I beheld that I was naked, and I hid myself.
[Genesis 3:16] And I, the Lord God, said unto Adam, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, if so thou shouldst surely die?
Satan could not use today’s tactics of doing away with God entirely in the minds of people, because Adam and Eve knew God existed. God visited them and spoke to them face to face from time to time in the Garden environment. Therefore Satan sought to destroy the works of God by using a twist on God’s law to expose Adam and Eve to God’s Justice and Punishment which cannot be denied; therefore he hoped to destroy what God had started. Satan told Eve you shall not surely die and that her eyes would be opened to know Good and Evil like God. This was partly true, they didn’t die immediately in the physical sense and Law does bring a knowledge of Good and Evil. However Satan failed to tell her the instant they sinned they died spiritually separating themselves from the presence of God because God is holy and cannot look upon sin in the least degree of allowance. They were created to live forever in the beginning, however with the effects of sin in their natural bodies they would die physically many years later because sin brings death.
[Gen 3:28] And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and partake also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever;
[Gen 3:29] Therefore, I, the Lord God, will send him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken;
[Gen 3:30] For, as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for, as they go forth out of my mouth, they must be fulfilled.
[Gen 3:31] So I drove out the man, and I placed at the east of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Spiritual Death is to be separated from God in His Fullness of light and truth. After what Adam and Eve had done, they could no longer live in the fullness of God’s presence. This wasn’t their end though, God’s wisdom, love and Mercy would prevail with all whose hearts were humble and willing to listen and seek obedience. God could not allow them to partake of the Tree of Life and live forever being enemies to God. We must die to the things of this world through Repentance and Baptism
Genesis 4:4-13
[Gen 4:4] And Adam called upon the name of the Lord, and Eve also, his wife; and they heard the voice of the Lord, from the way towards the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence.
[Gen 4:5] And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God; and should offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord.
[Gen 4:6] And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
[Gen 4:7] And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth;
[Gen 4:8] Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest, in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon God, in the name of the Son for evermore.
[Gen 4:9] And in that day, the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever; that, as thou hast fallen, thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will.
[Gen 4:10] And in that day Adam blessed God, and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth; saying, Blessed be the name of God, for, because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again, in the flesh I shall see God.
[Gen 4:11] And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying, Were it not for our transgression, we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
[Gen 4:12] And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God; and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
[Gen 4:13] And Satan came among them, saying, I am also a son of God, and he commanded them, saying, Believe it not. And they believed it not; and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual and devilish.
Adam & Eve received a great hope in their redemption, and instilled in their children faith in God and the message of the good news of Christ. However the battle with evil would be ongoing through upcoming generations.
Redemption in and through Jesus Christ
Redemption is the act of bringing something back, regaining possession of something once possessed. God created man and gave him Agency (freedom of choice.) Satan knowing this tempted Eve to use her agency selfishly and in turn tempted Adam. By their disobedient choice they became servants of sin or in other words they had bowed their knee to Satan and fulfilled his evil desires. Therefore they had God’s punishment brought upon them. They died spiritually first, being separated from God who gave them life & intelligence. Secondly they died physically many years later, giving them opportunity for repentance while they were still alive.
Redemption in the case of man meant opening the opportunity for him to be reborn spiritually and resurrected (reunited body and spirit) from physical death. Christ made all this possible. For by the actions of man sinning brought death in the flesh. Christ took upon himself sinful flesh and was sinless, therefore condemning sin in the flesh. Being raised to life and opening the door unto all who would be obedient unto repentance and follow their Lord and their Redeemer, down into the waters of baptism, symbolically burying the man of sin and rising anew. Being born of God’s spirit in preparation for receiving a glorious resurrection. Being changed in the twinkling of an eye.
Terms in relation to Atonement
Law: The body of rules recognised by its inhabitants as binding on members. God’s law is true, preserves and protects the obedient. Where there is law there inevitably must be agency. Agency implies the existence of intelligence to understand the purpose and effect of law. Without which the law is nullified and the virtues of obedience non-existent.
Redemption: The act of bringing back, regaining of something once possessed. (We are God’s twice, He made us and when we left him and couldn’t get back of our own accord, he then bought us with the greatest price! Himself.
Justice: Fair dealing with deserved reward or punishment.
Punishment: Being punished, suffering pain or loss.
Mercy: More kindness than justice requires, kindness beyond what can be expected or claimed, kindness or mildness shown to an enemy, Pity.
Repentance: Is the relinquishment of any practice, from the conviction that it has offended God. Repentance implies reform “ceasing to do evil and learning to do good”. Genuine repentance involves bringing restitution to any injured parties resulting from our sin. True repentance is a condition of god’s forgiveness to all who know of his ways.
To help with further understanding on the atonement please read (2nd Nephi 1:61-128, Alma 19: 82-106 for an inspired description). May this information be blessed to the understanding of all who read in Jesus name, Amen.
***************
Tamworth News submitted by Sr. Helen Archer.
We continue to Meet each week in our homes. Deacon Roy and Sister Daphne Schubert are back home now from their holiday. We met with Brother Bob each week while they were away. They had a lovely time and caught some fish and had some relatives come and visit them. We had a lovely Service on Sunday at the Archers residence with Elder Peter Archer Presiding and a lunch after. Brother Bob is in Sydney with his Sister for a visit.
We also celebrated Brother Bob”s Birthday with his family on the weekend of the 8th of August.
Peter and Helen were invited to a handing over a property of the Aboriginal Land Council being handed over to the Local Aboriginal Lands Council. Peter and David do work on their machinery out on the property quiet often. It was held on the property 50kms West of Tamworth. They have done a lot of work on the facilities and have made it so they can have functions like Weddings and camps there. We have a lot to do with the manager of the farm and family and enjoyed watching the ceremony and the local School children dancing traditional Aboriginal Dances . There was also a lunch afterwards.
Please continue to pray for rain for Tamworth as it us urgently needed, Thank you
****************
Victoria News. Church of Jesus Christ Restoration Branch. Kelvin View, Euroa.
Reported by Elder Murray Broughton, Pastor
21-7-19. Church in Euroa--at our home.
Text Matthew 5 : 50..Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. Service on Commandments.- old and New Teatament . Second Book of Nephi ,Third Nephi & D.C.
28 -7- 19.Church at Kelvin View Hall.
Class on [ one true church]. John vision of the Church
Revelation Chapter 12 D&C 32: 2 . D&.C 1 : 5.
Mother of Harlots - Revelations Chapter 17 . seven heads -Mountains in Rome.
31-7 -19. Bible Study in our Home.
Acts chapter 8 and Chapter 9
4- 8- 19. Church at Kelvin View Hall. Sacrament Service
Sermon - Acts 10: 38-42..-- John 6: 48 -51.
11-8 -19. Church in Euroa in our home. Sacrament Service
Sermon 1 Peter 1: 19-25. 1 John 3: 1-4.
We picked up Sr. Dawn Mackrell ,92 years old and we had lunch together after service.
18- 8 - 19. Church at Kelvin View Hall
Sermon - Matthew Chapter 5 ,and some of Chapter 6
Christ teaching on the mount.- Beatitudes.
followed by Bussiness Meeting. .
I thank you all for remembering me, and praying for me, I am walking now without walking stick: Also
abig thank you to all who have given to help the work in the Philippines.
Philippines News-- We had the sad news our Nephew passed away in Agno, Philippines..
****************
Special Page commencing next month for the Australian Unattached in the next issue.
Last month we announced a new section in The Australian Restoration News with the aim being to help you, our Australian Church members who don’t have the opportunity of receiving regular ministry and fellowship. Be assured that you are an integral part of the body of Christ. We are allocating a page each month specifically with your needs in mind. We needed a special person to head this up and we are very happy to announce that Sr, -Melissa Game who lives in the Newcastle Area, has enthusiastically agreed to produce that segment of our Newsletter. For those of you who may not have met Melissa, you will find she is a very personable and caring young lady who is very easy to talk to. She would love to hear from any saints in Australia who are isolated. About 10 years ago she edited and printed the Australian News until she and husband David had two children, This is your opportunity to broaden your personal involvement with fellow members of the church. Melissa will include her contact details in the next month’s Newsletter. In the meantime her home phone number is 02 4981 8810
(I can hardly wait for next month to come around to view Melissa’s page! Editor)
Please include in your daily prayers the following people who are in need of a blessing Gwen Whately, Gary Rowlatt Alma & Janice Kerswell George Parker Jonathon Page
Audrey Kerswell Adrienne & Robert Windsor Michael & Patty Fulton Gregory Mackrell, Kevin Dowell. Jennifer Sutor
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST RESTORATION BRANCH, KINGSTON 17-19 Juers Street, Kingston, Queensland. Pastor: Elder Alma Kerswell. Phone 07 3800 1151
ACTIVITY SCHEDULE. SEPTEMBER 2019.
Sun. 1st. 10.00 a.m. COMMUNION SERVICE. Elder G.Melling asstd.by Priest G.Kerswell
Musical Item for Service. Linda Myers
Sun. 8th. 9.50 a.m. Hymn Sing: Elsie Melling Flowers: Rebecca Melling 10.00 a.m. PREACHING SERVICE. Elder N.Rowlatt asstd.by Elder N.Melling
Musical Item for Service. Rebecca and Cathy Melling
11.10 a.m. Class. Elder N.Churchill
Sun. 15th. 9.50 a.m. Hymn Sing: Bethany Melling Flowers: Janice Kerswell
10.00 a.m. PREACHING SERVICE. Elder A.Kerswell asstd.by Elder N.Rowlatt
Musical Item for Service. Glenn Kerswell
11.10 a.m. Class. Elder N.Melling
Sun. 22nd. 9.50 a.m. Hymn Sing: Rebecca Melling Flowers: Del Churchill
10.00 a.m. PREACHING SERVICE. Elder N.Churchill asstd.by Elder N.Melling
Musical Item for Service. Linda Myers
11.10 a.m. Class. Priest G.Kerswell
Sun. 29th NO SERVICE
BRANCH NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS for Kingston Branch..
Birthdays. Happy Birthday Wishes to the following people on their Special Day in September
Happy Birthday Wishes to the following people on their Special Day.
Emma Kerswell on the 9th. Gwen Whately on the 14th. Roslyn Lakelin on the 23rd.
Lee Churchill on the 27th. Joshua Kerswell on the 30th.
****************
Contributions to the Australian Restoration News need to come by the 20th of the month and must be submitted by email if possible.Email details are nandjrow@bigpond.com.au Phone contact: 07 3824 8386
We would love to have contributions from isolated members in Australia; articles or testimonies or just greetings. We would also like to hear from American saints who have ministered in Australia.
If you do not have access to an internet facility and would like to post your article to me, I will try and have it typed and included, but I would need to receive it by the 18th of the month for inclusion in the next issue. Postal details are as follows: Noel Rowlatt, 6 Wetheral Place, Alexandra Hills. Q4161
From: Noel Rowlatt
nandjrow@bigpond.com
September @019 Australian Restoratin News
Attached is our September Newsletter.
With kindest regards and many thanks,
In gospel bonds,
Noel Rowlatt
++++++++++++++++++++
AUSTRALIAN RESTORATION NEWS
SEPTEMBER, 2019
Around and About the Centre Place by High Priest Paul J. Gage, Independence, Missouri.
God's Blessings upon all the Saints of Australia, I trust the good Lord God Almighty has been and continues to bless each of you in His special way, as you go through each day. I doubt there is a person in the world who does not have daily struggles in dealing with life. How marvelous it is that we have Jesus Christ as our Savior, Shepherd, Light, Life, and all the other names by which He is known. I love, so much, the promise in DC 83:15 C. It tells us that there is no part of our lives that go without His watch care and protection also, angels around us to bear us up.
Brothers and Sisters, of all ages, don't ever forget how valuable and precious you are, as one individual, to our Lord, Jesus Christ. He knows our every struggle, doubt, fear, concern, etc. and is always true to His promise. He was praying for each of us in John 17:20. As He was praying for the disciples then, He also prays for you and me, because it says, " For them also which shall believe on Me through their word." We know the disciples, after Jesus ascended into Heaven, took the gospel to the world and the Church was established in many areas, and the rest is history. We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ today because someone shared the same gospel they had received from another and so the gospel is now to us in our day to share with all we can.
Jesus came to save us from our sins, so He knew we would sin. Many times we get down on ourselves and feel unworthy. That is when we need to go to God in mighty prayer and repentance and ask forgiveness for our sins. It is a promise that when we sincerely repent, He will forgive us. I like the scripture in Philippians 1 especially verse six. Read the whole chapter and be revived in Christ. You can pull up the lyrics to this song on the net. Look for "He who began a good work in you.” I also like I Corinthians 10:13 for the promise of Jesus. Many people misquote this verse by leaving off the last sentence. He shows us the way out of temptation. That verse is the same in the King James Version as it is in the Inspired Version, so no follower of Christ has to remain "lost," because the "way out" is to run to Jesus.
The reunion and camp season is history....His Story! Do you have a testimony of "His Story?" Share it. The Pastors of Zion Summer preaching series has also concluded. It ran from June 16-August 11. There were some excellent sermons during the series as well as at the In-town reunion. The final service was a youth service with a number of very good testimonies from the youth about their camping experiences this past summer. Many services were live-streamed and are available for viewing. The website is http://www.waldoavenuerestorationbranch.org
Centre Place Restoration School has started the fall session under the leadership of Brother Dan Schoenemann. This is his fourth year. Enrolment is up which is great news. They have a matching fund program to begin upgrading the sanctuary, pews and lighting. If anyone wants to help, let me know or you can contact Brother Schoenemann at CPRS.
September is a very important month, for the Church, because it was September 21, 1823, that Joseph Smith Jr was visited by an angel and told about the plates, from which came the Book of Mormon. You can find Joseph's testimony of this marvelous experience in Church History, Volume 1, Chapter 2. This would be a good time for each church member to review this part of our history. If you don't have the Church History Volumes, you can pull it up on CenterPlace.org and go to the library. September 14-15, 2019 is also the annual CRE priesthood retreat in Kirtland.
The missionary groups are all still functioning. ARM is planning another mission to Africa. Eric and Pam Odida from Kenya were with us for the in-town reunion. GEM has a current mission to Germany and England this month. LAMB is active in Central America and Mexico. Seventy Juan Reyes and wife, Tina, from Mexico were with us for the In-town reunion. SEAAM is planning a mission to Mindanao in the southern Philippines in October. There is also a mission to Nepal and India this fall. Brother Ram Baral, from Nepal was with us for the in-town reunion.
For those who may not yet know, Sister Judith Hawley is now Sister Judith Davis. She was married to Elder Bob Davis of the Lexington, Missouri Restoration Branch on Sunday August 18, 2019. They will be living in Odessa, Missouri and attending the Lexington Branch. Another item of news: Elder Dan Schwartz is serving as pastor at the Belton, Missouri Restoration Branch this year. May The Lord be praised for all the blessings we received that week! To God be the Glory!
God bless and keep you til we meet again.
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Riches From The Scriptures by Elder Neil Kerswell, Queensland, Australia Vol 4 Chapter 3 Atonement
Many years ago I taught a class at a Reunion at Mount Glorious just outside of Brisbane. It was great to get away from Brisbane where temperatures can reach 37 degrees Celsius, and be extremely humid that time of year and go up the mountain where it was much nicer. The class was on the atonement, many of the ideas originated in High Priest brother Loving, from Coorparoo Branch. He wrote a book with much greater detail and understanding than what we will share today. However I hope you find it interesting. Description - The ‘atonement’ is the heart of Christian theology which means simply: God created man: man fell: God planned to redeem him and Jesus Christ was the way through which redemption was accomplished.
Creation
[Genesis 1:27] And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so.
[Genesis 1:28] And I, God, said, Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[Genesis 1:29] And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.
[Genesis 1:30] And I, God, blessed them and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
From these words we see that God has Creative Power, upon which all existence rests. As created beings we are in the likeness of God, not by accident or chance, but by design and creative purpose. It is easy to see why Satan influences worldly people today to dismiss our creation and say it was chance over long periods of time, choosing to believe in a state of chaos rather than a state of intelligent creation under the authority of God Himself.
What is the purpose of our creation?
[2 Ne 1:115] Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
[2 Ne 1:116] And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.
God made mankind that they might have joy. The fullness of Joy God intends for us is Eternal Life with Him in this world and the next. The need for a saviour is raised here, giving us to know we are accountable beings over a stewardship of life.
Fall of Man
God gave Laws unto Adam and Eve, the purpose of law is found in D&C 85: 8A-B
[Sec 85:8a] And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law, is also preserved by law, and perfected and sanctified by the same.
[Sec 85:8b] That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, can not be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, or judgment; therefore, they must remain filthy still.
True law initiated by God, Preserves, Perfects, and Sanctifies those whom it governs. In the absence of law, the strongest oppress the weak because of a lack of moral consciousness. Law begins a knowledge of good and evil. Man was given a simple test of obedience to God’s law in the beginning. However Satan the father of lies sought opportunity to destroy the works of God by alienating man. Thankfully God knew of his plan and from the very beginning prepared a way for man’s escape.
[Genesis 3:6] And now, the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which I, the Lord God, had made.
[Genesis 3:7] And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, for he had drawn away many after him; and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God; wherefore, he sought to destroy the world.
[Genesis 3:8] And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And he spake by the mouth of the serpent.
[Genesis 3:9] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[Genesis 3:10] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[Genesis 3:11] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
[Genesis 3:12] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they had been naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
[Genesis 3:13] And they heard the voice of the Lord God, as they were walking in the garden, in the cool of the day.
[Genesis 3:14] And Adam and his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden.
[Genesis 3:15] And I, the Lord God, called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where goest thou? And he said, I heard thy voice, in the garden, and I was afraid, because I beheld that I was naked, and I hid myself.
[Genesis 3:16] And I, the Lord God, said unto Adam, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, if so thou shouldst surely die?
Satan could not use today’s tactics of doing away with God entirely in the minds of people, because Adam and Eve knew God existed. God visited them and spoke to them face to face from time to time in the Garden environment. Therefore Satan sought to destroy the works of God by using a twist on God’s law to expose Adam and Eve to God’s Justice and Punishment which cannot be denied; therefore he hoped to destroy what God had started. Satan told Eve you shall not surely die and that her eyes would be opened to know Good and Evil like God. This was partly true, they didn’t die immediately in the physical sense and Law does bring a knowledge of Good and Evil. However Satan failed to tell her the instant they sinned they died spiritually separating themselves from the presence of God because God is holy and cannot look upon sin in the least degree of allowance. They were created to live forever in the beginning, however with the effects of sin in their natural bodies they would die physically many years later because sin brings death.
[Gen 3:28] And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and partake also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever;
[Gen 3:29] Therefore, I, the Lord God, will send him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken;
[Gen 3:30] For, as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for, as they go forth out of my mouth, they must be fulfilled.
[Gen 3:31] So I drove out the man, and I placed at the east of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Spiritual Death is to be separated from God in His Fullness of light and truth. After what Adam and Eve had done, they could no longer live in the fullness of God’s presence. This wasn’t their end though, God’s wisdom, love and Mercy would prevail with all whose hearts were humble and willing to listen and seek obedience. God could not allow them to partake of the Tree of Life and live forever being enemies to God. We must die to the things of this world through Repentance and Baptism
Genesis 4:4-13
[Gen 4:4] And Adam called upon the name of the Lord, and Eve also, his wife; and they heard the voice of the Lord, from the way towards the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence.
[Gen 4:5] And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God; and should offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord.
[Gen 4:6] And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
[Gen 4:7] And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth;
[Gen 4:8] Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest, in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon God, in the name of the Son for evermore.
[Gen 4:9] And in that day, the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever; that, as thou hast fallen, thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will.
[Gen 4:10] And in that day Adam blessed God, and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth; saying, Blessed be the name of God, for, because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again, in the flesh I shall see God.
[Gen 4:11] And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying, Were it not for our transgression, we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
[Gen 4:12] And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God; and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
[Gen 4:13] And Satan came among them, saying, I am also a son of God, and he commanded them, saying, Believe it not. And they believed it not; and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual and devilish.
Adam & Eve received a great hope in their redemption, and instilled in their children faith in God and the message of the good news of Christ. However the battle with evil would be ongoing through upcoming generations.
Redemption in and through Jesus Christ
Redemption is the act of bringing something back, regaining possession of something once possessed. God created man and gave him Agency (freedom of choice.) Satan knowing this tempted Eve to use her agency selfishly and in turn tempted Adam. By their disobedient choice they became servants of sin or in other words they had bowed their knee to Satan and fulfilled his evil desires. Therefore they had God’s punishment brought upon them. They died spiritually first, being separated from God who gave them life & intelligence. Secondly they died physically many years later, giving them opportunity for repentance while they were still alive.
Redemption in the case of man meant opening the opportunity for him to be reborn spiritually and resurrected (reunited body and spirit) from physical death. Christ made all this possible. For by the actions of man sinning brought death in the flesh. Christ took upon himself sinful flesh and was sinless, therefore condemning sin in the flesh. Being raised to life and opening the door unto all who would be obedient unto repentance and follow their Lord and their Redeemer, down into the waters of baptism, symbolically burying the man of sin and rising anew. Being born of God’s spirit in preparation for receiving a glorious resurrection. Being changed in the twinkling of an eye.
Terms in relation to Atonement
Law: The body of rules recognised by its inhabitants as binding on members. God’s law is true, preserves and protects the obedient. Where there is law there inevitably must be agency. Agency implies the existence of intelligence to understand the purpose and effect of law. Without which the law is nullified and the virtues of obedience non-existent.
Redemption: The act of bringing back, regaining of something once possessed. (We are God’s twice, He made us and when we left him and couldn’t get back of our own accord, he then bought us with the greatest price! Himself.
Justice: Fair dealing with deserved reward or punishment.
Punishment: Being punished, suffering pain or loss.
Mercy: More kindness than justice requires, kindness beyond what can be expected or claimed, kindness or mildness shown to an enemy, Pity.
Repentance: Is the relinquishment of any practice, from the conviction that it has offended God. Repentance implies reform “ceasing to do evil and learning to do good”. Genuine repentance involves bringing restitution to any injured parties resulting from our sin. True repentance is a condition of god’s forgiveness to all who know of his ways.
To help with further understanding on the atonement please read (2nd Nephi 1:61-128, Alma 19: 82-106 for an inspired description). May this information be blessed to the understanding of all who read in Jesus name, Amen.
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Tamworth News submitted by Sr. Helen Archer.
We continue to Meet each week in our homes. Deacon Roy and Sister Daphne Schubert are back home now from their holiday. We met with Brother Bob each week while they were away. They had a lovely time and caught some fish and had some relatives come and visit them. We had a lovely Service on Sunday at the Archers residence with Elder Peter Archer Presiding and a lunch after. Brother Bob is in Sydney with his Sister for a visit.
We also celebrated Brother Bob”s Birthday with his family on the weekend of the 8th of August.
Peter and Helen were invited to a handing over a property of the Aboriginal Land Council being handed over to the Local Aboriginal Lands Council. Peter and David do work on their machinery out on the property quiet often. It was held on the property 50kms West of Tamworth. They have done a lot of work on the facilities and have made it so they can have functions like Weddings and camps there. We have a lot to do with the manager of the farm and family and enjoyed watching the ceremony and the local School children dancing traditional Aboriginal Dances . There was also a lunch afterwards.
Please continue to pray for rain for Tamworth as it us urgently needed, Thank you
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Victoria News. Church of Jesus Christ Restoration Branch. Kelvin View, Euroa.
Reported by Elder Murray Broughton, Pastor
21-7-19. Church in Euroa--at our home.
Text Matthew 5 : 50..Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. Service on Commandments.- old and New Teatament . Second Book of Nephi ,Third Nephi & D.C.
28 -7- 19.Church at Kelvin View Hall.
Class on [ one true church]. John vision of the Church
Revelation Chapter 12 D&C 32: 2 . D&.C 1 : 5.
Mother of Harlots - Revelations Chapter 17 . seven heads -Mountains in Rome.
31-7 -19. Bible Study in our Home.
Acts chapter 8 and Chapter 9
4- 8- 19. Church at Kelvin View Hall. Sacrament Service
Sermon - Acts 10: 38-42..-- John 6: 48 -51.
11-8 -19. Church in Euroa in our home. Sacrament Service
Sermon 1 Peter 1: 19-25. 1 John 3: 1-4.
We picked up Sr. Dawn Mackrell ,92 years old and we had lunch together after service.
18- 8 - 19. Church at Kelvin View Hall
Sermon - Matthew Chapter 5 ,and some of Chapter 6
Christ teaching on the mount.- Beatitudes.
followed by Bussiness Meeting. .
I thank you all for remembering me, and praying for me, I am walking now without walking stick: Also
abig thank you to all who have given to help the work in the Philippines.
Philippines News-- We had the sad news our Nephew passed away in Agno, Philippines..
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Special Page commencing next month for the Australian Unattached in the next issue.
Last month we announced a new section in The Australian Restoration News with the aim being to help you, our Australian Church members who don’t have the opportunity of receiving regular ministry and fellowship. Be assured that you are an integral part of the body of Christ. We are allocating a page each month specifically with your needs in mind. We needed a special person to head this up and we are very happy to announce that Sr, -Melissa Game who lives in the Newcastle Area, has enthusiastically agreed to produce that segment of our Newsletter. For those of you who may not have met Melissa, you will find she is a very personable and caring young lady who is very easy to talk to. She would love to hear from any saints in Australia who are isolated. About 10 years ago she edited and printed the Australian News until she and husband David had two children, This is your opportunity to broaden your personal involvement with fellow members of the church. Melissa will include her contact details in the next month’s Newsletter. In the meantime her home phone number is 02 4981 8810
(I can hardly wait for next month to come around to view Melissa’s page! Editor)
Please include in your daily prayers the following people who are in need of a blessing Gwen Whately, Gary Rowlatt Alma & Janice Kerswell George Parker Jonathon Page
Audrey Kerswell Adrienne & Robert Windsor Michael & Patty Fulton Gregory Mackrell, Kevin Dowell. Jennifer Sutor
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST RESTORATION BRANCH, KINGSTON 17-19 Juers Street, Kingston, Queensland. Pastor: Elder Alma Kerswell. Phone 07 3800 1151
ACTIVITY SCHEDULE. SEPTEMBER 2019.
Sun. 1st. 10.00 a.m. COMMUNION SERVICE. Elder G.Melling asstd.by Priest G.Kerswell
Musical Item for Service. Linda Myers
Sun. 8th. 9.50 a.m. Hymn Sing: Elsie Melling Flowers: Rebecca Melling 10.00 a.m. PREACHING SERVICE. Elder N.Rowlatt asstd.by Elder N.Melling
Musical Item for Service. Rebecca and Cathy Melling
11.10 a.m. Class. Elder N.Churchill
Sun. 15th. 9.50 a.m. Hymn Sing: Bethany Melling Flowers: Janice Kerswell
10.00 a.m. PREACHING SERVICE. Elder A.Kerswell asstd.by Elder N.Rowlatt
Musical Item for Service. Glenn Kerswell
11.10 a.m. Class. Elder N.Melling
Sun. 22nd. 9.50 a.m. Hymn Sing: Rebecca Melling Flowers: Del Churchill
10.00 a.m. PREACHING SERVICE. Elder N.Churchill asstd.by Elder N.Melling
Musical Item for Service. Linda Myers
11.10 a.m. Class. Priest G.Kerswell
Sun. 29th NO SERVICE
BRANCH NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS for Kingston Branch..
Birthdays. Happy Birthday Wishes to the following people on their Special Day in September
Happy Birthday Wishes to the following people on their Special Day.
Emma Kerswell on the 9th. Gwen Whately on the 14th. Roslyn Lakelin on the 23rd.
Lee Churchill on the 27th. Joshua Kerswell on the 30th.
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Contributions to the Australian Restoration News need to come by the 20th of the month and must be submitted by email if possible.Email details are nandjrow@bigpond.com.au Phone contact: 07 3824 8386
We would love to have contributions from isolated members in Australia; articles or testimonies or just greetings. We would also like to hear from American saints who have ministered in Australia.
If you do not have access to an internet facility and would like to post your article to me, I will try and have it typed and included, but I would need to receive it by the 18th of the month for inclusion in the next issue. Postal details are as follows: Noel Rowlatt, 6 Wetheral Place, Alexandra Hills. Q4161
MOMS, STOP THAT SCREAMING TODDLER!
From: Holly McLean
holly4candles@hotmail.com
MOMS, STOP THAT SCREAMING TODDLER!
Stop that screaming toddler!
YOU CAN DO IT!
MOMS, CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW!
The Mommy Answer Lady
www.mommyanswerlady.com
holly4candles@hotmail.com
MOMS, STOP THAT SCREAMING TODDLER!
Stop that screaming toddler!
YOU CAN DO IT!
MOMS, CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW!
The Mommy Answer Lady
www.mommyanswerlady.com
Independence Is Alive and Well Initiative Upcoming events
From: Muriel L
mur620@gmail.com
Independence Is Alive and Well Initiative Upcoming events
Dear IIAW Friends,
The Unity Center of Independence, 803 W. 23rd Street, is collecting supplies for Standing Rock Reservation, ND, Monday through Wednesday from 9am to 2pm. Box fans, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, winter clothing, household goods, bikes, sewing machines, carpentry and automotive tools.
Pastor Carline of Team Jesus says they have room for about 10 bikes this trip. The caravan will are leave Thursday morning.
The next general IIAW Initiative meeting will be this Tuesday evening, August 27th at 6:30pm at the Unity Center.
Agenda:
Progress reports from the various committees Helps and encouragements for personal ministry in the community
Unity Center renovation
Developing community services ministry
Jesus store provision and volunteer needs
Introduction of individual skills/experience
The IIAW is an alliance of all faiths to bring help and spiritual transformation to our community.
Thank you to all of you who have shown interest and support for this effort. We are greatly blessed and grateful.
Muriel Luedeman
IIAW Initiative
Communication Secretary
mur620@gmail.com
Independence Is Alive and Well Initiative Upcoming events
Dear IIAW Friends,
The Unity Center of Independence, 803 W. 23rd Street, is collecting supplies for Standing Rock Reservation, ND, Monday through Wednesday from 9am to 2pm. Box fans, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, winter clothing, household goods, bikes, sewing machines, carpentry and automotive tools.
Pastor Carline of Team Jesus says they have room for about 10 bikes this trip. The caravan will are leave Thursday morning.
The next general IIAW Initiative meeting will be this Tuesday evening, August 27th at 6:30pm at the Unity Center.
Agenda:
Progress reports from the various committees Helps and encouragements for personal ministry in the community
Unity Center renovation
Developing community services ministry
Jesus store provision and volunteer needs
Introduction of individual skills/experience
The IIAW is an alliance of all faiths to bring help and spiritual transformation to our community.
Thank you to all of you who have shown interest and support for this effort. We are greatly blessed and grateful.
Muriel Luedeman
IIAW Initiative
Communication Secretary
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Kirtland Retreat Announcement and Schedule
From: Horn, Vim
HornW@umkc.edu
Kirtland Retreat Announcement and Schedule
Dear Brethren
Below is the schedule for the Kirtland priesthood retreat in September. For the first time we have been granted permission to conduct a Sacrament service in the Kirtland Temple. This is historic and we are very appreciative for this opportunity.
Please consider participating in the retreat this year and take a minute to register online through the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KirtlandRegistration2019
HornW@umkc.edu
Kirtland Retreat Announcement and Schedule
Dear Brethren
Below is the schedule for the Kirtland priesthood retreat in September. For the first time we have been granted permission to conduct a Sacrament service in the Kirtland Temple. This is historic and we are very appreciative for this opportunity.
Please consider participating in the retreat this year and take a minute to register online through the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KirtlandRegistration2019
Friday, August 23, 2019
Update and Prayer Request from Hal Edwards
From: Harold Edwards
hredwards47@gmail.com
Update and Prayer Request from Hal Edwards
I want to thank everyone for the consideration in their prayers the last couple of weeks.
My friend at work whose son was having cancer surgery is doing pretty well. The surgery was successful and now they just wait for the test results. I'm sure they can always use prayers. But I thank you for praying for them,
My dad had his cochlear implant surgery yesterday and it was successful as well. Now we wait for healing and the followup visits to see if it will help his hearing. I thank you for your prayers for him as well.
The prayers of the saints are mighty, and it is a Mighty God we pray to.
Hal Edwards
hredwards47@gmail.com
Update and Prayer Request from Hal Edwards
I want to thank everyone for the consideration in their prayers the last couple of weeks.
My friend at work whose son was having cancer surgery is doing pretty well. The surgery was successful and now they just wait for the test results. I'm sure they can always use prayers. But I thank you for praying for them,
My dad had his cochlear implant surgery yesterday and it was successful as well. Now we wait for healing and the followup visits to see if it will help his hearing. I thank you for your prayers for him as well.
The prayers of the saints are mighty, and it is a Mighty God we pray to.
Hal Edwards
Accompanist needed for Oak Grove Choirs
Accompanist needed for Oak Grove Choirs
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Oak Grove High School is in need of an accompanist for the choir program. This would entail playing for rehearsals, programs, for the high school choirs plus occasionally for the middle school concerts and contests. This is a full time paid position and an excellent opportunity for someone with a desire to fulfill and share their musical talent. If unable to commit to a full time position, it could be temporary until someone is found to fill the position.
If interested, call or text Katie Wright at 816-668-5364 and she will pass your information along
or contact Charity Schuup directly at 816-739-3808
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Oak Grove High School is in need of an accompanist for the choir program. This would entail playing for rehearsals, programs, for the high school choirs plus occasionally for the middle school concerts and contests. This is a full time paid position and an excellent opportunity for someone with a desire to fulfill and share their musical talent. If unable to commit to a full time position, it could be temporary until someone is found to fill the position.
If interested, call or text Katie Wright at 816-668-5364 and she will pass your information along
or contact Charity Schuup directly at 816-739-3808
Francis Harper Message for 8/23/2019
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 8/23/2019
The Principle of Multiple Witnesses
Jesus said; “. . . in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Mathew 18:16).
Even from the beginning this principle was understood. “The Pharaoh of Egypt dreamed two dreams. And, behold, there came up out of the river [Nile] seven well-favored kine [cattle] and fat-fleshed . . . And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed . . . And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat upon the well-favored kine and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke” (Genesis 41:2-4).
“And he slept and dreamed the second time; and behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke . . .” (Genesis 41:5-7).
“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; . . . And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have heard say of thee that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer . . .” (Genesis 41:14-16).
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is one; God hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years. And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine . . . Behold there come seven years of great plenty . . . and there shall arise after them seven years of famine” (Genesis 41:25-27, 29-30).
Joseph concluded his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream by explaining the principle of the double or multiple witnesses: “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass” (Genesis 41:32).
Moses also taught the principle of multiple witnesses. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death” (Deuteronomy 17:6). “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Paul counseled Timothy: “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19). He also mentioned the principle of multiple witnesses in his letter to the Hebrews: “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses” (Hebrews 10:28).
We should not be surprised that Moroni was told that he would be privileged to show the plates upon which the record of his people were recorded to three witnesses: “And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God, and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost beareth record; and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day. And if it so be that they repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received into the kingdom of God” (Ether 2:3-4). God has given The Book of Mormon to the world as a second witness of his Son, who is Christ the Lord.
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Dear Ones,
I have shared Pharaoh’s dreams and other scriptures supporting the principle of multiple witnesses in the message preceding this letter because this principle can help us determine the credibility of the prophetic message given to Marty Vreden in 2015. Multiple witnesses support his testimony which I am sending to you for your prayerful consideration. It is titled:
“I Am Coming Soon”
For many years, Marty was a police officer in Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, near West Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains. The stress of his occupation, added to his other health issues, culminated in an acute respiratory failure on July 17, 2015.
On that morning, his wife took him to the emergency room at the Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg. After a battery of tests in the ER, he was transferred to the critical care unit. While enroute to the CCU, he stopped breathing and went into code blue. This was fully documented by the medical personnel involved.
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The first encounter with the Lord – July 17, 2015
After going into code blue, Marty experienced the sensation of moving very rapidly through a tunnel. When he emerged from the tunnel, he immediately heard the voice of the Lord. The voice was undeniable and unmistakable. It was the voice of the Lord. He said, “My church does not really believe that I am coming back soon.” He repeated those same words a second time, and a third time. He said, “My church does not really believe that I am coming back soon.” The third time the words were spoken with more volume and more passion than before: “MY CHURCH DOES NOT REALLY BELIEVE I AM COMING BACK SOON!”
At this point Marty said, “Lord, Lord, we do believe you are coming back soon. We sing about it, preach about it, teach about it . . . .” But the Lord replied, “MY CHURCH DOES NOT BELIEVE I AM COMING BACK SOON, FOR IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD NOT BE LIVING LIKE THEY ARE!”
Then he said, very lovingly, “I AM COMING BACK SOON AND MY CHURCH IS NOT READY.” He continued, “Now you go back and tell the things you have heard, and know that your message will not be received.”
The first year Marty did not go public with the news of his experience. He felt he should go to the pastors first. He shared with about 50 pastors privately. Just as the Lord had said, the message was not received by the pastors, but there was one disabled pastor of a backwoods church who invited him to come preach. He preached to about twelve people. The Lord moved powerfully and touched the hearts and lives of the people who heard his message that morning.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The second encounter with the Lord – August 14, 2015
On August 14, 2015, Marty was transferred from Rockingham Memorial Hospital to the University of Virginia Transitional Care Facility. During his first night there he had his second encounter with the Lord. He, like the Apostle Paul, could say, “Whether in the body or out of the body,” he could not say.
After falling asleep, he saw an oval shaft of light that grew in size and intensity. Suddenly Marty realized he was standing in a huge football stadium, but he was the only person there. He saw a football sitting on the two-yard line. When he looked at the scoreboard, he saw the numbers 2:13. Then he heard the same voice he had heard before, saying, “My church should be living as though this is a two-minute warning.”
The Lord knew Marty would understand the significance of a two-minute warning in an NFL (National Football League) game. He knew Marty was a huge football fan. Marty realized that in that last 120 seconds, with the ball on the two-yard line, victory or defeat would be determined. The referee was about to blow the whistle.
The next morning, Marty was back in his wheelchair again. He was thinking of his vision, and the two-minute warning, when he heard a knock on the door of his room. He responded, “Come in,” and two ladies entered. One was a physical therapist and the other an occupational therapist. After some discussion, related to their specialties, the physical therapist asked Marty, “Do you consider yourself a man of faith?” His response was, “I certainly have not lived it; I have made a lot of mistakes. I have had a lot of failures, but I am a follower of Jesus.”
The women smiled at each other, and one said, “We had no intentions of coming to see you this morning. As we were on our way to see other patients and as we came by your room, we saw super-imposed upon your door the number two. We wondered about the meaning of this strange thing. We were prompted by the Spirit to come in and ask you.” Marty responded with, “The lord is coming soon. The two-minute warning has sounded.” It had sounded only hours before.
After the first year, doors have started to open, giving Marty more opportunities to share his testimony. Later, while praying in his living room one day, he asked the Lord, “Why did I see 2:13 instead of just the number 2?” The Lord told him to turn to Titus 2:13: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 8/23/2019
The Principle of Multiple Witnesses
Jesus said; “. . . in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Mathew 18:16).
Even from the beginning this principle was understood. “The Pharaoh of Egypt dreamed two dreams. And, behold, there came up out of the river [Nile] seven well-favored kine [cattle] and fat-fleshed . . . And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed . . . And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat upon the well-favored kine and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke” (Genesis 41:2-4).
“And he slept and dreamed the second time; and behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke . . .” (Genesis 41:5-7).
“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; . . . And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have heard say of thee that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer . . .” (Genesis 41:14-16).
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is one; God hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years. And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine . . . Behold there come seven years of great plenty . . . and there shall arise after them seven years of famine” (Genesis 41:25-27, 29-30).
Joseph concluded his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream by explaining the principle of the double or multiple witnesses: “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass” (Genesis 41:32).
Moses also taught the principle of multiple witnesses. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death” (Deuteronomy 17:6). “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
Paul counseled Timothy: “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19). He also mentioned the principle of multiple witnesses in his letter to the Hebrews: “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses” (Hebrews 10:28).
We should not be surprised that Moroni was told that he would be privileged to show the plates upon which the record of his people were recorded to three witnesses: “And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God, and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost beareth record; and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day. And if it so be that they repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received into the kingdom of God” (Ether 2:3-4). God has given The Book of Mormon to the world as a second witness of his Son, who is Christ the Lord.
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Dear Ones,
I have shared Pharaoh’s dreams and other scriptures supporting the principle of multiple witnesses in the message preceding this letter because this principle can help us determine the credibility of the prophetic message given to Marty Vreden in 2015. Multiple witnesses support his testimony which I am sending to you for your prayerful consideration. It is titled:
“I Am Coming Soon”
For many years, Marty was a police officer in Harrisonburg, Virginia; Rockingham County, near West Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains. The stress of his occupation, added to his other health issues, culminated in an acute respiratory failure on July 17, 2015.
On that morning, his wife took him to the emergency room at the Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg. After a battery of tests in the ER, he was transferred to the critical care unit. While enroute to the CCU, he stopped breathing and went into code blue. This was fully documented by the medical personnel involved.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The first encounter with the Lord – July 17, 2015
After going into code blue, Marty experienced the sensation of moving very rapidly through a tunnel. When he emerged from the tunnel, he immediately heard the voice of the Lord. The voice was undeniable and unmistakable. It was the voice of the Lord. He said, “My church does not really believe that I am coming back soon.” He repeated those same words a second time, and a third time. He said, “My church does not really believe that I am coming back soon.” The third time the words were spoken with more volume and more passion than before: “MY CHURCH DOES NOT REALLY BELIEVE I AM COMING BACK SOON!”
At this point Marty said, “Lord, Lord, we do believe you are coming back soon. We sing about it, preach about it, teach about it . . . .” But the Lord replied, “MY CHURCH DOES NOT BELIEVE I AM COMING BACK SOON, FOR IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD NOT BE LIVING LIKE THEY ARE!”
Then he said, very lovingly, “I AM COMING BACK SOON AND MY CHURCH IS NOT READY.” He continued, “Now you go back and tell the things you have heard, and know that your message will not be received.”
The first year Marty did not go public with the news of his experience. He felt he should go to the pastors first. He shared with about 50 pastors privately. Just as the Lord had said, the message was not received by the pastors, but there was one disabled pastor of a backwoods church who invited him to come preach. He preached to about twelve people. The Lord moved powerfully and touched the hearts and lives of the people who heard his message that morning.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The second encounter with the Lord – August 14, 2015
On August 14, 2015, Marty was transferred from Rockingham Memorial Hospital to the University of Virginia Transitional Care Facility. During his first night there he had his second encounter with the Lord. He, like the Apostle Paul, could say, “Whether in the body or out of the body,” he could not say.
After falling asleep, he saw an oval shaft of light that grew in size and intensity. Suddenly Marty realized he was standing in a huge football stadium, but he was the only person there. He saw a football sitting on the two-yard line. When he looked at the scoreboard, he saw the numbers 2:13. Then he heard the same voice he had heard before, saying, “My church should be living as though this is a two-minute warning.”
The Lord knew Marty would understand the significance of a two-minute warning in an NFL (National Football League) game. He knew Marty was a huge football fan. Marty realized that in that last 120 seconds, with the ball on the two-yard line, victory or defeat would be determined. The referee was about to blow the whistle.
The next morning, Marty was back in his wheelchair again. He was thinking of his vision, and the two-minute warning, when he heard a knock on the door of his room. He responded, “Come in,” and two ladies entered. One was a physical therapist and the other an occupational therapist. After some discussion, related to their specialties, the physical therapist asked Marty, “Do you consider yourself a man of faith?” His response was, “I certainly have not lived it; I have made a lot of mistakes. I have had a lot of failures, but I am a follower of Jesus.”
The women smiled at each other, and one said, “We had no intentions of coming to see you this morning. As we were on our way to see other patients and as we came by your room, we saw super-imposed upon your door the number two. We wondered about the meaning of this strange thing. We were prompted by the Spirit to come in and ask you.” Marty responded with, “The lord is coming soon. The two-minute warning has sounded.” It had sounded only hours before.
After the first year, doors have started to open, giving Marty more opportunities to share his testimony. Later, while praying in his living room one day, he asked the Lord, “Why did I see 2:13 instead of just the number 2?” The Lord told him to turn to Titus 2:13: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
1999 Mercury Mountaineer For Sale
From: Linley Tate
ltate@wntigers.net
1999 Mercury Mountaineer For Sale
This vehicle has 178,000 miles on it and is a V8 and AWD. It is not currently running and has been sitting for a while. J. Howard Automotive told me it needs a new battery and fuel pump to get it running again. The tires are newer with only 20,000 miles on them. The radiator was also replaced a few years ago. It was a very reliable college vehicle for me, and will need a deep clean. Please email me an offer or if you have any questions about it. Thank you!
Linley Tate-Ioanis
linley_tate@hotmail.com
ltate@wntigers.net
1999 Mercury Mountaineer For Sale
This vehicle has 178,000 miles on it and is a V8 and AWD. It is not currently running and has been sitting for a while. J. Howard Automotive told me it needs a new battery and fuel pump to get it running again. The tires are newer with only 20,000 miles on them. The radiator was also replaced a few years ago. It was a very reliable college vehicle for me, and will need a deep clean. Please email me an offer or if you have any questions about it. Thank you!
Linley Tate-Ioanis
linley_tate@hotmail.com
Men have Forgotten God
----- Forwarded message -----
From: LYLE SMITH
smith.lyle@usa.net
Men have Forgotten God
Dear Saints and friends,
Some years ago Sherrie and I lived for some years close to some of the Steppes of Central Asia. Some of them are north of the main ridge of the Hindu Kush Mountains which are a spur of the Himalayan Mountains. While driving through them we could also look across the Oxus River into what was then the Soviet Union. We did so on several occasions. Some years earlier we had lived in India right at the foot of the Himalayas. In more recent years I have had the ongoing wonderful opportunity to go to Nepal and Sikkim. Because of these opportunities I have had an abiding interest in Central Asia.
So, a few weeks ago I came across an article written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn about Christianity in Russia, titled "Men Have Forgotten God". I feel the Lord keeps reminding me to share it with you. Will anyone see the parallels between what happen in Russia in the 1920s and what is happening now.
God Bless,
Lyle Smith
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‘Men Have Forgotten God’
1983 Templeton Address
By Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/12/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-men-have-forgotten-god-speech/
Editor’s Note: This article, which originally ran in the July 22, 1983, issue of National Review, is adapted from the address Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn gave on the occasion of his acceptance, in London on May 10, 1983, of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. In announcing the 1983 award, the Templeton Foundation described Mr. Solzhenitsyn as “a pioneer in the renaissance of religion in atheist nations.” Mr. Solzhenitsyn ’s introductory remarks were made at the awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace, with Prince Philip presiding. The address proper was delivered later the same day at the London Guildhall. Today, December 11, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of Mr. Solzhenitsyn’s birth.
I. The Response
Your Royal Highness: Permit me to express my appreciation to you for taking part in this ceremony. Your participation lends special dignity to these proceedings.
This is the first time that the Templeton Prize has been awarded to an Orthodox Christian. With gratitude that our share in the religious life of the world has now been accorded notice, I remain acutely conscious of my personal unworthiness to receive this award as I look back upon the venerable line of outstanding Orthodox churchmen and of Orthodox thinkers from Aleksey Khomyakov to Sergei Bulgakov. And I am very much aware that Eastern Slavic Orthodoxy, which, during the 65 years of Communist rule, has been subjected to persecution even fiercer and more extensive than that of early Christian times, has had—and still has today—many hands worthier than mine to accept it. Beginning with Vladimir Bogoyavlensky, metropolitan of Kiev, shot by the Communists before the walls of the Kievo-Pechersky Monastery at the dawn of the Lenin era, the list would extend to the intrepid priest Gleb Yakunin, who is enduring torments today, under Andropov: Forcibly deprived of all outward symbols of his priesthood, and even of the right to have the Gospels, Father Yakunin has for months at a time been held in a freezing stone cubicle, without bed, clothes, or food.
In this persecution-filled age, it is appropriate that my own very first memory should be of Chekists in pointed caps entering St. Panteleimon’s Church in Kislovodsk, interrupting the service, and crashing their way into the sanctuary in order to loot. And later, when I started going to school in Rostov-on-Don — passing on my way a kilometer-long compound of the Cheka-GPU and a glittering sign of the League of Militant Atheists — schoolchildren egged on by Komsomol members taunted me for accompanying my mother to the last remaining church in town and tore the cross from around my neck.
Orthodox churches were stripped of their valuables in 1922 at the instigation of Lenin and Trotsky. In subsequent years, including both the Stalin and the Khrushchev periods, tens of thousands of churches were torn down or desecrated, leaving behind a disfigured wasteland that bore no resemblance to Russia such as it had stood for centuries. Entire districts and cities of half a million inhabitants were left without a single church. Our people were condemned to live in this dark and mute wilderness for decades, groping their way to God and keeping to this course by trial and error. The grip of oppression that we have lived under, and continue to live under, has been so great that religion, instead of leading to a free blossoming of the spirit, has been manifested in asserting the faith on the brink of destruction, or else on the seductive frontiers of Marxist rhetoric, where so many souls have come to grief.
The statement of the Templeton Foundation shows an understanding of how the Orthodox spiritual tradition has maintained its vitality in our land despite the forcible promotion of atheism. If even a fraction of those words should find their way to my motherland past the jamming devices, this will bolster the spirits of our believers, assuring them that they have not been forgotten, and that their steadfastness inspires courage even here.
The centralized atheism before whose armed might the whole world trembles still hates and fears this unarmed faith as much today as it did 60 years ago. Yes! All the savage persecutions loosed upon our people by a murderous state atheism, coupled with the corroding effect of its lies, and an avalanche of stultifying propaganda — all of these together have proven weaker than the thousand-year-old faith of our nation. This faith has not been destroyed; it remains the most sublime, the most cherished gift to which our lives and consciousness can attain.
II. The Templeton Address
More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
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Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our Revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
What is more, the events of the Russian Revolution can only be understood now, at the end of the century, against the background of what has since occurred in the rest of the world. What emerges here is a process of universal significance. And if I were called upon to identify briefly the principal trait of the entire 20th century, here too, I would be unable to find anything more precise and pithy than to repeat once again: “Men have forgotten God.” The failings of human consciousness, deprived of its divine dimension, have been a determining factor in all the major crimes of this century. The first of these was World War I, and much of our present predicament can be traced back to it. It was a war (the memory of which seems to be fading) when Europe, bursting with health and abundance, fell into a rage of self-mutilation which could not but sap its strength for a century or more, and perhaps forever. The only possible explanation for this war is a mental eclipse among the leaders of Europe due to their lost awareness of a Supreme Power above them. Only a godless embitterment could have moved ostensibly Christian states to employ poison gas, a weapon so obviously beyond the limits of humanity.
The same kind of defect, the flaw of a consciousness lacking all divine dimension, was manifested after World War II when the West yielded to the satanic temptation of the “nuclear umbrella.” It was equivalent to saying: Let’s cast off worries, let’s free the younger generation from their duties and obligations, let’s make no effort to defend ourselves, to say nothing of defending others — let’s stop our ears to the groans emanating from the East, and let us live instead in the pursuit of happiness. If danger should threaten us, we shall be protected by the nuclear bomb; if not, then let the world burn in Hell for all we care. The pitifully helpless state to which the contemporary West has sunk is in large measure due to this fatal error: the belief that the defense of peace depends not on stout hearts and steadfast men, but solely on the nuclear bomb.
Only the loss of that higher intuition that comes from God could have allowed the West to accept calmly, after World War I, the protracted agony of Russia as she was being torn apart by a band of cannibals, or to accept, after World War II, the similar dismemberment of Eastern Europe. The West did not perceive that this was in fact the beginning of a lengthy process that spells disaster for the whole world; indeed, the West has done a good deal to help the process along. Only once in this century did the West gather strength — for the battle against Hitler. But the fruits of that victory have long since been lost. Faced with cannibalism, our godless age has discovered the perfect anesthetic — trade! Such is the pathetic pinnacle of contemporary wisdom.
Today’ s world has reached a stage which, if it had been described to preceding centuries, would have called forth the cry: “This is the Apocalypse!”
Yet we have grown used to this kind of world; we even feel at home in it.
Dostoevsky warned that “great events could come upon us and catch us intellectually unprepared.” This is precisely what has happened. And he predicted that “the world will be saved only after it has been possessed by the demon of evil.” Whether it really will be saved we shall have to wait and see: this will depend on our conscience, on our spiritual lucidity, on our individual and combined efforts in the face of catastrophic circumstances. But it has already come to pass that the demon of evil, like a whirlwind, triumphantly circles all five continents of the earth.
We are witnesses to the devastation of the world, be it imposed or voluntarily undergone. The entire 20th century is being sucked into the vortex of atheism and self-destruction. This plunge into the abyss has aspects that are unquestionably global, dependent neither on political systems, nor on levels of economic and cultural development, nor yet on national peculiarities. And present-day Europe, seemingly so unlike the Russia of 1913, is today on the verge of the same collapse, for all that it has been reached by a different route. Different parts of the world have followed different paths, but today they are all approaching the threshold of a common ruin.
In its past, Russia did know a time when the social ideal was not fame, or riches, or material success, but a pious way of life. Russia was then steeped in an Orthodox Christianity which remained true to the Church of the first centuries. The Orthodoxy of that time knew how to safeguard its people under the yoke of a foreign occupation that lasted more than two centuries, while at the same time fending off iniquitous blows from the swords of Western crusaders. During those centuries the Orthodox faith in our country became part of the very pattern of thought and the personality of our people, the forms of daily life, the work calendar, the priorities in every undertaking, the organization of the week and of the year. Faith was the shaping and unifying force of the nation.
But in the 17th century Russian Orthodoxy was gravely weakened by an internal schism. In the 18th, the country was shaken by Peter’s forcibly imposed transformations, which favored the economy, the state, and the military at the expense of the religious spirit and national life. And along with this lopsided Petrine enlightenment, Russia felt the first whiff of secularism; its subtle poisons permeated the educated classes in the course of the 19th century and opened the path to Marxism. By the time of the Revolution, faith had virtually disappeared in Russian educated circles; and amongst the uneducated, its health was threatened.
It was Dostoevsky, once again, who drew from the French Revolution and its seeming hatred of the Church the lesson that “revolution must necessarily begin with atheism.” That is absolutely true. But the world had never before known a godlessness as organized, militarized, and tenaciously malevolent as that practiced by Marxism. Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, hatred of God is the principal driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions. Militant atheism is not merely incidental or marginal to Communist policy; it is not a side effect, but the central pivot. To achieve its diabolical ends. Communism needs to control a population devoid of religious and national feeling, and this entails the destruction of faith and nationhood. Communists proclaim both of these objectives openly, and just as openly go about carrying them out. The degree to which the atheistic world longs to annihilate religion, the extent to which religion sticks in its throat, was demonstrated by the web of intrigue surrounding the recent attempts on the life of the Pope.
The 1920’s in the USSR witnessed an uninterrupted procession of victims and martyrs amongst the Orthodox clergy. Two metropolitans were shot, one of whom, Veniamin of Petrograd, had been elected by the popular vote of his diocese. Patriarch Tikhon himself passed through the hands of the Cheka-GPU and then died under suspicious circumstances. Scores of archbishops and bishops perished. Tens of thousands of priests, monks, and nuns, pressured by the Chekists to renounce the Word of God, were tortured, shot in cellars, sent to camps, exiled to the desolate tundra of the far North, or turned out into the streets in their old age without food or shelter. All these Christian martyrs went unswervingly to their deaths for the faith; instances of apostasy were few and far between.
For tens of millions of laymen access to the Church was blocked, and they were forbidden to bring up their children in the Faith: religious parents were wrenched from their children and thrown into prison, while the children were turned from the faith by threats and lies. One could argue that the pointless destruction of Russia’s rural economy in the 1930s — the so-called de-kulakization and collectivization, which brought death to 15 million peasants while making no economic sense at all — was enforced with such cruelty, first and foremost, for the purpose of destroying our national way of life and of extirpating religion from the countryside. The same policy of spiritual perversion operated throughout the brutal world of the Gulag Archipelago, where men were encouraged to survive at the cost of the lives of others. And only atheists bereft of reason could have decided upon the ultimate brutality — against the Russian land itself — that is being planned in the USSR today: The Russian north is to be flooded, the flow of the northern rivers reversed, the life of the Arctic Ocean disrupted, and the water channeled southward, toward lands already devastated by earlier, equally foolhardy “feats of Communist construction.”
For a short period of time, when he needed to gather strength for the struggle against Hitler, Stalin cynically adopted a friendly posture toward the Church. This deceptive game, continued in later years by Brezhnev with the help of showcase publications and other window dressing, has unfortunately tended to be taken at its face value in the West. Yet the tenacity with which hatred of religion is rooted in Communism may be judged by the example of their most liberal leader, Khrushchev: for though he undertook a number of significant steps to extend freedom, Khrushchev simultaneously rekindled the frenzied Leninist obsession with destroying religion.
But there is something they did not expect: that in a land where churches have been leveled, where a triumphant atheism has rampaged uncontrolled for two-thirds of a century, where the clergy is utterly humiliated and deprived of all independence, where what remains of the Church as an institution is tolerated only for the sake of propaganda directed at the West, where even today people are sent to the labor camps for their faith, and where, within the camps themselves, those who gather to pray at Easter are clapped in punishment cells–they could not suppose that beneath this Communist steamroller the Christian tradition would survive in Russia. It is true that millions of our countrymen have been corrupted and spiritually devastated by an officially imposed atheism, yet there remain many millions of believers: it is only external pressures that keep them from speaking out, but, as is always the case in times of persecution and suffering, the awareness of God in my country has attained great acuteness and profundity.
It is here that we see the dawn of hope: for no matter how formidably Communism bristles with tanks and rockets, no matter what successes it attains in seizing the planet, it is doomed never to vanquish Christianity.
The West has yet to experience a Communist invasion; religion here remains free. But the West’s own historical evolution has been such that today it too is experiencing a drying up of religious consciousness. It too has witnessed racking schisms, bloody religious wars, and rancor, to say nothing of the tide of secularism that, from the late Middle Ages onward, has progressively inundated the West. This gradual sapping of strength from within is a threat to faith that is perhaps even more dangerous than any attempt to assault religion violently from without.
Imperceptibly, through decades of gradual erosion, the meaning of life in the West has ceased to be seen as anything more lofty than the “pursuit of happiness, “a goal that has even been solemnly guaranteed by constitutions. The concepts of good and evil have been ridiculed for several centuries; banished from common use, they have been replaced by political or class considerations of short-lived value. It has become embarrassing to state that evil makes its home in the individual human heart before it enters a political system. Yet it is not considered shameful to make daily concessions to an integral evil. Judging by the continuing landslide of concessions made before the eyes of our very own generation, the West is ineluctably slipping toward the abyss. Western societies are losing more and more of their religious essence as they thoughtlessly yield up their younger generation to atheism. If a blasphemous film about Jesus is shown throughout the United States, reputedly one of the most religious countries in the world, or a major newspaper publishes a shameless caricature of the Virgin Mary, what further evidence of godlessness does one need? When external rights are completely unrestricted, why should one make an inner effort to restrain oneself from ignoble acts?
Or why should one refrain from burning hatred, whatever its basis ― race, class, or ideology? Such hatred is in fact corroding many hearts today. Atheist teachers in the West are bringing up a younger generation in a spirit of hatred of their own society. Amid all the vituperation we forget that the defects of capitalism represent the basic flaws of human nature, allowed unlimited freedom together with the various human rights; we forget that under Communism (and Communism is breathing down the neck of all moderate forms of socialism, which are unstable) the identical flaws run riot in any person with the least degree of authority; while everyone else under that system does indeed attain “equality”― the equality of destitute slaves.
This eager fanning of the flames of hatred is becoming the mark of today’s free world. Indeed, the broader the personal freedoms are, the higher the level of prosperity or even of abundance – the more vehement, paradoxically, does this blind hatred become. The contemporary developed West thus demonstrates by its own example that human salvation can be found neither in the profusion of material goods nor in merely making money.
This deliberately nurtured hatred then spreads to all that is alive, to life itself, to the world with its colors, sounds, and shapes, to the human body. The embittered art of the 20th century is perishing as a result of this ugly hate, for art is fruitless without love. In the East art has collapsed because it has been knocked down and trampled upon, but in the West the fall has been voluntary, a decline into a contrived and pretentious quest where the artist, instead of attempting to reveal the divine plan, tries to put himself in the place of God.
Here again we witness the single outcome of a worldwide process, with East and West yielding the same results, and once again for the same reason: Men have forgotten God.
Confronted by the onslaught of worldwide atheism, believers are disunited and frequently bewildered. And yet the Christian (or post-Christian) world would do well to note the example of the Far East. I have recently had an opportunity to observe in Free China and in Japan how, despite their apparently less clearly defined religious concepts, and despite the same unassailable “freedom of choice” that exists in the West, both the younger generation and society as a whole have preserved their moral sensibility to a greater degree than the West has, and have been less affected by the destructive spirit of secularism.
What can one say about the lack of unity among the various religions, if Christianity has itself become so fragmented? In recent years the major Christian churches have taken steps toward reconciliation. But these measures are far too slow; the world is perishing a hundred times more quickly. No one expects the churches to merge or to revise all their doctrines, but only to present a common front against atheism. Yet even for such a purpose the steps taken are much too slow.
There does exist an organized movement for the unification of the churches, but it presents an odd picture. The World Council of Churches seems to care more for the success of revolutionary movements in the Third World, all the while remaining blind and deaf to the persecution of religion where this is carried through most consistently — in the USSR. No one can fail to see the facts; must one conclude, then, that it is deemed expedient not to see, not to get involved? But if that is the case, what remains of Christianity?
It is with profound regret that I must note here something which I cannot pass over in silence. My predecessor in the receipt of this prize last year — in the very month that the award was made — lent public support to Communist lies by his deplorable statement that he had not noticed the persecution of religion in the USSR. Before the multitude of those who have perished and who are oppressed today, may God be his judge.
It seems more and more apparent that even with the most sophisticated of political maneuvers, the noose around the neck of mankind draws tighter and more hopeless with every passing decade, and there seems to be no way out for anyone — neither nuclear, nor political, nor economic, nor ecological. That is indeed the way things appear to be.
With such global events looming over us like mountains, nay, like entire mountain ranges, it may seem incongruous and inappropriate to recall that the primary key to our being or non-being resides in each individual human heart, in the heart’s preference for specific good or evil. Yet this remains true even today, and it is, in fact, the most reliable key we have. The social theories that promised so much have demonstrated their bankruptcy, leaving us at a dead end. The free people of the West could reasonably have been expected to realize that they are beset by numerous freely nurtured falsehoods, and not to allow lies to be foisted upon them so easily. All attempts to find a way out of the plight of today’s world are fruitless unless we redirect our consciousness, in repentance, to the Creator of all: without this, no exit will be illumined, and we shall seek it in vain. The resources we have set aside for ourselves are too impoverished for the task. We must first recognize the horror perpetrated not by some outside force, not by class or national enemies, but within each of us individually, and within every society. This is especially true of a free and highly developed society, for here in particular we have surely brought everything upon ourselves, of our own free will. We ourselves, in our daily unthinking selfishness, are pulling tight that noose.
Let us ask ourselves: Are not the ideals of our century false? And is not our glib and fashionable terminology just as unsound, a terminology that offers superficial remedies for every difficulty? Each of them, in whatever sphere, must be subjected to a clear-eyed scrutiny while there is still time. The solution to the crisis will not be found along the well-trodden paths of conventional thinking.
Our life consists not in the pursuit of material success but in the quest for worthy spiritual growth. Our entire earthly existence is but a transitional stage in the movement toward something higher, and we must not stumble and fall, nor must we linger fruitlessly on one rung of the ladder. Material laws alone do not explain our life or give it direction. The laws of physics and physiology will never reveal the indisputable manner in which the Creator constantly, day in and day out, participates in the life of each of us, unfailingly granting us the energy of existence; when this assistance leaves us, we die. And in the life of our entire planet, the Divine Spirit surely moves with no less force: this we must grasp in our dark and terrible hour.
To the ill-considered hopes of the last two centuries, which have reduced us to insignificance and brought us to the brink of nuclear and non-nuclear death, we can propose only a determined quest for the warm hand of God, which we have so rashly and self-confidently spurned. Only in this way can our eyes be opened to the errors of this unfortunate 20th century and our bands be directed to setting them right. There is nothing else to cling to in the landslide: the combined vision of all the thinkers of the Enlightenment amounts to nothing.
Our five continents are caught in a whirlwind. But it is during trials such as these that the highest gifts of the human spirit are manifested. If we perish and lose this world, the fault will be ours alone.
From: LYLE SMITH
smith.lyle@usa.net
Men have Forgotten God
Dear Saints and friends,
Some years ago Sherrie and I lived for some years close to some of the Steppes of Central Asia. Some of them are north of the main ridge of the Hindu Kush Mountains which are a spur of the Himalayan Mountains. While driving through them we could also look across the Oxus River into what was then the Soviet Union. We did so on several occasions. Some years earlier we had lived in India right at the foot of the Himalayas. In more recent years I have had the ongoing wonderful opportunity to go to Nepal and Sikkim. Because of these opportunities I have had an abiding interest in Central Asia.
So, a few weeks ago I came across an article written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn about Christianity in Russia, titled "Men Have Forgotten God". I feel the Lord keeps reminding me to share it with you. Will anyone see the parallels between what happen in Russia in the 1920s and what is happening now.
God Bless,
Lyle Smith
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
‘Men Have Forgotten God’
1983 Templeton Address
By Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/12/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-men-have-forgotten-god-speech/
Editor’s Note: This article, which originally ran in the July 22, 1983, issue of National Review, is adapted from the address Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn gave on the occasion of his acceptance, in London on May 10, 1983, of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. In announcing the 1983 award, the Templeton Foundation described Mr. Solzhenitsyn as “a pioneer in the renaissance of religion in atheist nations.” Mr. Solzhenitsyn ’s introductory remarks were made at the awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace, with Prince Philip presiding. The address proper was delivered later the same day at the London Guildhall. Today, December 11, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of Mr. Solzhenitsyn’s birth.
I. The Response
Your Royal Highness: Permit me to express my appreciation to you for taking part in this ceremony. Your participation lends special dignity to these proceedings.
This is the first time that the Templeton Prize has been awarded to an Orthodox Christian. With gratitude that our share in the religious life of the world has now been accorded notice, I remain acutely conscious of my personal unworthiness to receive this award as I look back upon the venerable line of outstanding Orthodox churchmen and of Orthodox thinkers from Aleksey Khomyakov to Sergei Bulgakov. And I am very much aware that Eastern Slavic Orthodoxy, which, during the 65 years of Communist rule, has been subjected to persecution even fiercer and more extensive than that of early Christian times, has had—and still has today—many hands worthier than mine to accept it. Beginning with Vladimir Bogoyavlensky, metropolitan of Kiev, shot by the Communists before the walls of the Kievo-Pechersky Monastery at the dawn of the Lenin era, the list would extend to the intrepid priest Gleb Yakunin, who is enduring torments today, under Andropov: Forcibly deprived of all outward symbols of his priesthood, and even of the right to have the Gospels, Father Yakunin has for months at a time been held in a freezing stone cubicle, without bed, clothes, or food.
In this persecution-filled age, it is appropriate that my own very first memory should be of Chekists in pointed caps entering St. Panteleimon’s Church in Kislovodsk, interrupting the service, and crashing their way into the sanctuary in order to loot. And later, when I started going to school in Rostov-on-Don — passing on my way a kilometer-long compound of the Cheka-GPU and a glittering sign of the League of Militant Atheists — schoolchildren egged on by Komsomol members taunted me for accompanying my mother to the last remaining church in town and tore the cross from around my neck.
Orthodox churches were stripped of their valuables in 1922 at the instigation of Lenin and Trotsky. In subsequent years, including both the Stalin and the Khrushchev periods, tens of thousands of churches were torn down or desecrated, leaving behind a disfigured wasteland that bore no resemblance to Russia such as it had stood for centuries. Entire districts and cities of half a million inhabitants were left without a single church. Our people were condemned to live in this dark and mute wilderness for decades, groping their way to God and keeping to this course by trial and error. The grip of oppression that we have lived under, and continue to live under, has been so great that religion, instead of leading to a free blossoming of the spirit, has been manifested in asserting the faith on the brink of destruction, or else on the seductive frontiers of Marxist rhetoric, where so many souls have come to grief.
The statement of the Templeton Foundation shows an understanding of how the Orthodox spiritual tradition has maintained its vitality in our land despite the forcible promotion of atheism. If even a fraction of those words should find their way to my motherland past the jamming devices, this will bolster the spirits of our believers, assuring them that they have not been forgotten, and that their steadfastness inspires courage even here.
The centralized atheism before whose armed might the whole world trembles still hates and fears this unarmed faith as much today as it did 60 years ago. Yes! All the savage persecutions loosed upon our people by a murderous state atheism, coupled with the corroding effect of its lies, and an avalanche of stultifying propaganda — all of these together have proven weaker than the thousand-year-old faith of our nation. This faith has not been destroyed; it remains the most sublime, the most cherished gift to which our lives and consciousness can attain.
II. The Templeton Address
More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
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Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our Revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
What is more, the events of the Russian Revolution can only be understood now, at the end of the century, against the background of what has since occurred in the rest of the world. What emerges here is a process of universal significance. And if I were called upon to identify briefly the principal trait of the entire 20th century, here too, I would be unable to find anything more precise and pithy than to repeat once again: “Men have forgotten God.” The failings of human consciousness, deprived of its divine dimension, have been a determining factor in all the major crimes of this century. The first of these was World War I, and much of our present predicament can be traced back to it. It was a war (the memory of which seems to be fading) when Europe, bursting with health and abundance, fell into a rage of self-mutilation which could not but sap its strength for a century or more, and perhaps forever. The only possible explanation for this war is a mental eclipse among the leaders of Europe due to their lost awareness of a Supreme Power above them. Only a godless embitterment could have moved ostensibly Christian states to employ poison gas, a weapon so obviously beyond the limits of humanity.
The same kind of defect, the flaw of a consciousness lacking all divine dimension, was manifested after World War II when the West yielded to the satanic temptation of the “nuclear umbrella.” It was equivalent to saying: Let’s cast off worries, let’s free the younger generation from their duties and obligations, let’s make no effort to defend ourselves, to say nothing of defending others — let’s stop our ears to the groans emanating from the East, and let us live instead in the pursuit of happiness. If danger should threaten us, we shall be protected by the nuclear bomb; if not, then let the world burn in Hell for all we care. The pitifully helpless state to which the contemporary West has sunk is in large measure due to this fatal error: the belief that the defense of peace depends not on stout hearts and steadfast men, but solely on the nuclear bomb.
Only the loss of that higher intuition that comes from God could have allowed the West to accept calmly, after World War I, the protracted agony of Russia as she was being torn apart by a band of cannibals, or to accept, after World War II, the similar dismemberment of Eastern Europe. The West did not perceive that this was in fact the beginning of a lengthy process that spells disaster for the whole world; indeed, the West has done a good deal to help the process along. Only once in this century did the West gather strength — for the battle against Hitler. But the fruits of that victory have long since been lost. Faced with cannibalism, our godless age has discovered the perfect anesthetic — trade! Such is the pathetic pinnacle of contemporary wisdom.
Today’ s world has reached a stage which, if it had been described to preceding centuries, would have called forth the cry: “This is the Apocalypse!”
Yet we have grown used to this kind of world; we even feel at home in it.
Dostoevsky warned that “great events could come upon us and catch us intellectually unprepared.” This is precisely what has happened. And he predicted that “the world will be saved only after it has been possessed by the demon of evil.” Whether it really will be saved we shall have to wait and see: this will depend on our conscience, on our spiritual lucidity, on our individual and combined efforts in the face of catastrophic circumstances. But it has already come to pass that the demon of evil, like a whirlwind, triumphantly circles all five continents of the earth.
We are witnesses to the devastation of the world, be it imposed or voluntarily undergone. The entire 20th century is being sucked into the vortex of atheism and self-destruction. This plunge into the abyss has aspects that are unquestionably global, dependent neither on political systems, nor on levels of economic and cultural development, nor yet on national peculiarities. And present-day Europe, seemingly so unlike the Russia of 1913, is today on the verge of the same collapse, for all that it has been reached by a different route. Different parts of the world have followed different paths, but today they are all approaching the threshold of a common ruin.
In its past, Russia did know a time when the social ideal was not fame, or riches, or material success, but a pious way of life. Russia was then steeped in an Orthodox Christianity which remained true to the Church of the first centuries. The Orthodoxy of that time knew how to safeguard its people under the yoke of a foreign occupation that lasted more than two centuries, while at the same time fending off iniquitous blows from the swords of Western crusaders. During those centuries the Orthodox faith in our country became part of the very pattern of thought and the personality of our people, the forms of daily life, the work calendar, the priorities in every undertaking, the organization of the week and of the year. Faith was the shaping and unifying force of the nation.
But in the 17th century Russian Orthodoxy was gravely weakened by an internal schism. In the 18th, the country was shaken by Peter’s forcibly imposed transformations, which favored the economy, the state, and the military at the expense of the religious spirit and national life. And along with this lopsided Petrine enlightenment, Russia felt the first whiff of secularism; its subtle poisons permeated the educated classes in the course of the 19th century and opened the path to Marxism. By the time of the Revolution, faith had virtually disappeared in Russian educated circles; and amongst the uneducated, its health was threatened.
It was Dostoevsky, once again, who drew from the French Revolution and its seeming hatred of the Church the lesson that “revolution must necessarily begin with atheism.” That is absolutely true. But the world had never before known a godlessness as organized, militarized, and tenaciously malevolent as that practiced by Marxism. Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, hatred of God is the principal driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions. Militant atheism is not merely incidental or marginal to Communist policy; it is not a side effect, but the central pivot. To achieve its diabolical ends. Communism needs to control a population devoid of religious and national feeling, and this entails the destruction of faith and nationhood. Communists proclaim both of these objectives openly, and just as openly go about carrying them out. The degree to which the atheistic world longs to annihilate religion, the extent to which religion sticks in its throat, was demonstrated by the web of intrigue surrounding the recent attempts on the life of the Pope.
The 1920’s in the USSR witnessed an uninterrupted procession of victims and martyrs amongst the Orthodox clergy. Two metropolitans were shot, one of whom, Veniamin of Petrograd, had been elected by the popular vote of his diocese. Patriarch Tikhon himself passed through the hands of the Cheka-GPU and then died under suspicious circumstances. Scores of archbishops and bishops perished. Tens of thousands of priests, monks, and nuns, pressured by the Chekists to renounce the Word of God, were tortured, shot in cellars, sent to camps, exiled to the desolate tundra of the far North, or turned out into the streets in their old age without food or shelter. All these Christian martyrs went unswervingly to their deaths for the faith; instances of apostasy were few and far between.
For tens of millions of laymen access to the Church was blocked, and they were forbidden to bring up their children in the Faith: religious parents were wrenched from their children and thrown into prison, while the children were turned from the faith by threats and lies. One could argue that the pointless destruction of Russia’s rural economy in the 1930s — the so-called de-kulakization and collectivization, which brought death to 15 million peasants while making no economic sense at all — was enforced with such cruelty, first and foremost, for the purpose of destroying our national way of life and of extirpating religion from the countryside. The same policy of spiritual perversion operated throughout the brutal world of the Gulag Archipelago, where men were encouraged to survive at the cost of the lives of others. And only atheists bereft of reason could have decided upon the ultimate brutality — against the Russian land itself — that is being planned in the USSR today: The Russian north is to be flooded, the flow of the northern rivers reversed, the life of the Arctic Ocean disrupted, and the water channeled southward, toward lands already devastated by earlier, equally foolhardy “feats of Communist construction.”
For a short period of time, when he needed to gather strength for the struggle against Hitler, Stalin cynically adopted a friendly posture toward the Church. This deceptive game, continued in later years by Brezhnev with the help of showcase publications and other window dressing, has unfortunately tended to be taken at its face value in the West. Yet the tenacity with which hatred of religion is rooted in Communism may be judged by the example of their most liberal leader, Khrushchev: for though he undertook a number of significant steps to extend freedom, Khrushchev simultaneously rekindled the frenzied Leninist obsession with destroying religion.
But there is something they did not expect: that in a land where churches have been leveled, where a triumphant atheism has rampaged uncontrolled for two-thirds of a century, where the clergy is utterly humiliated and deprived of all independence, where what remains of the Church as an institution is tolerated only for the sake of propaganda directed at the West, where even today people are sent to the labor camps for their faith, and where, within the camps themselves, those who gather to pray at Easter are clapped in punishment cells–they could not suppose that beneath this Communist steamroller the Christian tradition would survive in Russia. It is true that millions of our countrymen have been corrupted and spiritually devastated by an officially imposed atheism, yet there remain many millions of believers: it is only external pressures that keep them from speaking out, but, as is always the case in times of persecution and suffering, the awareness of God in my country has attained great acuteness and profundity.
It is here that we see the dawn of hope: for no matter how formidably Communism bristles with tanks and rockets, no matter what successes it attains in seizing the planet, it is doomed never to vanquish Christianity.
The West has yet to experience a Communist invasion; religion here remains free. But the West’s own historical evolution has been such that today it too is experiencing a drying up of religious consciousness. It too has witnessed racking schisms, bloody religious wars, and rancor, to say nothing of the tide of secularism that, from the late Middle Ages onward, has progressively inundated the West. This gradual sapping of strength from within is a threat to faith that is perhaps even more dangerous than any attempt to assault religion violently from without.
Imperceptibly, through decades of gradual erosion, the meaning of life in the West has ceased to be seen as anything more lofty than the “pursuit of happiness, “a goal that has even been solemnly guaranteed by constitutions. The concepts of good and evil have been ridiculed for several centuries; banished from common use, they have been replaced by political or class considerations of short-lived value. It has become embarrassing to state that evil makes its home in the individual human heart before it enters a political system. Yet it is not considered shameful to make daily concessions to an integral evil. Judging by the continuing landslide of concessions made before the eyes of our very own generation, the West is ineluctably slipping toward the abyss. Western societies are losing more and more of their religious essence as they thoughtlessly yield up their younger generation to atheism. If a blasphemous film about Jesus is shown throughout the United States, reputedly one of the most religious countries in the world, or a major newspaper publishes a shameless caricature of the Virgin Mary, what further evidence of godlessness does one need? When external rights are completely unrestricted, why should one make an inner effort to restrain oneself from ignoble acts?
Or why should one refrain from burning hatred, whatever its basis ― race, class, or ideology? Such hatred is in fact corroding many hearts today. Atheist teachers in the West are bringing up a younger generation in a spirit of hatred of their own society. Amid all the vituperation we forget that the defects of capitalism represent the basic flaws of human nature, allowed unlimited freedom together with the various human rights; we forget that under Communism (and Communism is breathing down the neck of all moderate forms of socialism, which are unstable) the identical flaws run riot in any person with the least degree of authority; while everyone else under that system does indeed attain “equality”― the equality of destitute slaves.
This eager fanning of the flames of hatred is becoming the mark of today’s free world. Indeed, the broader the personal freedoms are, the higher the level of prosperity or even of abundance – the more vehement, paradoxically, does this blind hatred become. The contemporary developed West thus demonstrates by its own example that human salvation can be found neither in the profusion of material goods nor in merely making money.
This deliberately nurtured hatred then spreads to all that is alive, to life itself, to the world with its colors, sounds, and shapes, to the human body. The embittered art of the 20th century is perishing as a result of this ugly hate, for art is fruitless without love. In the East art has collapsed because it has been knocked down and trampled upon, but in the West the fall has been voluntary, a decline into a contrived and pretentious quest where the artist, instead of attempting to reveal the divine plan, tries to put himself in the place of God.
Here again we witness the single outcome of a worldwide process, with East and West yielding the same results, and once again for the same reason: Men have forgotten God.
Confronted by the onslaught of worldwide atheism, believers are disunited and frequently bewildered. And yet the Christian (or post-Christian) world would do well to note the example of the Far East. I have recently had an opportunity to observe in Free China and in Japan how, despite their apparently less clearly defined religious concepts, and despite the same unassailable “freedom of choice” that exists in the West, both the younger generation and society as a whole have preserved their moral sensibility to a greater degree than the West has, and have been less affected by the destructive spirit of secularism.
What can one say about the lack of unity among the various religions, if Christianity has itself become so fragmented? In recent years the major Christian churches have taken steps toward reconciliation. But these measures are far too slow; the world is perishing a hundred times more quickly. No one expects the churches to merge or to revise all their doctrines, but only to present a common front against atheism. Yet even for such a purpose the steps taken are much too slow.
There does exist an organized movement for the unification of the churches, but it presents an odd picture. The World Council of Churches seems to care more for the success of revolutionary movements in the Third World, all the while remaining blind and deaf to the persecution of religion where this is carried through most consistently — in the USSR. No one can fail to see the facts; must one conclude, then, that it is deemed expedient not to see, not to get involved? But if that is the case, what remains of Christianity?
It is with profound regret that I must note here something which I cannot pass over in silence. My predecessor in the receipt of this prize last year — in the very month that the award was made — lent public support to Communist lies by his deplorable statement that he had not noticed the persecution of religion in the USSR. Before the multitude of those who have perished and who are oppressed today, may God be his judge.
It seems more and more apparent that even with the most sophisticated of political maneuvers, the noose around the neck of mankind draws tighter and more hopeless with every passing decade, and there seems to be no way out for anyone — neither nuclear, nor political, nor economic, nor ecological. That is indeed the way things appear to be.
With such global events looming over us like mountains, nay, like entire mountain ranges, it may seem incongruous and inappropriate to recall that the primary key to our being or non-being resides in each individual human heart, in the heart’s preference for specific good or evil. Yet this remains true even today, and it is, in fact, the most reliable key we have. The social theories that promised so much have demonstrated their bankruptcy, leaving us at a dead end. The free people of the West could reasonably have been expected to realize that they are beset by numerous freely nurtured falsehoods, and not to allow lies to be foisted upon them so easily. All attempts to find a way out of the plight of today’s world are fruitless unless we redirect our consciousness, in repentance, to the Creator of all: without this, no exit will be illumined, and we shall seek it in vain. The resources we have set aside for ourselves are too impoverished for the task. We must first recognize the horror perpetrated not by some outside force, not by class or national enemies, but within each of us individually, and within every society. This is especially true of a free and highly developed society, for here in particular we have surely brought everything upon ourselves, of our own free will. We ourselves, in our daily unthinking selfishness, are pulling tight that noose.
Let us ask ourselves: Are not the ideals of our century false? And is not our glib and fashionable terminology just as unsound, a terminology that offers superficial remedies for every difficulty? Each of them, in whatever sphere, must be subjected to a clear-eyed scrutiny while there is still time. The solution to the crisis will not be found along the well-trodden paths of conventional thinking.
Our life consists not in the pursuit of material success but in the quest for worthy spiritual growth. Our entire earthly existence is but a transitional stage in the movement toward something higher, and we must not stumble and fall, nor must we linger fruitlessly on one rung of the ladder. Material laws alone do not explain our life or give it direction. The laws of physics and physiology will never reveal the indisputable manner in which the Creator constantly, day in and day out, participates in the life of each of us, unfailingly granting us the energy of existence; when this assistance leaves us, we die. And in the life of our entire planet, the Divine Spirit surely moves with no less force: this we must grasp in our dark and terrible hour.
To the ill-considered hopes of the last two centuries, which have reduced us to insignificance and brought us to the brink of nuclear and non-nuclear death, we can propose only a determined quest for the warm hand of God, which we have so rashly and self-confidently spurned. Only in this way can our eyes be opened to the errors of this unfortunate 20th century and our bands be directed to setting them right. There is nothing else to cling to in the landslide: the combined vision of all the thinkers of the Enlightenment amounts to nothing.
Our five continents are caught in a whirlwind. But it is during trials such as these that the highest gifts of the human spirit are manifested. If we perish and lose this world, the fault will be ours alone.
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