No One Is “Just A…”; Give Mercy and Grace.

A pastor was walking across his large church’s gym with some guests, introducing them to leaders in the fellowship; associate pastors, tech people and secretaries.  The custodian nodded as they passed and said, “Hi.”   When one of the entourage slowed to greet him, the pastor noted, “He’s just a janitor.”  My heart sank for the “facility engineer.”  I thought maybe he should adopt that for his title so he could get more respect from the overseer of the church.

Something about the default position of a heart that would refer to anyone as “just a” disturbed me.  But then I thought about the times I have driven like a maniac, thinking of the other driver, “Well, he’s just an idiot for driving like that!”  Perhaps you’ve encountered people you have minimized as “just a” and diminished their difficulties or life events that brought them to the place where you encountered each other.

Who knows if that “crazy driver” is not rushing to a family member in a hospital or aggravated from a fight with a spouse.  Maybe he or she is suffering from reprisals at work today, leaving him with a feeling that nothing is in his control.  Perhaps that “just a” that you waited on in the grocery store or who served you at your restaurant table is struggling with emotional or physical pains that they keep hidden.  We tread on holy ground that only God should be walking when we attribute motives to actions, while we are unable to see into the depths of others’ minds.  “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but YAHWEH weighs the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2)

This takes my thoughts back to when I drove so rudely that it scared my wife and probably terrified the people in the other driver’s auto.  My excuse was, “Well, he started it! Why am I the bad guy?”  But by the time I turned the corner I could hear my Dad’s clear voice in my head, “Son, two wrongs never make a right.”   I pulled over and the Holy Spirit of God flooded the inside of the car as I apologized to Anita.  But the other driver was gone, and there was no way to identify him or apologize.  How I must have embarrassed Jesus that day, to dare to call myself a Christ-follower, and drive like that!

That was several years ago, and it became the watershed that started me praying for other drivers whenever I get behind the steering wheel.  Mercy and grace intersected that day in my heart.  The Lord prevented Anita and me from becoming injuries in an accident and gave me forgiveness for my sin.  Whenever this comes to mind, I pray that those in the other car found this as well.

I am still not perfect (1 Kings 8:46), and sometimes get aggravated, but the Holy Ghost comes to me in those moments and warns me that Jesus is in the car as well.  He tells me that Jesus is merciful to me and is not giving me what I deserve, but something so much better!  Then He reminds me that I have received mercy and grace even though I am “just a…”  And He wants me to extend it to others.  You see, mercy is NOT giving someone the bad that they do deserve.  Grace is giving someone the good they do not deserve.  Mercy is not running someone off a road in revenge for their foolishness; grace is letting them go ahead of you and drive away.

Maybe that pastor in the first paragraph was in an extremely hard spot or trying to exercise grace to a problematic situation beyond his ability that day.  Is it possible he was under spiritual attack by demons of which I had no perception?  So I went up to the “facility engineer” and told him how much most of us appreciated how clean the building was.  I noted that most people have no idea the work involved in polishing tile floors and making sure the gum is removed from the backs of chairs.  He grinned over the buffer and said, “Yeah, it keeps me humble to know that Jesus is watching me and He says, ‘Well done, faithful servant.’  That’s enough reward for me.  ‘Course the pay helps, too. 😉“

The nature of forgiveness is that it always goes to the undeserving!  If forgiveness could be earned, it would not be needed.  It is important to understand here we are not talking about what Dietrich Bonhoffer called “cheap grace,” grace that does not call the recipient up to a new level of life.  That grace is between a person and God, not between us who are all sinners in need of His mercy and grace.

“Remember where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers, ‘Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.’ We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what he says.” C.S.Lewis

So give mercy this week to someone who deserves something bad.  Give grace to someone who does not deserve it . . .  just as you were given.  “Freely you have received; freely give.”  Jesus, Matthew 10:8 (NIV)

An open letter to a friend in need of prayer.

Dear L,
I always read the church’s prayer bulletin with concern, and Anita and I offer intercessory prayers for those needs listed in our fellowship.  We became especially focused on the prayer request for YOU, indicating you had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  From my time working for the Cancer Information Society, I understand this cancer is insidious and usually not diagnosed until it has spread.

We know that Jesus can heal; nothing is impossible for The God Who Is.  There are many examples and verses of Scripture that affirm that “by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5 KJV)  I am a walking miracle, having gone through six strokes, the last of which was 99% blockage of the basal stem artery which supplies 99% of the blood to the brain!  Yet, He used the doctors to perform His miraculous healing and here I type and work and behave most of the time as if I am “normal” (which prompts my brother to ask, “Who told you you were normal!” 😄).

So this will be our prayer for you, that you will experience a divine touch such as the woman with a discharge of blood experienced when she simply touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment in Luke 8.  Beyond the doctors’ skills and knowledge, our knowledge of The Holy infuses our prayers with faith that He will bring Himself glory in healing you.  Selfishly, we would like to enjoy more Lunch Bunches with you and share at Gatherings or in meals at our home or yours.  Your appearance has always been to be in good health except for some small complaints of back pain, which I suspect led to this diagnosis, so we will trust Jesus that this illness is for His glory to be revealed in your healing. (See John 9:1-3.)

Of course, any healing this side of Heaven in only temporary.  Even Lazarus, raised from the dead after three days, died again at some time, and is enjoying the Presence of the LORD with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Ester, Ruth and so many others, until we join in that celebration of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

And of course, our lives are to be lived and ended for His glory alone. (Romans 14:8)

The joy for those of us who follow Jesus is the removal of human’s greatest fear, the fear of death.  “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”   And knowing you as our sister, that you have placed your faith in Jesus, assures us that as C.S. Lewis said with a big grin to Sheldon Vanauken in A Severe Mercy, “Christians NEVER say goodbye!”  This was before Sheldon’s wife died at the age of 40.  But Lewis knew that even when apparent death to this world separates us for a season, we are never truly terminal!  We will live forever with our Lord and with each other and all those who have put their trust in Jesus. 

In  A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken reveals a letter from C.S. Lewis that gave his book its title. “One way or another [the love between you and your wife] had to die… There are various ways in which it could have died though both parties went on living.  You have been treated with a severe mercy.”  So we see that God is merciful even when we sometimes do not understand His mercy at first.  But this is our faith, that whatever comes to us in this life is for His glory and how we can reveal Him, His holiness and His love to others.

So our prayer for you at this time will be that the severe mercy of your illness will reveal something of God’s glory, holiness and love.  First, by your healing so that you can have some more time here to bless and share life with us and enjoy preparing for our final departure, whether that comes through Christ’s return or by our “crossing the Jordan into His Promised Land.”

When my Dad died from complications from Parkinson’s at 73 years old, the Holy Spirit gave me a song of which this is the chorus, from my Dad’s point of veiw.  Going by Psalm 90:10, he felt that anything past 70 was a “year of grace” from our Lord. (I’m working out some arrangements to put the song on YouTube, but it is slow finding people to do it.)

“These are the Years of Grace that the Lord has given to me,
And though I long to see His face, there may be reasons that I cannot see
To keep me here in this time and place to learn to serve Him more faithfully.
Though outside we appear to be dying, inside the light of Jesus is shining.
He put such treasures in this earthen vase in these years of grace.”

So be blessed in His Presence as you shine the light of His holiness and love to all the folks with whom you interact while in the hospital.  And we will see you again, soon.  We will NEVER say goodbye. 😉
❤️&🙏, c.a. and anita

The Secret Place of Thunder

“In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder.” (Psalm 81:7)

Yesterday 70 mph winds tore through our fair city, the jewel of the Bluegrass and ‘The Horse Capital of the World.’  About 400,000 people across the commonwealth lost power and were still offline as of 10am this morning with about 44,000 in Lexington as part of that number.  The alarmists among us who want us to live in constant fear did not lose a moment to declare the oncoming storm catastrophic before it even reached us.  So a handful of photos like this pervaded the news to show how horrendous the storm was, although these were few and far between.

The photo of Lexington with clouds overhead brought me to Psalm 87 in the Bible where we come to understand that The God Who Is lives in mystery, “the secret place of thunder.”   We understand so little about our world, where winds come from and where they dissipate; how the climate and our actions intersect.  How much less we understand the Creator who “upholds the universe by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3)  But Jesus understands it all quite well.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (Jesus, John 3:8)  There are mysteries of faith that we will never understand on this side of Eternity, and possibly not even then, but if you want peace with God, hope for eternal life and His hand guiding you through all the trials and troubles of this life, you only need to pray to Jesus, repent of your sin and ask Him to come into your life.  “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (Jesus, John 17:3)  If you do this, a mysterious wind of the Holy Spirit will blow through your heart, mind and soul, and you will be “born again.” (John 3:3)  

However, do not be deceived as there are spirits, and then, there are spirits.  “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:1-3)

You will not need to fear when the winds of earth blow against you, when people oppose you and try to destroy you, when difficulties or illnesses come, or even when you are persecuted because you have chosen to follow the One.  As Lane Martin once wrote to me in an email, “Nothing happens TO a Christ-follower. Filtered by His love, it only happens FOR us.”  So cozy up to Him who is in “the secret place of thunder” and be assured that nothing that will happen will separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

“Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.” (Psalm 87:1-3)

Thank You for the NO.

“God must often seem to us to be playing fast and loose with us.  The adult must seem to mislead the child, and the Master the dog.  They misread the signs.  Their ignorance and wishes twist everything.”  (C.S. Lewis)

I am such a small creature with such limited understanding.  One of eight billion – 8,000,000,000!  And some demographers estimate we are half of the total population that has ever lived since Adam and Eve, 16,000,000,000 in all.

News reporters should not be allowed to use words to describe such large numbers.  Does it not seem easier to accept that our national debt is $31.12 trillion than to read our national debt is $31,120,000.000,000.00!?  And it is growing by over $2,000,000,000,000.00, two trillion, per year or $5,480,000,000.00 per day!  When you see $5.48 billion it just seems to not bother us so much as seeing the numbers stretching across the page.

However, I am writing about people today, not money.  Eight BILLION is still a lot of people.  Think of the crowds in which you have been numbered.  You may have been one of 50 or 100 at a church or social club.  If your church is a mega-one, maybe you were one of 5,000.  You could recognize your children across the large auditorium and even see them wave to you.

Then you went to a concert with 25,000 attendees, and suddenly you could not find anyone you knew beyond those within earshot, maybe 20 feet (3.5 metres) away.  A large crowd gathered in Washington, D.C. for a special occasion and the news outlets estimated your “group” was over 500,000 or maybe a million (1,000,000).  All you could see was a “sea of faces” bobbing up and down, looking literally more like a lake than a mass of human beings. 

So eight billion (8,000,000,000) are LOTs of faces!!  And each one has his or her story; each one is troubled by a relationship or blessed by a colleague or family member; each one has had physical and emotional pains, and each has had offers of peace if he or she would take them.  Each ONE.

Thus, when we ask God for a parking space and one suddenly opens up, do we accurately conclude the Creator of the Horsehead Nebula actually paid attention to our desire for a few minutes’ convenience?  Or could it have been coincidence?  Does the One who designed your DNA and spangled the universe with galaxies really care if your bird or lizard or dog dies?  Would He not have more important things which require His attention?

When the apostle John encountered The Son of Man in Revelation 1, he was so overwhelmed by this Person that he totally blacked out and had to be revived.  This revelation of Jesus continues through chapters 4, 5, 7, 13 and 19 to 21 and HE is amazing!  He is beyond our full comprehension!  The difference between us and an insect seems less than the difference between us and HIM!!  He is more than our small minds can digest, and then we wonder why He sometimes does not jump when we say, “Do what I tell you to do.”

Yet, Jesus, Himself said that Father numbers the hairs of our heads!  Such a mind with such vast power and yet such perception of the details!!  So when we do not get the “answer” we demand from this Creator, we should not be dismayed, and conclude, “See, God does not exist because He did not do what I want.”

He knows; He understands; He cares more than we can grasp and loves you and me, us two out of 8,000,000,000 (or 16,000,000,000 depending on who you are counting).  He knows and loves YOU more than you can imagine.  So trust Him.  Though he seems to be playing fast and loose with us, simply trust Him, believe in Him and receive His gift of eternal life.  Then, someday, we will know fully even as we have been fully known.  And thank Him for all things, even when He says, “No.”

Hope In Dark Times – Guest Intermezzo Blog by PK Adams

Hope in Dark Times – by Blue Skies and Green Pastures

It’s feels much easier to be cynical these days than to share the ‘good news’ of Jesus. But isn’t that why the good news is so good? As evil grows more powerful, and the narrative of death and fear is used constantly to push people towards the state to ‘save them’ with technology, the unsaved world becomes less willing to hear about an unseen savior that tells them that suffering is inevitable and that they should be looking forward to a ‘kingdom’ that seems too far away. But this is the truth and the truth is better than false hope.

Our lives on this planet are very short compared to the eternity we will experience after death. The suffering we may be experiencing now on earth, while it can be terrible and seem like it will last forever, is mercifully limited. And if we know Jesus, we can have supernatural peace even in the midst of suffering. Not ‘happy feelings’, but the assurance that God will work all things together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. Our ultimate hope is not in the state or technology, but in the knowledge that God through his holiness and justice will make things right for his children.

Some of us are actually suffering in our own lives due to pain, illness, loneliness, death of loved ones, lost jobs, precarious living arrangements, or the loss of hope that things will get better. It is the last one that we must try to change. We must remember the promises of God, continue to trust Him, keep looking for ways to serve him and others. Others of us are struggling because of the growing evil in the world and the fear that has taken over our hearts and minds. We fear for our children and grandchildren and our own lives. We are called to continue doing good, loving others, sharing Jesus, giving to the church, studying the Word, and not let the world steal our hope and joy.

Many generations of believers have gone before us. Compared to them, most of us (at least in the West) are living in a rich, free, and comfortable world. We can be thankful for the inventions that God allowed men and women to make that have made life so much easier. I am glad we no longer have to hunt and gather food daily to survive or fight off invaders in our village or die from childbirth or a simple illness or accident. Yet, greed, idolatry, rebellion, and pride are still a constant threat that manifests as statism, wars, violence, crime, immorality, and ideological narratives that attempt to control the public. There is nothing new under the sun, as it says in the Ecclesiastes. Until we live in the kingdom, we will deal with the fallout of sin.

While we wait for Jesus to return, let us not grow weary, lose hope, or let our hearts grow cold. This is the true test of faith, can you keep hope alive? Paul tells us in Philippians 4: Let the peace that passes understanding rule in your hearts and keep you focused on Jesus who is near to you and even inside you. We can do all things, even suffer, when we abide in Him. Our job as believers is to show this hope and faith to the world and each other.

The Coming CBDC – Guest Blog from All Israel News

The Coming CBDC – The End of Money As We Know It – Part I
by Cookie Schwaeber-Issan – November 29, 2022 – All Israel News
[minor editing and additional links by c.a.post]

For years most of us have heard about an impending threat to do away with our monetary system as we know it.  Yet perhaps because it sounds like end-time, apocalyptic doom and gloom stuff, it is easy to ignore.

Well, continue to ignore it – but at your own peril, because it might be implemented a lot sooner than any of us think.

Up until now our monetary system has been overseen by government authorities which print paper currencies and determine its value.  This money, called fiat currency, is not backed by any commodity, such as gold.  Its advantages include giving economic players greater control over the economy, as well as being easy and cheap to produce, and convenient to use.

But in recent days the monetary system has been misused and mishandled in such a seemingly deliberate way that it’s almost as if it’s been orchestrated cleverly to facilitate the establishment of a new system.  For example, despite warnings by many experienced and savvy economists, the U.S. government chose to print too much money and gave massive handouts, factors which definitely contributed to high inflation and the current dismal economy.

 According to Business Insider, “Fiat money is currency that’s backed by the public’s faith in the government or central bank that issued [it], but it has no intrinsic value, unlike commodity currency which is linked to the price of a commodity.  Instead, fiat money derives its value from the trust people place in the government that issues it.”

Simultaneously, you might have noticed that there seems to be a push to no longer trust the present monetary system, which was one of the major reasons for the birth of cryptocurrency – a currency not based on a fiat monetary system.  Crypto is not issued, controlled or backed by any government or bank.  However, cryptocurrency has had its share of problems, the latest being the total collapse of the FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange, which has caused many investors to lose millions.

If fiat money and cryptocurrency are problematic, what’s the solution?  Introducing Central Bank Digital Currency, known as CBDC – the digital form of fiat currency. 

Rather than printing money, a central bank would issue electronic coins that are guaranteed and backed by the government.  You’d be furnished with a digital wallet or bank account and directly interact with the central bank.  Sounds great, right?  But wait, there’s more!

What exactly is that “direct interaction”?  The CBDC will be able to create a reliable profile of each individual based on their spending and saving habits.  In other words, pretty much all of your transactions will be observed, noted and assessed.  Then you will receive recommendations based upon your individual habits.  While that might sound helpful, it’s also a major invasion of one’s financial privacy.

How long does anyone think it will take before personal monetary choices are evaluated as good or bad?  And what will the consequences be if you are deemed to be making purchases seen as undesirable by your government?  In other words, central banks will be able to take money out of people’s accounts to conduct monetary policy.  The truth is, CBDCs are government’s attempt to protect its privileged position and to exert more control over people’s money.

All one needs to do is to take a look at the credit system China imposed upon its citizens – a system of rewards and punishments that accord with “moral ranking” by the Chinese Communist Party.  Individual behavior can be monitored to determine who shares the government’s values and who doesn’t.  And what determines a bad score?  Anything from purchasing too many frivolities to being accused of sharing misinformation.

What happens to those who violate the terms?  They can be banned from traveling, purchasing property or getting a loan.  In China, “Once you’re in a low category, it makes [life] difficult.  Such a system could further divide society, creating classes of people depending on their social credit.”

So much of this is reminiscent of the COVID-19 green pass, which, if you think about it, was also based on a social credit system.  If you complied with the government directive of being vaccinated, you were able to take part fully in all that society offers – going to restaurants, traveling, being permitted into events and so on.  Those who refused the vaccine were relegated to eating at home or remaining homebound entirely.  Here in Israel, the government considered requiring the unvaccinated to identify themselves by wearing a colored bracelet just to obtain mall access – a plan quickly struck down due to public outcry.

There is no doubt that the CBDC will be presented as a much more effective way to safeguard your money.  It will be touted as being in your best interest, and a way to make life less complicated.  Of course, that’s how it has to be portrayed in order to convince people to leave a system they’ve used all their lives.

City.Journal.org warns that “Few likely paid much attention when, on March 9, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the government to begin developing a Central Bank Digital Currency to be issued by the Federal Reserve, alongside a framework to regulate private cryptocurrencies.”  On Sept. 16, the Biden administration “released a framework outlining the regulation of digital assets including cryptocurrency and other items of value that exist only in digital form,” a framework which suggests the creation of a CBDC, according to Jim Probasco, writing for Investopedia.

City.Journal.org wrote in March that CBDCs have the potential to become an unprecedented totalitarian nightmare.  Why?  Again, we have only to compare it to what already exists in China: jaywalking, speeding or other infractions land citizens heavy fines – fines which can be deducted automatically by the centralized bank account.

Who will stop the government from deducting whatever else it wants from your account?  Because, in effect, it’s a “joint account,” where access is available to your governmental benefactor.  The options would be endless in terms of what could be moved from one account to another.  And if the system is linked to desired standards and values, including many you don’t share, what happens to your financial outlook?  Doesn’t this smack of programmed behavior or forcing a desired outcome?  After all, being able to access your money is paramount.  Controlling each person will be made simple.

We’ve already had a foreshadowing of this, when PayPal recently threatened to fine users who, by their standards, were guilty of spreading misinformation – a totally subjective parameter.  They would only have to seize the funds accessible to them in your personal PayPal account.  Or, what about the freezing of 280 personal bank accounts in Canada, during the Ottawa Freedom Convoy trucker protest in February?

The bottom line is that the CBDC has the frightening potential to curtail financial freedom, with the added bonus of making sure everyone is fully compliant with whatever we are being told to do.  If you aren’t, losing access to your own money might be the consequence.  In short, the new slogan could be, “My Money, If I Only Follow Your Demands!”

CBDC: What Will The Consequences Be If Israel Adopts the Central Bank Digital Currency? – part II
November 30, 2022

You might be surprised to learn that in June, the Bank of Israel shared details about its first set of technical trials for a central bank digital currency.  CBDC One trial tested smart contracts, raising the issue of who should be allowed to write and police them.

In September, Israel teamed up with Norway and Sweden to explore the implementation of a centralized digital currency, engaging together to test technical systems through which this might work.  The teams are expected to reveal their findings during the first quarter of 2023 as they relate to retail payments.  So, the short answer is ‘yes.’  Israel is not only thinking about jumping on the CBDC bandwagon – along with 100 other countries exploring this direction – but already has begun to investigate and engage in trial enactments to determine its viability.

In fact, Israel began imagining the viability of CBDC as far back as 2017, conducting a pilot test in 2021, and already considering the possibility of calling the digital shekel currency “SHAKED” (the Hebrew acronym for Digital Shekel).

But as mentioned in Part I, there is no doubt that such a dramatic change in our monetary system would have to be preceded by a slick, enticing and attractive campaign to convince everyone that this is being done with their best interests in mind – taking into consideration their protection, benefit and convenience.

So, how predictable are the words of Bank of Israel’s CBDC project manager, Yoav Soffer, who claims that, “under the right conditions, the Digital Shekel could ‘allow for more freedom.’”  He assures us that there is justification since, “It is in the public interest to fight the illicit black economy and tax evasion.”  But when confronted with the warnings of critics who claim that CBDCs will monitor people’s spending habits and could have far-reaching political consequences for those who may not support the government, Soffer is quick to say, “Israel’s CBDC policy would be in the ‘public interest’ and subject to that country’s democratic processes.”

That abstract comment opens up a plethora of questions, such as:

• What happens if democracy, as we know it, changes into a more autocratic system under the control of one person?  Does anyone remember that it was one person who made the exclusive deal between Israel and Pfizer, on behalf of the Israeli people, eventually to mandate the deal for all Israel’s citizens?
• What happens if digital banking requires a certain code of behavior and ethics by its citizens – one which might be unacceptable to many?
• What happens to your hard-earned funds for which you labored throughout your entire life?  Do they become limited or are they even accessible without full compliance with the new digital monetary system?
• What happens if you belong to a group, or contribute to a group, seen as undesirable or unsupporting toward government actions?  Will you be fined or penalized for your association with them?  Will you be afforded a defense, or any type of democratic hearing, or will money be arbitrarily withdrawn from your account?
• Will you be obligated to comply with certain medical or social demands intended to prop up your standing or which, if you choose to opt out, will injure your ability to access your funds?

This leads to my next questions:

• Do Israelis have any right to privacy as it concerns the use of their own personal funds?  If part of the function of a central bank digital currency is to track usage, and analyze spending habits to determine their legitimacy and worthiness, whose money is it ultimately?  The moment your spending choices come under question, it has ceased to be solely your money.
• Given the fact that Israel boasts the most ethical army in the world, as well as being one of the few countries to swiftly offer humanitarian help to any country that needs and desires it, why would we decide to join a global banking system which intends to spy on the spending habits of its citizens, as well as be the judge and jury as to how we might conduct ourselves concerning our life choices?

For now, Israel has not spoken much about the possibility of launching a digital currency, but the Bank of Israel continues to research and be active in its development and planning.  However, given its claim that the digital shekel “will not pose a threat to the national financial system,” it might not be too long before CBDC is widely introduced to the Israeli public as a fait accompli.

Lastly, it should be noted that “blockchain,” the technology under which cryptocurrencies operate, will serve as the basis for a central bank digital currency.  Blockchain is defined as “a technology which allows assets to be exchanged electronically, recording the facts and details of a transaction without the ability to make any changes to those records later.  It is information recorded in a distributed ledge with identifiers for the sender, recipient, time and transfer amount.  In effect, it is an unbroken sequence of blocks, so that anyone can track the entire transaction history of a particular asset, all the way back to its origin.”

Try digesting that definition for a few minutes!

It might be the best and most convincing argument as to why CBDC is likely to turn into giant government overreach into personal wealth, giving it the capacity to become the ultimate puppet master when it comes to making people do whatever it is that it demands from them.  Seize their money, and now you own them.  Whether they eat, pay their bills or are allowed to participate in life is now in the hands of the ones who can see their payment history and determine if they get a passing grade.

So why should that threaten anyone?  Just a reminder to Israel . . .  in the words of one of our own prophets, Micah 6:8, “The LORD has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Israel needs to think carefully as to whether CBDC can be enacted and, at the same time, allow us to follow the wise counsel given to God’s chosen people!

Cookie Schwaeber-Issan A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal and the granddaughter of European Jews who arrived in the US before the Holocaust.  Making Aliyah in 1993, she is retired and now lives in the center of the country with her husband.

Pray for Persecuted Christ-followers Around the World – A Guest Blog from Morgan Lee, Christianity Today

When persecuted Christ-followers ask for prayer, I find it intriguing how very few ask for financial aid or release!  Most ask for holy boldness to continue to fulfill the Great Commission.  How will you pray when persecution comes to your neighborhood?  These prayers should NOT be just one or two Sundays per year.

If we cannot go, we should give; if we cannot give, we should write letters of encouragement or support through legal action.  But in ALL cases, if you love Christ’s Church, we should pray DAILY and CONTINUALLY!  These are your brothers and sisters who are being imprisoned, tortured and killed because they name the Name of Jesus as their savior.

They are not anarchists nor government agitators nor agents for foreign powers.  They only want their families, friends, neighbors and persecutors to go to Heaven when they die and the freedom to tell them how to do this.

How the Persecuted Church Wants You to Pray

Leaders in six countries explain how Christians can best support and rejoice with fellow believers suffering for their faith.  Compiled by Morgan Lee for Christianity Today – November 10, 2022

The first two Sundays of November, as part of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, Christians around the world intentionally intercede for their brothers and sisters in Christ who face violence, prison, arson, kidnapping, bureaucratic restrictions, and shunning because of their faith.

Around 309 million Christians live in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution, according to Open Doors’ 2022 World Watch List. Shortly after the release of last year’s list, Christians from around the world shared their joys and concerns. We encourage you to use the praises and requests of Christians from the six countries included here as a tool to guide your prayers today.

China:  We praise God:

• for God keeping his church faithful in meeting for worship in spite of the pandemic and persecution.
• that, using new technologies such as Zoom, many churches have been able to develop creative evangelistic opportunities that were not previously available.
• During strict government pandemic control, many urban churches have been closed. But some of these believers have been able to transfer to house churches and continued to grow spiritually there.

We pray:

• Some house churches are still under severe persecution. Preachers are being arrested on trumped-up charges. Pray for the preachers’ perseverance and for their families.
• Internet meetings in some churches are often interfered with and disrupted by the government, and many elderly believers need training for using new technologies.
• In Xi Jinping’s third term, the church is facing even greater challenges and more serious persecution. Many Chinese people who feel threatened, including believers, will choose to leave China if they are capable of immigrating elsewhere. Pray that God will keep and guide those who choose to leave as well as those who choose to stay.

A* C* (name changed for security reasons), a house church pastor in Hubei

Egypt:  We praise God:

• for protecting our ministry to women in rural Upper Egyptian villages. He has provided for all the needs of this team and its beneficiaries. God is faithful and good all time with us.
• for the start of construction of our community center at El Minya in Upper Egypt.
• Our first community center, known Oasis Center, was badly affected by COVID-19. Now all activities at the Oasis have returned, including conferences, the vocational training courses, and the retreats.

We pray:

• for ending trafficking of girls in El Hawamdeya, where parents often sold their daughters to rich old men. We continue to pray for the protection for women and for more awareness for parents.
• for inflation in Egypt and how the poor people are affected by this. Every time we distribute sacks of food, we find that the poor people are increasing. We pray that God will provide.
• for planned demonstrations on November 11 by opposition groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. We pray for security for the whole country and for stability and protection for churches.
  Submitted by Bassem Fekry, president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt

India:  We praise God:

• that in spite of anti-conversion laws in certain states, hundreds of new believers have come to know the saving grace of our Lord.
• Due to the pandemic we didn’t have VBS for several years, but this summer we were finally able to conduct it! Due to an unexpected rainy season, we had to postpone it several times but thank God we could finally accomplish the task.
• that he enabled us to reach out to the interior tribal villages in the eastern part of India. More than 700 school teachers received training about how to teach students to adopt Christlike character. We also trained 350 gospel workers in church planting.

We pray:

• for our Christmas outreach ministries to people with leprosy, blind people, commercial sex workers, and tribal and slum street children
• Due to anti-conversion laws we were unable to baptize 350 new believers in various communities as we needed to obtain official approval from the government authorities through the court of law. We need to wait 40 to 60 days in order to get approval from the court and the local police. Pray that everything goes well with the legal process.
• We have 2,500 church planting and Christlike character training books. We need funds towards imparting training gospel workers throughout India. Please uphold us in your prayer for the needed funds and other training logistics.
  David K. Dass, national director, India Gospel League

Iraq:  We praise God:

• for his work through the church because he blessed us during this year by being able to visit one of the displaced people’s camps in Ramadi. We provided families with food baskets and presented a message of love to the children at the camp.

We pray:

• for the stability of the political and security situation in Iraq and that this stability will bring comfort and peace to the country and citizens of various secondary affiliations, such as race, religion, sect, clan, and tribe. (Many challenges in Iraq are related to the dominance of sub-identities over national identity.)
  Ara Badalian, senior pastor of the National Evangelical Baptist Church in Baghdad

Laos: We pray:

• that the church will grow and be strengthened so that it can be administratively, evangelistically, and financially self-reliant and be a blessing to the development of the nation.
• for unity among believers, church leaders and between every church.
  The Protestant church community in Laos

Mali:  We praise God:

• Mali has been going through a multidimensional crisis for a decade. This has greatly affected the church, especially in the north and center of the country. Despite this growing insecurity, God continues to watch over the local churches.
• for the commitment of the churches in the witness of Jesus Christ despite their difficult context. Evangelism initiatives like the distribution of Christian tracts, evangelism messages on radio stations, and evangelism through personal relationships continue to move forward.
• because the church is making its voice heard by the authorities of the country through the Association of Groups of Evangelical Protestant Churches and Missions in Mali (AGEMPEM) and the Episcopal Conference.

We pray:

• for churches to grow and engage in holistic acts of witness. Pray for the unity of the body of Christ in the current context of Mali, which is marked by an increasingly visible Islamic extremism.
• for Christian families displaced because of the conflict. May God grant peace and courage necessary for spiritual, psychological, and economic resilience.
• Kidnappings continue in northern and central Mali. Pray that God will preserve the lives of the church members and that the churches will be protected from terrorist threats and attacks. Pray that the church will continue to be a powerful instrument in God’s hands to bring peace, restore wounded hearts, and ease downcast spirits.
• that the church in Mali will emerge victorious from this situation and continue to proclaim and manifest God’s unconditional love.
  Josue Djire, faith, development, and peacebuilding advisor at World Vision Mali

Pakistan:  We praise God:

• for the churches and seminaries who are faithfully serving the Lord and expanding the kingdom of God.
• for blessed spiritual senior leadership and the development of young pastors and evangelists.
• for the Pakistani church and Christian NGOs being salt and light during the current flood disaster.

We pray:

• for the underage forced marriage and forced conversion of Christian teenage girls.
• for illiterate Christians to obtain education as they are below the poverty line and are mostly persecuted.
• for the victims of false blasphemy cases.
• for the unity and purity of the Pakistani church, so they become bold witnesses of Christ through their words and actions.
• for the great movement of the Holy Spirit to revive the church through the Word of God, miracles, and conversions.
  Ujala Hans, lead pastor at CPM (Christ for Pakistan Ministries) Church Pakistan, Lahore

With additional reporting by Jayson Casper, Angela Lu Fulton, and Sean Cheng.

Prepare for Persecution via Your CBDC

Whoever wins in the elections in two-and-a-half weeks will probably not make a lot of difference – Christ-followers are in for a rough ride over the next six years.  I am not a foretelling prophet, just an observer of the directions of our society and our world; perhaps you could call me a “forth-telling” prophet. 😉

When I was a pre-teen in the middle of the last century, preachers who studied Bible prophecy predicted a world monetary system that would be trackable for every purchase.  They were laughed at by those who did not read the Bible, yet now, it is falling into place with the WEF (World Economic Forum) wanting to digitize currency to central national banks.  Beyond this, the WEF advocates a world-wide currency, again a subject that caused smirks when Bible-teachers brought it up in the 60s and 70s.

Executive Order 14607
President Biden signed executive order 14607 (which takes on the force of law, even without Congressional oversight) directing a huge host of government agencies to investigate establishing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) by the National Security Council.  They are to begin taking “strong steps to reduce the risks that digital assets could pose to consumers, investors, and business protections; financial stability and financial system integrity; combating and preventing crime and illicit finance; national security; the ability to exercise human rights; financial inclusion and equity; and climate change and pollution.” 

Under the guise of “protecting United States and global financial stability and mitigation of systemic risks,” this order authorizes agencies from the State Department to Treasury, DOD, DOJ, EPA, OMB, the Fed, National Intelligence, and others to explore “the actions required to launch a United States CBDC [Central Bank Digital Currency] if doing so is deemed to be in the national interest.” (See Section 3 for the full list of agencies NAMED; others may be invited to participate, leaving it open to any agency with a vested interest, and what agency will not be vested with interest in taxpayers’ money!?)   

“Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of National Intelligence, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall submit to the President a report on the future of money and payment systems, including the conditions that drive broad adoption of digital assets…”

Signed on March 9, 180 days passed on September 5, 2022.  Other deadlines are included in the 180 days, as well as some deadlines at 90 days (June 7, 2022), 210 days (October 4, 2022) and some at one year (March 9, 2023).

The rush to develop a CBDC is to avoid getting left behind by the establishment of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Etherium. “…Non-state issued digital assets reached a combined market capitalization of $3 trillion, up from approximately $14 billion in early November 2016.”  Basically, governments fear being left behind in the new digital economy that used to be the stuff of science fiction.  Governments want to be involved in the flow of assets, goods, and services so that they can be taxed… or controlled.

For Your Protection?
Enter the digital currency age and someone somewhere will be able to track every penny you spend.  Of course, the advocates say, “This is for your protection,” when what it does is open the door to regulation based on your choices.  Think of how Facebook, Twitter and Google have been trying to control the narratives about abortion, election integrity, LGBTQ interests, etc..  Now, put that kind of control in the hands of the government, and if you agree/disagree with mRNA “vaccination” and become labeled as “misinformation,” the government can stop your payments or collections to and from any source.

If the government decides abortions must not be allowed, your dollars to Planned Parenthood might never see the light of day.  Or if the government thinks abortion must be allowed, you will not have a choice to donate to mother/baby care services that deny abortions.  Orwell’s Big Brother has arrived, and it is in the form of what some are calling Biden Bucks, although actually, the US is a little behind the curve.

Behind the Curve
China became the world’s first major economy to pilot a digital currency in April 2020 that is being offered in 15 provinces and cities across its country and already has passed 100 billion yen ($13.9bln) in transactions.  And one only need to look at China for a model of why a government would want a CBDC.  Smile for the Social Credit camera, please!?

The Sand Dollar was issued by the Central Bank of the Bahamas in October 2020.  It was the first nationwide CBDC in the world.  Nigeria became the first country in Africa to launch a CBDC in October, 2021.  Countries in the Eastern Caribbean Union rolled out their own form of digital currency in March, 2022, meant to help speed transactions and serve people without bank accounts.  The seven countries involved are Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts/Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent/Grenadines.  India is launching next year.  Sweden, Jamaica, Ukraine and the Eurozone are all looking into CBDCs within the next year to two years!

“Analysts think it could still take years to develop and introduce a digital dollar,” unless it becomes the interest of our financial institutions, Big Tech, and Congress and/or the President to roll it out more rapidly.  Remember the first crashes with self-driving cars?  The developers all thought they were ready and the public would embrace them.  But these were all manufactured by private companies, not the government… which does not make mistakes (said the Wizard of Ahs.) 🙄

If you are planning to take over the world and institute a forced worship of one particular person, what better way than to require everyone to use your Biden Bucks, Digital Yen, or the WEF’s World Wide Currency Web.  It may not happen this year; it may not happen for a decade or two, but it will come.

How Do You Print “In God We Trust” On The Computer?
In what are you putting your trust?  Who will you believe when conflicting reports keep coming at you on Twitter, Fox or CNN?  There is One who is fully trustworthy, and He has revealed what will happen in the Last Days, which we appear to be approaching at roller-coaster speeds.

Jesus most intense teaching about the last days was, “Do not be afraid and do not be deceived.” (Mark 13:5-9)  He never told anyone to “Get ready” to meet The God Who Is.  He only told His followers, “Be ready.” (Luke 12)  Being ready removes the fear!  Are you ready?
I am.  Are you?

Next week, I will share Andrew Brunson’s view on persecution that he believes is coming to American Christ-followers.

 

If Jesus Arose from the Dead, Why Didn’t He Stick Around?

Why would Jesus have to go away and send the Comforter, also called the Holy Ghost?
Why could He not stay on earth and daily “prove” that He was the resurrected Christ or Messiah (Anointed One) sent from God to redeem the world from sin?
Could He not hold news conferences to show that He was alive from the dead?
Could He not show His wounds in His hands, feet and side in a continual world tour?  Although He would have a lot of ground to cover!

Consider in history when God DID show up in unmistakable experiences.  He revealed Himself through Moses and Aaron in spectacular fashion to both Pharoah and the Egyptians as well as the Israelite community living in the land of Goshen in northern Egypt.  He led them for 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai (they were not wandering; they followed a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night).  (See Exodus 13:17-22; and chapters 14–16.)

And look how often they grumbled against Moses and God who had delivered them!  So much so that an entire generation was forced to die in the desert before their children could inherit the Land of Promise.  Apparently even God’s obvious Presence was not enough to discourage sin in the camp!

In Craig Keener’s book, Miracles Today, he perceptively asks “How much evidence does it take to convince someone [a miracle occurred]?… If I am adamant that miracles are impossible, in principle I might reject any amount of evidence. If I already trust God, I will thank God for even the smallest details of life… God doesn’t do miracles for our entertainment.”

Likely a true anecdote, in the story of Poor Lazarus and The Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man is in anguish having gone to hell while Lazarus is comforted at Abraham’s side (a ‘pre-Heaven,’ so to speak).  The rich man begged Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool his tongue.  When Abraham said this was impossible, the rich man asked if Lazarus could go back from the righteous dead and warn his five brothers, so they could avoid winding up where the rich man was.

“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (verses 29-31)

On another occasion (Matthew 12:38-40), Jesus was asked for a “sign” to prove His divine credentials.  “But He answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  I.e., He was announcing that He would rise from the dead!  This was a frequent claim of Jesus, so clear that His opponents even asked for the sealing of His tomb to prevent a fraudulent claim that He had done so.  (Matthew 27:62-66)

These were people who knew Jesus could heal the blind, restore shriveled arms, open deaf ears and even raise the dead (John 11:38-53)!  Yet, their hearts would not believe, no matter what evidence they saw.  Think logically, and how do you kill someone who can raise the dead!?  Yet that is what they proposed to do.  In John 12:8-11, they even plotted to murder Lazarus because he had been raised from the dead!!  Couldn’t any of them spell “irony” in Hebrew?  How do you kill someone if Someone else can just raise him from the dead!?

“Faith” in the Bible is more than just mental assent.  In the Complete Jewish Bible, the words both from the Hebrew and Greek are most often translated as “trust.”

A little boy was asked to define “faith,” and he said “It’s believing something you know just ain’t true.” 😁  But obviously, that is not the case in the Bible.  Faith is trust; it is accepting the evidence with an open mind and relying on God to do what only He can do – save lost people from hell and give us eternal life.

Let’s suppose for a minute that Jesus DID stay here on earth in His resurrected body.

1. First, how would He prove that He was really 2000+ years old?  Maybe the history books, all obviously written with His approval, are like claims of Roman Emporers being gods.
2. Second, how would He prove to ME that He had really died.  If I only live 70-90 years, how do I know that He is not just longer-lived and will not die after me?
3. Third, how do I know the wounds in His hands, feet and side were not inflicted just before I was born?

In order for ME to believe that He could come back from the dead, I WOULD HAVE TO SEE HIM DIE ALL OVER AGAIN! … unless I trust Him and His followers.  And if I do not trust them, why would I trust Him even if He arose from the dead in MY presence again?

Abraham’s words ring true: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”  We know this is true because He arose from the dead, and the Pharisees of His time still tried to quash the rumor that He was alive.  Yet they could not produce a body nor show where He was laid, because He IS RISEN!

Jesus knows what is in our hearts, and how we resist the truth as the unbelievers of the first century did.  So He sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to woo us, to persuade us, to open our blind eyes and allow us to see the Evidence That Demands a Verdict.  Jesus promised Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  (John 20:29)

Who will you believe today?  Jesus?  His disciples who died rather than admit to a lie?  Or the Pharisees who said, “They stole the body,” but could produce no proof?  (Matthew 28:11-15)

One added feature to understanding how Jesus would have been limited if He had stayed on earth in His unglorified body comes from Jennifer Arimborgo in Peru; a blogger worth following!
https://feedingonjesus.com/2022/09/26/never-lost-in-the-crowd/

The Only “Proof” of the Resurrection

For those who do not remember “Watergate,” this is the name of an office building complex, The Watergate Office Buildings and Hotel in Washington, D.C., where the Democratic National Convention housed its headquarters in 1972.  A break-in, most likely authorized by then President Nixon, set the stage for most of the distrust of government currently rampant, resulted in the only resignation of a sitting president of the US and brings me to “The Only ‘Proof’ of the Resurrection” of Jesus.  The metonym Watergate came to encompass any associated activities surrounding the scandal.  The use of the suffix “-gate” after an identifying term has since become synonymous with political or public scandal, including irangate, travelgate, Reagangate and slapgate just to name a few.

One of Nixon’s “henchmen,” Charles Colson, sometimes called “Nixon’s hatchet man,” was one of the “Watergate Seven,” chief architects of the crimes associated to Watergate and its subsequent cover-up.  He was also one of 48 convictions that served prison time as a consequence and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior while in prison, penning Born Again from this experience.

Mr. Colson, as he began to minister to others in the US prison system, said regarding his conversion, “I know the Resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me.  How?  Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead; then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it.  Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned or put in prison.  They would not have endured that if it weren’t true.  Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world – and we couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks.  You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years?  Absolutely impossible.”  Born Again by Charles Colson.

Following is a brief overview of how each of the twelve original apostles died as well as other martyrs of the first century.  May this remind us that our sufferings in the US (so far) are minor to compare to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their time for the sake Jesus.  Our troubles are also significantly less than many Christ-followers in other nations where simply owning or reading a Bible can result in arrest and death.  Many Chinese Christ-followers do not expect to live 70-80 years, anticipating that perhaps they will be able to lead some of their prison guards to the Lord after they are arrested and before they die for their faith!

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:25-26)
“If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)

Why do we feel sleepy in prayer, but stay awake through a three-hour movie?  Why are we so bored when we read the Bible, but find it easy to read novels?  Why is it so easy to ignore a Tweet about God, yet forward the latest Kardashian news?  Why is it so easy to praise a celebrity, but so difficult to engage with our Creator?

Next week, I will discuss why Jesus left earth and did not stay to show off His crucifixion wounds to curiosity-seekers to prove His Resurrection.

_____________________________
Besides the original twelve, this list includes Matthias (elected to replace Judas, the Betrayer), Stephen, the first to die for his faith in Jesus, the apostle Paul (“as one born out of due time”-1 Corinthians 15:8), Mark, the author of The Gospel of Mark, Luke, the author of The Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles, and James, the brother of Jesus.  These are recorded in Foxes’ Book of Martyrs (except for Judas Iscariot, recorded in Matthew 25 and Acts 1).

1. Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Jesus):  He hanged himself in suicide over the guilt of having betrayed “innocent blood.”
2. Peter: Under Nero’s persecution, he was crucified upside-down (~A.D. 64-68).  He requested the inverted crucifixion because he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.
3. Andrew the brother of Peter: He was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Patras, Greece, hence the name “St. Andrew’s Cross.”  After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords rather than nails, to prolong his agony.  His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words, “I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.”  He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.
4. James the son of Zebedee: As a strong leader of the church, James was beheaded at Jerusalem in A.D. 44 by Herod Agrippa (see Acts 12:2).  The Roman officer who guarded James was amazed at James’ calm as he defended his faith at his trial.  Later, as the officer walked beside James to the place of execution, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James and was also beheaded as a Christian.
5. John the son of Zebedee: Facing martyrdom, he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome.  However, he was miraculously delivered from death.  John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Isle of Patmos.  The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as the pastor of Edessa in modern Turkey.  He died as an old man (~A.D. 100-105), the only apostle to die peacefully.
6. Phillip: In Hieropolis, Turkey, he was scourged, imprisoned and eventually crucified in A.D. 54.
7. Bartholomew: Also known as Nathaniel, he was a missionary to Asia (modern Turkey). Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death with knives.
8. Matthew: He suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia for preaching about Jesus; killed by a sword in A.D. 60.
9. Thomas: He was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish another church in the subcontinent (~A.D. 70).
10. James the son of Alphaeus: He was crucified in Lower Egypt and then sawed in pieces in A.D. 62.
11. Simon the Zealot: He was crucified in Britain in A.D. 74 for preaching “foreign gods.”
12. Judas, also called Thaddeus: He was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.
13. Matthias: The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, he was stoned and then beheaded.
14. Stephen, a deacon of Acts 6: The first martyr was stoned to death, recorded in Acts 7:54-60.
15. Paul: He was tortured and then beheaded by Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.  Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write many of his letters to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.  These epistles, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
16. Mark the author of The Gospel of Mark: He was dragged by horses through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt until he was dead.
17. Luke: He was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.
18. James the brother of Jesus: As the respected leader of the church in Jerusalem, he was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.  When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies stoned and beat James to death with a fuller’s club, crushing his skull until his brains spilled out.

“There have been times of late when I have had to hold on to one text with all my might: ‘It is required in stewards that a man may be found faithful.’ Praise God, it does not say ‘successful’.”  Amy Wilson-Carmichael, Things as they Are (1 Corinthians 4:2)