In This Issue

• JESUS JUDGED BY CAIAPHAS
• THE TABLOIDS
• THE TRUTH ABOUT BEER
• TEACHING CHILDREN TRUE VALUES
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

JESUS JUDGED BY CAIAPHAS

After He was arrested, "Those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days."’ And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do you answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against you?’ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I adjure by the living God that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! What need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?’ They answered and said, ‘He is deserving of death.’ Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck you?’" (Matt. 26:57-68).

John informs us that Jesus had been sent first to Annas, the ex-high priest, who had briefly examined Him and sent Him on to Caiaphas. The chief priests and elders sought false witnesses to testify against Christ because only a false witness could help their cause. A true witness would have nothing evil to say of Jesus. Many false witness filed by, but no two told the same lie, so the council lacked the two witnesses necessary to condemn a prisoner. Finally, two witness bore similar testimony, twisting the words that Jesus had spoken in John 2:19, but even their testimony was not in complete agreement, Mark 14:59. Finally in desperation, the high priest asked Jesus if He were the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus answered in the affirmative. The high priest accused Him of blasphemy and indicated that witnesses could be dispensed with -- Jesus’ own words would be used to condemn Him. Of course, if Jesus had not been God’s Son, His words WOULD have been blasphemy. But since His words were faithful and true, Jesus had done nothing wrong.

It is interesting to note that Jesus accepted the judicial oath. His admonition to His disciples in Matt. 5:33-37 had to do with oaths spoken in the affairs of every day life a thing quite common among the Jews of the first century. Followers of Christ must live honestly so that their words are not doubted by anyone who knows them, but when they find it necessary to testify in court, they will of necessity be put under oath, just as their Master was.

--CRJ

THE TABLOIDS

I have some neighbors who subscribe to the tabloids and are constantly sharing with each other and me what they have read. These sensational stories cover many topics but most of the ones I hear about are warning me of some threat. What’s even more alarming is that the ones sharing them with me are Christians and they are propagating rumors that are unsubstantiated and some are just plain old gossip. If you are shocked at these Christians’ behavior wait until you find out who they are.

Okay, they are not physically neighbors on my street and it’s not the supermarket tabloids they are reading. They are my online brothers and sisters and it’s email they are forwarding. In the past year I have received hundreds of warnings from my emailing church friends that have proven to be false. These hoaxes, urban legends and rumors are like reading the cover of the National Inquirer. Let me give you a few examples. I should boycott Proctor and Gamble because the president of the company appeared on talk shows and admitted to being a Satanist. I need to contact members of congress to stop congressional bill 602P that would charge a five cent tax on every email or the bill to prevent religious programming such as "Touched By An Angel" from being aired. A new movie is coming out that portrays Jesus as gay and His 12 apostles as homosexuals. I shouldn’t let my wife or any sister use an antiperspirant since it’s the leading cause of breast cancer. Not to mention dozens of email virus warnings and missing children or kids who need prayers to survive cancers that have been proven to be bogus.

I have discovered that Christians are not only one of the main sources for spreading internet rumors and hoaxes, but are frequently the targets of these hoaxes. There are a number of internet rumors, hoaxes, urban legends and the like, that are specifically designed to make Christians look foolish and ignorant. Sad to say, some of my online brothers and sisters promote this world-view of Christians as people who will believe anything.

Jesus said that He is "The Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6). As Christians we believe that knowing the TRUTH should, in turn, make us truthful in all areas of our lives, including in our internet activities. Most Christians understand that we are not to "bear false witness" (Ex. 20:16), but may not understand that sending out information that they have not verified as true may well be bearing false witness against a person, an organization, or a company. Forwarding email or internet sites that contain information that has not been verified as 100% accurate could be called e-gossip. A lie is a lie. A half truth is a lie.

So, what’s the harm in forwarding this stuff? First, it hurts our Christian witness and makes us look very foolish. The question is, if we are gullible enough to email hoaxes and rumors to friends and they in turn find them to be bogus, then what will those friends think of our credibility when we write about biblical truth or share our faith online? Second, people are given access to your email address through forwarding. If you forward a joke, virus warning, or other email to a group of people, do you think those people stop to remove all the addresses from it before they send it on to their friends? Third, it may frighten people. It’s absolutely inexcusable to forward all sorts of warnings to people who may be frightened by them. The hoax message about malls being attacked by terrorists on Oct. 31 certainly frightened people.

We have a responsibility and an obligation to investigate such warnings/rumors/hoaxes before spreading false information to others. There is great difficulty in repairing such spoken and printed damage once it has been released. It pains me to read emails sent by friends admitting they have forwarded something false. I encourage everyone to validate any sensational emails by going to www.truthorfiction.com [or www.snopes2.com -crj] before believing and forwarding.

Lord, may people trust every word that comes from our mouth or our computers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

--John McCranie, The Potter’s Wheel, Lancaster, PA

THE TRUTH ABOUT BEER

Beer consumption is considered by the average citizen to be an innocent pass-time for every "good ole boy" and every "good old girl" in town. Some parents have heaved sighs of relief when their kids were caught guzzling beer instead of drinking whiskey or smoking "pot." After all, it was ONLY beer! It’s about time the wraps were taken off this supposed "innocent" beverage! Consider the following facts.

BEER CONTAINS ALCOHOL

One twelve ounce can of beer contains a little more alcohol than one ounce of 100-proof whiskey or a small glass of 40-proof [20%, crj] wine.

BEER IS A MAJOR CULPRIT IN ALCOHOLISM

Some mistakenly believe that one cannot become an alcoholic from drinking beer. It has been documented that beer drinkers compose a large percentage of alcoholics undergoing treatment in our VA hospitals. Alcoholism is a major social problem in Germany and Belgium where beer is the alcoholic drink almost exclusively.

BEER CONTAINS A SECOND POWERFUL NARCOTIC

Besides the narcotic of ethyl alcohol, beer contains the narcotic called lupulin. This drug is the active narcotic agent contained in the hops from which beer is brewed. The chemical formula for lupulin shows it contains the same chemical elements as the narcotic agent in marijuana, only in a heavier molecular structure. When one drinks beer he gets a double dose of narcotics (alcohol and lupulin).

THE ALCOHOL IN BEER HAS THE SAME AFFECT AS THE ALCOHOL IN WINE OR WHISKEY

It slows one’s reaction time, often just enough to prevent the handling of an emergency on the job or behind the wheel of a vehicle. Many medical schools demonstrate the effect of alcohol by giving two examinations on successive days, with similar questions. The first exam is given as usual. The second one is given after each student has drunk one bottle of beer. The tests are graded by people ignorant of the experiment, thus unbiased. Most of the students judge the second test to be easier and their grades higher, but the grades average 17% lower. Only one beer makes a difference.

Like all other alcoholic beverages, beer continues to leave death, destruction, heartaches and crime in its wake. It is neither innocent nor harmless. See Prov. 20:1; 23:31-33.

--Dub McClish, Pine Hills Pen, Orlando, FL

TEACHING CHILDREN TRUE VALUES

Children do not know true values. A very small child will prefer a shiny copper coin to a crumpled ten dollar bill. Older children would eat all dessert and no meat if parents would allow it. Children will not look beyond this life unless they are taught about heaven and hell. If children see their parents forsake the assembly in order to go visiting, they will not be taught the true value of assembling to worship God.

--Raford J. Petty

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