Getting it right...again

GETTING IT RIGHT…AGAIN!


Yom Kippur 5768
21 September 2007
Given at Jews for Jesus
Bondi Junction NSW AUSTRALIA

For those who are with us for the first time tonight, a hearty Shana Tova and a welcome to our public gathering. May your fast be easy tonight and tomorrow. We don’t have many of these gatherings a year, so each one is very special to our staff and to many of our constituency. Each time we gather we take a section or sections of the Bible and see if this Book has anything to say to us, as 21st century people.
Last week we began to consider again this New Year, 5768 and the desire of God to be in relationship with us. That in itself is an awesome point to consider.

Now tonight, we will look at the idea of getting it right…again. Some may grow weary of New Year talks. I never do. For many reasons the Holidays were always a time of good feelings for me. Maybe it was because I enjoyed getting new clothing and attending the synagogue with my parents. I enjoyed starting school again at this time of year, after a long season as we have in the US, of 3 months off from official learning. The weather often began to change at this time, with the leaves turning colours and a crispness in the air in the early morning or evening. The world was going to be different for me, so maybe it would be different for everyone. And I wanted to get it right.

If there was ever a theme in my upbringing it was ‘get it right.’ The words may not have been put in that phrase. The idea of the Jewish understanding of ‘tikkun olam’ was the backdrop, but I never heard that phrase. God wanted his people the Jewish people, to make the world better. He wanted us to ‘repair the world’ as the phrase translates. And although it wasn’t until I was a teenager when I officially learned and appropriated that phrase, the more secular ‘getting it right’ seemed to be a watchword for me and for my family and perhaps for a whole generation.

Let me read to you from the Bible for a moment, and then I’ll come back to this theme.

"Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples, and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. “And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me.” (Matthew 11.2-6)


Once again we start over, as 5768 is in full swing. Last week Jewish people listened to the sounds of the shofar, blown 100 times each day, to remind us of the sovereignty of the Kingship of the Lord God. The shofar reminds us to repent, to get it right with God, and with one another.

But maybe you are weary of the same old same old. Maybe this idea of annual holidays is wearying. Maybe it’s the idea of fasting, which can be wearying. True story: The other night, I caught a bit of the TV show Entourage, and the setting of this particular episode was Yom Kippur. The Jewish star of the show, Jeremy Pivin and his wife were having quite a row over the holiness of the day, and she was upset that he was conducting his Hollywood business on that sacred day. One of his business associates was equally troubled by his family similarly upset. As if it were really such a hardship, the associate cried out “I’ve been fasting for 10 hours already, what do you want from me?”

Weariness can set in and some stop fasting and others give the public gatherings a miss. You, however, are not among those.

But even though you are present with us tonight, perhaps you are weary.


DOUBT PREVENTS OUR GETTING IT RIGHT…OR DOES IT?


The number one wearying factor is doubt.

Isaac Bashevis Singer said,

“Doubt is part of all religion. All the religious thinkers were doubters.”
-New York Times, December 3, 1978


Alfred Korzybski, the great semanticist and scientist, wrote,
“There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.”

One of my favourite thinkers is Blaise Pascal who said,

“We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything.”


So in the Bible section we read, we see a famous Bible character coming to grips with his doubts. That in itself might encourage some of you. Did you know Bible heroes doubted at times?

So when I say, we’re going to get it right, tonight on Yom Kippur, what is your response?
Doubt…getting it right, can I really do this again? What if this isn’t right? What if I’m totally wrong on this faith stuff?


John the Doubter


Perhaps the story I read of the famous John the Baptist might help you.
John was in prison after working for years in preaching repentance to our Jewish people. He was the last great prophet, and introduced Y’shua, Jesus to the world a few chapters, and maybe a couple years earlier.

Now he’s in prison for his faith, as so many great heroes of the Bible and beyond have been. Men like Joseph and Daniel, people like Corrie Ten Boom and her sister and Richard Wurmbrand and Brother Wu, all imprisoned for their faith.

While in prison John begins to rethink his commitments. He wonders aloud if he’s made the right choice. Sure, it was exciting in the beginning. Yes, God was real and then John actually saw a dove land on the head of his first cousin.

But now there has been testing. Now there has been persecution. Now the king threatened him. And John is rethinking his commitments.

And so would you.

Or at least I would.

But look at what John did with his doubts. Maybe it’s better to say, let’s see what he did NOT do with his doubts. John did not send a message to Richard Dawkins, to be reminded of his laughable faith. John did not send an email to John Shelby Spong, that he would be ridiculed for such silly simplicity.
No, in fact, John sent a message to Y’shua.


John went to a man of faith in times of crisis and in times of doubt.

And what was the reply? What would Y’shua say to someone who had doubts? Like so many encouragers in these days, perhaps he would say, “Hang in there, John, it’s been tough before, but you’ll make it.” Or maybe he would say in the way of identification, “Yes, John, I’ve been where you are many times, and God helped me, so I’m sure he’ll help you.”

Or maybe Y’shua would upbraid John by saying, “John, you announced me to the world, and now you doubt? Ha. What kind of disciple are you anyway?” Or finally Jesus might have simply said, “Trust me John” and sounded like a used car salesman. [With apologies to those of you who do sell used cars for a living.]

These are all valid possibilities, and certainly validated more by the haunting sounds of my own echoes of wrong responses over the years.

No, Y’shua said, “Go and report to John what you hear and see.” Y’shua is telling the friends of John to take back a bundle of CSI evidence. He’s saying that the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is real. Don’t believe because it’s simpler that way. Don’t believe because you were raised that way. Don’t believe as some say, without evidence. Jesus is saying the evidence is in and it’s weighty.

In fact, the quote is from Isaiah, the Older Testament prophet. In chapter 35 we read “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah.” (Isa 35.5-6)

Jesus is saying, John, believe the signs. The evidence is in, and I’m the Messiah, for when Messiah comes, healings will take place and blind will see, and deaf will hear and lame will walk. And John, you’ve seen and heard that. So trust me because I’m to be trusted!

John did the right thing with his doubt. He went to the man and the source of all faith.

When you have doubt, you should do no less.


MESSIAH OUR ATONEMENT


On Yom Kippur, this Day of Atonement, we see a portrait of the perfect atonement that we have in the death and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus. For just as the ancient high priest had to re-emerge alive from the Holy of Holies on this day, as a signal that his sacrifice on our behalf had been sufficient and acceptable to God, so Jesus, our eternal High Priest and perfect Lamb of God, had to re-emerge alive from the grave as proof that what He’d said was true: “It is finished.”
Doubts are quelled and faith is the strengthener.

It’s not some blind faith; it’s resultant faith. It’s caused faith. Faith that came from taking God at his word. What he said he would perform, he did perform. What he accomplished, we can see and hear. And as a result, we can believe him about some propositional truths and about our very life!

The rabbis to this day believe that if all Israel were to celebrate Shabbat at least once, Messiah would come. Combine that with the holiness of this special day, Yom Kippur, also titled “Sabbath of Sabbaths” and you have a double gamble. It’s as if we are doubling down and calling God’s bet. If we can get everyone to observe the day, Messiah will come.

But the rabbis don’t even agree with one another about what is ‘observing the Sabbath.’ How can we all possibly do what they want, when they don’t know what they want? If our Messiah’s coming was contingent on our good works, well we and he would certainly fail.

Friends here in Bondi Junction tonight, I believe Messiah has come. I believe the holiness of this night is unmatched anywhere. He alone is our redeemer. He alone is our Saviour. Jesus alone is our Messiah. And he came to ransom the world from sin and from self-consumption and from selfishness. He’s our only hope, amen?


ATONEMENTS IN OUR LIVES

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. Actually in the biblical book of Leviticus, the day is named "the day of 'atonements.'" Plural. We say the same in the Kol Nidre. From this Yom Kippur to the next. Interesting. Why plural? Perhaps because it means that many parts of our lives need fixing, not just our life, but our lives. In light of that, what areas might need atoning? What parts of our lives do we need to get right…again?

Let's consider our economic life. God wants to be Lord of our money, our wallet, our giving, and our charity en toto. He cares if we care for others. He gave so we can give to make the world a better place. And when you think about your life of money, you may need to repent of using your money wrongly. Let's get it right. That’s why we said what we did in the Al Khet.

How about our social life? God wants to be Lord of our relationships, of our families, of our daily linkages with others. Do you have someone you need to get right with? Do you relate to others in the way you want them to relate to you? You get the idea.

The same can be accomplished in your dietary life or in your political life or in your devotional life. Get it? Get it right… today for the rest of your life. The way to get it right is to admit you got it wrong, ask God in Y’shua’s name to forgive you, and live in the rightness he brings.

This day, Yom Kippur, is the day of making things right. How about it...for you... will you do that this Friday night/ Saturday? Will you get it right with God and with each other? Will your lives be atoned? Will you be able to smile on Saturday night having completed your repair work?

The Bible says, “So Messiah Jesus was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”-- Heb 9.28

And again we read this in the history of the early Jewish believers, in Acts 3.19
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”
Getting it right is about acknowledging how badly we got it wrong. And then not being content about wrong. Not settling for 2nd best. Let’s get with the program. Let’s get it right, now, tonight and from now on.

The way to get it right is simple, but hard. Simple because it’s not about you. Hard because it’s not about you. It’s about Y’shua and his dying for our sins and receiving in himself all of God’s justice. He died suffering our shame and rose from the dead to give us eternal life.

And what is my role? To believe in him and trust him with your life. Not only one segment of it, but the lot. That’s simple and that’s hard. I understand.
Lisa had to do that in the DVD we watched.

Most of us in the sanctuary had to do that one day in our past.
Tonight is your night if you’ve never said ‘Yes” to Y’shua before. Do it tonight. Get it right and then next week, get it right…again.

Invitation

So… let me ask you. Have you met the Lord of the Yom Kippur? Have you ever been born again? Do you have rest for your soul? If not, pray this prayer and receive His love and grace. Father, forgive me in the name of Y’shua for all my sins. He was the Saviour and the fulfilment of all prophecies about Messiah. He is the one and the only one who can save me from my selfishness, from my sin. I acknowledge Y’shua as that one who wants to free me, and who alone can free me. I repent of my sin and accept Y’shua as my deliverer. By faith I am now born again by the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, please talk to me after the service is over, so we can talk about growing in this knowledge and this relationship with God. For those online please email me here so we can keep in prayer for you, thanks!

Yom Kippur: Getting it right

Once again we start over, as 5768 is in full swing. Last Wednesday evening Rosh Hashanah hit the world, one time zone at a time. And Jewish people listened to the sounds of the shofar, blown 100 times each day, to remind us of the sovereignty of the Kingship of the Lord God. The shofar reminds us to repent, to get it right with God, and with one another.

Now we take aim at Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the 6th and 7th holidays (of 7) of the biblical diary. What will those days bring us? Alternatively, what will we bring to those days?

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. Actually in the biblical book of Leviticus, the day is named "the day of 'atonements.'" Plural. Interesting. Why plural? Perhaps because it means that many parts of our lives need fixing, not just our life, but our lives. In light of that, what areas might need atoning?

Let's start with our economic life. God wants to be Lord of our money, our wallet, our giving and our charity en toto. He cares if we care for others. He gave so we can give to make the world a better place. And when you think about your life of money, you may need to repent of using your money wrongly. Let's get it right.

How about our social life. God wants to be Lord of our relationships, of our families, of our daily linkages with others. Do you have someone you need to get right with? Do you relate to others in the way you want them to relate to you? You get the idea.

This day, Yom Kippur, is the day of making things right. How about it...for you... will you do that this Friday night/ Saturday? Will you get it right with God and with each other? Will your lives be atoned? Will you be able to smile on Saturday night having completed your repair work?

Let's comment/talk about this, OK?

The Great Escape

The great escape (Cooks in the river, Hawthorn Hawks reach Preliminary Final, More on Madeline)



Police last night charged 41-year-old Cameron Cook with attempted murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment and other associated offences. It seems he and his wife, 34-year-old Sonia Cook were not getting along well lately. They planned to divorce. But Cook, a policeman in Melbourne, couldn't wait for that kind of separation. He shackled his wife inside their Magna, gagged her and drove them both into the bay at the mouth of the Mordialloc Creek.



The two escaped, although Sonia's was very dramatic. She crawled out with chains around her ankles and swam to safety, finally standing on the Nepean Highway until a car stopped-- a policeman.



Within an hour the police had found her husband, also chained, still in the submerged car. His head was above water.

This was a shocking story and no doubt, will give us more information than we ever wanted about people we otherwise would know little about.



The Australian Football League (AFL) is otherwise titled Aussie Rules Football, or simply footy. And it's time for Footy Finals Fever and it's a great time in Australia to cheer for your side to win. Next week Hawthorn will play the Kangaroos or Geelong (my prediction is Geelong will win it all), but they got through yesterday because of a 20-year-old kicking the final goal with 7 seconds left.



The young Hawks looked out of it last week when the Sydney Swans had them down 92 points to 10 at half time. The last time the Crows played the Hawks, the Hawks were thumped, but this week at Telstra Dome was different. The "Buddy Show" finished off the Crows in the final seconds, with Lance Franklin, the future superstar full forward, kicking his 7th goal at almost full time.



In fact it was Buddy who turned the game around halfway through the 2nd period when Adelaide looked like they would run away with the contest, but Lance hit three straight goals to save the day at that point.



In the continuing saga in Portugal, and the missing girl Madeleine, Mrs McCann, who was the first to be given "arguida" status, has been warned by police that she could be charged with the "accidental" killing of her four-year-old daughter.

Mr McCann was later given the same status in the course of a separate interview with police. He left the headquarters of the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) - Portugal's CID - in the town of Portimao shortly after midnight after more than eight hours of questioning.



Standing next to Mr McCann, the couple's lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, said: "Kate and Gerry have both been declared arguidos with no bail conditions, and no charges have been brought against them. The investigation continues."



The couple want to return from the Algarve to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

They hope to fly back on Monday but are worried it may appear they are "running scared", according to Gerry McCann's sister Philomena.



So are they escaping from Portugal? What is the truth about the missing little girl? And what kind of escapes are yet in the hold for the Hawks or for Mrs Cook?



I believe that we all hit situations where we wish to be a Houdini and a great escape artist. We all want the situation we are in to improve and to be clearer and better and kinder and gentler and ... (you get the idea).



And there is a way to get out. There is a way to find safe footing. There is a way to get the best out of life

It's in relation to the Lord Y'shua, the Saviour and Lord of all. He's the one who chose NOT to escape the punishment of sin and chose to die in our place 2000 years ago. He went to the death for us, that we might find eternal life in believing in Him.



What will you do with Y'shua? Will you believe in Him? Today?



Shalom

Telling a story

Richard9.JPG
Originally uploaded by bobmendo

It's only natural to share our thoughts with others. I do that on this blog and in my journal and even via photos, I suppose. As a result, my Flickr site (click here) is really a story-telling exercise. Via photos and text, I tell what I'm thinking, what I'm seeing, what seems to be in the public eye or in the public conversation.

My friend Richard is sharing a story or two with some new folks at the LCJE conference we all attended in Lake Ballaton, Hungary last week. And telling the story is what we are all about.

I shared from the platform the following evening the following stories:

Thank you to the ICC for including Australia in the program this week. 100,000 people registered as Jews in the census last year in Australia. Among the missionaries there and others working for our Jewish people’s salvation, most of our work is ordinary, most of our work is non-spectacular. Our joy and our job is to keep on keeping on no matter what the response. And among the arsenal that God uses to assist us in this regular working are the stories. And among all the stories that have been told in the last few years, these three, from Jews for Jesus staffers, seem to show what God can and does do. May you be encouraged and more confident in the Saviour and in his plans for all people, even as far away as the ‘ends of the earth.’

From Street corner to Special Meeting
By Rahel Landrum

Rahel was passing out gospel tracts in the main business district of Sydney when Estelle met her and responded with “Jesus was a nice Jewish boy,”(2006). Estelle was willing to continue to meet with Rahel to talk about Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah who could give her life and forgiveness of sins. While they met and discussed the Bible, Estelle suggested Rahel should come and talk to her group that meets at the humanist society. Rahel agreed. She had other unsaved Jewish people make similar suggestions regarding secular or other Jewish groups, but nothing had ever eventuated. To her surprise, Rahel got a call from the organizer, asking if she could come and speak to the group. So we got the chance to go and address a group of 14 self-defined atheists and skeptics.

Besides comments of disagreement, we didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a very worthwhile meeting. Even before Rahel started to speak, people came to look and buy the books we brought. The original organizer had an emergency in the family and had Fred, another leader of the group moderate the meeting instead. Rahel noticed Fred’s accent and asked him where he was from. Fred told her he was born in Germany but his family fled to Shanghai before WWII. Rahel asked, ‘You’re not Jewish, are you?’ Fred said he was. So Fred, an atheist Jew had to introduce and moderate a meeting where a Jew for Jesus was speaking. Rahel spoke about how we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus is who He says He is, told her testimony of faith, and showed how one can be Jewish and believe in Jesus. We did get what we expected, comments of disagreement but also other, more pleasant ones. One person came after the meeting and said that this was one of the most interesting and liveliest discussions they’ve had. The best response came from John, the most belligerent person who needed to be constantly asked to not interrupt Rahel’s speech. At the end he said, ‘if she believes in the Bible so passionately, maybe I should go back home and start reading it.”

Mark Landrum, Rahel’s husband has another story. He says,

It was a missionary’s dream. An Israeli rang our office wanting to talk about Y'shua. (2006) Gal was his name and he had been reading about Jewish people believing in Jesus during his recent travels in New Zealand. He had stayed with a few Christian people from the HIT (Hosting Israeli Travellers) program who lovingly shared the Gospel with him, gave him Messianic books in English & Hebrew, and showed him ‘The Passion of the Christ’ video. The movie impacted Gal so much that since then he’d rented the video and seen it five more times. After that he decided it was more economical to purchase the video.

The next stop in his travels was Sydney. By the time he got to us and we met with him, he was very close to making a decision to accept Y'shua as his Messiah. It was important for him to meet other Jewish people and, particularly an Israeli like Rahel, who believed in Jesus. Several days later, Gal prayed to accept Jesus as his Messiah and became a new creation in Him.

His baptism two weeks later was seriously eventful. One of Mark’s former neighbours, who is Jewish and not so happy about our faith, was present at the public beach where we had the event. When he found out Gal was also Jewish, he tried to interfere, hoping to stop the baptism. Upon getting out of the water, Gal had the opportunity to give an account of his faith and public commitment to follow Jesus. As our neighbour, Jonathan approached him, Gal’s words were: ‘Now that I believe in Jesus, I feel more Jewish than ever before.” Since then Gal’s growing in the faith tremendously .

Gal just finished serving on the JFJ Summer campaign this July in New York City. How good is that! Who knows what is next for this 25 year old new Jewish believer.

Of course, I have a story too.

London to Launceston to Lordship from Bob Mendelsohn

Peter is 57 and came to Tasmania, Australia, from the suburbs of London about 30 years ago. He was very committed to his Jewish family and the religion of the rabbis. He travelled a fair bit and conducted business in Sydney and Melbourne and all over Tasmania. He found pleasure in many things and people, but longed to find a real connection with God. The synagogue was empty; his own life in his own words was 'empty' as well. Peter had done some serious study on religion. He grew up in a very normal Jewish home with lots of questions and fewer answers

He went to hear Billy Graham in London 30 years ago and even went forward at the invitation, but he lived as if nothing occurred that night.

I was out on the streets of the centre of Launceston (2006) and Peter was surprised to meet me handing out Gospel tracts there. I gave him a tract I had written for a big football game that was on the next day. He stopped and read the whole thing. He asked me if I was the author. 'Yes,' I answered.

Seems Peter had visited our website and even watched a segment on the religious affairs TV show, Compass. He was captivated, that he and I should be meeting in such an unlikely location. (I find it very likely). After 20 more minutes of religious 'unpacking' and answering his questions, Peter and I sat down to pray together. 'Jesus, I accept you as my Messiah and Saviour. You died for me and rose to give me new life,' he prayed. How awesome is our God who does all things well.

We continue to meet on the phone several times a month and he’s studying his Bible and meeting up with other believers in a continued walk with Y’shua. Thanks be to God!

Brothers and sisters, other ministries in Australia and New Zealand of the LCJE have stories to tell as well. Thanks for your prayers and thanks for remembering us. Though geographically separate, may God bless us each together that we all may be one. And may we all have a story to tell today and throughout our days. Amen.

What's your story?

doors open or closed

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Originally uploaded by bobmendo

Don’t let him in or keep him in! How do I get in?
By Bob Mendelsohn
August 12, 2007

Indonesia barred the entry of an Australian man connected with the conservative Islamic group Hizb ut-Tarhir (HT) ahead of a large conference today in Jakarta.

Sheikh Ismail Al Wahwah, of the group's Australian branch, was one of at least two international speakers prevented from entering Indonesia ahead of the huge conference in Jakarta today, HT Indonesia's speaker Ismail Yusanto said.

An Immigration spokesman confirmed Wahwah was prevented from entering Indonesia because he did not meet its immigration criteria on Friday.

Banned in several countries but not in Australia, HT or Islamic Liberation Party, is pushing for the creation of a caliphate, a single Islamic state across the Muslim world.

Across the ocean in Los Angeles, weary international passengers were stuck at Los Angeles International Airport for several hours, unable to set foot in the United States after a computer failure prevented customs officials from screening arrivals.

About 6,000 international passengers, both Americans and foreigners, sat in four airport terminals and in 40 planes starting about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, when the computer system broke down, said Los Angeles World Airports spokesman Paul Haney.

The system contains names of arriving passengers and law enforcement data about them, including arrest warrants, said Mike Fleming, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman.

"That system allows our officers to make decisions on who we can allow to enter the United States," Fleming said. "You just don't know by looking at them."

Back home in Brisbane, Australian Wallabies Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning are to be given alcohol counselling and a blanket curfew is set to be imposed on the World Cup squad in the wake of yet another unsavoury early-morning incident involving Australian players.

Tuqiri and Dunning have been cleared by police of any involvement in an assault around 5.20am yesterday on a taxi driver that left the 52-year-old man in a serious condition in hospital.

Seems the boys stayed out at a Brisbane nightclub until it closed around 4am and then continuing to party in Dunning's room at the Sofitel Hotel, where the Wallabies were staying at the end of a boot camp in southeast Queensland.

They might not have breached any team disciplinary rules but the two Waratahs players certainly were guilty of questionable judgment in staying out so late just a month out from their first World Cup match and then in inviting people they didn't know back to Dunning's hotel room.

Getting in, or getting left out. It’s a matter of judgment, isn’t it? Sometimes the customs officials have to make quick decisions about visa nominees and sometimes decisions about keeping someone in take years to process.

One of my beliefs is that God took forever to decide about our forever. He long ago settled the issue and we now live it out. Here’s how it works.

Each of us is stuck in sin and it’s not preventable. Our condition is sometimes mild and sometimes chronic, but it’s always permanent. And God the Eternal had to decide about His eternity and welcoming us or not.

His justice precludes his allowing us in. After all, He is Holy and as such cannot stand in the presence of evil. Yet, He is Loving and as such cannot fathom our eternal separation from Him.

So in the courts of eternity it was decided that Y’shua would enter earth, more quickly and more determinedly than the Space Shuttle and with less hiccups. Y’shua would live here and die here and rise from the dead here.

As a result of Y’shua’s enterprise, the human race could be welcome into Eternity. What a privilege!

All a man or woman or boy or girl has to do is to welcome Y’shua as Lord of his life, and entry to Eternity is available and assured for him. God has open arms for each of His people.

Have you welcomed Y’shua as your messiah and saviour? Have you been born again? It’s not too late for you. Visa and ticket have already been purchased. It’s your choice now. Make a good one!

Guedes

Guedes
Originally uploaded by bobmendo

Guedes reports from Rio de Janeiro

“I was handing out flyers about Y'shua on Copacabana Beach when I saw a middle aged man pushing a stroller. I gave him a flyer and after a few minutes I saw that he had turned around and was following me as I walked on the boardwalk. I stopped and as he approached me he said that he was interested in receiving more information.

I asked him what information he was looking for and he said that he was Jewish and wanted to know more about Jesus. I very plainly explained to him, by sharing some Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus, Y´shua was the Jewish Messiah and that he had come and died for our transgressions and that He had risen from the dead.

The man then very quickly replied that he wanted to know that Messiah. I went through the proposal statement a set of theses about what God does with us, how he loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. It's like a marriage proposal, where God is seeking to be united with us.

So it was with tears in his eyes and with a humble heart he prayed to receive Y’shua as his savior. Only the Lord could have brought this Jewish man from Amsterdam, that spoke Portuguese fluently, to Copacabana on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon to hear the Good News of the Gospel.”

Amazing story, no?

Rescue

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Originally uploaded by bobmendo

Rescued (Tulo Tuala, Duke of Ellington Anglicans, Napean riverists, Paedophiles)

Monday 18 June 2007

Sunday was a good day for Tulo Tuala. He and a friend went fishing on Saturday, and spent the night lost and tightly holding on to the sides of their 2.5 metre boat until 9 a.m. when rescue crews saved them.

This all happened off Wellington New Zealand’s Makara coast. The air temps went down to –3 degrees overnight. In the evening on Saturday, some rescue boats passed in the distance, and even though Tuala and friend lit towels soaked in petrol to try to attract their attention, it was to no avail.

When their engine failed as they checked nets in the evening, they were out of mobile phone range and at the mercy of nature. They were found about 25 kilometres off Mana Island at 9am, transferred on to the Mana Coastguard boat Pelorus and brought to shore cold and shocked but happy to be back on land.

Mana Coastguard president Chris Seaton said it was a wet, cold rescue in choppy seas. Senior Constable Andrew Cox, of the maritime police, said the men were found with the help of Vodafone staff, who were able to determine the distance and direction of their mobile phone from the nearest tower.

Meanwhile in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, two teachers and 12 students from Arndell Anglican College were winched to safety after their path was blocked by rising flood waters in the Megalong Valley on Saturday and they were forced to camp overnight there.

Some police and government officials have criticised them for putting their lives at risk by setting out in bad weather conditions.

John Godard is the principal of the school. He said, "We looked at the meteorological forecasts during the week and we sent detailed route maps both to the police at Katoomba and to the National Parks service. Neither of those groups advised us not to go and so we feel that we had all the preparations made."

Yesterday afternoon another four men were rescued from the Nepean River. They told police they had hung from branches after being swept from their riverbank camping spot.

One was rescued by a civilian boat, and three were retrieved by helicopter, but none sustained serious injuries.

Late tonight police in several countries revealed information about a paedophile ring operating out of the UK. 4 Australians were arrested among many others globally. None of the 41 children were Australians but all of them have been rescued out of such an evil empire.

Rescue is worth all the trauma and searching and anxiety by those who are attempting to help. It seems a human longing, something deep in the psyche of people. We long to be saved from trouble; we long to help others who are in trouble.

Maybe it’s part of our hard-wiring. Maybe we were created by God to help and to be helped. No wonder the Bible says, “Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men,” (King David in Psalm 140). We ache for Beaconsfield miners to be saved; we long for lost hikers to be found. We celebrate rescue workers in police and fires and hospital assistance.

And all the while God wants to rescue us from our sin and from our shame. What a great God who has given us desire and passion like His to reach out and save people. And thanks be to God who rescued us from our selves. Luke described it well by quoting Jesus who said, “the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (quoted in chapter 9 verse 56)