May 2008

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What The Rulers Didn’t KnowCHRIST ALONE • GRACE ALONE • FAITH ALONE • SCRIPTURE ALONE

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• What the Rulers Didn’tKnow Page 3

• The Greatest StoryEver Told Page 6

• Christ or a CareerPage 8

• The Terrible MeekCreed or Chaos

Page 9

• The Paradox of the CrossManna Update

Page 10

• Take the WheelPage 11

• Scripture SearchTo and Fro

Page 13

• Did You Know?Page 14

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“When Jesus came out wearing the crown ofthorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to

them, ‘Here is the man!’”(John 19:5).

It was once believed that the calendar should be dated fromthe building of the city of Rome. The number of the year was

to be followed by the letters AUC (Ab Urba Condita)—from thebuilding of the city. Some people believed that the calendarshould return to AUC.

In Europe, men of influence sought to date the calendar from the French Revolution. It lasted thirteen years. Theastronomer La Place suggested counting time from an importantconjunction of the planets. But, despite these varioussuggestions, to this day, one name alone is weighty enough to stamp itself on the letterhead of the ages. The dailynewspapers of every city on the planet may dispute or demeaneverything Christ stood for, but atop every page there is anumber that pays tribute to him.

There are people aplenty, who feel tough enough to handlelife on their own without seeking help from any god. Theyregard Christ as someone for women and wimps; a crutch tolean on. This machismo strutting shrivels, however, whenplaced beside Jesus and those influenced by him. Are the self-assured of this world equal to the likes of Paul, infloggings, shipwrecks, imprisonments and physicalexhaustions? How do they compare to steely giants likeLatimer, who spoke to Ridley on the day of their burning, “Be of good cheer Master Ridley, and play the man. For thisday we shall, by God’s grace, light such a candle in England as shall never be put out.” Could they live as Mother Theresa of Calcutta did; courageously, sacrificially, generously? And,most of all, who among them could match the valor, gallantryand audacious heroism of Jesus?

I am often introduced to folk who are not followers of JesusChrist. Many of them behave in an unusual way when theylearn that I am a religious professional. They make mockexpressions of piety; rake up some inane remark about a distant

relative who is a nun or apriest. If only they knew how frivolous they makethemselves appear in contrast to the dignity andrefinement of Christ’sexcellent humanity.

Two thousand years ago,Christ walked into historydoing wonderful things, and expressing beautiful ideas. Thosewho became his disciples then, and the millions who have doneso since, concluded that he was the Word of God. They believedthat as much of God as could be contained in man—withoutdisrupting humanity—was displayed in him.

If God was in Christ, he cannot be dismissed withouttremendous consequence. No door will be held shut against himforever. For those who have already heard his voice and openedup to him, a long and exhilarating process of fellowship,discovery and personal growth has begun. Together they makeup a world-wide band of men and women who have rejected theopinion of the powerful and wise ones concerning him, to findthemselves engaged, guided, induced, attracted, persuaded andinspired by him. Till their communion with him becomes anannouncement and an invitation: “Here is the man!”

Christ becamethe author ofa new timeand date!

May, 2008Vol. 28, No. 5Published by Good News Unlimited

Copyright © 2008

EditorRon Allen

PrinterAuburn Oaks Printing, Auburn, CA

Graphic DesignerDebbie O’Brien

ProofreadersPhilip Rhodes, Molly Sellards

Pastor Ron Allen

EDITORIAL . . .

3www.goodnewsunlimited.org

Two Views of the Same ThingIn 18th century England, lawmakers were determined to makea strong showing against a wave of petty crimes perpetrated bya growing underclass. Execution by public hanging was thepreferred punishment. Legislators believed it would be apowerful deterrent to those who saw it. This view was widelyshared by the middle and upper classes. Hanging was deemedto be of such salutary worth for instructing children in thepaths of rectitude, that many parents took their offspring towitness hangings, and afterwards, in order to reinforce thelesson, flogged them. The scaffold was meant to fill peoplewith moral awe.

The vast majority of those hanged in Georgian Englandwere from among the poverty-stricken. Their crimes weremostly against property; the theft of articles of food orclothing, or other essentials. Many a poor family had a lovedone languishing in Newgate Prison. That is how it came aboutthat on hanging days, the road from Newgateto Tyburn, wherethe hangings were carried out, was lined with thousands ofshouting, screaming, weeping people.

But, the so-called ignorant masses, for whose sake thespectacle was staged, rejected the lesson they were meant tolearn. Instinctively, they knew that the punishment wasgrotesquely out of proportion to crimes that were oftencommitted out of sheer desperation. Instead of seeing the condemned as examples of wickedness to be shunned at allcosts, they regarded them more as heroes and martyrs. Thehangings at Tyburn meant one thing to the establishment andanother to the unwashed mob. This was commented on bysome social observers of the day. One said that “thecondemned rode in their carts to Tyburn Fair in bright clotheslike men that triumph.”

A visitor from Italy remarked, “English men and womenwent to the gallows as if going to be married, with all thecalmness and indifference in the world.” The crowd wouldstudy intently the faces of their doomed relatives and friends.They loved it when they saw courage and defiance there, andwould publish their support with cries and cheers.

It is remarkable that something as dramatic and emotive ashanging could have such opposite meanings to different sets ofpeople within the same society. In their ‘wisdom,’ Britishpoliticians supposed that the repulsive spectacle of men andwomen jerking helplessly at the end of a rope would soadmonish the wicked that they would henceforth committhemselves to lives of scrupulous lawfulness.

There is no hard evidence that this effect was obtained. Infact, the judicial system slowly began to abandon this form ofpunishment in favor of incarceration; resulting in massiveovercrowding in British prisons. But again, those who sufferedunder these measures had a different interpretation of them tothose that administered them.

What the Leaders Thought of JesusWhen it comes to the execution of Jesus, those who brought itabout had a far different appreciation of the event, than thosewho became his disciples. Note the following from Paul:

“When I came to you brothers, I did not come witheloquence or superior wisdom… For I resolved to knownothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ andhim crucified… My message and my preaching were not with wide and persuasive words but with ademonstration of the Spirit’s power. We speak amessage… but not the wisdom of this age, or of therulers of this age who are coming to nothing. We speak a wisdom that has been hidden, and that God destinedfor our glory before time began. None of the rulers ofthis age understood it, for if they had they would nothave crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:1-8).The subject and content of Paul’s preaching was a person

that the world’s rulers had rejected. This man—a Galileancarpenter-come-itinerant teacher—was crucified by the leadingparties of the day; the policy-makers, public officials and theirlaw enforcement agents. The intelligentsia did not understandwho Jesus was. The gospel is absolutely not the fruit of humanresearch and learning.

For all their education, experience and know-how, the bestminds of the Jewish, Greek and Roman worlds did not believethat Jesus was the embodiment of divine wisdom. One mighthave expected that the spiritual leaders of the most religiouslyadvanced people of the time would have seen something ofGod in Jesus. But, they did not. They judged him a traitor, ablasphemer, a deceiver, a heretic.

Rome, with its organizational skills and vast militaryprowess, was not impressed with Jesus either. He was just ablip on the Imperial radar; a problem that could easily besolved with the surgical application of force.

The major political, social, military and psychologicalforces that influence outcomes and rule affairs in the worldtoday, were all present when Jesus was executed. It was thewisdom of the world in carnival, expressed in the ignorance of pagan powers, in the obtuseness of the Pharisees and thecunning of Caiaphas and the Sadducees. It was the wisdom ofthe business leaders; those who did not want religion tointerfere with their market—even if that market was in thehouse of worship; even when their business operationamounted to a cartel, with the ability to extort maximum pricesfrom worshipers whose consciences forbade them to forsakethe temple. World wisdom in the opportunism of Judas, in thepolitical correctness of Pilate who tried to free Jesus, but in theend subscribed to the maxim: “better to care for your own hidelest someone else make leather out of it.”

No single figure better epitomizes the wisdom that sawContinued on next page

By Ron Allen

4

nothing of valuein Jesus, thanBarabbas.Barabbas was apatriot. He lovedhis country andhad killed for it.He was anationalist—withmany admirers.Since it wascustomary for theRomans torelease a prisonerat that time of theyear, Pilate

offered the people a choice between the release of Barabbas orJesus. They chose to keep Barabbas and let Jesus be crucified.“We can’t lose Barabbas. He’s far too valuable. But, as for thisother ‘lover of mankind,’ we can get along just fine withouthim.”

This choice is repeated over and over by leaders of thecontemporary world. Civic leaders, governors and churchmen;men and women whose distilled expertise persuades them toopt for the violent patriot over the man willing to bear hostilityand harm in the name of peace, righteousness and love. “Noneof the rulers of this age understood!”

God Was In ChristTo Paul and the Christian community, the death of Christ was arevelation of God. The Spirit that was in Jesus; that compelledhim to pursue his ideal of love, even unto death, was for Paulthe high water-mark in human excellence and achievement; abenchmark for virtue so exalted as to bear the stamp ofdivinity—the wisdom of God. “But none of the rulers of thisage understood it.”

The gospel is an affront to the natural trend of humanthinking. Even the most enlightened always look for a chanceto dismiss it or replace it with a construct of their own making.Rather than be ruled by the ethic of God that was revealed atCalvary, we easily fall into step with far less controversialideas. This explains Paul’s polemic against the wisdom of theworld. Corinthian Christians were in danger of embracing itinstead of the gospel. When he first preached in Corinth, Paulhad deliberately avoided much eloquence and wordycleverness because he knew that skilled debate and verbaltechniques were the stuff of Greek wisdom. He knew hecouldn’t match the brilliant rhetoric of Greek orators, so he lethis unvarnished recitation of the simple story of Jesus work itsown powerful influence.

Too much in Christian circles today depends on the antics ofthe preacher and the skills of his worship team—the lighting,staging, band, or choir. Faith born of these instrumentalitieswill always be at the disposal of another more powerfulpreacher, a more spectacular worship ministry, a sanctuary

with better acoustics, better seats. There is nothing wrong withany of these, but they are not the wisdom of God; not thegospel. They can produce a religious experience dominated byhuman values; one that suits natural preference and prejudice;that showcases the kind of wisdom that Paul renounced inorder that his message was seen to be of God.

We Prefer a God Made in Our ImageUnless God gives us eyes to see with, and ears to hear, we willalways think in terms of the values of a world that simply doesnot want God; a world that will go to any lengths to secureitself against his reign. We would prefer a god made in ourimage. We want religion to be spectacular. We want to bestartled, amused, entertained; to be made to laugh, weep, andsee things happen. The last thing we want Christianity to be isthe revealing of a God who loved so much that he sought outthose whom no one else would love—the disposable ones;who made this love the commanding theme, the non-negotiable principle of existence, even to the point ofenduring unto death for it. We do not want love of this kind tobe the bedrock truth of the universe; the unbearable reality ofGod. No wonder none of the rulers of this age understood!

Paul desires that his converts accept the wisdom displayedin Jesus—particularly in the events of his dying—as thecontrolling ethic of their lives. The whole of 1st Corinthianscan be seen as a pastor’s appeal to his flock to give themselvesover to the Lordship of Jesus; to permit themselves to begoverned by his Spirit of costly love.

How much better then—and now—it would be if Paul’sadvice were taken. The passionate, sturdy, unyielding lovedemonstrated by Christ is the most powerful force for good theworld has ever seen. Yes, someone will trot out example afterexample of evils perpetrated by the Christian religion. There isno gainsaying the fact of these examples. They are many. But,they are examples of Christian’s who did not follow the patternof their leader. They departed from the wisdom of the crucifiedand reverted to the wisdom of his executioners.

Continued from previous page

We want to be startled, amused,entertained; to be made to laugh, weep,and see things happen.

...someone will trot out example after example of evilsperpetrated by the Christian religion. ... they are examples ofChristian’s who did not follow the pattern of their leader.

www.goodnewsunlimited.org5

The Wisdom of God in PrisonPhilip Yancey describes the time he spent with Ron Nickel,President of Prison Fellowship International. Ron travels theworld visiting prison inmates and lobbying authorities againsttheir inhumane treatment. Ron says that prisons are thegarbage heaps of society. Society has largely given up on itsprisoners. Jails are gulags of human wreckage, humansediment.

Enter the gospel; brought to many inmates by PrisonFellowship International. Ron tells of an inmate he met, whowalks with a pronounced limp. He lost his leg and most of hisbowel in a shooting incident in an Argentine prison. But inside,he met Jesus and became his disciple. Shortly afterward he methis brother’s killer. “I would have killed that man once,” hesays. “But with Christ in my heart I was able to forgive him.Now I am called to work for others here in prison. My job ismore important than being president of General Motors.”

Ron talks of the worst prison he ever visited. It was inZambia. He went there with Chuck Colson. They had heardabout a secret inner prison where the very worst offenderswere kept. They approached a steel, cage-like building,covered with wire mesh. Cells lined the outside of the cage,and surrounded a courtyard 15’ x 40’. The prisoners werelocked in their cells 23 hours of each day—cells so small thatall could not lie down at the same time. When Ron Nickel andChuck Colson were led into the courtyard, they were met bysqualor they had never encountered anywhere. There was nosanitation. Inmates were forced to defecate in their food pans.They wondered how humans could live in such a place.

Then something wonderful happened. About 80 of theprisoners lined up against the back wall and, with theirwonderful African voices, began to sing Christian songs offaith and hope. Their faces shone with peace. “Thirty-five ofthese men will be shot tomorrow,” the guide told them. Behindthe singing prisoners, on the filthy wall, the two visitors couldjust make out a charcoal sketch. It depicted Christ, stretchedout on his cross. It told, as words could never do, these men’s

source of hope. They believed that the Crucified One was therewith them, sharing their suffering.

Let no one doubt the enormous spiritual power in the costlylove of Christ; power that is missing from other systems andphilosophies. It strikes deep into human life, effecting changesfor good. Nothing raises human consciousness to believe in itsown worth, like the love of God in the story of Jesus. “Butnone of the rulers understood!”

Ron Nickel recalls another prisoner, Jose; a Philippino in aSaudi prison. He is on death row, but in prison he meets Jesus.Ron Nickel and Philip Yancey pay him a visit. The visitingarea is a large room full of people. They each have to sit atleast four feet away from the inmate and talk through a doublesteel mesh. Everyone has to yell to make themselves heard.“My time in here is hell,” yells Jose. “But I wouldn’t trade itfor anything. In this place I met Jesus.”

In our best moments, when we are not being driven helter-skelter by our fears, ambitions or prejudices, I believethat we are ready to concede that if the world has a future, it isgoing to have to be built on the kind of values Jesus died for.The future sure does appear bleak in any attempt to found it onthe wisdom of those who killed Jesus. No one remembers withrespect what Pilate did. When we seek for role models to putbefore our children, we usually bypass Judas and Caiaphas.Who directs their offspring to the mob baying for Jesus’ blood,saying, “There you are kids, there’s something for you tobecome; to strive for?”

In my boyhood I wouldwatch and be fascinated as thesummer storms marshalledtheir forces in the western sky.The big clouds would pilehigher and higher on eachother, thrilling me with theirgrandeur. But then they wouldtake on a menacing aspect,gather speed, and begin tomake war-like noises. Theywould become terrifying.

So with Jesus Christ. To seehim is to be drawn to him. Hehas a beauty and majesty. Butthen we learn just what hisintentions really are. That hehis utterly serious about this

love of his. He will not relinquish it for anything. He willfollow the dictates of love even to Calvary. This makes usshudder. We realize with apprehension that in asking us tofollow him, he calls us to duties which may prove fatal to us.

Yet, just as the storms of my youth—so scary—blessed theearth and made things grow, so if we go with Jesus Christ, thesame paradox will occur. What appeared so daunting willprove to be the source of life and hope. With Paul we willdiscover strength, even in weakness. Though having nothingwe will realize we have everything, and though poor, we willknow the joy of making many rich.

Prison FellowshipInternational was founded in1979, three years after theformation of PrisonFellowship United States,and the emergence of similarorganizations in England,Australia, Canada, andCosta Rica. P.F. USA wasformed by Charles W. Colsonfollowing his release fromprison. Colson had beenserving time in prison afterbeing convicted for anoffence related to

“Watergate,” the infamous political scandal during the Nixonpresidency. For more on their amazing works, log ontowww.pfm.org.

When we seek for rolemodels to put before ourchildren, we usually bypassJudas and Caiaphas.

6

The most important event in time and eternity was thecrucifixion of the Son of God. The heart of Scripture and

of New Testament faith is this objective, historical occurrence.It alone has made it possible for God to be just and yet thejustifier of the guilty who believe in Christ. The cross justifiedGod, ransomed the world, consolidated heaven, shook hell,condemned Satan and comforted earth. It magnified the law,satisfied divine justice, delighted God the Father, glorified Godthe Son, brought down God the Holy Spirit and confirmed theeverlasting covenant for all who believe. Sin was therebynullified, sinners justified and the devil petrified. Calvaryabolished death and turned it into a sleep until the morning ofthe resurrection. It removed the dominion of sin and brought ineverlasting righteousness. It made it possible for our individualhells of pain to be eradicated, and it opened paradise to theworst of us. Good news indeed!

Have you ever noticed what proportion of the four Gospelsis devoted to the last week of Christ’s life—Passion Week?Throughout all four Gospels we actually have only parts of 44days of our Lord’s life; that is, about one day in every 350alluded to in part. Yet thirty chapters out of the total 89chapters of the four Gospels are devoted to the last week of ourLord’s life—a third and more. If Matthew, Mark, Luke andJohn gave the same amount of attention to every day of ourLord’s life as given to the last seven days, the Gospels wouldconsist of 100,000 pages.

The New Testament gives very little attention to Bethlehem;wonderful event though it was. Just a few verses are devoted toit—but to the cross, one third of the whole record. Why is thecross so important? Second Corinthians 5:21 tells us that theLord made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that wemight be made the righteousness of God in him. John 1:29refers us to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of theworld. Mark 10:45 tells us that Jesus came to be a ransom forthe sins of the world. That prince of apostles, Peter, in his first

letter, chapter 2 verse 24, speaking of Jesus says, “He himselfbore our sins in his body on the tree… by his wounds you havebeen healed.” Then, in 3:18 of the same letter: “For Christdied for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,that he might bring us to God.” Hebrews 9:26 says “For onceat the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by thesacrifice of himself.” Lastly, Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemedus from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” It isthe gospel of substitution. Christ took our place that we mighthave his place; he took our sins in which he had no share, thatwe might have his righteousness in which we had no share. He took the death which was ours that we might have the lifethat was his.

The cross dealt with sin and lawlessness; with selfishness,greed, hate, lust, murder, theft, envy, anger, irritability,moodiness. Had there been no cross there would have beenanger in the universe. Why should a holy God let unholy mencontinue to exist? The only reason is that we might accept theredemption of the cross and be reconciled to God.

If God makes a law and threatens a penalty, that penaltymust be executed or the law loses authority. If the penaltythreatened is not executed, it indicates that it was originallythreatened in error. Who wants to worship a fallible God? It iswritten on our conscience that sin must be punished, and thatGod must take our sin at least as seriously as we do. Then,when he is satisfied, we can be satisfied.

Scripture says that Christ came to “put away sin.” Until sinis a reality to us, salvation will never be a reality. If sin is atrifle, salvation is a trifle. But sin is not a trifle. Sin is thatreality that breaks hearts, blights our homes, robbed heavenand made hell the high capital of the universe. It is the most

The Greatest Story Ever ToldBy Desmond Ford

Sin … robbed heaven and made hell the high capital of theuniverse.

Calvary abolished death andturned it into a sleep until themorning of the resurrection.

It removed the dominion of sinand brought in everlasting

righteousness.

7www.goodnewsunlimited.org

terrible and the most devastating fact of the universe. Onemodern evangelist has written about sin this way:

“Sin is the cause of all trouble, the root of all sorrow.The dread of every man lies in this small word. It hasreversed man’s nature, destroyed his inner harmony,robbed him of nobility and caused him to be caught inthe devil’s trap. Sin is madness in the brain, poison in theheart. It is a tornado on the loose, a volcano gone wild,like a madman broken out of the asylum, like a gangsteron the prowl, a roaring lion seeking its prey. Sin is araging torrent sweeping everything before it, aprostrating disease that demands a radical cure. Becauseof sin, every stream with human crime is stained, everybreeze is morally corrupted, every cup of life tainted,and every life’s roadway made dangerous with pitfalls,every voyage perilous with treacherous shoals.

Sin sears the conscience and withers everything,causing tears of sorrow and pangs of agony. It promisesvelvet and gives us shrouds. It promises liberty and givesbondage, promises nectar and gives gall. Sin has madehearts hungry, minds thirsty and the spirit broken andhopeless.

We all know our own little hell of sin. That’s why weare so busy putting on one chloroform mask afteranother—sex, pleasure, rush, hurry, and noise. But in thequiet, we know the hell of conscience.”

Never let any one tell you that Christianity is irrelevant; thattrue religion is not important. What else is there that can dealwith this our greatest enemy? There is no educational,governmental, philanthropic, or sociological program thatrenders sin innocuous. There is nothing else but Christianitythat can pluck its sting and heal its wounds—only the gospelcan do it.

A small boy gazed at a picture of the crucifixion and criedout, “If God had been there, he wouldn’t have let them do it!”But God was there. And more, he was responsible for thecross. He did it! Oh, yes, I know it was wicked men; Judas,

Caiaphas, Annas and Pilate. But in a more important sense itwas God. For when man sinned in the beginning, God theFather and the Son, covenanted to die in man’s place—otherwise man would never have lived. That’s why we read inIsaiah: “The Lord has placed on him the iniquity of us all, forit pleased the Lord to bruise him, he has put him to grief”(Isaiah 53:7, 10).

Not only was God responsible for the cross, he was on thecross, and could have come down from it. The one who causedthe soldiers to fall down before him in Gethsemane need onlyto have breathed a syllable to destroy his crucifiers. God wason the cross and could have come down. He who died was the“God-man,” the eternal One who took human nature in orderto die for our sakes.

This was the purpose of the incarnation, the birth of Christ.Says the poet: “Eternity within a span, day in night, summer inwinter, heaven in earth and God in man. Great little one whoseglorious birth lifts earth to heaven and stoops heaven to earth.”That is why our Lord was born, to bring heaven to earth andlift earth to heaven, to bring day into our night, summer intoour winter, and God to us who are sinners.

-To be continued…

There is no educational, governmental, philanthropic, orsociological program that renders sin innocuous.

8

Caiaphas was a man of unflinching and ruthlessdetermination. He secured the privileged office of high

priest by cunning intrigue and diplomatic marriage. His father-in-law, Annas, was a former holder of the office. Havingsecured the coveted appointment, Caiaphas was determined toretain it. It is some measure of his ability that he remained inoffice from A.D. 16 to A.D. 36 despite the jealousmachinations of his rivals and the suspicious hostility of theRomans. In A.D. 36 he was deposed by Vitellius, governor of Syria.

He saw in the growing popularity of Jesus an ominous threatboth to his power and his position. That is why he calmly andcynically proposed Jesus’ death. Nevertheless he cunninglyrepresented his atrocious proposal as a matter of practicalpatriotism and simple necessity.

It was the dramatic raising of Lazarus that provoked theauthorities to effective action… The Sanhedrin was hastilyconvened to discuss the situation. “What do we do?” theyanxiously demanded. Jesus, it was pointed out, was doingmany miracles. There was no denying the reality of themiracles, nor the sensational nature of his appeal… There wasone man who was undismayed and undaunted. He refused to

be a party to their panic fears. With bitter contempt headdressed his colleagues: “Ye know nothing at all,” he bluntlydeclared, “nor consider that it is expedient for us that one manshould die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not”(John 11:49, 50).

Caiaphas stands revealed in these words as the advocate ofexpediency. Preoccupied with the safe preservation of his ownpower, he ignored the deeper questions of truth and justice. Heignored as irrelevant the more ultimate questions of what isright and wrong. In the interests of expediency he advocated,with clear and cold-blooded determination, the destruction of Jesus.

Caiaphas was the leader of the sect of the Sadducees. Heregarded the church as a profession and a career and, like mostcareerists, he was ambitious of power and jealous of office.Anything that endangered the life of the church, which wasalso his life, or threatened its security, which was also hissecurity, called for ruthless and immediate action. Caiaphaswas not the man to hesitate when duty and interest called.Confronted by the heady popularity of Jesus, he calmly anddeliberately proposed that he be removed and destroyed.S.B. Babbage. THE LIGHT OF THE CROSS, pp 23-25.

Christ or a CAREER?By S.B. Babbage

Is your unflinching determination pointing in the right direction?

9

THE TERRIBLE MEEKBy Charles Kellett

An American writer, Charles Raan Kennedy, has a shortdrama entitled, “The Terrible Meek.” The outline of a

little hill is seen through thick darkness. There are threecharacters—a captain, a soldier, and a woman. They cannot bediscerned in the gloom, but their voices are heard. The captainand the soldier tell of their day’s work—putting someone todeath at the bidding of priests and people. The woman bewailsthe victim for he is her son and has done nothing but speakwords of truth and love. Suddenly conviction creeps throughthe captain’s soul, and when the woman wails, “My son! Myson is dead,” he answers her, “He is alive.”

Captain: “He’s alive. I can’t kill him. All the empires can’tkill him. How shall hate destroy the power that possesses andrules the earth?”

Woman: “The power that—who?” Captain: “This broken thing up here. Your son. I tell you

woman, this dead son of yours, disfigured, shamed, spat upon,has built a kingdom this day that can never die. The livingglory of him rules it. The earth is his and he made it. He andhis brothers have been molding and making it through the longages; they are the only ones who ever really did possess it, notthe proud, not the idle, not the wealthy, not the vauntingempires of the world. Something has happened up here on thishill today to shake all the kingdoms of blood and fear to dust.The meek, the terrible meek, the fierce agonizing meek, areabout to enter into their inheritance.”

Slowly the darkness passes, and the figures become clear.The woman is seen to wear an Eastern costume. The soldier isa Roman centurion. On the brow of the green hill three crossesare seen to stand. It was not easy to see these things in the dayof the cross itself. But, that silent deed of self-surrender is yetundimmed, undying—outliving cohort and legion, survivingsenate and Caesar. In it we learn that the meek are moreterrible than the mighty.

When the noise of tongues is loud,And the heart of hope beats low;When prophets prophesy of ill,

And the mourners come and go;In this firm faith let us abide,And fix and stay our heart,

That Calvary and Easter Day,Earth’s heaviest day and

gladdest day,We’re just one day apart.

Meek: 1: enduring injury with patience and withoutresentment : (MILD) 2: deficient in spirit and courage :(SUBMISSIVE) 3: not violent or strong : (MODERATE).

Charles Kellett. THE TERRIBLE MEEK, pp, 20-22.

Creed or ChaosBy Dorothy Sayers

The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice,accused him of being a bore—on the contrary; they

thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for latergenerations to muffle up that shattering personality andsurround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have veryefficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him“meek and mild,” and recommended him as a fitting householdpet for pale curates and pious old ladies. To those who knewhim, however, he in no way suggested a milk-and-waterperson; they objected to him and labeled him a dangerousfirebrand. True, he was tender to the unfortunate, patient withhonest enquirers, and humble before heaven; but he insultedrespectable clergymen by calling them hypocrites; he referredto king Herod as “that fox”; he went to parties in disreputablecompany, and was looked upon as a “gluttonous man and awine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.” He assaultedindignant tradesmen and threw them and their belongings outof the temple; he drove coach-and-horses through a number ofsacrosanct and hoary regulations; he cured diseases by anymeans that came handy, with a shocking casualness in thematter of other people’s pigs and property; he showed noproper deference for wealth and social position; whenconfronted with neat dialectical traps, he displayed aparadoxical humor that affronted serious-minded people, andhe retorted by asking disagreeably searching questions thatcould not be answered by rule of thumb. He was emphaticallynot a dull man in his human lifetime, and if he was God, therecan be nothing dull about God either. But he had a “dailybeauty in his life that made us ugly,” and officialdom felt thatthe established order of things would be more secure withouthim. So they did away with God in the name of peace andquietness.Dorothy Sayers. CREED OR CHAOS.

To those who knewhim, however, he inno way suggested amilk-and-waterperson; theyobjected to him and labeled him a dangerous firebrand.

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THE PARADOX OF THE CROSSH. E. Fosdick

Look at the cross in all its horror. What happened there hasbeen called “the loneliest death in all history.” Jesus’

nation rejected him as a traitor; his church had rejected him asa heretic. He was alone. The Roman soldiers had spit uponhim; Pilate had washed his hands of him; the crowd jeered athim; his friends forsook him… I am afraid he really was alone,until his heart broke in the most desolate of cries: “My God,my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was the loneliestdeath in all history.

Man did that. That is what man is capable of doing to thechoicest soul that ever visited the earth. There the full measureof man’s sin stands revealed, the abyss of baseness that mancan fall to. What a beast and devil man can be. How full ofsuch barbarity his history is. How can one believe in man,hope anything from man when one sees the cross as theexhibition of his stupidity, and his pitiless cruelty wreakedthrough all of history upon the innocent?

Well, here is the paradox. The cross of Christ, supremely inhistory, has elevated and dignified man’s sense of his essentialworth and possibility. Man, cries the New Testament, is the“brother for whose sake Christ died.” So, the same cross thatrevealed man at his worst, made man believe in himself at hisbest. That is a strange paradox.

The humanist scholar, Muretus, in the seventeenth century, afugitive from France, fell ill in Lombardy, and looking like avagabond in rags, asked aid of the doctors. The physiciansdiscussed his case in Latin, not thinking that this bedraggledpauper could understand the learned tongue. Faciamuseperimentum in anima vili, they said. “Let us try an experimentwith this worthless creature.” And to their amazement the‘worthless creature’ spoke to them in Latin: Vilum animumapellas pro qua Christus non dignatus est mori? “Will youcall worthless the one for whom Christ did not disdain to die?”

The influence of that idea has been incalculable. When aking stoops to pick up something, it must have value. WhenChrist dies for someone, there must be something in him worthdying for. Christ died for every man, says the New Testament.Let that idea get really started once, and something is bound tohappen to the estimate of man. Christianity has failedmiserably in many ways but at its best it has reached out tothose whom the world has commonly treated as worthlesscreatures—the wicked, the neglected, the insane, the blind, andthe prisoner; it has believed in the value of personality even inits bedraggled forms… At the fountainhead of this stream offaith in man has been the cross with its insistent appeal: “Willyou call worthless one for whom Christ did not disdain todie?”H.E. Fosdick. THE GREATNESS OF GOD, pp. 49, 50.

And man still cries, “Eli!Eli! Laba sabachtani!” So,the same cross that revealed man at his worst, mademan believe in himself at his best.

M.A.N.N.A. UpdateBy Ben Smith, M.A.N.N.A. Director

Hello again brothers and sisters in Christ! In the pastmonth, we have continued to bring out food, supplies,

and most importantly, the word of God to the homeless incamps around Sacramento. Again, we’d like to thank you, thereader and supporter, for keeping your hearts open to God andhelping make this possible with your prayers and donations.

Every Friday night, part of our prayer is that the homelesswill not see M.A.N.N.A. as the provider of the gifts, but that itis God’s hand in their lives; then, seeing this blessing from ourFather, they will praise Him. We also realize that not everyonewe come into contact with on a Friday night has a relationshipwith, or knowledge of, God. That is why we’re out there.

We met a young girl recently that was living in a tentunderneath a bridge. We offered the girl food and provided theusual ration (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice, chips,candy, and a copy of Good News Unlimited). When we offeredher prayer, she asked us what that was, and said that hermother had mentioned it before. That was the first time that wehave ever had to explain what it meant to pray. After doing so,we were able to pray with her that night. Afterwards, we hadsome “extra” food that we decided to give to the girl. As weloaded up the bag, we found a Bible in one of the pockets ofthe backpack. We snuck the Bible into the bag of food in hopethat she would find it, and the seed that was planted that nightwill grow into her knowing our Father. We have to sneakBible’s into the bags sometimes, because it may be the onlyway to get the truth to someone. After that, all we can do ispray. Will you please pray that this young woman will grow inher relationship with God, and that the Bible that was gifted toher will be a life-changing blessing to her?

Thank you again for all of your support. It means the worldto us, and possibly salvation to someone else.

11

www.goodnewsunlimited.org

TAKE THE WHEELBy Rodney Nelson

Spiritual TemperatureWhen you take your spiritual temperature, do you find yourselftoo cold? Do you find it going up and down between hot andcold—inconsistent? Usually our temperature is dependant onhow our sin-life is going. Many times we struggle with thesame sin, not sure what we must do to finally gain victory andconsistency in overcoming it.

You Aren’t AloneThe Apostle Paul testified about his own struggle withtemptation and sin.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. Forwhat I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do. Andif I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law isgood. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it issin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me,that is, in my sinful nature (flesh). For I have the desireto do what is good but I cannot carry it out. For what Ido is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not wantto do, this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do notwant to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin livingin me that does it. So I find this law at work: When Iwant to do good, evil is right there with me. For in myinner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another lawat work in the members of my body, waging war againstthe law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the lawof sin at work within my members. What a wretched manI am! (Romans 7:14-24a).

Paul then asks, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”(Romans 7:24b). Seems hopeless doesn’t it? But, it isn’thopeless at all, because Paul answers his own question—”Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thereforethere is now no condemnation for those who are in ChristJesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 7:25a;8:1, 2).

Dead or Alive?Paul understood that he was either dead or alive spiritually. He was either a “slave to the law of sin and death”, or he was freed from it by “the law of the Spirit of life.” There wasn’t any middle or neutral ground. He was either under God’s control (free from sin) or under sin’scontrol (bound by sin). The word ‘law’ is used in bothdescriptions. What does this mean? It means you are eitherunder the authority and control of the Spirit, or of sin anddeath. The good news is that those who are “in Christ Jesus”are free from sin and death.

Two RealitiesIn describing the life of the believer, Paul begins bycontrasting two realities. “In the same way count yourselvesdead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Ifa person is an unbeliever (outside Christ), he is (1) alive to sin,and (2) dead to God. If a person is a believer (in Christ), he is(1) dead to sin, and (2) alive to God. The key point is that abeliever cannot be one of each. They are mutually exclusive.

A New IdentityPaul uses the phrase “in Christ” to describe the new identity ofa person who becomes a Christian. They become a new personbecause they already are a new person in Christ. They havetaken on Christ’s identity by faith in Jesus. Paul is simplysaying, “Be in your life what you already are in Christ.”

How can you be “dead to sin but alive to God?” You can bebecause you already are in Christ. In other words, look at yourreality in Christ found in Romans 6:3-10. Christians have been“baptized into Christ” (6:3), “buried with Christ” (6:4), “unitedwith Christ” (6:5), “crucified with Jesus” (6:6), “freed fromsin” (6:7), “died with Christ” (6:8).

The ApplicationChristians are to count themselves dead to sin and alive to Godbecause Jesus was raised from the dead, cannot die again, is nolonger mastered by death, died to sin once for all, and nowlives for God. The phrase ‘count yourselves’ can be translated‘consider yourselves’, ‘reckon yourselves’, or ‘regardyourselves’. Paul is telling his readers that they are to considerand regard themselves as dead to sin because they actually are.They are dead to sin and alive to God because they are “inChrist Jesus.”

FreedomLet’s pretend you live during the American Civil war in the1860’s. Pretend you are a slave during this time; pretend youhave been set free by the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.The Proclamation is a document that says you are no longer aslave but a free person. However, you don’t believe it unlessyou see it. Abraham Lincoln sends you a letter telling you thatfreedom is yours. But you just don’t believe it and your attitudeand lifestyle continues as if you are a slave, even though youare free. That is exactly what you are doing when you do not‘regard,’ ‘consider,’ or ‘reckon’ yourself dead to sin and alive toGod in Christ Jesus. Jesus emancipated (set you free) from sin,yet you continue as if this freedom does not exist. Your attitudedoes not change the reality that you are free.

Claim ItJesus won the war for you, now claim it for yourself! Yourvictory over sin is real because Jesus defeated sin for you.

Continued on next page

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Continued from previous pageChristians are to be what they already are in Christ. You aredead to sin and alive to God only because of Christ. Believingdoes not create the reality, it confesses it. All the language ofRomans 6:3-10 is in the past, not the future tense.

Driver’s Permit RequiredAfter becoming a Christian, a person comes under newownership. No longer will this person drive his car the way hewants, but will follow a new set of directions. At conversion, aperson switches identities—he/she becomes a new creation(Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15).

As a Christian, for the first time you can drive freely,because someone new is driving you. Notice Romans 6:12:“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that youobey its evil desires.” Likewise, “do not offer the parts of yourbody to sin” (6:13a).

In driving language, Paul is saying that in order for someoneelse to take control of the steering wheel, you will have to giveit to them. The only way that sin can reign in your life is if youlet it in. Christians have a choice, whereas non-Christians donot have that choice. They are slaves to sin; their nature is notredeemed by the blood of Christ. When a person becomes aChristian, sin will require a driver’s permit to drive his lifeagain. And only he can hand over the keys.

Stop and YieldThe word ‘offer’ is used three times in Romans 6:3. ‘Offer’means to present for or to something. It carries the idea ofsacrifice, as when animals were offered to God by Israel. OldTestament sacrifices were presented on behalf of someone else,but in Romans 6:3, the person offering the sacrifice is thesacrifice.

There are two types of offerings. One must cease—theoffering of oneself to sin. “Do not continue to present the parts

of your body to sin” (6:13a). The Christian is to give up sin,not give in to sin. The other type of offering is the one made toGod. “But once for all, present yourselves to God” (6:13).

The Right FuelHow can sin any longer be your master? The answer is simple.What is your fuel source? Before strictly unleaded gasoline,there was leaded gasoline. As it turned out, unleaded fuel isbetter for auto engines and does not emit lead exhaust which isbetter for the environment. Similarly, there is an energy sourcethat will fuel success in the Christian life. It is called grace.“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not underlaw but under grace” (Romans 6:14). Grace can do what law cannot accomplish. When the Bible says not ‘under law,’but ‘under grace’ it means that the Christians is under thecontrol of grace, not under the control of law. To be under thecontrol of law means a life defined in terms of rules andregulations—legalism.

Law is LimitedSo my brothers, you also died to the law through thebody of Christ that you might belong to another, to himwho was raised from the dead in order that we mightbear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by thesinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the lawwere at work in our bodies so that we bore fruit fordeath. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we havebeen released from the law so that we serve in the newway of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the writtencode (Romans 7:4-6).

Sin used the law to create sinful passions in the person’s life.The law is powerless to stop a person from sinning. The lawactually empowers sin. It is a great standard to measure sin,but does not keep one from sin.

While the law of God empowers sin in the life, graceempowers the believer to defeat sin. Just as graceaccomplishes the believers’ salvation, it also liberates fromsin’s control. The Christian’s obedience to God is no longermeasured by rules and regulations, but by freedom to serve inthe new way of the Spirit (7:6).

Spirit vs. LawThe works of the flesh are compared with the works of theSpirit in Galatians 5:16-26. “If you are led by the Spirit youare not under law” (Gal. 5:18). Life in the Spirit looks likethis: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then a surprisingstatement: “Against such there is now law” (5:23). If you arecontrolled by the Spirit, the law cannot condemn you becauseyou are not under the power of sin. Grace cannot tolerate sin inthe Christian life. It leaves no room for sin to rule. Make thedecision to take the wheel and let God help you steer throughlife. I guarantee it will be a journey you could never do onyour own.

...for the first time you can drive freely, because someone newis driving you. ... in order for someone else to take control of the steering wheel, you will have to give it to them. ... I guarantee it will be a journey you could never do on your own.

www.goodnewsunlimited.org13

TO and FROwith the Editor

Question:Do you know of any Sabbatarian groups around theGainsville, Florida area? I was an SDA for 27 years. I foundout the truth about the Investigative Judgment, and someother things.G.H.

Answer:Do not discount attendance at churches that do not shareyour convictions on Sabbath, and/or other doctrinaldistinctions. What matters more than anything is that thecenter of Christian worship and endeavor devoteoverwhelming emphasis to the saving grace of God; its mightand its moral challenge. If the good news itself imbues,directs and inspires the church’s agenda, you can suffer itsimperfections—whether they are theological, or otherwise. Ifyou make a doctrine other than the gospel the decisive factorin whether or not you will fellowship, you may shut yourselfoff from that which you need more than all else beside.

Letter:I’ve just been re-reading on two of your letters that have myname on them. It seems to be such a human attribute: to berecognized as valuable by other human beings. God certainlyhas individualized his interaction with his creation (inreference to mankind). The thought crossed my mind, that ourreflecting our God and his mindset to others—the ‘one onone,’ becomes an essential, if not, the most essential aspect ofthis activity.

Anyhow, I simply wanted to let you know that in one ofyour letters you stated that you “have no answer/don’t knowwhy God allows some people to have lives which are mostlycalm, serene and well padded, so to say; while others—nobetter nor worse than the next person—are afflicted beyondcomprehension.” I am impressed that you are so delightfullyhonest to say, “I have no answer.” My upbringing over thedecades had programmed me to think: the Bible has answersfor everything! It is so refreshing to have a pastor say that hedoesn’t know something. No playing Job’s friends; noconvoluted twisting and turning. To me, this is like a coolrefreshing drink on a hot day.

Thank you for that. It may not seem particularly importantto you. To me it seems to be inspired; what I need to hear; theright words to a thirsty person at the right time. God is usingyou in impressive ways, and I am grateful to him as well as to you. K.M.

Reply:I am as thirsty as the next man. Thank you for affirming theworth of these labors. How desperate we all are forsignificance. Your sentiments are received with enormousgratitude. Editor

Introduction:“The people that hanged Christ never—to do them justice—accused him of being a bore—on the contrary; they thought himtoo dynamic to be safe.” So wrote Dorothy Sayers in Creed orChaos. Those who were Israel’s civil and religious leaders, inthe time of Christ, agreed on pragmatic grounds that he had tobe eliminated. The argument put to the Sanhedrin by Caiaphaswas easily accepted by them. Though Jesus was manifestlydecent; though his innocence could not be successfullyimpugned, they felt that the established order of things wouldbe more secure without him. So, they killed him for the sake ofpeace and quiet.

Whatever this says about conventional wisdom in those days,it says about it now. The best and brightest, those who hold thereins of power and presume to guide the consciences of men intoday’s world, are made ineffective by the same logic and biasthat brought about the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. None ofthe rulers understood.Read: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5• What was the central theme of Paul’s message?• Note the association between Paul’s central theme and‘weakness, fear, trembling.’• Note the disassociation between Paul’s central theme and‘men’s wisdom,’ ‘wise and persuasive words.’• Compare 1 Corinthians 1:23-25. Read: 1 Corinthians 2:6-9Note: Verse 9 is usually quoted to show that believers couldnot possibly conceive of the glories and joys that await them inheaven. But, does not the context prove that the sameimpossibility applied to Jesus’ first coming? No one would everhave guessed that God would reveal the deepest truth ofhimself, through the weakness and shame of the cross.• Compare: Matthew 16:21-23; Acts 3:13, 17; Acts 4:25-27;Galatians 5:11.Note: The gospel would never have been ‘cooked up’ insomeone’s imagination because it contradicts the wholetendency of human thought. Therefore, the ethic of love revealedin the cross is also against inclination, and must be beheld,received, cultivated lest it disappear from the church and fromsociety.

In the Corinthian correspondence, Paul counters the morallapses of the church members by drawing their attention, againand again to the heart of God revealed in the death of Jesus.Read: 1 Corinthians 2:10, 14-16; 1 Corinthians 3:11, 18-23.

Compare: 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; 9:19-23; 11:1;12:13, 27, 14:1; 16:14; 2 Corinthians 5:14.

Scripture Search...“These are the Scriptures that testify about me…”

What TheRulersDidn’t Know

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That as High Priest and chief religious authority in the land,Caiaphas had many important responsibilities including

controlling the temple treasury, managing the temple policeand other personnel, performing religious rituals and—centralto the Passion story—serving as president of the Sanhedrin, theJewish Council and court that reportedly considered the caseof Jesus.

The High Priest had another, more controversial function infirst century Jerusalem: serving as a sort of liaison betweenRoman authority and the Jewish population. High priests,drawn from the Sadducean aristocracy, received theirappointment from Rome since the time of Herod the Great,and Rome looked to high priests to keep the Jewish populationin line. We know from other cases (such as one incident in 66 C.E.), that Roman prefects mightdemand that the high priests arrest and turn over Jews seen asagitators.

Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas, High Priest from 6-15 C.E. and head of a family that would control the highpriesthood for most of the first century. Annas is alsomentioned in biblical accounts. It is possible that he, as HighPriest Emeritus, might have served at the side of Caiaphas inthe Sanhedrin called to resolve the fate of Jesus.

Although little is known of Caiaphas, historians infer fromhis long tenure as High Priest, from 18 to 36 C.E., that he musthave worked well with Roman authority. For ten yearsCaiaphas served with Roman prefect Pontius Pilate. The twopresumably had a close relationship. It is likely that Caiaphasand Pilate had standing arrangements for how to deal withsubversive persons such as Jesus.

Caiaphas’ motives for turning Jesus over to Pilate are thesubject of speculation. Some historians suggest that he hadlittle choice. Others argue that he saw Jesus as a threat to the

existing religious order. He might have believed that if Jesuswasn’t restrained, or even executed, the Romans might endtheir relative tolerance of Jewish institutions.

High priests, including Caiaphas, were both respected anddespised by the Jewish population. As the highest religiousauthority, they were seen as playing a critical role in religiouslife and the Sanhedrin. At the same time, however, many Jewsresented the close relationship that high priests maintainedwith Roman authorities and suspected them of taking bribes orpracticing other forms of corruption.

In the year 36 C.E., both Caiaphas and Pilate weredismissed from office by Syrian governor Vitellius, accordingto Jewish historian Josephus. It seems likely that the cause oftheir dismissal was growing unhappiness with their closecooperation. Rome might have perceived the need for aconciliatory gesture to Jews whose sensibilities had beenoffended by the two leaders. Josephus describes the highpriests of the family of Annas as “heartless when they sit injudgment.”

Unlike other temple priests, Caiaphas, as High Priest, livedin Jerusalem’s Upper City, a wealthy section inhabited by thecity’s powers-that-be. Archeologists discovered in 1990, in afamily tomb in Abu Tor, two miles south of Jerusalem, andossuary, or bone box, containing on its side the name, JosephCaiaphas, written inAramaic. The ossuary isassumed to be genuine.-Famous Trials.

Did You Know?

Ossuaries are burialboxes used for long termstorage of bones intombs. After the body hadbeen reduced to bones by decay, the bones were gathered up inthese carved boxes, both as a memorial and a space savingdevice. This photo shows the ossuary inscribed withinformation identifying its occupant as Joseph Caiaphas.

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GOOD NEWS UNLIMITEDMessage of the MonthEven though life in the 21stcentury is fast-paced and intense,there are frequently small pocketsof time during every day whenyou can listen to a radio or someother ‘player’ while you are doingsomething else—such as driving,taking a lunch-break, or waitingfor an appointment.

What better way to occupy yourmind during these interludes, thanby listening to an expositorymessage by one or more of GNU’sevangelists and Bible teachers—Desmond Ford and Ron Allen.GNU Message of the Month isalways grace centered, Christcentered, inspired and motivating.For a donation of $80.00, receivea new CD each month. Subscribenow and get the benefits and thejoy of GNU’s Message of theMonth.

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May 2008

THIS I BELIEVE: A Faith to Live and Die ByDear Friend of the Gospel,We are pleased to announce that Dr. Desmond Ford is planning to return to the North American continent to share thegospel message. You may need to dust off those passports though. While it is likely that Dr. Ford will also be speaking atLoma Linda, California the weekend before his Canadian venues, it has not yet been confirmed. We will keep youinformed of any updates regarding the possible California venue. Below, are a list of the confirmed dates, venues andcontact information:

Please be advised that we recommend you book your hotel reservations early. During this time of year, hotelaccommodations can be difficult to secure on short notice.

If visiting Banff, please phone the RED CARPET INN at (800)563-4609 or (403)762-4184 and indicate GOODNEWS group booking. You can also make reservations at the HIGH COUNTRY INN at (800)661-1244 or (403)762-2236.After booking your reservation, you will need to email Dan Erickson at dansonyoung@shaw.ca to confirm that you will beattending the meetings so further plans can be arranged. If you do not have internet access, you can also reach Dan byphone at (604)850-4383.

If visiting Toronto, it is recommended you call the Hotel Novotel at (416)733-2929. After booking your reservation,you will need to contact Dave Okamura at (416)222-9281 to confirm that you will be attending the meetings.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous giving to help spread the gospel. May the Lordbless and keep each one of you.

Banff, AlbertaSeptember 12-14, 2008Full Gospel Church

407 Cougar Street (Corner of Cougar and Squirrel)Banff, Alberta

Contact: Dan Erickson (604) 850-4383

Toronto, OntarioSeptember 19-20, 2008

Willowdale Evangelical Church236 Finch Avenue East

North YorkContact: Dave Okamura (416) 222-9281