EU DEFENCE NOISES OFF

AMBASSADOR GILLERMAN'S FINAL SPEECH TO THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL As reported by Gil Ronen, Arutz Sheva, Wednesday 23 July 2008

Israel's outgoing Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Gillerman, gave his last speech Tuesday to the U.N. Security Council. Referring to Jerusalem's second tractor terror attack in three weeks, which occurred just hours before his speech, he said that when the first tractor attack occurred, people said the driver was a madman. It now is clear, he added, that the problem was not a solitary madman but rather a phenomenon.Gillerman had prepared a written speech but told the ambassadors that he decided to speak from his heart instead. This is most probably my last appearance before you as the representative of the State of Israel, he said. I would like to thank each and every one of you for the time you have spent on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and our problems. He emphasized that whatever happens, whatever you discuss, whatever transpires - Israel will prevail.

Most of the Horror is Within Islam
Gillerman went on to say that the world was not dealing with a clash of civilizations, but rather with a clash of civilization, in the singular - within Islam. Most of the horror, most of the bloodshed, most of the killings, and most of the violence... is sadly and tragically within Islam, he said. Not only are the majority of terrorists Muslim, he noted, but also the majority of terror victims around the world. The Ambassador said he was most concerned about the eerie silence of the Muslim world in the face of terrorism, and expressed his hope to see a Muslim leader emerge who would say enough is enough, what are we doing? I hope very much that the Arab and Muslim world will realize that it is its duty and responsibility today, in that very clash, to support the moderates and isolate the extremists, he added.

Imagine...
Gillerman extended an invitation to all those present to visit Israel. You will see a country which is very different from the perception you get on TV, where you see a country torn by violence and bloodshed... You will discover a vibrant county, of great excellence and innovation, in making the desert bloom, in agriculture, science and medicine, he said. You will see a country which is contributing each and every day to mankind and to humanity, not just to itself and to the Jewish people, and making the world a better place.You will not understand the essence of Israel until you feel it and smell it, he said.He asked his colleagues to imagine, for one moment, what it is like to be an Israeli.

Boarding a Bus with Fear
He asked them to picture a grandfather like me who sometimes goes to the kindergarten to pick up my granddaughter and whose heart breaks when he sees an armed guard at the entrance to the kindergarten.Imagine what it is like, he said, to board a bus and look to the side in fear, or to sit in a coffee shop in Jerusalem. Sitting in a coffee house in Paris, Moscow and New York, costs a few dollars. Sitting in a coffee house in Jerusalem could cost many lives, he said.Gillerman asked those present to imagine a bulldozer driving down Fifth Avenue or the Champs Elysees and crushing cars... I have been here for almost six years. Occasionally I have been accused of over-reaction and dramatization. If you visit Israel or just imagine what happens in it, you will understand. When you speak about the situation in the Middle East, you will think about what we deal with every single day.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

[Comment] European defence: Noises off
NICK WITNEY 29.07.2008 @ 07:14 CET

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - How gratifying for Europeans listening to Barack Obama's speech in Berlin's Tiergarten to hear him affirm that America has no better partner than Europe, and to talk of how allies must listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.And how unsettling to hear him talk also of the need for shared sacrifice, and to assert that The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban, and al Qaeda. The next American President, whether Democrat or Republican, will be politer to Europeans than the current incumbent; but he will also be more demanding – and harder to fob off.Seventy percent of Europe’s land forces simply cannot operate outside national territory (Photo: MONUC Photo/Romain Desclous)

For the EU's new French Presidency, with their priority of boosting l'Europe de la Defense, these noises off can only be encouraging. And they will need all the encouragement they can get. For the European defence enterprise, launched at the famous Franco-British summit at St Malo nearly ten years ago, has in truth made depressingly little progress. 20 EU crisis-management operations to date sounds like a lot. But three-quarters of them have involved deployment of policemen or legal experts, not troops; half have comprised less than 100 personnel; and four of the five main military interventions, in Macedonia, Congo (twice) and Bosnia, have ridden on the coat-tails of either UN or NATO peace-keepers.

Meanwhile, efforts to make Europe's militaries fit for purpose – the purpose in today's world being expeditionary, multinational operations, not stopping invaders at the national frontier – have been even less productive.The original vision of a 60,000-strong rapid reaction force has been quietly shelved, in favour of 1,500-man battlegroups. 70% of Europe's land forces simply cannot operate outside national territory. Europe's 10,000 main battle tanks would be fine for a re-run of the battle of Kursk, but are little use in Chad or Afghanistan. Figures such as these highlight the extent to which Europeans' combined annual defence spending in Europe of some 200 billion euros is simply money down the drain.

No need for increases in defence spending

From the decade of wasted opportunity, however, some important truths can be distilled. First, there is no need for (unattainable) increases in defence spending – the money just needs to be spent on the right things, like support helicopters.Second, Europeans have no choice but to pool their efforts and resources; even the UK and France have had to accept that increased mutual reliance is the only way either can hope to make their defence books balance.Third, points one and two are, for defence establishments, profoundly counter-cultural. They hate change (their rationale, after all, is to protect the status quo), and they hate depending on others. So both ditching those tanks, and cooperating with others on the next generation of combat radio, will require external pressure. Fourth, Europeans are a heterogeneous lot, and efforts to develop European defence need to recognise and accommodate this diversity.

A multi-speed Europe

This last point is especially relevant in the aftermath of the Irish No to the Lisbon Treaty. For some, this latest failure to get 27 runners and riders into the starting gates at the same time has only confirmed the need to accept a multi-speed Europe.Whether or not this is true for the future of the Union as a whole, there is no room for dispute in defence – multi-speed is the reality, and will remain so as long as 27 Member States reserve the right to set their own defence policies, and take their own decisions about sending their young men and women into danger (as of course they all do – despite the EuroArmy fantasy).So the model for European defence has to be variable geometry – some Member States pooling their efforts on defence research, others setting up joint air transport commands, and so on – each according to national interest and aptitude.This approach – the concept of the pioneer group – appears in the Lisbon Treaty in the provisions on permanent structured cooperation. But, with Lisbon in baulk for the foreseeable future, the principles should be introduced as far and as fast as possible into the existing practices and institutions of European defence – most obviously, into the workings of the European Defence Agency.

EU Operational Headquarters in Brussels

Beyond that, the Presidency's agenda looks to be much on the right lines. The chronic problems over mounting and running ESDP operations need urgent attention. There needs to be a better shared understanding of where and when European interests and values may require interventions – and a greater readiness to share the burden, both through cost-sharing and through more member states keeping more of the right kind of units on stand-by.It is high time, too, for the much-discussed European civilian reserve corps to become a reality. And the current improvisations for the planning and conduct of operations must be replaced by a proper EU Operational Headquarters in Brussels, in which military and civilian staffs are fully integrated.The EU's claim to be uniquely capable of blending hard and soft power in crisis management will remain hollow as long as civilian and military operations are quite separately handled at the strategic level of command, as is the case today.On capabilities – the tools to do the job – the effort to get Member States to focus on the real, as opposed to the convenient, deficiencies must be pursued. At long last specific action is underway to make more support helicopters available – it is time that equally urgent attention was given to rationalising the plethora of incompatible national communications systems that bedevil all operations. This is a top priority for NGOs operating in crisis areas, too.Mainly, though, the way forward has to be a hard slog to get Member States to pool their efforts and resources – all the way from the research laboratory, through equipment procurement programmes, to joint forces.The European Defence Agency was set up precisely to catalyse such co-operations – it makes no sense to cap its staff numbers at a mere 100. Heads of government need to lend a hand, and encourage defence establishments to do what does not come naturally to them by attaching strings to defence budgets – spend it jointly, or lose it.And the same goes for the defence industry – consolidation needs to be re-energised, especially in the land- and sea-systems sectors, by summit meetings of defence industrial chiefs and government ministers.

Such an agenda would be readily achievable, if only the British would join hands with the French in pushing it. But 2008 is not 1998; and the glad confident morning of the New Labour government has declined into an apprehensive evening.Time, then, to pay attention to the noises off – and to reflect that it is not just Europe's role in the world, or the security of Europe's citizens, that depend on a stronger European defence – it is also the health of the transatlantic security relationship. The author is Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and former Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency

The CARMEL ALERT July 25th 2008
A compilation of news reports from the past week for the information of those committed to praying
for Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people.


The Out of Zion Ministries team is expanding. We have added two Israel Messianic believers to the apostolic team, Dena Gewanter and Scott Baker. This week we are introducing Dena ....... Dena has written this weeks comment, which Josie & I believe has had revelation
as to why Israel seems to be always bowing down to our enemies fro more details www.out-of-zion.com/ofzemissaries.htm

Dena Gewanter was raised in the Northeast United States in a conservative Jewish family. Her grandparents emigrated from eastern Europe before World War ll, but there were still some who remained and lost their lives during the holocaust. After searching for spiritual enlightenment in many of the occult practices popular in the '60's, she had a miraculous encounter with Yeshua, and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit at age 16, having had no previous knowledge or connection with the Christian faith. She never lost her identity as a Jew, and made Aliyah to Israel in 2005. She is a physician and has a grown son who lives in California. Her heart is to reach out to the Church and reveal the Biblical truths of God's purposes for Israel and the Jewish people, as well as His Divine plan to connect Jew and Gentile in these last days.

Guest Comment: Does Israel Suffer From Battered Woman Syndrome? by Dena Gewanter

Those of us who love Israel and believe that the covenant promises of God state that Israel belongs to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob find ourselves frustrated with the Israeli government's current policies. There were unprecedented public protests and an outpouring of disapproval from religious leaders around the world when the Gaza Strip was given over to the Palestinians in a land for peace deal. It is inconceivable that anyone today would say that this was anything but an unmitigated disaster. Prior to the disengagement, thousands of greenhouses in that small area produced massive quantities of flowers, fruits and vegetables for import and export, as well as employing thousands of Arab laborers to work in the maintenance and distribution of the produce. It was a small area, formerly desert land, that truly brought to life the scripture in Isaiah 27:6: In the days to come, Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. The sheer tonnage of produce coming out of that small area of land was nothing short of miraculous.

Now, the Gaza strip has not only become a barren and polluted wasteland, it is the source of thousands of rockets that are sent into the southern borders of Israel, and is home to lawless terrorists who no t only have the destruction of the 'Zionist Entity' in their constitution, but are persecuting the remaining Christians and implementing Sharia Law. Even more distressing is that the 8,000 plus Jewish inhabitants who were expelled remain to this day without permanent housing and adequate compensation for their losses. They as a people group have been abandoned by this government; there have been divorces, suicides and teen violence among communities that previously were productive and happy members of Israeli society. As if this weren't a good lesson for the government to learn from, we now hear that Judea and Samaria (the 'West Bank') is to be handed over to a group of people who have the same plans for the destruction of Israel. This time, there will be over 250,000 more refugees, with no plan as to where they will live or how they will support themselves. When the government still hasn't fulfilled it's promises to the 8,000 refugees of Gaza, what makes anyone think it will be any different for the inhabitants of Judea and Samaria?

Anyone who gets emails that are pro-Israel have received the lists of all the academic, scientific and cultural accomplishments of the Jewish people over the centuries; over 80 Nobel prizes, major medical breakthroughs and the like. My question, as a member of the Jewish race is: If we are so smart, WHY ARE WE SO STUPID?? Everyone knows the adage that stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that giving away land to a people group committed to violence and destruction will only result in... violence and destruction! So, why is Israel again poised make the same horrific mistake?

During my training as a physician at Boston City Hospital, I worked with many poor and underprivileged people, and had a clinic for drug addicts and the homeless. I became accustomed to seeing women in the emergency room with lacerations and bruises that they could not explain, but had obviously been inflicted upon them by their partners. Astonishingly, these women would get their broken bones casted, their lacerations sutured, and then return home with the batterer!! It was always shocking for me to discover that generally, no amount of begging and pleading would separate these women from the violent men who injured them. After residency, it once took me over 6 years to convince a woman to leave her battering husband, and that was only after he threw their son down a flight of stairs, and then accused the son of attacking him!

I made a point of studying the psychological makeup of the women who allowed themselves to be battered and a lso of the men who did it. One day, after reading yet more depressing news about Gaza and the possible abandonment of Judea and Samaria, I realized with a shock that there was an uncanny similarity between the passive complicity of the battered woman and Israel, as well as an exact correlation with the psychological makeup of a batterer and the Palestinians who are actively trying to destroy the State of Israel. I believe that the Israeli public and many in the government exhibit this syndrome and that this explains why we are AGAIN discussing giving land away to a violent neighbor.

A battered woman has endured years and years of psychological abuse. She is always told that it is her fault she is battered because she never does what the man asks her to do. If she does do what he wants, there is invariably something else that she neglected to do that requires yet another beating to teach her a lesson. She is always isolated from family and friends who usually receive distorted information about her faults and deficiencies from the batterer. She has constant threats against her children, economic pressure and intimidation. The batterer convinces her that if she does what he wants, the violence will stop, and after years of intimidation, she believes him, even though he never does stop. Since she often can't get away, giving in is the only alternative. Often the community at large believes the man's version of why there are problems and ostracizes the woman if she blames the man. The violence escalates slowly so that people on the outside get accustomed to it. The fear that the violence will worsen if she does anything to defend herself, along with the fact that she has no societal support keeps her constantly trying to appease her batterer; she thinks if she does what
he wants, she will be able to live in peace and stop being battered. Battered women have learned helplessness, denial, guilt, false hope, unfounded optimism and plain and simple exhaustion. Does this sound eerily like Israel?

Let's now examine the attributes of a batterer. This is always a chronic group of offenders who continually deny they are violent and always blame their partners. They take no responsibility for their behavior and often exhibit no outward remorse for the pain and suffering they cause. They divide and conquer by running disinformation campaigns. They are always convinced that they are the victim, not the woman. They often placate and enlist as allies anyone who is aligned or associated with the woman, thus convincing them that he does not need to be monitored, and thereby giving him freedom to batter in secret. Sometimes they use violent anger to repel those w ho are trying to help and successfully scare them away. Constant intimidation also can wear down those who are trying to intervene, until eventually they give up. They are always discrediting and minimizing the veracity and seriousness of the complaints of the woman. They always deny that they have used the threat of hurting the children or removing financial security as a way to manipulate the woman, and make it look like it is her fault that he has to behave the way he does. If you are well informed of the crafty media campaign of the Palestinians, this is an accurate portrayal of how they present Israel and their position to the world.

In my opinion, the emotional makeup of many of the residents of Israel is that of a battered woman. We have been told that this Palestinian problem is our fault for so many years we are beginning to believe it. Israel has battle fatigue; we are just plain worn down by years of abuse; perhaps if we just give them what they want, they will leave us alone. We are tired of the negative world opinion. We are sick of having our children threatened and hurt; we'll do anything to achieve peace.

On the other side, the Palestinians successfully portray themselves as the victim; They wanted Gaza, they got it, but now all the problems there are Israel's fault! No one has any sense of outrage that they have become a welfare state of Israel; they have the world crying over their suffering. They bomb checkpoints, but then blame Israel for not sending in supplies through the very roads that are targeted by terrorists. The world wrings it's hands in sympathy over the plight of the Palestinians, but says nothing about the terror of the innocent people being bombarded day after day in Sderot. The continual escalation of violence has numbed the world to it's presence. The thousands of bombs raining down into sovereign Israeli territory doesn't even merit a news report! The Palestinians take no responsibility for any of the problems whatsoever, and keep asking for more and more aid and assistance, even though they have already received billions of dollars of aid, far more per capita than any other people group in the world! Who will speak the truth while the world believes these lies?

Dear friends, while everyone wants to think that the people of Israel are still those courageous warriors who fought successfully, with God's help, the battles of 1948 and 1967, we have become weakened in our resolve after years and years of being emotionally and physically battered! We desperately need to hear the voices and prayers of those who believe that this Land should remain a Jewish state rising up in our defense. Israel has been given the responsibility of fighting physically to defend our Biblical birthright. Please stand with us now not only in prayer, but also with letters and petitions to your leaders and politicians. Speak out when there are distorted newspaper and television reports about Israel. Be an ambassador for the truth in your neighborhood and workplace. Do not be lukewarm during this urgent time of Israel's need. Do not let the 'Accuser of the Brethren' succeed in his plan to divide and conquer this Land. (end)

The Lord bless you as you bless Israel by standing in defense of her right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel Lets pray that Israel will turn back to their God. Do not be silent, but share this with your fellow Christians, share it with your pastors, and with anyone you have a chance to speak to. Lets also pray for that breakthrough to the Muslims, and please remember to pray for our son Jordan, and all of his fellow soldiers in the IDF.

Shabbat Shalom ... David & Josie

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE AUG 1,08

In this newsletter we will deal with the subject: The Power of the Holy Spirit.

Believers are powerless and ineffective in their daily lives because they do not partake of the vast storehouse of power that is available to them in the person of the Holy Spirit. As a result, they depend upon personality traits and psychological manipulations rather than the power of God. They forget that God says in Zechariah 4:6: . . . Not by [human] might, nor by [human] power, but by my spirit . . . . Man, with all of his reliance on tricks, gimmicks, and manifold activities, could accomplish so much more if God, the Holy Spirit, originated, motivated, and activated the program. He alone supplies the power needed by powerless human beings. He alone is the match to ignite the fire, the fuel to propel the motor. A person cannot move without His assistance. Acts 1:8 states: . . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you . . . . Do you have this power? Or are you still serving God in the energy of the flesh? Just as there is a difference in cultivating a field with a shovel or with a tractor, so there is a mighty difference in one's service when empowered by the all-powerful Holy Spirit. May I also say that there is no power shortage in God's Spirit because:

The Holy Spirit is Omnipotent

The Holy Spirit manifested this power on numerous occasions:

A. At creation, this blessed Spirit was active because the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). Job 26:13 states: By his spirit [God] hath garnished the heavens . . . . Again, Psalm 104:30 declares that mankind, animals, birds of the air, fish of the sea and all other created objects came because thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created....

B. At the conception and birth of Christ, the Holy Spirit again displayed His power. The Bible teaches that Christ was an unembodied spirit in eternity past, for He was in the form of God (Philippians 2:6), and God is a Spirit (John 4:24). However, one of the members of the Trinity had to become embodied because God had decreed in the councils of eternity that the blood . . . maketh an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:11). Animal blood was only an inadequate temporary covering looking toward the planned, prepared, permanent sacrifice (I Peter 1:20). This eternal offering also had to be a sacrifice of blood. Man's blood was already poisoned through Adam's transgression (Romans 5:12). Therefore, since animal blood was inadequate and man's blood was tainted, the only solution was that a member of the Godhead should take a body containing blood. However, if this One were to come into the world through natural generation, the seed of a man deposited into the womb of a woman, the tainted blood would then be passed on to the newborn Christ. Thus God planned and prepared a body for His Son (Hebrews 10:5), which the Holy Spirit miraculously placed in the womb of the virgin, and the result was the incarnation -God in the flesh, with sinless blood. That is why I Peter 1:19 declares that we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Perhaps this information may help some seeking soul see why the entire program of redemption and salvation stands or falls upon the foundation of the virgin birth. The blessed, all-powerful Holy Spirit was the agent in carrying out this miracle of the ages. The story is unfolded in Luke chapter one. The angel appears to Mary and says: . . . thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Mary, in her astonished frame of mind, replies: How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? The word know in Scripture often refers to the sex act. For instance, Genesis 4:1 says: And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived . . . . So Mary is actually saying, How shall I have a child when I have never known a man intimately? The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (verse 35). Oh, blessed be the wonder-working, omnipotent Holy Spirit who took the body and blood prepared by the Father and placed the Christ - the sent One - into the womb of the pure virgin.

C. Again, notice the power of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. First Peter 3:18 declares: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit. Romans 8:11 also states: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

We have thus far witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit in the work of creation, incarnation, and resurrection. We have discussed the unlimited power of the Holy Spirit for one primary reason: to show every child of God that this power is available in each believer's life.

Holy Spirit Power for Believers

. . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you . . . (Acts 1:8). This power is released in a Christian as the indwelling Holy Spirit is allowed to take full control. Do not misunderstand - every saved person has this Holy Spirit indwelling him . . . [we] have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). All means ALL. In fact, it is correct to say that it is impossible to be a child of God if one does not have the Holy Spirit, for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:9). Romans 5:5 says: . . . the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Who? A select few? No! . . . the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal (I Corinthians 12:7). One cannot have the manifestation of the Spirit without having Him, and this manifestation is given to every man who says: Jesus is the Lord (verse 3).

While it is true that every believer has the Holy Spirit (and has all of Him, for He does not enter in percentage portions), this does not guarantee that He has all of us. Therefore, subsequent to salvation, every believer needs the filling of the Spirit (also see Chapter 4). Ephesians 5:18,19 says:. . . be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. One evidence of the filling, then, is a heart overflowing with spiritual songs.

Another evidence is Holy Spirit power for witnessing . . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: [the result:] and ye shall be witnesses unto me. . . (Acts 1:8). Seek the power the apostles had to witness as they bore ridicule, hatred, persecution, and death for the Lord Jesus Christ. May I go one step further? I care not what you call your experience with the Holy Spirit. However, do not pray for the fulness of the Holy Ghost unless you are willing to become hated and even slaughtered for the name of Jesus. This is where the power of the Holy Spirit usually leads the sold out, dedicated, Spirit-filled Christian. Let's look at the Book of Acts for a moment and see.

Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4 (not baptized, which takes place at salvation, but filled, which is subsequent to salvation), becomes a power-laden giant for God. Earlier in his life - in fact, only 7 weeks earlier - he sat by a fire denying the Lord (Matthew 26). At that point in his life, he was a powerless witness. After he allowed the Holy Spirit to take full control and possession of his body, he became a one-man army for the Saviour. Please notice that the texts to be quoted mention boldness and power as the results of the filling of the Spirit. These two attributes, which the indwelling Spirit generates in the believer when He is allowed to have control, cannot be easily duplicated in the flesh. Boldness and power in the face of persecution and death can only be produced by the blessed Spirit of God.

The Boldness of Peter

First, let's consider the boldness of the Apostle Peter. Acts 4 states: Then Peter, filled [filled - not baptized, but filled] with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel . . . Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This [Christ] is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (verses 8, 10-12). Verse 13 states that these people saw the BOLDNESS of Peter and John. Imagine the high priest and his relatives and a great multitude of those who had put Christ to death gathered together as Peter denounces their sin publicly and declares that this Christ they killed is the only way of salvation! It takes Holy Spirit boldness to be uncompromising.

Are you seeking the fulness of the Holy Ghost for the same reason or because it is the popular thing to do?

This same crowd hated Peter's message and threatened Peter and John in verses 18-20: And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. That is boldness, my brother! Did they quit? No! Acts 4:33 states: . . . with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. In Acts 5:40-42 they are beaten for the sweet name of Jesus and guess what?. . . they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Did it stop them? And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. The only thing that stopped these Spirit-filled warriors was death. Beloved, to be filled with the Spirit is to die daily (Luke 9:23).

The Power of Paul

In Acts 9:17, Paul, too, was filled with the Spirit -not baptized, but filled. He was baptized by the Spirit at salvation, as all believers are (I Corinthians 12:13), and then filled as all believers should be (Ephesians 5:18). This filling prepared him for the Lord's plan: . . . I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake (Acts 9:16). Has anyone ever suffered as much as Jesus or Paul? This battle-scarred apostle enumerates his sufferings in II Corinthians 11:23-27: . . . in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Why was he so hated? Because. . . he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8); because his preaching caused an uproar in the city (Acts 20:1); and because he called sin and sinners by name. In Acts 13:9,10 we see Paul filled - get the exact word -filled with the Spirit, setting his eyes on Elymas the sorcerer and saying: . . . thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? A Holy Spirit-filled life denounces sin in an uncompromising way. It also often brings death because they beheaded Saint Paul. Stephen also experienced the same in Acts 7:55 when he, being full of the Holy Ghost, BOLDLY exposed sin PUBLICLY and was murdered.

Friend, do you want to be filled with the Spirit? Think twice before asking Him to take full control of your life. It may cost you everything you have. However, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. He said in Matthew 5:10-12: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Listen to the Birds

My husband, Jack, and I have a special fondness for birds. We enjoy seeing them fly, darting from tree to tree, soaring and wheeling about, riding the wind in joyous freedom.

And it's fun to watch them splash in a puddle or pool of water, bathing themselves and carefully preening their feathers.

We have two feeders and a drinking bowl in our backyard, and the birds have discovered this safe haven. Besides sparrows, cardinals, robins, blackbirds, and other small songbirds, we've seen crows, doves, mallard ducks, and even Canadian Geese in our yard. Sometimes there will be several different kinds of birds there all at the same time.

Jack and I love to watch them-and so does Finica, our cat. She sits by the sliding glass door and stares out at the birds. She gets so intense that her whiskers twitch! Now and then, a bird will land on the patio near the door, and Finica's eyes get so big. But we don't let her out for fear that her natural feline instincts might overpower her usually friendly disposition.

I especially enjoy listening to the birds. More than any other creature, it seems to me they have learned to serve the Lord with gladness: [and] come before his presence with singing (Psalm 100:2).

When God created the fowl of the air on the fifth day of creation, He gave them a song. And virtually all types of birds make some kind of joyful noise-it seems like they're always praising the Lord. I've seen them after a winter snowstorm, sitting on top of the feeders, thankfully chirping and singing because the food is there.

Jesus once referred to the sparrows, which many consider an ordinary little bird with no apparent value. But He, who values all His creatures, said not one of them falls to the ground without God noticing (see Matthew 10:29).

Luke records what the Lord said about the common crow. Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? (Luke 12:24).

Watching the birds and remembering what God has said about them has really been a blessing to Jack and me.

Lessons from the birds

There is much we can learn from our fine feathered friends. The Bible is filled with references to birds as symbols of what we humans ought to be or can do with God's help.

On the top of the pole where our American flag flies there often is the image of an eagle, symbol of strength and majesty. The Bible tells us that if we wait upon the Lord, He will give us strength to overcome every difficulty and to mount up on wings, as the eagle (see Isaiah 40:31).

Genesis 8 tells us that when the ark landed on solid ground after the great flood, Noah sent out a dove to see if the land was habitable. The dove found no place to light and returned to the ark. A week later, Noah sent the dove out again and it returned in the evening with an olive branch in its beak. So Noah knew it would soon be safe to go out into the unknown.

Of course, it is no accident that the dove is symbolic of the Holy Spirit who wings His way over the abyss of man's sinful past, bridged by the sacrificial ark of the cross of Christ, and leads all who will follow step by step into the Father's new beginning.

God used a common barnyard rooster to deal with the heart of Peter during the last days of Jesus' life. After Peter had boasted that he would stay close to the Lord no matter what happened or who turned against Him, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him before the cock crowed the next morning.

The gospels tell the awful story of how Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane, then taken before Caiaphas the high priest to be sentenced to death. Warming himself by the fire at the edge of the angry mob, Peter was asked once, twice, three times if he knew or was a companion to this Jesus.

Once, twice, three times - with oaths - Peter denied knowing the Lord! And at that darkest hour, just before the dawn, a rooster crowed! Instantly Peter remembered his prideful boast and Jesus' prophetic words... and he wept bitterly.

Of course, we know Peter repented and went on to become a leader in proclaiming the message of Christ's death and Resurrection all across the known world.

Being fed by the birds

You may remember the story of how God used birds to answer the prayers of the Children of Israel. After wandering in the wilderness for many years and being fed on manna, the people cried out for meat. God caused coveys of quail to come near their camp until there was plenty to feed all the people.

The Old Testament tells of the Prophet Elijah being sent into the wilderness to wait beside the brook Cherith. Twice a day the Lord sent ravens to deliver his food. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening (1 Kings 17:6).

Imagine depending on crows to deliver your breakfast and supper! I'm not sure I'd want to trust them with my food. But Elijah did...and he never went hungry.

Are birds good parents?

I'm certainly not an ornithological expert, but I've been impressed about the strong parental instinct birds seem to have. It's fascinating to watch them building a nest, gathering twigs, straw, string, and grass to fashion a fragile but sturdy place to lay their eggs.

In some species, both father and mother bird take turns sitting on the nest, keeping the eggs safe and warm. And once the little ones come out of the eggs, the parents feed the babies until they grow large enough to fly.

I've seen mother birds fiercely attack other birds, even animals, which prowled too close to their nest. In many instances, the mother seems willing to give her own life to protect her young.

During the time the baby birds are being incubated, then fed and cared for until they can fly away, nothing is more important to the mother bird. Her babies are the center of her life and the sole reason for her existence.

In our day, necessity sometimes forces both parents to work outside the home. Still, I can't help feeling there are lessons both fathers and mothers can learn about parenting from the example of the birds. Most of all, we must understand how precious the lives of our children really are, worth any sacrifice to protect and nurture in the fear and admonition of God.

Once for a lifetime

I'm impressed with the instinct of birds to be good, faithful partners. I've heard that some species, including the turtle dove, mate once for a lifetime. Once a male and female come together, they stay with their mate and remain faithful to each other until separated by death.

Oh, that these beautiful creatures could teach the men and women of America the lessons of fidelity and faithfulness. In a society where there are more divorces being granted than new marriages performed, surely we need to turn again to the example of these beautiful creatures for instruction in living as God intended.

Listen, my friend, to the voices of the little birds, and hear God speaking to you today. Observe the life-style and the joy of these beautiful creatures and learn anew of God's plan for your life.

Satellite telemissions

Ecclesiastes 10:20 says, For a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

Did you know that, in the TV communications industry, the slang term for an orbiting communications satellite is... a bird! We'll beam this up to the bird, they say, and let it relay the signal to the other side of the world!

So the words of Solomon have become another fulfilled prophecy! For today a bird does indeed carry the voice of the gospel, and that which hath wings is proclaiming the matter of God's Word to the ends of the earth.

What an exciting day in which to be alive! And what a thrill it is for Jack and me to be partners with you in helping to carry out Christ's Great Commission to evangelize our world in this generation.

Shalom Stan, Ultra-Orthodox Jew walked into the house of an Israeli Evangelist: AUG 1,08 MESSIANIC BIBLE PROJECT

I first met him on the corner near my house in Ramot, Jerusalem, as I was coming back from the post office. The following week, Moshe knocked on my door and after I opened the door and invited him in, he turned around to make sure that no one was watching as he entered my house. I shared with him for a couple of hours reading to him from the Prophets in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and then he wanted me to read to him from the New Testament. He then asked for prayer, so I prayed for him in the Name of Yeshua! I find that the ultra-Orthodox who are open to the Gospel are more interested than secular Israelis because they know the Scriptures. Unfortunately they rarely read the teachings of the Prophets and that’s where Yeshua is revealed. But hey, that’s what we are here to do – share what the Prophets foretold about Yeshua, and show them how He fulfilled all of these prophecies. It is very important that the Prophecy Bible is finished so that we can give them out here to all the people in Israel.Reaching young Israelis: Svidka one of our outreach workers, is involved with the youth in the North of Israel. The number of young Israelis coming to the Lord is growing, he said. It’s lovely to see them ministering to one another, they are growing in the Lord as we teach them the Word of God. Today, things are very different; they are bold in sharing the Gospel with other teenagers. They know that their friends in school need to hear the truth and find true life. Helping the poor in Israel: This month we distributed funds to new immigrants in Haifa, Israel. One mother with her four small children aged three months to six years was overjoyed to receive financial aid and blessings in the name of Yeshua.

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