Activated April 2004

8/14/2019 Activated April 2004

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CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE YOUR WORLD.

THE EMPTYCAGELove will set you free

POWER FOR APURPOSEWhy you need the Holy Spirit

THE COMING

CASHLESSSOCIETYTheres more to it than

meets the eye


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For a wide range of books and audio

and video productions to feed your soul,

lift your spirit, strengthen your family,

and provide fun learning times for your

children, please contact one of our

distributors below, or visit our Web site

at www.activated.org

Activated Ministries

P.O. Box 462805Escondido, CA 920462805

USA

[email protected]

(877) 8623228

Activated Europe

Bramingham Pk. Business Ctr.

Enterprise Way

Luton, Beds. LU3 4BU

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(07801) 442317

Activated AfricaP.O. Box 2150

Westville 3630

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[email protected]

083 55 68 213

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P.O. Box 5215

G.P.O.

Bangalore 560 001

India

[email protected]

EDITOR

Keith Phillips

DESIGNGiselle LeFavre

ILLUSTRATIONSDoug Calder

PRODUCTIONFrancisco Lopez

VOL 5 ISSUE 4April 2004

2004 Aurora Production AGAll Rights Reserved. Printed in Thailand.

www.auroraproduction.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all

Scripture quotations inActivated are

from the New King James Version of the

Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

When other versions are quoted, some

typographical changes have been made

for the sake of clarity and uniformity.

Two months ago in this column I quoted Mahatma Gandh(18691948) as saying, I know of no one who has done mofor humanity than Jesus. Much of the world, Christian andnon-Christian alike, would agree. Yet have you ever consid-ered how the world wouldnthave been changed for the bettif Jesus disciples hadnt told others what they had seen and

heard and learned with Jesus? It could have stopped withthem.

Remember, Jesus three-year public ministry wasnt docu-mented by daily newspaper reports or sent around the world

the BBC and CNN, as it no doubt would be today. How manpeople, do you suppose, ever saw the miracles Jesus per-formed or heard Him speak?Fifty thousand?One hundrethousand? How many saw Him die on the cross?A few hudred, perhaps. How many did He appear to after He rose frothe dead on Easter morning?A little over 500, we are told i1 Corinthians 15:46.

Jesus did what only He could doHe died for our sinsbHis disciples also did what only theycould do. They kept Hismessage alive.

What if, after Jesus death, Simon Peter and his fellowformer-fishermen disciples had gone back permanently totheir fishing (John 21:23)? What if Matthew had gone backto collecting taxes? What if doubting Thomas had continuedto doubt? What if the disciples hadnt obeyed Jesus finalinstruction before His ascension to wait for the promise of thFather, the Holy Spirit, and received power from on high(Luke 24:49)? How many millions would have died withoutknowing the Savior? Would we even have the Gospel today?

As we celebrate Jesus resurrection this Easter, lets alsocelebrate Holy Spirit power and those who kept the Gospel

alive by sharing Jesus with others. It was up to them. Now itup to us.

Keith Phillips

For theActivatedfamily

Personally speaking

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them, mister. Theyre just

plain field birds. Theydont sing and they arenteven pretty.

How much? Thomasasked again. The boy sizedup Thomas as if he werecrazy and said, $10.

Thomas reached intohis pocket, took out a $10bill, put it in the boyshand, and took the bird-cage. In a flash, the boy

was gone.Thomas carried the

cage to a grassy spotwhere there was a tree.Then he opened the doorand set the birds free.

The next morningEaster DayThomasshowed the now empty

cage to a group of friendsand told them about theboy and the birds. Thenhe told the followingallegory:

One day Satan andJesus were having a con-versation.

Yes, sir, Satan gloated.I just caught a whole

world full of people! I set a

trap and got them all!

What are you goingto do with them? Jesusasked.

Im going to havesome fun! Satan replie

with glee. Im going toteach them how to lie ancheat and steal and kill.This is going to be great

And what will you dowhen youre through withem? Jesus asked.

Then Ill kill them,Satan said proudly.

How much do youwant for them? Jesusasked.

Oh, you dont wantthose people! They arenany good. Theyll just ha

you. Theyll cause you

nothing but misery andheartbreak, and theyll kyou in the end. You donwant those people!

How much? Jesusasked again.

Satan looked at Himand sneered. Your LIFE

DONE!Then Jesus paid the

price.

THE DAY BEFORE

EASTER, a man namedGeorge Thomas wastaking a walk when hesaw a boy coming towardhim swinging an old rustybirdcage. He stopped theboy and asked what wasin the cage.

Just three old birds,the boy said. Im going totake them home and have

some funtease themand pull out their feathersto make them fight.

But youll get tiredof those birds sooneror later, Thomas said.What will you do withthem then?

Oh, I have some cats,said the boy. They likebirds. Ill feed them to my

cats.Thomas was silent for a

moment. How much doyou want for those birds,son?

What? the boy said indisbelief. You dont want

You dont want them, mister. Theyre just plain fi eld birds.

They dont sing and they arent even pretty.

AUTHOR UNKNOW

THEEMPTYCAGE

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EASTER CELEBRATES

JESUS RESURRECTION.

His cruel death bycrucifixion took placeat the same time as theJewish holy celebrationof Passover. What theyhad been symbolizing forover 1,000 years with thekilling of sacrificial lambs

and the Passover supperwas now happening tothe Lamb of God. On thevery evening and at thevery hour that peoplethroughout the land wereselecting and slaughteringPassover lambs, Jesus wascrucified.

The way Jesus died alsofulfilled many other OldTestament prophecies inamazing detail.

He was led as a lambto the slaughter, and as asheep before its shearersis silent, so He openednot His mouth (Isaiah53:7). When Jesus stoodtrial for His life before thegovernor, Pontius Pilate,

Jesus didnt speak in Hisown defense (Matthew27:1214).

About 1,000 yearsbefore crucifixion becamea usual means of execu-tion in the Roman Empire,King David wrote of theMessiah: All my bonesare out of joint. They

BY DAVID BRANDT BERG

THEStory

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pierced My hands andMy feet (Psalm 22:14,16).In death by crucifixion,the weight of the victimsbody pulls his arms out

of their sockets. Mostof the condemned weretied to their crosses,but Jesus was nailed toHisthrough the handsand feet.

It was also customaryfor the Romans to breakthe legs of those who hadbeen hanging on theircrosses for hours but

hadnt died yet. The lackof support for the bodycaused the windpipe andlungs to collapse, andhastened their deaths. But

when the Roman execu-tioners came to do this toJesus, they found that He

was already dead. Thusanother Bible proph-ecy was fulfilled: [God]guards all His bones; notone of them is broken(Psalm 34:20).

Instead, just to makesure Jesus was dead, oneof the Romans thrust aspear into Jesus side,piercing His heart. Andimmediately blood and

water came out (John

19:34). This fulfilled thescripture, I am pouredout like water ... Myheart has melted withinMe (Psalm 22:14). One

would expect blood toflow from a spear wound,but not water. Where didthat come from? Medicalscience has found that

people who die in greatanguish of heart oftenhave an accumulation of

water around the heart.Jesus died of a broken

heartfor you and me.Jesus also died feelinglike the lost sinner. He

went through an experi-ence that, thank God,

we will never have to gothroughnot just cruci-fixion, not just agony ofbody, but agony of mindand spirit, feeling thatGod had deserted Him. As

He died, Jesus cried outwith a loud voice, saying,Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?that is, My God,My God, why have Youforsaken Me? (Matthew27:46).

Had God forsaken Him?Yes, momentarily Hehad. He had to, that Jesusmight die like a sinnerdies, without God. Thinkof it: Jesus died the deathof the unsaved, in agony!God had to temporarilyturn His back on His ownSon so Jesus might die thedeath of the sinner.

Did God answer Jesuson the cross? Theres norecord of an answer. Jesus

felt that God had desertedHim at that moment

when He needed Himmost.

Jesus suffered the spiri-tual agony of the dyingsinnerlost, withoutsalvation, without God,dying for his sins. Only inJesus case He was dying

for oursins, the sins of twhole world. He was wiing to go through all thaso we could be forgivenand have eternal life. Su

love!And they made Hisgrave with the wickedbut with the rich at Hisdeath (Isaiah 53:9). Jesu

was unjustly condemneand crucified betweentwo common criminals(Matthew 27:38). Yetafter His death, a richman who was among

Jesus followers, Josephof Arimathea, laid Jesusbody in his own new tom(Matthew 27:5760).

After Jesus body walaid in the tomb, to masure His disciples didnsteal His body and claiHed risen from the deathe tomb was sealed ansome Roman soldiersstood guard (Matthew27:6266).

Three days later, MarMagdalene and the otheMary came at dawn tothe tomb, and an angelappeared and rolled thestone away. When theRoman guards saw theangel, they shook for fe

of him, and became asdead men. But the angsaid to the women, Donot be afraid. ... Jesus isnot here; for He is risen,as He said. And the angshowed the women wheJesus body had lain (Mthew 28:18). Jesus hadrisen from the dead!

God had to

temporarily

turn His

back on

His own

Son so

Jesus

might die

the death

of the

sinner.



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A: No! God loves us andwants us to be happy andenjoy life. He created thisbeautiful world to help usexperience His love andlove Him in return. Oneof the best ways we canshow Him that we loveHim and are thankful forall Hes done for us is tobe happy and praise Him

continually.But sad to say, a lot of

people dont realize thatGod wants them to behappy. They equate godli-ness with suffering andself-denial, and physicalpleasure with sin. Somepoor, misguided peopleeven go so far as to torturethemselves, thinking that

will get them closer toGod. They sit on nails,put skewers through theircheeks, walk barefoot onhot coals, whip them-selves, have themselvesnailed to crosses, andsuffer all sorts of other

A: Nothing! You cantsave yourselfnobodycan! Yet the central beliof most religions is that

we can be good enoughto save ourselves. In fac

when you think aboutit, there are really onlytwo schools of religiousthought: the do-it-yourself religions, and the

God-alone-can-save-yokind.

Most of the worldsreligions teach their followers that they can savthemselves by their owpiety and good works,by their own holiness, btheir own suffering andself-denial, or by strictobedience to the laws

and traditions of thatparticular religion. Butaccording to the Bible,

Q: MANY RELIGIONS

TEACH THAT IT IS

NECESSARY FOR US

TO SUFFER IN ORDER

TO TRULY PLEASE AND

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD.

IS THIS TRUE?

self-inflicted pain becausethey think that the morethey suffer, the more reli-gious or holy they willbecome. This, thank God,is notthe case accordingto the Bible!

Its true that there aretimes when we may needto sacrifice or suffer, butaccording to the Bible we

do not need to inflict it onourselves as a means togain personal merit withGod. If we suffer throughlifes trials and tests,theres usually a goodreason for itits a resultof us giving of ourselves tohelp others, or necessaryto help us learn some-thing we wouldnt learn

otherwisenot becausewe think we are going togain righteousness by it.

Q: IF SELF-DENIAL,

SACRIFICE, AND SUF

FERING ARE NOT TH

WAY TO SALVATION,

THEN WHAT CAN I D

TO SAVE MYSELF?

ANSWERSTOYOU

RQUESTIONS

He wants to be our closest friend, whose

count on. He sent Jesus to do what He kne{6 activated VOL 5, IS


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We are allsinners.

Ecclesiastes 7:20Romans 3:10Romans 3:23

Salvation isours by grace(undeserved

mercy), notworks.

Romans 3:20aRomans 11:6Ephesians 2:892 Timothy 1:9Titus 3:5

Salvation is onlythrough Jesus.

John 3:36bJohn 10:1,9John 14:6Acts 4:121 Corinthians 3:111 Timothy 2:51 John 5:12

Believe in Jesus.

John 3:16John 11:2526Acts 16:31Romans 10:910

1 John 5:1a

FEEDING READING

SalvationThe way to HeavenSalvationThe way to Heaven

Receive Jesus.

Revelation 3:20John 1:12Galatians 4:6Ephesians 3:17

Salvation iseternal. You cannever lose it,

even if you makemistakes.

John 6:37John 10:28Romans 8:3839Hebrews 13:5b2 Timothy 2:131 John 5:13

You cant lose

salvation, butas your lovingheavenly Father,God will punishyou for furtherwrongdoing.

Psalm 89:30341 Corinthians

3:1115Hebrews 12:58Revelation 3:19

man yet has been goodenough to earn his ownsalvation. There is nota just man on earth whodoes good and does not

sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Ifwe could save ourselves,then we wouldnt needGodwhich is exactlythe point of some falsereligions today.

No matter how ear-nestly and sincerely wetry by our own piety, good

works, or suffering to get

close to God, becomeenlightened, or attainsalvation, we will alwaysfail to reach this goal. Forall have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God(Romans 3:23).

But theres good news,too. In spite of our mis-takes and sinful nature,God wantsus to have a

close personal relation-ship with Him. He wantsto be our closest friend,

whose love, faithfulness,concern, and care wecan always count on. He

wants to be our near-est and dearest helperand friend, so He sentJesus to do what He knew

we couldnt do for our-selvespay for our sins.

Each of us has madewrong choices at some

time or another. We haveacted selfishly and unlov-ingly. In so doing we notonly hurt others, but wehurt God, who is sad-

dened when He sees usgoing the wrong way.

Were all sinners bynature, and our sinsseparate us from God(Isaiah 59:2). The only way

we could be reconciledwith God was if our sinswere atoned for, and onlyJesuswho was Himself

perfectcould do that.Jesus gave His life aransom for many (Mat-thew 20:28).

God loves you so muchthat He gave His only Sonto die in your place, andJesus loves you so muchthat He did that willingly.

So if youve beentrying to work your way

to Heaven, stop! Simplyreceive Jesus as yourSavior by sincerely pray-ing a prayer like the fol-lowing:

Dear Jesus, thank Youfor dying for me so that allmy mistakes and wrongscan be forgiven. I nowopen the door of my heartand ask You to come in.Please forgive me and giveme Your gift of eternal life.

Amen.

faithfulness, concern, and care we can always

we couldnt do for ourselvespay for our sins.}activated VOL 5, ISSUE 4


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Shortly before His crucifixion

and resurrection, Jesus

promised His disciples

that He would send them a

Comforter, the Holy Spirit,

to strengthen, empower,

lead, and guide them in their

spiritual lives and personal

relationships with Him.

When Jesus was with them in bodHis disciples loved Him and knew thHe loved them. They enjoyed being iHis presence and hearing the comfoing sound of His voice, but they didn

yet know Him the way they were toknow Him later in spirit.

But after Jesus crucifixion and res

rection, when the promise of the HoSpirit was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples found that eventhough His body was gone from themHis Spirit was with them in greaterpower than ever beforeand not juswith them, but in them!

Before Jesus ascended to Heaven,told His followers to not depart fromJerusalem, but to wait for the Prom

ise of the Father, which, He said, yohave heard from Me. And you sha

POWERFOR A OSE

BY DAVID

BRANDT

BERG



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one accord inone place (Acts2:1). About 120people, bothmen and women, were numbered

with the disciples at that time (Acts1:15), and they were all together andunited in mind, heart, and spirit.

Jesus had them wait in Jerusalemso that when the infilling of the HolySpirit came, they would be in a positionto win many others to Him. That

was the main purpose of the Day ofPentecostnot just the supernaturalmanifestations that took place. Theoutpouring of the Holy Spirit on the

disciples was a means to an end.And suddenly there came a sound

from Heaven, as of a rushing mightywind, and it filled the whole housewhere they were sitting. Then thereappeared to them divided tongues, asof fire, and one sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the HolySpirit and began to speak with othertongues [languages they had never

learned or spoken before], as the Spiritgave them utterance (Acts 2:34).Because this took place on an annual

holy day, the Feast of the Harvest, Jeru-salem was filled with Jews from everynation under heaven (Acts 2:5). And

when this sound occurred, the mul-titude came together, and were con-fused, because everyone heard themspeak in his own language (Acts 2:56).

So they were all amazed and

perplexed, saying to one another,Whatever could this mean? Othersmocking said, They are full of new

wine (Acts 2:1213).But Peter, standing up with the

eleven, raised his voice and said tothem, Men of Judea and all who dwellin Jerusalem, let this be known to you,and heed my words. For these are not

drunk, as you suppose, since it is only

the third hour of the day [9 AM]. Butthis is what was spoken by the prophetJoel: And it shall come to pass in thelast days, says God, that I will pour outof My Spirit on all flesh. And it shallcome to pass that whoever calls on thename of the Lord shall be saved (Acts2:1417,21).

Then those who gladly receivedhis word were baptized; and that dayabout 3,000 souls were added to them

(Acts 2:41). Thousands of peopleaccepted Jesus and were saved! Thatsthe most important thing that hap-pened on the Day of Pentecost. Powerfor witnessing is the main purpose ofthe Holy Spirit.

Continuing daily with one accord inthe Temple, and breaking bread fromhouse to house, they ate their food

with gladness and simplicity of heart,

praising God and having favor withall the people. And the Lord added tothe church daily those who were beingsaved (Acts 2:4647).

Then came another one of Godsgreat setups. God picked somebodythat everybody in town knewa lameman who daily sat begging on theTemple steps. Along came Peter andJohn, and God performed anothergreat miracle. The man was instantly

healed, and the people were filled withwonder (Acts 3:10).

So when Peter saw it, he respondedto the people: Men of Israel, why do

you marvel at this? Or why look sointently at us, as though by our ownpower or godliness we had made thisman walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob, the God of our fathers,

Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fi re, and one

sat upon each of them. And they were all fi lled with the Holy Spirit .{ }



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glorified His Servant Jesus. AndHis [Jesus] name, through faith inHis name, has made this man strong,

whom you see and know. Yes, thefaith which comes through Him has

given him this perfect soundnessin the presence of you all (Acts 3:1213,16).

Many of them which heard theWord believed, and another 5,000people received Jesus as their Savior(Acts 4:4).

What was it about those firstSpirit-filled disciples that convincedso many that Jesus was who He hadsaid He was, the Messiah? Now when

they saw the boldness of Peter andJohn, and perceived that they wereuneducated and untrained men, theymarveled. And they realized that they

had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).Peter, John, and the others didnt

let their backgrounds or anythingelse hold them back. They just wentahead and witnessed boldly, andthey had tremendous power that gottremendous results. It was obviousthat they had been with Jesus. Theyhad the Masters power to carry onthe Masters work!

Have you been filled with the Spiritof Gods love?

Before the time of Christ, God onlyanointed certain leaders, kings, andprophets with His Spirit, but nowthe Holy Spirit is available to allwhoreceive Jesus. It shall come to passafterward that I will pour out MySpirit on allflesh ( Joel 2:28).

Ever since the Day of Pentecost,when the first disciples were filledwith the Holy Spirit, the Lord hasmade the same Holy Spirit poweravailable to every Christian. Now

everybody can have the Holy Spiritand be led directly by the Lord. Nowwe can allenjoy Him anywhere,everywhere, any time, all the time,in all His power and fullness, and

we can all be reached equally, fairly,and simultaneously through thecommunication of the Holy Spirit.

Everyone who receives Jesus astheir Savior is given a certain amounof the Spirit, but receiving a complet

infillingor baptismof theHoly Spirit is usually a subsequentexperience to that of salvation. Thisis why the apostle Paul inquired

of certaindisciples hemet, Have

you receivedthe HolySpirit since

you believed? (Acts 19:2). If you aresaved, this power from God is yoursfor the asking. Like salvation, it is agift of God. Your heavenly Father[will] give the Holy Spirit to those

who ask Him (Luke 11:13).Be filled with the Holy Spirit,

and you will be closer to Jesus andunderstand His Word better. The HoSpirit will also give you the boldness

you need to share your faith with

others. If you havent already, you careceive the infilling of the Holy Spiritright now by praying this prayer:

Dear Jesus, please fill me tooverflowing with the Holy Spirit sothat I can love You more, follow Youmore closely, and have greater poweto tell others about Your love andsalvation. Amen.

{ }It shall come to pass in the last days, says God,that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh.



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12/16

ITHAPPENEDTOM

E

The Strangeron Campus

BY TERRI MOORE

I soaked up the sunny southern Cali-fornia afternoon as I walked from mylast class of the day at Fullerton JuniorCollege to the parking lot where Id leftmy car. I hoped the warm sunshine

would soothe my weary body and calmmy spirit, and it seemed to be working.I was happy that my day was nearlyover and I was free to go home, relax,and enjoy some time to myself. Butbefore I got to the parking lot, I had aseemingly insignificant encounter thateventually changed my life forever.

A young man offered me a leafletthat turned out to be about Jesus.The young man wasnt particularly

good looking, to be frank, and I couldtell right away that he was extremelyshy. What motivated him to approachstrangers like me? What did he knowabout me or my life? What did he care?

His message was simple: Jesus lovedme. It was clear that he was sharingsomething from deep in his heart,something he truly believed in, andI had to admire the conviction thatsomehow helped him overcome his

shyness.At the same time, I was annoyed that

he had disturbed my peace and quiet,and I let him know by flatly rejecting

what he had to say. I understand nowthat my pride was what stopped mefrom being more civil or showing anyinterest in the message of Gods lovehe was trying to share with me. I had

no time for such things, I told him, aacted as though I couldnt have caredless. But despite the haughty front,myheartwas listening. Deep down, believed every word he said.

How I must have discouraged thapoor young man! Im sure he had amuch harder time approaching anyoelse after the way I embarrassed himsomething for which Ive been sorryever since. Im also sorry that he nevknew how he got through to me thatday. You see, all the way home and fomany days after, I thought about him

Though he was shy and unassumI could tell he had something I didn

something wonderful and amazingthat helped him smile through thehumiliation I heaped on him and cotinue to reach out to me. Im ashameto say this, but I already knew Jesus athe time. I had already experiencedthe Lords love, but I was too proudto talk to this young man or hardlyanyone else about Him. Suddenly I

wished I had as much love and concfor others as this stranger. Suddenly

wished I had as much boldness, so thLord could use me too.

I studied about the Holy Spirit, anfound that all I needed to do to receiit was ask in faith. So one night, alonin my room, I prayed for the gift of thHoly Spirit. I asked with allmy heartI beggedfor the power to be what Iknew I wasnt capable of myself. I as



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God to fill me to overflowing with theSpirit, and He did! I began praisingthe Lordpraise from the depths ofmy souland connected with Him ina way I never had before. I felt as if Imight never stop pouring out My heartto God in this way, and I didnt want to.It was the most thrilling experience Idever had!

I also learned from all this that Godlooks past outward appearances andsees our hearts. He knows exactly whateach of us needs, and Hes just waitingfor us to ask so He can help. Whether

youre like the shy stranger, needing toovercome your inhibitions in order to

reach out to others, or youre like I was,proudly pretending not to need Godsor anyone elses help, His transform-ing power is only a prayer away. He canhelp you do things you never thoughtpossible, He can help you be all youcan be, and He can do all that throughthe Holy Spirit.

So if you havent yet experiencedthat miracle-working power, dont betoo proud to ask for it. Or if you have,

then let God use you to help someoneelse. Let Him shine His love and truththrough you, and a life may be changedforeverlike mine was!

A PRAYER FOR EASTER

How wonderful, how marvelous, is Your love, Jesus!To think that You were willing to go through that for meWhat a day of rejoicing that must have been when

You rose and realized it was all overYou had won thevictory! You had accomplished Your mission. You hadmade the way for the world to be saved. You had gonethrough the horrors of Hell and death for us, and it wasover.

You arose in victory, joy, liberation, and freedomfrom the hands of evil men, never to have to gothrough that againand You did it all to spare us the

same. Now we can say with the apostle Paul, O deathwhere is your sting? O Hades [grave], where is yourvictory? (1 Corinthians 15:5557).

As I think of the seemingly terrible defeat that Yousuffered and how it resulted in such a tremendousvictory, it fills me with wonder and gives me suchhope and peace. Surely You and Your love will see me

through whatever troubles may come my way, fromnow till eternity! Amen.

TERRI MOORE IS A FULLTIME CHRISTIAN

VOLUNTEER WITH THE FAMILY.

We have thistreasure[the Holy Spirit] in EARTHE

vessels, that the excellence of the POWERmay be

ofGodand not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7).



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SOCTand give people a senseof truly possessing. In

that respect, the worldhasnt changed much inthousands of years, since

coins were first minted.Many people are stilluneasy with the idea of acomputerized card or chiplinking them to their invis-ible wealth. Cash is stillthe way.

As the time draws

nearer, the Antichristmust speed up themove toward a cashlesseconomy by proving tothe world that it needshis mark of the Beastor 666 financial system

(Revelation 13:1618). Todo that, he will use crisisafter crisis in the nations

of the world. One will bea near-global economiccrashthe recession ofall recessions. He will usethis crash to overcome theinertia of the status quo.Without such radical inter-vention, people changetheir ways too slowly tosuit his purposes and fit

his time frame.Other factors and de

opments will also makethis new economic systseem necessary. Goverments will embrace it ameans of cracking dowon crime and cuttinggovernment spendingby cutting bureaucracy

Businesses will embracit as a means of instantpayment and automateinventory and accounticutting their expenses athereby increasing their

profits. The masses willembrace it for its speedconvenience, security, aease. There will be manapparent advantages.

The Antichrist will alsprepare the world for itin other waysthrough

wars, civil disorders, anfears of such things as rorism and epidemics o

new, incurable diseasesAll these happenings wmake people desperatefor change. Eventuallythey will be ready to tosout the old and embracthe new. Its already hapened in a big way in tharea of technology, andnow happening with co

merce.The Antichrist will

introduce a new monetsystem, whereby he wiprofess to fix the worldeconomic woes. Thosewho want to be a part ohis new economy andsociety will be compelleto receive the mark of

NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR

A CASHLESS SOCIETY IS

MARCHING right in stepwith other moves towardthe coming Antichristworld government. Weoften hear about the NewWorld Order and theglobal communitybuzzwords that are help-ing prepare the world for anew international financialand political system, a

society controlled bynetworked computerscontaining a databaseof information on nearlyeveryoneas Revela-tion chapter 13 appearsto have predicted nearly2,000 years ago!

The switch to elec-tronic commerce has

been slow and gradual.People like the speed andconvenience of electroniccommerce, but they arealso comfortable with the

way things have been alltheir lives. For hundredsof years, the world hasoperated on cashbillsand coins that are tangible

ENDTIMEINSIGHTS

BY JOSEPH CANDEL

THE COMINGTHE COMING

CASHESSSOCITY



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the Beast in their handor foreheadprobably inthe form of a tiny com-puterized chip bearing alltheir personal, financial,and medical information.Big Brother and the NewWorld Order will therebybe able to monitor every-ones every move.

In fact, a few peoplehave already taken thestep of receiving computerchip implants. Chippingof people began quietly inthe U.S. in May 2002, with

the chipping of the Jacobsfamily. This otherwisenormal family of four andseveral other volunteershad unique identifierchipsVeriChipsinjected under their skin.The VeriChip, produced

and marketed by AppliedDigital Solutions, is aboutthe size of the tip of a

ballpoint pen and canbe read by a handheldVeriChip scanner. Howlong will it be till thischipping of peoplebecomes the norm andwidely used to facilitatedaily business such asshopping and banking?

One thing is certain: A

global cashless economyand a totally monitored

and controlled societyare in the making. Fiberoptics, satellites, andcomputer databases havethe potential to controlthe world in a way thatboggles the imagination.

Many governments

and private corporationsworldwide are already pur-suing policies to eliminatecash and checks, whilemany other countries aretesting various methodsof doing business withoutphysical currency.

The town of Swindon,England, started to go

cashless in July 1995.In a joint venture, theNational Westminster andMidland banks and Brit-ish Telecommunicationstest-marketed a plastic/

silicon cash substitute.This system uses Mondexcards that are similar toATM cards, but containsophisticated computerchips. Monetary transferscan be done by phone ora small wireless device

called a wallet.France moved one step

closer to a cashless future

with a nationwide launchin 2003 of computerizedsmart cards, dubbedMoneo. The idea behindthis new breed ofmicrochip-embeddedplastic card is simpletodispense with pocketchange and speed smallertransactions.

In Japan, 650,000 elec-tronic purses known as

Edy cards are in circula-tion and can be used atabout 2,100 stores, mainlyin the Tokyo area. Theplan is for these cards,which store the bearersfinancial information,to eventually be used

anywhere. What makesthese different from credor debit cards is that thedo not need to be swipethrough a card readerand the bearers identitydoesnt need to be verifiby a cashier. All the beahas to do is hold the carup to a sensor that read

the information.Prosperous Singapor

is planning to do awaywith old-fashionedmoney by 2008.

[The Antichrists

government] causes all,both small and great, ricand poor, free and slaveto receive a mark on [or

in] their right hand or on[in] their foreheads, andthat no one may buy orsell except one who has

the mark or the name ofthe beast, or the numbeof his name (Revelation

13:1617). For the firsttime, the hi-tech means fulfilling the chilling visiothe apostle John receivenearly 2000 years ago ishere!

Are you ready for thesgreat and final eventsof the end? You can getready now by receiving

Jesus into your heart antaking time to study wha

the Bible has to say aboEndtime events, includ-ing the coming Antichrisworld dictatorship. Thenyou wont be caughtby surprise when theyhappen, or duped into flowing the Antichrist.

All these

happenings

will make

people

desperate

for change.

Eventuallythey will be

ready to toss

out the old

and embrace

the new.



16/16

AS CONSTANT AS THE SUN

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

H a P Pi N S S

THE HAPPINESS OF THE SPIRIT is far

above the happiness of the flesh, for the

happiness of the spirit is something that will

always be there for you. The loneliest nights or

the darkest clouds cant take it away from you.

The happiness of the flesh is fleet-ing. It comes and goes with your mood

and surroundings, with the physical

things that you see and feel, but the

happiness of the spirit comes from knowing that I

am your Savior and that I care for you. Those truths

never change.

The happiness that I give is as constant as the sun.

When the sun disappears beneath the horizon at night, do

you worry that its gone forever? No, you realize that it is constant,

always there. Though the night comes and you cannot see the sun,

you never doubt its existence or that it will rise the

next morning. So is the happiness of the spirit; its

ever-present, like the sun.

When darkness settles on

your spirit and you lose sight of

the happiness I have promised, that is

the time to trust until morning, until you see

and feel the sunshine of My love again. Never

doubtthe dawn will come!

Activated April 2004

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Transcript of Activated April 2004