Michael Jackson - In Heaven or Hell?

Michael Jackson's life on the earth ended suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday of this week. Anytime a famous person's death makes the headlines, I cannot help but think of that person's eternal soul. This brings me to the question, Is Michael Jackson's soul forever in heaven with the Lord, or forever in the flames of Hell where the smoke of his torment will rise forever and ever?
Well, he certainly had great fame throughout the world, but the Bible says, Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Well, he amassed great wealth throughout his life, but the Bible says, For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
It also says, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? So, obviously a man could gain the whole world (riches, fame, and the glory of man) and yet his own soul could be lost forever in the flames of Hell.
What about Michael Jackson? To get into heaven, a person has to trust in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, for salvation. To be saved, a man must be born again. To be saved, a person has to ask Jesus for that free gift of eternal life. Consider the following statements from the Word of God.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Ro 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Ro 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ro 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ro 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Ac 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ...
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Making music doesn't save anyone from Hell.
Being idolized by millions doesn't save anyone from Hell.
Having a great fortune doesn't purchase a place in heaven for anyone.

God is not impressed with worldly fame. God is not impressed with great riches and fancy dancing.

God sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay for Michael Jackson's sins. God offered Michael Jackson the free gift of eternal life, if only he would believe on Jesus Christ and call out to Him for salvation. God gave Michael Jackson 50 years to accept the free gift of eternal life.

Did he? I certainly hope so.

Have you? I certainly hope so.
(How many years do you have left to make up your mind?)

Just An Idea

I had a great blessing from God the other day!
A couple of years ago, the idea came to me to display my Gospel tracts on the table while eating out in order to take better advantage of the opportunity to spread the Gospel. Everyone who walks by (and the waiter/waitress) can get at least a portion of the Gospel message.
Many people make comments, some ask if they can have one, and others pause as they walk by in order to read the titles. I like getting seated in a high traffic area to maximize the outreach.



Last Saturday at the Chinese buffet, a lady walked by a couple of times, and the third time she came by she asked for a church tract, briefly explaining that she and her husband were both saved long ago, had taught Sunday School in a Baptist church, recently moved to the area, and were searching for a new church home. Praise the Lord!
Lo and behold, at 10:30 the next morning, they came walking into the auditorium and worshiped with us! What a blessing. (Let's all just stand up and shout hallelujah!)

Hundreds of others have seen the tracts as they passed by, and have read, "Eternal Life is a Free Gift", and "Where will you spend eternity?"

Just an idea.
Romans 1:16

Homework

This blurry little photo blesses my heart. I took it Thursday night before English class when Ling came over to me excitedly saying that she had done her homework and wanted me to check it. I am deeply moved to see the writing done by this precious little Chinese lady when she copied a verse of Scripture. Even though she doesn't yet comprehend the meaning of the precious words she has written down, she is making steps toward that by the work she is doing. It seems to me that I read somewhere how God's word is quick and powerful. You can see where she translated the word shepherd in an effort to understand. She works very hard, and is determined. Hopefully before Monday's class I will be able to go over it with her in some detail and attempt to explain who the Good Shepherd really is.



This was her first effort to copy verses and she did several of them. Maybe she was especially motivated this week because she had told me last Saturday that they were moving to New York the following Monday! Perhaps as the tears began to stream down my silent face, she truly understood that this is not just your ordinary English class. Her eyes welled with tears then too. Fortunately the information on the pending move turned out to be a miscommunication from relatives in China, so Ling and her husband Peter are still here for at least "a month or two".
Oh God, help me to reach them for Christ before they return to Buddha's stronghold in Chinatown, New York!

At the restaurant today, Ronny told me that he, his children, and his grandmother will be in church Sunday! Praise God! and Pray always.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for a broken heart for people and a love for souls. Please break my heart more, and increase my burden so that my love for others will be more like yours.

Prayer Request

If you are reading this, please join me in praying for an opportunity to return to Croatia this summer for another Soul-Winning Marathon! My heart's desire is to return in late May for another two weeks of standing in the streets and proclaiming the name of Jesus to all who pass by.
My heart yearns for another opportunity to "stand in the gap" and offer the Truth of God's Word to those that are lost. The heartache I have when I consider 4-1/2 million Croatian people walking in darkness, not knowing where to turn for truth, is more than I can bare.
It takes money to get there, and I don't have the $1,300 for the airfare, but I know God does. I believe God wants me to trust Him for it, and I know when He provides it that He will again give strength to overcome my Muscular Dystrophy, and Holy Spirit power to win souls and proclaim truth.
We only have one Independent Fundamental Baptist Missionary family, the Johnny Leslies, in the country, and they could use some help and encouragement. I want so much to see souls saved over there, and I sure want to be a blessing and help to that precious family.
I have been to Croatia twice and God has miraculously provided the airfare BOTH times before. I know He wants me to wait upon Him, rather than go into debt, and I do not want to get ahead of God's blessing. Without Him, we can do nothing.
Last year, 76 precious souls came to Christ, and this year I am praying to see 100 souls saved. I can see this in my mind's eye, and I long to be there watching it happen. Oh how we want to reach the Croatian people, and start a raging fire of revival there that will burn till Jesus comes.
We will stand in the streets witnessing all day, conduct public services at night, and beg God for help in between. It will be a time of great victory for Christ.
Please join me in begging God for the opportunity, so that we may rejoice together when it comes to pass. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Oh God! Save Croatia!
Here am I. Send Me!

Just A Pot Of Tea?

Some might think this is just a pot of tea, but it is so much more. This is the pot of tea that is specially prepared for me by Ling every time I go to the China Sea Buffet. This tea is made from tea leaves brought over by members of her family from China. This tea is not on the menu. It is reserved for family, and there is no charge.




Concerned for my health, Ling didn't like the idea of me drinking Diet Coke, and she offered to share her special tea. Of course I was honored, and I have quit drinking Diet Coke.
It is especially touching to me when she greets me with, "How are you, my teacher?" She is so happy to be learning English, and she has come to love her English teacher. This is a great blessing. God said, Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. I am indeed receiving good measure, pressed down, and shaken together.
This tea is a sign of Ling's love for her teacher, and I long for the day that Ling comes to know and love my Teacher.
This is not just a pot of tea.

What If?

1. What if I went on a business trip to Atlanta and dined in a restaurant with an international theme?
2. What if I saw a waitress wearing a name tag saying she was from Addis Ababa?
3. What if I had a missionary friend in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia?
4. What if I asked the waitress if she had family still in Ethiopia?
5. What if she does have family there, and the fact I knew where Addis Ababa was really got her attention?
6. What if I told her about my missionary friend, and gave her a gospel tract as I left the restaurant?
7. What if I returned the following day to see if I could get a few seconds of her time?
8. What if she came over to the table and I asked for an address for her family so my missionary friend could visit them?
9. What if she couldn't remember it all right then, but she gave me her own address and said my missionary friend should write to her and she will look up her family's address and give it to him?
10. What if I passed this information on to my missionary friend, James Downs, in Addis Ababa?
11. What if James has confirmed he will be writing to her very soon?
12. What if he writes her?
13. What if she is very impressed and moved by receiving a letter from Ethiopia as a result of this encounter?
14. What if she follows through and gets her family's address to him?
15. What if James Downs visits them and tells them someone met their daughter in Atlanta and it creates an open door for the gospel in their home?
16. What if they get saved and become faithful members of the church there?
17. What if they get called to preach and end up evangelizing their own country in a way that a foreigner might never be able to do?
18. What if thousands come to Christ as a result of their ministry?
19. What if there are untold thousands of Ethiopians in heaven with us one day as a result of this encounter at a restaurant?

Well....so far we're only up to number 11, but I plan to ask big and think big because the Word of God says He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

What if?
What if I had said nothing to her?

Please whisper a prayer that Acham Lisanework of Stone Mountain Georgia, and her entire family, will come to Christ.

God is not willing that any should perish.

School Is Such A Blessing!

Well...Praise the Lord. It is shortly after midnight and I have just arrived home from teaching English at the China Sea Buffet. I made it there tonight at 9:35, just in time to enjoy a big bowl of Pig Leg soup with my Chinese friends. That's right...Pig Leg soup. This is not something you can get at the buffet. This is something they whipped up special for themselves to enjoy after closing, and they were eager to share it with me. That is such an honor.
Tonight, school started right after cleanup at 10:25, and sadly we had to stop at midnight. First, we practiced the "th" sound in the, this, that, then, there, etc. It is a very difficult sound for the Chinese to produce and yet so important to the English language. We spent a half hour on that subject. Then, we reviewed last week's material on the long sound of the letter "a" along with the vocabulary words, and then we moved on the short sound of "a", learning more vocabulary words as we went along.
As tonight's fun exercise, I presented each student with a small map of the United States showing each state's abbreviation, along with a printed list of the abbreviations and their accompanying state names. As I suspected, this proved to be very fascinating. We had a lot of fun looking up the states on the map and learning which states are surrounding Texas. After that, we reviewed flash cards of the state names and worked at pronouncing them. They are picking up on phonics, showing they can sound out the words.
Wow! I get to be here and see this firsthand. We reiterated several times how we are all "jao peng you" (very good friends). I am having so much fun I can hardly stand it. When God saves them all, I will be out of control for a while I'm sure.
To God Be The Glory.