YOU NEED TO READ THIS!

About the age of 22 Clary went on a radio debate with the Reverend Wade Watts, who was the state leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, who'd worked with Martin Luther King. And when he got to this debate, in came Reverend Wade Watts and he's wearing a suit and a tie and he's carrying a Bible. And he walks up and puts his hand out and goes, "Hello there, Mr Clary. I'm Reverend Wade Watts. I just want to tell you I love you and Jesus loves you." Clary's shocked, and without thinking shakes the Reverend's outstretched hand. Clary realised he'd just broke a Klan rule and he jerked his hand back. The Klan rule book says, "The physical touch of a non-white is pollution." And Clary thought, "I just shook hands with a black person." And the Reverend sees him looking at his hand and says "Don't worry, Johnny. It don't come off." And Clary starts calling him names "You no-good, sorry, bleep, bleep, bleep. You mother-this, you this, you that." And he looked at Clary "God bless you, Johnny. You can't do enough to me to make me hate you. I'm gonna love you and I'm gonna pray for you, whether you like it or not."

Clary set fire to his church. What happened was he started off going by his house, calling him names and got no response. The Klan Threw trash all over his lawn and got no response. They showed up with their sheets and hoods and stood out there in his yard, saying, "Get on out here, boy, we got something for you." And he comes outside and says "Boys, Halloween's four more months away. I got no trick or treat in here for you. Come back in October." And he goes back in the house

Clary didn't know how to deal with him, and so the Klan says "You got anymore bright ideas?" And he said, "I don't know. I'll tell you what we'll do." So they burned a cross across the street from his house. He came outside and asked them if they needed hotdogs or marshmallows for their barbeque.

So finally, Clary said, "I'm tired of messing with him" and they set fire to his church. And they put the fire out before the church was destroyed and Clary remembers he called him up, disguising his voice and said, "Hey, boy, you'd better be afraid. We're coming to get you, boy. You don't know who we are but we know who you are." And he goes, "Hello, Johnny. A man like you takes the time to call me, I'm so honoured. Let me do something to you. Dear Lord, please forgive Johnny for being so stupid. He doesn't mean to be so ornery, he's a good boy trying to get out somewhere in there." And Clary hung up the phone on him and said, "How dare him?"

One day the klan was watching him and he went into a restaurant, so they got a bunch of them together and about 30 of them went in there and surrounded him. He had this chicken there on the table. And Clary walked up and said, "Hey, boy, this restaurant's for white people only, we don't want you here. So, I'm gonna make you a promise. I promise you we're gonna do the same thing to you that you do to that chicken. So you think real hard before you touch that chicken." So he looked at Clary and looked at the Klan, then he picked up the chicken and he kissed it. And when he kissed the chicken, the whole restaurant started laughing. Even the Klan was laughing- "You gotta admit, that was funny." "Every one of you, outside." Their outside and they're doubled over laughing. He's going, "You guys are gonna get suspended and lose your robe for two weeks. I'm getting tired of this." And He's hollering at them and yelling and they're laughing. Clary heard a horn honking and Reverend Watts is driving off, going, "Bye, Johnny." We never bothered him again - and that's how one old black man defeated the entire Ku Klux Klan.

Clary- I asked him for forgiveness for what I did to him. And I said, "Listen, I got out of the Klan." He goes, "Oh, I knew you was going to." And I said, "I feel like I'm supposed to go out and start helping people and speaking." And he goes, "Well, have you spoken anywhere yet?" And I said, "No," and he goes, "Well, how about speaking to my all-black church? You do remember my church, don't you, Johnny?" And I said, "Yeah. How do I get there?" He goes, "You oughta know, you burnt it down."

And then he got up there and told the congregation "Church, we're gonna really be blessed. Next Sunday we're gonna have the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan come preach for you." And that scared the congregation, they said, "Reverend Watts, don't bring that man here, he did horrible things to us." He goes, "That's the same thing they said about Saul when he became apostle Paul. I'm gonna have him."

And a friendship was born. Reverend Wade Watts and I became best of friends. And he started having me come to his house and he came to mine."

The Photo shows the scene in Hobart (Tasmania, Australia) in 1975. A cargo ship had rammed one of the pylons of the Tasman Bridge, causing a large span to collapse into the river Derwent, with consequent loss of life as cars plunged into the water. The disaster would have been much worse if it had happened on a busy weekday instead of a relatively quiet Sunday evening.

 

Two cars (see inset) managed to stop in the nick of time, with their front wheels over the edge. One driver, after managing to get out, frantically attempted to stop oncoming traffic, but they disregarded his waving and sped on to their fate.

 

So many people similarly ignore God's servants who warn them to get right with God and not go to a Christless eternity. If you die an unrepentant Christ-rejector, you have nothing to look forward to but "judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:27).

 

Some people are saved at the last minute like that motorist, but why leave it to the last minute? God hasn't promised you tomorrow; NOW is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Turn to God in prayer and ask him into your heart.

As Apollo 8 finished their orbit around the moon, the men in the space shuttle and the men back at mission control broke into tears, as the earth came into view. The suns rays focused onto the space shuttle and these full-grown and intelligent men, wept...

They wept, not because of the picture in front of them, but because the words of Genesis 1 were being read aloud- "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... and God said "Let there be light"... and he separated the light from the darkness... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..."

These men's faith in God became so real to them that it was undeniable. They saw how awesome their Creator and His creation was, and how small their mission was compared to what He had done for them. 

BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY MY GOD IS REAL!

James Irwin- Apollo 10 astronaut- "As we got farther and farther away from the earth, it diminished in size. Finally, it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautful marble you can imagine. That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart. Seeing this has to change a man, has to make a man appreciate the creation of God and the love of God."

Ok people, I'll admit it- one year ago I stuffed up badly...

I even stuffed up badly one month ago, and oh, that reminds me, just one week ago I stuffed up...

One day ago I stuffed up, and in truth one hour ago I stuffed up...

In the next hour I will stuff up, in the next day I will stuff up, and even in the next week...

In the next month and in the next year, I will have stuffed up so much there isn't room for anymore...

But one day 2000 years ago, this friend of mine, this Saviour and Lord of mine, his name was Jesus, he was crucified...

He was killed, innocent blood flowed as he was nailed to the cross. His sweat was like drops of blood, and the weight of the world was on Him, all for claiming to be the Son of God...

He paid the ultimate price, for me, for you, for anyone who has ever walked the earth...

Jesus, I'm sorry. Have mercy on me, a sinner...

More than 200 million Christians worldwide are hunted, imprisoned, banished, fined, denied jobs and education, physically tortured and brutally killed- just because they are Christians. But they consider themselves blessed! God has given them the privledge to follow the way of the cross. They have experienced His abundant grace in times of trouble.

BELARUS: ...Many evangelical churches will be forced to close, or operate illegally...

2 Samuel 22:2-3- He said: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, in whom I take refuge, ... He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour."

BULGARIA: ..."I praise God that I was able to suffer for my faith," says Samuel...

Nahum 1:7- The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

CHINA: ..."If I die," she says boldly, "I'll be in heaven."...

Ruth 2:12- May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

COLOMBIA: ...Unidentified attackers slit the throats of the 80-year-old pastor and the church treasurer...

Isaiah 26:4- Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal.

CUBA: ...Arbitrary arrest. Imprisonment. Discrimination...

Psalm 19:14- May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

EGYPT: ...Excruciating pain, from the beatings and electrical jolts that raced through his body...

Deuteronomy 33:27- The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms.

ETHIOPIA: ...One attacker finally struck the struggling pastor in the head with an axe...

1 Samuel 2:2- There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God.

INDIA: ...Kidnappings. Beatings. Bible-burnings...

Psalm 27:5- For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

INDONESIA: ...Destroyed more than 600 churches during the past decade...Yahnes was only 11 when he accepted Christ. When his Muslim parents discovered that he was going to church without their permission, they hit him and tied him to a tree. Then they poured sugar on him so that he'd attract insects...

Psalm 73:28- But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

KENYA: ...shot one of their two sons dead...

Psalm 62:6-8- He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.

LAOS: ...Officials gaoled 20 new Christians in one of the villages. They held the new believers without any food for 10 days. The Christians would not deny their faith. Authorities then threw some into a cell without any light for up to a week...

Psalm 59:16- But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

MALAYSIA: ...Converts to Christianity in these two states face a death sentence...

Psalm 46:1- God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in trouble.

Psalm 18:30- Ask for God, His way is PERFECT, the word of the LORD is FLAWLESS. He is  SHIELD for all who take REFUGE IN HIM.

Mexico: ...Christians are harassed and have been expelled from villages. Four evangelical families in one area recently lost their homes after they were set on fire...

Luke 6:48- He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and lad the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck the house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

MYANMAR: ...Soldiers reportedly disrupt worship services and force Christians to "donate" their time to clean and maintain Buddhist shrines...

Joel 3:16- But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

NIGERIA: ...A decade of mounting persecuton has led to the death of thousands of Christians, the murder of pastors and the destruction of hundreds of churches...

Psalm 31:2-3- Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

NORTH KOREA: ...Turning them over to the authorities to be tortured and killed. They would not deny their Lord. Not even in death...

Psalm 9:9- The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

RUSSIA: ...His mother cursed him. The shaman and others chased him out of the village. He fled with just his wife and two children...

Jeremiah 16:19- O Lord, my strength, my refuge in times of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth.

SERBIA: ...Attackers wielding bricks and stones have pelted the church eight times. They've smashed windows, destroyed the signboard and damaged walls, and more...

Psalm 94:22- But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

SUDAN: ..."You will find yourself dead!"...

Matthew 16:18- And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

TAJIKISTAN: ..."The mosque priest wants a group of Muslims to stone my husand and I"...

Psalm 119:114- You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

VIETNAM: ..."On trial for inviting people to hear the Gospel". Christians are harassed, beaten, detained and imprisoned. One area denies Christian children education beyong third grade...

Proverbs 30:5- Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

• Christian persecution is real!
• Don't stop now! Persecuted Christians worldwide need you to continue standing with them. Will you let God be your rock?

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Psalm 62:6,7- He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Psalm 18:30-32- As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

Lazarus was a man from Bethany, and was sick. Jesus says, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory that God's Son may be glorified through it." After a few days however Jesus told his disciples, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days.

Martha (Lazarus's brother) said to Jesus "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus answered "Your brother will rise again."

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But Lord," said Martha, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for 4 days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Jesus prayed and, when he had finished, called in a loud voice "Lazarus, come out!"

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

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• Jesus says "Take away the stone". Jesus wants you out of the tomb, out of the darkness, where your not living, where your not alive!
• However the stench keeps Christians from saving people- from getting them out of the tomb! Jesus tells them not to worry about the stench, the cave, and the darkness- get in there and save that person!
• If you believe, you can do anything. If you believe, all things are possible!
• Jesus doesn't do anything to Lazarus- doesn't touch him, pick him up etc... Jesus moves forward.
• Jesus prays- the power of prayer!
• "Lazarus come forward!" Jesus even expects a dead man to come forward! He's dead! Just like sinners are dead in their sins, Jesus expects them to come out!
• Lazarus comes out bound. Jesus doesn't want your feet free- he wants them bound. He wants to guide you!
• All the devil can come up with in thousands of years of history is: boos, drugs, sex, and fornification. Jesus just doesn't compare!
• When you give your life to Jesus, you are filled. Only Jesus satisfies!
• The devil has 2 weapon- guilt and condemnation. Remember that he is a liar!
• The story of the Lion King is like the story of the devil and a sinner: in order for Scar to become the King, the father and son need to die....(Hmmm heard this story somewhere before!) Simba tries to escape work and responsibility. He runs off to "Akumattata land". A land without purpose, destiny, and worries. A place where you never grow. Get back to the real world!
• There is no life outside of Jesus. So many people look like they are having fun, but there is no substance, no meaning, and no purpose.
• What the world says is "if you see you would believe". Jesus says "if you believe, than you would see."
• There are 6 billion people alive, but not 6 billion people living!

There's only one way...that way is JESUS!

God loves us, but he hates sin, and we are all sinners. The only way to get to God and to have a relationship with him, is through JESUS- His Son, who sacrificed everything for us, who died on a Roman cross 2000 years ago.

Get out of the cave, out of the darkness, and out of the stench, where your not living, where your not fulfilled, where your not alive! There's more to life than death, there's JESUS!

"One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD."

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed 2 sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints in the sand. He noticed that it always happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied: "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Psalm 138:7- "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me."

 

Jesus is so awesome! In the past month, his presence and the power of prayer have been revealed to me, and two mircales have resulted in my life:

1) My sister being saved. My sister had just had a baby and the following day, she had normal procedural injections. She had allergic reactions to these needles, and just like someone allergic to peanuts, her breathing was affected terribly, and her body started to swell. She was immediately transferred to intensive care, where all night the doctors battlled the reaction. Me, being 200 km's away, was so upset at church I was balling my eyes out. My youth pastor came up to me, lay his hands on me, gave me psalm 112, and we prayed for ages-  God was right there with us. For my sister, it was either instant death or instant recovery. Saturday morning at 10am, I received a phone call...my sister had been stabalised! Is God good or what? No it wasnt lucky, it was a mircale!

This doesnt compare with my sister being saved, but you have to read this story:

2) My soccer match. Ok so Saturday morning, I knew I would be sitting on the bench.. But I wasnt discouraged. I prayed "Dear Father, if I get on the park, use me for your glory and help me make a difference in the game. Let your favour be on me"- no joke, exact prayer! The game was against the undefeated champions of last year, and our team had just come up to the elite division. I came on in the 80th minute with the scores tied 2-2. The coach decided the very last minute to change my position to a position I had never played before- this was the first time in over three years I had moved positions. No joke, with my first touch I scored the winning goal! It was the first goal I had scored in over a year and a half of elite-level soccer, and the noise and celebrations were electrifying! I thanked God after the game, for all HE had done!

You see prayer changes your life and it stirs your Spirit. How did Jesus raise Lazarus? He prayed! Another example: Jesus and his disciples encounter a fig tree. It doesnt bear fruit, so Jesus (who is hungry) says "May no one ever eat fruit from you again" (Mark 11:14). The very next day, the disciples see the fig tree had withered- "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" (Mark 11:21). You see when you ask for something in prayer, it doesnt suddenly happen, however things start to grow in the roots. Unknown and unseen things start to appear; things start to take place, to develop. For the moment at least, they may remain unseen, but very quickly the power of the prayer is brought into the open, for the glory of all to see. When you pray and believe, Jesus promises you that things will happen- that your prayers will be answered! Matthew 21:22- If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

KEEP PRAYING!