Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
ATM bomber shoots himself (Kuils-River)
The incident happened at the U-Save in the early hours of the morning.
Kuils River police spokesperson Isaac van Niekerk said it was still unclear how the police had managed to foil the thieves before they could get away.
Community Policing Forum member Pieter van Dalen said the forum had been warning police about armed robbery and ATM crime for a long time and they were worried about the rise in serious crimes in Kuils River.
"This is the second incident in a year. The last one was in Nooiensfontein Road last year," he said.
The regular police report indicated crime was decreasing, but certain crimes were not accurately reflected.
He said Kuils River had only a four percent conviction rate, so the majority knew they could get away with crime. He said the police were not transparent with the community at CPF level.
Adventist Review: The Role of MySpace
Check out http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=1838 for the rest of the article
Prepare to Serve
Putting Self Aside
We need to feel our obligation to the higher Power. That presence is ever with us, asserting supreme authority, and taking account of the service that we render or withhold.… “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” This command must be sacredly observed if we would fulfill the purpose of God for us in our creation and redemption. We must rise heavenward, making God first and last and best in everything. He is our sole, supreme, and everlasting good.…
God points out the path of duty, saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” In that path lie self-denial and the cross, but it is [the] only path of peace and safety. But there are many who are turning their backs on this path, and are walking in the companionship of self—a companionship that they have every reason to dread.
Jesus First, Others Second
The divine revelation and commission given to Moses made him great. He would not cease pleading, “Show me thy glory.” And the Lord made His glory pass before him. Moses talked with God face to face, as a man talketh with a friend. The realization of his inability to do the work given him drove him to God, to plead for the people under his leadership. Naturally he was diffident, slow of speech, hesitating, self-distrustful; but he was eloquent as he besought the Lord in behalf of his people. He presented them before God, saying, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.”
It was mercy that ruled in the leadership of Moses. It was mercy that spoke through the words and deeds of Christ. Not one thread of selfishness was drawn into the web. To those who today move forward under the command of Christ, God will give kindness, patience, long-suffering, and gentleness, with a trusting heart.
The representatives of Christ are to rely constantly on His wisdom. This is necessary for the safe guidance of those whom they lead. It is a sacred, solemn work to be in charge of and to lead the Lord’s people. In this work there is need of constant watchfulness and prayer; and those engaged in it need daily to receive the gift of God’s grace, that they may have wherewith to impart to others.…
God asks of His workers a humble, trusting, obedient heart, and the willing service of the whole being. “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” … The only power that is of worth in God’s sight comes through the meekness and lowliness of Christ.
Every day God’s workers are to be partakers of the divine nature.… Then God will work through them and with them, enabling them to scatter blessings wherever they go, and to build up the work where Christ is building, strengthening the hands of His laborers, and discerning with clear perception what needs to be done. They are colaborers with Christ, representing His character in goodness and compassion and love.…
“I will make you fishers of men”
All along the path we travel we are to leave waymarks of the love of Christ. This love, acted out in the life, always brings a response. It causes offerings of gratitude to be brought to God by those who appreciate His goodness. God’s workers will be acknowledged as their efforts to forward His cause are made in harmony with the plan of the Saviour.
Those who are connected with God as His colaborers can reveal greatness of soul only as they hide the life in the life of Christ, and strive to comprehend the exalted character of the work in which they are engaged. A true estimate of the sacredness of this work can be gained only as we behold it in the light of the sacrifice that Christ made in order that men and women might be saved from sin.
Christ expects each of His followers to do His work. This He has commanded in His Word. “Follow me,” is His call to them. He came to our world to give men an example of a perfect life. He who in God’s service sacrifices all of self finds his reward in the work of seeking to save the lost, and in the joy that he feels in seeing sinners brought to the Saviour. God wants men to forget themselves in the effort to save souls. He calls for light-bearers, who will fill the world with the light and peace and joy that come from Christ. He will use humble men, men who cherish a sense of their weakness, who do not think that the success of the work depends on them. He will use men who will remember what the service of God demands—the Christlikeness of word and deed that God calls for. Such ones will reveal that Christ dwells in the heart, imparting purity to the whole life.
This article is excerpted from one that first appeared in the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, now the Adventist Review, (www.adventistreview.org) November 24, 1910. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White exercised the biblical gift of prophecy during more than 70 years of public ministry.
The Occult on Prime Time by Steve Wohlberg
Have you heard of White Noise? It’s a scary movie about a man and his son who endure unspeakable grief after their wife and mother fails to come home one night. To their horror, they discover she has been killed in a freak car accident. As the heartbroken husband steps into an elevator after the funeral, his cell phone rings. Glancing at the caller ID, he’s startled to see a familiar name on the tiny screen. The caller is his wife. She’s attempting to contact him from “the other side.”
Have you noticed the ghostly trend? Hollywood’s movie studios and the TV networks are rolling out productions about communication with dead people. NBC’s Medium and CBS’s Ghost Whisperer are two examples. Both are highly acclaimed TV series featuring attractive women who dialogue with the deceased. Nor is it all fiction. TV shows like The Lisa Williams Project and Messages from Carla Mae are hosted by professional mediums who claim a real connection with those “beyond the grave.”
One of the most popular mediums today is New York Times best-selling author Sylvia Browne. Browne is a regular guest on The Montel Williams Show and has appeared on Larry King Live and Entertainment Tonight.
Another famous medium is Allison DuBois, the inspiration behind NBC’s Medium series. In her bestselling autobiography, Don’t Kiss Them Goodbye, DuBois explains how DuBois first became involved with spirits:
When she was six years old, Allison’s deceased great-grandfather came to her with a message for her mother: “I am OK, I am still with you. Tell your mom there’s no more pain.” Allison shared his comforting message with her mother, and thus began her lifelong mission of connecting loved ones with those they have lost.1
The Source of Communications
What I say next may surprise you: I believe that a spirit did appear to young Allison DuBois. I also believe that many mediums truly are in touch with otherworldly intelligences. But let me clarify something: I don’t believe for a minute that it was DuBois’s deceased relative who appeared to her that day. Demonic forces are invading our air waves.
Satan is inserting himself into our prime-time television programming.
The Great Deception
Believe it or not, ghosts can lie. The Bible speaks of “deceiving spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1)* that exist on “the other side.”
Nearly three thousand years ago God warned His people through Moses, “ ‘There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord’ ” (Deuteronomy 18:10–13; emphasis added).
Amazingly, Moses wrote that being “a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead” is “an abomination to the Lord.” If you look up the word abomination in any dictionary, you will see that it refers to something utterly detestable, vile, and abhorrent. If this language sounds too strong, don’t blame me. I didn’t write Deuteronomy 18. Moses did.
Many Bible translations use the word medium in Deuteronomy 18:11, yet other translations replace medium with “a consulter with familiar spirits.” Essentially, the two are the same. A “medium” is a person who consults with “familiar spirits,” and “familiar spirits” are the spirits that provide information to mediums.
Medium Allison DuBois candidly acknowledged, “My guides never steer me wrong.”2 Medium Sylvia Browne also commented about a ghost named Francine: “Like all Spirit Guides, she’s been my closest companion and advisor every minute of every day of my life this time around.”3 Thus DuBois and Browne both admit they have personal spirit guides that constantly direct their lives. Unknown to these women, these are the “ familiar spirits” the Bible refers to.
In ancient times, the Lord even declared, “ ‘ “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones” ’ ” (Leviticus 20:27). This may seem exceedingly harsh to our modern ears, especially to those of Sylvia Browne and Allison DuBois, and of their clients, relatives, and friends.
The question is, Why the strong warning? Why the death penalty? The reason is because those spirits are not who DuBois and Browne think they are, not matter what they claim. Instead, they’re “seducing spirits” whose hidden agenda is to deceive and destroy all who follow them.
The more we discern what the Bible teaches about mediums, familiar spirits, and calling up the dead, the more we will realize that God’s goal is to protect us all—including mediums themselves—from getting hurt, from hurting others, and from being deceived by malicious spirits that inhabit the invisible realm.
Do parents speak strongly to their kids about playing in the street? Is such language justified? Of course it is! The same is true of our Creator God who seeks to shield us from “the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). He loves us more than we realize.
Can the Dead Return?
Notice carefully what Job wrote so long ago: “ ‘As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, So he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore’ ” (Job 7:9, 10).
This verse mentions the utter impossibility of a ghostly “return” from “the grave.” “He who goes down to the grave,” Job clarified, “does not come up.” Take note: “He shall never return to his house.” There it is. A dead man lying in his grave beneath a silent tombstone in a cemetery cannot return to visit, frighten, or comfort his living relatives. Such a thing is fundamentally impossible.
The Bible predicts that right before the battle of Armageddon there will be an apocalyptic burst of demonic energy designed to dupe the entire world. Notice carefully: “For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty . . . Armageddon” (Revelation 16:14, 16; emphasis added).
This passage is God’s earnest attempt to teach us the truth. Fallen angels, led by a leader named Lucifer, aka the devil or Satan, really do exist. Throughout history, starting among the leaves of a forbidden tree, they’ve been working diligently behind the scenes, weaving webs of deceit and seeking to carry out their infernal designs. Their goal is global dominion. And you can be sure of this: one of their primary strategies is to disguise themselves as the ghosts of dead people. That’s why they have convinced most people the world over that dead people aren’t really dead.
TV series such as Medium and Ghost Whisperer, Hollywood movies such as White Noise and The Sixth Sense, and professional mediums such as Allison DuBois, Lisa Williams, Carla Mae, and Sylvia Browne have all brought communication with the dead into our mainstream society. This is not merely a social phenomenon or the ebb and flow of normal human events. Something bigger is afloat, something apocalyptic. Revelation predicted that this time would arrive. We are nearing Armageddon!
Grief and Hope
So where should we turn in times of grief and loss? Where can we find hope amidst pain, tragedy, and death? The biblical answer is, we can find it in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and has promised to return to reunite His people with their deceased relatives who died trusting His grace.
Notice Paul’s description of this awesome event: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18).
When Jesus returns, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” This is the resurrection of God’s saints. “Then,” Paul wrote, “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them.” Please don’t miss this! One of the grandest moments in history is being described. That all-important word together depicts the joyful reunion of the living and the dead. Parents whose babies were torn away by death will see their happy faces again. Husbands will embrace their wives, and wives their husbands. Fathers will rejoin their sons, and daughters will hug their mothers. This will all happen when Jesus Christ returns. Until then, we should seek solace and comfort from the living God, not from dead humans.
As planet Earth rushes rapidly toward Armageddon, I appeal to you: don’t be fooled by “seducing spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1). “It’s me, your dead grandma!” a ghost may claim. Don’t believe it. Trust what the Bible says, even above what your eyes see, what your ears hear, or what your heart feels. Don’t buy into what popular talk-to-the-dead radio shows or TV programs promote, what professional mediums say, or what tricky spirits claim.
Satan has succeeded in getting himself on prime-time TV. Don’t let him get into your life!
Steve Wohlberg is the director of White Horse Media and the author of Demons in Disguise: The Dangers of Talking to the Dead. His Web site is www.whitehorsemedia.com.
The Role of Music
The Power of Song. --The history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to the uses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul.
As the children of Israel, journeying through the wilderness, cheered their way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His children today gladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort.
It is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some word of God’s, --the long-forgotten burden of a childhood song, -- and temptations lose their power, life takes on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other souls!
The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another.
As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. --Education, pp. 167, 168.
A Weapon Against Discouragement. --If there was much more praising the Lord, and far less doleful recitation of discouragements, many more victories would be achieved. --Letter 53, 1896. (Evangelism, p. 499)
Let praise and thanksgiving be expressed in song. When tempted, instead of giving utterance to our feelings, let us by faith lift up a song of thanksgiving to God.
Song is a weapon that we can always use against discouragement. As we thus open the heart to the sunlight of the Saviour’s presence, we shall have health and His blessing. --Ministry of Healing p. 254. (1905)
To Impress Spiritual Truth. --Song is one of the most effective means of impressing spiritual truth upon the heart. Often by the words of sacred song, the springs of penitence and faith have been unsealed. --Review and Herald, June 6, 1912.
A Means to Conserve Christian Experience. --Evening and morning join with your children in God’s worship, reading His Word and singing His praise. Teach them to repeat God’s law. Concerning the commandments, the Israelites were instructed: "Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Accordingly, Moses directed the Israelites to set the words of the law to music.
If it was essential for Moses to embody the commandments in sacred song, so that as they marched in the wilderness, the children could learn to sing the law verse by verse, how essential it is at this time teach our children God’s Word! Let us come up to the help of the Lord, instructing our children to keep the commandments to the letter. Let us do everything in our power to make music in our homes, that God may come in. --Review and Herald, September 8, 1904. (Evangelism, p. 499)
To Make Work Pleasant. --Make your work pleasant by songs of praise. --Child Guidance, p. 148.
Drives the Enemy Away. --I saw we must be daily rising and keep the ascendancy above the powers of darkness. Our God is mighty. I saw singing to the glory of God often drove the enemy, and praising God would beat him back and give us the victory. --Letter 5, 1850.
Song Helped Jesus Resist the Enemy. --When Christ was a child like these children here, He was tempted to sin, but He did not yield to temptation. As He grew older He was tempted, but the songs His mother had taught Him to sing came into His mind, and He would lift His voice in praise. And before His companions were aware of it, they would be singing with Him. God wants us to use every facility which Heaven has provided for resisting the enemy. --Manuscript 65, 1901. (Evangelism, p. 498)
Bringing Heaven’s Gladness. --The early morning often found Him in some secluded place, meditating, searching the Scriptures, or in prayer. With the voice of singing He welcomed the morning light. With songs of thanksgiving He cheered His hours of labor, and brought heaven’s gladness to the toil-worn and disheartened. --Ministry of Healing p. 52. (1905)
He Sang Songs of Praise. --Often He expressed the gladness of His heart by singing psalms and heavenly songs. Often the dwellers in Nazareth heard His voice raised in praise and thanksgiving to God. He held communion with heaven in song; and as His companions complained of weariness from labor, they were cheered by the sweet melody from His lips. His praise seemed to banish the evil angels, and, like incense, fill the place with fragrance. The minds of His hearers were carried away from their earthly exile, to the heavenly home. --The Desire of Ages, pp. 73, 74.
Dating Simplified at last !
Dating
What kind of person should you date? It's in the Bible, II Timothy 2:22, TLB. "Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts."
It is unwise to date someone who doesn't love God. It's in the Bible, II Corinthians 6:14-15, TLB. "Don't be teamed with those who do not love the Lord, for what do the people of God have in common with the people of sin? How can light live with darkness? And what harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a Christian be a partner with one who doesn't believe?" Amos 3:3, NKJV says, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"
Don't date someone who claims to be a Christian but doesn't live it. It's in the Bible, I Corinthians 5:11, TLB. "What I meant was that you are not to keep company with anyone who claims to be a brother Christian but indulges in sexual sins, or is greedy, or is a swindler, or worships idols, or is a drunkard, or abusive. Don't even eat lunch with such a person."
Avoid dating people who have a bad temper. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 22:24, TLB. "Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul."
Don't date a lazy Christian. It's in the Bible, II Thessalonians 3:6, TLB. "Now here is a command, dear brothers, given in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ by his authority: Stay away from any Christian who spends his days in laziness and does not follow the ideal of hard work we set up for you."
Inner beauty counts the most. It's in the Bible, I Peter 3:4, TLB. "Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God."
Date someone with a good attitude. It's in the Bible, Romans 15:5-6, TLB. "May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ toward the other."
Date someone who encourages you and is supportive. It's in the Bible, Philippians 2:1-2, TLB. "Is there any such thing as Christians cheering each other up? Do you love me enough to want to help me? Does it mean anything to you that we are brothers in the Lord, sharing the same Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic at all? Then make me truly happy by loving each other, working together with one heart and mind and purpose.
In a dating relationship don't be exclusive—care about others too. It's in the Bible, Philippians 2:4, TLB. "Don't just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing."
Let the relationship progress step by step. It's in the Bible, II Peter 1:6-7, TLB. "Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply."
What to avoid on dates. It's in the Bible, Romans 13:13, TLB. "Be decent and true in everything you do so that all can approve your behavior. Don't spend your time in wild parties and getting drunk or in adultery and lust, or fighting, or jealousy."
Dating should not include a sexual relationship. It's in the Bible, I Corinthians 6:13,18, TLB. "But sexual sin is never right: our bodies were not made for that, but for the Lord…That is why I say to run from sex sin. No other sin affects the body as this one does. When you sin this sin it is against your own body."
Keep yourself pure. It's in the Bible, I John 3:3, TLB. "And everyone who really believes this will try to stay pure because Christ is pure."
To keep from hurting ourselves, sexual desires and activities must be placed under Christ's control. It's in the Bible, I Thessalonians 4:3-5, TLB. "For God wants you to be holy and pure and to keep clear of all sexual sin so that each of you will marry in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion as the heathen do, in their ignorance of God and his ways."
If you have already gone too far physically, what should you do?
First, acknowledge your sin. It's in the Bible, Psalm 51:2-4, TLB. "Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed—it haunts me day and night."
Second, Ask forgiveness for your sin—God says you can start over again. It's in the Bible, Psalm 51:7-12, TLB. "Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. And after You have punished me, give me back my joy again. Don't keep looking at my sins—erase them from Your sight. Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don't toss me aside, banished forever from Your presence. Don't take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You."
Third, Believe that God has indeed forgiven you and quit feeling guilty. It's in the Bible, Psalm 32:1-6, TLB. "What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record. There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. All day and all night Your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, 'I will confess them to the Lord.' And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him if he does. You are my hiding place from every storm of life; You even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory."
God has a mate for you. It's in the Bible, Genesis 2:18, TLB. "And the Lord God said, 'It isn’t good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs.'"
Ask the Lord for a mate. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 19:14, TLB. "A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives."
God will give you your heart's desires. It's in the Bible, Psalm 37:4 and Matthew 6:8, TLB. "Be delighted with the Lord. Then He will give you all your heart's desires." "Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need before you ask Him!"
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Bible Study Resources
To aid your study of the Bible, these “top ten” resources are available online:
Seventh-day Adventists Believe…: A listing of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs with Bible references is available at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists web site.
http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html
Ellen G. White Estate: The official Ellen G. White Estate web site contains online versions of many books, issues and answers, study guides, and historical and background information.
Bibleinfo.com: Sharing the Bible is the purpose of Bibleinfo.com. Bibleinfo.com features brief Bible topics, in-depth Bible studies, and the ability to interact with a Bible specialist by asking Bible related questions. Bibleinfo.com is a public service of the Seventh-day Adventist church.
Bible Gateway: A free, online resource for searching the Bible by passage or by keyword using many translations of the Bible.
Bible Bay: Surf your way to Bible Bay where you can study through the LifeSavers Bible guide, discover more about Bible study tools, measure your spiritual health, and more. Learn how to navigate the high seas of spiritual discovery.
Hopetalk.org: This gateway web site will take you to the Bible study guides offered by major Adventist radio and television ministries including Amazing Facts, Voice of Prophecy, It Is Written, and Discover Bible Guides.
http://www.ssnet.org/index.html
http://www.hopetv.org/article.php?id=22
The Blue Letter Bible: This web resource has 4 million links onsite to more than 165,000 pages of concordances, lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, images, and Bible versions.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/
Bible E-Sword: As a Bible study software program, Bible E-Sword is a fast and effective way to study the Bible. Search commentaries, compare versions, look up unfamiliar words, view charts and maps, set up prayer reminders, prepare personal study notes, and more.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Bible Study
Watch this space for more information