9-11-01

   September 11th, 2001.  It's a day none of us 
will soon forget.  Where were you when you first 
heard of the tragedy in America?  I was just 
getting up, it had been a sleepless night.  
I walked into the other room where the TV was on 
and watched in disbelief as the news was reporting 
that the old executive office building was on 
fire(it was latter corrected that the Pentagon was on fire), 
I was so tired I thought that it was a terrible 
nightmare.  I watched live as the first tower came 
crashing down, then a few minutes later I saw, 
in horror, the second tower come down.

   Nations reacted.  The palace band in London played 
"The Star Spangled Banner", across Europe; America; 
and Israel people mourned... and flags lay at half 
staff, in Palestinian cities parades are given; 
candy was passed around as though it were
Christmas; and the people shouted "God is great", 
in Afghanistan a man named Osama bin Laden denies 
responsibility; but says he is happy, in America 
people give their time to help find survivors; 
they wait in line-for as long as 4 hours-to give 
blood, corporations and wealthy individuals give 
millions to those devastated by this tragedy, 
and people pray, across the world.  Churches
across the nation hang red, white and blue, with Old Glory, 
they hold services to remember those who died 
and are missing, and they pray.  In Washington 
they hold a memorial service in the National Cathedral, 
and they pray.  In cities across the nation, church bells ring, 
and people pray.  On cars, trucks, boats, houses, 
businesses, and windows everywhere, they hang the 
symbol millions of troops died for, and they pray.  
Generous rescue workers risk, and volunteer, their 
lives to find just one more person, and they pray.
Several Californian millionaires get together and
offer millions in a bounty for the head of bin Laden,
and they pray.
People across the nation look for someone to blame, 
someone to hate, and they pray.  People across the 
nation look for ways we can stand as the UNITED 
States, and they pray.
And they pray.

   I heard a woman on TV say, "Who do you pray to? 
Not to a God that would take so many innocent lives."
Prayer is the most basic thing we have.  Jews, Hindus, 
Christians, Catholics, and just about everyone else 
prays.  It gives us encouragement to think that someone
with just a little more wisdom than us, and a little more
power might be listening.  In the midst of trouble, who do
we turn to?  Do we turn to ourselves and say, "I can do 
everything in my own power and my own name.  I have life under 
control."  Tuesday the 11th shattered that idea.  Ultimately 
we all turn to God.

   How can God allow evil to happen?  Especially evil like 
this!  The issue is more complex than what appears on the
surface.  Some believe in Calvinism, where we are all puppets.  
Everything is predestined.  The hijackers were destined 
to take knives, hijack planes, and use them as missiles.
You & I were destined to be in such despair about this.
The belief is that we are powerless to stop anything from 
happening, other then what was determined for something
to happen.  If this is true, why is there such an extensive
law and moral code in a book called the Bible?
Others believe in minimalism, where God spun the earth 
into existence and is just watching from afar.
If this is true, why did Jesus die for all of us?
Could God have stopped this?  Sure He could have, 
He wouldn't be God otherwise.  We have witnessed a 
movie that was written, produced, directed by, and stars Satan.
(It's interesting to note that one of the hijackers the 
FBI has identified is named Satam, no  typo, Satam)
We can't rewind, pause, fast forward, or stop this movie.
We can't change the channel, instead we will stand forever
changed.  We have seen the price of freedom.  Not only 
the freedom that the document we call the Constitution 
gives us, but also the freedom that God gives us.  
The price is vulnerability.  God has given us the 
freedom to choose right or wrong.  The choice to love Him, 
or to totally hate Him.  He stands, prepared to 
accept your answer, but not wanting that you should die 
without Him.  Will you die without Him?

   As Christians, what should our response be?  We have
heard more times than what we can say about the
golden rule and turning the other cheek, etc, 
that I don't need to repeat them.  That's what 
our response be.  We shouldn't attack innocent
people of Middle eastern descent or those that are
of a different religion, that's what terrorists
did to us.  When the Pharisees got under Jesus' skin,
 He didn't attack them.  When the Sadducees questioned Him,
He wasn't hateful.  What He did do, however, was rebuke
their sayings, their beliefs.  He showed them a better
way, a way with love, kindness, patience, and forgiveness.

   As Christians, what should our government's response be?
The Bible clearly gives us two different perspectives. 
On one hand, you have laws, commandments, and the Sermon on the Mount
that we should do PERSONALLY.  On the other, you have
punishments and other responsibilities that governments should
do.  Some say that we should turn Afghanistan into a desert
and call it peace, we have the capability, 
others say we should just turn the other cheek.
I don't believe in returning evil for evil.  The evil on 9-11
was not that they attacked us, that was the action, the evil
was that they killed probably over 5,000 innocent people.
If we were to return evil, then 5,000 innocent Afghanistan
people will be dead.  The Bible clearly says, even in the
New Testament, that it is the God given responsibility 
to the government to punish evildoers.

"For he[the government] is God's minister to you
for good.  But if you do evil, be afraid; for 
he does not bear the sword in vain; for he 
is God's minister, an avenger to execute 
wrath on him who practices evil."
Romans 13:4, NKJV

   If our leaders do not execute wrath on he
who commits evil, they will have to stand
before God and tell Him why they did not
carry out the responsibilities given to them.

   I love most people's response to this tragedy.
It is believed that the passengers on board the
plane that crashed in Pennsylvania actually
tried to over power their captors.  One man
called his wife from his cell phone, he said that
they were going to be used to kill lots more,
and that he and at least one other passenger
were going to try to change that.  He told
her that they were likely to die in the
process.  Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
ran from the side of the Pentagon his office is in
to the side where the plane crashed and helped pull
people out.  There were two men in the Pentagon
whose offices weren't far from the crash. The
area filled with black smoke; and on their 
hands and knees, they checked all the offices
in their area to make sure everyone got out safely.
A man in the World Trade Center found a crippled
woman, picked her out of her wheelchair, and
carried her 69 floors down to safety.  A CEO of
a 1,000 employee company had 700 employees based at
the World Trade Center.  They had offices from
floors something like 101 to 107.   He did not
get to work on time because his son started
kindergarten that day.  Not one of the 700
employees is believed to be alive.  He(the CEO) is a
hero because he has taken it upon himself to
take care of the 700 families his employees left
behind.  He didn't say, "I don't know what they're
going to do." but he said(with tears), "I have to
find a way to stay in business so that these
families can be taken care of."  I have no doubt
that there are many more heroic stories than this,
and God knows them all.  They are all heroes
in His eyes.

   Many people who were on those flights, in
those sky scrappers, and in the Pentagon were
Christians.  None of them who died want to
come back.

"Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the
  counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the
   way of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of
    scoffers;" -Psalm 1:1, WEB

"Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven,
  Whose sin is covered." -Psalm 32:2, WEB

"Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
  The people whom he has chosen for his own
   inheritance." -Psalm 33:12, WEB

"Blessed is he who considers the poor:
  Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil."
   -Psalm 41:1, WEB

   God wants to give you the peace to know where
you're going when you die, and also so that you
can take refuge in Him, and know that everything
is all right.

  So how do you get eternal life with Jesus? It is 
not difficult.
     
 The Bible teaches that you must:

1) Recognize we are sinners and need forgiveness

2) Then, admit our sins to Jesus, "If confess our 
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

3) John 1:12 says we must personally receive Him, 
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave 
the power to become the sons of God." 
This means your life is going to change! 
"He who has the son of God (Jesus) has 
the life; He who does not have the Son of God 
does not have the life." 

4) Romans 10:9-10 says "That if thou shalt 
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and 
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
raiseth him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 
For with the heart man believeth unto 
righteousness; and with the mouth confession 
is made unto salvation."

If you would like to be saved say this simple prayer...  
 
	Lord Jesus, I admit I am a 
	sinner. I need forgiveness. 
	I am sorry for my sins and 
	I don't want to sin against You 
	anymore. I believe You are the 
	Son of God and You died on the cross 
	for MY sins. I also believe that you 
	rose from the dead so that I, too, may 
	have victory over the grave. Please 
	forgive me now Lord and cleanse me. 
	Come into my heart and give me a new 
	life. Thank You, Jesus, for shedding 
	your blood for me and for hearing 
	and answering my prayer.
	Amen 
  
 
 Luke 15:10 says: "Likewise, I say 
unto you, there is joy in the 
presence of the angels of God 
over one sinner that repenteth."


"Ok, I've prayed the prayer and asked 
Jesus into my heart, so what do 
I do now?"

John 1:12 says "As many as received 
him (Jesus), to them gave he the 
power to become Sons of God, 
even to them that believe on his name."

Galatians 4:4-7 - "God sent forth His 
Son...that we might receive the adoption 
of sons...and if a son, then an heir of 
God through Christ."

Revelation 21:7 - "He that overcometh 
shall inherit all things; and I will 
be his God, and he shall be my son"

2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore if any 
man be in Christ, he is a new creature; 
old things are passed away; behold all 
things are become new."
  
 
 WOW! To be a child of God...and you are! 
If you have accepted Jesus into your heart, 
you have been adopted as a chuld by Almighty God!
You are a new creature in God's eyes! 
ALL things have passed away and ALL 
things have become as new. Jesus 
compared the new birth experience 
to the wind, which can be heard and 
felt, but not seen. We do not see 
God, nor do we see our sins being 
taken away and forgotten, but when 
we sincerely repent and confess 
our sins to Jesus and by faith 
believe that He has forgiven us, 
what a feeling of relief!



 The next thing you need to do is 
tell someone you have asked Jesus into you heart!
 Romans 10:9 
says "If thou shalt confess with 
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 
believe in thine heart that God hath 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt 
be saved" Tell someone "I am saved!"
If you would like to tell me e-mail 
AJ@gmail.cjb.net.
I'd love to hear it!


 God bless America.