Happy Saturday

The Word, Prayer, and Obedience

If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. - 1 John 1:6

Have you ever considered that God wants to turn every location of your daily life into a personal fellowship hall with Him? He wants every area, from the kitchen sink to the freeway, to be filled with His presence and joy. How do you do that? There are three avenues--the Word, prayer, and obedience.

In Deuteronomy 27:2, God gave these instructions: "When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law..." (27:2-3). This was a sort of rough-hewn monument indicating that the Word of God needed no embellishment.

In addition, they were to establish an altar and offer sacrifices. In this way, they responded to His Word--they prayed--and communion was established between God and His people.

The third element was to do all the commandments God had given them. Obedience is a vital link in a life of fellowship with God. Why? Because there is no fellowship with a superior apart from it. If you want to test that out, when you go to work tomorrow and the boss tells you to do something, tell him to hang it on his beak. There probably won't be the same quality of fellowship the two of you have enjoyed on other occasions.

Obedience, along with the Word and prayer, is vital to our daily walk of discipleship. Wherever you are today--at home, in your car, in a hospital, at a military barracks--it can become your "fellowship hall" with the Lord.

Prayer
Lord, I know that when I don't feel Your presence beside me, I'm the one who moved away. Help me to be faithful to meet with You in every area of my life. Amen.

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15).


Daily Smile:
From Meelony H., 8 years old

Why did the boy bury his flash-light? 

Because the Batteries were dead!

In The News:

Massachusetts Supreme Court to Hear Case Against 'Under God' in Pledge of Allegiance

Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a non-religious family who is challenging the mandatory daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in their children's classrooms, the Religion News Service reports. The family of secular humanists claims the phrase "under God" in the pledge is a violation of the state's constitutional ban on religious discrimination. In June, a lower court ruled against the family, saying the required recitation of the pledge was not discriminatory because it did not uphold one religion over another. The family appealed, and will now gain a hearing from the state's highest court. "There is very little case law that precedes this," said Bill Burgess, director of the American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center, which is representing the plaintiffs. "The court will be making new law when it issues its decision." The appeal in the case, Doe v. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, has not yet been scheduled.

Fifth Ad Continues Obama Spotlight on Abortion
President Barack Obama's campaign has launched its fifth television ad targeting Mitt Romney's pro-life views, Baptist Press reports. With polls showing most voters saying the country is on the wrong track, the Obama campaign has tried to make abortion an issue in swing states with the goal of energizing its base, particularly women voters. The latest Obama ad criticizes Romney's opposition to Roe v. Wade and his desire to pull federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. According to Michael Foust of Baptist Press, "Obama's five ads spotlighting abortion are unprecedented. Earlier this year Baptist Press watched every Democratic nominee's television ads from 1976-2008 -- that is, post-Roe v. Wade -- and found that only one other campaign (Bill Clinton's, 1996) discussed abortion in an ad, and that reference ('choice') came in a TV ad that was not abortion-centric but instead discussed several issues." Pro-life groups hope the Obama campaign's abortion spotlight will backfire by benefiting Romney -- that is, regularly reminding voters that Romney opposes Roe v. Wade.

Sudanese Bible School Re-Opens Despite Islamist Intimidation
Amid threats of further losses, classes resumed in October at a Bible school and church compound in Khartoum, Sudan, that Muslim extremists torched in April, ASSIST News Service reports. Students and administrators at Gerif West Bible School have yet to fully recover their losses from the April 21 attack, but classes began again on Oct. 15 even as area Muslims try to take school land and broadcast anti-Christian messages from a nearby mosque loudspeaker most Fridays. Muslim leaders have said through the loudspeaker that Christian institutions should not be allowed in Sudan and that the country should be a "purely Islamic state" since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011. "We are expecting the level of persecution to rise in Sudan in the coming days," said a pastor who works at the Bible school, adding that hostilities against churches and Christians were intensifying. Islamist attackers shouting threats against Christians and "Allahu akbar [Allah is greater]" on April 21 broke down the Christian compound wall with a bulldozer and set fire to the school and a church building. Also damaged were a clinic, a home for the elderly, and living quarters. On Sept. 21, the Muslim sheikh who led the attack, Muhammad Abdelkrim, urged area Muslims to tolerate no Christian presence and to have no dealings with them because they were "infidels."

Persecuted Indonesian Congregation Refuses to Relocate
Bogor City, 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, is reported to be one of the world’s most densely populated areas. And, although not an Islamic state, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, with 86.1 percent of Indonesians being Muslim, according to the 2000 census. In April 2010, Bogor’s Taman Yasmin Indonesia Christian Church (GKI Yasmin) was closed by order of the mayor and city government. In December of that year, the Indonesian Supreme Court affirmed the church's constitutional right to freedom of worship; however, the mayor refused to reopen the church. The Indonesian Ombudsman’s Office also urged the Bogor city administration to withdraw its later 2011 decree annulling the church’s construction permit. But now, in the latest twist in the long-running saga, Indonesia’s Interior Minister, along with the Bogor City authorities, decided at a meeting in September that the church would not reopen, but instead should relocate about 7 kilometers away, Open Doors News reports. In addition to the mayor and Interior Minister, representatives of the Muslim Communications Forum (Forkami) – a hard-line religious group known for its stance against GKI Yasmin – attended the meeting. Understandably, the church is refusing to comply with this order. "No matter where, no matter how beautiful or how expensive the new location, we will not accept," said the GKI Yasmin spokesman, Bona Sigalingging. He said if the church was evicted it would mean that the rule of law in Indonesia has collapsed. "There will be a separation and segregation based on racial intolerance. It means betraying Bhinneka Tunggal Ika." Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, the motto of Indonesia, means "Unity in Diversity."

Don't Forget

 Daylight Saving Time ends Tonight
Sunday, November 4th., 2:00 A.M

Please remind everyone
to turn their clocks back
One (1) hour and-

Be Sure To Change the batteries in their Smoke Alarms.

You may save someones life!