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Showing posts from October, 2010

Holy Smoke

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Yesterday afternoon I went evangelizing on the streets of Haverhill, Massachusetts (just north of Boston) and saw 19 people pray to receive salvation. One of them was a young man who once had another preacher tell him smoking sends people to hell and even showed him Scripture supposedly supporting that belief. I responded by making a comment I’ve told many other smokers; “Smoking won’t send you to hell but it will make you smell like you’ve been there…and if you don’t know Jesus, smoking can help send you to hell much quicker.” Some Christians believe if a person really gets saved, he or she would stop smoking immediately. I have seen instances (including one yesterday) when people tossed their lit cigarettes before praying to get born again. Then again, there was another man who asked me to pray for him and then lit up a cigarette while receiving salvation. This man thanked me for the prayer afterward even though he continued smoking. Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls

Awake O Sleeper

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As I flew into New York’s LaGuardia Airport last night, I remembered that one of the other nicknames for the Big Apple is “the city that never sleeps.” But by the time I arrived at the house I’m staying at, I was ready for some shut-eye. I also recalled famous people such as Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and John F. Kennedy who functioned on as little as 2-4 hours of sleep. Most everyone else needs more especially infants. However, there is one person that never sleeps at all. Although God created humans to sleep, Psalm 121:4 says, “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” There’s no need to lose sleep worrying over life’s problems. Psalm 3:5 says, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.” In Scripture, the word sleep is also used to signify death. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 talks about deceased believers “…who sleep in Jesus.” The Bible also gives warnings to people who are asleep spiritually. Ephesians 5:14 in the New Living Transl