Week Twenty-Four, 2018

NEVER AGAIN

By John Grant

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:13).

As I stood there before the boxcar, I could only imagine its history. One of the actual cars which transported Jews to the gas chambers was right there in front of me. When it was brought there, a girls small ring was found, placed between the boards on her way to the death camp.

Throughout history, the Jews have endured hardships and have teetered on the edge of extinction, only to have a remnant so save them. Shamgar slew the Philistines against all odds. Ester saved them again.

In modern times there was the horror of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, another time Satan tried to blot them out. The fact that, as of 1948, the Jews have a restored national identity helps to fulfill Biblical prophecies found in Ezekiel 37 and Matthew 24. Defeating Nazism and giving the land of Israel back to the Jews is a classic example of God’s thwarting Satan’s plan and bringing about good in spite of the evil.

Hundreds of these boxcars coupled to dozens of trains carried thousands upon thousands of Jews on their way to be gassed in the showers. Sadly, local people closed their eyes and failed to act.

There was one church along the tracks and when the trains would pass by during worship times, the organ music was turned up to blot out the sound of the Jews screaming for help.

And while Nazism took hold in Germany, where were the European churches? Some, it is true, stood fast against the evil in their midst, and some churchmen, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, paid the ultimate price for dissenting. But they were the minority. Most churches of the era acquiesced to Nazi Party rules and remained silent while the Jews were slaughtered.

Satan is alive and well and evil continues to surround us. Will we as Christians sit idly by with our hands over our ears and ignore? Unless we rise up against evil, another holocaust could well happen and maybe, it will be the Christians who are persecuted.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

CRUSADE:

When we organized the Executive team for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for the 1994 Cleveland Crusade, we were reminded on Day One that the only theme we would all have to make sure we committed to was The Main Thing.

For the next year and all through the Crusade, our focus was on one unifying ideal, the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ. When people came forward to dedicate their lives to Christ, we did not ask for information about their background, beliefs, or traditions, but were they ready to give their life to Jesus?

How simple and how profound! When I have friends who are seeking God and having this yearning to know more about God, the last thing I want to do is distract them from the “main thing”.

There is always time after a decision is made to reflect on one’s heritage and faith journey, but to allow that to muddy the waters at a critical time in life more often than not brings procrastination, not clarity. Dwight Short

NEWS: Oregon Legislature Passes Bill to Allow Starving Mentally Ill Patients to Death.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Never take your liberty for granted, and be careful whom you vote for because it may be the last election you’ll ever have. Rep. Jamie Grant

The Bible is a list of authoritative books, not an authoritative list of books. Dr. Bruce Metzker

Christianity needs more oars in the water.

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©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618