THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM

SHALL NOT PERISH

BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE

BLESSED REDEEMER

 For if revelation be true, as most assuredly it is, it is in Jesus only that we have eternal life. 

 Ezra Stiles

BLESSED REDEEMER

Jesus saith unto him,

I am the way, the truth, and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 John 14:6

 

For there is one God,

and one mediator between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus. 

1 Timothy 2:5

  I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12]. ...   If you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.   John Witherspoon   The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ, January 2, 1758.THERE IS NO SALVATION IN ANY OTHER

If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God into our world would have been unnecessary.

    Benjamin Rush

THERE IS NO SALVATION IN ANY OTHER

    On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts.   Charles Carroll  September 27, 1825

    Sensible of my mortality, but being of sound mind, after recommending my soul to Almighty God through the merits of my Redeemer and my body to the earth   From Will of William Cushing who was First Associate Justice Appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court

   In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer . . . of disposing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer.   From Will of Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer

As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name!

   John 1:12

        If God did not judge our sin, He would no longer be just.  We could not pay the penalty required so He sent His only begotten Son to pay our debt.  Jesus as infinite God and sinless man could pay the price for us, for all our sins, that we be redeemed.  He invites all to His table, even those from other religions.
JESUS IS THE TRUTH

    I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.   Roger Sherman, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273, Lewis Henry Boutell,

THERE IS NO SALVATION IN ANY OTHER

       I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.   From Will of Samuel Adams

    Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.   From Will of John Dickinson

    In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon, . . . considering the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living . . . professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life.   Will of John Langdon

    [W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life.    From Will of Robert Treat Paine

    I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God, the universal defection and depravity of human nature, the divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior, the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit, of Divine Faith, accompanied with an habitual virtuous life, and the universality of the divine Providence, but also . . . that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state; that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially, even in this life; that as Almighty God hath not been pleased in the Holy Scriptures to prescribe any precise mode in which He is to be publicly worshiped, all contention about it generally arises from want of knowledge or want of virtue.   From Will of Richard Stockton

        In the name of God, Amen. July 15, 1748, I, PHILIP LIVINGSTON, of New York, being in perfect health and considering the infirmity and mortality of man and the uncertainty of this life, have thought best before I leave this earthly state to dispose of my temporal goods which it hath pleased God far above my deserts to give me. My executors are to pay all debts due to any person whatever.  From Will of Philip Livingston

            BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED

 

        I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare the unsatisfactoriness [of temporal enjoyments] by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way.  

Letter by Madison to William Bradford (September 25, 1773)

 

        Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife, and with worthy children. His protection has companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also given me abundant reason to be contented and thankful.

Blessed be His holy name!

From Will of John Jay

 

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED
Neither is there salvation in any other:

for there is none other name under heaven given among men,

whereby we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

BLESSED REDEEMER

Enter ye in at the strait gate:

for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,

that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
 Because strait is the gate,

and narrow is the way,

which leadeth unto life,

and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

  Romans 8:11.
 

A Better Resurrection


I have no wit, no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numb'd too much for hopes or fears;
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimm'd with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf:
O Jesus, quicken me.
 
My life is like a faded leaf,
My harvest dwindled to a husk:
Truly my life is void and brief
And tedious in the barren dusk;
My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud nor greenness can I see:
Yet rise it shall--the sap of Spring;
O Jesus, rise in me.
 
My life is like a broken bowl,
A broken bowl that cannot hold
One drop of water for my soul
Or cordial in the searching cold;
Cast in the fire the perish'd thing;
Melt and remould it, till it be
A royal cup for Him, my King:
O Jesus, drink of me  


  Christina Rossetti   
Goblin Market, The Prince's Progress and Other Poems.
London: Macmillan 1879.

BLESSED REDEEMER

Up

EUGENIO.


And when a train of rolling years are past,
(So sang the exil'd seer in Patmos isle,)
A new Jerusalem sent down from heav'n
Shall grace our happy earth, perhaps this land,
Whose virgin bosom shall then receive, tho' late,
Myriads of saints with their almighty king,
To live and reign on earth a thousand years
Thence call'd Millennium. Paradise a new
Shall flourish, by no second Adam lost.


No dang'rous tree or deathful fruit shall grow,
No tempting serpent to allure the soul,
From native innocence; a Canaan here
Another Canaan shall excel the old
And from fairer Pisgah's top be seen,
No thistle here or briar or thorn shall spring
Earth's curse before: the lion and the lamb
In mutual friendship link'd shall browse the shrub,
And tim'rous deer with rabid tygers stray
O'er mead or lofty hill or grassy plain.


Another Jordan's stream shall glide along
And Siloah's brook in circling eddies flow,
Groves shall adorn their verdant banks, on which
The happy people free from second death
Shall find secure repose; no fierce disease
No fevers, slow consumption, direful plague
Death's ancient ministers, again renew
Perpetual war with man: Fair fruits shall bloom
Fair to the eye, sweet to the taste, if such
Divine inhabitants could need the taste
Of elemental food, amid the joys
Fit for a heav'nly nature. Music's charms
Shall swell the lofty soul and harmony
Triumphant reign; thro' ev'ry grove shall sound
The cymbal and the lyre, joys too divine
For fallen man to know. Such days the world
And such America thou first shall have
When ages yet to come have run their round
And future years of bliss alone remain.

Selected excerpts taken from A poem, on the rising glory of America by Hugh Henry Brackenridge,

 American writer, lawyer, judge, and justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him.  Revelation 3:20

 

 

Jesus at Heart's door by Raphael

 http://www.religion-cults.com/art.htm

The door only opens from the inside

 

 

The Saviour Came Upon the Earth

 

There is a story that happened long ago;
And if you listen with child-like faith,
The Truth you will surely know.

An angel came to Mary with most astonishing news--
She would bear a child, the Son of God;
The serpent's head He would bruise.

Wise men brought Him fine gifts; they traveled from afar.
Knowing the words from prophets of yore
They followed the bright wondrous star.

Glory! Glory! Glory! Glory to the King.
As a babe He came upon the earth.
To that day of good tidings we sing.

Sing of His love and sacrifice. Sing of His wisdom so true.
Praise His name every day, for
Through Him are our souls born anew.

@K. L. Kraemer


 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBKM-TlC5Bw  Carman

America has Become Great Under Her Belief in God

If ever a country was good,

If ever a country grew mighty in Christian belief,  

It's America.  God has blest America.

Whenever a country needs strength,

Whenever a country needs help or relief,

It looks to America, to God's country of America.

How is it one country, a new country, has surged elementarily so high?

Could it be the roots to which she has remained voluntarily tied?

 

It is true that upon a solid rock was built piece by piece this great nation,

Giving it the best security for a free government's duration.

This recognition moved Daniel Webster at Plymouth Rock to comment,

'Never our journey in religious origins should we abandon or forget.'

'If your cause is just, look to the Lord,' John Witherspoon said,

Resounding bone-deep emotion for which our patriots fought and bled.

It is to God for protection and favor we humbly implore. (Washington)

Thus, our protection was divinely marked by our founders' prayer rapport.  (Franklin)

 

Civil and cultural notions also within society's heart

Were permeated with love for Jesus at the very start. (Noah Webster)

Our constitution, for example, was written under God and His freedom's fate;
Its Christian principles guided America on her way to being great; (Hamilton)

But morality in men was needed to uphold its wisdom; and

To Jesus they aspired as author of morality's greatest system. (Jefferson)

 

Knowledge that America, under biblical precepts, would excel

Is what prompted Madison to search for solutions in the Bible.

So proposed he the Perfect Governor which we imbue

Of the equation found in Isaiah 33:22.

The Bible gives rules of conduct how for to the Master glorify, (Sherman)

Giving our citizens powerful influence and blessings from on high. (Paca)

 

America's fortress of Christian beliefs is easy to chart,

Giving her a soul of goodness, lost if from them she should err depart.

Anything crumbles and topples should it undermine its own foundation.

Sadly, as years have passed, many do want in change the moral aspects of our nation,

Not understanding that if ever America ceases to be good,

Ignoring Jesus, morality, and precepts for which she has stood,

She will cease to be great. (Tocqueville)

 

(As we dismiss our traditions, 70% of Americans see their country as heading in the wrong direction.)

 

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but one who keeps the law is blessed.  Proverbs 29:18

 

 

Joy Unto You, Muslim Women in America

Joy on earth unto you while in our capitalistic land

Where charity is evident as deemed by gestures grand. 

Make no mistake, you're welcome here--

Have fun in naming a carnival bear.*

We hope you're happy and prosper

As long as you agree to adhere

By our laws founded with a united Christian hand.

 

Embrace the bread of life that you're offered to taste,

Knowing God's rights for you are by law encased.

You're free to pursue your own special fate,

Free to engage in any debate.

Say what you will but please avoid hate.

Share your beliefs but don't misstate

Why Jesus by His death for our sins was disgraced.

 

Open your mind to face whatever you find to be true.

Be free from fear if you wish to transform your view.

You believe Jesus lived without blame--

A virgin-borne miracle no other can claim.

He revealed Himself as the Son of God who came

For all mankind to give eternal life in His name.

If He beckons your heart, joy in heaven be unto you.

---K. L. Kraemer 2008

 

*reference to Gillian Gibbons in Khartoum, Sudan 

 

Provision Ordained for Our Weakness

 

When the psalmist asked who is like unto You,

Did You bring an answer to him?

In moments of silence I ponder Your ways

And the mystery veils a portrait dim.

 

Revered in the splendor of holiness,

Surrounded by glory so pure,

Above the earth's circle You are enthroned.

Forever Your Word will endure.

 

The plants, the oceans, moon, and stars

Follow wisdom in a path clear and free.

The laws of Your science are obeyed in faith

in fulfillment of their destiny.

 

Foundations laid down marked beginning of time

While You rode on the wings of the wind.

Boundaries observed long assigned by Your rule;

The exception is man who had sinned.

 

Don't you think if I knew how I'd keep righteous paths, too,

Enveloped in harmony of love?

I surrender in weakness my soul to Your grace

And receive garlands of strength from above.

 

Distinct from the plants or animals or stars,

I discern that I am yet undone.

I know to praise You and thank You in all eternity

For the sacrifice of Your worthy Son.

Kara L. Kraemer, 2008

 

 

 

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isaiah 6:5-7

  

 

http://thebloodofjesus.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/jesus-this-blood-by-carman-music-video-friday-april-4-2008/  Salvation

http://www.care2.com/send/card/6409

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMVxzEueJ6A

http://www.poemhunter.com/kara-l-kraemer/resources/   http://www.myujamaa.org/sisters5.html

http://www.poems.md/authors/Kara.html    http://www.lollysmith.com/irwedtoasble.html

 

 

 

 

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty

     Christianity began when Jesus "presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by [the apostles] during the forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."  Acts 1:3  

 Not one of them chose to save his life if it meant denying their faith.

        About 300 years after the death of Christ, historian Eusebius recorded events based on early sources such as were written by Philo and Josephus Flavius and also on writings of the first church fathers.  He explained how the apostles expressed their factually-based faith, a faith which was borne and grew as a result of first-hand experience with their friend Jesus.  History shows that even at the point of torture and sure death, each one of the apostles stood unshakeable in his conviction of the Truth.  Not one of them chose to save his life if it meant denying their faith.

            Paul was imprisoned, tortured, and finally beheaded by Emperor Nero in AD 67.  While in prison, Paul focused on the task of spreading the gospel and teaching Christian doctrines.  He sent letters of encouragement and instruction throughout the Roman Empire to the churches he had formed.  These letters can be found in our New Testament of the Bible.

         Around the same time that Paul was beheaded, Peter was placed upside down on a cross and crucified.  His beloved wife had already been martyred years before.  

        Andrew had successfully established churches in parts of Russia and the Ukraine.  In time, he was lashed by several soldiers and then crucified on a cross in Greece.  He hung for two days, preaching while in agony.  Rather than curse his circumstances, he said he felt privileged to die on the cross as it had been consecrated by the body of Christ.  This was in AD 60 during the reign of Emperor Nero.

        John somehow escaped death after being boiled in oil during one of the many Roman persecutions of Christians.  Years later under the reign of Emperor Domitian, he was sent to the prison mines on the island of Patmos where he received astonishing prophetic visions which we still read and study today.  He later died peacefully in Turkey as a very old man some time between AD 98-117 during the reign of Emperor Trajan.  The apostle John became one of the first bishops, maintaining numerous churches throughout Asia including the seven churches named at the beginning of Revelation.

        Matthew was killed with a sword as a result of his preaching in a land south of the Caspian Sea.  Matthew had started out preaching the gospel throughout Israel.  Before traveling to other lands, he wrote down in Hebrew an authoritative account of the miracles, sayings, and fulfilled prophecies of Jesus Christ in an effort to convince the Jews that Jesus was the one they were waiting for, the promised Messiah.  There is evidence that Matthew's account was written within 20 years of the events he recorded.  Bearing this in mind, it is obvious other people living at the time acquainted with Jesus would quickly have refuted or even laughed at his story if they knew in fact any of it was based on wistful imagination.

        Mark, the first disciple to travel to Egypt, was dragged by horses throughout the streets of Alexandria until he was dead.

        Luke was a Greek scholar born at Antioch in Syria.  Talented as a painter and trained as a medical physician, his greatest accomplishment was in working with the apostles and recording the life of Christ.  He also continued his genius in carefully recording what happened during the early growth of the church.  As an untiring preacher, his brilliance and success in converting others offended the powerful Greek disbelievers who hanged him sometime between AD 75-100.

        Jude was killed in Persia by pagans with arrows because his faith didn't match their superstitions.

        James, brother of Jesus, became bishop of the Church in Jerusalem.  Early church sources record that James was thrown by non-Christians over a hundred feet down from the Temple.  When those enemies discovered that he survived the fall, they clubbed him to death.

        James, son of Zebedee, was found guilty by the Romans after being put on trial to defend his Christian faith.  The Roman officer who guarded James was so moved by the earnest and unwavering apostle that he became convinced that only the Truth could be within such an untiring heart.  This same guard humbly walked with James to the place of execution, affirmed his new faith to the judge, and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

        Bartholomew became a missionary for Christ and was ultimately flayed to death in Russia.  Philip also became a missionary and also died a martyr for his faith in Christ.  Matthias, the apostle officially selected to replace Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

        Thomas was stabbed by pagans with a spear in India while forming another Christian church.  The church he established has survived to this day.

        The disciples were ordinary, everyday men chosen to follow Jesus for three years.  Upon the tragic and seemingly hopeless death of their friend and Lord, they became disheartened and confused.

        Is it possible that these disillusioned men decided to form a conspiracy?  If so, if they had simply tried to make their leader something he was not by concocting miracles that never happened, what advantage did they achieve?  Did they gain wealth or status?  No.  They were hated and their lives were continually threatened.

        If they made up the inexplicable darkness that covered the earth after His crucifixion and the joy in miracles that He brought to others, wouldn't witnesses of the time denounce such untruths as absurdities?  Would such fantastic stories, if untrue, have even survived within Jerusalem?  Could a lie have inspired all the disciples to glorify His name, even at the point of torture and death?

        The only explanation for their overwhelming transformation from ordinary men to extraordinary is that they were true to their eyewitness accounts which they recorded.  These men clung to their testimonies, even to their brutal deaths at the hands of their persecutors, and despite being given every chance to recant their stories.  Why would so many men knowingly die for a lie?  They had nothing to gain for lying… and everything to lose. 

       Unbeknownst to them, their powerful testimonies were not forgotten or eradicated as intended by their tormentors.  Their stories continue down through the centuries for anyone who honestly yearns for and seeks cogent Truth to mysteries we cannot otherwise know.

 

         

          

         The disciples of Christ expected their Messiah to one day salvage the kingdom of Israel.  Three years of being with Him and finding Him to be invincible, they couldn't believe what was happening when He was taken away to be mocked, beaten, and sentenced to a public execution.  They watched helplessly through tears while enemies safely mocked Him.  He helped others, but why couldn't He help Himself?  Even though Christ said many times that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem to die and be resurrected from the dead,  they thought the miracle of Christ had come to an end.  It wasn't  until the time they actually saw Him come back to them from His death that they fully comprehended His message of salvation. 

     

        For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, Click To Downloadhow that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures:   And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:      And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:   After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain into the present, but some are fallen asleep.   After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.       I Corinthians 15:3-7

 

 

          About AD 55, the apostle Paul wrote that the resurrected Christ had been seen by Peter, the 12 apostles, more than 500 people (many of whom were still alive at the time of his writing), James, and himself.  By making such a public statement, he gave witnesses the opportunity to deny what he said, and he gave critics a chance to interview witnesses and investigate his claims for themselves.  If his claims were untrue, Christianity never would have gotten off the ground and out of Rome.

    For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty.  For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when were with him in the holy mount.  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts:      II Peter 1:16-19 

      

"I do not call you servants any longer, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father." John 15.15.