An autobiography you will not want to put down.  The writer tells the story of his life and how God saved him, called him to preach, and used him to begin and lead a great Chinese House Church Movement throughout much of China.

He was saved in the late 1970’s and began to preach at age 16.  He fasted and prayed for three weeks before God provided him with his own Bible.  At this time Bibles in China were extremely scarce because of the persecution of the government.  Those who had them kept them hidden for fear of more persecution.  

Upon receiving his Bible he had to learn to read looking up the symbols in a dictionary.  He had only had three years of schooling.   Once he could read he memorized the book of Matthew.   At age 16 when he was first asked to preach he knew nothing about preaching so he stood and quoted the book of Matthew to the people.

His utter dependence on the Holy Spirit and his willingness to stand up for the true gospel of Jesus Christ no matter the cost is amazing.

God helped him miraculously escape from jail or prison on many occasions.  On others he helped him miraculously endure unbelievable torture for the name of Christ.

One of the things he stated was that we should not pray that their persecutions will stop.  Rather his desire is that we will pray for them to be faithful to Christ whatever the situation.

            I found this book a challenge for my own prayer life as well as recognizing how much we in American Christianity have taken for granted the freedoms that we have.  How many Bibles and Christian literature we have and how little they are studied or read?

            It is also great to hear his wife’s side of the story as she adds sections to share what was going on in her life especially as he was being persecuted or imprisoned.

347 pages, Monarch Books

Brother Yun’s website is www. asiaharvest.org

This book was a great encouragement to stand for what is right whatever the cost.

It is the biography of pastor Hsi who was saved from Confuciusism and became a great pastor.  

 During his life the Chinese could legally use opium.  The use of Opium was so great that farmers started to produce it rather than food.  It was a good money maker, but it destroyed the culture.  Hsi was pulled into this as well.  He ruined his life as a lawyer with opium. 

 He was hired because of his education to help a missionary translate and do other writing in his native tongue. In time he came to Christ.

 God used this man mightily to reach many who were entrapped in opium as he had been.  Many of these individuals also came to Christ.  He helped to start many refuges where individuals would come to get off of opium.  He made the medication that was used along with the gospel to help give them victory.

 He was a contemporary of Hudson Taylor.  It is interesting to read of their excitedly awaiting the arrival of this missionary to their home and refuge.

 If you read this book you will be challenged in how strong your faith and prayer life are.  You will also be challenged to consider how much you care for those living in bondage to sin that need to be freed through Jesus Christ.

 366 pages ,  Printed by Christian Focus Publications

Last week our story time focused on the sin that came into the world through Adam & Eve and how that separated us from the relationship with God. We also pointed out that God made a way for us to have that relationship restored by our belief in Jesus as our one and only way to be with God again, just as Adam and Eve were in Garden of Eden. (Genesis Chapter 3)

Be sure to help your child work on their memory verses. This will help them to have a better time and give them a feeling of accomplishment. Also be sure to have them bring their books or Sparks Gate to Awanas so that we can record it when they complete each section. They will be receiving awards as they complete sections and we want all of them to have this opportunity. We have found out that they will do much better if they have support at home in learning their verses.

Finally, thanks to everyone who sent their parental consent form back. We appreciate your cooperation. If you have not signed one of these forms, ask your child for the form that we have sent home with them. Please visit our web site at  www.fbclittletonil.org   to learn more information about our church, AWANA and other activities we provide.

Dennis Williamson – Sparkie Director 257-2532

Roger Fox

Barb Stein

Dr. Jennifer Schroeder

As we think about meditation we need to understand from the Psalmist in Psalm 19:14 that there are apparently right ways and wrong ways to meditate.  As his desire was that “the words of my mouth and the meditations of his heart may be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer.”

 The psalmist also encouraged us in our meditation as he states in Psalm 1.  “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the seat of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates both day and night.  So he gives us even subject matter to meditate upon.  (See also Psalm 119 and note what the psalmist was meditating upon.

 Therefore, there is wisdom in “in letting go of our thoughts”, if we are replacing our self-centered thoughts with thoughts of God, His Word and His works, and His character.  For, his thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are his ways my ways. (cf. Isa. 55:8-9)

 May we learn to meditate upon these things as we seek to bring glory to the God of Creation as we allow Him to mold us and conform us to the image of his Son. 

 (Note: Phil 4:8 also gives us a guide for our thoughts.)

In fact, I looked at a large church in our areas website today and it clearly states that "Baptism by immersion in water is what completes the newbirth."  This seems in opposition to Pauls statement in Phil. 3:9 that his righteousness is "through God by faith".  He has no confidence in the flesh.  If his confidence was in the fact that he was baptized I would think that he would have mentioned it somewhere here.   Rather in this passage he is warning us that there will be those who will add to the gospel thereby perverting it.  In fact in the book of Galatians there were those adding to the gospel and causing problems for the church and Paul emphatically stated twice in Gal. 1:8-9  "if anyone preaches any otther gospel to you than what we have preached to you let him be accursed." 

In who or what are you trusting for your salvation???