Sunday, December 29, 2013

"
     SUCH LOVE, SUCH AMAZING LOVE:       THAT CHRIST SHOULD DIE FOR ME!
                     By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
    "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3: 16,17)
    Martin Luther, the recognized leader of the Great Protestant Reformation was found lying under a crucifix weeping profusely, saying, "My God, my God...For me, for me.!!!
    He had been reading  the Epistle to the Romans and it broke through into his spirit, that Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son Who was in the bosom of His Father, had died for him personally!
     That is why we need a personal Saviour. Nothing else will do! Religion, philosophy, philanthropy,   pilgrimages, good works, sacrifices, fasting, long prayers, meditations  and whatever else, does not satisfy God's holy wrath against rebellion and sin!
    What was necessary was a Sinless One to shed His perfect and holy Blood to meet the demands of Divine Justice,  because the Almighty God declared, "The soul that sinneth shall surely die." (Gen 2: 15-17; Ezekiel 18:4 )
       There were no 'sinless ones' among the sons of men for all were born in sin due to Adam's  transgression and momentous fall from innocence. He identified himself with Satan the enemy of God and thereby committed high treason!
       God's LOVE for his renegade family of sinning men was the reason that His only begotten Son, who was in "the Bosom of the Father", would be incarnated (God in human flesh) so that He could pay the penalty for our sins and satisfy the Holiness and Righteousness of our Creator, Lord and Heavenly Father!
       The Bible says: "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2: 22,23)
      Again St. John writes: "And this is the record that God hath given to us ETERNAL LIFE, and this life is in His SON. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5: 11,12)
       WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?
     The Holy Scripture says, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth NOT the Son shall NOT see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3: 35, 36) 
    Our Lord Jesus Christ invites you to Himself, my dear friend. He says: "Come unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)
    Come to Him now and He will receive you. He has promised: "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out." (John 6: 37). Please receive Him now. Then, write and let us know the good news! Amen.

State Department

'Completely false': Sources on ground in Benghazi challenge NYT report


 

Fifteen months after the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi which killed Ambassador 
Chris Stevens and  three other Americans, the narrative of the attack continues
to be shaped, and reshaped, by politicians and the presBut a New York Times
report publishedover the weekend has angered sources who were on the ground 
that night. Those sources, who continue to face threats of losing their jobs, 
sharply challenged the Times’ findings that there was no involvement from Al 
Qaeda or any other international terror group and that an anti-Islam film played a
 role in inciting the initial wave of attacks.







 


 “It was a coordinated attack. It is completely false to say anything else. … It is completely a lie,” one witness to the attack told Fox News.
The controversial Times report has stirred a community that normally remains out of sight and wrestles with how to reveal the truth, without revealing classified information.
Fox News has learned that the attack on the consulate started with fighters assembling to conduct an assault.
"Guys were coming into the compound, moving left, moving right…and using IMT (individual movement techniques). … That’s not a spontaneous attack,” one special operator said. 
"One guy was shooting, one guy was running. There are guys watching the gates. … The bosses on the ground were pointing, commanding and coordinating -- that is a direct action planned attack."
The community of operators in Libya that night and since includes the CIA, FBI, U.S. military, U.S. State Department and contractors working for the United States in a number of capacities. According to multiple sources on the ground that night, all the intelligence personnel in Benghazi before the attack and there now understand Al Qaeda is a significant threat in Libya. 
Recent reports also suggest that Libyan militia leader Ahmad Abu Khattallah is the mastermind of the attack and had no real connections to Al Qaeda or terrorist organizations.
Multiple sources, though, challenged that claim. They insist that while Khattallah was found responsible for the actions at the actual consulate and was essentially the ground force commander that night, he is also clearly tied to Ansar al-Sharia and to the broader terrorist network.
“There is direct evidence linking him before the attack and after the attack to terrorist groups. An opportunity came, and Khattallah conducted an assault on the consulate. To say that it wasn’t tied to Al Qaeda is completely false. There is literal evidence in many forms and shapes, directly linking him,” one source said.
Khattallah is also a member of the militia group the Libyan Shield, which was formed to protect Benghazi and is operating separate from Tripoli.
Other militias are not inclined to turn Khattallah in, because they are also tied to Ansar al-Sharia. Commanders from some of these militias thought to be friendly to the United States and who have worked with American special forces, the CIA and State Department personnel have flipped sides and affiliated with Ansar al-Sharia. Sources say the terrorist group is saturating the whole region of eastern Libya with money, training and personnel. "They are now the biggest organization in town,” one said.
Sources also tell Fox News that while Khattallah is responsible for the ground actions that night, he also reports to other commanders in Ansar al-Sharia. He is seen as a relatively small piece of the terror puzzle in the region, which includes Al Qaeda ambassadors. Some in the intelligence community call these terrorist ambassadors “Amirs,” and there has been one stationed in Libya for some time, as they are the liaison for intelligence and direction for operations.  Libyan Shield, which has different offshoots in different locations, also has members directly affiliated with terrorist organizations and Al Qaeda. Bomb-making materials have been found with some of these groups as well.
Fox News has also learned there was a week of briefings by the head of counterintelligence in the entire region that identified Al Qaeda as the largest and most significant element infiltrating Libya, with the final briefing on Sept. 10. 
Adam Housley joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in 2001 and currently serves as a Los Angeles-based correspondent.

The Politically Correct Pinheads at A&E had to back off on their discriminatory and offensive bigotry against Phil Robertson, when millions of Real Americans recolied in horror to their bullying of Christians and Freedom of Speech. Thank God that sanity prevailed! - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Robertson clan 'happy' controversy is over, report says

 
Undated image of Phil Robertson from the popular series "Duck Dynasty." Robertson was suspended for disparaging comments he made to GQ magazine about gay people but was reinstated by the network on Friday, Dec. 27.Associated Press
The last couple of weeks have been tumultuous to say the least, for the Robertson clan. Patriarch Phil Robertson was suspended by A&E networks after controversial comments he made regarding gays and African-Americans were published in GQ magazine.

The suspension has been lifted and the network plans to start shooting a new season of “Duck Dynasty” in the spring. And according to People magazine the Louisiana based family are relieved that the media maelstrom is over.

“The family is happy that they can put this behind them,” a source told People. "It got a little out of hand. Phil has never been disrespectful to anyone and treats everyone with kindness. He made some comments off the cuff that he shouldn't have made, and he knows that."

The source confirmed that the Robertson family were solidly behind their family leader and the comments didn’t create any rifts.

"The family knows his heart and knows that he wasn't trying to be hurtful," the source continued. "They just want to finish celebrating the holidays and are looking forward to getting back to work."

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Time Marches on and soon we will cross the threshold into a New Year with great responsibilities and even greater opportunities, if we are strong in the Faith of Jesus Christ and don't give in to fear, despondency or negativism. Let us be as Bold as a Lion (Proverbs 28: 1), following in the footsteps of Jesus and St. Paul. Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain for our sins. (Revelation 5:1-14). - Pastor Max Solbrekken. - Pastor Max Solbrekken



Max Solbrekken World Mission

Box 44220 RPO Garside, Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6

[email protected] - mswm.org 780-460-8444
January, 2014
Dear Friend of Jesus:                                                                     

     Greetings in the name of  Jesus Christ the Unspeakable Gift!

      He who was RICH became POOR so that we might be liberated from SLAVERY and servitude to the world, the flesh and the Devil and be adopted as Children of the Most High God! (Phil. 2: 5-11; Rom.8: 17)

      And He Who knew no SIN became a SIN OFFERING for us by shedding His pure and precious BLOOD for our redemption, thereby meeting the demands of Divine Justice!  (2 Cor.5: 21;  8:9)

      Jesus Christ, True God from Eternity and True man because of His virgin birth is our propitiation, meaning that God was satisfied with  His vicarious death for the sins of the world, past, present and future!

      God did NOT buy us back from Satan because he has never owned us. We have always belonged to God, but because of sin and rebellion we have been disenfranchised from our Creator and thus became enemies of His Kingdom! (Isa.59: 1,2; Rom.5: 1. 6-12)

                     JESUS OF NAZARETH WAS THAT MAN!

     The purchase price of our redemption from the powers of Darkness, was the innocent blood of a PERFECT MAN, who could meet the demands of a Just  and Holy God! (Rom.7: 14-5; 8:1,2; 1 Cor.6: 20; 7: 23)

     Satan is God’s Jailor! The old LIAR, undoubtedly loves to torment people and see them squirm but he hates the fact that ONE DAY SOON, he will be bound and cast into the “Lake of Fire” for eternity!  .(Rev. 20: 10)

      St. Paul writes: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be PARTAKERS of the inheritance of the SAINTS in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.

      “In Whom we have REDEMPTION through His BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Col.1: 12-14); “Forasmuch then as the children are PARTAKERS of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through DEATH He might DESTROY  him that had the power of death, that is the Devil. And DELIVER them who...” (Heb.2: 14,15)

      From the cross, Jesus cried out, “It is Finished.” Immediately, Satan was obligated to release all sinners who trusted in Christ’s precious Blood. While the FATHER was judging His Son in our stead, the Blessed Holy Spirit was in Christ reconciling the world, unto Himself. (2 Cor.5:19)

      The Holy Spirit protected the Blood of Jesus so that it could NOT die and works in and through His blood. After rising from the dead our Lord carried His HOLY BLOOD into the Holy of Holies, where it now resides in Heaven! The Holy Spirit works where the Blood is preached!

      “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but BY HIS OWN BLOOD He entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained Eternal Redemption for us!” (Heb. 9: 11-14) Only through the shed blood of the Incarnate Son of God is there Hope, Healing, Peace and Eternal Life! Amen.

Your servant for Jesus sake,
Pastor Max Solbrekken


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

CHRIST the LORD is BORN! Yes, He is Born Indeed! "For to you is BORN this day in the City of David a SAVIOUR, which is CHRIST the LORD." (Luke 2:11). The Bible which is God's Holy Word states: "But unto you, Bethlehem Ephratha, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth to Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from old, from Everlasting." (Micah 5:2); "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a SIGN; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a SON, and shall call His name Immanuel. (God with us)" (Isaiah 7:14); "For unto us a CHILD is born, unto us a SON is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9: 6). Peace be unto you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Christ has Died. Christ is Risen. Christ shall Come again! Salvation: By Grace alone. Through Faith alone. In Christ alone - Pastor Max Solbrekken


DECLARATION OF
LIBERTY
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: In Whom we have redemption through His BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1: 12-14)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s proclamation of freedom and emancipation from Satan’s dominion, through the shed blood of our Redeemer Jesus Christ our Lord! In the Name of our Lord and Saviour, I proclaim Liberty to all who are oppressed by Satan through sin, sickness, fear, torment and evil spirits.  (John 8: 32, 36; Rom. 8:32)

By the grace of God, the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit and in the Name of our crucified and risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I speak peace to the troubled, forgiveness and assurance to the perishing, healing to the sick, life to the dying, and joy to the sorrowing! (John 14:27; Luke 4: 18; James 5: 14,15)

MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION!

By the grace of God alone – as His servants (gr. doulos - love slaves of Christ), we have been given the Ministry of Reconciliation. The Holy Scriptures declare:

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation. To wit (that is) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5: 18-21)

As a Minister of the Gospel, I proclaim liberty through the blood of the everlasting covenant and according to God’s Word, to all who repent of their sins and believe in the finished work of God’s Lamb on Calvary’s Cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead. (Heb. 13: 20)
     
I proclaim liberty to the captives of sin, sickness, fear, poverty, and demon oppression in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Every knee shall bow and every tongue of pride, fear, oppression and disease must bow to that Holy Name because “greater is He that is in us than he (the devil) who is in the world.” (1 John 4: 4; Heb. 2: 10,11)                       

BREAKING THE POWER OF OPPRESSION!

     
I break the power of fear and oppression off all who are enslaved and I speak forgiveness, peace and health to all God’s children. Jesus Christ makes you whole; He heals you my friend! (Acts 9:34)

Believer in Jesus Christ: Receive His healing power today and be made whole in body, soul, mind and spirit for God`s glory. (Heb.4:12; 1 Thess. 5: 23). Make this declaration: I shall not die but live and proclaim the goodness of God for His glory alone! (Psalm 118:17) Amen!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas is a time for reflection on Jesus Christ, God's indescribable Gift to this world. It is the time to receive Him into the manger of your heart. Let Him be born in you this Christmas Day! (John 3: 3. 7) - Pastor Max Solbrekken

THE GREAT RECONCILIATION 
 ~ Between God & Man ~
                                                 By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
He came unto His Own and His Own received Him not. But, as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1: 11, 12)


THE STORY of God - the Creator - reaching out to fallen man in love and compassion is the greatest and most fascinating in the annals of human history. Never has there been such compassion, mercy and grace shown by a Father to a son, a King to a slave and the Creator to His creation, as Almighty God showered upon mankind!

And never has there been such heartbreak, deception and treason with eternal consequences and loss connected to the sin and eternal fall of the archangel Lucifer!

When Adam and Eve were confronted by their Heavenly Father in Eden's Garden, the Man blamed his wife, but Eve pointed her finger at the SNAKE, saying, “The Serpent beguiled me. And I did eat.” (Gen.3:13). She Was Right: The Devil (gr. Liar) is to Blame. The Liar entered into the Serpent and deceived Eve, and Adam - who was not deceived - sinned with his eyes open, not wanting to lose his wife!

O' the enormous consequences of that tragic and momentous decision, which plunged the entire world into turmoil, fear and eternal death! The Greek Tragedies of mythology cannot be compared with the enormity of the chaos Satan so cleverly organized against God and His greatest creation, man!


Adam, where art thou?” queried Almighty God, Creator of Heaven, Earth, the Cosmos and all things animate and inanimate. “I heard Thy voice in the Garden and I was afraid, because I was naked”, answered the Man!

And since that awful hour, man has been AFRAID and hiding from God, trying desperately to somehow regain the loss of love, trust and belonging that was lost by his damnable actions. And we have all failed miserably by doing our own thing, trying to find peace in a wretched world of our own making.

MALCOLM MUGGERIDGE, celebrated writer and broadcaster, wrote: “Christ is the only answer to an insane world. They will not understand that the trouble with the western world civilization is not economics, but more - good and evil. They are thinking they can make things work by policies, inventions, but man will never live on this planet without God!”

BLAISE PASCAL warns, “If they turn away from God, one of two things can happen. They will think they are gods and go mad or turn to carnality and become animals”.

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW stated, “I am ready to admit after contemplating the world and human nature for sixty years, that I see no way out of the world’s miseries but by the way that would be found by Christ’s will”.

WILLIAM GLADSTONE, Prime Minister, statesman and one of Great Britain’s greatest legal minds during the 19th Century, said: “Talk about the questions of the day! There is but one question, and that is the Gospel. That can and will correct everything! I am glad to say that about all the men at the top in Great Britain are Christians.

TO COVER MAN'S SIN OF TREASON!

Almighty God had instituted the Sacrificial System to save Adam and Eve and their progeny until such time as He would redeem fallen man through the sacrifice of His Own dear SON!


To cover man's terrible sin of treason, an innocent animal was slain to provide skin for their clothing and BLOOD to atone for their sins! Cain and Abel both knew the rules. Cain, however, being a type of mankind's rejection of the blood of Christ and relying only on their own efforts to attain salvation, did not obey God's precise injunction regarding the BLOOD covering!


Adam's sin infected the human race and brought forth its EVIL FRUIT in the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. Our loving Heavenly Father had tried to warn Cain of the slippery slope he was treading.


The Bible says: “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. But unto Cain and his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.


And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? ... Sin lieth at the door... And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass that, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” (Gen.3-8). The power of Satan prevailed upon Cain and he killed his brother, becoming the world's first murderer!


For four thousand years, God dealt with SIN and its forgiveness through the SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM until one day, like Abraham, the Eternal, Ever Living God took His only begotten Son to Mount Calvary to die on an old rugged cross to redeem fallen man by the sacrifice of Himself, thereby meeting the demands of God's Righteous Justice!


When God asked Abraham to sacrifice His ONLY Son Isaac on Mount Moriah, it was a type of what He Himself would do. As Isaac carried the wood for the burnt offering, JESUS carried the WOOD for His crucifixion.

JESUS DIED FOR US, THE WORLD'S GARBAGE!

Isaac, however, escaped death through the substitute ram which God provided. JESUS, however, suffered the shame, reproach and agony of dying as a common criminal on the Garbage Dump of Jerusalem so that a world of last sinners could be FREE from sin, sickness, fear and enslavement to the World, the Flesh and the Devil!


 It was not the Romans or the Jews who killed Jesus of Nazareth. He died as our SUBSTITUTE, the Holy for the unholy, the Righteous for the unrighteous, the Living God for dying men! There was no other way that God could rescue His own creation, the man whom He had created in His own image and likeness. By giving His “Only Begotten Son, Who is in the Bosom of the Father”, He was giving Himself for us, thereby meeting His Own Demands of Divine Judgement for Sin!


God warned Adam: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt NOT eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2: 15-17)

The original Hebrews says, “In dying thou shalt die.” In other words, “You will begin to die; the process of death will begin in you and you will eventually die”! Adam and Eve died spiritually the moment they disobeyed God and the process of death began in their perfectly healthy bodies and from that moment forward every baby is born with death in its body!

Interestingly, one day with God is as a thousand years with us (2 Peter 3:8), and the oldest human was Methuselah, the son of Enoch and grandfather of Noah who lived 969 years! (Gen. 5:25-27)

The Bible says: “The Soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18: 4);“Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission” (Lev. 17: 11); “It is the BLOOD that maketh atonement (covering) for the soul.” (Heb. 9: 22).

St. John gives us the FINAL SOLUTION: “But if we walk in the Light as He (Jesus Christ) is in the Light (God the Father), we have fellowship one with another and the BLOOD of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1: 7)

ON A HILL FAR AWAY STOOD AN OLD RUGGED CROSS, THE EMBLEM OF SUFFERING AND SHAME AND I LOVE THAT OLD CROSS WHERE THE DEAREST AND BEST FOR A WORLD OF LOST SINNERS WAS SLAIN! SO I'LL CHERISH THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS TILL MY TROPHIES AT LAST I LAY DOWN. I WILL CLING TO THAT OLD RUGGED CROSS AND EXCHANGE IT SOME DAY FOR A CROWN.

As a boy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church (when they still ordained only godly pastors) we used to sing this hymn with gusto. I often wondered what the phrase meant, 'till my trophies at last I lay down'. I knew trophies were given for great accomplishments in sports, music, drama and other achievements.

Then, it dawned on me what Evangelist GEORGE BENNARD meant by these words he wrote in 1912: Our trophies are the souls we have brought to Christ! Bennard had been meditating deeply on the sacrificial death of our Saviour. He testified: “I saw the Christ of the Cross as if I were seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page and take form and act out the meaning of redemption.” It was at that time that God gave him the lyrics to this amazing hymn!


The Bible says: “Surely He hath borne our sicknesses (heb. kholee) and carried our pains (heb. makob): yet we we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. ” (Isa. 53: 3-6)


It was our Heavenly Father Who laid our sins, sicknesses, diseases, fears and torments on His Son Jesus Christ. He carried our guilt and condemnation. Our Lord Jesus bore our sicknesses and carried our pains and by His stripes we are healed. All glory, honour and praise be unto Him forever and ever!

 
A CHRISTMAS SONG: WHEN GOD BECAME A MAN!


DON FRANSISCO wrote a powerful song that puts the Gospel in perspective, called 'When God became a Man'. It helps explain the great Mystery of our Reconciliation with God the Creator and Liberator of the Human Race. Here it is:


In the center of the ages, the Lord talks with a girl
And by the words He speaks He gives a Savior to the world
Time draws to its fullness, and Mary’s Son is born
The Promise’s fulfilment lies asleep there in her arms

He didn’t come to terrify, to judge, or condescend
To call us all His servants, but to lift us as His friends
To save us all from Satan’s power to reign at His right hand
When once for all eternity, God became a man

Today the God of Majesty has given to the earth
A gift of such magnificence, we could never plumb its worth
And the rudeness of the setting just ignites the Jewel’s fire
A pearl beyond the greatest price, the joy of man’s desire

Today the God of Majesty has given to the earth
A gift of such magnificence, we could never plumb its worth
And the rudeness of the setting just ignites the Jewel’s fire
A pearl beyond the greatest price, the joy of man’s desire

He didn’t come to terrify, to judge, or condescend
To call us all His servants, but to lift us as His friends
To save us all from Satan’s power to reign at His right hand
When once for all eternity, God became a man

Once for all eternity, God became a man

St. Paul is the only New Testament writer who used the words reconcile and reconciliation in His discourse on the great Redemptive work that happened on Calvary's Cross on Mount Golgatha. As the anointed words of the song, “Once for all eternity, God became a man”, testifies to the amazing miracle of the Incarnation that brought God and man together at the CROSS!

Can we understand it? Certainly not. If a human being with our finite mind could understand it, it wouldn't be a miracle. It it inconceivable and that is why St. Paul writes: “Thank God for His unspeakable Gift.” (2 Cor. 9: 15)

The reason that it was His gift to us is that He gave of Himself because, although there are three persons in the Divine Godhead, yet there is only one GOD. The blessed Holy Spirit was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself at the very hour when God the Father had to judge His Son in our place!


And all things are of God Who hath RECONCILED us to HIMSELF by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of RECONCILIATION; to wit (that is) that GOD WAS IN CHRIST reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of Reconciliation. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.


For He (God the Father) hath made Him sin (A Sin Offering) for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5: 18-21)

Jesus Christ is the indescribable and unspeakable Gift, and yet, we must never stop speaking about Him and speaking to Him in prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving! Hallelujah! Amen.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Phil Robertson For President in 2016? It would not surprise me if in a few short years Phil Robertson would be one of the most admired men in the USA. People are hungrring for truth and for Real Leadership and for the genuine article and Real Men, not pansies! The emmergence of Phil and his Family's devotion to humility, hard work, human ingenuity, strong family ties and faith in God is so refreshing when you see the politically correct clap-trap coming out of Hollywood and Washington these days! - Pastor Max Solbrekken!

'Duck Dynasty's' Phil Robertson: I'm Not Backing Off Comments

                         Image: 'Duck Dynasty's' Phil Robertson: I'm Not Backing Off Comments
Monday, 23 Dec 2013 07:00 AM

By Sandy Fitzgerald
A defiant "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson told a Bible study class in Louisiana Sunday that he isn't backing down from his anti-gay stance, saying his controversial GQ Magazine comments came from the Bible and he's not sorry he said them.

"I will not give or back off from my path, because you conquered death, Father, so we are not worried about all the repercussions," Robertson, wearing his trademark camouflage headband, told the class at White's Ferry Road Church in West Monroe, La., reports The Daily Mail.

The A&E Network suspended Robertson from his family's hit show last week after his comments in the magazine interview. Among other things, he said: "Everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong...start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Beastiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and those men."

Robertson told the Bible class that he was "just reading what was written over 2,000 years ago. All I did was quote from the scriptures, but they just didn't know it. Whether I said it or they read it, what's the difference? The sins are the same. Humans haven't changed."

In addition, Robertson denied that he is "a hater."

"I love all men and women," he said. "I am a lover of humanity, not a hater."

He also said that "sexual sins are numerous and many" and admitted he has "a few" himself.

"We murder each other and we steal from one another, sex and immorality goes ballistic," Robertson said. "All the diseases that just so happen to follow sexual mischief...boy, there are some microbes running around now."

But he said that Jesus said, "'It is a man and a woman.' But we looked at it and said it was an outdated stereotype. When you look back at the human race, the sins have always been the same. We get high, we get drunk, we get laid, we steal and kill."

After the class, Robertson, 67, stayed for services, during which his oldest son, Pastor Alan Robertson, mentioned the controversy.

“Well, we’ve had quite a week. Shot some ducks, done some shopping, ignited a national controversy," the pastor said.

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said Saturday he'd help the Robertsons find a new deal for their show if it leaves the A&E Network,according to The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.

"Regardless of one’s views on Phil Robertson’s statements, ‘Duck Dynasty’ has been an important representation of the state of Louisiana, inspiring prospective visitors and investors since its debut,” Dardenne said.

Meanwhile, the controversy has just made the Robertson family — which was already wealthy because of its duck-call business — prosper more. Walmart late last week reported Duck Dynasty' merchandise is selling rapidly online as the furor continues.

According to Forbes, the Robertson family's merchandise empire is worth $400 million, with Walmart sales totaling half of that amount.

The family also won't be losing its Cracker Barrel sales. The restaurant chain caved in to pressure on Sunday and said it would put the "Duck Dynasty" merchandise back out for sale.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Strange new US Foreign Policy under President Obama: Spy on your allies & bow and apologize to your enemies! How long before the HUGE Creditors come calling, and the Islamic Terrorists who have linked with unfriendly nations on their Southern borders make their BIG PLAY of kidnapping, bombing and terrorizing on US soil while the WH dreamers and schemers keep up their charade of partisan politics? Only God knows, but we can pray! - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Israeli ministers demand US stop spying following revelations that NSA intercepted emails

  • Senior Israeli officials on Sunday demanded an end to U.S. spying on Israel, following revelations that the National Security Agency intercepted emails from the offices of the country's top former leaders.
It was the first time that Israeli officials have expressed anger since details of U.S. spying on Israel began to trickle out in documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The scandal also spurred renewed calls for the release of Jonathan Pollard, a former American intelligence analyst who has been imprisoned in the U.S. for nearly three decades for spying on behalf of Israel.
"This thing is not legitimate," Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel Radio. He called for both countries to enter an agreement regarding espionage.
"It's quite embarrassing between countries who are allies," Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said. "It's this moment more than any other moment that Jonathan Pollard (should) be released."
Documents leaked by Snowden and published in The Guardian, Der Spiegel and The New York Times last week revealed that British intelligence agency GCHQ worked with the NSA from 2008-2011 to target email addresses belonging to the offices of then-serving Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Amir Dan, a spokesman for Olmert, played down the revelations. He said the email address targeted was one meant for queries from the public and was not used for sensitive communications. "There is no chance there was a security or intelligence breach caused from this email address," Dan said.
Barak could not immediately be reached for comment.
But top Israeli officials work on the assumption that they are being monitored. Officials use special secure lines for certain types of communications, and for the most sensitive matters, issues are discussed only face to face in secure rooms.
Even so, Israeli officials reacted with uncharacteristic anger toward the U.S., Israel's closest and most important ally.
Lawmaker Nachman Shai, a member of the parliamentary foreign affairs and defense committee, which deals with intelligence matters, called for an urgent intelligence briefing on the reported spying.
Shai called for a "full report about what we know, what we have done, and just to find out."
He added that he was "really surprised that my government, which is very easily responsive on any given issue, on this we keep silent, which is not the right policy and right behavior."
Espionage is a sensitive subject between Israel and the U.S. because of the Pollard affair.
Pollard, a former civilian intelligence analyst, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for passing classified material to Israel. Israeli leaders frequently call for his release and say his nearly three decades in prison are punishment enough, but stiff opposition from the American military and intelligence community has deterred a string of American presidents from releasing him.
Since Pollard's conviction, Israel has promised not to spy on the U.S. Ministers stressed Sunday that Israel does not spy on the U.S. president or defense secretary. "I think we should expect the same relations from the U.S.," Steinitz said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a more subdued reaction, saying that Israel continues to press for the convicted spy's release.
"This is not conditional and not connected to the latest events, even though we gave our opinion about these developments," Netanyahu told his Cabinet, presumably referring to the reported U.S. spying.

This is one of the greatest messages ever given on the 'ONLY BEGOTTEN SON' . Most theologians are in the dark on this one. And only the King James Version, New American Standard and the Amplified Bible carry the original Greek text, the "only begotten Son of God'. Satan has his own tricks and he has deceived a lot of theologians in the past 6,000 years! I have had debates with muslims and other cults who say,"The Bible states that we are all sons of God, the angels are called sons of God, etc." By going back to the original greek as Dr. Henry Morris has done, we able to close their mouths with the truth.! Jesus often closed the mouths of the pharisees and they didn't dare ask Him any more questions. See Matthew 22: 41-46). A Blessed Christmas to you my friend. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

God's Only Begotten Son
                                     by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
One of our favorite Christmas Scripture verses is I John 4:9: "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." The marvelous incarnation in human flesh of the only begotten Son of God is not the end of the story, of course. The next verse explains that we have life through Him because God "sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:10). Our heavenly Father gives us eternal life instead of the eternal hell that we deserve because His only begotten Son died in our place for our sins. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (II Corinthians 5:21).
The Only Begotten of the Father
Consider, though, the significance of this revelation that Jesus Christ is the Father's "only begotten" Son. This unique phrase is used with reference to the Lord Jesus just four other times, and all five verses contain vitally important truths concerning Christ. These verses are as follows:
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
This is the key verse of the Incarnation, assuring us that the man Jesus, who dwelt among us for a time, was also the eternal Word who was "in the beginning with God" and that He "was God" and that "all things were made by Him" (John 1:1-3). He was God the Creator manifest in the flesh.
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18).
The Father is omnipresent, and therefore invisible to mortal eyes, but as Jesus said: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). Men have seen and heard the Father in the person of His only begotten Son. Whenever God has been seen by men, it has been through the Son who has revealed Him.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
This verse, of course, is the most magnificent of all gospel verses; many would call it the greatest verse in the Bible. It assures us that, if we simply put our trust in our great Creator who has become man in order to die for our sins, and then to defeat death and become our Savior, our sins will be forgiven, and we shall live forever with Him.
"He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).
Other than the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). In view of all that our Creator/Savior has done for us, this verse gives clear warning that those who refuse or neglect to believe on the person and work of God's only begotten Son, will die in their sins, condemned forever by the Father whose Son they have spurned.
"God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (I John 4:9).
This great Christmas verse was discussed above and is a wonderful summary verse on salvation that Christians now often write on their Christmas cards.
The Only Begotten Son
But why was it important for the Holy Spirit who inspired these five great verses to stress that the Lord Jesus was the incarnate only begotten Son of God? Many modern English translations of the New Testament apparently do not consider it important, for they render the phrase merely as "only son." It is so rendered in the Living Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the God's Word translation, the Twentieth Century New Testament, the New Living Translation, the Moffatt, Goodspeed, and Williams translations, and many others. The New International Version renders it "one and only son." There are still a few, however--the best-known being the New American Standard and the New King James--that render it correctly (as in the King James Version) as "only begotten Son."
The Greek word for "only begotten" is monogenes, the very form of which clearly denotes "only generated." As monotheism connotes only one God and monosyllable means a word of only one syllable, so monogenes means only one genesis or only one generated--or, more simply, only begotten. It does not mean "one," or even "one and only." It is worth noting that, although Christ is called the Son, or Son of God, frequently in the New Testament, He is never (in the Greek original) called the "only" son of God.
The fact is, that to call Him the only Son of God would make the Bible contradict itself, for He is not the only Son of God, and certainly not the "one and only" Son of God. Angels are several times called the sons of God (e.g., Job 38:7) since they had no fathers, being directly created by God. Likewise, Adam was called the son of God (Luke 3:38), because he was directly created. The same applies even to fallen angels (Genesis 6:2), and even to Satan (Job 1:6), because they also were created beings. The term is also used in a spiritual sense, of course, for those who have become "new creations" in Christ Jesus by faith (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; etc.). In this sense, we also are "sons of God" (e.g., I John 3:2) by special creation?not physically but spiritually.
But it is never applied in this sense to Christ, for He is not a created son of God (as the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cultists teach), but a begotten Son of God--in fact, the only begotten Son of God. He never had a beginning, for He was there in the beginning (John 1:1). In His prayer to the Father in the upper room, He spoke of "the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5).
In that wonderful Old Testament Christmas prophecy about His coming human birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), we are told that His "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." His human body was, indeed, "brought forth" from "she which travaileth" (Micah 5:3). But long before that, He had been everlastingly going forth from "the bosom of the Father." As noted in John 1:18, He was still "in the bosom of the Father," even while He was on Earth manifesting the Father.
These truths are beyond our full comprehension, of course, for they are all part of the great mystery of the Tri-une Godhead. Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15), for as He said: "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30).
Eternally Begotten
He is not just the only begotten Son of the Father, for He is also the eternally begotten Son of the Father. He is eternally "in His bosom," yet always "going forth" to "declare" the Father--once as the creating Word, occasionally in pre-incarnate theophanies, also through the Holy Spirit conveying God's written Word (which had been "eternally settled in heaven" [Psalm 119:89]) down to man through divinely chosen prophets, then ultimately appearing as the incarnate Word to live forever as the God/man.
The doctrine of "eternal generation" was what the older theologians called this great truth. He did not become the only Son by His virgin birth. He was the only begotten Son from eternity, "set up from everlasting" (Proverbs 8:23).
The First Begotten from the Dead
But that is not all. He was not just the only begotten Son in the beginning, He soon also became the "first begotten of the dead" in time (Revelation 1:5). He was "declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). When Paul at Antioch preached on the resurrection, he declared that God "hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" (Acts 13:33).
He is the only begotten Son eternally and now the first begotten Son by resurrection, "the first fruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20). What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ, our Lord!
The Lord Jesus is not only the unique Son of God by eternal generation and by resurrection, but also by divine inheritance. God has "spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:2).
The Uniquely Incarnate Son
His unique human birth, miraculously conceived with a divinely created body in a virgin's womb, had also marked Him as the incarnate Son of God. To Mary, the angel had said: "Fear not . . . that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:30,35).
His unique righteousness, in both character and action, still further marks Him as Son of God, for He alone possessed the divine nature from the beginning. He said on one occasion: "The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19).
He was even identified as God's Son by heavenly proclamation. "There came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11).
The Lord Jesus Christ is thus Son of God by miraculous conception and virgin birth, by heavenly proclamation, by His uniquely perfect human nature, by divine inheritance, and by triumphant resurrection.
But, most of all and first of all, He is Son of God by eternal generation--the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the only begotten Son of God!
The Son Given
There is another great Christmas verse. "For unto us a child is born," known and beloved by every born-again Christian. That child was the infant Jesus, born of the virgin as prophesied hundreds of years in advance (Isaiah 7:14) in the little town of Bethlehem, as also prophesied (Micah 5:2). At the same time, "Unto us a son is given." That Son was the only begotten, eternally begotten Son of God. "And the government shall be upon His shoulder," for He holds the whole wide world in His hand! "And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
As one with the everlasting Father in the Tri-une Godhead, He is also the mighty God. He is our Creator, our Redeemer, our Resurrected Savior, our King of kings and Lord of lords. "Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him" (Hebrews 7:25).