• HOOK'S POINTS

EVEN IN THIS ELECTRONIC AGE, "…the printed page never flinches, never shows cowardice; it is never tempted to compromise; it never tires, never grows disheartened; it travels cheaply, and requires no hired halls; it works while we sleep; it never loses its temper; it works long after we are dead. The printed page is a visitor which gets inside the home, and stays there; it always catches a man in the right mood, for it speaks to him only when he is reading it; it always sticks to what it has said and never answers back; and it is bait permanently left in the pool." (The name of the writer is not available.)

SOME FIGURES FOR 2000. For the interest of you who support this ministry financially, by encouragement, by purchase of books, by distribution of books, and by telling others about our efforts to liberate, here are some figures for the last year.

1,572 copies of Free In Christ were distributed, with 969 being sent free of charge, plus copies that Bob Rowland sends out free that I keep no account of. Of all titles, 2,971 books were sent out with many of them being without charge. Many went to the Philippines. That would indicate an average of 8.1 new readers per day. A good number has told of reading my writings at the web site. Since those writings are available world-wide, we have no way of knowing how many people are accessing them. Almost all responses are positive and favorable with many expressing great elation.

We make no claim of having unlocked the gate to the kingdom, but the Lord is using the books significantly in many lives. Your purchase of books has helped us to meet our personal financial obligations – such as $7,659.43 for prescription drugs last year! God bless you for it.

Our working fund now stands at $3,962.94. Thank you.

BACK ISSUES OF FREEDOM’S RING. We ceased publication with No. 45 and now send it out only by email. To subscribe, address an email to freedomsring-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and then SEND. At considerable expense and labor, I have made available all the printed issues. The 320 pages (8 ˝ x 11) are not bound but are arranged in order with both Table of Contents and Index. All for $30.00 postpaid, which is less than the mailed issues cost. I have only 43 sets.

AMERICA’S CONSCIENCE? That’s what we feared! The "Reverend" (he gets mileage out of that title) Jesse Jackson, spiritual and moral advisor to an immoral president, has proved to be as hypocritical as the president and Jimmy Swaggart. Swaggart was banished to the nether world, but the president remained popular. Now, what about "The Reverend" Jesse? Does America even have a conscience any more? Current sentiment would blame Nathan and exonerate David. The cause of Christ is shamed. Forgiveness does not lessen the shame or prevent the consequences.

LEFT BEHIND!!! Another shot in the foot by Christian people! I say again, Christians are the worst enemy of Christianity. The touted film presents God’s rejected nation, Israel, as still God’s favored people to be restored in Palestine. It applies prophecies that were fulfilled in the first century to things yet to come. Things that Jesus said would come to pass in the lifetime of his listeners are made to be "end time" prophecies about to be fulfilled two thousand years later.

The story tries to connect current political happenings as parts of a worldwide conspiracy of nations. Through the United Nations the antichrist is supposed to emerge -- forget that John wrote that the antichrist was already in the world when he wrote his epistles. Such fanciful exploitation of ignorance of the Bible cheapens the message of the spiritual kingdom into which believers have been translated ever since Pentecost. To its doubtful credit, the film does try to scare people into commitment to Christ – lest they be "left behind" to endure a supposed "great tribulation" which actually took place in the lifetime of some of Jesus’ listeners.

Playing on the gullibility of imaginative people willing to be misled, men unashamedly make millions of dollars promoting such groundless teaching. When their predictions fail, instead of suffering humiliation, they write more books and make millions more revising their predictions that proved them to be deceivers.

DIVIDING THE CHURCH. Jesus prayed for unity. He did not pray to us. We cannot answer his prayer. Only God can do that. And God has answered his prayer by making all obedient believers one in his Son. He has only one Son; hence, there is only one body. It is all the "called out" which we call the church. It cannot be divided into many bodies – not even into two bodies. Is Christ divided? We cannot add people to it, put people out of it, or divide it.

Fussing and fighting between brothers and sisters does not remove them from their father’s family nor make two families of it. It makes an unhealthy situation which demands remedy but does not change the basis of their relationship to each other or their father. So it is with the family of God.

WINNING TEAMS. It must be frustrating for educators to build great universities, only to have them known and judged by most people by whether they have a winning or losing football team.

A BROTHER WHO LOVES INNER CITY evangelism and is currently involved in it is seeking support for a truly grace-oriented effort. He has considerable experience while sponsored by a traditionally legalistic group. If interested, please contact me and I will put you in touch with this worker.

THE SPIN DOCTORS were ready for George W. Bush to lose the election due to his pro-life beliefs, but did you hear any of them suggest that Al Gore might have lost due to his full support of abortion?

The President has a staggering job, impossible to carry out in a manner pleasing to all. Let us pray for and encourage President Bush. He unashamedly professes Christian belief and morals. Ask God to use him effectively. Support and encouragement will be more effective than criticism.

OUR SHORTAGE OF POWER. Our governor is urging us to conserve electricity. At the same time he is working with the radical environmentalists in proposing the breaching of some dams on our rivers in order to save the salmon.

Salmon or electricity? Most of us seldom eat salmon, but all are dependent upon electrical power. Houses here are commonly heated by gas, a depleting resource. Every house in the mountain areas should be all-electric. Our rivers can produce cheap power without depleting any natural resource.

BUMPER STICKER: "Fishers of men: You catch ‘em; He’ll clean ‘em." (January 23, 2001) []

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