The sermon for March 22nd 2015 is now available on the New Life web-site.
In this sermon, Tania Baxter talks about the power of Jesus to break every chain.
Month: March 2015
McDonalds Burgers Don’t Go Mouldy- Do They?
I just saw on Facebook another round of the “McDonalds food doesn’t rot- if bugs don’t eat it, people certainly shouldn’t” myth. Rather than going “Chortle! Chortle! Stupid fast food” like a lot of people do, I actually took three minutes out of my life to do a bit of research. Maybe more people should, you know, use their brains instead of accepting every Facebook meme as gospel truth.
It turns out that many people have done all sorts of experiments aimed at finding out if it is true, and it it is why.
Here is one such experiment. Spoiler alert- it’s all aobut moisture content and how fast they dry out.
The Burger Lab: Revisiting the Myth of The 12-Year Old McDonald’s Burger That Just Won’t Rot (Testing Results!)
Nov 5, 2010 9:00AM
More tests, more results! Follow The Food Lab on Facebook or Twitter.
[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
A few weeks back, I started an experiment designed to prove or disprove whether or not the magic, non-decomposing McDonald’s hamburgers that have been making their way around the internet are indeed worthy of disgust or even interest.
By way of introduction, allow myself to quote myself. This is from myprevious article:
Back in 2008, Karen Hanrahan, of the blogBest of Mother Earthposted apicture of a hamburgerthat she uses as a prop for a class she teaches on how to help parents keep their children away from junk food… The hamburger she’s been using as a prop is the same plain McDonald’s hamburger she’s been using for what’s now going on 14 years. It looks pretty much identical to how it did the day she bought it, and she’s not had to use any means of preservation. The burger travels with her, and sits at room temperature.
Now Karen is neither the first nor last to document this very same phenomenon. Artist Sally Davies photographs her 137 day-old hamburger every day for herHappy Meal Art Project. Nonna Joann has chosen tostore her happy meal for a yearon her blog rather than feed it to her kids. Dozens of other examples exist, and most of them come to the same conclusion: McDonald’s hamburgers don’t rot.
The problem with coming to that conclusion, of course, is that if you are a believer in science (and I certainly hope you are!), in order to make a conclusion, you must first start with a few observable premises as a starting point with which you form a theorem, followed by a reasonably rigorous experiment with controls built in place to verify the validity of that theorem.
Thus far, I haven’t located a single source that treats this McDonald’s hamburger phenomenon in this fashion. Instead, most rely on speculation, specious reasoning, and downright obtuseness to arrive at the conclusion that a McDonald’s burger “is a chemical food[, with] absolutely no nutrition.”
As I said before, that kind of conclusion is both sensationalistic and specious, and has no place in any of the respectable academic circles which A Hamburger Today would like to consider itself an upstanding member of.
Full article here
Well Done Jacqui Lambie and the Rest of the Feral Senate.
The wanton hypocrisy of the Senate at the moment is unprecedented. If Abbott wants it we will oppose it is the mantra of Labor and Greens. The cross-benchers are just as bad with Jacqui Lambie the worst of them. She vowed to get out of her hospital bed to vote against University reforms, and now Tasmania, the state she claims to be fighting for, is leading the way in cutting back their university places.
Politics in Australia is just disgusting.
UTAS campuses in Launceston and Burnie under threat if funding falls short
The University of Tasmania has signalled it will consider closing its Burnie and Launceston campuses if it does not receive financial support for a restructure.
It followed the Senate’s rejection of higher education legislation allowing universities to set their own fees.
UTAS’s $450 million proposal to split the university in two, with big developments in Burnie and Launceston, hinges on the passage of the legislation.
Vice-chancellor Peter Rathjen told ABC Local Radio that managers would now have to make some tough decisions unless there was more funding.
Full story here
Reflection on John 12:20-33
Scripture
“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all men to myself.”
Observation
Some Greek-speaking Jews come to Philip with a request to see Jesus. He takes Andrew with him to see Jesus.
Jesus replies that the hour for His glorification is coming. A seed of wheat must fall to the ground and die in order to reproduce. A man must die to his own life in order to live.
Jesus says His hour is come and despite His troubled heart, He must continue. He cries out, “Father glorify your name.” A voice from heaven says “I have glorified it, and I will again.”
Some hear the voice while others think it is an angel or thunder.
Jesus then says the world is about to be judged, and satan driven out. Jesus will be lifted up from the earth and will draw all men to Himself.
Application
Jesus’ death is the death of a seed that multiplies. He is the one who is lifted up and draws all people to Himself. He lays down His life in order to save His own eternal life and to save our lives too.
The Greeks asked to see Jesus the teacher. But when we see Jesus, we see Him lifted up on the cross, His sacrifice bringing billions of people to salvation.
This is the glorious message of Easter- the God of all creation lays down His life to redeem His creation.
If you want to see Jesus in all His glory, look to the cross. Yes the broken, battered Jesus is glorified in His costly suffering.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner. Thank you for the cross for paying the price of my sin. Amen.
Amazing Numbers of Stone Tools in Africa
Creationists believe that evolution is fundamentally flawed. I tend to agree with them on that, especially on the issue of how life began.
But here is an article that shows that stone agers must have had factories for the mass production of tools if they were to fit into the Young Age timeline.
From godandscience.org
Trillions of Stone Age Artifacts: A Young Earth Anthropology Paradox
Introduction
Trillions of stone artifacts cover the surface of the African continent. The product of the manufacturing of stone tools by hunters and gathers over long periods of time, these stone artifacts literally carpet the ground in some places in Egypt and Libya.
Just how much Stone-Age produced rock could be strewn across the African continent?
Imagine a volume of rockequivalent to 42-84 million Great Pyramids of Giza.
The “million” isn’t a typo. That number sounds absolutely fantastic, doesn’t it? Let’s take a look at how these numbers were derived.
PLoS Study
The results of a study just published (seereferencesbelow) shows how incredibly dense stone artifacts can be in some places in Africa. Working in a remote location in southern Libya, researchers took surveys from hundreds of one or two-meter square plots. From the tens of thousands of artifacts found in them, they estimateda minimum density of 250,000 stone artifacts per square kilometeris present in this portion of Libya.
And this only included what was visible on the surface.
Figure C of the supplemental material from the paper by Foley RA, Lahr MM (2015) Lithic Landscapes: Early Human Impact from Stone Tool Production on the Central Saharan Environment. PLoS ONE 10(3): e0116482. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116482. This shows the rocky landscape of southern Libya and the artifacts that are found in high abundance.The researchers surveyed other published estimates of stone-tool densities in other areas of Africa. For example, some parts of the Nubian Desert average 12 million artifacts per square kilometer. They also calculate expected stone production given certain assumptions about population size and stone tool use over time. Overall, the researchers estimate that stone tool production across the entire continent of Africa has resulted in an average of 500,000 to 5,000,000 artifacts per square kilometer.
Africa is roughly 30 million square kilometers in area, so that would put the total number of stone artifacts between 15 and 150 trillion. Yes, that is trillion with a T—an astounding number.
The authors of this paper turn their estimate of stone production into a volumetric estimate and reach the following equally amazing conclusion:
“Taking the maximum figures, this yields … 2.1 x 10 14 cubic meters of rock. This is the equivalent of 84 million Great Pyramids of Giza… or 42 million taking into account the uneven hominid occupation suggested above. To extend the comparison further, it would be the equivalent of finding between 1.2 and 2.7 Great Pyramids per square kilometer throughout Africa.”Lithic Landscapes: Early Human Impact from Stone Tool Production on the Central Saharan Environment.
A few months ago I wrote (How Rare Are Stone Age Artifacts? A Visit to a Stone Tool-Making Factory in South America) about a dense stone artifact site in South Africa and stated that in just a few acres there had to be billions upon billions of artifacts. As well, in South America alone, there must be hundreds of billions of artifacts.
But this new analysis shows that my estimates were far too conservative.
Full article here
Love God, Love His Church
“Holding indifference, apathy, or bitterness toward the church sets you against what God holds dear. It shows that what Jesus loves and saves is not worth your own time, interest, and affection. This fact applies to the church universal and the church local. God has called you to himself to be a part of his people. How you interact with the people of God reveals much about your relationships with the Lord (Matt. 25:31-46). If you love the Lord, you will love his church (1 John 4:7-12).”
– Joe Thorn, Experiencing the Trinity: The Grace of God for the People of God (Crossway, p.93).
Reflection on Jeremiah 31:31-34
Covenanter God
Calling people home
Tempering wrath at sin
With the grace of Father’s heart.
—
Spirit-sending Saviour
Show us your ways
Righteousness rises
As forgiveness flows.
—
Crucified God
Suffering for sinners
Reconciling all
Who receive your love.
“Build My House and I Promise to Build Yours” Jennifer Eivaz
A powerful word of encouragement and exhortation from Jennifer Eivaz. From Elijah List
“Build My House and I Promise to Build Yours”
Gratitude During Worship
The presence of God surrounded me so tightly during the worship service that I hardly noticed anything else. I felt the embrace of unconditional love and desired to respond back somehow. I had this overwhelming sense of gratitude. What could I possibly give to Him in that moment? I thought about Mary of Bethany. What moved her heart to give her most precious possession? Something that was worth a year’s wages! We don’t see a journal of her feelings in the story, but we do see her actions. She found Jesus and lavishly gave Him her extravagant gift.
…as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.Mark 14:3
I too was having a moment where I felt moved to give Him something of value. It was purely worship and I had no thought to receive anything from it. I happened to be wearing an expensive 18-carat gold bracelet. It was a gift from my husband’s middle-eastern family, actually imported from Iran, and my most valuable possession at the moment. I slipped it off my wrist and laid it down on the stairs leading up to the platform. At the end of the worship service, the ushers dutifully picked up the bracelet and placed it with the cash offerings in our church safe. (Photo by Lillis Boyer “Holy Incense”via elijahshopper.com)
Three days later, I received an unexpected check for $1,000. I actually felt the heart of the Lord the moment I received it. I had given Him something of value (the bracelet) and He was responding to my gift. It touched my heart. At the same time, I was very aware that my bracelet was of no use to our church and would sit in the safe indefinitely. I decided to give that money to the church and “redeem” my bracelet back.
Faith to Give in All Circumstances
This took place over 10 years ago. I also recall during those years having a high faith in God for His provision. Our church members also reflected those values. I’ve always had a deep love for the Church and my heart was to build it so it could effectively reach the lost. For example, my husband and I would be thrilled to empty our bank account for special outreach projects. I remember us giving thousands of dollars to our church building programs. We would make those commitments in faith and never had it in the bank at the time.
Still, the money always came, and it was with joy that we gave it. When we visited other churches, we were conscientious to leave a generous gift. We gave away jewelry, furniture, and really tried to help others in need. We loved giving to missions, too, and seemed to always be blessed with resources at the same time. We never went without. We’ve always had plenty left over.
Then in 2007–2008 our nation went into a terrible economic recession. Banks started failing. People all around my neighborhood were losing their homes. Unemployment was the highest I’ve ever seen. It made everyone fearful. The fear was overwhelming and caused many of our church people to pull back their tithes and offerings. Ron and I did not personally stop giving, but the feelings of fear were real. (Photo via Flickr)
I remember those “terrible” Tuesday mornings. We would receive the financial report from the weekend. I would panic and then I would go to our prayer chapel and pray until I found faith again. We knew several pastors who quit the pulpit during that season due to financial stress. Also during that time, the Lord spoke to my husband to begin a city-wide ministry to the poor. The prophetic word launched our City Reach ministry, which is still happening today. We both knew the proverb and understood this was God’s way of preserving us:
“He who gives to the poor will not lack…” (Proverbs 28:27).
We’ve thankfully come out of that season still in ministry and still having our church. In 2015, our church members’ tithes and offerings have increased. There is still, however, a feeling of caution on the people in regard to the economy. I am still waiting for the extravagant givers to be set free again, but I am confident this will be restored too.
He Attacked the Prince of the Hosts By Attacking the Offerings
There is a prophetic story in Daniel about a ruler who was the worst of all (see Daniel 8:8-14). The passage prophetically described his power as reaching to the heavens and knocking some of “the hosts and stars” out of place. It also said he would attack the Prince of the hosts, which is Jesus, through some specific methods. He will stop the offerings, destroy the temple, and throw truth to the ground. He will continue his attack for a period of time until Jesus overthrows him. (This ruler is known historically as Antiochus Epiphanes.)
Although this prophecy is fulfilled, we see the same war tactics being used today. Satan continues to make war against Jesus Christ by attacking the offerings and attacking the Church. When “giving” to the Church is suppressed, it binds the Church from its mission and suppresses the truth from going out. It’s an assault that happens on national and individual levels.
As individuals, many Believers have been led astray by spiritual sounding philosophies when it comes to their attendance and giving to the local Church. (Photo via Pixabay)
Here are a few:
• I give when I feel led to give.
• Tithes are under the law.
• I don’t need to go to church. I am the Church.
• I’m under grace, so I don’t have to _________ (fill in the blank)
These philosophies haven’t produced faithfulness in giving and serving the Body of Christ and must be confronted. These attitudes have not built His Church but actually hinder the Church and the message of salvation. We can’t be prophesying revival into our cities and nations and then not pay anything into it. Many people cite the “legality” of giving tithes as their Biblical excuse to not give much at all. The tithes put order and regularity into our giving, and giving is about the heart more than the set amount. When we can’t pass the test of giving, it delays revival because we are not ready to carry it.
I believe the Lord is challenging us all to put Him at His Word when it comes to giving, because He promises to provide back in abundance.
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over… Luke 6:38
Giving is the Seed That Bears Fruit For Generations
Nearly 100 years ago, a family gave their personal finances to purchase land for a new work in Turlock, California. The late Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson had introduced Turlock to the Holy Spirit and a Spirit-filled community had emerged needing property. This same family’s grandson, Bill Larson, also became an established city-wide Evangelist with discipleship studies going on in his home nearly every night. Thousands of persons were converted as a result. He was so zealous that he finally quit his job, choosing to trust the Lord for his provision. He wanted to reach every unsaved person that he could. He died last month, but his legacy continues on.
This man was also responsible for the conversion and discipleship of my husband, Ron, as a teenager. He had found Ron smoking in a local park and led him to Christ. Bill then invited Ron to a Bible study and discipled him there. A decade later my husband was named the Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Center in Turlock, California. During the funeral for this evangelist, we found out the land purchased by his grandparents is the land our church is sitting on!
Do you think this is a coincidence? Absolutely not! The seed for the Gospel was planted a century ago and is still producing its harvest. When we plant into the things of God, it will supernaturally grow in that direction for generations. (Photo via Pixabay)
Over a year ago, I was talking with a young woman in our church. She had a baby and was not married. I convinced her to make her live-in relationship right with God. Her and her boyfriend agreed and we set the wedding date. As I met their families for the first time, I realized the young woman’s father was a faithful elder in the church where I committed my life to Christ 25 years ago. How exciting it was for this elder to experience the fruit of his faithfulness and to have it returned back to his own family. I married his daughter and son-in-law that day, bringing them all, including an adorable grand baby, into the proper covering of Christ.
In I Chronicles 17, we see that King David desired to build God a house. The Lord responds to David saying that because he has taken care of His house, the Lord will take care of David’s house. The heart of God has not changed in this matter. Building His Church on earth does not go unnoticed or without reward. The Lord is promising and challenging us all to take care of His house, His Church, on the earth. He will, in turn, joyfully take care of ours, and His reward is for generations after us.
Jennifer Eivaz, Executive Pastor
Harvest Christian Center, Turlock, CA
Email: Asst2jeneivaz@harvestturlock.org
Website: jennifereivaz.com
Today’s Sermon
Reflection on John 3:14-21
Scripture
God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world but to save the world through him.
Observation
This passage is a part of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus.
Jesus says that just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake for healing, the Son of Man must also be lifted up to give eternal life to all who believe in Him.
God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.
Jesus did not come into the world to bring judgement. Yet everyone who rejects Him rejects the light and loves darkness. Therefore they are judged by their actions for loving evil and rejecting truth.
Application
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Everybody is invited to the Feast of Salvation. There are no prerequisites for eternity.
But we have to choose. Jesus is the way to eternal life. If we reject that way we say that we prefer the darkness, the way of satan.
So, in coming to save the world, Jesus condemns those who reject His way.
There is a very sharp line between heaven and hell, salvation and damnation. That line goes right through Jesus.
The question God will ask to judge us is: Do you follow the way of Jesus?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, today I turn from my sin and I lay down my life to follow you. Amen.
New Life Narrabri 