Hello!

I pray you are doing well and experiencing the blessings of God.

JCSM is now doing web and domain hosting!  We are excited to be offering these services and many others.  If you'd like a "dot com" (or .org, .net, .us, etc.) and need web services, please email me or see http://nkjv.org.  Even if you already have a web host, I guarantee that we can beat your current hosting prices, provide better customer service and meet any needs you may have!

Please pray for the Billy Graham Mission in San Diego.  It's finally here!  This Thursday through Sunday, Dr. Graham will invite thousands of people to repent and trust Christ as their Lord and Savior.  I'll be at two or three of the events and you can see more about them here: http://www.missionsd.com.

My debate at UCSD went very well!  Unfortunately, it was not recorded.  I've been given an open invitation to return to UCSD, so I'll make sure to record my next debate/discussion.  I'm going to invite the Mormons that keep coming by my house to join me at UCSD for a debate!

Isaiah 53 is one of the most awesome chapters in the Bible.  It details the sufferings and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  It's prophetic significance is amazing and I've used this prophecy as an argument for the existence of "predictive prophecies fulfilled in reality" in my online debate.  I'll be making this into a web page, but if you'd like to see our debate and how awesome this chapter of scripture is, please go to http://tweb1.jcsm.org.

Recently, I've been given email confirmation from a famous atheist regarding an exclusive interview.  This interview is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6th.  Please pray that it goes well!  I'll reveal his name next week and upload the interview to http://sa.jcsm.org on Tuesday evening.  It'll be free to stream and download and definitely worth the time to listen!

My next debate is with Doug Krueger.  He is the author of "What Is Atheism?" and a Ph. D. candidate and professor at the University of Arkansas.  We will be discussing the existence of God and Chapter 7 of his book.  This debate is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7th.  It will be uploaded to http://sa.jcsm.org on Wednesday evening!  This is "Round 2" for Doug and me (Round 1 was in January), so it will definitely be even more exciting and interesting than the last one (aren't all sequels?).

Do you have a Palm Pilot?  The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained is now available in Palm format!  You can see more about this e-book software here: http://skepticsannotatedbible.org.

I've updated my personal page and included some great pictures of my daughter, Jordan.  When you have a minute, come and see my family at http://jg.jcsm.org.

Do you want to download and play some free games?  The following site has numerous, clean games from Destroyer (like the "Battleship" board game) to text adventures.  Link: http://www.worldvillage.com/online/download.htm.

Is the SARS epidemic under control?  It appears so.  If you'd like information on this disease, please go here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/.  FYI: The "epidemic" isn't presently as bad as some may think.  Educating yourself on it may put you at rest.

I pray that God blesses you richly as you lift your heart and mind to Him.  Be a reflection of His light and you won't regret it.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting JCSM with $5 per month?  If God leads you to take this step of faith and bless this ministry, PayPal will process a donation subscription for you.  It will only take a minute and you can join us in this dynamic ministry that constantly reaches people all over the world.  Here is the link for $5 donations: Click here!

This is your ministry, so please feel free to link to JCSM and forward these devotions to your friends and family. On the JCSM website, there are over 5000 links (pictures, forums, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 121,000 visits!

JCSM has encouraging sermons, exciting debates and the Bible on MP3 online and you can freely stream and download them!  Come and listen on SermonAudio.com!  Here is our site: http://sa.jcsm.org.

Would you like to support God’s work on the web? If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM. You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Either email me for more information or simply go here: http://vision.jcsm.org.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here are the Devotions, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Hebrew Bible Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Pure Speech"

1 Peter 1:22  "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."

2 Timothy 2:22  "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

1 Thessalonians 5:11a  "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another."

James 3:10  "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so."

Proverb 27:6  "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Psalm 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Psalm 119:103  "How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Proverb 15:26  "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, But the words of the pure are pleasant."

Job 27:3, 4  "As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit."

Psalm 12:6  "The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times."

Psalm 34:13  "Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit."

James 3:5-10  "Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so."

Ephesians 4:29  "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."

Insight: God cares about the things that come out of our mouth.  Do you?  Make an effort to have pure speech.  Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Prayer: "Thanks for giving us the freedom to say what we like and say it how we like.  Help us to say good and pure things.  Forgive us for saying impure and foolish things.  Thank you for your forgiveness.  Help us to repent and edify others with out speech.  Let us also call sin what it is and be unafraid to make a righteous judgment.  Thank you for giving us the ability to talk and express ourselves.  Give us your righteousness, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Come and Follow Me"

Matthew 16:24  "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'"

Matthew 19:21  "Jesus said to him, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.'"

Mark 1:17  "Then Jesus said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'"

John 12:26  "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

Insight: Jesus wants us to follow Him.  He is our leader and our pilot.  Refrain from forcing Him to obey your wishes and be your co-pilot.  If Jesus is your co-pilot, then you better switch seats.

Prayer: "Thank you for leading us, Lord.  Thank you for being the best leader.  Help us to follow You and learn from You.  Praise You for being powerful and right.  Let us see You as You are.  Thank you for blessing us so much.  Forgive us for our sins.  Help us to use our blessings for your glory.  We love You, Lord.  Thank you for giving us your Word and direction in life.  Let us follow You through thick and thin.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Confess Your Sins"

Psalm 32:5  "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden.  I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Selah"

Proverbs 28:13  "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

James 5:16  "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

1 John 1:9  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Insight: God sees our sins.  Hiding them is futile.  Call your sins what God calls them, confess them and repent.  You will be purified, protected and perfected.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us a chance to confess our sins.  Thank you for seeing them and wanting us to see them, too.  Forgive us for our sins.  Forgive our foolishness and our bad choices.  Bless us and help us to make better decisions.  Give us great wisdom and faith.  Let us have You in mind as we do everything.  Thank you for giving us awesome principles, guidelines and commands in your Word.  Help us to abide by them and live.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Pray Continuously"

Psalm 88:1, 2  "O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You.  Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry."

Psalm 55:17  "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice."

Philippians 4:6  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

Colossians 4:2  "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

James 5:16  "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Insight: Wow, pray continuously.  What a tall order!  According to the scriptures, not only are extended times of prayer important, but we should always maintain contact with God in prayer.

Prayer: "Thank you for always being here, Lord.  Thank you for listening to our prayers!  Remind us that You are near.  Thank you for being a good God.  Thank you for giving us answers that we need.  Help us to remove barriers like sin from our life, so we can hear You clearly.  Let us be sensitive to your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for wanting to talk to us.  Help us to listen.  Praise You for being worthy of our time and devotion!  There is no other God like You.  Help us to maintain continual contact with You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "You Will Be Rewarded"

Matthew 6:3, 4  "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

Matthew 6:6  "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Matthew 6:17, 18  "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.  If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

1 Corinthians 9:24, 25  "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown."

2 Timothy 4:8  "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."

James 1:12  "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

Revelation 22:12  "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."

Insight: Can anyone deny that God rewards and will reward the ones who love and obey Him?  Seek God's approval and seek God's rewards before earthly approval and earthly rewards.  The best rewards will be given to the ones who love God the most.

Prayer: "Thank you for promising to give us rewards.  Thank you for being true to your promises.  Help us to realize that You have been blessing and rewarding our obedience.  Praise You for the many benefits of obeying You.  Help us to see how much good it does to obey You.  Forgive us for our foolishness and disobedience.  Help us not to worry about the world's offers.  Help us to be more concerned with what You think and say and do.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Searching the Heart"

1 Chronicles 28:9b  "For the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

Psalm 139:23, 24  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Proverbs 20:27  "The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart."

Jeremiah 17:10  "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."

Lamentations 3:40  "Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD."

1 Samuel 16:7  "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'"

1 Thessalonians 2:4  "But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts."

Insight: Our thoughts and minds are open to God.  If we could always be mindful of this, it would surely effect our thoughts and actions.  Aim to have pure thoughts and motives because God sees them.

Prayer: "Purify our hearts and minds, Lord.  Let us consider good things.  Thank you for knowing our thoughts, hearts and intentions.  Help us to love You and others more.  Thank you for knowing what we are thinking, but still having grace and mercy on us.  Let us think like You would.  Help us to fathom You and your greatness.  Give us discipline, so we can set aside time to meditate on You.  Praise You for being awesome.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Atheism and Christianity"

Psalm 14:1  "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good."

Romans 1:20-23  "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things."

2 Peter 3:4-7  "...Where is the promise of His coming?  For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.  For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.  But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

Hebrews 11:6  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Insight: Atheism (literally "without belief in God") is detestable to God.  Unbelievers don't simply deny God's existence, but they also deny the Genesis account of creation and the Bible's record of God dealing with people.

Our flesh cries, "Show me and I'll believe."  However, God says, "Believe Me and I'll show you."

Prayer: "Thank you for existing.  Thank you for being found.  Help people to diligently and wholeheartedly seek You.  Help us to have patience with the Thomases out there that have a hard time believing without seeing.  Thank you for loving us, Lord.  Thank you for having great patience and mercy on the ones that reject You.  Help us to do the same.  Thank you for saving us!  Thank you for rescuing us from our sins and putting our feet on a Rock.  Let us love atheists and reach out to them.  Help us to share the gospel with them and pray for them until they repent.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

A Moment of Introspection

Does the majority opinion make something right?  Simply because people have conflicting viewpoints on something, does it make both viewpoints wrong?

Although it would be unusual, it could be possible for one person to be right and a million people wrong.  If you feel like you are the one believer in a huge forest of unbelievers, then find some Christian friends and plug in to a local church.  If you need help finding one, let me know.

Most believers in Christ have slightly different viewpoints on non-essential issues.  This doesn't make God any less real, though.  This doesn't keep Jesus from being the Messiah.

Try and set aside the differences that divide and love your Christian brothers and sisters.  This doesn't mean that we should compromise on essential doctrines for salvation.  This doesn't mean that we should avoid making righteous, informed judgments (see John 7:24).  However, we need to love one another and emphasis our unity in Christ while we extend grace and understanding concerning our differences.

Put a web page on the internet with the gospel message on it!

If you are a believer in Christ, then you have enough knowledge to share the gospel with someone.  Take a few minutes to type a gospel message, then you can upload it to the web and email it to friends!

If you need help with this, please let me know and feel free to see our gospel message at http://gospel.jcsm.org.

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

eben: stone

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 1:31 - In Genesis 1 the entire creation takes 6 days, but we know from modern science that the universe is at least 15 billion years old.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

Modern science has not proven this number.  Incidentally, secular scientists cannot agree on a date of the universe.  God could easily make all things in 6 days.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.)

We don't have any new quotes.  However, we have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

Please make a commitment to pray for this ministry. As every believer is tempted and tried, this ministry faces trials also. God has blessed me, JCSM and the people who have been reached! Unfortunately, the enemy knows this and spiritual warfare is the result. Please at least pray that the devotions continue to be written religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the readers are blessed, sanctified and protected from evil. Thank you very much in advance!

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Fishes and Loaves (FALO) is a great, missions organization.  They have helped many people embark on missions trips to the uttermost parts of the world.  If you are interested in missions, please visit http://www.gofalo.net.

Do you need to find a solid, Christian church?  I've attended numerous Calvary Chapel churches and I've been very blessed by their Bible-based sermons, inspiring worship and kind members.  If you don't have a home church or need to find a new one, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

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JCSM has it's own, site search engine!  If you'd like to search over 1000 web sites, please go here: http://search.jcsm.org.

Over 5000 links!

Jesus loves you!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should have everlasting life."