Hello!

I hope you had a great weekend.

Have you noticed that JCSM's devotional message has improved?  Many, dynamic, time consuming, ministry opportunities have been given to us lately, so we've decided to update the format of the devotions.  Now, we will have just one devotion for each week.  If you need more than one, please see our archives.  There are literally hundreds of devotions in there.  We have also added a new section called, "America's Foundation."  We hope you enjoy the new format!

In the beginning of August, JCSM will be moving into a new office in a local, college campus.  Please pray for our move and the surrounding details.  We are excited about this opportunity and hope it opens many more doors for ministry.

JCSM has recently started using an improved counter/tracker system.  It has informed us that in the last 7 days, people from 24 countries, in every continent, plus U.S. military and government workers have visited our site!  Please pray that we keep reaching more and more people all over the world.

I've uploaded 12 audio clips to http://jasongastrich.com/audio.htm.  These clips are my viewpoints on a variety of political issues.  Please pray for my campaign.  The effort to recall Governor Davis is underway and coming to fruition.  It's time for me to get the necessary signatures and pay the fee to get on the ballot, advertise in the papers and on television, and debate some of the other candidates.  I need your prayers and support, so please email me if you would like to help restore integrity and godly values to the great state of California.

I'm so happy about my graduate school that I've compiled a list of featured alumni!  I thought LBU was a good school before I found all of these alumni, but now I think it's a great school!  I highly recommend it and I hope you take a look at LBU's featured alumni page: http://www.jcsm.net/LBU/LBUAlumni.htm.

Atheist Dan Barker has created something called his "Easter Challenge."  In this challenge, Dan wants someone to answer 17 of his top questions about the gospel accounts.  He also wants someone to give a complete, inerrant chronology of the events surrounding Easter.  If Dan Barker can provide an errant chronology of the Easter accounts, I'd be happy to show him the error of his ways.  Until that time, here are 17 answers to his top 17 questions.  Link: http://jcsm.org/biblelessons/Barker17.htm.

My debate with Farrell Till about God's land promise is being moved to the Internet Infidels Discussion Board.  Why?  The "iidb" has over 500,000 messages and thousands of members.  This place is an "atheist Mecca," so I'm happy to have the debate in a place where God and His Word can influence the unchurched and unbelieving community.  Inerrancy.com was a fine location and our debate had over 700 views, but iidb will be even better.  Please pray for this endeavor.  I pray that God does great miracles in our midst.  You can see our debate here: http://iidebate1.jcsm.org.

<edit> Ernie Murry <edit>.  Due to fraud, Ernie Murry's endorsement has been revoked.

Are you familiar with creation science?  Did you know that there is a great, creation science broadcast on the internet?  Dr. Kent Hovind streams a broadcast from 3-4pm PST, Monday through Friday.  In fact, I'm listening to it right now and it's very good!  You can hear it by going to http://www.drdino.com and clicking on the listen link toward the bottom of the page.

Do you need a free fax number?  Would you like your faxes to go directly to your email?  If used a company called eFax for several years and they have an excellent, free service.  I get faxes in my email and I don't even need a fax machine.  Here is their link: http://www.efax.com.

Rev. Evan Grant is having a conference in New York.  He is an OCCM member and friend.  Please pray for him and his ministry.  You can read more about his church and school here: http://www.ifcfc.com.

Have you ever heard of the "Way Back Machine"?  At http://www.archive.org, you can see how your favorite web sites used to look.  Archive.org has stored countless web pages for several years, so it is an interesting resource if you want to see the way things used to be.

This is your ministry, so please feel free to link to JCSM and forward these devotions to your friends and family. On JCSM, there are over 50,000 web pages of pictures, forums, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals, and much more!

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

If you consider yourself either a theological scholar, a seeker, or a student of the Word, then you'll enjoy the Inerrancy Discussion Board.  It's the #1 place for discussing the inerrancy of God's Word!  Come and see: http://www.inerrancy.com (the Inerrancy Discussion Board is sponsored and administrated by JCSM).

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.

Visit the JCSM Study Center!  We have over 400mb of resources like English and foreign Bibles, maps, ancient literature, commentaries, Greek and Hebrew dictionaries and concordances, and much more!  Plus, it's all free.  Link: http://study.jcsm.org.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the 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 Gastrich, B.A., M.A.B.T.

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotion

"God's Grace"

2 Corinthians 12:9  "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Ephesians 2:8, 9  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Hebrews 4:16  "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Romans 11:6  "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work."

2 Corinthians 6:1  "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain."

2 Peter 3:18  "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

Insight: God gives each person a huge dose of grace.  He gives us what we don't deserve.  Thank God for His grace!  Show grace to others.  We truly have "God's Riches At Christ's Expense (GRACE)."  We should be eternally thankful for the countless blessings God has given to us because of His wonderful grace.

Prayer: "Thank you for loving us so much, Lord.  Thank you for being a great God and giving us grace.  Remind us to thank you for your gifts and appreciate your grace.  Help us to show grace to others.  Praise You for being our holy model of goodness and perfection.  Lift us up.  Let us be better examples of You.  Thank you for your patience and mercy.  Help us to grow in grace, so we can be a bright and shining light of your love.  Help us to love the ones that are hard to love.  We love You, Lord, and thank you.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

This is a new section of the devotions.  Each week, I will post some words from one of America's founders.  America was founded on biblical principles and unfortunately, some people have forgotten.  Read these quotes and remember the intended framework and foundation of America!

These quotes are from John Adams.  He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Second President of the United States.

"[I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue."

(Source: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, 1854), Vol. IX, p. 401, to Zabdiel Adams on June 21, 1776.)

"[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

(Source: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.)

"The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shalt not covet," and "Thou shalt not steal," were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society, before it can be civilized or made free."

(Source: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1851), Vol. VI, p. 9.)

A Moment of Introspection

What does the command to, "work out your salvation," mean?  Have you ever thought about it?

When you go to the gym, what do you do?  You work out your muscles.  You may not see your muscles, but you have some.  As you work them out, they get stronger and bigger.

Your salvation is similar to your muscles.  You don't work out your salvation to get it.  After you have salvation, you work it out to improve your perspective of God and to obtain godliness.

Show grace to as many people as you can!  God has given you unfathomable grace.  He loves you so much that He has given you great things that you don't deserve and He will continue to do so.

This week's challenge is to love people who you think don't deserve to be loved.  Show these people grace and Christ will be glorified.

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

(Greek) charis: grace - graciousness, of manner or act, literal, figurative or spiritual, especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life: acceptable, benefit, joy, gift, grace, pleasure, thank

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 3:20 - Is everyone descended from Adam and Eve?

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

Yes, every human is a descendant of Adam and Eve.

Hebrews 7:3 refers to "Melchizedek".  This mysterious person was a type of Christ and many believe He was a theophany - an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ.

(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.)

God doesn't love you because you are attractive.  He loves you because of Him.

Once you're good enough for grace, it's not grace any more; it's payment.

Let God preoccupy your mind with the things He has done.

Ask God to bless you according to His grace.

Grace is an action on God's part that proceeds entirely from within Himself and is conditioned in no way by anything in the object of His favor.

Grace is always given at a higher degree than we can measure.

You will never be good enough for grace.

God deals with us entirely on the basis of grace.

Grace cannot be earned, bought, or sold.

Life without grace is justice: you get what you deserve.

Grace is sufficient to get you through.

Those who receive grace must first admit in their hearts that they need it.

If salvation is given on the basis of what a man has done, then salvation is given by God as the payment of a debt.

Grace opens the door to God in our time of need.

Grace is bigger than your sin.

Grace is something that labors in looking for opportunities to bless you.

Grace cannot be earned.

Until you realize that you have received grace, you are not likely to give it.

Once we receive grace, we must be faithful to stand and grow in it.

Grace must be faithfully received.

These quotes came from God, me and Miles McPhearson.

Do you need more quotes?  We have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

These quotes can be used for sanctification and fun. Most of them are directly based on scripture and scriptural principles. Some of the quotes are humorous or rhetorical, others are written from sermons and Bible studies, and some are lyrics from songs. If you’d like me to go into more detail on any of them, please email me.

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I’ve written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures and apply the true principles to your life in a meaningful way! Please don’t sell my quotes or publish them for profit. If English is not your first language, you may not understand some of the quotes. I'm sorry, but some of them are English metaphors and deal with multiple word meanings. God bless you all!

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!

Do you want to help people receive the good news?  We’re reaching new people every day with God’s awesome Word! If God has blessed you and you wish to send a love offering to JCSM, please send your gift to the address below.

You can join our vision and help this ministry! Your donations will keep these ministries running and further our visions for evangelism. Hundreds of web pages have been created to lead people to the Lord. Frequently, we make new ones and they are used to bring more and more people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We’re certain there will be more ways to reach people in the future.

If you wish to contact us in the mail or send support, please make checks payable to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries.  Here is our mailing address:

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

3219 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #212

San Diego, CA 92117

Along with getting support, we also give support! JCSM regularly gives to churches, Christian ministries and needy people. Another function of this ministry is to do counseling. We are always answering questions about life, the Lord and everything in between. Lastly, we do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and library. You will definitely see the results of our hard work and your loving support, in the web pages, and in the weekly devotions!

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, if you're traveling, or if you need to find a new church, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

OCCM (Online Christ-Centered Ministries) has certified JCSM as a ministry that preaches the true, biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.  OCCM is a professional membership association for Christian ministries and people that reside on and off the internet.  Are you OCCM certified?  For more information, go here: http://www.occm.org.

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

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!

Over 50,000 web pages!

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 not perish, but have everlasting life."