Hello!

I pray you had a great weekend.

Next week, I'll be adding an audio devotion to each devotional message.  This file will be 10-15 minutes long and it will be encouraging because it will expand on the written devotion, include some personal application, and a prayer.  A "Listen" link will be provided, so you can click on it and hear the devotions!

I've been faithfully learning, playing, and recording a new worship song every day.  Right now, there are 13 songs available in our archive and, like I said before, I'm not going to stop until I've learned, played, recorded, and uploaded 50 worship songs.  The page is currently down, but it should be up very soon.  Here is the link: http://jcsm.net/50PC/50Songs.htm.

Some of JCSM's sites have been down, lately.  This problem is known to us and it is beyond our control.  Most of JCSM is up, though.  Please pray that my web host's host will fix their datacenter quickly and bring the sites up, again.  They should be up by Monday or Tuesday.

The ballot candidates have been decided for the upcoming, gubernatorial election in California.  I'll be running against actors, a comedian, a porn peddler, a billboard model, and many others!  I'll also be running as a write-in candidate, so please pray that we get plenty of support to advertise and make my campaign known.  The New York Times, Free Republic, and U.S. Elections have listed me as a candidate and you can see who else is running, too.  Links: http://capwiz.com/nyt/election/all_races?state=ca, http://www.uselections.com/ca/ca.htm,  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/959978/posts.

Recently, I contacted a number of atheist organizations and offered to debate or discuss biblical issues with them at their next convention.  This offer was made a few days ago and I already have two dates set (one in October and one in November).  I also have two, tentative offers and a couple of potential debates.  Please pray for these endeavors!  I was surprised at the large response, but I'll go where He sends me.  These debates will be recorded and available on the web, so I'll keep you posted.

My debate with Farrell Till is going very well.  In fact, my last post was a "death blow" to his position.  I never brag about my debates or victories, but after I realized how his arguments had a false foundation and he was ignoring the resolution he created for our debate, I called him on it and he was so blown away that he avoided my point in his subsequent reply.  Now, he is taking a 2 week vacation (which was announced before the debate began), so I'll let you know how it is going in late August.  Please pray that the people who see the debate will seek Christ and get saved.  It has been seen over 1,500 times.

An awesome movie called "The Passion" is being released in April.  This movie was produced and funded by Mel Gibson (a devout Catholic).  I've seen the trailer and it looks very good.  The following link will take you to the trailer, but some scenes are a little graphic and not recommended for young children.  Link: http://www.themoviebox.net/trailers/moviebox_trailers/passion_tr_page.htm.  Please pray for the success of this movie.  You'll definitely hear more and more about it as the release date approaches.  It may be the best movie on the life of Jesus that has ever been made.

I turn 29 on August 13th!  Yep, I'm gettin' old.  I'll be spending it with my family.  Please pray that I remain in good health and have a good b-day.

One of the greatest rock-worship groups is playing at Calvary Chapel Hesperia this Sunday.  Hesperia is North of San Diego on the I-15 freeway.  I'll be there and I highly recommend attending the show!

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

"It's Time For Sanctification"

Jeremiah 1:5  "“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

1 Corinthians 9:26, 27  "Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.  Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Philippians 1:6  "Be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

2 Timothy 2:21  "Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work."

1 Peter 3:15a  "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts."

Insight: Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ.  He has sanctified all believers; He has set them aside for a special purpose.  It is our responsibility to seek His holiness through obedience and find our purpose in Him.

Prayer: "Thank you for sanctifying us.  Thank you for wanting us to choose You.  Bless us and give us courage to avoid seeking worldly goals and to find our high calling in You.  Thank you for loving us so much.  Help us to read the Word, pray, and worship You, frequently.  Forgive us for chasing our own goals and running into problems.  Thank you for setting aside imperfect people for your awesome work.  Remind us that we have been called because of your love for us.  We are thankful and we love You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was our 18th President.  He was a firm believer in the biblical God.  In a letter to the editor of the Sunday School times, in Philadelphia, he wrote:

"My advice to Sunday schools, no matter what their denomination, is: Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your hearts, and practice them in your lives.

To the influence of this Book are we indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to this must we look as our guide in the future.  'Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.'"

A Moment of Introspection

If you knew that you could easily minister to people, would you do it?  If you knew that investing a little time in an effort for the Lord would encourage thousands of people, what would you do?

There are several ways that JCSM reaches people.  There are also many ways that we can view the statistics from our outreaches and ministries.  Frankly, I'm always encouraged and sometimes even blown away at the amount of people that visit our sites, read our materials, hear our MP3s, etc.  Glory to God.

Find a way to minister to people!

Pray to God and meditate.  Ask Him where you can be used for His glory and He will show you.  Right now, there are several avenues where you can minister and encourage people with Christ's love.  He will open the door for you and give you the chance to walk through it.

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

mashiyach (Hebrew): Messiah - anointed, a consecrated person, a king, priest, or Saint (specifically the Messiah)

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 3:24 - Where are the cherubims, flaming sword moving back and forth, and the tree of life? Surely if they existed, we would have found them.

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

These were removed at the Great Flood (if not before).

(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.)

Sanctification isn't a result of our own efforts, but a response to God's efforts and leading.

Self-sanctification will result in self-righteousness.

Bible reading, prayer time with the Lord, and ministry enables us to enter into the place already established for us by sanctification.  These disciplines help us experience the benefits of our belonging to God.

We live a life of discovering our sanctification, not a life working for it.

At times, the hardest work will be the discipline to say "No" to the things we love.

Sanctification is a work of God in which believers cooperate.

God works in us the desire for sanctification.

God establishes the blessings and motivation associated with sanctification.

God provides the resources for your sanctification mission.

Sanctification is being separated by God for Him.

The result of your separation is holy living.

Knowledge puffs up, but love lifts up.

The burden, the success, and the glory are God's.

Without God's help, you will fail.

When God calls you to do something, avoid telling Him why you can't or won't do it.

God will use you despite your weaknesses and/or ailments.

You'll be held accountable for the things you hear from your Pastor.

God didn't create anyone to merely sit in church.

Don't waste your time doing things that are against God's will.

It's impossible to have greater joy outside of doing the things He has called you to do.

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."