FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS...

HOW CONCERNED ARE WE, when we hear of people dying?    And people DO die naturally every second.    Does this not tend to make us shrug the whole matter of DEATH off, taking it for granted, and preferring not to give a lot of attention to it? 
How valuable and important is a Human Being?  How important am I?     Are two dead men to be seen as a greater loss than ONE?    Do we feel MORE sorrow and horror in greater numbers killed, than in few?      As a product of the '40s I find myself often looking back to the 2nd World War.    How many died there.     Am I moved by the fact that so many men and women died serving the Country, or because they DIED.?      More than ONE MILLION military personnel, alone, died in the 1st and 2nd World Wars.      War Memorials across the world REMIND those left behind of those who have 'gone before' and died fighting for the defence and freedom of their Country.   
When one of our fighting me die in battle or in related circumstances overseas their bodies are brought home with considerable public honour and respect.      When only ONE dies violently for ANY reason in Israel, the NATION mourns deeply........they 'feel' the loss - perhaps more so because they  are, as a Nation, few in number.      In England each year the Nation comes to a standstill to remember those who have fallen defending it, the Queen herself leading that Remembrance.    We honour the dead who gave their lives safeguarding our National Freedom.    But would we notice their death otherwise?     Probably not, apart from those whose family were closely affected by their death.        DEATH comes suddenly to all of us, with very few exceptions.       Let's not think about it. !!

BUT THE 58 THAT WERE SHOT DOWN in the midst of gaiety, song, and dance in Las Vegas, stirred the world!     BUT WHY?    Were they horror stricken that 58 of our 'Kind' had been needlessly struck down to the earth.     Did we have any affection (humanly or spiritually) for them?  Or was it that we RESENTED their having been killed?      Did we accuse the GUNS and BULLETS that mowed them down?     Did we hate the 'Killer'?   HOW did we see their deaths.    How are we affected by them?   Did we feel a 'tremor' in our own selves - as if we ourselves were touched?    John Donne the poet, 1572-1631 wrote -

"Any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in Mankind;

and, therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for you"

FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS.

John Donne

IN THE BIBLE it is said that all Mankind lie dead in trespasses and sin.  His very soul is condemned and sentenced to death.

YET AGAIN God declares in the same Bible that He loves ALL mankind, and has no delight or satisfaction in the death of ANY one of us!     He would GIVE us the means to LIVE for ever.     He lovingly set Himself to design and make us; to create us all to be LIKE Himself.  BUT    He has cast His eyes over all the earth to see if there is anyone who can turn us from our evil godlessness, and to save us from death.    He found none.      LOOK at Psalm 49v5-9

Speaking in a 'parable' the writer sees a time when civilisation will have turned away from the very idea of God and pleased themselves in every way, and become lost in their own selfishness.     A day when men and women take life for granted.

And so 'God' observes 

'None of THEM can by any means redeem either himself or his brother,

nor give to God a ransom for him;

For the Ransom of a life is too costly,

and the price one can pay can never suffice or be enough,

so that he should live on forever and never see the pit, the grave and corruption.'

YES, there was no one worthy, pure, or clean enough in his mind and actions that could intervene even for one of us, let alone ALL mankind.

THEN One was to call out The Very WORD of God intervened and said,  "I will go!    Prepare me a body, and I will go down and save them."      And God listened, and prepared a Body within a virgin in Israel, and a baby was born whose Name was and IS 'JESUS'  meaning SAVIOUR  -   for He shall save His kind from their sins.  Mathew 1v18-21 

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GOD puts a potentially GREAT VALUE on the Soul (life) of each one of us.     But the Value has to be restored to us, having been stolen away from us by our own selfishness of heart, before that VALUE can be revealed to the world around us.      We must recognise our need for the 'pawning away' of our lives to be paid for, and that the ONLY payment is the BLOOD of Jesus shed for all of us upon the Cross on which He died for us.      He DIED, very literally, but God raised Him UP to New Life, which He has made available to us.       Lives beyond ALL value.    Lives more valuable than much fine GOLD.

We have been shocked and outraged by ONE man of 64 years, killing 58 others. - but in the SAME year, up to that point, more than ELEVEN THOUSAND more had died violently at the hands of other individuals with a gun in their hand.   Did we even KNOW about them?   Do we even 'feel' it?      Most of them DIED and died without being REDEEMED, without realising there was a Saviour that could give them LIFE, that they might live FOREVER.      If you look at my given statistics printed above you will see that One hundred and twenty one THOUSAND die EVERY DAY worldwide;  Eighteen MILLION, six hundred and five THOUSAND every YEAR.     How do they die?     Do they have a value on their head, being condemned by their godless ways, or has their whole being been enhanced and revalued beyond computation by the Salvation and Transformation of their lives by Jesus?

THUS our FOCUS here is upon ourselves, first of all, that God may be alive and present with us because of Jesus in our heart,  and then that the children and young people that have been brought to us might, through our life and testimony, also become aware of their Redeemer, and themselves become LIGHTS to all around them.      THIS is our calling and our Purpose.      It is really the Calling and Purpose of ALL that KNOW Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their life.

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JAMES MANU returned from the Eye Clinic late last night.      Things went physically better for him this time, but the prognosis was not too encouraging. k   He had thought his might be his last visit, but he must go along for at least one more injection in November.     The Oculist thinks that his right eye will not improve as he thought might happen,  and the left has also taken a turn for the worse.     He will lose sight completely in the Right eye within six months, and the Left eye - if it does not respond to a new course of treatment, might also give up in a year or so.      Many is now seriously considering learning Braille whilst he still has some sight.     BUT we are still praying and believing for the Lord to intervene, and give us all JOY.     I know many of you will be praying with us, and we thank you with all our hearts.

JUST NOW we are having Pastor Martin Speed, and his wife Margaret, from Westhaughton Pentecostal Church near Bolton for a few days.   The arrived on Wednesday, and they will be leaving Monday morning for Uganda.    Martin will be ministering at our Fellowship this Sunday, and we have truly enjoyed having them with us once more.   We know all those left behind in the Church will be glad and happy for news of them, and WE are always blest to hear more of all our family in Jesus who so pray and encourage us here.     A very special link.

The Country remains tense.     A few disturbances here and there but otherwise all is quiet.    We are still not sure whether or not the planned Presidential Elections will take place as planned toward the end of the month.    We ourselves are at peace about it all, and we know that however things turn out the LORD will be here with us and that He will take care of us.

We know some will have been received electronically our September Update and Thank you Note.    Some will receive during the week ahead as we had to send by Air Mail.       Our Thoughts and Prayers are daily with us for you all, and we trust that He who takes care of us so well, will do the same for you, each one, in the same way and even more abundantly.

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God Bless you all in Jesus Name

John, Esther and Daryl Green