There Is Power In The Blood

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.

-       Saint Augustine, 354-430 A.D.

   The late Rev. Andrew Murray, the South African theologian and Graaff-Reinet clergyman of Scottish descent; and also writer of many books among others With Christ In The School Of Prayer, The Spiritual Life, The Spirit of Christ, The Blood Of The Cross and The Power In The Blood, has elaborated beautifully on the power of the blood of Christ.

   Why the extraordinary emphasis on ‘blood’ as the propitiation for mankind’s sins?  Because (firstly) the first crime of treachery and treason (in Eden) was accompanied by the slaughter of an animal of which the skin had to serve as a covering for the nakedness of the sinners (Adam & Eve); and (secondly) the first violent crime on Earth by Cain was accompanied by the blood of his brother Abel.  From then on there could be no remission of sins without the flowing of blood.  Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ became the (final and ultimate) ‘sacrificial lamb’ to die for the sins of the world (With the term 'the Blood of Christ' we of course always mean the 'SACRIFICE' of Christ).  In summary:

   Redemption by the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.   And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to the work of each one, pass the time of your earthly residence in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; [1 Peter 1:17-19 MKJV, eSword].

  

  Propitiation through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.  … for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness through the passing by of the sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of God; for the display of His righteousness at this time, for Him to be just and, forgiving the one being of the faith of Jesus. [Romans 3:23-26 MKJV, eSword].

   

   Purification through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.   But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.   If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.  [1 John 1:7-10].

   

   Sanctification through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.  For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the Holy of Holies by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.  Therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.   Therefore let us go forth to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.    For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.  By Him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing His name.  [Hebrews 13:11-15 MKJV, eSword].

   Service to God through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.  But when Christ had become a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once for all into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

       For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ (who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God) purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new covenant, so that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, those who are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. [Hebrews 9:11-15 MKJV, eSword].

   Access to the Holiest of Holies through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.   Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water. 

       Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who promised), and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

       He who despised Moses' Law died without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy of punishment, the one who has trampled the Son of God, and who has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

   For we know Him who has said, "Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, says the Lord." And again, "The Lord shall judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Hebrews 10:19-31 MKJV, eSword].  

  

   Eternal Life through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.  Then Jesus says to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Whoever partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who partakes of My flesh and drinks My blood dwells in Me, and I in him. As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me, even he shall live by Me. This is the Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; he who partakes of this Bread shall live forever. [John 6:53-54 MKJV, eSword].

  

   Victory through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ. And I heard a great voice saying in Heaven, Now has come the salvation and power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul until death.  [Revelation 12:10-11 MKJV, eSword].

   Heavenly Joy through the BLOOD of Jesus Christ.  After these things I looked, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palms in their hands.  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb. 

   And all the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.  And one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these who are arrayed in white robes, and from where do they come? And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb. 

   Therefore they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in His temple. And He sitting on the throne will dwell among them.  They will not hunger any more, nor thirst any more, nor will the sun light on them, nor any heat.  For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will feed them and will lead them to the fountains of living waters. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. [Revelation 7:9-17 MKJV, eSword].

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There Is Power In The Blood

(Lewis E. Jones, 1865-1936)

Would you be free from the burden of sin?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;

Would you o’er evil a victory win?

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;

Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide ‒

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;

Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow ‒

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Would you do service for Jesus your King?

There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;

Would you live daily His praises to sing?

There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

CHORUS

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonderworking pow’r

In the blood of the Lamb;

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonderworking pow’r

In the precious blood of the Lamb. 

Piet Stassen                     

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibare Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.     Peterson, John W. (1968)   Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘There Is Power In The Blood’. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

Blessed Be The Fountain

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

There is more credit in being abused by fools than praised by rogues.

-       F.E Smith, later Lord Birkenhead, 1872-1930.

   When I look back on my life, I often stand amazed (and pretty disgusted) at the moral, social and financial indiscretions that ‘adorned’ (what I consider to be) my obnoxious past. I frankly cannot believe that it was me … after all; I started off in 1966, after I had left school and completed my military conscription-obligations, on such a good wicket only to, at a much later stage in life at the turn of the century (remember the Y2K-scare?) crash on the rocks of business-failure and the resulting debilitating clinical depression. 
   I thereafter often wondered ... do other people also make gross mistakes like that? Will I be damned forever for my sins and my many indiscretions?  Will God write me off?  Am I a hopeless case?  Will I ever see a light in this tunnel again, and if so, will it be the true, saving light of forgiveness and reconciliation, or the menacing light of an oncoming freight train, only to deliver the coup de grace of final disgrace and humiliation?

   It would appear as if I am one of those rare individuals whose overtures toward restitution for injured parties are, more often than not, bungled even worse than the original sin or injury, only adding further insult to injury and causing me to end up having to apologise for my clumsy and abortive restitution-efforts.  Someone has once said, "He is is so unlucky that he gets involved in accidents that originally had started out happening to someone else!"
   Fortunately the Bible promises that if we had sinned, that God is true and faithful and will forgive us the sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness  (1 John 1:7). Today nobody needs this reassuring little verse more than (I think) I do. The comforting thought is that, if we could deserve Salvation at all on the grounds of personal merit and an exemplary life, then Jesus Christ will have died in vain.  Apparently no man is exempt … we all probably, to a lesser or greater degree, sometimes make bad decisions, poor choices and glaring, life-changing mistakes. 

   William H. Herndon, in his civil war classic, Herndon’s Life of Lincoln, writes: “You should not forget there is a skeleton in every house.  The finest character dug out thoroughly, photographed honestly, and judged by that standard of morality or excellence which we exact for other men is never perfect.  Some men are cold, some lewd, some dishonest, some cruel, and many a combination of all.  The trail of the serpent is over them all!”  (Herndon & Weik:  ‘Author’s Notes’, viii).

   According to the Bible, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; yes, the trail of the serpent is over us all.  But, thank God for the blood of Christ that washes us whiter than the snow.  The gates of Hell and the trail of the serpent shall not prevail against the Church and blood of Christ.                  

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Blessed Be The Fountain

 Eden R. Latta, 1839-?/Henry S. Perkins, 1833-1914)

Blessed be the Fountain of blood,

To a world of sinners revealed;

Blessed be the dear Son of God ‒

Only by His stripes we are healed.

Tho I’ve wandered far from His fold,

Bringing to my heart pain and woe,

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

Thorny was the crown that He wore,

And the cross His body o’ercame;

Grievous were the sorrows He bore,

But He suffered this not in vain.

May I to that Fountain be led,

Made to cleanse my sins here below;

Wash me in the blood that He shed,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

Father, I have wondered from Thee,

Often has my heart gone astray;

Crimson do my sins seem to me ‒

Water cannot wash them away.

Jesus, to that Fountain of Thine,

Leaning on Thy promise, I go;

Cleanse me by Thy washing divine,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

CHORUS

Whiter than the snow, Whiter than the snow ‒

Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,

And I shall be whiter than snow.

Piet Stassen                                                 

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.     Herndon, William H. & Weik, Jesse W. (1930), 1949, 1961).  Edit. Angle, Paul M.   Herndon’s Life of Lincoln.   Premier Civil War Classics.  Fawcett Publications, Inc.  Greenwich, Conn./American Book Publishers Council, Inc.

3.     Peterson, John W. (1968)   Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Blessed Be The Fountain’. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

Standing On The Promises

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

   The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.

-       Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915. 

   Why do the much publicised story and promise of the Second Coming of Christ take so long to come to fruition?  I mean, for how many years have believers now (for instance) been singing such songs as O Jesus How Long; Jesus Is Coming and The King Is Coming (?).   And, for how many centuries have Christians now been praying, Thy Kingdom Come (?). It would almost appear as if Christ had completely forgotten about His promise, isn’t it?  Well, the Bible has anticipated this promise long before we were even born:

   The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

   But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:9-10 ASV).

   Bear in mind that a certain number of people will, of necessity as decreed by God before the foundation of the world was laid, probably still have to be born before the event of the Second Coming can take place, and until the very last one of those designated to be born has been born (the Anti-Christ included) the Second Coming cannot take place. 

   Also, the Earth travels at approximately 107 000 k.p.h through space in its orbit around the Sun … how do we know if the Earth is not scheduled or programmed to cover a designated number of kilometres over a specific course in space in order to (one day) in the near or distant future rendezvous with the Second Coming ‘props’ on the other side of our space-quadrant? Anything is possible ... truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.

   According to the Bible, the Second Coming is going to be a grand affair accompanied by great power and glory commensurate with the power, prestige and status of Jesus Christ as the Son of God; so, how do we know if Heaven’s organising committee right now are not busy trying to line up and synchronise all and diverse kinds of galaxies, stars, comets, novae and supernovae as the splendiferous fireworks and background-effects with the express purpose and design to visually embellish, at the right moment, the cosmic setting of the Second Coming?  Rest assured, the Second Coming has been programmed by God to take place at the most effective and ideal moment ever … He does not make mistakes. 

   However, there is another reason I believe that the Second Coming appears to be unreasonably delayed.  I explain: Jesus Christ is described (among others) as the Alpha and the Omega, the Way, the Truth and the Life, and also … as the Rock of Ages. Take us humans, as an example:  Often it is so ridiculously easy to make and keep a promise to someone over a short period of time, say three days, two weeks, or eight months. But to keep a promise over very many years, even decades, becomes more difficult as time goes by.  That is why marriage contracts have been designed … given enough time, people tend to forget promises solemnly made to others. 

   In the aftermath of the First World War, Germany, as the vanquished belligerent, was bound by the victors of the war to a long list of war-reparations for the injured parties in terms of the Treaty of Versailles signed on 28 June 1919.  People like Field Marshall Jan Smuts even had, at the time, warned against forcing on Germany reparations that were considered by some as hopelessly too harsh.  Be that as it may, the reparations-clauses contained in the Versailles Treaty left bitter resentment on the part of Germany, and by 1932 had, over the short span of about 14 years, been more or less abolished with the common consent of the major role players among the injured parties. 

   From the United States strong pressure had also apparently been brought to bear on the participants to release Germany from those reparations-obligations, as it was feared that the reparations-clauses, so astronomical in scale, were badly convoluting the world-economy to the detriment of all. And so it transpired that, by 1939, Hitler’s Germany (the Nazi-regime) was already embarking on a new war, with the promises and agreements of the Versailles Treaty already long forgotten and obscured by the mists of passing time.   Only the resentments have lingered, sadly to spark a new war even worse than the one before. 

   However, when Jesus finally returns, we will finally realise that His promises can be fully and wholly trusted … also over the tall hourglass of time, in fact, can be trusted over millennia! His promises are not cheap as if made by a fly-by-night charlatan of an operator.   When the Second Coming finally dawns, the credentials of Jesus Christ as the bona fide Son of God and our undisputed Rock of Ages will then have been finally vindicated … forever.  We do not only stand on His promises; no, we fall prostrate on the promises of God, the Rock of Ages.  Where else can we go?  Only He has the Words of Life.    

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Standing On The Promises  

(R. Kelso Carter, 1849-1928)

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

Thru eternal ages let His praises ring;

Glory in the highest I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ my Lord,

Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong accord,

Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,

Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,

List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,

Resting in my Savior as my all in all,

Standing on the promises of God.

CHORUS

Standing, standing,

Standing on the promises of God my Savior;

Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

  

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.     Peterson, John W. (1968)   Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Standing On The Promises’. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

Cleanse Me

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

Mankind will not be reasoned out of the feelings of humanity.

-       Sir William Blackstone, 1723-1780.

   The human race was not worth dying for, so Christ came from Heaven to die for us … to make us worth dying for.  Nobody today can deserve Heaven (or Salvation) on the basis of good works or an exemplary life … had that been possible, all the work of Jesus Christ, including His sacrifice at Calvary and resurrection in Gethsemane, would have been in vain. If we really could earn our Salvation, we would not have needed it anyway … we would then have qualified automatically on the grounds of personal merit. 

   Our legal position has been clarified, i.e. justified by faith in Christ; but, our moral condition still clamours for something better, something nobler, something purer … hence the prayer: “Cleanse me O Lord, and know my heart today!”  The born-again child of God will not rest until his/her moral condition has been brought on par with his/her legal position in Christ.  This is the basis of all sanctification.  We may never attain it in this life, but what spiritual exertion may bravely have failed to attain, the blood of Christ will ultimately accomplish.  Our final hope is on Christ, not on our own treacherous selves. 

   It has been said, “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on!”  While the hounds of hell are haunting and taunting the faithful, ridiculing their hope and faith in that humble Carpenter from Nazareth, while the dogs of dissent and unbelief are harassing the gullible and naive masses in the madding crowd with their anti-gospel of  ‘Atheism-Evolutionism’, the faithful sheep of the Good Shepherd nevertheless pray undisturbed, their eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of their Faith, Jesus Christ:  “Cleanse Me O Lord!” Amen.  

YouTube 

Cleanse Me

(J.Edwin Orr, 1912-1987/Maori melody, Arr. by Norman Johnson, 1928-)

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.

See if there be some wicked way in me:

Cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within.

Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame;

Grant my desire to magnify Thy Name.

Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine;

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender, Lord in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;

Send a revival ‒ start the work in me.

Thy Word declares, Thou wilt supply our need;

For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.     Peterson, John W. (1968)   Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Cleanse Me’. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Christ Returneth!

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

A physician can sometimes parry the scythe of death, but has no power over the sand in the hourglass.

-       Hester Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale), 1741-1821.

   There will come a day that the Creator and Curator of the Universe will come down the illustrious staircase of the Milky Way with the grace of a swan, yet with the roar of the Lion of Judah, and rattling the keys of Eternity:  “Gentlemen, it’s closing time!”  The sands of time will have run out, the end will have come and Christ will have returned. After all, Jesus has given us His word:

   Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.  (Revelation 1:7-8 ASV).

  How well I still remember Pastor Hannes Labuschagne singing this beautiful hymn solo (during the seventies) in Church one morning in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.  This charming Churchillian figure, modest in physical stature but a spiritual warrior and preacher with a booming, stentorian baritone of a preaching and singing voice.  His mother had died in 1920, when he was only four years old, pledging the little boy to God.  Three months later his father followed in her steps, overcome with grief.  The children were split up like dispensable puppies and disseminated to next-of-kin to be looked after and raised.

   During his university years at Stellenbosch and dormitory rooms had to be evacuated during recess, he often had had nowhere to go, and had to spend many vacations sleeping in a friend’s pantry while he parried the heartache of his missing family translating Andrew Murray’s works from English to Afrikaans, simultaneously earning some pocket-money for the next semester on campus.  He was a formidable, exciting and cultured orator, passionately in love with Christ and with the cosmic romance of the Second Coming.  Sadly, he was killed during the eighties in a bus accident while returning from an evangelistic campaign in Namibia.  Surely this story must resonate with many a reader who must have had the same type of experience one way or the other.   

   Today I echo H.L. Turner, James McGranahan (and Hannes Labuschagne's) vision and prayer: “O Jesus how long, ere we shout the glad song ‒ Christ returneth … hallelujah! Amen!”

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Christ Returneth!

(H.L. Turner, 19^th Century/James McGranahan, 1840-1907)

It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,

When sunlight thru darkness and shadow is breaking,

That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory

To receive from the world His own

It may be at midday, it may be at twilight,

It may be, per chance, that the blackness of midnight

Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory

When Jesus receives His own.

While hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven descending,

With glorified saints and the angels attending,

With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory,

Will Jesus receive His own.

O joy! O delight! should we go without dying,

No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying,

Caught up thru the clouds with our Lord into glory,

When Jesus receives His own.

CHORUS

O lord Jesus, how long Ere we shout the glad song ‒

Christ returneth! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen, Hallelujah! Amen.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.     Peterson, John W. (1968)   Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Christ Returneth!’. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

He Lives

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

    If there were no other proof of the infinite patience of God with men, a very good one could be found in His toleration of the pictures that are painted of Him.

-       Thomas Merton, b.1915.

  C.S.Lewis once remarked that, if people were born without eyes, they would not even have known that the Universe was dark.  Likewise, if the Universe had had no meaning, we would not have known that it had no meaning.  We know today that the Universe has meaning exactly because the Universe has meaning (otherwise we would not have known).  This is an exciting concept … one of the many reasons it is good to be alive, and, on top of that, good to be able to know that one day we will come face to face with the One who had died for us and redeemed us with His precious blood.  With Alfred Ackley I want to boldly proclaim: “I see His hand of mercy, I hear His name of cheer!”   

  

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He Lives

(Alfred H. Ackley, 1887-1960)

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His name of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He’s always near.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,

And tho my heart grows weary I never will despair;

I know that He is leading thru all the stormy blast,

The day of His appearing will come at last.

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!

The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find,

None other is so loving, so good and kind.

CHORUS

He Lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life’s narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.     Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.

2.     Peterson, John W. (1968)  Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘He Lives’. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.