Dear Partner,

We all know that Jesus is the light of the world. In fact the bible says God IS light, and in Him is no darkness at all. [1 John 1:5] But we sometimes forget that Jesus also said that we, His disciples, are also the light of the world.

Mat 5:14-15   Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

In every generation Christians are to let the life of God shine as a bright light into this fallen world. The whole world is in darkness to this very hour. Only those who have been born again are delivered out of that darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

Col 1:13   Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

The age we are living in is very dark indeed. As I see current events unfolding in our own nation, as well as around the world, I am reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah when he said by the Holy Spirit:

Isa 5:20   Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

In this generation we see our political leaders declaring alternate lifestyles to be good … when God calls those lifestyles sin. God defined the concept of marriage in the Garden of Eden when he created Adam and Eve. The "intellectual" leaders of our day want to redefine marriage as being something totally aberrant to God's clear plan for mankind. This kind of thinking goes all the way back to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Do you remember what the tempter said?

Gen 3:5   For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

In plain words the tempter was saying, "You will no longer have to rely upon God to know what is good and what is evil. You will be as gods and you can decide for yourself what is good and what is evil." We see that happening in our generation. I am concerned about our children growing up in this present realm of darkness because unless they are schooled in the word of God they will have no way of knowing what is truly good and what is truly evil. Lots of parents use the TV as a babysitter. Many of the commercials on TV display women so scantily clothed that a generation ago those same images would only have been seen in pornography magazines.

We see our government leaders doing all they can to turn our nation toward Socialism, a system that has failed in every country where it has been tried. We see the mindset of the people being reprogrammed little by little to rely upon the government as their source of supply, rather than the principles our nation was founded upon such as … "In God We Trust." Hard work, frugal living, saving for the future … all of these concepts are taking the back seat as the mindset of instant gratification and entitlement are moving forward.

What are we, as Christians, supposed to do? We are to be light in the midst of the darkness. The darker things get around us, the brighter we are to shine. More and more it should be easy to see the difference between the Christian and the non Christian. We are to let the light and life of God shine brightly through us so those still lost in darkness can find the way out through Jesus Christ, the only Savior! Will the world love us for shining as bright lights? On the contrary, Jesus said,

John 15:18-20   If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Most of the world will reject the light. Most of the world will hate us and revile us. But the good news is, our heavenly Father is watching. Listen to what Jesus says about His lights in the world,

Mat 5:10-12   Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Sue and I love you and appreciate you.   We thank God for your generous and giving heart.   God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

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