Library Resources For Web-Marketing Designs
Library Business Market
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Special Proclamation Prayer for Today
Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Your Word declares that if we, Your people, who are called by Your
name, will humble ourselves and pray and seek Your face and turn
from our wicked ways, then will You hear from heaven and You will
forgive our sin and will heal our land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)
We bow before Your sacred throne and humbly ask Your
forgiveness for the sin of idolatry! Your word demands; “Thou shalt
have no other gods before Me”, yet we have, under the banner of
pluralism and hedonism, embraced and worshipped the gods of
this world. Take us back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
(Exodus 20:3)
Through moral and spiritual compromise and complacency, we have
allowed our nation to conform to the ways of the world by turning
away from our spiritual roots found in Your Word.
(Romans 12:2)
Our silence has produced a secular nation and all nations that forget
You, shall be forsaken. We ask that You hear our cry, for we need
You, in these desperate times, to lead us out of our politically correct
fog of constant confusion and take us back to Your moral clarity.
(Psalm 9:17)
O Lord our God, King of the Universe, we confess that America
cannot survive without Your presence. Your statutes founded this
blessed land and we look to You, Father God, to preserve it, for
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
(Psalm 33:12)
As commanded in scripture, we pray for all who are in authority
who govern our nation; may their decisions be led by the perfect
compass of your Holy Word which clearly discerns right from wrong.
(I Timothy 2:1-3)
O Lord our God, You have promised to raise up righteous leaders
into high places and to remove those who have displayed unrighteous
authority. We earnestly pray that You will once again exalt the
righteous and expose the deeds of the ungodly.
(Proverbs 14:33-35)
America must have spiritual renewal for moral survival! In this
season of prayer, we unite in humble heartfelt hope and ask that You
forgive us and deliver us from the folly of our transgressions. Guide
and sustain our nation as we turn from our sin and return to You,
the God of our fathers. (Psalm 51:1-17)
The time has come to declare our trust in You to heal our land.
(2 Samuel 22:2-4; Psalm 5:11-12; Psalm 57:1-3)
We pledge to exercise our God given rights of “life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness” in voting for future leaders from the county
courthouse to the White House who obey and honor Your Word.
(Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 119:44-48; Psalm5:11)
We pledge to vote the Bible in selecting those that will govern our
country. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20)
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, for You are good and Your mercy
endures forever. We petition heaven with our united prayers as we
seek Your blessing, Your peace and Your protection for America.
(I Chronicles 16:34; Numbers 6:22-26; Romans 15:13;
Psalm 5:11)
May the Lord our God, be with us, as He was with our forefathers;
may He not leave us or forsake us; so that He may incline our hearts
to Himself, to walk in all His ways... that all peoples of the earth may
know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.
(1 Kings 8:57-60)
Amen
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Hebrews 12:2 "...Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..."

TURN ON THE VENTURES GLOBAL MARKETING NETWORK BUSINESS SYSTEM

Discover Startling New Truth from the Baugh Creation Museum
Library resource for faith and marketplace issues, click here
Business Course Shows Anyone How to Become Affiliate Champion
This FREE business course shows anyone how to become a
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Most affiliates start wrong with their business plan and then just keep adding to that.
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NOTE: Click on the book cover and scroll down to
Site sell University
on the left hand side to take this FREE course, and download your FREE copy for your business library, TODAY!
Web marketing library for business success
What's the most important part of Web marketing for business success? Put God first.
Just about every marketing guru agrees... it's having your own proprietary product. And here's
the good news...
That product lies somewhere in this business library, but most importantly it lies within you... but you're
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NOTE: Click on the book cover and scroll down to
Sitesell University on the left hand
side to take this FREE business library course.
Send a blank email with MASTERS (ALL CAPS) in the subject line.
Or send an email from our Home Page
No matter what you sell on the Net...
If you want to sell more, write better.
Use the right words. Because
Words sell, not graphics or technology.
Once you know how, it's simply not that hard.
And after you finish this FREE business library course,
you will know how.
NOTE: Click on the book cover and scroll down to Sitesell University on the left hand side
and download your FREE copy, OR contact us on the Ventures in Success Home page.
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Try out the award-winning graphics software from Xara.
Xara offers a graphics creation solution for all skill
levels, from the template-based web
graphics package Xara Webstyle, to the supremely fast illustration and photo composition
tool Xara Xtreme. There’s also a dead easy NavBar & Menu creator and a nifty 3D screensaver maker.
What they all have in common is a user interface your granny could use, and top quality graphics
output...and a great value price.
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Develop pricing for your New Product from your web Library
What's worse than pricing an existing or new product badly? Wasting a year and a lot of money
developing a product that no one will pay for!...
Do you have an idea for a new product?
Need to find some other idea in the business library or discover a huge secret of top companies...
do a feasibility study. You could save yourself a ton of time and money... or you could confirm exactly
how powerful your idea really is!
This business library course is also FREE!
NOTE: Click on the book cover and scroll down to Sitesell University on the left hand side
and download your FREE library course copy.
Service Sellers....By services, don't necessarily think of Net-related services like programming or
Web site designs. You could be...
a landscape designer
a cartoon artist
an import/export specialist for Germany
an investment specialist in Brazilian bonds
an expert in Japanese netsuk
an accountant with special knowledge of tax havens
a copywriter a trainer (of just about anything!)
The possibilities are endless.
And whether your clients are "local" (ex., a fitness trainer) or "global" (someone who indexes books)
in nature, the Service Sellers Masters Course in our business library shows you how to use the Net to build
a client base in a fast, cost-effective way. Your business success depends on it!..
Click on the book cover above to download your FREE business library copy
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Six-time world middleweight karate champion and action film star Chuck Norris loves America. But he isn't afraid to face reality: "America," he says, "seems to have lost its way. As a people, we seem more divided than ever before. Switch on the television and it's clear we've lost our moral compass.
Our economy, once celebrated as a guarantor of freedom and prosperity, now seems corrupted by greed, materialism, and uncertainty. Other countries that used to envy us, now despise us. We seem to have lost not only our sense of ourselves but of our place in the world." But he is far from giving up -- and that's why he wrote Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America.
Here is Norris' brightly written guide to how we can stop being what he calls "One Nation, Divided, and Without a Clue," and once again become a nation that acknowledges our Creator, values human life, and honors and cares for the family -- a nation with secure borders, free from the national nightmare of debt, physically fit, and with liberty and justice for all.
Norris, in sum, envisions a nation of people who are aware of and true to the noble principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Ten Commandments (each of which he includes here in an appendix).
"It doesn't take many people to foster a revolution," says Norris.
"Jesus did it with twelve disciples. George Washington did it with his few suffering troops at Valley Forge. And we can do it today. We can set a new direction for America with people like you and me, who through our efforts in our communities and at the ballot box and in our personal lives can make this country everything it should be, everything our nation's Founders wanted it to be. America has fallen asleep at the wheel and it's time for her to wake up before it's too late. It's up to us: and this book is my way of showing where we can start."
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God created us with a need for intimacy with Him. And the way to find intimacy with the Father is through close communion with the Son. When we walk daily with our Lord Jesus, we reach a place where God begins to truly reveal Himself. His designs for man are ever-lasting and permanent.
A landmark teaching by Pastor Benny Hinn
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In this powerful and often funny teaching on redemption,
Jesse Duplantis explores God's great love for us as he studies
John 3:16 and reveals four major points
that are crucial to understanding salvation. (DVD)
Jesse Duplantis will inspire you to put God first and pursue those "Impossible Dreams" as you focus on the
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Mark 10:27. (DVD)
HOW ?
Through strong preaching and hilarious stories, Jesse Duplantis will help you to discover why you should...always be true to your own individuality, reveal your true identity to others, and serve Christ in the "lilttle" things... and much more. (DVD)
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Jesse Duplantis will help you to understand the power of Christ that lives within you. Learn how to follow the Word of God, speak to lilfe's storms, and defeat the enemy's attacks on your life. (DVD)
You have a responsibility to live right. And the only way to
accomplish right-living is through companionship with Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. With Jesus in your life, your future can be brighter
than the noon-day sun! Health, prosperity, and great relationships
with your family...Jesus can make it happen for you.
Get Excited About Your Future...!
This powerful message by Cathy Duplantis will challenge you to rise up to a higher level in God. Miracle manifestations occur when you take charge of your future by agreeing with God's Word and staying excited about God's good plan for your life...
Blue Letter Bible Resource Tool.....................................................................................
THE BIBLE
"It says so in the Bible,” said the four-year-old boy. “What’s the Bible?” asked his bewildered friend.
“It’s a big book with lots of stories that tells all about what God has done.”
You won’t get a much better description of the Holy Bible, the Christian Scriptures:
- a big book
- with lots of stories
- that tells about what God has done.
Actually, the Bible is made up of 66 individual books that tell us what God has done—through the
words of more than 40 authors, in three languages and across more than 1500 years of composition.
It also tells us what God is doing, and what he will do in the future. It’s one of the main ways by which
God has chosen to reveal himself to humanity. It has been translated into hundreds of languages, and
millions of copies of the Bible are printed, purchased and distributed every year.
MIXED MESSAGES
Have you ever read the Bible? Did it make sense? Or did you get lost in the ‘thee’s, ‘thou’s, ‘behold’s
and ‘yea, verily’s? Some people say that whenever they are troubled they just sit down and open the
Bible and find tremendous comfort and encouragement. But others can’t make head or tail of what’s
happening: people “begetting” each other, an angry God wiping out whole
cities of apparently innocent people, someone walking on water, another one getting thrown into it and
then being swallowed by a fish.
Some preachers seem to be able to make the Bible say who should be elected to government, what God
says about the latest fashion, when “the end of the world” is going to occur, and what sort
of car we should drive. No wonder people stay away from church!
IT’S A BOOK
First things first.
The Bible is a book.
Indeed, Bible simply means “book”. That’s why it’s been known as “the good book”. It’s actually a
collection of books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. These books were written by
different authors at different times for different purposes and in different styles. The books of the Bible
include narrative (stories), poetry, song, history, prophecy, and something called “apocalyptic” literature
which doesn’t even exist anymore. Here’s an outline of the Bible’s
contents:
The Old Testament
Law
The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
Writings
Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther,
Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Chronicles
Prophets
Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
The New Testament
Gospels<./B>
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Acts
The Acts of the Apostles
Epistles
Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John,
and Jude
Apocalypse
The book of Revelation
So, what are “testaments” and why does the Bible have an old one
and a new one?
“Testament” in the context of the Bible means “agreement” or “covenant”. The Old Testament
records events and prophecies from the time of the creation of human beings in God’s image to
about 400 years BC (Before Christ). It focuses on God’s
interaction and covenant with the people of Israel. The New Testament gives us the accounts
of Jesus
Christ’s birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection—the introduction of a “new covenant”
—followed by the story of the early years of the Christian church.
Much of this story is told via letters written to the churches by leaders such as Paul, Peter
and James. It concludes with the Apocalypse or book of Revelation.
It’s important to remember that within all these books and letters there is a wide variety of literary
styles; it’s about as much use reading the whole Bible as a story (or a prophecy or a history lesson or
“how-to” guide) as it is to read a bus timetable like a repair manual or an advertising billboard
as a history text!
Okay, so it’s a book. There are lots of books in the world—even old books, like the Bible.
What makes this one so apparently special?
This book claims to be the inspired Word of God.
It would be one thing to
consider the Bible as a book that people over time chose to say was inspired by God,
but it actually makes that claim of itself. The apostle Paul (who started out his public life as a
violent enemy of the Christian church)
wrote this to his young protégé, Timothy,
around 66 AD: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Around about the same time, one of
Jesus’ original disciples wrote this: “Above all, you must
understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were
carried along by the Holy Spirit”
(2 Peter 1:20-21).
Many passages in the Old Testament claim to be a record of what God
said to his servants.
(See Exodus 20:1; Leviticus 1:1, 27:34, Numbers 1:1; Deuteronomy 1:1, Joshua 1:1 as examples.)
The people who wrote the Bible—and remember most of them never knew each other, their lives being
spread across 1500 years and three continents—actually believed that what they wrote was inspired by God.
Big deal? Well, yes,
because it actually turns out that what they wrote is consistent. They were not a bunch of rabid
individualistic dreamers who thought they had figured out the
meaning of life; what they wrote in their own
times, cultures and circumstances—independent of the other authors—actually makes consistent sense.
That’s worth paying attention to.
The Bible’s claims of inspiration do not prove that it is inspired, of course. Other books also do that:
the Koran and The Book of Mormon to name two. But the Bible’s claims are presented not in a context
that demands blind faith, but in one that invites historical and literary investigation; we find the Bible’s
historical record to be accurately reflected in secular histories and archeology.
One of the most compelling things to consider about the Bible is its impact on human history and individual
lives. Christianity migrated around the world, across cultures and throughout 2000
years. Millions believed and testified to the words of Scripture and the presence of God
in their lives as a result of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and
piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible
has changed lives—and continues to today. There are many good books about how to live well, how to
change ourselves and how to do good things, but only the Bible has evidenced the power to transform people.
HOW DID WE GET THE BIBLE?
The Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, comes to us today as a result of the careful copying of texts
through successive generations by professional scribes who approached their task in the belief that
they were dealing with the words of God Himself. Comparisons of texts dating between the third
century BC and 900 AD reveal the integrity of the copying.
There are more New Testament documents available (from as early as the second century AD on
papyrus and parchment) than of any other literature of the period. The documents themselves
attest to being written within the lifetime of those who were witnesses to Jesus Christ’s life and
ministry on earth. The veracity and composition of the Old Testament was accepted by Christians
and Jews alike in the first century.
The New Testament “canon” (meaning those ruled as inspired by God as Scripture)
was completed about 95 AD. From this time on the 27 books were used widely throughout the church and most
were universally accepted as Scripture, but it was not until a church council at Carthage in 397
that the New Testament canon was confirmed officially.
SO, WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
The Bible’s central message is that God created us for a purpose, that human beings
have rejected Him and His purpose in favor of “doing our own thing”, that as a result we are cursed and cut
off from His divine power, but that in His mercy He has made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him.
That way is through Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, Immanuel—God with us.
The apostle John records that he wrote his Gospel account, “that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that by believing you
may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
Jesus Himself rebuked the religious Jews of his day, saying, “You diligently study
the Scriptures
[the Old Testament] because you think that by them you possess eternal life.
These are the Scriptures
that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life” (John 5:39-40).
The apostle Paul was insistent that the Christian message was about how
God had fulfilled His promises in the Old Testament in the coming of
Jesus of Nazareth: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called
to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel He promised beforehand through
His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son ...”
(Romans 1:1-2).
“Gospel” means “good news”, and that’s exactly what the Bible is. The good news of what God has done for us in
Jesus Christ. “The Bible is old; yet it is ever new. It is the most modern book
in the world today,” said Billy Graham. “There is a false notion that a book as ancient as the Bible
cannot speak to modern needs. People somehow think that in an age of scientific achievement, when
knowledge has increased more in the past 25 years than in all preceding centuries put together, this
ancient Book is out of date. But to all who read and love the Bible, it is relevant to our generation”
(Graham, B., (1998), Foreword to What the Bible is All About - NIV edition, by Mears, H.C., (1998), Regal Books.
True, the Bible does take some getting used to. That’s why it’s good to read a modern-language version
(one without the ‘thee’s and ‘thou’s). But don’t let the unfamiliar style deter you. It’s got a message that
spans recorded human history. Its ancient words speak clearly to life today. It offers hope, meaning and
purpose. It challenges. It inspires. And you can trust it. So why not give it a go?
Using a modern-language version of the Bible (e.g., New International Version, Living Bible, New Living
Translation, Good News Bible, The Message), take a moment to read and reflect on Ephesians 2:1-10
(part of an early church letter in which the author, Paul, gives a succinct presentation of the reality of the
human condition and God’s response to our need). How would you summarize Paul’s message?
THE MESSAGE …
“In the beginning God ....” That’s how the Bible starts. It concludes with:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”
In those first four and last 11 words we are given a framework for reading and understanding
the whole book.
Fundamentally, the Bible introduces us to Someone. Someone from whom we can gain an understanding
about who we are, why we are the way we are, where we’re going, and how to get there. Someone who claims
personal involvement with those things. Someone who has chosen to make himself known to us. The story the
Bible tells is HIS story. The words in this book are about God.
They are words about God for us.
Why?
Because as the Bible tells us about God it tells us about our world and the human condition,
it tells us about ourselves and our relationships with others, it tells us about the past, the present and
the future. Most importantly, it tells us that God loves us and that in the
person of Jesus Christ He has personally entered our existence to make things
right in a world in which things are so obviously not right.
But the Bible also tells us that each of us has a part in what God is doing—each of us is
invited to consider his words for us and what He offers us. We are asked to respond, not just read. How that
message unfolds is both exciting and sobering, liberating and confronting, rewarding and challenging ....
A COMMUNICATING GOD
When we discuss the message of the Bible we are discussing God’s own message to us. It is
through that message—as well as through the creation and through Jesus Christ’s presence on
earth—that he has chosen to reveal himself to us. It’s important to retain that perspective as we read.
The biblical writers consistently appeal to God’s own authority, inspiration, guidance or direction.
There are reportedly nearly 4,000 variations of the phrase, “The word of the Lord came to me,
aying ...”. Indeed, parts of the Bible read as direct words from God:
“I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior”
(Isaiah 43:11).
“I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God”
(Isaiah 44:6).
God’s intentional revelation of himself to humanity is central to both the Old and
New Testaments.
In the Old Testament we have essentially five things happening:
- God creates;
- God makes a “covenant” (another word for “testament” meaning an agreement
or “deal”) with a group of people he selects for his purpose;
- these chosen people (the nation of Israel) cannot live up to the terms of the deal;
- they suffer the consequences;
- but through a series of prophets God promises a “new deal”– this time not just
for a special, chosen group, but for all people.
Then, in the New Testament we meet the new deal in the flesh; we learn about how this new agreement
is lived out in our lives; and we anticipate its future fulfillment. This admittedly oversimplified
introduction to the message of the Bible nevertheless points up an important truth: if we read the Bible we
can come to know God. That gives pause for thought. But there’s more! Knowing color="red">God
is more than knowing about God.
God has chosen not simply to
communicate about Himself, He has chosen to communicate Himself as a real and vital part of our lives.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power
and divine nature
—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse”
(Romans 1:20).
God wants us to know Him. And He’s deliberately made the otherwise impossible—knowing God—
possible.
The Bible’s message doesn’t just tell us about God, it tells us that God
wants us to get to know him personally. Part of that process involves coming to better know ourselves—and
part of that involves seeing ourselves in relation to our creator and sustainer.
We were made to know God. That’s what’s missing in our lives, and in our world.
That’s what the Bible is telling us. The Bible consistently presents God as a
communicating God. He is shown throughout as taking the initiative to
make Himself known to a world otherwise unable to come to know Him personally.
“Down the ages, theologians and ordinary Christian believers alike
have had no hesitation in speaking about God in personal terms,”
writes theology professor Alister E. McGrath. “For example, Christianity
has ascribed to God a
whole series of attributes—such as love and purpose—which seemed to have strongly personal associations”
(McGrath, A.E., (1994), Christian
Theology, An Introduction, p.207, Blackwell Publishers).
In the creation account in the book of Genesis God is shown talking with Adam and
Eve, personally caring and providing for their needs. When they reject Him, he removes them from the
paradise in which they had lived with Him.
Through the story of the Garden of Eden and the symbolism of “the tree of life” and the “tree of
the knowledge of good and evil”
(Genesis 2-3), we are told that human beings now live with death as the result of
the sin of Adam and
Eve: “... Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death
came to all men, because all sinned ...” (Romans 5:12).
Later, God speaks with Noah, using him to save
one family from God’s
punishment for the evil that had spread across the earth. He then “covenants”
(“makes a deal”) with
Noah to never destroy all earthly life. Sometime around the 19th century BC, God
speaks to a 75-year-old man living around the location of modern-day Iraq and tells him, “‘Leave your
country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I
will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you
will be a blessing .... and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you’” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Throughout the next 100 years of his life, Abram (whom God renames Abraham later)
and his sons,
Isaac and Esau, become part of an unfolding drama setting up the major story of the Old Testament.
It’s the story of the nation of Israel (taking its name from Abraham’s grandson Jacob, whom God
renamed Israel, meaning
“he struggles with God”. Israel is hand-chosen by God for His
purposes. From the mighty nation of Egypt (most likely in the 15th century BC), this desperate nation
of slaves are rescued from their oppressors under the leadership of a man called Moses, to whom
God had spoken. Once He has rescued them, God speaks through
Moses to make a covenant—a deal—with them (Exodus 19-24).
Through a system of laws, sacrifices, a priesthood and annual worship festivals, God gives this nation
a unique identity in the world and a special relationship with him. In a world of far more powerful
and significant nations, and numerous gods and holy places, these rescued slaves are now God’s people
to whom he has made himself known as the one true God who is to be worshiped everywhere.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one,” Moses reminded the people. “Love the LORD
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
This passage, known as the Shema (Hebrew for “hear”), to this day occupies a central place in
Jewish worship. What it teaches is also fundamental to Christian belief and faith.
PROPHETS
The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel,
1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles span a period of about 1,000 years through which the varying
fortunes of Israel and the tribe of Judah are traced. We see them obeying God and then turning
away from Him. They try to live by the covenant made with their ancestors and fail. They build a
magnificent temple to God. The nation reaches its glory days in the time of King David and his
son, Solomon. But then their united kingdom
divides—the northern ten tribes separate from the southern kingdom of Judah (the kingly line). During these
turbulent times God speaks to the people of Israel and Judah through prophets like Elijah, Elisha, and Isaiah to
warn the people of the consequences of their sinfulness.
The prophets highlighted the social, moral, spiritual and political consequences of ignoring God. Through them
God again made clear His desire to be known and worshiped. But even in His warnings and punishment He
offered hope for the future as prophets like Isaiah are inspired to tell of a coming Messiah:
Immanuel, “God with us”, Isaiah predicts.
(Isaiah 7:14).
Israel and Judah failed to respond to the prophets God sent, and suffered awful punishment. In the 8th
century BC the mighty Assyrians carried off the northern 10 tribes, scattering them so that they were
no longer an identifiable people. Just over a century later Judah was taken captive by the Babylonian ruler
Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the city of Jerusalem and burned the prized and holy temple. Immediately
before and during Judah’s 70-year captivity, the prophets Jeremiah and then Ezekiel called on the people to
turn back to God. Despite the bleakness of the captivity and despite the people’s failure to respond, both
these prophets, like Isaiah, also looked ahead with optimism as God spoke to them a message of
restoration and hope in the future.
So too do the “minor prophets” (so-called because their messages are shorter than those of Ezekiel,
Jeremiah and Isaiah). The Old Testament closes with the people of God having fallen from their
covenant or “deal” with Him. Unsurprisingly, even the apparently straightforward standards God set for
living in righteous relationship with Him proved unattainable. Such is the reality of the human condition.
We simply aren’t worthy of God’s presence. “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’”
(Isaiah 55:8-9).
The lesson of the Old Testament is clear: if we are to experience the relationship with God for which we
were created, we are not going to be able to depend on our own efforts. It is in this environment that the
New Testament begins.
RESCUE!
The gospel writers Matthew and Luke give accounts of a baby being born to parents of no great station
in life, in an out-of-the-way place in Palestine, called Bethlehem. It was then part of a nation occupied by
a foreign power. But this child, they record, was not only fulfilling the words of the prophets about a messiah
(a rescuer or savior), but was none other than God in the flesh. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him
Immanuel’—which means ‘God with us’”
(Matthew 1:22-32).
Luke records an aged man called Simeon in Jerusalem taking up the child Jesus in his arms and praying: “...
[M]y eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation
to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”
(Luke 2:25-31).
The apostle John begins his account by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning .... The Word became flesh
and lived for awhile among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth”
(John 1:1-2, 14).
Each of the gospel writers clearly identify Jesus as God with us, God in the flesh. The author of the
letter to the Hebrews begins by saying: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son ...
” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
So what did this Jesus—the Messiah, the Son of God, God in the flesh, the Word—have to say?
What did he do?
What was his purpose in coming among us?
Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Mark tells of Jesus’
miraculous deeds, emphasizing him as the Son of God through what he did on earth. Luke wrote for
a non-Jewish audience, introducing Jesus as “a Savior suited to all”, God in the flesh expressing
sympathy, care and compassion for sinners.
The apostle John tells us plainly that he wrote “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”
(John 20:31).
Each writer is inspired by God to make clear that in Jesus God was making Himself known to humanity
—this time in the flesh, just like us. God had come alongside us to live with us, suffer with us and die for us.
Why to die for us?
Jesus’ own words explain: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through Him”
(John 3:16-17).
In giving His life for us, Jesus inaugurated the “new covenant” (“deal”) foreseen by the prophets
(see Jeremiah 31:31-34). “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured
out for you,” Jesus told the disciples at the last supper.
No longer was a system of perpetual animal sacrifices for sin going to symbolize right standing with God;
in Jesus God was taking care of sin “once for all”: “The death He died, He died to sin
once for all ...”
(Romans 6:10).
Jesus came to rescue us from our mortality and hopelessness. God personally came to restore us to
the relationship and purpose he created us for.
BACK FROM THE DEAD
But the gospels and the subsequent letters and accounts written by the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and
death (and even by those like Saul of Tarsus who initially opposed and attacked Christianity) tell of something
beyond Jesus’ crucifixion: they tell us that he rose from the grave after three days. “On the first day of the week,
very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the
stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they
were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look
for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while He was still in
Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the
third day be raised again’”
(Luke 24:1-7).
The resurrection is central to Christianity.
“If it could be said that the whole of the Christian faith stands or falls with any one claim, the claim that
God raised the crucified Jesus from the dead is that claim. Without faith in a risen and living Christ there
would be no Christianity. It was not Jesus’ ethical teachings and example or his noble death that gave birth
to the Christian church and made it spread; it was the news of his resurrection”
(Guthrie, S.C., (1994), Christian Doctrine - Revised Edition, p.271, Westminster/John Knox Press).
“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you
have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according
to the Scriptures ..."
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Later in the same chapter, Paul writes: “... Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those
who have fallen asleep. For since death came through one man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through
a Man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive”
(verses 20-22).
Jesus’ resurrection contains the promise for us of life beyond this physical existence: “By his power
God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also”
(1 Corinthians 6:14).
In His presence He atoned for the past and has made provision for the future. Our past and our future
is secured in His presence. This is the message that the early Christian church told and retold. In
Jesus Christ alone there is hope for humanity. Not because of anything any of us has done or can do,
but rather because of God.
God who has chosen to make Himself known to His creation to the point of humiliating Himself by
subjecting Himself to death on a cross so that He could demonstrate His perfect and complete love
for us and His desire to reconcile us to Himself. “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent
His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”
(1 John 4:9-10).
This love is called God’s “grace”: “...
[A]ll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace, through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus”
(Romans 3:23-24).
In a nutshell, that sums up the Bible’s message. God’s love for us is such that although our sin has
earned us nothing but death, in His goodness, mercy and grace He has personally not only made
Himself known to us, but He has also made a way for us to be “made right” with Him and to enjoy
His love and presence eternally—to truly live. “In the beginning God ....” It’s the start of a great story
that ends with these encouraging words:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”
...............................................................................................................................................
SECRETS TO SUCCESSFULLY STARTING YOUR
OWN BUSINESS
The American Dream is, and always will be, to come up with an idea, start a business
and become rich from your own efforts. Based upon this motivation, thousands of businesses fail
each year, due primarily to not being familiar with the basics involved in running a business.
This report will enlighten you, and give you a number of suggestions you can use to better
guarantee your chances for success. This report is written with the warning that any and every
business venture contains certain inherent risks, and any number of alternatives. We do not
espouse that any one way is the right way or that our suggestions are the only way. On the
contrary, we advise that before investing any money in a business venture, you seek counseling
and help from a qualified accountant and/or attorney.
Just about the first thing you should consider before deciding to start or purchase a
business is the legal form you'll be operating under. There are basically four choices: sole
proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, and/or corporation.
Each has a number of advantages and disadvantages. We'll try to enumerate some of them for
you.
As much as anything else, for many people starting a business is a form of
ego-gratification, and they form a corporation for some sort of prestige gain - just to say,
"I own a corporation."
With just a little bit of observation, you'll find that one of the major causes of business failures
is due to the founder wasting start-up capital on frills, such as an impressive store-front office,
expensive furnishings, and corporate legal costs.
One of the basic traits you must develop it you're going to be successful in business,
is a tight hold on your expenditures. In fact, a good rule of thumb is that anything that does not
make money for you or protect your investment, should not be purchased at this time. Very
definitely, this applies to the expense of setting up your own corporation.
Unless you have a partnership and start your business as such, the only real advantage to
forming a corporation would appear to be that a corporate structure will semi-protect the property
you personally own.
As an example, you own a home and car. You form a corporation to protect these
possessions from business losses. Yet, if you can be found guilty of misusing corporate funds,
your business creditors can pierce the corporate shield and come after your possessions.
Basically, if you invest everything you have in your business, as most newcomers do, you don't
usually need a corporation because you have nothing to protect. Your household possessions,
personal belongings, generally your car, and even a portion of the equity in your home is protected
by the homestead provision of the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and cannot be taken away from you.
As a sole proprietor or partner of a business you'll be paying taxes on your overall
earnings, much the same as if you were holding down a salaried or hourly paid job. Whether
you do or don't take out money as a salary will have no bearing on the earnings of your business
and tax return.
The often advertised advantage of incorporating, that you can manipulate your salary in order to
save on tax dollars, is real because of corporation laws. However, the IRS frowns on this
practice. When your business is successful and making a lot of money, definitely check with
your accountant on the advantages of incorporating.
As a corporation, you'll be subject to a number of other
drawbacks as well: generally
higher state taxes, stricter laws concerning the operation of your business, more elaborate
accounting procedures, and legal papers that are required just about every time you make a
major move or sign almost any contract. Thus, your legal and accounting fees will be much
higher as a corporation than will those required for a sole proprietorship type of business.
As a sole proprietor or partnership, you'll find many areas require the registration of your
business name. The cost however, is minimal, ranging from $5 to $100. About the best way
to find out what laws apply in your area, is to call your bank and ask if they need a fictitious
name registration card or certificate in order for you to open a business account.
Selecting a name for your business is quite important to you and particularly relative to
advertising. Your business name should describe the product or services you offer. Fancy
names such as, Linda's Clipping Service will lose potential "walk-in and passing" customers
to the beauty shop across the street that calls itself, Patti's Beauty Salon or Jane's Hair
Styling Shop.
The advantage of using your full name in the title of your business, such as Johnny
Jones' Meat Lockers, has that of making credit somewhat easier to come by - provided you pay
your bills on time - but it also includes the disadvantage of confining your services to a local or
at most, a regional area.
Should you buy, lease, or rent a space for your business? think twice before you make any
decision along these lines. Most businesses tend to grow quickly or they never get off the ground.
There are a few exceptions, but only a very few, that tend to grow at a modified rate.
So, buying a piece of property and setting up your business on or within that property, obligates
you to ownership regardless of what happens to your business.
Leases are almost always very strong contracts written by attorneys to the advantage of the
property-owner. When you sign an agreement to pay someone for the use of their space over any
length of time, you're "nailed in" to paying for that space regardless of what happens to your
business.
In the beginning, it's wise to either get the shortest-term lease possible, or arrange to rent
with an option to lease at a later date. This does not apply to a retail business, unless your
particular business happens to be an untried one.
Definitely, you should open a business bank account. In selecting a bank for your business, scout
around and look for one that can, and will help you. Determine what your banking needs will be,
and then via telephone, interview the managers of the banks in your area. The important convenient
bank to your business location.
A point to remember: the closer you can make the relationship between you and the bank
manager, the better your chances are going to be for approval on loans and/or special favors you may
need at a later date.
Try to become acquainted with as many of the bank employees as possible. The better you know
them, the more courtesies they'll be extending especially to you in the course of your association.
Just as a doctor is a specialist in his field, and you go to him for medical problems, your
banker is a specialist in his field and you should go to him for your money problems. In business,
you'll have to learn that everyone is an expert in his own line of work, and in your associations with
other business people, refrain from acting like a "sharpie" and/or pretending that you know exactly
how everything works in someone else' specialty.
You'll find that very often, different banks specialize in different types of businesses. As an example,
you're sure to find banks that specialize in real estate transactions, export-import businesses, and
even manufacturing operations only.
What I'm saying here is that if you're planning to sell fairly expensive item, your customers
will probably need and/or want financing. It will behoove you to select a bank familiar with your type
of product that will afford your customers, through you, contract financing.
Some of the questions you should ask of your banker include the following:
Is it necessary to maintain a certain balance in your account before the bank will approve a loan for
you? What qualifications must you have in order to obtain a line of credit with the bank?
Does the bank limit the number of loans, or types of loans it will approve for small businesses?
What is the bank's policy regarding the size of a check you might deposit that requires holding for
collection? And what about checks less than that amount - will they be immediately credited to
your account?
In almost all types of businesses, it will be to your benefit to set up with your bank, a
method of handling VISA, Master Charge, and regional credit cards. The important thing here is to
ultimately set up your account in the bank that will service all of these credit transactions for you
- one stop for all your banking needs. In most instances, you'll find that having the capability to fill
orders/make sales via credit card transactions, will increase your volume of sales appreciatively.
Once you've made the decision as to which bank is going to handle your account, you'll need your
Social Security Number or your Federal Employer's Identification Number, your driver's license,
the fictitious name certificate, and if you're requesting a VISA or Master Charge franchise, you'll
also need a financial statement.
For corporations, you'll also need a corporate resolution approving of the opening of your
business account. There are different policies exercised in just about every state regarding
installation/hook-up charges by the telephone and utility companies. Some require a deposit, and
some don't.
You'll find that a great number of city business license departments are there solely for the purpose
of collecting another tax. Depending on the type of business you're asking a license for, the building
and zoning people may inspect your premises for soundness of structure and safety. Generally, you
won't encounter any difficulties - you simply pay your fee to operate your business in that city, and
the clerk types your name onto a city license certificate.
Relative to sales tax permits and licenses, each state's rules and regulations very widely.
The best thing to do is call your state offices and ask for information concerning registry and
collection procedures. Many states require an advance deposit or bond, and you'll find that some
wholesalers or manufacturers will not sell to you at wholesale prices until you can show them your
sales tax permit or number.
Should your business entail selling your products or services across state lines, in another state,
you're not required to collect taxes except in those where you have offices or stores. You may find
also that your particular business requires the collection of
Federal Excise Taxes. For information
along these lines, check in with your local office of the Internal Revenue Service.
Some states also require certain businesses to hold state licenses, such as those
required in many states for TV Repairmen. These are known as "occupational permits" and
are most often required of barbers, hair stylists, real estate people and a number of other
consumer oriented businesses. If you have any doubts, check with your state offices for a list
of those occupations that require licensing.
Any business doing business in any type of interstate commerce is subject to federal regulations,
usually through the Federal Trade Commission. This means that any business that shops, sells or
advertises in more than one state is subject to such regulation, and this includes even the smallest
of mail order operations.
Normally, very few business people ever have and contact with the federal regulatory
agencies. The only exceptions being when there is a question of your operating your business
unethically or illegally.
Any business that sells or distributes food in any manner almost always requires a county health
department permit. If your business falls into this category, simply call the county health
department and invite them out to your place of business for an inspection. The fees generally
range from about $25, depending on the size of your business when they first inspect it for
permit approval.
There are also a number of businesses that require inspection by a fire Marshall, and fire
department approval. Generally, these are those that handle flammable materials or attract
large numbers of people, such as a theater. Overall, the local fire department has to be allowed
to inspect your premises whenever they desire to do so.
You may also run into a requirement for an air and/or water pollution control permit.
These specifically apply to any business that burns anything, discharges anything into the sewers
or waterways, or use any gas-producing product, such as a paint sprayer.
Without a doubt, you'll need to check on local regulations relating to advertising display signs.
Each city or township makes its own rules and then enforces those rules according to its own
thinking-check before you contract to have a sign made for your business.
The design and placement of your sign is very important to your business - specifically
to retail establishments - but let me remind you that your business sign is usually the first thing a
potential customer sees and as such, it should catch his eye and leave an impression that lasts.
It would be a good idea to ride around your town and take a look at the signs that catch your
eye, and try to determine the impression of the business that sign leaves on you. This is a basic
learning formula for determining the design, size and placement of your business sign.
Some of the other things to consider before opening for business- If you intend to employ one or
more employees, you'll be required to deduct Federal Income Taxes, and Social Security
payments from their checks. This will involve your filing for a Federal Tax Number and
necessitates contact with your local IRS Office.
Most states have "unemployment taxes" which will have to be deducted from the paychecks of
any employees you hire. And there are a number of states that have income taxes - disability
insurance - and any number of other taxes. Again, the best thing to do is check with your local
office of the IRS. And above all else, don't forget to ask for the rules of the minimum wage law,
and comply.
When your business grows to the point of needing additional help, don't be afraid to look
for and hire the help you need. when you're ready to hire someone, simply run an ad in your local
paper and/or register your needs with the local office of your state's employment service.
Businesses either grow or die, and those that grow eventually need more people in order to
continue growing.
When that time comes, hire the additional people you need, and your business will continue
growing. If you don't, for whatever reason, you'll find yourself married to your business and your
business growth stymied.
Regardless of how small your business is when you begin, never walk in with the thought
in mind that it's something to keep you busy. Anyone with an attitude of that kind is a fool. You
begin and make a business successful in order to realize financial freedom. Establish your
business. Put it on its feet, and then hire other people to do the work for you. And those
businesses that require an operations manager, or someone to run a phase of the business you're
too busy to handle, hire the person needed or the business will surely suffer.
To protect the investment of your business, you need business
insurance. If you've never had
any experience with business insurance, simply look under the heading of "business insurance"
in your phone directory. Ask for bids from several different companies or agents...Primarily, you
should have a policy that gives you general liability, fire, workmen's compensation, business
interruption, and vehicle coverage. You may also want coverage against possible losses related
to burglary, robbery, Life & Accident, Key Man, and Fidelity Bonds.
As the sole proprietor of a business, you won't be paid as an employee, so there will be
no income tax deducted from whatever you withdraw from the company's earnings. What you'll
have to do is a gain check with the IRS Office for a Tax Guide For Small Businesses Handbook,
and probably end up filing an estimated tax return on a quarterly basis.
The minute you open your doors for business, you'll have to spend some time engaged in the
work of bookkeeping. Exactly how, and using what forms, you keep books, should be on the
recommendations of a good tax counselor...The same holds true for your overall business and/or
payroll accounting system. Look for an experienced CPA that knows the accounting problems to
your particular kind of business, and solicit his advise/counseling.
If your business is going to involve the possible purchase or lease of operating equipment,
again seek the help of your tax counselor for the most advantageous method of obtaining the
needed equipment.
Basically, arranging for your suppliers to give you materials on
credit will depend upon your honesty
and personal financial statement. The best way is usually a personal visit to the person with the
power to approve or disapprove of credit at the company where you want to set up a credit account.
Show him your financial statement, and explain your prospects for success. Then assure him that
you've always honored all of your obligations, and that if ever there's a question or problem, you'd
like for him to call you at home. And of course, give him your home phone number.
We won't go into the exigencies of advertising your products, services or business here,
but there is something along these lines you should always keep in mind. The best kind of
advertising your business can receive is that you don't really pay for - publicity.
When something unusual happens to you, your business, or your employees - that's news, so be
sure to tell the news media in your area about it.
In closing, let me say that the most important ingredient of
your eventual success will be the soundness of the planning you did before you started your
business. Any number of bad things can really throw your business into a tailspin, but it you've
done your homework well - really set up a detailed business plan before starting - your losses or
setbacks will be minimal. Success takes planning, and within this report, you've got a basic
checklist...The rest is up to you...Good luck, and may your life overflow with success in all that
you undertake from this moment forward.
.................................................................................................................................
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