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                    ||                       How beautiful on the mountains
                    ||                       are the feet of those ... who
                    ||                       proclaim salvation, who say to
                                             Zion, "Your God reigns!"
          Pastor RALPH & GENE ANN WOOD                  --Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)
          E-mail:  randg.wood@encode.com
          FRESH MANNA, 10/12/1997 ............................ JOHN 1:12-13
             But to as many as received Him-- to those who believed in His
          name-- He gave them [the] right to become children of God; who
          were born, not of [natural] descent, nor of [the] will of [the]
          flesh, or of [a] husband's will, but of God.
                                                      --JOHN 1:12-13 (RLW)
             Yesterday we received a local newspaper.  On page 1 is a
          report titled, "Man wants God ousted from council".  This report
          states that, in a town nearby, a resident has taken the town
          council to court, "... contesting town council's right to recite
          the Lord's Prayer before meetings".  The article goes on to say
          that the town council has begun to receive support from their own
          residents, and from other town councils.
             As we often say, Canada is actually named the "Dominion" of
          Canada, and our Latin motto would translate, "From Sea to Sea".
          History-minded readers will know these were specifically chosen
          to refer to Scripture understood to describe the 1,000-year reign
          of Christ--   "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and
          from the river to the ends of the earth" [PSALM 72:8 (KJV)]; and,
          "His dominion [shall be] from sea [even] to sea, and from the
          river [even] to the ends of the earth" [ZECHARIAH 9:10b (KJV)].
          This would support the town council's side of the court case;
          especially since the very existence of the whole institution of
          government is ordained by God (see ROMANS 13:1-7).  Indeed, many
          Christians would like to see all public bodies open their council
          meetings with prayer.  Yet spiritually speaking, who -does- have
          the "right" to say the Lord's prayer, to approach God as His
          child, saying with love, "Our Father, who art in heaven ..."?
             Our Scripture answers this question:-- those who have accepted
          Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and have undertaken to confess
          (and serve) Him as Lord.  These are the ones God adopts as His
          children.  These are the people the Holy Spirit inspires to call
          God, "Abba, Father" (ROMANS 8:13-16, GALATIANS 4:4-7].  And isn't
          this just the relationship with God we most want people to have?
          So although some readers will conclude one thing, others another,
          about prayer at council meetings; since we all want them to have
          the right to pray the Lord's prayer, let us -all- pray, and work
          zealously to win people to receive Jesus, to believe in His name;
          so that many may truly come to be saved, to be born of God, and
          to know God as their Father!  Praise Him!   --RLW
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