IS IT THE GUN OR THE MAN?

No one can say the shooting that recently took place in the state of Connecticut, USA is not a sad, sad tragedy. What was going through the mind of this young man that he would kill his own mother and then innocent children in a school?! Is it time for more government intervention on guns? Many would say, yes!!

Think about what makes someone do what this young man did? Yes, I am going to get religious and go to the Bible. Most people remember Cain and Abel. Here is what the Bible says about the FIRST MURDERER.  Genesis 4:3 - 10 “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.”

Here we have a brother murdering his own brother! This is a parent’s worse nightmare. Why did Cain do it? Firstly, Cain murdered Abel because Cain was mad at God. Cain had brought his offering but God refused it and Cain knew it. Secondly, Cain couldn’t really take it out on God for God was God so Cain turned his hatred toward his brother.

How did Cain kill Abel? It wasn’t with a gun; we know that. Murder can be committed in many ways for all it takes is the murderer to perform the act. Cain was not an atheist, agnostic or an evolutionist. No, Cain knew God in a very personal way for the Bible says God spoke to Cain and Cain spoke to God. However, it is easy to see that Cain did not have faith in God as his brother did for we read in Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”  Abel was right with God but Cain was not.

The Bible declares in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” and in Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. Sin was Cain’s problem and so it is with all men for all are born into this world hating God just as Cain.

It isn’t the gun but the man! Yes, the gun was used to murder these innocents but it was THE MAN that pulled the trigger! What is it that made really this man? What was his life composed of? Was he from a home that was composed of a loving mother and father? From the news he was from a home that had suffered a divorce. This is known to make life harder for children.

Then it needs to be considered whether he was a man that had partaken of drugs that are known to have an adverse effect on the mind? Was he man that was in the habit of evil thinking? Was he watching movies that would motivate him to such an action? Was he playing some of the video games that are now being produced that promotes killing? Was he a man that believed he was just a product of chance?

There are many other areas that must be considered but in the end it was not the GUN BUT the MAN! This whole incident isn’t just about the right to bear arms BUT it goes deeper than that. What had this man been taught about God, the world, man, life, death and eternity to name just a few!

The day in the United States is coming very quickly when the right to bear arms will be no more. However, it will not stop murder for as stated earlier it is NOT THE GUN BUT THE MAN! The man must be changed; 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”     

JUST RESTING OUR EYES!

Caleb's 2012 School Christmas Programme

CALEB'S 2012 SCHOOL CHRISTMA PROGRAMME
Caleb is in the 2nd row, third from left in red shirt
or just look for the cutest boy!

OUR THREE AUSSIE CUTIES!

    Caleb on the left, Joshua in the centre and Keirsten on the right! Do you think they are always this calm?                                    

DECEMBER 2012 NEWS UPDATE

Dear friends  thank you for taking time to read this Christmas post. 2Corinthians 8:9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” It seems almost impossible that Christmas is just a few weeks away and the world is once again scurrying about celebrating a “season” which they really know nothing about. To the world it is often called the “silly season” but to us which know personally the Saviour it is a time to rejoice in the fact that He “...made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” Philippians 2: 7-11.             

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had fourteen around the table with I Thessalonians 5: 18 positioned in prominent places in the kitchen and dining room to remind us that in EVERTHING, yes EVERTHING we are to thank Him! We gathered in a circle holding hands with each one giving thanks for something or someone and then David quoted I Thessalonians 5: 18 and then gave thanks to the Lord in prayer.  

Only the Lord knows what 2013 will bring and in many ways we are thankful for that. We could never imagine that 2012 would have Pam undergo open heart surgery and a pacemaker implanted in David. David has had no more fainting spells since the pacemaker was implanted for which we thank the Lord.            

Pam went to the endocrinologist again last month for her thyroid. He wants her to take some radiation medication to kill the nodules on her thyroid. He told her the percentage is in her favour that it will only kill the nodules and not the thyroid. However, she is putting off taking the medicine until after the grandchildren’s school Christmas programmes as she is not to be around anyone for a couple of days after taking it due to its radiation. The place where she goes to have the medicine administered is changing doctors as well so it may be in January when it happens. 

In closing this last epistle for 2012 we thank the Lord Jesus that He has allowed us to “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” here in Australia these past thirty four years. We also ask the Lord to give each of you a very blessed Christmas with the knowledge of God’s having given “his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It looks like our Christmas is going to be a HOT one. Summer began the 1^st of December and it was over 100 degrees that day.

We are certainly nearer His Coming than this time last year,

David and Pam

Pam took this beautiful rainbow after a rain shower.

Our October & November News Update

OCTOBER – NOVEMBER 2012

 

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” In this fast paced and ever changing world we who know the Lord NEED to reflect on, meditate on and practice this verse each and every day!

The month of October brought some sad news our way. Our Pastor’s eldest son’s wife passed away with cancer at the age of sixty-two. It is so hard to imagine life without the one you have walked so long through life with. Then Pam’s niece lost her husband with a heart attack. He was only fifty years old. Lastly David read online that an evangelist he had gone to college with had passed away in October at the age of sixty-eight. I suppose age makes one ponder more the words James wrote “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Each time I see the steam rise from the kettle when making a cup of tea I think of this verse.

The radio station in Dubbo is hopefully getting closer to being a reality. We are preparing the papers to send to the proper authority for a temporary broadcasting license. The station has also been approved as a deductible gift recipient by the Australian Tax Office which means gifts (donations) over $2 given to the station are tax deductible. We have also applied to the owner of a building in the city who has had a room for lease for many months to consider donating the room for to the station and they then could receive a tax deduction. We are still waiting on their answer. This room is not exactly what is needed for the studio but it would give us a place to begin. My desire is different from the others in the group as they have their likes but Pam and I desire that the Lord will use this medium to get the precious gospel out to a small part of this lost world in which we live.  

In November we make another trip to Sydney. I have an appointment at the Royal Prince Alfred for a two hour hearing and balance test. The next day the neurologist has referred me to an audiologist to hopefully determine what frequencies may be causing the buzzing static in the left ear. We can only wait and see (or is it hear?). The buzzing is not as frequent as it was several months ago for which I am very thankful. Pam has an appointment with the endocrinologist in Orange also in November. She must have some more scans done at radiology here in Dubbo before her appointment with the endocrinologist. He will be making an assessment on whether to kill her thyroid or not at this time. I guess most of these physical disorders have appeared due to the length of our days upon this earth.

We do rejoice and thank the Lord that most of our lives we have not had many physical ailments.
We will close this epistle with Psalm 71:18 “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.”  
Serving the Soon Coming Saviour,
David and Pam Bennett