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Christ Our Peace
Beyond Today - Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow
“In an emotional address before the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council this week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the U.N. world body was worth less than “a hill of beans” for its inability to act decisively in deterring Russian atrocities in his nation. The U.N. charter commits itself to maintaining international peace and security, but again has shown utter incapability to preserve world order. Russia sits as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and has since the organization was founded in 1945.
Ironically, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upset the security of Europe. Food shortages in poor nations will inevitably arise later because of this action. Ukraine and Russia account for more than a quarter of world grain supplies in wheat. World order has been disrupted. The crisis mounts while leaders at the U.N. debate endlessly and listen to a leader working to save his country.
Outside the United Nations Building in New York City stands a famous statue of a man with a hammer beating a sword into a ploughshare. The name of the statue is “Let Us Beat Swords Into Ploughshares.” It’s a symbol of peace. The concept is taken from the book of Isaiah where it speaks of a time to come when Jesus Christ returns to earth with the Kingdom of God. Nations shall go to Jerusalem to learn the ways of God. It says, “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).
Ironically, this statue was a gift from the Soviet Union to the United Nations back in 1969. The sculpture portrays an ideal, based on a biblical truth. It was created at a time when the United States and Soviet Union were locked in a Cold War with the constant threat of nuclear conflict.
Peace is hoped for. Peace is talked about. But peace is not what we have.
I wrote to you last week about Christ our Passover. I would like you to think about that phrase again. Christ our Passover. He was sacrificed for us that we might have peace with God (1 Corinthians 5:7). Until individuals have peace with God through Christ’s shed blood there will not be peace on earth.
The inner struggles of our nature erupt into conflict, which may even rise to the level of war. It began when Cain raised his hand against his brother Abel, committing the first murder. It is what causes wars among nations. “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3).
Next Thursday night is the memorial of the Passover, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Think on this in the next few days. Whatever your belief or understanding of Jesus Christ, think on what Scripture tells us. Christ is our Passover. He died for the sins of humanity and is alive today. He is your King and through Him we can have peace. That is worth everything.
This short read from the “Introduction” in our booklet, God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind, will help you understand the value of the Passover of the New Testament and God’s festivals which outline His purpose to bring many sons to glory.” From: https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?e=72c729d811&u=1d04480cefc2e7c4492fe4a04&id=6b701a4cfa
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Passover: First of Seven Annual Festivals
Leviticus 23:4-5
“These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover.”
Leviticus 23 lists all of God’s commanded appointments—His annual festivals and Sabbath days (see our article “The Seven Feasts of the Lord”). The first of the annual festivals is the Passover, which the New Testament shows is a memorial of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins.
Learn more about the Old Testament and New Testament Passover in “Passover: What Did Jesus Do for You?” and related articles. Read more about all of the festivals and how they picture God’s plan of salvation in our free booklet From Holidays to Holy Days: God’s Plan for You.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/passover-first-of-seven-annual-festivals/?
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I’m a Christian, but I Don’t Keep Easter
“The Bible gives us instructions on how to worship God, Easter is not commanded there, but the Passover is... which will you observe?
Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/aZHITw3kJDI
[Darris McNeely] I'm a Christian but I don't keep Easter. I'm a Christian, and I keep Passover. Now, when I say the word Passover, you may think, "Well, that's Jewish. How can you be a Christian and keep what you consider think to be a Jewish festival Jewish holiday?" Well, very simply, very easily.
I read the Scripture, and I understand what it says and I understand what the Passover of the New Testament really is. And I see instruction for me to keep that and I don't see the instruction for Easter, and a lot of other holidays that have been substituted for God's Festivals. But for a moment, let's just focus on the Passover.
As I speak here, at this time, we're just a few days away from keeping the Passover, a very important service for a Christian. One who has given their life to God, to Jesus Christ, accepted His sacrifice and are a disciple. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is writing to a Gentile church in the city of Corinth, and he's giving them instructions about their life, but then also about keeping the Festival of the Days of Unleavened Bread. And in verse 7 of 1 Corinthians 5, he tells them, "Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump since you truly are unleavened." Now, that's a reference to putting out the leaven in anticipation of the seven days of unleavened bread, another festival, and keeping that with the unleavened bread of sincerity of truth. And he says, "For indeed, Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." Christ, our Passover.
There are many scriptures that talk about the Passover service. There's certainly Old Testament Scriptures that define what it was in the Old Testament. And there are New Testament Scriptures that define what it means in the New Testament under the New Covenant, how Christ kept it, and how the church was instructed to keep it. And this is one of those and it says that Christ is our Passover, sacrificed for us. In the New Testament Passover, we don't kill a lamb. We don't spread its blood on the doorposts as they did back in Exodus, at the time of the Exodus.
We keep the Passover with the symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but we keep the Passover. We keep the Passover because it points us to Christ who is our Passover. It's something that you should think about if you haven't before because, from the scriptures, we find that Christ is our Passover. And that's what I keep as a Christian. And I hope it will make you think if you're not already doing it, that that's what you should be doing instead of whatever you may be doing to worship God. Doing it this way is the godly way, the biblical way.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/im-a-christian-but-i-dont-keep-easter
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Take the Bread and Wine in a Worthy Way
1 Corinthians 11:27-28
“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
The bread and the wine of the New Testament Passover, representing Christ’s body and blood given in His complete sacrifice for our sins, are not something to take lightly. Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians give us a warning and advice about preparing for this meaningful memorial.
Baptized Christians are commanded to take the bread and wine, to recommit to our loving God and Savior. Examining ourselves will surely show how far we fall short of the perfection of our Savior, and how much we need His sacrifice and His help to overcome. We are not worthy and cannot make ourselves worthy.
Thankfully Paul is not talking about being worthy, but about approaching God in a respectful way. Seeking God’s forgiveness and help allows us to take these symbols in a humble, worthy way.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/take-the-bread-and-wine-in-a-worthy-way/?
Study more about Passover in our Fundamental Beliefs “12. The Passover” and our article “Passover: What Did Jesus Do for You?” See also “‘Examine Yourselves’: What Does It Mean to Be Disqualified?”
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IARC: Processed Meat Like Bacon Causes Cancer
“How did the meat industry, government, and cancer organizations respond to the confirmation that processed meat, like bacon, ham, hot dogs, and lunch meat, causes cancer?
YouTube: https://youtu.be/otx7pSrlIGs
Intro: The International Agency for Research on Cancer has published a report classifying processed meat like bacon, hot dogs, lunch meat as a Group 1 carcinogen. How has that revelation been received by governments and industry? And just how much cancer does processed meat cause? I’ll answer those questions in this two-part series.
“It is [perhaps] rare, in the history of nations, that one finds good reasons to render homage to the generosity and altruism of governments and those in power, but the birth of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) presents one of those rare occasions.” It all started with a single letter from a bereaved husband, relating the suffering of his wife after a cancer diagnosis, cascading into this open letter calling for governments to devote half of 1 percent of their military budgets to fight for life by attacking one of the greatest plagues that weigh on humanity. And 18 months later, the IARC was born in the World Health Organization. With what overarching motive? Cancer prevention.
The IARC is best known for its monographs––book-sized reports evaluating whether or not some suspected carcinogen does in fact cause cancer. They are generally accepted as close to as final word as there is on whether or not something is carcinogenic. And their 114th monograph, published in 2018, was on meat. After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, a Working Group of 22 experts from 10 countries, after considering more than 800 different studies, concluded their 500-page report by establishing that something like a burger or pork chop is probably carcinogenic; probably causes cancer. But processed meat was placed as a Group 1 carcinogen––the highest level of certainty––meaning that according to the best available evidence, the consumption of processed meat causes cancer.
So, that means foods like bacon cause cancer; ham, hot dogs, breakfast links, lunch meat causes cancer. But their definition also includes, for example, turkey deli slices. Specifically, eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer––cancers of the colon or rectum, the second most deadly cancer worldwide after lung cancer, which is caused largely from smoking. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death here in the United States as well, and it doesn’t just strike older people. It’s also a leading cause of cancer and death from cancer earlier in life as well.
The meat industry wasn’t happy, calling it a “dramatic and alarmist overreach.” Speaking of dramatic and alarmist overreach, one ag group in Italy sent out a press release: Just say no to terrorism on meat.
The gloves were off. The meat industry in Canada tried to pressure the government to cut off funds to the IARC, asking the Health Minister to pull all funding from the agency after they dared to question meat. And the U.S. meat industry did the same thing. It’s no surprise the IARC is under siege by corporate interests, trying to challenge their cancer evaluations on Monsanto’s Roundup pesticide and meat; trying to discredit the agency and undermine financial support. Internal documents have revealed that Monsanto scientists, for example, “casually discussing ‘ghost-writing’ scientific papers and suppressing any science that conflicts with the company’s assertions of safety.”
The chemical industry has joined the corporate cacophony, calling the IARC monographs “dubious and misleading.” These are classic strategies straight out of the tobacco industry playbook. “But there is little to suggest that, as a corporate actor, ’Big Tobacco‘ differs fundamentally from, for example, ’Big Booze’ or ’Big Food’.”
One recurring corporate talking point is that basically, the IARC never met a carcinogen it didn’t like. But the vast majority end up being categorized as just possibly carcinogenic, or there really aren’t sufficient data to make a determination either way. And look, they only spend time looking at substances for which there is already an existing body of scientific literature indicating a degree of carcinogenic hazard to humans. So, no wonder many of them end up, indeed, carcinogenic.
How did the IARC respond to all the criticism? The World Health Organization received a number of queries, expressions of concern, and requests for clarification following the publication of their meat and cancer report. They replied, hey, we never told anyone to stop eating processed meats—your body, your choice. They just indicated that reducing consumption of these products can reduce the risk of a leading cancer killer. So hey, you like cancer? You do you.
The IARC is just a research organization that evaluates the evidence on the causes of cancer; after that, what you do with that information is up to you. The American Cancer Society was nice and clear when it came to alcohol. When it comes to cancer, it is best not to drink alcohol. But they got a little more wishy-washy with processed meat, suggesting people can get away with just limiting their intake.
The European Commission was a little clearer. To reduce our risk of cancer, we should eat plenty of whole grains, pulses (which are beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils), vegetables and fruits, limit sugary, fatty, salty foods, and straight up avoid soda, sausage, and other processed meats. After all, in answering the question how much meat is safe to eat, the IARC replied that we don’t yet know whether a safe level exists, period.”
From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/iarc-processed-meat-like-bacon-causes-cancer/?
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