Greetings with great joy dear Christian prayer force one,
I am very excited about the recent progress and the answers to prayer for all of us. Keep praying fervently because we are not there yet. I have faced many lies and false promises before here and I am truly trusting God to provide truth in these latest commitments by leaders.
A year ago Wednesday we did the Shang Hai Satellite TV program and here we are a year later hopefully getting a chance to see the kids. We need grace and please continue to petition the LORD to provide for us this marvelous opportunity. I have asked Maggie to call them and plead with them to let me see the kids on International Children's Day (June 1st)
Please also pray about the recent salvation decisions of the two heart patient orphan boys. Pray the 3 of them will fellowship together and my Samuel will continue to do a good job in doing daily bible studies with the boys. It is exciting to see this happen in the midst of incredible battles to "stop" us from reaching them. Don't these stories sound familiar? I will be the first to admit though, I long for a "normal quiet easy" story. I guess what I am saying is I wish I had your lives, so easy and so quiet. I am just joking. I know my updates speak to hundreds and hundreds of Christians and many of you are going through hard times, trials and maybe even persecution yourselves. Stay close to the Lord, stay in His word, keep praying fervently and HE will care for you.
On to another subject of great concern, and I can't resist showing how ridiculous the whole thing situation is, I share with you (in case you don't know already) that it has been announced that there are now 56 different genders recognized on Facebook. Here is the list. Please note it is not necessary to list Male and Female seeing they constitute truth and there is no need to recognize truth by the "social media".
I am very excited about the recent progress and the answers to prayer for all of us. Keep praying fervently because we are not there yet. I have faced many lies and false promises before here and I am truly trusting God to provide truth in these latest commitments by leaders.
A year ago Wednesday we did the Shang Hai Satellite TV program and here we are a year later hopefully getting a chance to see the kids. We need grace and please continue to petition the LORD to provide for us this marvelous opportunity. I have asked Maggie to call them and plead with them to let me see the kids on International Children's Day (June 1st)
Please also pray about the recent salvation decisions of the two heart patient orphan boys. Pray the 3 of them will fellowship together and my Samuel will continue to do a good job in doing daily bible studies with the boys. It is exciting to see this happen in the midst of incredible battles to "stop" us from reaching them. Don't these stories sound familiar? I will be the first to admit though, I long for a "normal quiet easy" story. I guess what I am saying is I wish I had your lives, so easy and so quiet. I am just joking. I know my updates speak to hundreds and hundreds of Christians and many of you are going through hard times, trials and maybe even persecution yourselves. Stay close to the Lord, stay in His word, keep praying fervently and HE will care for you.
On to another subject of great concern, and I can't resist showing how ridiculous the whole thing situation is, I share with you (in case you don't know already) that it has been announced that there are now 56 different genders recognized on Facebook. Here is the list. Please note it is not necessary to list Male and Female seeing they constitute truth and there is no need to recognize truth by the "social media".
- Agender
- Androgyne
- Androgynous
- Bigender
- Cis
- Cisgender
- Cis Female
- Cis Male
- Cis Man
- Cis Woman
- Cisgender Female
- Cisgender Male
- Cisgender Man
- Cisgender Woman
- Female to Male
- FTM
- Gender Fluid
- Gender Nonconforming
- Gender Questioning
- Gender Variant
- Genderqueer
- Intersex
- Male to Female
- MTF
- Neither
- Neutrois
- Non-binary
- Other
- Pangender
- Trans
- Trans*
- Trans Female
- Trans* Female
- Trans Male
- Trans* Male
- Trans Man
- Trans* Man
- Trans Person
- Trans* Person
- Trans Woman
- Trans* Woman
- Transfeminine
- Transgender
- Transgender Female
- Transgender Male
- Transgender Man
- Transgender Person
- Transgender Woman
- Transmasculine
- Transsexual
- Transsexual Female
- Transsexual Male
- Transsexual Man
- Transsexual Person
- Transsexual Woman
- Two-Spirit
- Now on to Ray's commentary. I have decided that I want to add a 57th gender to this list. I want to be self identified as a "Neither Other" gender. I am neither of the above 56 and I am completely other than the entire list. I demand I am called either "Neither Other" or "None Other" or "Either Nother". I realize these genders will some day be adopted and I want to be recognized as the founder of all these others. Although in the list of 56 there is Neither and Other, it must not be confused with me being Neither Other. I expect respect for my rights to be recognized and I demand special bathrooms be provide for me all across America and hopefully the entire world (Exceptions in North Korea, China, Russia and all Muslim countries) So my dear friends, I expect to be greeted from this time forth as "None Other than Neither Other Ray"
On a serious side to this, it must be known just how Satanic it really is to "preach this self identifying" doctrine. Just look at 2 Thessalonians 2:4
"who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God."
In our wold of "self identifiers" it is setting the stage for that dreadful day when Satan himself in the Antichrist will "self identify himself" as God. It also must be understood the devil attacks the beautiful picture of how a man and a woman in marriage is a picture of Christ and the church and he is seeking to destroy that teaching. Paul teaches us that in Ephesians 5:32
"This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church."
The context is Paul teaching about the relationship between the husband and the wife and yet his emphasis is how that relationship should reflect the love of Christ for His church. I believe it is one of the strongest evidences we can't lose our salvation and also it would defend "no grounds for divorce" in a biblical marriage. Think about it, Christ would never divorce Himself from us even if we sin and "commit unfaithfulness" to Him. He also would never leave us in salvation. Sometimes it is good to really get a grasp of what God is teaching in Hosea and that beautiful story of God's faithfulness pictured in Hosea's faithfulness to unfaithful Gomer. I know this view needs much more explanation but I do believe adultery is a forgivable sin so long as it is confessed and forsaken. I am speaking in reference to anyone who would ask me about those who have divorced and remarried. I have consistently told friends over the years that I do believe there are no grounds for divorce, Matthew 1 teaches betrothal and therefor the context of Matthew 5 and 19 about "grounds" is only in reference to what has been taught in Matthew chapter 1. I believe anyone divorced has sinned and any divorced person who remarries is in a constant state of adultery until the sin is confessed. This is consistent with Luke's passage is so plain and too the point about these scenarios.
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." Luke 16:18
My only point in sharing this teaching is to say we are living in horrible days of immorality and adultery and many don't even realize they are a big part of it. I want people to be blessed and I know it will only be according to God's word and will. Please prayerfully consider what I have just shared. I will say though that I have talked with couples who were involved with divorce and remarriage situations who have wondered what is wrong with their relationship and were seeking answers. It is sad to me how many teachers of God's word will just "right off" the previous divorce and even sanction what Luke clearly calls "commits adultery". As good as John MacArthur is with teaching, I don't agree with using "dead" in 1 Corinthians 7:39 as "spiritual death of the relationship".
"A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord."
It is clear that physical death is being taught. Please don't get discouraged by this teaching. God is merciful and I know many dear Christian friends who understand sin, confessed it and know we are all talking about ministries of reconciliation. Oh I get the fact divorce will happen but I also know the only innocent party in the marriage relationship is Jesus Christ. Amen?!
Keep the faith brothers and sisters, I am not out to judge anyone. I need your prayers but I also know the world we live in.
Keep praying for Jiang Jia Yi, she slowly is getting stronger and the bills pile up but God's grace is bigger than anything we face.
Ray and the 10 and many more orphans, praying daily for the Gold kids too.