Sunday, March 10, 2002
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Sunday, March 10, 2002 |
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The greatest faith story By DR. KNOX HERNDON During the early 1970s and beyond, there was a lot of misguided and self-serving leftist media bombarding the American airwaves. The American people, night after night, were being sold many false and damaging ideas about Vietnam and how we shouldn't be involved, etc. It is very interesting to me that the media has, to my knowledge, never followed what was happening to the South Vietnamese people after the fall of Saigon. I was working with Lutheran Ministries of Georgia after I retired from 30 years in the military. Our job was to resettle legal refugees from around the world who sought help from America and whose lives were in grave danger due to political, racial, religious or ethinc strife. It was very interesting how the liberal left and the American media ignored the thousands of executions and long-term sentences in the "re-education camps" that the Vietnamese were forced to endure at the hands of the North Vietnamese. If a man was as much as a vehicle "driver" for the South Vietnamese government, he or she was given a six-year sentence. If someone were farther up the food chain, like a corporal (two stripes), he would have a longer sentence. If someone had the misfortune of being an NCO or an officer or official, the sentences were up to 15-20 years. In these re-education camps (which the media and the Jane Fonda groups will never cover), they were made to endure very harsh hard labor and undergo the monotonous daily Communist propaganda. They were made to quote the daily no-where Communist slogans, which have proven over and over again to be false and have gone on the ash heap of history. While we are on the subject, Jane Fonda, in my opinion, did far more damage to America than John Walker ever dreamed of doing. She should be sitting in a cell next to him and brought up on charges for treason and for aiding and abetting the enemy. I can remember being in seminary and wearing my ROTC uniform to some of my classes because I was finishing up my college and going to seminary at the same time. I can remember students who had never been anywhere or ever read a history book, and who had been raised only on TV and CNN, who would hold up the so-called peace sign as I would walk by. I might add that none of these people would ever think of serving the cause of freedom or putting their mushy bodies on the line. They were the "protected" by the military, I might add. It is in this backdrop that we read in Matthew 8:5-13 the greatest faith story in the Bible. At least, this is true "according to Jesus and what He said." It is the story of Jesus and the centurion. The Scripture is too long to quote here, but in a thumbnail look at it, it is the story of a probably pagan Roman centurion who is asking Jesus to heal his servant. This Roman centurion had been heavily trained in the chain of command and in the subject of authority. For a Roman soldier at any level to disobey a command could mean instant death. The centurion said to Jesus, "My servant lies home grievously tormented with palsy." Jesus immediately said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion said to Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof but just speak the word and my servant shall be healed. I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to this man go and he goes; and to another come and he comes; and to my servant, do, and he does it." Jesus responds with, "I have not found so great faith in all of Israel." This greatest faith story came from the lips of a Roman soldier. This Easter Sunday at our church, we will have a very authentic re-enactment of this Centurion's faith story. David Spohn, who teaches a very exciting and unusual Sunday school lesson often wearing his actor costumes, will be portraying the Roman centurion in our Easter sermon celebration. David does a lot of historical research in his characters and we are all blessed every Sunday he does a lesson...and you thought Sunday school was boring! This Sunday, March 10, we will be conducting our annual Seder Supper with Shofar the Scribe attending. Don't miss this spiritual Passover meal. God bless you this Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. The Rev. Dr. Knox Herndon is pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). The Rev. Greg Mausz is senior associate pastor. The Rev. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church is just below Fayetteville, on Ga. Highway 85, a mile south of Ga. Highway 16, just below the fire station. Visitors welcome. Church office and prayer line 770-719-2365; e-mail KHERN2365@aol.com.
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