THE TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. This update is coming to you from Sara Faye, scribe, and me, "dictator." Following successful back surgery on Monday August 15, and three nights at Methodist Hospital West in Katy, I moved to Memorial Hermann Rehab Hospital Katy with expected return home on September 3. I am grateful to God for his presence with my surgeon whose skill has taken away my leg pain. I am grateful to you, my gracEmail family, for your prayers and emails expressing good wishes. Many thanks also, for prayers, cards, visits, and … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2016
Family Notes 24/08/2016
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. When the Peoples Republic of China was founded in 1949, the nation had 500,000 Christians. Add 70 years of official governmental oppression, and today Christians number more than 60,000,000. At that rate, by 2030 we can expect to see 200,000,000 Christians in Communist China, says Purdue University sociologist Fenggang Yang, making it home to the largest Christian population in the world. What is going on? CHINA'S CHRISTIAN FUTURE By Yu Jie The beginnings of this immense growth can be traced back to two … [Read more...]
PARABLE PRESENTS TWO PUZZLES
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. A preacher spoke about Jesus's parable of the sower (Matt. 13). Jay had two questions, which he asked his mother Marti. Marti was emailing my mother and casually mentioned Jay's questions to her. Mom was writing to my wife Sara Faye and, by the way, asked her to ask me how I would answer if asked. I felt asked, since Sara Faye said that Mother said that Marti said that Jay said that the preacher said that Matthew said that Jesus said in Matthew 13, that everyone who did not sow good seed would be … [Read more...]
Family Notes 17/08/2016
THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. A TOUR OF MY WEBSITE It occurs to me that many gracEmail subscribers might never have explored my website, http://www.edwardfudge.com . Hoping to entice you to do so, I give you the following list of the helpful resources it contains. The materials listed below include thousands of pages and represent decades of work. START at the HOME PAGE. That is located at https://edwardfudge.com/ THERE YOU WILL FIND -- Our testimony to God's faithfulness Info about "Hell and Mr Fudge" … [Read more...]
Family Notes 15/08/2016
THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER'S HEALING God's will is on the side of health, wholeness, and salvation. The English words "hale," "health," and "whole" share common roots. When the Gospels tell stories of Jesus forgiving sins and healing the sick, the words translated "heal" and "save" often translate the same Greek word. The authoritative name of Jesus is given to us for both health and salvation (Acts 3). Jesus' atonement procured both those blessings, and Isaiah 53 is fulfilled in them both (Matt. 8:17; Acts … [Read more...]
JESUS, JUSTICE, AND JUDGMENT
THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. It is undisputed that when God judges all humankind, he will judge them individually and based on the heart. No one will finally be redeemed or condemned on a "group plan," and what interests God most about each individual is not visible on the surface. God is supremely fair, and he will judge or measure each person by the light of divine revelation that the person possessed--whether creation, conscience, prophetic oracles, the Jewish scriptures, or the Gospel. But regardless of the light possessed, no … [Read more...]
Family Notes 10/08/2016
THE TENTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. MAKING WORLD PEACE--ONE MIND AT A TIME Sometime tomorrow, August 11, God willing, sixty young leaders from 15 countries stressed by ethnic, racial, national, religious and political conflict will assemble for two-and-one-half weeks in the picturesque town of Fuzine, Croatia. The occasion is the 2016 Renewing Our Minds (ROM) Gathering, an international leadership movement created and run by gracEmail subscriber and veteran peacemaker Tihomir Kukolja. Mr. Kukolja's own experiences during and after years of bloody … [Read more...]
WHY BOTHER TO PREACH?
THE SEVENTH DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. In an earlier gracEmail, I stated that God will judge all people by the light they had and not by truth they could not know. A dedicated missionary in South America and a former missionary to Africa ask, If that is so, am I wasting my time here? Why preach the gospel today? Are you saying that people are saved apart from Jesus Christ? * * * No one will enjoy eternity with God apart from the atonement that Jesus made for sinners. But the redeemed sinners who will enjoy the benefits of that atonement throughout … [Read more...]
Family Notes 03/08/2016
THE THIRD DAY OF AUGUST IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN. ZOE WORSHIP CONFERENCE Registration is now open for the 2016 worship conference "Stand," to be held this November 4-5 at the Otter Creek Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Expected to speak at plenary sessions and/or to lead breakout sessions, God willing, are Mike Cope, Constance Cherry, Luke Norsworthy, Jack and Jill Maxwell, Heather Hodges, and Jeff Barker. Randy Gill will again be leading "New Music Nashville," at which he will introduce a folio of new worship songs that will bless and invigorate your … [Read more...]