Well, here we are again! I can hardly believe it but this newsletter is now entering its third year of publication. I would like to take a moment, once again, and say thank you, to all of you, for being a part of this ministry. Some of you have been with us since issue #1 and some of you have just started, and we are glad to have each one! I know I say this a lot, but it really is our sincere hope that each of you receive a blessing by reading this small publication! I hope it is an encouragement to you as well as something that helps you grow in your walk with God.

     If you have found it to be helpful, please feel free to give a copy to others you may know. Many times people will not go to church, but they may take the time to read a teaching segment like this one. Only God can know the impact some small thing may have on someone's life. If you would like extra copies to give to others, don't hesitate to let us know. We would be more than happy to send them your way. You can simply write us via regular mail or e-mail us. Our e-mail address is newsletter@livingspringsinstitute.org and our regular mailing address is always printed on the bottom of this newsletter. Of course, as always, you can visit our website. There you can find our addresses. Also, remember that people can subscribe to our newsletter there as well.

     As we are on the subject of the website, I have to say I have not been able to grow the site as much as I would have liked in this last year, but there are things I think people will find useful there. As I already mentioned, you can order a subscription to this newsletter. However, you can also ask questions in our Q&A section, and as the Lord directs, we will be filling our learning center page with things we hope you will find useful. I also want to encourage you to write us and let us know if there are specific subjects you would like to see teaching on. We want to put information on the website that you will find helpful!

     We are also excited to announce that our Resource Shop is now open and ready for business. We know it is not much, but we have a couple of things to get us started! First, you will be able to order back issues of this newsletter in the Resource Shop. This is great for people who do not have access to an online computer for a long period of time. If you do not have the time to read the back issues at our website, you can now simply order the printed version through the mail. If you are new to the study and want to read the Following the Biblical Stream segment from the beginning, this is a great way to do it! We know, whether you have a computer or not, it is always nice to have things in print form. So, whether you've lost some issues or never had them to begin with, now you can order whatever you like!

     Speaking of ordering things. You will find in this issue of Following the Biblical Stream we talk about the subject of the weekly Sabbath as formed at creation. This is a subject a lot of people (I have found children ask the most) have questions about. Of course, a subject like this is far to large for us to cover in this newsletter. So, I am happy to announce that very soon we will be printing our new booklet on the subject! I had hoped to have it ready by the time this issue of the newsletter was sent out. However, it is not ready to go quite yet. That being said, I want to let all of you know that if you are interested in receiving a copy of this booklet, you can put in an order for it even before it is printed. I can not give you a print date yet, but I would certainly hope it will be ready by the time we print the next issue of this newsletter, at least. If you put in an order now, we will simply send it to you as soon as it is ready! Now, for all of you who have subscribed to this newsletter, we will be sending you a copy automatically. For everyone else, you can order your copy through the Resource Shop on our website, or you can write us and let us know you want a copy. Be sure to give us your mailing address when you write. I have not yet settled on the name of the book, so simply tell us you want the "Sabbath Book" and we will be sure to get it to you! No ordering of materials or books will add your name to a mailing list, and we never share your names and addresses with anyone else.

     Once again, Thank You for being a part of this ministry! We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter as well as many issues, Lord willing, yet to come!


Following the Biblical Stream:
By Philip Busby

     In this installment of the study we will look at those verses that begin chapter 2 of Gen. Remember, we looked at the later verses of chapter 2 as we talked about the corresponding events in chapter 1. However, here I want to refer back to something I said in issue #3. I believe the first 3 verses of chapter 2 really belong with chapter 1. Don't let the chapter separations throw you off track at any point in your study of God's Word!

     Chapter 2 verse 1 tells us "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." This is to say that everything physical was created. There would be nothing tangible belonging to the heavens and earth created from there forward. Yet, we find God taking a seventh day! This is a point we should be careful not to miss. When we talked about the start of creation, we talked about the fact God created time itself. This cycle of day and night, this environment of one event following another did not exist until God created it. This is a concept that many people find hard to understand, and that fact is not surprising. Our physical forms were created from the dust of the ground. Humans were not created to live outside of this cycle of time. The best way I have found to help explain this issue is that humans were created in a fish bowl of time. We really can not live outside of it. Of course, God can do anything; but if God did not want us to live in this manner, He would not have created us this way in the first place!

     Understanding this will help us understand the salvation plan. Jesus came to provide for us a path to salvation. This was because of the sin that resides in this flesh. (1 Cor. 15:50, Romans 8:11-13) This flesh must die, that is the judgment for sin. (Romans 6:23) We have touched on this issue many times in this study already; but again, sin is our inability to be responsible for the knowledge of good and evil. We are not capable of living without causing harm to others. This is why God took us away from the Tree of Life. (Gen. 3:22-23) We can not, by the righteous judgment of God, live forever in this state. So, through Jesus, God prepared a path that would provide a new body for those who desired to be free from sin. Those who do not desire to be free, will lose these current bodies and go into outer darkness. (Matt. 22:1-14) However, it was not just these bodies that would not go on forever. God cursed the ground for man's sake, and the ravages of sin are making this planet less livable every day. So we also need a place to go once we receive our new bodies. Jesus told us He was handling that problem by going to prepare a place where we and He could be together (John 14:1-3) - a new heaven and a new earth. (Rev. 21:1) There will be many differences in the new world, but many of the dynamics are the same. These dynamics are not just important to us for survival, they are important for us to remain the beings God created us to be!

     So, just as God created time itself at the start of creation, He also created cycles within time. There would be cycles we could observe that have to do with the movement of the parts God created. This would be things like our planet's travel around the sun. We call this cycle a year. Another cycle is in the moon, and this is where we get the idea of months. I say idea because on many solar calendars we do not follow the moon for our days of the month. However, the idea of a month time period comes from the moon's cycle. If we want to talk about the rotation and movements of other parts of God's creation, we could talk about many other cycles that exist. All of these cycles would happen because God set parts like our earth, moon and other planets into motion. God would not wait a year to complete creation. Man would simply see things, like the yearly cycle, as he walked this planet and explored the universe. However, there are two cycles we see God creating specifically during creation. First, is the day and night cycle. As we talked about earlier in this study, the day and night cycle may seem to be because of the earth's rotation. The part of the earth that faces the sun is in the daytime and the part that is not facing the sun is in the nighttime. However, the sun did not exist until day four of creation. So, the day and night cycle may seem to be just another thing we observe because God put parts of creation in motion, but Genesis tells us day and night came before parts like the sun even existed. If we pay attention to what the Bible tells us, we will know the answer to questions like - which came first, the chicken or the egg?

     The second cycle God specifically created is a cycle that is not marked by the movement of anything. That is the weekly cycle of seven days. We are so use to it, we take for granted the fact that it exists, but it is not based on the movements of any part of creation. Again, verse 1 of chapter 2 tells us that the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host there of. The fact that a seven day cycle exists is only because God made it that way. God created everything tangible in six days, then God waited one more day to call creation complete. I like to say it this way: "God did not need a seventh day to make creation complete; God completed creation by making a seventh day"!

     Verse 2 tells us that God ended all His work, He had made. God had already looked over all He made and declared it "Good." Here, God ends His work. The seventh day is like a monument at the end of a great task. It is a way of saying, this is what I have strived for and now I will rest and enjoy it. Verse 2 makes it clear, God did not just tell us to rest on the seventh day. It makes the point clear that, that is exactly what God did. When we rest on the seventh day, we are not just following the Words of the fourth commandment, (Ex. 20:8-11) we are following the example of God.

     This is what makes this issue so interesting! We talk about the fact that God created things that are tangible, like plants and animals, by simply speaking words. Here, we see God creating nothing tangible but there are still words spoken. Verse 3 tells us God blessed the seventh day. Jesus was tempted by the Devil after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. One of the temptations the Devil threw at Jesus was the temptation to turn the stones into bread. The Devil was tempting Jesus to turn something tangible into something else. Something Jesus could use to satisfy His flesh. Jesus responded to this temptation by telling Satan that man can not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. ( Matt. 4:1-4) Now, I have mentioned this story before but it really applies here again. God did not just create us to live in the flesh. It is again why reaching forth and taking of the forbidden tree was not a good idea. We may have food to eat and the ground to walk on, but just living a physical life is not enough. We were created to be doers of the Words of God. The issue of God blessing the seventh day and sanctifying it is one of the most basic Words of God. Once again, God did not create something like the sun's movement for us to observe to know the fact that the seventh day is blessed of God. It is only by the Words God spoke that we know it to be true!

     We have also talked before, and we will talk again many times, about the fact, man looks into the heavens and ends up worshiping the things God made instead of God. We form rituals and rights around these things. We build monuments and great temples to gods we form because of these things, but not the Sabbath. Why? because it is not in the heavens, it is not in the earth, it is not in the cycles that are marked by physical events; it exists only because God said it exists, and the only way for you to really know of it is to have a relationship with God and His Word!

     Verse 3 says God "blessed" the seventh day. This word is the same word used in the previous verses when we are told God blessed the man and the woman. To be blessed of God is to be special, set apart and complete. So, the seventh day was special just as all creation was special. It is not just a day God took at that time period, it is a part of creation just as much as you and I. Then, verse 3 tells us God "sanctified" the seventh day. The Hebrew word this is translated from simply means "to make clean." Now everything God made was good, but God had made it for the use of man. Man could use the time and the tangible things of the planet for his own uses, but God sanctified the seventh day, meaning it belongs to Him and it is for God's uses. Out of all the things God created and gave unto men, God only took the seventh day for Himself.

     These truths are pointed out to us again at the giving of the Ten Commandments. Ex. 20:8-11 lays it out pretty clearly. It says we should remember the Sabbath for the purpose of keeping it holy. Here, we see the fact it's something we must remember. Once again, we will not observe it, we must remember it. Only those who hear God's Words will remember it. These verses go on to tell us that six days we can work but the seventh day is the Sabbath. These words show us we can not pick and choose. We simply can do what we want with the other six days of the week. We can labor, we can work, we can rest, we can take a walk, whatever we want, but the seventh day is the Lord's. We should do, no work in it. This includes our servants, our animals, and anyone in our household. We need to follow the example of God. He rested on the seventh day and He wants us to do the same. We should rest on the seventh day and provide the opportunity for all those around us to do the same. Verse 11 tops it all off by making it clear God is talking about the seventh day as created in the beginning. God did not just make up a day to call His Sabbath. God was telling His people to remember the Sabbath He had created when He made the earth, the sky and everything in our universe. It repeats the fact God "hallowed" the seventh day, and the word "hallowed" here in Exodus comes from the same Hebrew word "sanctified" comes from in Gen. 2:3.

     These things should quickly put to rest the issues of what and when is the Sabbath. In short, it is a special day set apart by God for rest. It is not a random day of the week, it is the seventh day of the week. If we are true doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:20-25) we will remember this day and keep it holy. Some will tell you the Sabbath is just for the Jews, but that is foolish. As we just talked about, God put this into place at creation. It is for all men, just as all the Ten Commandments are. This is not part of God's representative law given to the Jews as prophetic actions, this is about our relationship with God and understanding how we were created to live! Some will tell you that you must go to church on the Sabbath. This is also foolish! You can go to church anytime you want. When you choose to get together with others of like precious faith is up to you. However, we need to realize that just because we may go to church on another day like Sunday or even use another day as a day of rest, it does not in anyway change the fact that God "sanctified" the seventh day and asked us to remember that fact to keep it holy. Do what you will with the other six days. This would include giving another day unto God if you want, but the seventh day already belongs to God. Always has and always will!

     Now some will point to Romans 14 as an excuse not to follow the fourth commandment, and since this is one of the most prominent arguments, I wanted to touch on it a little here. Paul tells us in Romans, we should not judge a man in respect of a day, and there is no disputing this. However, he did not say this because he wanted to let us know we did not need to remember the Sabbath. Paul was simply pointing out, only God can decide whether He is pleased with a man's actions or not. Paul says in verse 5, every man needs to be persuaded in his own mind that he is doing the right thing. This means we should not take lightly the issue of whether to respect a day or not! If we choose not to remember the Sabbath or we feel another day has taken its place, we had better be sure we are doing the right thing. Understand that what Paul is swinging in these verses is the true two edged sword of the Word! He is telling others they can not be your judge but he is also pointing out that God will be! If you respect a day unto God then good for you, because any day can be given to God, that is your choice. It does not matter who else or how many others like or dislike it, you have given the day to God! However, if you choose not to give a day unto God, then you need to be fully convinced God has not asked it of you! Once again, it is not about what your church teaches. It is not about what your friends or family think. If everyone around you thinks you're strange for giving the day, remember, this will not be an excuse before God if you choose not to give Him the day He asked for.

     There are a lot of people that say a lot of things when it comes to the Sabbath issue. There are those who feel Jesus will return on a Sabbath. There are whole denominations founded on that idea. Some will tell you that God will never forgive you if you do not follow the Sabbath. Others believe there is, magic like power, in resting on the right day and the list goes on and on. The truth of the matter is that it's simple. God blessed the seventh day. He sanctified it. He asks us to give it to Him. The only question is, are you willing? It's up to you!

     There is of course much more I could say about the Sabbath, but I think we will leave it for a book of its own. Now, we need to get back to Gen. chapter 2. We want to look at verses 4, 5, and 6 all together. These verses are a statement. In an earlier issue of this study (Issue #6) I talked about the fact I thought it would be good if verses 1, 2, and 3 of chapter 2 were part of chapter 1. Let me go further out on that limb and tell you I think it would be good if verses 4, 5, and 6 of chapter 2 were also part of chapter 1. The reason I say this is, once again, because of the way it makes these verses seem. If we do not let chapter and verse separation affect us, then it is not a problem, but many people do let them affect how they read what is there. Many people think of these verses as a beginning to the things in chapter 2. However, I think verses 4 - 6 are really an end to what is said in chapter 1. It is a wrap up of the events. God had created everything He had made, including the seventh day. Here, God was telling us this really is the record, the whole record, and nothing but the record! The next verses start to talk about the effects man's creation and man's decisions would have on the planet. God had made everything in good order, but as the story tells us, man would change all that. Here, it's even pointed out, there was a mist that came up from the ground and watered the whole face of the planet. This is an interesting fact, especially since the reference is made here to the fact there was no man to till the ground. This is to say there was a large part of the planet on - shall we say - auto pilot. It was taking care of itself, because there was no man there at the time. God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to dress it and care for it, but most of the planet was on its own. After the fall of man, we see this great balance change. God, of course, curses the ground and causes it to bring forth thorns and weeds. Man would have to grow his own food and work to survive. This effect would be worse after the flood of Noah's day. No longer would the mist come up from the ground and perfectly water the earth. Water would now fall from the sky. This meant some places would not get enough water and others would get too much, causing floods and droughts. This would not only cause disturbance in the systems that were still surviving, but also make it just that much harder for man to work the ground. Before the fall, areas of the planet took care of themselves even when man was not there. After the fall, areas of the planet were falling into disrepair even before man got there. There should be no wonder at the fact we find the bones and remains of animals far bigger than we are used to seeing alive today. When men see these large animal remains they say things like, "these animals were from a different world." Well, in many ways they are right. Not in the idea these animals lived in a different time before man, but in the fact the world before the fall of man was a very different place. Perfect and complete. Able to sustain animals whose size astonishes us today! Unfortunately, things like the curse of the ground would not leave the earth with this ability.

     I think about all the children fascinated by these large animals and all the false teaching they are given about them. It is sad that many people who say they believe in the Bible do not simply believe its truths. Here, in Genesis, we are given a complete record of this world's creation. There is no reason to believe there has been another time from our own. If man had not sinned, he would not be out in the scorching desserts of this planet digging up the remains of the past. Children would not be going to museums to see only the skeletons of many amazing, God created, creatures. Instead, we would be walking in peace with these animals and I believe many more we have never found or even imagined!

     In closing, I would like to add that even though there may be many things we can not enjoy because they are gone from our world, there are still many things we have not yet discovered or enjoyed. So, as you seek to serve the Lord, take some time to enjoy the beauty God has created, and I'll see you next time!


Religion Is As Religion Does!
By Philip Busby

     In today's world there seems to be some real confusion, when it comes to religion. These days we hear a lot of talk about whether certain religions are a religion of peace or not. Of course, I am talking about the fact that the Muslim religion has come under intense scrutiny in recent times. Because of the actions of many who call themselves Muslim, there are many who say it is not a religion of peace. This spurs many others to stand in defense of the religion, and they try to explain why the Muslim religion is a religion of peace. When Christians are the ones making the charge that Muslims are not peaceful, they are many times reminded that the Christian religion has had its dark days of violence, such as the inquisitions. This leaves many feeling they do not know what to say, and they feel they are not equipped to be a part of the conversation.

     Some people feel they are not equipped to discuss these things because they are confronted with technical issues, like the definition of "Jehad." To many, this word only means "holy war," then someone comes along and tries to say the technical definition is "a holy struggle" or "to struggle." They say it many times is referring to a fight for freedom or the like. Other times, people claiming to be believers in Christ are confronted with the question of "have you read the Koran?" If they have not, then they may feel they do not know enough to speak. However, as is the case most of the time, the issue is much more basic than all these issues make it seem!

     My grandmother used to tell us that "pretty is as pretty does." Of course, she was trying to tell us that just because something seems beautiful does not mean it is. There are many people who are nice looking but they are not nice people. Our attraction to them can, many times, be ill advised. She was also telling us, even if we thought we were good looking, it did not make us good people. The reason we say actions speak louder than words is because our actions are really what show people who we are and what we believe. Our actions are what make us who we are. We can say we believe or like certain things, but it means nothing if our actions do not follow these words!

     So, as we talk about the merits of a religion, the first thing you must do is realize we are not talking about truths, we are talking about religion. It can be said that, "religion is as religion does." You see, religion is more about what people make it. It's more about what people do with it than it is about the technical interpretation of words, no matter how "Holy" those words may be. A religion can be anything people want it to be, and that can even change from time to time as well as be different from group to group! A religion is not the truth, it is just an organization of men. This puts a clear face on the questions! Is the Muslim religion a religion of peace? Only if the people who guide the religion and/or act on its behalf are a people of peace. Is the Muslim religion a religion of true salvation? Not according to the Bible, because the Bible says Jesus is the only way, and Muslims believe Jesus was just a "great prophet" at best. However, before we walk away from the issue, nose held high, we should realize, this fact does not make Christianity more righteous!

     One of the things the Bible teaches us very clearly, though we seem to have problems hearing it, is the fact our first priority should be to take a look at our own actions. We should spend more time scrutinizing what we do, and not what others do. Does this mean we should not talk about the wrong in other religions? Well, if I thought that, I would not have written most of what I have so far! The benefit in talking about the faults in a certain religion is the fact that we need to find the truth. Only the truth will set you free. When our lives come to an end here on this earth and we stand before God, there is going to be no benefit in the fact that we believed "something." Only the truth that we put our faith in, and followed, Jesus Christ will have benefit there.

     This means we need to be keenly aware of the fact that "Christianity" is also a religion! Too much of the time we forget we are to be followers of Christ and we end up believing we are Christians! Though the word "Christian" technically means "Christ like," the technical merits of a word does not mean as much as what it is commonly understood to mean. The word Christian has become a title not a description. If it were a description, I'm afraid very few of us should feel comfortable calling ourselves a Christian! The term Christian is, at best, a word used to describe what a certain person hopes to be. However, when used in this way, to describe any and all those claiming to be followers of Christ, it becomes a title. So let's face it, the word "Christian" really has come to mean, those of the Christian religion.

     So, we should understand that whether Christianity is a religion of peace or not, also depends on who is leading and how the people are executing its teachings. Is it a religion of true salvation? Only if the teaching is truly leading people to have a personal relationship with Jesus as their Lord and Savior. However, many church organizations fail to teach this, and end up teaching people to follow the religion instead of God Himself! All this means is that whether Muslims attack Christians or Christians attack Muslims, or any religion attacks any other religion is based mostly on the political climate of the day far more than the base teaching of the religions.

     Realize that to say we are of a certain religion comes with a lot of baggage! It means we share responsibility in some way for all the transgressions of the past. As well as the wrongs done in the present. Now it is true, in a religion there can be many branches, and most all of these branches have beliefs that differ one from another. In fact, usually these variations become so vast, the fact the branches are all considered one religion is amazing! However, there are usually a couple of main reasons they all fall under the same title. The first is, many times, because they claim to derive a large portion of their beliefs from the same source. The source is usually a writing of some sort that the group of people feel is ordained in some way. The other thing that can bind people under a religious title is that they have one pointed belief everyone in the religion holds. For Christians the source is obviously the Bible, and the one belief is salvation through Jesus Christ. From there the Christian religion is vast and wide! This is why it is important we realize we are to be followers of Christ and not just Christians.

     To be a follower of Christ is to be an individual. Then we can admit, we are not perfect and we have a lot of learning and growing to do. We can be free to admit we may personally have problems and struggles. However, our inability to be righteous in everything we do does not affect the truth that there is a way God has called us to live. We are simply trying our best to find and follow that path, and we invite others to do the same. This is why Paul talks about the fact that it would be a shame if he were to preach the gospel for so long only to lose his own soul. (1 Cor. 9:25-27) He realized he was not perfect. He was admitting that even he, could make a mistake and fall away from the truth. The fact that he was a great apostle was not going to buy him anything. If Paul had fallen away into sin, it did not mean what he had preached, up until then, was untrue. He was not starting a religion, he was preaching the truth of God! This is why Paul warned the believers that if anyone came to them preaching something different than what the apostles had preached in the beginning, not to believe them - even if it were the apostles themselves. (Gal. 1:6-12) Our actions sadly may affect how others view the truth, and that is what makes our actions so important, but it does not change the truth!

     Noah was told to build an ark, because the truth was that God would send a flood and destroy everything that had breath. Noah chose to follow God's plan and build the ark, but if he had chose not to, the flood would still have come. Of course, God knew Noah would build the ark, because Noah was a righteous man who was not just following the religion of the day. This meant, Noah would not just blindly believe a religion that said man didn't need to worry. He did not feel the need to defend any religion or organization that did not believe the flood was coming. Noah would follow the instructions God gave him and build the ark. Noah was not just a follower of God by title, he was a follower of God by description.

     Too much of the time we get ourselves in a position where we feel the need to defend our religion instead of the true Word of God. Even though we know what God is telling us is different from what our religion teaches. The reason we feel the need to defend our religion is because religion is arrogant, and we allow ourselves to be bullied by it. Religion is usually big. It says we know what we're doing and others should become part of us. This leads many people to say things like "that many people can't all be wrong." The funny thing is the fact that all the people are probably not wrong, but what the group chooses to teach and act upon as a whole many times is! Then we need to explain why we have done terrible things in the past or present. We have to explain how we feel those people who have done wrong are not really part of us or do not represent us. Maybe we need to stop and explain that we really did not know what we were doing, but now we have learned. This makes people ask the question, "what else do you need to learn, and if there is a chance you still don't have it right why should we follow?" The truth is, when it comes to a religion, there is no intelligent answer to this question. We can only control our own actions, not the actions of others. This should cause us to realize religion is not the great thing we many times think it is. In many cases it can be very damaging to the very thing we are trying to teach. There is strength in numbers, but if the numbers you feel are on your side turn out not to hold the same beliefs, the power can quickly turn against you!

     Religion is a failed gimmick of man. Religion promises much but delivers little. There is a way that seems right to a man but the end is death (Prov. 14:12) Jesus did not come to establish another failing religion that gave man false hope. He came to give His life for our salvation. This is why Jesus' followers were so stunned at His ascension. Angels had to come down from heaven and tell them to stop standing there gazing into the sky, but they told them Jesus would return as they had seen him go. (Acts 1:9-11) Jesus had not left them as a religion. He had left them as individual believers. Every step they took would be up to them as individuals, not as a group with a leader making the decisions. Some people feel that the coming of the Holy Spirit marked the true start of a religion, but it did not. The coming of the Holy Spirit was a true individual event. God's presence had come to dwell, not on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, but in the lives of each individual who had prepared themselves to receive.

     Many other organizations and religions may need to struggle to justify their action or the actions of those claiming to be of their religion, but to be a follower of Christ is to believe the Messiah has come and salvation has been bought! To be a believer is not to act as a group but as an individual striving to serve. This does not mean that we do not fellowship together, but it does mean that we should not be blamed for the actions of a group. We are free to teach the truth without the baggage of wrongs done by an organization. We should not get ourselves in a position where we feel the need to defend an organization or religion. We should focus on telling others there is a God and there is salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, because that is the truth! If there ceased to be a single "Christian" church or organization, it would not change the fact that Jesus is the Way. If everything calling itself "Christian" decided to go forward through violent means, it would not change the fact that Jesus is the Way. If you serve a religion., then you may, just as the Muslims are doing now, need to defend it or fight to define it; but if you serve the truth, nothing can shake it.