Twelve Thousand Strong

Friday evening and Saturday morning, our church sponsored another Seedline assembly program. Bearing Precious Seed is a printing company near Cincinnati, Ohio. They produce Bibles and booklets of John and Romans of different languages for distribution to missionaries in different countries. They’ve brought their machinery and unassembled booklets for our church members to fold covers, correlate, staple, trim and package them into cardboard boxes before being shipped overseas to missionaries who request the Gospel. In the past, we’ve completed booklets in Portuguese, Korean, Creole, German, and French, but this time the Gospel of John and Romans was printed in Italian.

The evangelist and his wife bring unassembled booklets, delivering everything needed, except the manpower to complete the task. The evangelist says that for each booklet printed seven people will read it and one of those seven readers; one will accept Christ as their Savior. Although Italy is a very religious country, belief in a religion to save the person is based on a false foundation. There is only One Mediator who can save. There is only One Being that has shed His blood to erase and cover our sins. The very same “Person” was the One who spoke creation into being. He went to the cross to die and pay the ransom for our sin debt. Only One “Person” died to free us from the chains of sin. He died for us, then rose from the dead. He no longer hangs on the cross, but sits beside Father God in heaven. He rose from the dead and tells those who believe on His ability to forgive their sins, and they too can be raised from the grave and dwell with Him eternally in heavenly mansions. His name is Jesus. Salvation comes through Him. He is the only way for sinful man to be reconciled with God.

At His death, Jesus was stripped of any worldly possessions. The last vestiges of anything that He owned were removed before He was hung on the cross and crucified. Even the tomb in which He was buried was borrowed. His mother was considered so unimportant at that time, that her actual gravesite is unknown. Mary wasn’t venerated back then. She wasn’t to be worshipped or prayed to. In Luke 1: 46- 50, “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” Yes, even Mary needed a Redeemer.