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The question that is posed by the message this morning dealing from Acts 2:37 through the beginning of 42, is the question how is a man to be saved? By what act? By what method? Through what person? What is the operation? What is the channel of salvation. You know there have been saviors since the year one. There have always been those who were going to save the world and redeem man from all of his trials and problems and so forth and there are endless, endless solutions offered to man's problem. But still the question goes on, how is a man to be saved. How is a man to come into a knowledge that he is secure both for time and eternity? That there is a life of bliss not only here, but there wherever that there may be.
Biblically, the question comes repeatedly. How can I enter the kingdom? How can I be saved? What do I have to do to inherit eternal life? And there are answers coming from all over the place with the Scriptures as a reference. For example, the legalist says keep the law, that's how to be saved. The moralist says have your goodies outweigh your badies. And God's got scales. The racist says be one of God's chosen people. The universalist says don't sweat it, we'll all get in in the end. The ritualist says you've got to do the right ritual. Follow the right forms. And the strange part is that they all isolate Scripture to prove their point. The legalist for example may quote from James 2:21, which says, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works." However, he will avoid Romans 3:20 which says "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
The moralist comes along and quotes from John 5:29, "They that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation, therefore it all depends on what you've done good or evil." He will avoid Ephesians 2:8-9 which says, "For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."
The racist may quote Romans 11:26 that says, "So all Israel shall be saved." And carefully avoid Romans 9:6 which says, "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel. The universalist will select Romans 5:18, "Therefore as by the offense of one," Adam, "judgment came upon all men so by the righteousness of one," Jesus Christ, "the free gift came upon all men." And he will say it's the same all men. Therefore all men will be saved. And he will carefully avoid Matthew 7:13-14 which says, "There is a broad road that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in there at."
The ritualist will invariably find the Scripture that accommodates his ritual. And one of the dominate things in theology today is ritualistic baptism. There are some people who believe you're saved by water. Others would say it's a combination of faith plus H2O, but basically it comes down to the same thing. And invariably for proof text, they will find their way to Acts Chapter 2, verse 38, which is in the context of what we're going to say. And they will rejoice exceedingly over repent and be baptized. Assuming that those are the two things that bring about salvation. Without either one, salvation is impossible. They will carefully avoid Romans 10:9-10, which says, that "You're saved when you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in your heart." And there's no water in Romans 10:9-10.
So it's very interesting, and incidentally, you can prove anything by the Bible if you're sure to take it out of context. And it's being done constantly. All of the people who espoused false doctrine from Scripture do that. That's why you have to compare the Scripture with the Scripture so that you be sure you're accurate. Now that makes this passage important because it is one that is used by ritualists to defend the baptismal regeneration viewpoint that to be saved you've got to be baptized. That salvation is not simply by faith. It's by faith and baptism in water. But there's much more to this passage than that, but that alone would be enough for us to study it so we would have an answer adequate to that problem.
Now in this passage, of course, we're dealing with the wrap up of Peter's sermon. And it's a very, very important thing to look at what happens in response to Peter's preaching, because we're gaining real principles here for our own witness, for our own evangelism, for our own preaching. Now let me paint the scene for you by way of review, especially for you who have not been here for some time or at all. We're studying the book of Acts and we've learned several things. From our study of John, we learn that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to equip the church to finish what He didn't finish.
And on the day of Pentecost, beginning at the very first verse of Acts 2, the Spirit of God came. The Spirit of God then baptized all of those disciples gathered there in Jerusalem into the body of Christ indwelt all of them, then filled them with the Spirit. In the meantime, there was a sound like a mighty rushing wind which had gathered all of these people and there were several hundred thousand, between a half a million and a million wouldn't even be a conservative estimate, in Jerusalem and these masses of people began to gather at the sound of the hurricane, because there wasn't any wind, just the sound.
And as they came together to the location here were all these disciples going about speaking the wonderful works of God in the native languages of all these people who had pilgrimaged to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. And they were astounded. So the Spirit of God had done a great job of publicity. He had gotten the crowd there. He had done it by advertising a sound like a wind. And then He did it by a sign, the miracle of speaking the wonderful works of God. And that was only a sign to point to the sermon that was coming. I told you before signs aren't the end. They're only telling you where the end is. You don't crawl up on the sign and say I've arrived. The sign's pointing somewhere else.
And the sign of the wonderful works of God was directing their attention to what Peter was going to say. But the Spirit of God had gathered the crowd, had opened their minds by the sign and the fact that they were speaking the wonderful works of God that means reciting the historic deeds of God that every Jew knew, made it hard for the Jew to admit anything but that this was of God, because there are only two supernatural sources in the mind of the Jew, God and Satan. And it's for sure that Satan wouldn't be extolling the wonderful works of God.
So they had to cope with the miracle and then the fact that these disciples were stating the wonderful works of God. And so they were confounded and immediately at that point Peter stands up and explains to them what's going on. And you can see how in such a fantastic way the way Spirit of God has prepared their ears to hear the message. And by the time Peter opens his mouth they're hanging on every word. What is this that we're seeing? They cannot deny the phenomena and now they're about to get the explanation.
Peter begins his sermon, verse 14 begins the passage that talks about his sermon. There are four parts, the introduction, the theme, the appeal, and the results. The introduction is explaining Pentecost. Peter bounces right off the living illustration that the Holy Spirit has provided for him. The second is the theme exalting Jesus. The third is the appeal exhorting the people, and fourth is the results examining the effect.
Now we saw to begin with the introduction several weeks ago. Incidentally, I timed this sermon to see how long it would have taken Peter to preach it and if he talks a little bit slower than I talk, which would certainly be to his advantage, it would take about two and a half minutes. Now I realize that nobody could preach an effective sermon in two and a half minutes. I mean, I have to believe that. You understand why. But I struggled with that and I'll show you a little while later that I believe that what you have here is just a very small portion of Peter's sermon. Why it must have gone hour after hour, praise the Lord. But anyway, we'll get to that.
But Peter begins to preach and first of all, he bounces off this illustration that the Spirit has provided, a beautiful illustration, explains to them that what they are seeing is the beginning of Messianic times in terms of fulfillment. Joel said that in the last days you would pour out the Spirit. They're beginning to see what I call the prefillment of the ultimate fulfillment which will come in the kingdom.
They're beginning to see the outpouring of the Spirit. It is Messianic times. Verse 17 says, "it is the last days." Now we know that eschatological the last days has already lasted 2,000 years. The last days is a Jewish term referring to the time of Messiah. And Messiah came once and everything in between til His second coming still embodies Messianic times. So he's saying you're seeing the beginning of the end. This is Messianic times. They all knew the meaning of the term the last days. They knew that was a Messianic reference. Their Messiah had arrived. Their Savior had come. Their Redeemer had come. Their deliverer was there. Their anointed king had arrived.
And so he says this is Messianic times. Well, if it's Messianic times, there's got to be a Messiah, right? So he moves immediately into the theme of his sermon in verse 22 which introduces the Messiah as Jesus of Nazareth. Now that's a startling thing, because they've just gotten through executing Jesus of Nazareth as a blasphemer. And what a shock it must be to realize that that hope of their hearts for which they had waited all those centuries was now crucified by their own design. They had actually killed the one they had been waiting for. And this is what Peter convicts them of. This great sin. And first of all, beginning in verse 22, he wants to prove to them that Jesus is the Messiah and he does it by taking first of all, the life of Christ in verse 22 and say that because He did miracles, wonders, and signs, He was being accredited by God as the Messiah.
In verse 23, he takes the death of Christ and says the death of Christ was no accident, it was no...Jesus was no victim, but rather this was ordained by God fulfilling prophecy explicitly. Then he takes the resurrection of Christ, verses 24-32 and he says, Jesus Christ is the Messiah because of His resurrection. And He shows how the Old Testament prophet David, who was a prophet, it even says he was a prophet right here in this passage. Verse 30, that David predicted Messiah would be a resurrected individual. And Jesus had done that fulfilling David's prophecy so He is Messiah by life, death, resurrection.
Then he goes on to show that He is Messiah by virtue of ascension in verses 33 to 35. He is the Messiah because He was exalted to the right hand of the Father, they stood there, were eyewitnesses and saw Him go. The conclusion then of his theme is in verse 36. Listen to it, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ or Messiah in the Hebrew." In other words, he has proven Christ to be Messiah. So the introduction explaining Pentecost and the theme exalting Jesus.
Now he has really indicted them as executioners of their own Messiah. And he hasn't pulled any punches. He doesn't play around in the periphery. He goes right to the core of the problem. You see the most blatant sin that a man commits is not lying or cheating or committing adultery or this or that. The blatant sin in which every sinner lives is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. And that's the cardinal sin of which the Spirit convicts. That's John 16:8-9, "When the Spirit of truth has come He will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment," verse 9, "of sin because they believe not," what, "on me."
In other words, the dominant thing that a man must recognize is that he is a rebel against God's plan and against God's Savior Jesus Christ. And so Peter shows them that they have executed their own Messiah and their own Savior. Now I want you to see his appeal beginning in verse 37. And it's exhorting the people. He exhorts them. Verse 40 says, "with many words." We'll get to that in a minute.
Now whenever you go into any kind of sale, some of you are probably in sales, you're told that when you go to sell your product, be sure that you don't just tell them about it and leave. The whole idea is get them to sign on the dotted line, right? And you never have a salesman come to your door and show you the product and then say isn't that a nice product. I'll call you some time if you're interested. Oh you'll never have a salesman do that. They want to get in there and get that little paper out, get that little pen out and here we go. Well, this doesn't mean anything. You're just signing here and you're in hock for the rest of your life, see.
The object of any kind of sales is when the promotion's going on, that's when you want to clinch the deal. Anyone knows that. So Peter doesn't just say that and say you're all dismissed. He doesn't wrap up with verse 36, powerful thing and say all right everybody that's it. If you'd like to know anything more call the office or there will be literature distributed. You know, he wants to clinch the deal obviously. Now watch what happens in verse 37. "And when they heard this," when they heard his sermon, "powerful sermon, they were pricked in their heart and said unto to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men, brethren, what shall we do?"
They call them brethren because that's a term used among Jews. Doesn't necessarily mean Christians, it means Jews. They were brothers in terms of Abrahamic ancestry. What shall we do? Oh I like that question. That's good. They're in the right spot, they're desperate. That's where the Spirit of God wants to take every man in terms of conviction. To the place of being desperate. Now notice it says they were pricked in their heart. The word that is used for pricked there is the only place it's ever used in the New Testament, interesting word, it means to pierce or to penetrate with a needle or a sharp instrument like a knife. It's a...it carries the idea of suddenness. It's like jamming a dagger into somebody. It's a very piercing sudden grief.
In other words, the idea is of them going along complacently, you know, in the traditions of Judaism and they were just doing what they always did and Christ came along and they executed Christ and they continued to go along and all of a sudden, wham, the knife came in on the day of Pentecost and they were just cut to the heart. And grief came as a result of it suddenly. You say well, what was it that messed them up so much. What was it that got to them? Well, I think there were several things. Let me suggest them. Number one, the sorrow that the Messiah had been put to death. I mean, that's a terrible thing. They'd been waiting for the Messiah for centuries and finally when the Messiah gets there, they have put Him to death through the hands of the Romans.
And that's a terrible thing for them to have to realize. And I think that cut them deeply. Those that were convicted were convicted because they saw the Messiah had come and they had executed the Messiah. Horrible thing, but on top of that secondly, I think that they were cut to the heart because they had a deep sense of guilt that they themselves had done it. Not only had the eliminated Messiah, but they had eliminated Messiah. See? They had actually done it. It would have been terrible to have lost Messiah had somebody else done it, but they had done it. And so there was a horrible sense of guilt.
And then thirdly, this, Peter had announced to them in no uncertain terms and there were multiplied witnesses to prove it that this same Jesus who had been crucified was now alive. And so they were afraid of His wrath. Why Peter had said down in verse 35 that some day He was going to make His enemies His what? His footstool. And that's the picture of the heel on the neck. There was going to be judgment on the enemies of the Messiah. And here they were realizing not only were they...had they lost their Messiah, but they had done the execution themselves and they were heaped with guilt because of that, and then they were of the tremendous response of God toward His enemies. We have killed the Messiah. What could be a worse sin in all the universe than that? Nothing in their minds.
Those who were really convicted, were convicted that they had done the worst thing imaginable. They were right, of course, and the fear of His wrath, they were scared of His vengeance. He was alive again and He was going to make His enemies is footstool. They were scared. Fourthly, I think they were grieved to the heart because they couldn't undo what they did. They couldn't do a thing about it. It was done and they were cut. And they made the right answer. Look at in verse 37. "Men, brethren, what shall we do?" See. Boy that's the spot to be in.
To avoid the wrath, to make rightof wrong, what do we do? They were desperate. They had no where to go. They had nothing to turn to. They were stuck. What shall we do? Well, that's a beautiful thing, because it's just that kind of hopelessness that Jesus Christ can meet, you see. And as long as man thinks he can do it on his own, he can never the experience of real salvation. As long as a man brings any of his own works or his own thoughts or his own ideas to add to what he thinks is salvation, there's no way. It's all of grace, Paul said. It's not until a man is desperate and says what do I do? He has no where to turn and no answer that at that point God intervenes with saving grace.
The apostle Paul came to that point on the road to Damascus in Chapter 9 of Acts in verse 6, Paul was really breathing out threatening and slaughterings verse 1 says. On the way the Lord stopped him. And verse 5 says, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Oh boy can't you read what's going on in Paul's head? The next verse says "And he trembling and astonished." You know he must have shook from top to bottom. A voice out of heaven, he's blinded and this voice says, "I am Jesus whom thou persecuted." You know what Paul said? "Lord, what will Thou have me to do?" See, what do I right? He was scared as well as convicted. He had fear. But perhaps even a more graphic illustration is the illustration of the Philippian jailer.
In the 16th Chapter of Acts, you remember they were having a great time there in prison singing away and praising God and just having a lot of fun praying and the prisoners heard them and suddenly there's a great earthquake. And the foundations of the prison were shaking, immediately all the doors were open and everyone's bands were loosed. The prison started shaking, doors flipped open, everybody was loose. The keeper of the prison knowing he'd have to pay with the loss of prisoners by his own life, waken out of his sleep seeing the prison doors open drew out his sword and would have killed himself supposing the prisoners had been fled.
Paul walks up and says "Do thyself no harm. We're all here." And this guy shocked. And it says in the next verse, "He called for light and sprang in, and came trembling." Again he's scared, he is scared. And fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" You see God exercised fear. He allowed fear to bring that man to a trembling place. He brought a measure of fear into the heart of Paul. He brought a measure of fear into the heart of these Jews over what they had done in rebelling against their own Messiah. And they came to that point where they had a deep sense of evil, a deep guilt where they feared the justice of God and the retribution of His Messiah. A desire to be saved from that judgment brought them to the place where they said to Peter what do we do.
And it is just that state in which the soul is prepared to receive the Savior. It is just that state which is ready to yield to Jesus Christ. Their guilt is fully exposed. They are feeling the pain of the apostles' words. Their consciences are stung by the sense of sinfulness and crucifying Jesus. They are convicted. If conversion is to be genuine, it is the offspring of conviction. I love the passage that illustrates this in Zechariah Chapter 12. Maybe to some of you an obscure passage, but very, very important. In Zechariah 12, we have some of the predictions of what's going to happen in the tribulation in the time when Israel is finally redeemed. And I want you to notice what happens.
Zechariah 12:10, "And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitance of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication." There's salvation for Israel. Now watch, "And they shall," here's the first thing, "look upon Me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son. Shall be in bitterness for Him as one that is in bitterness for His first born. In that day shall be great mourning in Jerusalem." Verse 12, "And the land shall mourn." In other words, to begin with in the restoration of Israel, there's going to be a conviction and a guilt over the execution of Messiah. During the tribulation, the Bible says that Israel will be saved. And at that time, the salvation is going to come about, first of all, by conviction as they recognize they have pierced their own Messiah. And the pain and the anguish will be like having murdered your own child. That's how sacred Messiah is.
And that's exactly the same pain and anguish those people must have felt on the day of Pentecost. Just as bad as if they had taken some weapon and executed their own first born son. And then I love this. In Chapter 13, verse 1 is says, "In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David." In other words, once conviction comes, it's followed by cleansing. But cleansing follows conviction and to bring anybody to Christ apart from conviction is not to bring them to Christ at all. It's an aborted birth. Conviction is the key in the hand of the Spirit that opens the heart to salvation.
And to everyone that you preach to, you need to preach with conviction. And we like to water sin down, you know. We like to hide from it and pad it a little bit so it isn't as gross as the Bible paints it. It's not right to do that. Men need to be convicted of sin. And you need to realize that you're a sinner, not only because you do sin, but you're a sinner because you live in rebellion against God. You say, I don't rebel against God. Yes, you do. You rebel against God by the very fact that you have committed your life to Jesus Christ. That's God's command that you do that and you've not done it. You live in rebellion against God.
For that you are the vilest kind of sinner. And so was I before I came to Jesus Christ. I spoke on this subject and young man came to me afterwards and he said, "You know," he said, "I'm not a rebel against God. I don't hate God. I don't feel like that at all." And I showed him from Scripture that he that is not with Me is what? He's against Me. I said, "You may be moving that way my friend, but until you come to Jesus Christ, you're in open rebellion against God." And this is true. And so many times we let people off the hook on the basis of well, you know, you're a liar. You've told some lies. Yeah, I've told some lies. See you're a sinner, now repent of that. That's not what...that's superficial. The repentance comes in a repentance from the total life of rebellion against the principles of God as exemplified in what Jesus did and said and was. Don't ever let anybody off short of that. When you preach, you preach with conviction.
Now, you say, well, if you preach with conviction, look here, 3,000 people will get saved. You can get out there and you can preach with conviction and they'll come to Christ. That's true. Why not preach with conviction then if they're going to come to Christ? There's another reaction that's possible though. They may not all come. Verse 33 of Chapter 5 says this, "And when they heard that," here's another sermon, "they were cut to the heart and to counsel to slay them." So there are other reactions.
You say I don't know if I'm so hot on this deal again. Yeah, I mean, it's not...everybody's going to get...some people might decide to slay him, but there are...you don't...that's...that may be a little rare. There are other reactions. Chapter 7, verse 54, is not so. "When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth." See that's not quite so bad. I mean, I could take a little of that, hmmm, anger. I'm not too sure I could take being slain. You know, that's a little harder.
You know, you can't assume, well, I've preached with great power and I've exalted the message of repentance. Therefore everybody's going to flock. You'll get the reaction all right. Some will come to Jesus Christ. Some will grit their teeth and gnash on you, and others may design to slay you. But does that mean you don't preach it that way? Does that mean you water it down and don't tell it like it is? God forbid. God forbid. You say well, how do you preach with conviction? How do you convict men? Do you tell a lot of really convicting stories and a lot of little stories about kind of scary little tales and do you use a lot of emotional little gimmicks and get them all whipped up into a real fear thing? No, you don't. No, you don't. The great tool of conviction is not telling stories. The great tool of conviction is the word of God. The tool of conviction is illustrated to us graphically in Hebrews 4:12.
Listen to this, "For the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit of joints and marrow and is a discern of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." It is the word of the God that is the convicting agency in the hand of the Spirit of God. We don't need all kinds of little convicting gimmicks, the word will do it's work. It is a piercing thing. And so when you preach, if you preach, when you witness, when you witness, you witness with great conviction of sin.
Don't ever stop short of that. If there's more to it than this, here's the nice thing, would you like it? That's not all there is to it. Anybody likes a nice thing. There's more to it.
And so, they have come to the place of conviction. They want to know what to do. And Peter, oh is he in a good position. . . "What do we do?," And he replies. Listen, in verse 38: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Notice, he hasn't said anything positive until that final statement in verse 38. He has just hammered on conviction of sin until finally he says, "When you've repented and baptized, then you'll experience a marvelous thing and the gift of the Holy Spirit." But his message isn't based on that, it's based on the fact that they have no right to exist as a rebel against God...no right to exist.
The first thing he says, let's take it piece by piece, is repent. What does repent mean? Metanoeo means to turn around and go the other direction. It means 180 degree turn...from going that way, to going that way. It's absolute opposite.
I'll never forget sharing Christ at a Hollywood Christian Group, actors and actresses, a young Muhammedan had come forward said, "I'd like to receive Jesus Christ." I thought, boy, this is something, he's an actor. And I said, "You know, Muhammedans don't come to Christ like that." And so he prayed and he received Christ and he got up, I'll never forget, he looked at me and said, "Isn't it wonderful, now I have two gods, Jesus and Mohammed." And I said, "No, no, it doesn't work like that. You don't go up to the shelf in life and say, "I'll have one of those and one of those and Jesus..." No, it isn't that way. You turn from all that is a part of your life in terms of sinfulness all the way around and you commit yourself totally to Jesus Christ, and nothing short of that.
Jesus Christ is not an addendum to your activity. He's not a little divine salt on your diet of human activity. It's total commitment. And so, Peter says, "Turn right around and go the other way." Now in 2 Corinthians 7, you know that little passage around verse 10 that says the world has a certain kind of sorrow but it's not godly sorrow, it's the sorrow because you got caught. You know? That's not the kind of sorrow he's talking about here, it's the sorrow that makes you turn all the way around. He says I don't want you to just be sorry you did this to Jesus, I want you to be so sorry you turn from your old and you turn to Him. Now I'll say more about that in a minute.
But repentance, you see, repentance is more than fear of the consequences. And at this point in their heads, that's kind of what they're thinking. We don't want to get stepped on by the Messiah. There's got to be deeper conviction. You see, false repentance dreads the consequences. True repentance dreads sin itself, you see. Laying aside all punishment, true repentance hates sin because of what it is, it's an affront to God. And the mere fact that it's evil and that God hates it is sufficient reason why the truly repentant heart hates sin and forsakes it.
Now these Jews were afraid of punishment, but they had to be more than that. They had to be willing to turn from sin and come to Christ. So Peter says, "Turn all the way around." There's no salvation, mark this, there's no salvation in conviction, and often trembling is substituted for godly fear and the fear of hell for the fear of God. That's only the beginning. There must be a turning to Jesus Christ. True repentance forsakes sin and comes in total commitment to Christ. And there's an urgency in what Peter says here. He says, "Repent, repent." He fires it out. It's an aorist which is an act that is in a moment, it's an immediate thing, complete turning in an instant. You see, salvation is not a question of education. Salvation is not a process, it's an act that happens in a moment. And I think too little we preach repentance, too infrequently do we let people off the hook on the basis of, "Here's a good thing, take this good thing." Oh, there's so much more to salvation than that, that's why we get so many tares among the wheat. In the book of Acts, you check Acts 3:19, 8:22, 11:18 all the way through 20:21, 26:20 and all they talk about is repentance. Then you go to this one in Acts 17:30 and what it says, "God commands all men everywhere to...what?...repent." There is no salvation apart from repentance.
Now just imagine in your mind, if you can, you can't and neither can I really, but let's do the best we can with it, the Spirit of God helping us, to put ourselves in the shoes of those Jewish people. They are locked in to a beautiful and glorious and beloved tradition. They are part of a community that has a uniqueness like no other community in the world. They have a bond of nationality that is glorious and which they exalt. They have deemed as a nation that Jesus is a blasphemer, therefore He has been executed.
Now Peter says to them, "Turn around and say about Jesus He is who He claims to be. Cut the cord from all your past life and all that Judaism is to you and means to you and embrace Him as Your Messiah." That, friends, is quite a change...that is quite a change. The beautiful Jewish traditions have not yet died out, even centuries after the destruction of Jerusalem, so meaningful are they to those people. And Peter is saying in an instant in time, "Kiss it all goodbye, turn right around, embrace Messiah and be counted as dead by your whole nation and all the people that care about you and love you." It's a cost that's very high.
But that's what repentance is, a total 180 degree turn from everything you knew. Repentance is just that, to reverse your verdict about Jesus, turn from Him...from sin too Him. You say, "Well can't you get in without doing that? Can't you come to Christ without repentance?"
John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus preached repentance, the apostles preached repentance...it's got to be 'cause, my friend, if you're going that way and Jesus is over here, you can't get over here unless you turn around. That's the point. And I believe that even in Jewish evangelism today, we've got to preach that same message...repent for your rejection of your Messiah and turn, if need be, cutting all the cords that bind you to Judaism and face squarely Jesus as your Messiah and embrace Him. That's the message to Israel. And we need to be just as bold in indicting Israel for rejection of Jesus Christ as their Messiah as we are the Gentiles for their rejection of Christ and I don't think we can back off. We need to say to Gentile and Jew alike, you better change your attitude about Jesus. That's repentance. And not to repent is just tragic...just tragic.
So Peter calls on them to make a change that is unbelievable. Now he adds this, and I'll say some more about that in a minute, but he says this, "And be baptized...repent and be baptized." And at this point, the ritualists find their...their weapon assuming that therefore salvation is a result of repentance and water, but what is he saying? Is baptism critical?
Absolutely, oh it is very critical. But watch this, this is tremendous. Now when Peter was done preaching this sermon, I'm sure there was a great reaction among the people. I mean, it says that they were pierced in their hearts and they said, "What do we do?" They were really rattled. And many of them in their hearts had believed on Messiah and they had accepted the fact that this was true, that Jesus was the Messiah. And I'm sure the temptation would have been to say, "Boy, I'm going to believe this but I'm not sure to open my mouth about it. I open my mouth and whish....you know."
But you know something? There's something distasteful about such a secret disciple. So Peter doesn't want to tolerate any of that. He wants those to come to Christ who are really right on and really serious so he makes a formality here that is graphic as a symbol but that is even more graphic as a renouncement of Judaism. You see, he's saying, "I don't want any secret disciples. If you mean it, I don't only want you to change your attitude, I want you to change your association."
Now notice it says in verse 38, "Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ." He made that clear because in Judaism there were all kinds of washings, weren't there? And they could have been washed and it wouldn't necessarily been connected with Jesus, so he says, "I want you to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." That was tying them in with Him as their Messiah. Wow, what a transformation! And it meant that their families and all the rest of their world would count them as dead. The most despicable thing a Jew could do would be to come to Jesus Christ who was a blasphemer they had decided and worthy only of execution. But Peter says, "I want you to make a public act of severing your ties with Judaism and a new identification with Jesus Christ. And so I want you to be baptized, baptism of being a symbol of union with Christ."
Oh, this was a big step. Dr. Ryrie said, quote: "Even today for a Jew, it is not his profession of Christianity nor his attendance at Christian services, nor his acceptance of the New Testament, but today even, his submission to water baptism that definitely and finally excludes him from the Jewish community and marks him off as a Christian," end quote. That says I am identifying with Christ, that's a public expression. And we baptize folks in the name of Jesus Christ as a testimony to the world that they have been desirous of uniting with Jesus Christ totally. And that's why Peter insisted on the ordinance.
You say, "Well, it says repent and be baptized. I mean, how do you get around the fact that you've got to be baptized to be saved?" Well very simple. For example, in Luke 18 we have a good illustration. There was a guy who came to Jesus and it says in verse 18, "A certain ruler said to Jesus, 'Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'" Now that's a good question. That's the same question they asked in Acts 2 basically. And Jesus said to him in verse 22, jumping down, "Sell all that you have and distribute unto the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven."
Now therefore salvation is a question of economics. In order to be saved, you hock everything and give your money to the poor, true? Ridiculous. Of course salvation isn't a question of economics. Salvation isn't a question of giving money to the poor. You say, "Well that's what He said." No, that's not what He said. He said, "Do that and then come and follow Me." In other words, there's a barrier in your way, fella. You're never going to know salvation until you get over your big hangup which is...what?...money. You see, Jesus read his heart and He knew what that guy really loved, number one, and that was money. And we know that because the guy turned around and went home...said, "Forget it, I want my money." It's not until you want Jesus Christ more than you want anything else that the conditions are removed. As long as God knows there's something in the way, He can point that out. And...watch this...the biggest stumbling block to Jewish conversion was the fear of persecution and being unsynagogued and put out of their whole world. And so Peter says, "I know that's your big problem, so that's what you're going to have to get out of the way." And baptism would be a public acknowledgment that you were naming the name of Christ fully aware of what it was going to cost. No secret disciples.
The Word of God does not teach baptismal salvation. It does not teach that you're to be baptized to be saved. It's simply indicated here that they were to be baptized in response to what had happened in their life as a public confession of their new union with Christ. And it was a high price to pay.
So, you see, to use this to teach baptismal salvation doesn't make any sense. Water doesn't make it. Water doesn't save anybody. And so, this idea of secrecy Peter avoids and expressly says, "Repent and be baptized." But I hasten to say, baptism has nothing to do with the salvation. It only pulls out the real from the unreal. It only makes the commitment total which is really what salvation is all about.
But now watch this key point. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sin." Now this is what people get confused because they say, "Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins." In order that your sins might be forgiven which means that baptism comes before forgiveness. You've got to be baptized in order to be forgiven. Now that can't be true because that contradicts the Bible which says you're not saved by works at all. It also doesn't need to be that way, listen to this. In studying the word "for the remission of sins," which is often translated by those ritualists as "in order that," we find it to be the word "eis," "eis." takes many, many translations. One of those translations used with verbs of change is the translation "because of." It is thus to be translated in Matthew 12:41 where it says the people repented because of the preaching of Jonah. They repented in response to preaching. Here we simply give it that meaning and that meaning it can well have and it reads this way, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of sins."
In other words, you repent and then you are baptized because your sins have been forgiven. It is a public sign of what has gone on in the inside. And so repentance brought the remission of sins, baptism only made it visual in terms of a sign, or a symbol.
Isn't it good what it says...just a footnote in verse 38...about the remission of sins? Isn't it nice to know that when you repent, your sins are forgiven when you come to Christ? Isn't it nice to know that you don't have any sins piling up against you but that you're free simply to agree with God about your sin and know that He's already forgiven it? First John 2:12, "My little children, your sins are forgiven for His namesake." Colossians 2:13, "He's forgiven you all your trespasses." Tremendous promise.
Then you'll notice at the end of verse 38 he gets to the good part and says, "And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Now isn't this wonderful because this is what the Jews have been waiting for? This is what Joel said, that God would pour out His Spirit. They've been waiting for messianic days, they've been waiting for the Spirit and he says, "Here's how you can experience the presence of the Spirit." Remember in John 14 Jesus said He's with you, He shall be...where?...in you and He says there is a way to experience the indwelling life of the Spirit, that is by repenting and coming and identifying with Jesus Christ. The cost is high, but that's the demand.
Now you notice what he says here? What is the condition to receiving the Holy Spirit? What is it? One word, repent...did you get it? Do you see anything there about tarry, wait, come on, everybody, we're going to the Upper Room? Do you see anything about any kind of signs, wind, fire, vision, tongues? I don't. Repent and then to show that forgiveness has been accomplished, be baptized and the receiving of the Spirit comes as a result. Now the Spirit of God doesn't come as a result of water baptism, but of repentance. Every believer receivesthe Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation; 1 Corinthians 12 says, we're all baptized by the Spirit into the same body. That's salvation.
You say, "What is the gift of the Spirit? Well that's the Holy Spirit Himself, that's all that means. So, this is Peter's appeal. Let me summarize, very quickly. For the Jews who had openly rejected the Lord, not only repentance but baptism, that they might identify publicly with Christ. And he knew the biggest stumbling block to their discipleship was the fear of persecution, and so he makes that the standard because he wants them to get over the one hurdle that will really keep him from coming to Christ. And he knows that if the ones that get over that hurdle, they'll be the real ones.
You know what we try to do when we evangelize? We try to remove all the barriers so it's real easy. Then we wonder why we have so many tares among the wheat.
Now I want to add a couple of footnotes, just so you'll be clear on this. The Spirit of God is not given in water baptism. Don't connect that with the water but with the repentance. Secondly, I do think it's important that baptism should follow salvation immediately. I feel that on this occasion it was the very same day as a public declaration. Some people have been Christians for a long time and never followed baptism and thus not publicly declared their union with Jesus Christ. I think this is wrong and I think if there are those of you who have not yet been baptized since you believed, you need to be.
Thirdly, let me add this. The word "gift" at the end of verse 38 is dorea, which means a free gift--unmerited, for nothing with no cause and no condition. And that's exactly how you got the Holy Spirit, you didn't earn Him. You can't earn Him. You can't pray for Him. You can't go get Him. You can't whip Him up, stir Him up, or bring Him up. He came down at the moment of your salvation.
Now you say, "Well maybe that's only for the Jews, baptism." No, because in Acts 10 Cornelius was baptized who was a Gentile. Later on Paul says, "I baptized Crispus and Gaius." So we believe that this is something even for us today to declare our union with Jesus Christ.
Now, notice verse 39, and this carries it on from there. "For the promise...that is the promise of the Spirit as a response to salvation in Christ...is unto you," that's them standing right there that day, "and to your children and to all that are afar off." Who do you think the "afar offs" are? Gentiles...Gentiles, Ephesians 2:11 to 13. So this is a promise not only for Israel but for Gentiles, "Even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Now there's the sovereign side of salvation.
But then you go back to verse 21 and it says, "And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." There's the human side. So you have both sides of the divine paradox right there.
So Peter's appeal is direct. He fires right away at them and says, "The Spirit will be yours, you will experience the fullness of the coming of Messianic days only if you break all the cords of Judaism and turn and identify yourself with Jesus Christ, and you who really mean it will be willing to do this, be publicly baptized that the world might know that you are naming the name of Jesus Christ." Peter asks so much, oh he asks much.
Now I love the next verse...verse 40, "And with many other words did he testify and exhort." I told you he couldn't have preached just two and a half minutes. He went on and on and on, many other words. He testified. He exhorted them, saying, and here it says save yourselves, it is a passive imperative, "Be saved from this crooked generation," you can't save yourself. "Be saved from this crooked generation." Jesus called that generation faithless and perverse and evil. And in 70 A.D. God swept down on that generation and wiped it out. One million, one hundred thousand Jews were killed in the siege of Titus in 70 A.D. And here Peter says, "Save yourselves," in the sense that you yield yourself to the salvation provided freely for you in Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is your Savior.
What do you do? You repent. And to make sure your repentance is honest and legitimate, you'll be willing to name His name in front of your own people. Peter hit hard.
I hope, friends, and just a moment I want to say this, I hope, friends, that we learn a principle about evangelism here. Major on sin and judgment and give the whole truth, do you see? Full repentance, nobody builds a tower intelligently who doesn't first sit down and count the cost. And I don't think we give people enough stuff to count. Let a man know exactly what he's doing when he comes to Jesus Christ from beginning to end.
So the introduction, the theme and the appeal. Now watch the result, this is so good. You say, "O brother, if there's any results, it will be a miracle if they don't just stone him, you know." I mean, could you preach like that, all that hell, fire and damnation and get away with it?
Somebody was introducing me to this lady and said, "John's the pastor down at Grace Community."
She says, "Well, is that kind of a nice church?"
I said, "Oh yeah. We have a wonderful time."
She said, "Well you're not one of those hell, fire and damnation preachers, are you?"
I said, "Yeah, oh yeah."
She said, "You are?"
I said, "Well, you know, you've got to speak the truth." And, you know, as a result of that, I had a chance to share with her a little further. I'm not ashamed that I preach judgment, I better preach judgment.
You say, "Well, you couldn't expect any results, could you? I mean, you can't just go out there and do that, you've got to be glib and cool and clever and subtle, see. And you've got to say...you've tried pot, have you tried Jesus? Jesus is a groovy high, man, see. I mean, you've got to be sort of cool about this deal, you'll get a lot of results." I call them spiritual abortions, that's what you'll get. You'll get superficiality and what is born is dead.
Well, how many believed? Well he had a good response, not very man, if there were half a million people there, they had in verse 41, "They that were gladly received His Word was baptized, same day they were added to them three thousand souls." Now that's...you say, three thousand? Boy, one sermon, three thousand converts, often takes three thousand sermons to get one convert. That's true. But here you have this three thousand...that's really not very many. You figure out a percentage on the basis of how many that were there; that's not very many, that's just a little handful.
Would you want to know something? They baptized all three thousand. You know what that means? That means those three thousand were for real. And then I love verse 42, oh is this good. "And they continued...what's the next word?....steadfastly." Don't you like that? The three thousand they got, they kept. Whoa, it's so right to do the evangelism the way the Spirit's designed it to be done in order that when you're done you've got what you've got, see.
Jim Oguin came from Equador and told me he was in Guayaquil and told me that had a big evangelistic thing and they had 40,000 people on three or four nights and two thousand five hundred first-time professions of faith in Christ and three months later they found three people in the church. All the churches in that whole city had three from those meetings. Where were they? Something was wrong somewhere.
It can't be easy to come to Jesus Christ. It's easy in the sense that there's no works involved, but it means that you turn from everything your life has meant. From it to Jesus Christ in total commitment. "They continued steadfastly." Oh I love that. Jesus said in John 8:30, "Many came and believed," then He said this to them, "No, wait a minute, if you continue in My Word then are you My disciples alethos for real." See, you've just begun. If you're still around when all the hot spots have been hit, you know. You remember what happened in John chapter 6, it says, "And many of His disciples forsook Him and fled."
You see, it's not who comes, it's who's there when it's all over. Continuing is the sign of salvation. So the church is born. And what I like about it is, it was a real church, it was visible and the same that was visible was invisible. In other words, all those that were in it were really in it. If your evangelism is right, you'll save a lot of tears for the church. Don't be involved in spiritual abortions or bringing tares into the church. Make sure your evangelism is clear. The church was born.
Peter preached as the Spirit gave him unction. The results, fantastic. And the first day that little church existed, that church had well over three thousand people in it and they were together and they were for real and they were about to change the world. We'll see how they did it next week. Let's pray.
Father, we thank You for principles that You've taught us this morning. God, we just don't want to be superficial in our ministries. We want to be sure that we realize it's not how many but it's what kind. We're not so concerned with how many come to Jesus Christ superficially, or how many people we have opportunity to lead to Christ, although that's important, Lord, that's not the end. The thing is that we're concerned that they be real, that they have counted the cost, that they have removed the barrier and the obstacle, whatever it is, that they like Jesus, said, "Be willing to leave father, mother and all of these things," that they be willing to take up the cross and follow Him where they're not worthy to be His disciples.
God, we want to talk to desperate people and if they're not desperate, we want to show them they need to be desperate. God, help us to be involved in really Holy Spirit evangelism. Don't take away our zeal, Lord. Just give it to us in the right perspective. Thank You for what You've taught us, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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text:
Police Conduct Manhunt for Suspected Shooter
These two video show scenes from the police hunt in Moncton, including the RCMP helicopter which was dispatched.
A CANADIAN city remained on lockdown as police hunted for a man believed to have shot dead three police officers and wounded two others in a brazen attack.
Residents of Moncton, a city of 70,000 people, were told to remain in their homes behind locked doors as police searched for the alleged shooter, 24-year-old Justin Bourque, who was described as armed and dangerous.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the suspect had been spotted three times since daybreak, moving "in and out of a wooded area" they had staked out.
Bourque was dressed as John Rambo, the character played by actor Sylvester Stallone in the popular 1980s films, during his shooting spree.
#RCMPNB #Codiac still actively looking for shooter near Pinehurst SubDiv. in Moncton. Stay in. Lock doors. Avoid this area. Stay Safe! & mdash; RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 5, 2014
#RCMPNB #Codiac still actively looking for shooter near Pinehurst SubDiv. in Moncton. Stay in. Lock doors. Avoid this area. Stay Safe!— RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 5, 2014
"The RCMP family is hurting," regional commander Roger Brown said, describing his officers "working through (their) worst nightmare".
Police released a photo of Bourque dressed in military fatigues and carrying two "high-powered" firearms.
The suspect used those rifles when he confronted police on a street in Moncton on Wednesday evening, killing three officers and wounding two.
He was also reportedly armed with knives and a crossbow, according to witnesses.
This is crazy. I feel for everyone involved ~ #MonctonShooting ~ Raw video: Witness sees cop shot in #Moncton http://t.co/H3Y3FBLYa2— Kelly (@RageGrl) June 5, 2014
This is crazy. I feel for everyone involved ~ #MonctonShooting ~ Raw video: Witness sees cop shot in #Moncton http://t.co/H3Y3FBLYa2— Kelly (@RageGrl) June 5, 2014
The shooting shocked many, as Canada prides itself on being largely free of the gun violence that regularly plagues cities in neighbouring United States.
"Stay home, stay safe. If you cannot get home, seek out a friend or family and remain there until you are advised otherwise," Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc said.
Police told residents to barricade their doors as they combed a wooded, northeast neighbourhood of Moncton with dogs, armoured vehicles and aircraft equipped with infra-red cameras.
Schools as well as some businesses, shops and public services were to stay shut as the manhunt dragged on, and local television footage showed streets were largely deserted.
The wounded officers were in stable condition, said surgeon Dhany Charest.
Witness Danny Leblanc, 42, said he saw the shooter in the distance, wearing a camouflage outfit and standing in the middle of the street with his gun pointed at police cars.
The construction worker said he believed it was an RCMP officer until he heard a burst of automatic gunfire coming from the man's gun.
"That guy was standing on the road afterwards and he was looking towards us," he said.
He said he quickly retreated into his home and remained there with his family. At one point a neighbour posted on social media that their kitchen window was shattered by gunfire.
#Codiac #RCMPNB — 3 officers mortally wounded by shooter. 2 officers sustained non life threatening injuries. Shooter still actively sought. & mdash; RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 5, 2014
#Codiac #RCMPNB - 3 officers mortally wounded by shooter. 2 officers sustained non life threatning injuries. Shooter still actively sought.— RCMP New Brunswick (@RCMPNB) June 5, 2014
"It's devastating. I don't know if he was on a hunt for them, or what," he said.
Police said Wednesday night they believed the suspect was at large in a Moncton subdivision and believe he is in a wooded area in the Pinehurst subdivision area.
A number of roads in the city are blocked and traffic has backed up on major arteries across the city. Drivers were also asked to stay out of the area.
"I drove by and saw a car with shattered windows, bullet holes, and blood all over the ground," Matt Arsenault told the New York Daily News.
Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc urged all residents to pay strict attention to the RCMP warnings.
"The police and other emergency personnel are working under extremely difficult conditions and need our complete cooperation. Stay home, stay safe. If you cannot get home, seek out a friend or family and remain there until you are advised otherwise," LeBlanc said in a statement.
#Moncton friends stay safe ... #codiacrcmp Friend caught a pic of the shooter ... Stay inside ... @Brett_Global @CBCNS pic.twitter.com/2I8bk2Nb5Q & mdash; Patrick Hemsworth (@PatHemsworth) June 5, 2014
#Moncton friends stay safe... #codiacrcmp
Friend caught a pic of the shooter... Stay inside...
@Brett_Global @CBCNS pic.twitter.com/2I8bk2Nb5Q— Patrick Hemsworth (@PatHemsworth) June 5, 2014
Sean Gallacher, who lives near the area where police were concentrating their search, told AP he heard what he now believes were gunshots but initially thought his daughter had dropped some toys on the floor above him.
"I was downstairs and heard a few bangs," said Gallacher, 35.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney tweeted that he was "shocked by the tragedy" and that his thoughts and prayers were with frontline RCMP officers.
So sad for the brave RCMP officers who have fallen tonight. They did so, trying to protect the people of #Moncton. We must never forget them & mdash; Sébastien Belliveau (@Seb_Bell) June 5, 2014
So sad for the brave RCMP officers who have fallen tonight. They did so, trying to protect the people of #Moncton. We must never forget them— Sébastien Belliveau (@Seb_Bell) June 5, 2014
Will Njoku told CBC News that he was emptying his dishwasher and putting his young children to bed just before 8pm when he heard popping sounds.
"Within 30 seconds I heard sirens," he said.
Njoku said he heard five more shots after the sirens.
"We're scared, obviously. We're more terrified for the people who this shooter is basically in their backyard. I can picture these people's houses," he said.
When the news broke that there was a shooter on the loose, Njoku said, he went out on his street to warn his neighbours.
"I felt pretty dumb. But there was people going down there. I just know my neighbourhood. It's just kid city," he said.
UPDATE RT "@RCMPNB: Shooter still believed to be in Pinehurst Subdivision area of Moncton. Stay locked inside. Avoid area. #Codiac #RCMPNB" & mdash; Candace (@c_woodside) June 5, 2014
UPDATE RT "@RCMPNB: Shooter still beleived to be in Pinehurst Subdivision area of Moncton. Stay locked inside. Avoid area. #Codiac #RCMPNB"— Candace (@c_woodside) June 5, 2014
Danielle Hache was awoke up by the sound of the gun blasts.
"I heard the shotgun around eight. I was sleeping on my couch and it woke me up," she told The Star.
"I heard a good five, six, seven shots, for sure. It was close to here because I could hear it very well."
New Brunswick Premier David Alward issued a statement about the Moncton police shootings.
"I was shocked and saddened to learn of tonight's tragic situation in Moncton," Alward said.
"On behalf of all New Brunswickers, I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to those affected. I would ask New Brunswickers, particularly in those areas identified by police, to follow the situation as it develops and to listen to the advice of police."
#RCMP asking public to refrain from tweeting police locations in Moncton after shooting. & mdash; Jon Munn (@Jon_OnAir) June 5, 2014
#RCMP asking public to refrain from tweeting police locations in Moncton after shooting.— Jon Munn (@Jon_OnAir) June 5, 2014
Motorists were warned to avoid the Plaza Boulevard area.
Parts of Wheeler Boulevard are cordoned off and traffic on Mountain Road is backed up.
The Horizon Health Network has confirmed that the Moncton Hospital has received two patients with gunshot wounds.
The hospital is restricting visitors to those with "critically ill family members."
The last post on Justin Bourque's Facebook page — just before the shootings began — are below. They are lyrics from the hard rock band Megadeth's song Hook in Mouth.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Batesburg-Leesville Chamber of Commerce
and Visitor's Center
Welcome to our website!
Batesburg-Leesville is located in the Midlands Region of South Carolina. Our towns' close proximity to Interstate 20 provides easy access to many major cities and states.
If you, your family or your business are looking for new opportunities and an outstanding community in which to relocate, you will find Batesburg-Leesville a wise choice. From boating and water sports on nearby Lake Murray, to golf, a dedicated school district, a community rich in family-oriented values, Batesburg-Leesville offers new neighbors a comfortable, safe and enriching environment to live and work.
We extend to you an open invitation to "Come Sample the South" in a place, we call home.
We are located at 350 E. Columbia Avenue next to Gifts Unique and Shealy's BBQ!
For more information about Batesburg-Leesville, contact:
Batesburg-Leesville Chamber of Commerce & Visitors' Center
350 East Columbia Avenue (map it!)
PO Box 2178
Batesburg-Leesville, SC 29070
Phone: (803) 532-4339
Fax: (803) 532-3978
Email us!
We are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday-Friday.


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- Just Released
- Sale Bestsellers
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- Christian Book Award Winners
- Bible Study Resources
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Product Description
Welcome to God's Great Indoors
Do you often wonder why anyone would enjoy camping?
Is your couch and TV among your most prized possession?
Are you sick and tired of hearing your friends and family say, "Let's go out"?
Then you might be an avid indoorsman and contrary to popular belief, so is God. He created the indoors to keep the outdoors where it belongs...out.
Embrace the indoor lifestyle with this hilarious handbook full of tips and tricks to help you thrive in your comfy, climate-controlled world. Learn the finer art of setting up a perfect home theater, cleaning with minimal effort, developing indoor hobbies, and, of course, how to avoid the outdoors at all costs
So, stay indoors, read this book, and thank God for four walls, fast Internet, and a forever faith... that lives inside you, by the way. Just sayin'.
More Product Information
- Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
- Release Date: January 8, 2019
- Pages: 224
- Language: English
- Binding: Paperback
- Height: 0.80 inches
- Width: 5.90 inches
- Length: 7.90 inches
- Weight: 0.45 pounds


text:
Peter GreenRequest Him Follow
Model Information
Pornstar Peter Green embodies the South Beach lifestyle: this stud is all about the beach, the gym and the party. His life is strictly good vibes only and as a pornstar living in the city with the most beautiful babes in the world, Peter is definitely feeling the good vibes! A former boxer who got into the porn industry at 19, Peter has a muscular physique that the ladies love nearly as much as his big, thick cock. Peter says he wants to live in the kitchen because he's always hungry and this buff stud has an equally voracious attitude when it comes to fucking. His devotees call Peter the "Pussy Master" because of his incredible sexual skills and his ability to go from nice and humble to beast mode in the blink of an eye and it's obvious that this master has never met a pussy he couldn't tame. When it comes to his career, Peter is too focused on the present to do much thinking about the future, but he has no plans to go anywhere. Check out his scenes now and you'll agree, this "Pussy Master" should stay in the porn game for a long time.
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Posts Tagged I hate winter
I Hate Winter
Posted by charlie nitric in humor on January 21, 2014
"I hate winter" is a statement uttered by folks around mid-western America. People, quit your bitching about the season. The trees, shrubbery, and surroundings get blanketed by white puffs of frozen, crystallized water. It's beautiful outside and glistening snowfalls are amazing. Children become excited about going sledding or building snowmen, and snow angels can be […]


text:
Learning From History: How One Lying Liar Almost Screwed The Comic Book Industry
from the the-stories-they-tell dept
One thing that will never cease to make me smirk out of frustration is how often the purveyors of the moral panic du jour seem to cast aside the morality of telling the damned truth when making their panicked arguments. Today it's all video games and ghost stories, with names like Jack Thompson cemented in our minds as bullshit artists fairly easily cast aside as the crackpots that they are. That said, these people are simply the latest iteration in a long and glorious history of people trying to make a buck or a reputation off of the fears of parents and it's useful to remind people we've all been here before and history hasn't judged these fear-peddlers all too kindly.
Over at io9, they have a fascinating writeup discussing the history of Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist who waged his own personal war against the comic book industry in the fifties. His weapons of choice were lies, half-truths, omission of facts, and a level of bullshit not typically seen outside of farm country. There's a ton of detail in the post to dig through, but the skinny is that Wertham wrote a bestelling book in 1954 called The Seduction of the Innocent, which, despite it's porno-sounding name, was essentially a screed against comic books. Wertham's assertion that comics drove children to violence, drug use, and homosexuality was one of the inspirations for the editorial code used by the comics industry assocation CMAA. Basically the movement that still ripples against kids reading comics today all started because of The Seduction of the Innocent. The problem is that the book was mostly bullshit, as discovered and covered by the University of Illinois' Carol Tilley.
Tilley's work is based on unprecedented access to 200 cartons of Wertham's private papers at the Library of Congress, which were under seal until 2010. Over a period of roughly two weeks, Tilley pored over everything from Wertham's correspondence with colleagues to the extremely detailed notes he kept on interviews and sessions with the teens he worked with throughout most of his life. It was when she started reading these notes that Tilley realized that there were some pretty big discrepancies between what Wertham recorded in them, and what he wrote in Seduction of the Innocent.What she uncovered was an almost pathological practice by Wertham of altering the stories of his patients, splintering his patient's stories and attributing them to multiple people to build a case of mass effect, repurposing second-hand accounts as his own and attributing them to made-up patients, or else taking true patient information and leaving out anything that would point the finger anywhere besides a comic book. Seriously, some of the examples cited are downright insane. Take the case of Dorothy, a teen described in Wertham's book as being obsessed with the comic book heroine Sheena.
In the case notes, Wertham commented that the images of strong women reinforced "violent revenge fantasies against men and possibly creates these violent anti-men (therefore homosexual) fantasies. . . . Sheena and the other comic book women such as Wonder Woman are very bad ideals for them." Yet Wertham omits from Seduction—and seemingly from his analysis—a revealing story about Dorothy's everyday reality. In the case notes, she related an incident in which her aunt was accosted by gang members, taken to a rooftop, and robbed of less than one dollar. Wertham also declined to mention in Seduction that Dorothy—in addition to being habitually truant—was a runaway and a gang member, was sexually active, and had both a reading disability and low normal intelligence. On the final page of Dorothy's case notes, Wertham instead wrote: "She would be good and non-aggressive if society would let her—Comic Books are part of society."Got that? Strong women in comics make women man-hating violent offenders, but, hey, don't look at all this patient history of trauma and disability over here. The last sentence of those notes is such a leap -- "Comic Books are part of society", therefore they're to blame for her violence -- it sort of takes your breath away. I mean, crappy lying psychiatrists fudging their data are also a part of society, so...you know.
The fudging gets worse when Wertham looks to blame homosexuality on Batman & Robin, taking the jokes we all made as ignorant children and building an entire psychiatric claim around them. Too bad he built his own strawman composite to do so.
As part of his evidence for this identification, Wertham shared the insights of a young homosexual man who stated, "I think I put myself in the position of Robin. I did want to have relations with Batman."When he wasn't putting the words of one patient into the mouths of several fictional patients, Wertham would just, you know, pretend he'd experienced things he never had actually experienced.
The young man from the anecdote was actually two men, ages sixteen and seventeen, who had been in a sexual relationship with one another for several years and had realized they were homosexual by the age of ten. Wertham combined their statements, failing to indicate that the seventeen-year-old is the one who noted, "The only suggestion of homosexuality may be that they seemed to be so close to each other," and omitting the phrase that followed, "like my friend and I." Further, Wertham did not make any mention that the two teens had found the Submariner and Tarzan to be better subjects than Batman and Robin for their early erotic fantasies.
Tilley also found evidence in the Library of Congress papers that Wertham's observation that he'd seen children "vomit over comic books" was actually taken from a report from the psychiatrist's friend, the folklorist Gershon Legman. Wertham also claims in Seduction that he'd seen comics for sale to children in stores where prostitutes peddled their wares. This was actually from a report given to him by his colleague Hilde Mosse; Wertham never witnessed any prostitutes at comic book stores.To be fair, bullshitting is, like, at least three times easier than science. The point of all this isn't to suggest that parents shouldn't pay attention to the gaming their children do, or the comics they read, for that matter. No, the point is that anytime you hear something that has the ring of moral panic to it, chances are overwhelmingly good that it's nonsense being peddled so that somebody somewhere can make a name or a buck. The sooner we can become more skeptical of that kind of thing, the sooner the flavor of bullshit peddled by Wertham, Thompson, and all the rest will fail to find purchase in our culture.
Filed Under: comics, fredric wertham, moral panics


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Argentinean Judge Rules In Favor Of Chilean Airline LAN In Dispute For Buenos Aires Airport Jorge Newbery's Hangar
An Argentinean judge ruled in favor of Chilean airline LAM, part of the LATAM (NYSE:LFL), in the dispute it had with the government. Per the decision, LAN will be allowed to continue to use the hangar they have been working from.
The Argentinean government had demanded that the airline leave the domestic airport of Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires, claiming that it was to be exclusively used by state-owned airlines – particularly the returning Aerolíneas Argentinas, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy.
LAN replied that the decision would make it stop all its flights in Argentina, of which LAN controls 25 percent. Such move would mean the loss of 1,500 jobs. The government gave the option of moving LAN flights to the international airport of Ezeiza, but LAN refused.
Chilean Economy Minister Félix de Vicente said that both governments had refused to take part in the matter, since it was a private company issue. Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said that, unlike many countries, Argentina did allow foreign airlines to operate domestic flights.
LAN was operating normally out of Jorge Newbery airport on Tuesday, according to Aerolíneas Argentinas CEO Mariano Recalde.


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The best part of waking up will be your favorite drink in an artistic and colorful mug from KESS InHouse! These high quality ceramic mugs are microwave and dishwasher safe, with vivid artwork that won't fade. Great for all drinks, these mugs will make Monday mornings easier to handle. These 11 oz mugs are a great way to show off your artistic side with so many artistic options to choose from. Everyone in the office and around home will be jealous of your cool mug that shows off your unique personality.
Coffee Mug Details
- Made of high quality ceramic
- Dishwasher (top shelf only) and Microwave Safe
- Printed in the USA
*Some outlet items may have small defects*


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These days power-quality trouble-shooters need to do more than decipher data from three-phase monitors. They need to be skilled at using test tools to troubleshoot problems in the premises wiring system, from the receptacle on up. Relatively low-cost hand-held test tools are all that is required for measurements.
"Bottom-up" troubleshooting makes sense for a number of reasons: * Comprehensive studies in the early to mid-1990s demonstrated that relatively few sags and other voltage events were caused by the utility, with the majority being originated in the facility.
*Roughly three-quarters of power-quality problems arise from premises wiring and grounding issues.
* Power quality is usually best at the service connection and gets worse moving toward the most remote point of the distribution system-the receptacle outlet. That is also where the sensitive loads (and users) tend to be located, and where the first call for help often originates.
Measurements at the outlet
In a three-pronged outlet, there are only three possible voltage measurements, and only two of these are useful: Line-Neutral (L-N) Voltage and Neutral-Ground (N-G) voltage. A skilled troubleshooter takes measurements at the outlet, and isolates whether the problem came from the power system or has its roots in the equipment itself . Let's say the manufacturer's service tech has already swapped boards a couple of times and all eyes are now glaring at the gremlin in the wall socket.
The first power-quality question we now need to answer is whether the L-N voltage is of sufficient and consistent amplitude to serve the needs of the load.
Line-to-neutral and source impedance The VRMS (root mean square) value of the L-N voltage is the first measurement to take. If it's too low, that could be an immediate indication of excessive source impedance. Source impedance is simply the total impedance looking back from the load to the source. There are two major contributors to this source impedance. One is the wiring; the longer the conductor and the smaller the diameter (higher gauge), the higher the impedance. The other factor is the internal impedance of the transformer (or other source equipment). This internal impedance is a way of saying that a transformer of a given size/rating can only supply so much current. One of the most basic principles in "Performance Wiring," i.e., wiring that exceeds Code minimum requirements and helps assure power quality, is to minimize source impedance. In other words, assure adequate transformer capacity and install relatively short wire runs . Also, just so we don't overlook the obvious, when you eventually get to the panel, make sure the connections are torqued to spec but not over-torqued; loose connections will always be the No. 1 suspect for excessive source impedance.
Many electricians think more in terms of IR drop. Source impedance can be thought of as the "R" in IR drop (or, strictly speaking, the Z in IZ drop). Any IR drop is subtracted from the L-N voltage available to the load. High-source impedance increases the potential for significant IR drops, possibly exceeding the NEC- recommended 5% maximum.
Peak voltage and flat-topping We can't stop at the VRMS measurement of L-N voltage. Just as important is the V-peak value. We are trying to see if the voltage waveform suffers from excessive distortion, which at the branch circuit takes a characteristic form called flat-topping. A scope display will immediately show if the waveform is flat-topped. If a scope is not available, a multimeter with the ability to read the peak value of the wave (sometimes called the Peak MIN/MAX function) can be used. The ratio of VPEAK to VRMS is called the Crest Factor. For an ideal, pure sinewave, the Crest Factor is 1.414, but the flat-topped voltage waveform typically found in many commercial buildings will have a lower value.
If we understand what causes flat-topped voltage, we'll also see why it can be a problem. The first stage of the power supply in electronic equipment has a diode bridge that turns ac into pulsating dc, which then charges a capacitor. As the load draws the cap down, the cap recharges. However, the cap only takes power from the peak of the pulsating dc wave to replenish itself because that's the only time the supplied voltage is higher than its own voltage. The cap ends up drawing current in pulses at each half-cycle peak of the supplied voltage. This is happening with virtually all the electronic loads on the circuit. The voltage peak tends to get dragged down as a result-in other words, flat-topped.
The greater the source impedance, the greater this voltage distortion. The source impedance is naturally greatest at the end of a branch circuit, the farthest point from the source. That's the same place where all those electronic loads are demanding current at the peak of the wave.
Intermittent sags
Low L-N VRMS combined with flat-topping is a deadly duo. It prevents caps from getting charged to their designed capacity. But so far our measurements have only been static. What happens when we add the dimension of time? Now the possibility for problems increases. When an intermittent low-voltage event, a sag, comes along, the ride-through capability of the power supply is diminished. What this means to the operator is unpredictable resets, crashes, lock-ups, etc.
Sags are common events at the receptacle. Sags can be caused by other branch circuit loads. Laser printers and copiers are notorious for cyclical sags. They are good candidates for their own dedicated circuits. Even a fan motor starting up on a circuit heavily loaded with electronic equipment might cause enough IR drop to crash one of its sensitive neighbor loads. Sags could also originate "upstream" on the three-phase feeder circuit.
Three-phase monitoring equipment, whether portable or installed, is not designed to isolate events on the branch circuit level. However, low-cost palm-sized recorder modules are now available to insert into the receptacle. A troubleshooter can thus see the same voltage the sensitive electronic load sees. One model has user-settable thresholds and can capture up to 4000 events. Spreadsheet and graphical software display the results, so the field technician is spared the tedium of scanning rolls of paper.
The next step on the time dimension is the realm of very fast events: transients that occur on the sub-cyclical time scale. Transients are caused by load switching and outside events like lightning. Transients at the receptacle are generally not the high-energy type that service entrance, panel, and outdoor surge arresters are designed to protect against. Nevertheless, these relatively low-energy transients can cause damage to solid-state devices by, for example, puncturing semiconductor junctions. They are also a potential source of noise because their fast rise times facilita te coupling into signal bearing circuits.
A scope will determine if transients are present. If all you have is an analog scope, you can try to set the trigger level above the power-line voltage signal, tweak the time base (fast, faster, fastest), and, under cover of darkness, look for blips. If you have a digital scope, which has waveform storage, you can use the single-shot function: set the trigger level above the wave and catch transients one at a time. Both the analog and traditional digital scope have a limitation; they only catch so-called impulsive and possibly oscillatory transients, the kind that spike out from the wave, and only if they exceed the peak. Notches, however, cannot be captured. These notches can be a problem if they cross the zero line of the sine wave because they then confuse microprocessor clocks and generator frequency controls, which rely on counting the zero crossing point.
N-G voltage may seem mysterious, but let's try to demystify it by saying it's a handy measurement for two things-circuit loading and some common grounding errors. First, let's consider circuit loading. At the receptacle, it's not easy to tell if a circuit is heavily loaded. Unlike at the panel, there is no convenient access to circuit conductors to measure current. Also, we often don't know the voltage at the panel breaker, so we can't compare the L-N voltage at the receptacle with the L-N at the breaker. But N-G voltage can give us a quick "go/no-go" reading on circuit loading (Fig. 1).
Circuit loading takes time to learn, but it is simple, and worth the time to learn. Imagine the simplest branch circuit, a dedicated circuit with L-N-G to a single outlet.
When loads are ON, an IR drop occurs on both the hot wire and the neutral wire, and is roughly equal on each wire. The total IR drop is subtracted from the voltage available to the load. For a given value of R (length and gauge of wire), the greater the current (I), the greater the IR drop. Ohm's Law is still the law of the land.
Now let's make a big initial assumption, that the Ground connection is correct, namely that it goes back to the source and connects to the Neutral there, and that there are no sub-panel or receptacle N-G bonds in between. In this case, there is no or minimal ground current, and the ground connection looks like a big test lead extension back to the N-G connection.
If I now measure the N-G voltage at the receptacle, using this long test lead extension, my meter is looking at the IR drop on the neutral conductor. Under normal load conditions, if it's a couple of volts, you're in good shape with this branch circuit. If it's high, let's say in the 5-V and over range, you will want to refrain from adding additional load or better yet, cut down the load on the circuit. Remember, the IR drop on the neutral (N-G voltage) adds to the IR drop on the hot conductor as well, and the combined IR drop subtracts from the L-N voltage.
Shared branch neutrals
The predominance of electronic loads, each generating third-harmonic currents, which add up on the neutral, has changed the situation. Third-harmonic currents result from the pulsed, "peaky" current draw of the capacitor input circuits, the same ones causing voltage flat-topping. In the above scenario of 10 A per phase, you could easily have 20 A or more on the neutral. This is 180-Hz current, with higher heating effects than the equivalent current at 60 Hz. First and foremost, this creates a fire hazard because there is no circuit breaker to protect the neutral. Also the L-N voltage available to all three branch circuits is reduced, and load stability could suffer. So if N-G voltage is high, suspect shared neutrals. Proceed to the panelboard, count the number of hot conductors and the number of neutrals, looking for fewer neutrals than hot conductors. Measure neutral currents. Maybe in the short run, you can shift loads to minimize neutral overloading, but ultimately, you'll have to consider rewiring. Shared neutrals, with today's electronics, are an accident waiting to happen. A high N-G voltage measured at the receptacle could also be due to an overloaded feeder neutral in the panel. Maybe the neutral cable is undersized. Third harmonics from all three phases obviously add up in the feeder neutral as well as in a shared branch neutral. The 1996 NEC for the first time required a feeder neutral equal in size to the phase conductor, but the consensus from the power-quality community is to double the size of the neutral. The point is that a high N-G voltage is like a fever: it warns you of symptoms.
Neutral-ground bonds What if N-G voltage is near zero? With normal circuit loading, there should always be a couple of volts or so of N-G voltage. A reading near zero indicates the likely presence of an illegal N-G bond. This bond could exist in the sub-panel, or it could be the result of miswired receptacles (N-G switches, or stray copper strands making contact). These illegal N-G bonds are common and should be removed. There is also the rarer occasion when N-G voltage is extremely high and unstable. This could indicate a high-impedance loose N-G connection. Usually, this will cause system-wide problems showing up as problems on many loads on different circuits.


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Spy Hunter
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On the eve of the franchise's 30th anniversary since the original Spy Hunter was released to arcades in 1983, the new Spy Hunter races forward on its most thrilling and dangerous ride yet. The player once again takes on the role of the "Agent," the driver of the high-tech G-6155 Interceptor supercar, armed extensively with advanced weaponry, and ready to take on a global terrorist organization set on world domination.
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Gaston County Schools are demonstrating leadership by seizing an opportunity to encourage student improvement and reward educators when it happens.
To address educators� compensation and student achievement, the Legislature called on school board across North Carolina to come up with a pay-for-performance plan. Few school systems have responded so far, and the deadline for pilot plans is fast approaching.
The plans must be reviewed by the State Board of Education, and it looks as if Gaston will deliver one worthy of approval.
The plan gives teachers and other certified staff �skin in the game� for exceeding goals for student improvement in individual classrooms and in the entire school.
It also addresses needs of the school system and society as a whole by rewarding those who work at a hard-to-staff school and for teaching subjects for which it is difficult to find qualified faculty.
This plan can work as a recruitment tool for schools having difficulty finding teachers for certain subjects such as math, science and technology. Additional compensation can attract prospective teachers or even help retain those who might leave education for a more lucrative outside position.
There�s a mentoring component, too. Educators with experience can earn more for pairing with new teachers to help them learn the ropes.
Teachers always have helped each other, but the mentoring program adds structure to informality. What newcomer to any workplace doesn�t benefit from a guiding hand? And what �pro� doesn�t benefit from a newcomer�s fresh ideas and enthusiasm?
Mentoring is a win-win arrangement by any measure. Doing it well takes time and commitment on the part of the mentor. It�s good to see it encouraged and recognized as worthy of financial reward.
The school system went about developing the plan in the right way � by putting together a team that includes classroom teachers. Including staff to represent all those eligible to participate in the plan � not administrators only � will go a long way to ensure buy-in and a greater chance of success.
Compensation for educators is always a hot-button issue. A pay-for-performance plan won�t alarm competent educators who desire excellence as much as the public that pays their salaries. For taxpayers, accountability is a reasonable expectation.
Measuring student achievement is tricky, and reward systems haven�t always worked well, but that�s no reason for educators to declare that it can�t be done. It is encouraging to see Gaston�s public school employees motivated to build a pilot plan for this pay-for-performance opportunity.
The �can-do� attitude is reflected in Assistant Superintendent John Tutterow�s interview with The Gazette :
�If the State Board wants pilots, I want Gaston County Schools to be a pilot,� he said.
Hear! Hear!
We give Gaston County Schools an �A� in leadership for being among the few school systems in North Carolina to develop a pay-for-performance pilot plan and look for forward to the day that it is implemented.


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- Description
As the name suggests, the Podium Trio is a three-legged version of the Podium Reference. Sharing many of the same features, it's designed using 40mm solid hardwood plinths and 46mm2 hardwood legs. The high tensile strength adds density and absorbs vibration.
Like all our products, the Podium Trio is an aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture as well as a high-performing hi-fi stand. Each piece is individually handmade in our workshop using only the finest quality solid hardwoods. It can also be upgraded to accommodate new equipment as and when needed.
Key Features:
Modular construction - add new tiers and change leg lengths as your system grows and changes
A choice of 5 solid hardwoods:Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Mahogany or Maple
Choice of 2 Oak finishes: Black or White
Each rack is finished with your chosen clear satin or gloss lacquer
Choose from matching or black legs
40mm solid hardwood plinths
Removable, solid 46mm2 hardwood legs
Any leg length available at no extra cost
Maximum 90kg load per tier
Isolating spikes with matching floor protectors are included. Available in stainless steel or black
External (WxD): 595x456mm
Internal (WxD): 483x400mm
*Please note that this rack is not part of our bespoke range
Important Notes:
Don't forget that the leg lengths include the isolation spike.
If adding optional isolation plinths remember these are made in 22mm thick oak. This is available in the following stains: natural, black, white, cherry, walnut or mahogany. Please note that the stains will not be an exact match to the other solid hardwoods.
- Additional Information
Width 595 mm Depth 456 mm No. of Tiers 4 Material Finish White Satin


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Reader could have helped
Your music roundtable [July 3 cover story sidebar] (http://www.readthehook.com/issues/0226) had great promise, but you should have included at least one consumer– one listener– one connoisseur in the mix. That would have shaken things up a bit, so the conversation didn't get quite so in-crowd.
If you had just invited someone like WTJU disc jockey Emmett Boaz, the whole discussion would have had more resonance and, I must say, authenticity.
Emmett has been around the area all his life. There's even a mountain named after him in Batesville! And while he freely admits that he couldn't care less for rock or jazz, he sure knows his bluegrass. Around here, that's what matters most. And he sure has some opinions. He would have talked! That's what every roundtable needs.
I'm counting on seeing him there, front and center, next time you conduct any sort of roundtable. Politics, cockfighting, barbecue sauce, conscientious objection, the proliferation of spam– anything. He will invariably have something to say.
Susan Tyler Hitchcock


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Atlantic 10 Partners with SNY for 43-Game Television Partnership
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NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—The Atlantic 10 Conference and SportsNet New York (SNY) have reached an agreement in which SNY will carry 43 A-10 basketball games during the 2013-14 season. SNY reaches more than 13 million homes throughout its footprint, including the New York City metropolitan area and upstate New York. Those 43 games will also be regionally syndicated on local affiliates in each of the competing institutions' home markets.
The 43 games represents a significant addition to the A-10 basketball television package, giving the league an additional major television presence, both within the Brooklyn, N.Y. market, home of the Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship, and on a national basis. These games are in addition to the previously announced 87-game men's and women's television package with the Atlantic 10's three existing media partners, ESPN, CBS Sports Network and NBCSN, bringing the total number of nationally available games through the A-10 package to 129.
"The ability to air and distribute 43 additional games where we hold our biggest event, the Men's Basketball Championship, is an outstanding opportunity for the conference to reach out to our large alumni base and basketball fans in the northeast," stated Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "Establishing this television presence in New York on a regional sports network was important to us. We welcome SNY to the A-10 family as a partner and see this as a potential long-term mutually beneficial affiliation."
SNY will also produce wraparound programming that features the Atlantic 10 Conference in the form of pregame, halftimes and postgame shows. SNY will report scores, conference news and promote upcoming telecasts throughout the regular season.
The A-10 will open the 2013-14 season Friday, Nov. 8 with one ranked team (No. 15 VCU) and two others (Saint Louis, La Salle) receiving votes in the Preseason Coaches' Poll and a roster of seven teams that made postseason appearances last year. The league has had a team advance to the Sweet 16 in each of the last six years and has received multiple NCAA at-large bids during that same time frame. This season, all 13 teams will advance to the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship, played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. beginning on March 12.
About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976 and consists of 13 diverse members across seven states and Washington, D.C. The membership consists of University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. The mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 21 nationally competitive championship sports, while securing strong brand, equity, and revenue resources for its member institutions. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for its student-athletes, coaches, and support staff.
About SNY
SNY is the official television home of the New York Mets and New York Jets. SNY features unparalleled, exclusive access to the New York Mets with more than 130 live telecasts each season, as well as other Emmy Award-winning Mets entertainment programming. As the official TV home of the New York Jets, SNY delivers 300+ hours of exclusive year-round content devoted to Gang Green. SNY is also the official television home of the eight-time national champion UConn Huskies women's basketball program.
As New York's leader in local sports TV coverage, SNY delivers the most comprehensive access to all of the Tri-State area's professional and collegiate sports teams through the network's nightly sports and entertainment programs broadcast from SNY's street-level studio in the heart of Manhattan. SNY's programming roster also includes classic sports programming, critically acclaimed original entertainment shows and exclusive interview and magazine programs. Founded by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, Time Warner Cable and Comcast, SNY is available to viewers throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania, and nationally on DIRECTV, Verizon FiOS, Comcast Cable and AT&T U-Verse. For additional details on the network, visit www.sny.tv.


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Sunday, January 2, 2011
Baldwin City, Kansas home
5 comments:
- Jill said...
Hi Heather. My name is Jill Franklin and I live in Baldwin City, KS. I came upon your photo by accident. My husband grew up here in Baldwin. I work at Baker University. Anyway, I wan wondering if you had received any information about your photo? I am very interested in the history of Baldwin City and the old houses. I'd be very interested to know of the family and what became of them.
- April 1, 2011 at 1:36 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
Jill, I'm glad you stumbled across my photo. I received this photo from the Kuhn family and I know that my Kuhn line lived in Baldwin City for many years. Philip Reymer Kuhn moved to Baldwin City sometime between 1885 and 1895. He died in 1899. My great-grandfather, Frank Earl Kuhn, was born near there in 1886. He stayed in the area until he was a young man. He ended up in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Yours in the only inquiry I have received on the photo. I suppose I need to look in to land records and see what I can find out. Maybe next time I'm in Kansas I'll visit Baldwin City. Does the house look familiar?
- April 1, 2011 at 2:53 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
It is also possible that the house belonged to James and Cora Martin. Cora was Frank Earl Kuhn's mother and she remarried James Martin after the death of her first husband. They lived in Baldwin City from 1900-1920. That time frame fits the car.
- April 1, 2011 at 3:06 PM
- Bee said...
Hello, I'm a teenager from the Baldwin area, and this house looks incredibly familiar. Do you have any idea where the house was in relation to the town? I'm sure I could find it if I had a bit more to go on.
- November 6, 2012 at 10:00 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
Bee, that is a good question. When I posted this a year ago I couldn't find anything online that would help me pin it down. However, your post challenged me to look at it again. I wrote a follow on post today with info that may help you find it: http://leavesfortrees.blogspot.com/2012/11/baldwin-city-kansas-home-update.html
I looks to be just east from the rail head...at least in 1920. Any help is appreciated!
- November 8, 2012 at 8:19 AM