Archive for November, 2008

Your Transnational Estate Market — Expedited by The Property Index Online Company

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Need specialist advice for property in Dubai? View the PropertyIndex site to find lots of properties!

Although the Property Index is really a fledgling corporation, having been founded in March 2007, they were quick to establish expert reputation. Actually, they are a extremely artless corporation specialising in guiding every customer intending to sell, buy, rent or let real estate in a globalized world. What they promise is to offer you assistance to spot bang-on what’s desired fast and, naturally, without pain. Realty can be located wherever you want presently, one of the really elite areas being real property you can purchase in Dubai City. It should be easy as pie to pinpoint all the superb property you can purchase in Dubai City, one argument for wanting real estate here being property on the market and the tremendous opportunity of living among this spirited and energetic population.

It is one of the truly popular countries presently, and with the lovely landscape and agreeable sunshine that surrounds you all year, how can you be wrong? Realty in Dubai City is immersed in culture, art and history, this area of the world has been and is still home to a good many indigenous nations. Around 30 years ago you’d find merely a dribble of UK citizens looking for property in Dubai City. Just ask about anyone who has chosen to move to Dubai City and they’ll be sure to substantiate this. Some people would would view it as a short-lived trend and others would view it as a close to a compulsion. People set on migrating here will typically range from yuppies looking for some new life perspective to seniors meaning to enjoy themselves and relax.

There could well be unmanageables when attempting to buy property overseas; there’ll be 100s of disparate, sometimes conflicting, steps when working out a plan, popping in or signing up. If you only miss only a single step that can bring about insurmountable unmanageables plus, of course, most importantly, a failed investment. Naturally, as is to be assumed with this favored destination, property could be very high-priced in this region which is only owing to the increasing market pressure. Nonetheless clients are doubtlessly fussy in a location so rich in wonderful countryside and beaming surroundings. It offers the whole thing a buyer may need and then some.

Home Loan Refinance: Back To The Basics

Friday, November 21st, 2008

Basics of Home Loans

Three fundamental pieces of knowledge for obtaining and maintaining a home loan include the application, rates, and repayment habits.

Home Loan Application Process – Filling out home loan applications can be time consuming, and overly detailed. Before beginning, get yourself organized by finding all of the paperwork you will need to complete your application. Once you have everything located and in front of you, you’ll find the application process to go very smoothly.

Rates Change – Keep an eye on home loan rates for major changes, particularly changes of the downward version. Refinancing is inexpensive in comparison to the amount of money you can save if you obtain the right low interest home loan. Developing a good relationship with your mortgage broker may result in him or her calling you when the rates drop!

On Time Payments – There is nothing that can hurt or help your credit rating more than your payment habits on your home loan. Make payments on time and your credit score will raise quickly. Alternatively, pay late and you’ll do long term damage that is difficult to repair.

Quick Home Mortgages Online – Safe

Why should you shop for home mortgages online?

1) Obtain mortgage quotes from a reputable lender and your information will be secure. Don’t check with every no-name mortgage company online, stick with names you can trust, as their online security will be top notch.

2) Fast Processing – Mortgage companies who operate online aren’t bound by the same home loan processes as large local banks, and can process applications faster.

3) Low Rates – With so many lenders from which to choose from, online mortgage brokers and home loan specialists are bound to find a program that’s right for your budget and home loan needs.

How to Compare Various Home Loans

You’ve heard the saying “You can’t compare apples to oranges”, right? When you’re shopping for a home loan, you need to make comparisons among the same types of loans. When you compare a 30 year fixed home loan with 7% interest to an adjustable rate mortgage with 3.2% interest, you’re comparing apples to oranges- unless you know the specifics to each type of loan.

1)Loan Term – The term of a loan is the length of time you will be repaying on the loan Many mortgages are 30 year terms, but some are shorter, 10, 15, and 20 year terms are common. The longer the term of your loan, the lower you pay each month, but the higher you’ll pay in interest!

2)Interest Rate – An adjustable interest rate is one that can change from time to time, while a fixed rate interest means it remains the same for the entire term of your loan. To compare a fixed rate with an ARM loan, use an online mortgage calculator (they’re free!) to compare your future payments as well as current payments.

3) Closing Costs – There are many things that are factored into closing costs, including lenders, closing agents and attorneys. Choose a lender with the fewest junk fees or a lender that pays for your closing costs out of their revenues.

Home Mortgage Prepayment

It’s not often that people stay in their home for thirty years. A thirty year mortgage probably seems like forever to most borrowers! Since no one would want to pay a mortgage forever, there are a few tricks that can save you a lot of money:

1)Make use of free home mortgage calculators online to see how much of a difference one or two extra payments on your mortgage will make on your amortization schedule. Sometimes, as little as $20 extra on each payment can reduce the term of your loan a year or more! Many people never actually take advantage of paying one additional payment per year in order to shorten their 30 year mortgage term by up to ten years- because they have not educated themselves on prepayment.

2) You can shorten your mortgage term by up to 20 years if you’re able to make double payments. While it may seem that you should only be able to reduce your mortgage payment in half by doubling your payments, the fact is the extra payment goes towards the principal and saves you interest, so it reduces the amount owed much faster than if you only send the minimum payment each month.

Consolidating Home Loans to Save Money

If you have a refinance loan and your original home loan, you may want to consolidate them into a single loan. This may sound complicated, but should be a painless process for you.

Find all of your current home loan information, including account numbers, bank name, initial loan amount, date of the loan, and any other documents you’ve obtained through the loan processes. Find out how much equity you have in your home, to determine whether or not refinancing and consolidating your second mortgage is feasible. Finally, go to your mortgage specialist to get a more specific and accurate portrayal of the options that are available to you.

Lendgo is a website dedicated to consumer personal finance, mortgages, and credit cads. Find a low rate mortgage refinance loan and save thousands. Read our credit card reviews and fill out a credit card application instantly online. Get a free credit report instantly online. Fix your credit with affordable and effectivelegal credit repair.

First Residential Mortgage

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

One of the greatest needs for a loan is for purchase of home. This is therefore an area where many lenders are competing to offer the best deals to the customer. It is also an area where careful planning is required before choosing an option. It is advisable to seek loans from relatives and only take out a mortgage when no other option is available. This is because a mortgage is a long-term commitment to pay a certain amount of money, and one may or may not be able to do so.

Most home loans are standardized to comply with rules established by the Federal National Mortgage Association, which helps to compare the existing rates in the market. Since competition is high, lenders often offer perks, including low interest rates on the loan. There is also the option of government subsidized mortgages, which have very low or no down payment options.

Most loans are divided into four basic parts. The first part is the repayment of money that one has actually borrowed. Interest forms the second part of the loan, which is added to the principal sum for borrowing. The third part is meant to cover the property from natural disasters and other hazards. The final part is the taxes to be paid to the authorities.

One can also get information from newspapers and websites on the current rates. If you are still not able to decide, it is better to consult a mortgage broker who can advise you on all the options and help you choose the best. To begin with, one can calculate if one is eligible for a mortgage. In case the amount that one can afford is much less than the cost of that home you want, then you may have to wait.

If one has a questionable credit background one may be subjected to a higher down payment, or your request may even be denied. But one should not give up the search for a mortgage as many lenders offer attractive options for people with bad credit.

If one does not want to pay high initial payments, one can find mortgages which charge anywhere between 5 to 15 per cent. However, one will be paying more in the long-run with interest rates and loan fees than someone who has paid more initially.

Finally there is detail regarding closing costs. These costs include various fees and processing charges applied by the lender. You must be able to keep aside money to pay for these costs. Typically, this rate may be in the region of around three to four per cent of the cost of your home.

For acquiring homes, the government may also give loans. These are available for former military personnel and for citizens. These require very little or no down payment. In the long-run, fixed interest rates are better when compared to floating ones. This is only true if one gets into a mortgage agreement when the rates are low and one needs a long period of time to repay the mortgage. This allows one to take full advantage of the low entry rates and one need not worry about rates going up somewhere in the future.

There are several options for a first residential loan, including family and commercial and government subsidized mortgages; brokers are often useful to advise one on getting a first mortgage.

First Mortgage provides detailed information about first mortgage, first mortgage loans, first mortgage options, first mortgage rates and more. First Mortgage is the sister site of Home Owners Insurance Policies.

Mortgage Refinance or Home Equity Loan – What’s the Difference?

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008

Many people use the terms mortgage refinance and home equity loan interchangeably, but the two are not the same thing. Before you consider one or the other, be sure you know what your lender is referring to.

The reason the two terms are often confused has to do with the fact that you’ll typically be refinancing your existing mortgage when you have some equity established in your home. Equity is simply the difference between the market value of your home and the amount you owe against it. To put it into dollars, a person who owns a home that has a market value of $100,000 and a mortgage on that home of $60,000 has $40,000 in equity.

That’s not to say that all lenders are willing to loan you an additional $40,000. In fact, many lenders have caps on the amount they’ll loan. It might be that a particular lender will only loan up to 90 percent of the market value of the home. In that case, the loan value of the home would only be $90,000. Though the amount of equity technically remains the same, the amount of loan available depends on the lender’s guidelines.

If you have $40,000 in equity in your home, you may want to cash in on at least some of that money. But how do you go about getting it? The two main options are to take out a mortgage refinance loan or a home equity loan. A mortgage refinance is exactly what the name implies – your original mortgage will be figured into a new loan, giving you a mortgage refinance loan. But a home equity loan leaves the existing loan as it stands. You’ll have a second payment on top of the original mortgage.
So which is better? It actually depends on several factors. Did you get great terms and rates when you financed the original loan? If so, you may want to consider a home equity loan so that you keep those great rates and terms on your original mortgage.

Can you afford to make the “double” payments required? Remember, if you take out a home equity loan you’ll still be making the original mortgage payments and your home equity loan will be tacked on top of that. Some people find that the budget simply won’t stretch to make those necessary payments.

There’s plenty to consider before you decide whether it’s time for a mortgage refinance or you should take out a home equity loan.

Dave is the owner of refinance-home-loan.info and california-home-loan-refinancing.info websites that provide information on mortgage refinancing.

Welcome to the World of Formula One Go-Karting

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Formula 1 motor-sport is purely the apex of karting. It is the professional formation of the sport in its entirety. Formula 1 is wide-reaching phenomenon, a multinational business empire that gets millions & millions of pounds each and every year from publicity, sponsorship, & television revenue sources. Well known racing drivers with a millionaire bank balance race these remarkable karts that are unparalleled with technological mechanisms – everything from hard to generate lightweight structures that slide the machine to tires with supreme grooving style that supplies the fantastic speed on the race track. Keep up to date with Formula One with detailed guides on all the past and present F1 Grand Prix Circuits.

There is at present no other sport that best typifies the expression “multinational sport” like F1 motorsport. Countless countries serve as active contributors in hosting the Formula One motor racing spectacle – Malaysia for instance, is a hot spot for Formula One racing (Fernando Alonso, a Spanish-born racing driver under Team Renault recently just won a grand prix there) & Italy plays a vital part in designing and constructing 1st class, top-of-the-line F1 cars. Rivalries are common place in karting – giving an edge of enthusiasm with each & every zip of the bend & nitrous increase of the engine.

Formula One cars can be summed up in 2 words: technological marvels. These smooth, low riding gems ripping trough laps at speeds topping two hundred miles per hour consist of nothing more than just a body, an engine, and four wheels. For a start, the engine is placed behind the cockpit as opposed to regular cars. Find great offers on sports equipment.

Home Loans For People With Bad Credit – When you Should Wait and When You Should Get a Home Loan

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Home loans may seem like a bad idea for people with bad credit, but there are times when a home loan can help your credit score and your budget. To know if a home loan is best for you, consider factors such as your current financial situation, current rent payment, and future goals.

Raising Your Credit Score

Home loans build up your credit score when you make regular payments. Unlike credit cards or short-term loans, a home loan shows your long-term responsibility. With a higher credit score, you can then refinance your mortgage for a lower interest rate.

However, if your financial situation is currently shaky, it is better to wait to apply for a home loan. You don’t want to risk a lower credit score with missed payments. A better idea is to pay off short-term debt and save for a down payment on a house.

Building Equity

With your own home, your monthly payments are investments in your home. Through mortgage payments, rising real estate prices, and sweat equity, you can watch the value of your home rise. If you are paying rent, you are building equity for the landlord, not yourself. The better financial choice is to buy your own home or condo rather than pay rent.

If you are planning to move out of the area soon, then it is best to wait to purchase a home. Closing costs and realtor fees can run into the thousands. If you are not in your home for more than two years, then it is unlikely you will recoup these costs when you sell.

Planning Future Goals

Owning a home is as much a lifestyle choice as a financial choice. So deciding when to purchase a home should be based on your future goals. Are you ready settle down and put the time into maintaining a house? Or do you not want to worry about it and let the landlord handle those major maintenance projects? Just remember that you are trading money for convenience.

When considering buying a home, think about your current financial situation and your future lifestyle goals.

To view our list of recommended bad credit mortgage lenders online, visit this
page: Recommended Bad Credit Mortgage Lenders Online.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan
Guide, an informational website about various types of loans.

Our Leaf Shall Not Wither

Monday, November 17th, 2008

“He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

We have a purpose in life, for we are planted, not self-sown. We are not here by chance and change, but by choice and charge. And God has graciously planted us by His rivers of Living Water that we may draw our nourishment from the most fruitful source possible. We have been so carefully rooted by rivers of pardon and tenderness and His faithfulness and we have a never-failing Source of supply for our hunger and thirst.

It is up to us to drink from the Source, though. As that quaint cliché goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” This applies to us, as well. We are here by God’s choice and then He lets us make our own choices. But it must break His heart when we choose to drink from the broken cisterns and dirty reservoirs of life.

God assures us that, whatever we put our hand to, it will succeed and endure if we stay near the Waters that sustain. We may not think we are fruitful; indeed, we may feel that God is pruning us rather severely at times, for “He cuts off every branch…that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2). “Such a tree withstands the buffeting of the winds and, flourishing, it blesses man, animals and birds with its unfailing fruit and shade.”

“…He who reads, prays, and meditates, will ever see the work which God has given him to do; the power by which he is to perform it; and the times, places and opportunities for doing those things by which God can obtain most glory, his own soul most good, and his neighbor most edification” (Adam Clarke).

His leaf, the Bible, shall not wither!

Before the Son of Man Comes

Monday, November 17th, 2008

A characteristic mark of the final days of the Old Covenant was the suffering faced by the disciples. The Lord knew the inevitable trials that would come, (John 16:1, 2). He therefore made provisions for their protection.

One such provision made was the cities of refuge promised to the apostles as shelter to which they could flee from the persecution. Couched in the promise is the implied message of Jesus’ imminent return.

“When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:23)

The apostles would preach throughout the land of Israel. They flee for refuge from persecution. This activity continues until the Son of Man comes. It is evident that Jesus expected and taught that his second coming would happen in the lifetime of his apostles. He likewise saw no break in their evangelistic mission being interrupted by a rapture from the earth. Their work continued uninterrupted until he came. Their relief was not removal from the earth, but flight to cities in the land of Israel which they sought for relief.

Jesus promised his disciples individually, John 21:22, and collectively, Matthew 16:27, 28, that some would not die until he returned. Since that return occurred within his own generation, (Matthew 24:34) it leaves neither room nor time for a future return or rapture.

William Bell is a minister, speaker and author on Covenant Eschatology. Visit http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com Send an email to info@allthingsfulfilled.com

Does God Exist?

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

“I don’t believe in God. I believe in something, just not in God”.

When questioned about their belief in God, a lot people seem to have a very narrow view of what God is supposed to be, inextricably linked to organised religion. When they cannot reconcile that narrow view with their own belief system they state that they do not believe in God and therefore have no relationship with the divine. That relationship may still be desired, as it could bring security, unconditional love, support at times of need and a sense of belonging, but it would constitute a lie to oneself and can therefore not be maintained. Many who claim they are non-believers however, are still left with the feeling that there is something bigger than ourselves, something they would like to connect to at some level, just not within the traditional context of organised religion.
As I see it, there are many ways to approach the concept of God and organised religion is just one of them.

Organised religion generally poses the personal God, usually male, an omnipotent (all powerful) being who rules the world and who, by allowing human beings the freedom of choice, also allows the existence of His Antagonist, the Devil. This God wants His subjects to come to Him of their own free will, but when they don’t, they will spend eternity in the flames of Hell. There is only one life and it must be lived by God’s rules. Within Christianity, there are ways of purging sins, through confession and true repentance, in which case an officially assigned representative of God can grant you forgiveness and cleanse your soul. If you can not get access to such a representative of God before you die, tough luck, you die and go to Hell whether you are repentant or not. Up until very recently, the Catholic church did not allow stillborn babies into heaven, they had to stay in ‘Limbo’ for eternity because they were not baptised before death. (‘Limbo’ is a place just outside Heaven, away from Hell but also away from the presence of God.)

I personally believe that this is a very limited view of God. This God is not omnipotent; there seem to be enormous shortcomings to his power if he is incapable to grant forgiveness to a repenting soul, without an intervening human representative (e.g. priest) acting on his behalf. This God is not omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time) either: he is absent in Limbo, absent in Hell for eternity and absent until access has been granted through baptism, again performed by an officially assigned human representative. Choice is relative, here: ‘you do as I say, or you will burn in Hell for eternity’. After death, this God refuses shelter to anyone who has not abided by his rules; the concept of forgiveness is pretty short lived.

Access to heaven is, up to a certain point, simply luck of the draw. It is not granted on the basis of your contribution to the world as a caring, loving, non-judgemental human being, who is never afraid of helping out other people, and making right and just decisions, rather than ones driven by personal gain. This may play a part, but not the most important one. Access to heaven is gained mainly by baptism, worship on Sunday, by praying and reading your bible, by telling God you think he’s great, you love him and can’t live without him. So if you happen to be born in a place that has never heard of this God; if you die alone; if you cannot get access to one of those representatives before you die, who can grant forgiveness for your sins and cleanse your soul; if you die angry with God because you have been hurt and abused, you are not allowed to be with God. You go to Hell.
Life in this context is not a process of growing: it is a cruel and unfair test, with most people in this world seriously disadvantaged, or even incapable of passing, through circumstances beyond their control.

Organised religions are frameworks, encompassing theological theories about the nature of the divine, usually represented as absolute truths, and rules about approaching and incorporating the divine into one’s life, usually predicting dire consequences if these rules are not adhered to. The most important thing to understand about organised religions is that they have to keep their institutions alive and as such it is within their best interest to stipulate worship through their facilities, using their people. The need to be needed in order to survive must prevail, because otherwise, they will cease to exist. That is why giving money to religious institutions, in collects or as gifts, is considered a divine duty, why one can only receive true salvation through the institutions and why members are ordered to keep coming back, every morning in the past, and now, as most congregations are waning, at least once a week. Institutions, at their best, do wonderful things. Through them, wonderful people help other people in wonderful ways. But they remain organisations whose belief structures and divine rules are coloured by a need to survive.

I believe that the problem many people seem to have with the concept of God could be due to a failure of organised religions to move with the times, theologically. Many individual representatives of the churches do not subscribe to the idea of hell as they used to, nor to the idea of God as a vengeful, punishing force. Many even acknowledge the possibility of a relationship with God outside the confounds of church and traditional worship, but in essence, the churches still put forward an imposing patriarchal society in all aspects of religious life: a personal male God, benevolent father, head of the household, prescribing a framework of morals and lifestyle rules and restrictions as well as regular worship within religious institutions.

The feminine is still entirely absent from the divine. Mary has never been granted divinity; she may be the ‘mother of God’ but she is still considered human. The archangels are male; Jesus is male. Nobody in this divine family has ever had sex because sex, although quite necessary for the survival of the human race (we can not all achieve ‘immaculate conceptions’), is still dirty and, at the heart of it, sinful. At the heart of most religious life is still worship, rather than love for one another in day to day life. Why would God care so much about being worshipped and thanked all the time? Does he have such a big ego?

Monotheism is the existence of a single omnipresent, omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent deity, or God. It is claimed that Christianity is monotheistic, but there are some problems with this claim. In practice we do not see an omnipotent and omnipresent God, as discussed earlier in this article. His omniscience is questionable also. Firstly, his perspective is limited by his sex: he is male and therefore lacks female perspective. (Although in the Old Testament this view of God as solely male is contradicted, e.g. Gen 5.1-2: … When God created man, he made them in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.) Secondly, there are many occasions in the Old Testament where God asks questions in order to get answers, e.g Job 1.7 (To Satan:) “Whence have you come?” (God does not know where Satan came from) or: Gen 18.26: And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” (God does not know how many righteous people live in Sodom). But even if we are to take the bible as written by fallible people, rather than God himself, it is still hard to sustain the notion that this God is truly monotheistic.

So why is this an issue at all? Well, it is an issue because there is an inherent contradiction in organised religion. We are told on the one hand that this God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, but on the other hand, the entire frameworks prescribed to us by organised religions tell us that he is none of these things. The theology limits God’s power, God’s understanding, God’s knowledge, God’s reach. The fact is, that many people who claim they ‘don’t believe in God but believe in something’ believe in God as something much more than that.

True monotheism, which Christianity claims to be but is not, encompasses a God that is truly omniscient, neither male nor female, and at the same time, both; a God that is truly omnipotent, who controls all and yet nothing because the world would run this way because there is no other way; a God that is omnipresent, who is all things and yet, nothing, because the very nature of being is already finite. This God is past, present and future, and all at the same time because this God is time and beyond time. This God is so all encompassing that we cannot escape it, no matter how ‘bad’ we are or how much we deny its existence. To deny this God would be to deny ourselves. This God does not need or demand worship, nor praise or prayer, because this God has no ego. Rather, we are the ones that need prayer, in order to connect back with what is true. Connecting to this God would mean connecting with what needs to be, to embrace life. Hell is merely an illusion, a state of denial, an absence, rather than an active force of being. Hell does not truly exists because God is omnipresent and therefore a place without God can not exist.

So in answer to the main question: does God exist, we might say this: the concept of God as an all-encompassing thing, or life itself in all shapes and forms, embraces any view of the world around us. There is no limit to what you can believe or disbelieve. We know so little and we are so little, in this world. One might say that angels and ghosts and fairies do not exist, because there is no ‘real’ proof. There is even less proof that they don’t exist. One might say that reincarnation is just an inability to accept that when we’re dead, that’s it, we’re really not that important. On the other hand, not believing it might just be an excuse not to learn what we need to learn, because if we don’t, we will have to in the next life. The existential doubt of the existence of God has always struck me as slightly odd. The sun rises every day, doesn’t it? You are breathing, aren’t you? Do you deny the existence of the universe, just because we can not measure it, just because we do not understand?

So what about that relationship with God? How can you connect to all these things at the same time, and why would you bother if you don’t believe in the grey man on the cloud?
Well, the answer is simple. You don’t have a relationship with God for God, that would be ridiculous. You have a relationship with God or ‘the divine’ for you, in order to find a moment of peace and tranquillity and in order to feel connected and in control in a very demanding, stressful world. Addressing God in those brief moments does not automatically mean you believe God is a man on a cloud. You could pray, you could talk to God when no one can hear you, write a letter to God, do yoga, meditate, take some quiet time of contemplation. You won’t be lying to yourself. You can have your theological cake and eat it. And at its best, maybe that is what organised religion manages to offer to some of us: an almostm tangible relationship with something that is ultimately beyond definition.

Margriet Struik is a regular writer for
http://www.lettertogod.net
Visit Letter to God to leave a Letter to your God, add to the Dream Book
View self help Articles or submit your own articles.
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Let’s Restore the Word of Christ

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

“What? Trying to spread the gospel message without quoting from the New Testament? Impossible!” That may be your first reaction, but just think about it. Scholars tell us that the first New Testament book, either Galatians or First Thessalonians, was written in about 50 CE, nearly 20 years after that glorious Pentecost when Christ crucified was first proclaimed as the only possible remedy for sinners. The last New Testament books, probably the letters of John or Revelation, were likely written in the 90s, close to three generations after the Resurrection.
The New Testament as a unit was probably unavailable until the mid-second century. And yet Christianity experienced some of its most dynamic growth during this period when its Bible consisted only of the Old Testament.

How did those earliest Christians do it? The Book of Acts is clear: The apostles said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (4:20). It wasn’t long before they were told, “you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching” (5:28). The early Christians “preached the word wherever they went” (8:4). They “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 ASV). They were convinced that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

What is this “word of Christ”? At the time Paul wrote Romans it could not have been the written Word, because such did not exist. It had to be the spoken Word, translated to each human heart through the life-experience of a living, breathing Christian.

It is this oral Word of God that we must restore to modern Christianity. Not that we should throw away our New Testaments–far from it! Let’s read more and feed more. But let’s also seed more and lead more. Speaking for Jesus in our world, to our FRAN (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, and Neighbors) is the key to a revival of dynamic evangelism. Let’s commit ourselves to sow continually; that God may bless abundantly; and then let’s reap unceasingly.

Steve Singleton - EzineArticles Expert Author

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Copyright ©2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore “The Shallows,” plumb “The Depths,” or use the well-organized “Study Links” for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free “DeeperStudy Newsletter.”