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  document.writeln("<span class=\"body\"><b><span class=\"headings2\"><span class=\"actsititle\">The Eighth Wonder of the World</span></span></b><br>");
  document.writeln("<span class=\"actsilinks\"><a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.print()\">Print this page</a></span>");document.writeln("<br><div id='actsartcl1'>");document.writeln("<p class=\"myparagraph\">T<span class=\"body\">he story is told how some pre-high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:</span></p>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">Egypt\'s Great Pyramids</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> The Taj Mahal in India</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> The Grand Canyon in                      Arizona</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> The Panama Canal</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> The Empire State Building</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> St. Peter\'s</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> Basilica</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\"> China\'s Great Wall. </li>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\">While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn\'t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, \"Yes, a little. I couldn\'t quite make up my mind because there were so many.\" The teacher said, \"Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.\" The girl hesitated, then read, \"I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:</p>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To touch</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To taste</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To see</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To hear... (she hesitated a little, and then                      added...)</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To feel</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To laugh and</li>");
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document.writeln("<li class=\"body\">To love.</li>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\">The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful.<sup>1</sup> </p>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\">While this young teenager certainly gave us seven exquisite wonders of the world, there is another wonder that far surpasses all other wonders&#8212;a wonder that, tragically, is also overlooked by far too many. It is the wonder of God&#8217;s incredible love-gift to the world when He gave His Son, Jesus, to come to earth to pay the just penalty for all of mankind&#8217;s sin. This was not only the birth of baby Jesus, but the birth of the very first Christmas when Jesus was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago.</p>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\" align=\"center\"> <span class=\"headings2\"><img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-left.gif\" alt=\"\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\">There is another wonder that far <br>");
document.writeln("surpasses all other wonders.<img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-right.gif\" alt=\"\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\"></span></p>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\">The vital part of this wonder is that Jesus, God the Son, to identify Himself with mankind willingly laid aside His external robes of deity and clothed Himself in an external garment of human flesh. And then out of His great love willing give His life for you and me to die in our place on the excruciatingly painful Roman crucifixion cross to pay the just penalty for all your sins and mine so we could justly receive God&#8217;s forgiveness and His gift of eternal to live with God in Heaven for all eternity when our life  on earth is concluded. </p>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\">Christmas, the eight wonder of the world, is not only a message of God&#8217;s great love for mankind, but also a message about sin and it&#8217;s total destructive power. Many people reason, \"If God is a God of love, why does He allow so much suffering in today\'s world? This is because we have all sinned and in so doing have separated ourselves from an infinitely holy God.<sup>2</sup> It\'s not that God left us, but rather, we left God and separated ourselves from Him and His protection. </p>");
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document.writeln("<p class=\"body\">Another misconception is that God is out to punish us for our sins when, in fact, we bring sin\'s punishment on ourselves because sin has its natural consequences. If we try to break the universal law of gravity, we can\'t. It will break us. Neither can we break God\'s universal moral law. When we do, it breaks us, and besides its painful effects in this life&#8212;suffering, sorrow, and physical death&#8212;its ultimate consequence is spiritual and eternal death which is eternal separation from God because no sinner can survive in God&#8217;s holy presence. </p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\" align=\"right\">Page 2</p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Christmas is also a message about Jesus Christ. Keep in mind that God is not only a God of absolute holiness, but also a God of perfect justice. Consequently, all sin has to be judged, the just sentence of which is spiritual and eternal death, which is not the cessation of one\'s existence but eternal separation from a holy God<sup>3</sup>&#8212;the creator and author of all love and life&#8212;in the place the Bible calls hell.</p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Because Jesus was without sin, He was the only one qualified to pay the penalty for our sins. Had there been any other way to save mankind, Jesus would not have had to die for us.</p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Furthermore, Christmas is a summons to faith and repentance. The profound news of Christmas is that God\'s gift of forgiveness and eternal life is available to all who will accept it. Here\'s how you can do this:</p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">First, we need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. \"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\"<sup>4</sup> states the Word of God. </p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Second, we need to confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness. God\'s Word also says, \"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.\"<sup>5</sup> </p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\" align=\"center\"> <span class=\"headings2\"><img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-left.gif\" alt=\"\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\">It isn&#8217;t enough just to believe in our<br>");
document.writeln("head that Jesus is the Son of God and that<br>");
document.writeln("he died on the cross for our sins.<img src=\"http://www.actsweb.org/Images/quote-right.gif\" alt=\"\" height=\"19\" width=\"20\"></span></p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Third, we need to repent. That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways to follow God and his ways. Jesus said, \"The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.\"<sup>6</sup> That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways and make a commitment of our will, with God\'s help, to follow God and his ways. </p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Fourth, we need to receive Jesus as our Savior. God\'s Word says, \"To all who received him [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.\"<sup>7</sup> God\'s Word also says, \"That if you confess with your mouth, \'Jesus is Lord,\' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.\"<sup>8 </sup></p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Admitting and confessing our sins, believing that Jesus died to pay the just penalty for all our sins, inviting him into our lives as Lord and Savior, accepting God\'s forgiveness and turning from our sinful ways to live God\'s way is what makes us a real Christian. This is what Christmas is all about! </p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">Jesus said, \"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door [of his/her heart and life], I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.\"<sup>9</sup></p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body\">If you have never invited Jesus into your heart and life, asked for God\'s forgiveness, and made a commitment of your life to him, I would like to give you this opportunity today. The following prayer will help you to do this: </p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"body-blue\">\"Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Please forgive me for all my sins. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life and will to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, Amen.\"</p>");
document.writeln("                  <p class=\"body\">If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, please let us know by filling in the form and posting it to the address below, and we will send you, without charge, a copy of the leaflet, How to Grow, to help you in your Christian life.</p>");
document.writeln("                    <p class=\"small8pt\">1. Author Unknown. 2. Romans 3:23. 3. Romans 6:23. 4. Acts 16:31 (<em>NIV</em>). 5. 1 John 1:9 (<em>NIV</em>). 6. Mark 1:15 (<em>NIV</em>). 7. John 1:12 (<em>NIV</em>). 8. Romans 10:9-10 (<i>NIV</i>). 9. Revelation 3:20 (<em>NIV</em>).</p><br>");
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  document.writeln("<p style=\"font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size: 10pt;\">This and other articles by Richard (Dick) Innes <a href=\"http://www.actsweb.org/articles/\" target=\"_blank\">can be read online</a>.<br><br>Copyright &copy; 1990 - 2024<br /><a href=\"http://www.actsweb.org/\" target=\"_blank\">ACTS International</a></p>");
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