Sowing Seeds! Part 1

SOWING SEEDS!  (Part 1)

What does God's word say about this?

Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

We have been instructed by God to witness to the lost (sowing seed)!

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Whatever seeds you plant these outcomes will always follow:

•You will get back the SAME type of seeds that you sow.

•Your sown seeds will always return later than when you planted!

•You will get back MORE of the same seeds that you sow!

This has NOTHING to do with "karma," as that has to do with reincarnation!  We have only ONE life to live, not several!

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

Sow the gospel!  God does not require us to win souls for Christ because  WINNING souls is the work of the Holy Spirit!  We are to preach the gospel!  Many times we walk away from witnessing to someone discouraged because they didn't receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour!

(1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

BUT WAIT A MINUTE!

Your job is to preach and reach the lost!  God's job is convicting the soul to receive Jesus!

2 Corinthians 4:3-6  "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5.  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

The Holy Spirit worked on my friend for 40 years until finally convicted of his need for Christ!  

Someone needs to tell those who are lost THAT THEY ARE!

Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

1 Timothy 1:11  "According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."

God has committed the gospel for us to preach to others!

The outcome of reaching those to whom God has sent you is as follows:

Mark 16:16. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

In other words, they choose between burning in eternal darkness or glorying in God's marvelous light!

To us who are saved, it's a, "no brainier"!

REMEMBER, our job is to preach the gospel!

God's job is to convict the sinner of his sin and cause Him to repentance.

Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

This is WHAT the Holy Spirit does in a mind that is ready to receive the gospel.  Summed up, the gospel is:  Jesus Christ died on the cross paying the eternal cost for our sins!  Then He was buried but three days later He arose from the dead according to the scriptures!  This is what we're instructed to teach and preach!

The devil has successfully caused many who have not received the gospel to be spiritually blinded!

But God Almighty is stronger than the devil!  

Those who seek God will have these "blinders" removed by the Holy Spirit!  Remember, God is in the "saving business"!

He desires your witness. 

That's how our earthly life will one day be measured!

Trust God to do the convicting!  

YOU tell them about Jesus!

God Made the Wicked for the Day of Evil

 Here’s a famous verse from Calvinism to prove that God elects which people go to heaven, and when people go to hell, that’s under God’s elect, He made that happen.

Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

Calvinist will claim that God intentionally made wicked people for His glory.

Genesis 1:31 “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

When God made something, it was very good.

God did not create sin. Calvinists are going to insist that God made the wicked for destruction.

This is something that we can’t deny: the things that God has made, do you think God will put sin into that? I don’t think a Calvinist would admit that God Himself put sin inside that thing. Because if God puts sin in them then what is God? Then He’s a sinner. But God is untouched, He is holy.

How did sin come to pass? Because of free choice, free will.

Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

This verse shows that wickedness/sin was created by free choice, free will.

James 1:13-15 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

v13, God is not the one putting in sin, He’s not the one that has anything to do with sin. v14-15 sin was created from man’s free choice, free will.

Here’s a problem, why did Proverbs 16:4 say God made the wicked for destruction?

God made everyone, including both good and wicked people. This good and wicked is from man’s free will, because of the free will, through that free choice, wickedness and goodness were born. God is not going to let His creation go to waste, He’s going to take good people into heaven and wicked people into hell. This verse shows the sovereignty of God but this sovereignty has to be balanced with free will. God is so powerful and mighty that it doesn’t matter what free choice we make, He’s going to use it for His glory and honor.

So when they quote Proverbs 16:4, they’re using this to quote the sovereignty of God, they’re actually degrading His sovereignty. Why not raise that sovereignty higher by insisting that this is from free will and free choice?

Let’s read exactly every word as it says on Proverbs 16:4.

‘The Lord hath made all things for himself’: everything God made is used for His glory.

‘yea, even the wicked for the day of evil’: so that includes the ones who became wicked from their free choice, the wicked are cast into hell for God’s glory.

That’s what the verse is talking about, it’s not saying that He forced it, He made it to happen. The wickedness is from the free choice of man, however, He can still use that mightily for His glory.

Why Did God Create Evil?

 Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.”

The Lord, He makes the wicked but that is easily debunked by showing that it doesn’t get rid of free will. It’s free will first and then the Lord makes it ultimately happen for His glory, whatever free choice we make.

If God is not the author of evil, then what are we going to do with Isaiah 45?

Isaiah 45:7 “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

God created darkness and evil.

Even though we can debunk Proverbs 16:4, it seems to go hand in hand with Isaiah 45:7, that God creates sin/evil. Not only that, God created the Tree of Knowledge and hell.

When God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil on the earth, sin did not automatically pass all over the world and corrupted the planet. Why? Because this is an object. Sin did not burst forth and corrupt the world until there was a certain action where man and woman deliberately disobeyed God, put the fruit in their mouth. That action was sin and because of that, sin corrupted the whole planet.

When God created hell in the center of the earth, that did not corrupt the whole world. It wasn’t until the action of mankind that the whole world was corrupted by sin.

God created Lucifer as a perfect beautiful being, it wasn’t until the action where he committed pride that he became evil, he became Satan/tempter/that wicked one.

Sin is defined by action, not the object. Did Isaiah 45, Proverbs 16, tree of knowledge, hell, and Lucifer define itself as sin? No, it’s evil, not sin.

Why did God create the evil object?

He created that evil object for good, not sin.

When God created evil, that actually proves more that He is the author of good and not the author of sin. Why? The Lord created evil to fulfill a good purpose, not a sinful purpose.

Why did the Lord create hell? People who sinned against Him cannot go to heaven, they should get locked up in hell. That’s not an evil thing, that’s a good thing because God cannot allow sin to contaminate the universe.

God can create evil but He does not even think or He has absolutely no connection to sin whatsoever.

Jeremiah 19:3-5 “And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:”

God will bring evil upon the place. Why? For a good purpose, to punish the wickedness of the children of Israel. Those sins, God did not command it, say it or even think about it.

This is a powerful verse showing God creates evil but has absolutely nothing to do with sin.

God creates evil but He is not the creator/author of sin itself. Sin is defined by action.

In Jeremiah 19:3-5, God created evil, not to commit sin, not for a sinful cause, but for a good and holy cause.

WHY DID GOD CREATE DARKNESS AND EVIL? (HE DID, YOU KNOW!)

 WHY DID GOD CREATE DARKNESS AND EVIL? (HE DID, YOU KNOW!)

READ ON AND I'LL EXPLAIN!

Remember, God is a balanced God! Those who hope for heaven by being "good" are in for a big surprise, because there is but one door to heaven!
John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Rejecting Him results in eternal punishment! Not the "prettiest" thought though, but the truth!

Adam and Eve had a choice in the Garden: To follow God's ways or reject them. We face the same dilemma today, choosing between good and evil!

Matthew 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Who's he that does the work of the Father?
He who believes the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and receives the LORD Jesus Christ as his Saviour plus NOTHING!

No works earn the Father's favor! Works FOLLOW salvation! Once a person gets saved, they WANT to please their Heavenly Father by following His commands!

Mark 16:15-16 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Yes, this isn't very warm fuzzy stuff! But it's what God expects from every single person on this dirt rock to understand!

Know Jesus Christ, know life!
No Jesus Christ,
No life, but eternal spiritual death by burning in darkness forever!

Read the proverbs sometime! Much wisdom is found in them! Great way to see how God rewards obedience, yet also rewards the consequences for self-righteousness and rejecting God's provision for everyone's salvation!
Jesus Christ died for the sins OF THE WHOLE WORLD! (John 3:16)
He was buried, but then three days later He arose from the dead according to the scriptures!

God hates nothing more than pride! It's what caused the judgment of Lucifer, the anointed cherub that covered God's throne! (Now, he's called Satan, the deceiver, the devil, and the devourer, ever since his judgement before time began!)

Wanna read something that I'll bet none of your friends know about?
Did you know that God created evil and darkness?
There is NO Ying and Yang with God! He's the ONLY God! He's the ONLY God with whom we have to answer!

Isaiah 45:6-8 "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. 8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it."

Note especially verse 7. I never understood this verse until last year, when I poured out my heart to God to help me learn why He created these things! Then it all began to make sense!

You see, without giving man a choice, there's no real way to show God that we truly love Him!

Darkness and evil are necessary for us to decide whether we desire God and His way, or our own selfish desire to be good WITHOUT a Saviour and pay the consequences! Frank Sinatra's song, "I'll do it MY way!" This will be the unfortunate cry from everyone in hell!

Pride is at the heart of every selfish ambition! EVERY ONE!

We don't work to be saved for OUR credit! We work BECAUSE we are saved, thankful that the Saviour Jesus Christ was willing to pay the cost for our sins at the cross! ALL of THEM!

Here's a comparison! A dog doesn't bark to BECOME a dog! A dog doesn't bark to STAY a dog! A dog barks because he IS a dog.

A person doesn't work to BECOME a Christian! A Christian doesn't work to STAY a Christian! A Christian works because he IS a Christian and is incredibly grateful for his Saviour paying his sin punishment at the cross!

This is the clearest that I can explain the darkness/evil conundrum!

There's no greater purpose for my life than to help those who don't completely understand God, or why He does what He does!
I'm still learning, and will be until my final breath!

Then I'll know God perfectly!
1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

I can't wait until that day!

How about YOU? If you don't know Jesus Christ personally, reread this article! It shows you HOW! 

WHO (or WHAT) CONTROLS YOUR LIFE?

WHO (or WHAT) CONTROLS YOUR LIFE?  

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEPENDENCE AND ADDICTION!  (Physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual!)

(THIS IS AN ARTICLE I'VE HAD TUMBLING AROUND IN MY BRAIN FOR QUITE AWHILE!)

I know many people, each with a different form of addiction.  I'll list some here!  (This is NOT an exhaustive list!)

Some friends let alcohol rule their lives.  (Few know how deeply controlling it can be!)

I don't need to elaborate on the many other drugs which ruin lives, both temporarily and permanently!  Just look at the many "addiction's websites"! Smoking is included here!

Then there's gaming addiction (both Internet and P.C.s)!  It can be very compelling, as you want to be better than everyone else who plays the game!  It's a thing of status.  (I've been there!)

Then there's pornography.  It's one of the several things that destroys marriages.  (Failure to communicate often drives this abnormal behavior!)

Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media may cause a dependence, some due to a lack of meaningful relationships, or the RIGHT relationship.  

Gambling is a an addictive disorder that ruins lives, both personally and communally (destruction of the family).  I've known several gamblers!  It's glorified on televised sports networks as if it's some positive virtue!  It's a habit that ruins lives!

Internet addiction has become very popular, for those with too much spare time.  You'll know that you have it if you're on the 'net more than 10 hours a day!  

Shopping is another addiction.  To some (whether needed or NOT) buying things fulfills needs.

Then there's plastic surgery addiction.  (I don't need to go on.  Take Michael Jackson, for instance!)  This disorder has to do with your disagreement about the way that God has uniquely made you!

You may have an eating disorder, craving food when you don't physically need it!  (Many bored people are overweight and under-exercised!)

Solving these many addictions and disorders takes MORE than simple determination!  It's not a "mind-over-matter" deal!  Counseling sometimes reveals positive results, and now, with a new approach to your solution, you become accountable to someone OTHER than yourself!  

EVERY ONE OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS I'VE LISTED REQUIRES OUTSIDE HELP.  

There are two main sources!  One is man's help.  (Governmental agencies, psychiatrists, and self-help groups, and some preachers like Rick Warren, encourage those who are addicted to be accountable to another person).  However, these plans seldom provide a permanent solution!

The ONLY way to be permanently released from bondage is by a complete dependence upon the LORD!  Teen Challenge is an example of a very successful non-governmental organization stressing total reliance upon God to combat your addiction!

The REAL battleground in all of these is ultimately for your soul!  

The devil WANTS you addicted to something, and so he provides you with a plethora of choices!  If you're too busy to bother with God, he's got you just where he wants you!  It's been his plan from the beginning!

But God Almighty wants you to come to Him with your troubles, problems and weaknesses!  

Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

I know people who have been delivered from BOTH cocaine and alcohol SIMULTANEOUSLY!

Only Jesus Christ is capable of such a miracle!

Occasionally when I witness to someone they tell me, "I'm an atheist!"  I tell them, there's no such thing!  SOME THING IS YOUR GOD!  It may be an addiction listed above.  Their altar may be to themselves!

If you're troubled, and need deliverance, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross paying for all of your sins!  He was buried, but three days later He arose from the dead according to the scriptures!  This is the gospel!  (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

If you humbly admit to God that you need deliverance from your sin and believe the gospel, you ARE SAVED!  RIGHT THEN!

From this point, with God as your Heavenly Father, you have His full attention to help.  Trust Jesus with your soul!  

Only He can deliver!

DO YOU DESIRE SOMETHING? IS IT SOMETHING THAT BY GOD'S STANDARDS IS "FORBIDDEN"? COULD IT BE YOUR DREAM FOR FAME, SOMETHING THAT IS BEAUTIFUL, OR FOR MONEY?

 DO YOU DESIRE SOMETHING? IS IT SOMETHING THAT BY GOD'S STANDARDS IS "FORBIDDEN"?

COULD IT BE YOUR DREAM FOR FAME, SOMETHING THAT IS BEAUTIFUL, OR FOR MONEY?

LET'S SEE WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS ABOUT THESE THINGS!

1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

What IS the will of God?

James 4:7-8 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

"Submitting yourself to God," means that your desires will match up with what God's desires for you, and not what the world pounds into our heads!
Breaking ANY of God's commands means that for what you wish is not in your best interests!
James 4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

ALL of the allurements this world offers us are vain!
Job 15:31 "Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence."
Ecclesiastes 12:8 "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity."

Emptiness is the final result for trusting in meaningless things according to God's standards!

When the devil tempted Jesus with questions after Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, how did God answer Satan?

"It is written..." was how!

Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
Matthew 4:7 "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
Matthew 4:10 "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

The devil offered Jesus things that were his, as Satan is the god of this world!

Notice that Jesus answered each question with scripture! Question #1 dealt with food! (Remember, Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days!)
Question #2 dealt with temptations. (These are often things that we shouldn't have!)
Question #3 has to do with our worship!

Jesus summed up the devil's questions with this statement, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

There is only ONE true Eternal God who is also the Saviour!

Hosea 13:4 "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me."
1 Timothy 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;"
1 Timothy 4:10 "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe."

In WHOM do you place your trust? If you trust in any other than Jesus Christ, your hope is in vain! Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world!

Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
2 Corinthians 4:4 "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
1 John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

To overcome the allurements of this world, we must place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him ALONE!
Do you trust God with your eternal soul?
Are you saved from the judgements to come?

Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

When you realize that you're a sinner who is in need of the Saviour, you're on the right track!

Believe the gospel, that Jesus Christ died on the cross paying for your sins, that He was buried, but three days later He arose from the grave according to the scriptures! Believing this is what saves your soul forever!

John 3:15-16 "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Matthew 5:30 "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Hell is a VERY REAL PLACE! Why else would God talk so much about it if it wasn't REAL?

Ask Jesus (who already PAID the cost for your sins) wants to be your Saviour and draw you away from the allurements this world offers! Those things will perish, but the life Jesus offers will last forever!

Choose life! Choose Jesus!

Know Christ, know life!
No Christ, no life!

Do you know that you are in a race?

DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN A RACE?

HOWEVER, THERE ARE THREE RACES GOING ON (and NONE of them are political)!

One race is the competition for your soul!  You don't even know that you're in THIS race!  The "default position," in this competition is that the devil already owns your soul, unless you have made the selection to choose Jesus Christ.

The second race is for self identity!  Here your race has nothing to do with spirituality, but it's all about YOURSELF!  Earmarks of this race are taking LOTS of, "selfies," admiring yourself constantly in the mirror, and thinking about you as "Number One"!  (This was Lucifer's problem.  As you remember, he WAS the "anointed cherub that covered God's throne!  Now that he's judged, he is called, Satan!)

Hopefully, you're in NEITHER of these first two races but in this third competition!  You enter THIS race the moment that you trust and believe the gospel of your salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).  Briefly, summed up, you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, paying for your sins.  He was buried, but three days later He arose from the grave according to the scriptures!

THEN you asked God to forgive you of your sins for which He had to die, and you received Jesus Christ as your LORD and Saviour!  Every truly repentant sinner who believes this gospel is saved!  (Acts 16:30-31.)

Here are our instructions as Christ followers!  (That's what "Christian" means!)

Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"

That race is no longer for your soul, nor for your self identity, but for an incorruptible prize, one that will NEVER perish!

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.   25. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

We're NOT in the race to win first place!  We're simply to FINISH!

Keeping our body under control is how this race is run!  It's about keeping that faith given to us at the moment of our salvation!  It's about staying on course, even though we get tired!

2 Timothy 4:7-8  "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

Let me remind you, the goal of any Christian is to finish the race!  First place is NOT the goal, but to FINISH the course and to hear these words from our LORD!

Matthew 25:21 "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

With the finish line so close, don't quit the race early!  (AND if you have already quit, run back into it!  There's STILL a little bit of time left!)

Remember, we're ambassadors for God Almighty!  

2 Corinthians 5:20 "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

As 2020 comes to an end, don't start 2021 with useless resolutions, but with again pledging your devotion to serve your Lord Jesus Christ!

 

Keep running your race for the Saviour of your eternal soul.  

We can see the finishing line approaching!