Global-South

No money, no communion

2011-03-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Pastor Calls Flock Devils, Demons
Members say they were refused Communion

Updated: Tuesday, 15 Mar 2011, 6:39 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 15 Mar 2011, 6:39 PM CDT

HOUSTON - Members of the small congregation at Houston Unity Baptist Church said when they refused to give the pastor their tax refunds; he refused to give them their Communion.

Some members of the church spoke with FOX 26 anonymously.

"He said for all those who are getting a tax refund, ‘How many are you are going to give it to the church’?" James said.

Pastor John Goodman said while he refused Communion, it wasn't because his members didn't donate their tax refunds to the church. It’s because they've failed to step up and do what's needed to keep the church afloat.

"I asked if there were any other members, which I know it is, that got income tax money. I ask if they would like to contribute it over here to the new parking lot."

When asked if he withheld Communion, Pastor Goodman said absolutely but it wasn’t because of the tax refund issue. He said it was because of internal issues in the church he refused to disclose.

Goodman said only 4 or 5 members in the church actually help with bills, but he called the rest of his congregation devils and demons.

Pastor Goodman said he was attempting to get donations to build a new parking lot at the church.

Who loves "causing unnecessary controversies and ill-feelings"? May u be removed fr your post soon

2011-03-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

Home Ministry urged to release Bibles
By STEPHEN THEN, RINTOS MAIL and ALLISON LAI
newsdesk@thestar.com.my
Sunday March 13, 2011

MIRI: The Sarawak Government wants the Home Ministry to release all impounded or seized Bibles immediately.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said the state government could not understand the rationale behind such a treatment of the Bible or why the Bahasa Malaysia version could not be imported into the country.

“The state government is also willing to print the Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia if the ones from Indonesia are not acceptable,” he told reporters here on the latest controversy over the impounding of 30,000 Bibles in Port Klang and Kuching Port.

Dr Chan said there never were such problems in Sarawak and he could not understand why those responsible “were being so difficult and causing unnecessary controversies and ill-feelings among Malaysians”.

“In Sarawak, we have never faced such controversies before. In this state, we have mosques and churches built side by side. In our coffeeshops, we have Chinese and Malay food sellers operating next to each other. We don’t have any problem with race or religion.”

The Home Ministry has said the Bibles were not allowed into the state and country because they did not meet the terms and conditions set by the ministry. The Bibles were printed in Indonesia.

Dr Chan said state government leaders would discuss the matter at the next state Cabinet meeting and also bring up the issue to the Federal Cabinet and to the attention of the Prime Minister.

Asked if the state government was worried about any potential political repercussion during the coming state election, Dr Chan said the state government was angry not over political reasons, but because such acts went against justice.

On Friday, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that allowing Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia to be printed locally by printing houses sanctioned by the Home Ministry would provide an amicable solution to the deadlock over the matter.

He said if Bibles in the national language were printed locally, then these could be allowed to be circulated in churches with proper supervision.

He also appealed to the Government to meet church groups to resolve the issue soon, stating that the fulfilment of religious needs should not be confined to selected languages, and that every Malaysian had the right to practise his religion as guaranteed and enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Other politicians have joined in the call for the release of the Bibles.

PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas said the usage of Bahasa Malaysia had increased, and that it was only natural that other religions would also use the national language in their religious literature.

DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng called for the release of the Bibles to preserve the country’s peaceful practice of cultural and religious diversity.

Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) head Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said the Malay language was the language for everyone in the country.

“We cannot prevent people from using the language just because (a certain group) wants to use it for its religious reasons.”

PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said since the Government had allowed Christians in Sarawak and Sabah to use the word “Allah”, it had no reason to ban the Bibles from being brought into the two states.

“Pakatan has no qualms about Christians using the word ‘Allah’,” he said at the launch of the PKR Convention in Kuching.

You helped me once

2011-02-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Source

There were once two young men working their way through Leland Stanford University. Their funds got desperately low, and the idea came to one of them to engage Paderewski for a piano recital and devote the profits to their board and tuition.

The great pianist’s manager asked for a guarantee of two thousand dollars. The students, undaunted, proceeded to stage the concert. They worked hard, only to find that the concert had raised only sixteen hundred dollars.

After the concert, the students sought the great artist and told him of their efforts and results. They gave him the entire sixteen hundred dollars, and accompanied it with a promissory note for four hundred dollars, explaining that they would earn the amount at the earliest possible moment and send the money to him. "No," replied Paderewski, "that won’t do."

Then tearing the note to shreds, he returned the money and said to them: "Now, take out of this sixteen hundred dollars all of your expenses, and keep for each of you 10 percent of the balance for your work, and let me have the rest."

The years rolled by--years of fortune and destiny. Paderewski had become premier of Poland. The devastating war came, and Paderewski was striving with might and main to feed the starving thousands of his beloved Poland.

There was only one man in the world who could help Paderewski and his people. Thousands of tons of food began to come into Poland for distribution by the Polish premier.

After the starving people were fed, Paderewski journeyed to Paris to thank Herbert Hoover for the relief sent him.

"That’s all right, Mr. Paderewski," was Mr. Hoover’s reply. "Besides, you don’t remember it, but you helped me once when I was a student at college and I was in a hole."

Compassion is an investment that brings great returns!

A subversive force for love

2011-02-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

Source

There are many examples of people, both ancient and contemporary, who have hungered for righteousness and proven themselves to be filled with the fire of God's love.

I think for example of Maria Skobstova, an aristocrat who became an intellectual, an intellectual who became a nun, a nun who became a subversive force for love.

She sought to make straight that which had been made crooked among the poor, in prisons, in insane asylums because she saw every human being as intrinsically valuable, as an "icon of God."

In 1942, when Jews were being rounded up in German-occupied Paris, Maria managed to organize the rescue of children who she smuggled out of the sports stadium in garbage bins with the help of garbage collectors.

She did not relent in her work on behalf of the oppressed even though she was aware she was under Nazi surveillance.

Finally, she was sent to the concentration camp at Ravensbruck, where, still burning with the holy passion and hunger for righteousness, a desire that had become a flame of love, she continued to assist and care for those who were suffering with her.

She nearly made it to the end, and even as Russian troops were advancing on the camp, she put herself in the place of another woman condemned to die, and died in her place.

Her hunger and thirst for righteousness was satisfied as she herself became righteous, and, like Christ, she become one who helped others in the cause for justice.

Are you ready to rumble?

2011-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

ACPE Word of the Lord 2011

Each year, the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE) meets to seek the Lord for the prophetic word. This is a team of respected prophets who have the conviction that they are an Acts 13:1-3 model. This passage notes that it was the Holy Spirit giving the word as a consensus among the group and not just to one prophet. So, even though this is a compilation of the prophecies that we have each brought to the round table meeting, it was the general consensus of the ACPE members that the Holy Spirit was speaking the following prophetic words to us.

The ACPE has met now since 1999. This year, for the first time, we invited a group of emerging young leaders to join us. As a result, we probably had the most powerful time of seeking the Lord that we have ever known. At the end of the meeting, a time of impartation took place.

While we are calling this a prophecy for 2011, it is to be understood that the time frames for the fulfillment of prophecies cannot only be confined to a calendar year period, thus this constitutes more of a seasonal prophetic word.

It is also a given that, in some cases, the obedience of the people to respond can either delay, change, or alter what we have seen by the Spirit during this time.

The Year of Transitions
This will either be a year of open heavens or a year of the perfect storm.

The number 11 has the biblical meaning of transitions. 2011 is the year where we are transitioning from one place to another. Where we will end up at the end of this time depends, in many regards, on how we respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

2011 will be a year of great pressure and stress, particularly, the first three months when it will seem as if we are in a toe-to-toe battle with the forces of evil.

This is a Tipping Point Year
If, in the middle of the pressure of the season, we faint and lose heart, the scale will tip away from us and there is a possibility of great loss and defeat.

The Year of the Straits
The number 11 can be likened to places in the earth such as the Straits of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco. We will, at times, feel constricted, but the narrowing of the way will only cause us to go to the new place that God has for us in the season if we do not fail the test during the pressure.

The Birth Canal
Another analogy that the Lord gave us was the number 11 is like a birth canal. The baby being born is going from the comfort of the womb to the stress and discomfort of being born into a new, large life.

Dreaming Dreams
Joseph shared his dreams with his 11 brothers; represented by 11 stars in Genesis 37:9 and it caused great relational stress. God will pour out a season of dreams and visions this year even among the very young. Watch out for relational stress and keep your heart right in the middle of it.

The Year of Great Expectations
Expect the unexpected in this coming year.

Hebrews 11:11 is key:
“By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

Expect a miracle! God wants to break the barrenness in your life of hope deferred. Many have given up on their dreams and downsized what they believe for because of the times. God’s Kingdom is an ever-increasing Kingdom and He is for advance and not retreat.

This is not a time to compromise what God has said to you, but rather to believe that all things are possible. God is not a man that He would lie. If He said he would do something, He has not changed His mind.

A Time of Preparation, Going Deeper into God and Intimacy
New assignments will be passed out in this year of transition for those who do not draw back in the season of testing and fire. Go deeper in God and draw refreshing from His presence and you will make it to your new place of advancement and anointing.

Proverbs 20:5:
“Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.”

Creative Miracles
The level of the miraculous will increase with the Creator loosing miracles of creation that will directly oppose the spirits of humanism and intellectualism.

The Restoration of the Tabernacle of David
Great emphasis will be upon worship again this year. Worship is the key! Many new 24-hour houses of worship will spring up across the world and result in an open heaven over nations and many souls saved. It is harvest time!

Acts 15:16-17:
“After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My Name, says the Lord who does all things.”

Great Harvest of those in the Arts/Entertainment Field
Extraordinary moves of God will occur in the entertainment and motion picture industry. Bold, new, unashamed voices will arise and many will listen to their testimonies.

Word for the United States
The nation hangs in the balance and this is not a time to grow weary of praying and acting on behalf of righteousness and justice. Don’t let the pressure of the season cause you to retreat into entertainment rather than standing on top of what is happening around you.

We must watch for terrorist attacks as many are having dreams and visions of coming attacks.

One of the illustrations given to us was the phrase, “Are you ready to rumble?” This is used among wrestling aficionados as the match begins. It does more than alert the contestants that the match will start; it also creates an excited expectation in the crowd. God is asking the Christians in America today, “Are you ready to rumble?” The game is at hand and there needs to be a climax of excitement as we anticipate God’s next move in the land.

2011 is one of the most critical years in the nation’s history and the foundations are burning and are in danger of being destroyed. We must fast and pray and take extraordinary measures to “rumble” both the heavens and the earth.

The Eleventh Hour 11-11-11
This date will have a special significance in this “eleventh hour” time frame.

John 11:11 says:
“Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep, but I go that I may awaken him from slumber.”

The Mayflower Compact was signed on 11-11, 1620 and God is looking for a new generation of reformers who will make a covenant with God and others to stand and fight to awaken this nation in this dire moment of history.

Proverbs 11:11:
“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.”

World
There is a worldwide student-led volunteer movement being birthed across the face of the earth. Satan is going to try and start wars such as he did when the first student volunteer movement started around the turn of the 20th century. World War I effectually shut down the movement as students went to war at times against each other. We must pray against the starting of a third world war, as Satan wants to escalate world events for His purposes.

Psalms 110:3:
“In the day of Your power your youth shall be volunteers.”

Korea
Particular prayer needs to take place for Korea as one of the greatest missions movements is destined to come out of this nation that will go to the ends of the earth.

We also strongly felt that President Lee should stand firm against North Korea’s aggression.

Middle East
A more widespread persecution will arise against the believers if we do not begin to intercede for the Middle East. However, there will be a move of God of the youth in nations such as Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia who will not love their lives unto death.

Economy
We must intercede against hyperinflation that will strangle the ability of people of give to world missions.

Intellectual Properties
A great release of new wealth will come from ideas given from God in the form of intellectual properties. A new creative anointing of ideas for those who will use the wealth for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

Children
We are on the verge of a great Children’s Awakening that will span the globe. Child evangelists will begin to preach in churches and large arenas and thousand will be saved and healed.

Compiled by:
Cindy Jacobs
ACPE Convening Apostle
January 5, 2011

USA has about 2.35 million Muslims out of a population of 301 million

2011-01-27T22:13:00.000-08:00

Poll: 2 of 3 U.S. Muslim Converts Left Christian Roots
Wed, May. 23, 2007 Posted: 05:10 PM EDT

WASHINGTON – Two-thirds (67 percent) of all converts to Islam in the United States came from a Protestant background, according to the first nationwide survey to measure the demographics, attitudes, and experiences of Muslim Americans.

Not much was formerly known about the Muslim American population in terms of their attitudes and opinions, but the new survey by the Pew Research Center found that Muslim Americans, in comparison to the rest of the world, have the unique feature of consisting of a relatively large number of converts to the religion – nearly a quarter. Almost all conversions are native-born (91 percent) and almost three-fifths (59 percent) of converts to Islam are African American.

Most converts to Islam gave as reasons for their conversions: the appeal of Islam’s teachings, the belief that Islam is superior to Christianity, or that religion “made sense” to them.

Only 18 percent of converts said family reasons, such as marrying a Muslim, was reason for conversion.

The new landmark study seeks to understand the growing segment of American society when little quantitative research about the attitudes and opinions of Muslim Americans has been conducted. It compares the attitudes of the Muslim population with those of the general U.S. population and Muslims worldwide and understanding the similarities and differences of this American population.

The study found that not only are Muslim Americans largely similar to the rest of the country in terms of income, education level, and economic satisfaction, they also share common values and attitudes and, in general, subscribe to a “decidedly” American worldview.

The majority of Muslim Americans have a generally positive view of society and believe in the American dream. A full 71 percent said they believe that if a person works hard they can be successful in the United States.

Moreover, despite the fact 65 percent of Muslims in the country are first-generation Americans they believe that Muslims living in the United States should try and adopt American customs instead of trying to remain distinct from society.

U.S. Muslims were also more likely than most European Muslims to describe themselves by nationality before religion. Only forty-seven percent of Muslim Americans think of themselves first as a Muslim before an American compared to Britain where 81 percent said they are first Muslim and then British.

Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of Muslim Americans – nearly two-to-one (63 percent – 32 percent) – do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.

Yet most U.S. Muslims still say that religion is very important to them, similar to other Americans. Most pray every day and four-in-ten attend a mosque at least once a week. The majority of Muslims also accept the Koran as the word of their god, but only half says that it should be taken literally, according to the study. Instead, most Muslims say there are multiple ways to interpret the teachings of Islam.

Furthermore, U.S. Muslims, for the most part, reject Islamic extremism. However, there are sectors of the population where acceptance of the ideology is more popular.

For instance, younger U.S. Muslims are more likely than older Muslim Americans to say suicide bombing in defense of Islam can at least be sometimes justifiable.

Meanwhile, U.S.-born African American Muslims were less likely than other Muslim Americans to condemn al Qaeda.

The Pew Research Center conducted over 55,000 screening interviews in order to find a national sample of 1,050 Muslims living in the United States for the study.

There are an estimated 2.35 million Muslims out of a population of 301 million in the United States according to Pew Research Center.

Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter

Insert your practice throughout your day

2011-01-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

Seize the Moments

Jul 3, 2005
by Howard E. Butt, Jr.

Author and educator John Erskine was 14 when his piano teacher asked him if he practiced an hour at a time. John said yes.

His teacher said, "Well, don’t! When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes. Insert your practice throughout your day — and music will become part of your life."

Years later, when John’s schedule allowed no time to write, he recalled his teacher’s words. He began to write in five- and ten-minute snatches. To his astonishment, within one week, he had a manuscript ready to revise.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Dreams rarely arrive gift-wrapped in long stretches of time. So we seize the day . . . the hour . . . and the mighty minutes . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

Do pray for your pastor

2011-01-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Straight Talk to Church Members about Their Pastors
Tue, Jun. 01, 2010 Posted: 11:16 AM EDT

I know. Pastors aren’t perfect. But they do have one of the toughest jobs in the world. Regardless of the church polity, they do have to answer to every church member. Please allow me to speak to you who are church members. I know most of you love your pastor. I know most of you respect your pastor. But you may not know how you can best help your pastor.

I have served as a pastor of four churches, and I have consulted with hundreds of pastors. In many ways, I think I understand the heart of a pastor. So would you allow me to share with you how to demonstrate love to your pastor? I put them in the form of five things not to do, and five things to do.

What Not to Do

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. I’ve tried to streamline the list some.

1. Don’t criticize or make critical suggestions to the pastor unless you have spent much time in prayer over the matter. Pastors have to deal with criticisms every week. It drains them. Also, don’t criticize the pastor’s family.

2. Don’t ask the pastor to make announcements right before the worship service. He needs to be focused on his sermon. Similarly, don’t say other things to him that may distract him before he preaches.

3. Don’t tell your pastor how he compares to other pastors.

4. Don’t expect the pastor to be at all the church events and functions you think he should attend. Most of the other church members want him at “their” events as well.

5. Don’t expect the pastor to be the primary pastoral care giver to all members, their relatives, their distant relatives, and the rest of the community within a 30-mile radius.

What to Do

As I have talked with pastors around the world, they have shared with me some of the steps church members have taken that have really encouraged them. Let me share five of them.

1. Do pray for your pastor. Send him an email to let him know you are praying for him.

2. Do encourage your pastor. He needs it because he’s human, and he needs it to balance the criticisms he hears.

3. Do work with the leadership of the church to make certain the pastor is getting sufficient rest, time off, and family time. Most pastors are on 24/7 call.

4. Do encourage the rest of the church to take on pastoral care responsibility, particularly through small groups and Sunday school classes. The pastor should be the primary care giver for the most urgent and serious of needs. The rest of the church should do the bulk of the ministry.

5. Do be faithful to the ministry of the church. Few things encourage a pastor as much as committed church members.

Remembering Frances Mason

The very first blog I wrote was about Frances Mason. She was one of those church members that every pastor loves. Upon her death, I noted several reasons why I loved her so dearly.

As I reflected back on Frances for this blog, I realized that she was the type of church member that embodied all the great characteristics that are noted in these ten action items for this article. She prayed for me. She encouraged me. She looked after my welfare. She was a totally committed church member.

Many pastors are hurting. Sometimes I think most pastors are hurting. They are looking for answers to help their lives and leadership.

And the good news is that you can be a part of the solution.

Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thom S. Rainer
Christian Post Guest Columnist

What Millennials Want in Leaders

2011-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

What Millennials Want in Leaders
Wed, Aug. 04, 2010 Posted: 12:03 PM EDT

The Millennial generation is the generation that has grabbed my heart. I know that my preference is largely related to having and loving three Millennial sons and their friends. But I know that my favoritism also stems from the attitude of hope that this generation brings.

As I have shared in other writings, my son, Jess Rainer, and I just concluded writing a book about this generation with the basic title, The Millennials. The book will be released in January 2011. Our work was based on a massive research project led by LifeWay Research, where that team asked 1,200 older Millennials dozens of questions in multiple categories. The responses were fascinating.

Who Are the Millennials?

As a reminder, the Millennials are America’s largest generation, over 78 million in number. They are slightly larger in number than the well-documented Baby Boomer generation.

The Millennials were born between 1980 and 2000, though our research included only the older portion of this generation, those born between 1980 and 1991. The study included demographic sampling that well represents the generation in total.

The Leadership Factor

Though we asked relatively few questions about leadership in our study, the intensity of their responses provided clear indication that this subject was one of great interest to many in this generation. At the conclusion of our study, we found four major leadership foci among the Millennials. We dubbed them simply “What Millennials Want in Leaders.”

1. Mentoring. This generation has great respect for those older than they are. Most of them have good relationships with their parents. They have learned from older people all their lives, and they don’t want to stop now. They want to be led and taught in their places of work, in their churches, and in their families. They particularly want to learn from couples who have had long and successful marriages. Many Millennials see such examples as heroes to emulate.

2. Gentle spirit. This category is easier to describe by what Millennials do not want in leaders. Divisive, loud, and acrimonious persons turn them off. They loathe politicians and political pundits who scream at each other. They are leaving churches to some extent because they see many Christian leaders as negative and prone to divisiveness. They are repulsed by business leaders with harsh and autocratic spirits.

3. Transparency and authenticity. I wish Jess and I had counted the number of times that Millennials used the word “real” to describe leaders they want to follow. As one Millennial told us, her generation “can smell phony and pretentiousness a mile away.” They don’t want phony; they want authentic. They don’t want pretentious; they want transparent.

4. Integrity. The Millennials are weary of politicians who don’t keep promises. They are tired of Christian leaders who fail basic moral standards. They are fed up with business leaders who are more concerned about personal gain than serving others. They want leaders with integrity.

Looking for a Few Good Leaders

The Millennial generation has much to offer. As a whole, they desire to serve others. Most of them are very family oriented. And they really want to listen and learn from others. Indeed they are looking for a few good leaders to follow. When they find them, they will follow with commitment and enthusiasm.

Our study of this generation was one of the most encouraging research projects in which I have been involved. I found great hope in the Millennials. I see great promise in many of them. And I found among them a hunger to learn from leaders they respect.

May we who have come before them be that type of leader.

The largest generation in America is watching us closely.

Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thom S. Rainer
Christian Post Guest Columnist

5 Brainstorming Tips

2011-01-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

Empower Your Team: 5 Brainstorming Tips by Jason Wilson

A new year is upon us, and with it comes all kinds of incredible possibilities! Have you made a plan for what worship will look like at your church in 2011?

Many churches have discovered the benefits of team worship design, but have yet to fully implement it. Ideas generated as a result of group creativity are exponential, and potential bad ideas can become launching pads for creativity.

Are you ready to soar on wings like eagles and make 2011 a year of transformation? A worship design team can make it happen, but first you have to know how to get off the ground…

In our latest book, Taking Flight With Creativity: Worship Design Teams That Work, we explore what it means to go from initial formation of a team to thriving creativity on a weekly basis.

Here are 5 brainstorming tips from Chapter 12 on brainstorming (edited down here in bite sized chunks):

1. Keep the brainstorming team small

Studies have shown that the most effective brainstorming groups consist of around 4 to 7 people. Any more than that and it’s hard to narrow down ideas and form consensus. Any less and it’s hard to have enough minds focused to generate good ideas.

2. Even the playing field

The best creative groups find a way to check hierarchical structure at the door. No one wants to look bad in the eyes of their superiors, and brainstorming (from an ego standpoint) can be pretty risky. The “flatter” the team feels organizationally, the better the brainstorming will be.

3. Keep the group closed

As stated, brainstorming can be risky business that encourages team members to expose their ideas, and themselves, to both praise and honest criticism. In our experience, the best balm for criticism is trust. A closed team – the same exact group of people, meeting together regularly – can build up enough trust and small group intimacy to allow honest critique to thrive without bruising egos too badly.

4. No bad ideas

It is an oft-stated maxim of group brainstorming that no idea is a bad idea. This nugget of truth applies particularly to the early development stages of a brainstorming session. Although this rule often plays out better in theory than in an actual creative meeting, it is important to allow for “popcorn” creativity. Good brainstorming allows the conversation to flow, even if it seems radically unfocused. A group freedom of thought is essential to new idea formation.

5. Make it fun

Brainstorming novices may initially find the process of creative worship design intimidating, but will soon learn that there is much fun to be had. New teams discover over time that this level of fun will grow. On the other hand, veteran teams may become tired of the process.

Whether building a new team or responding to potential creative burnout on a veteran team, be intentional about finding ways to inspire. Here are a few suggestions:

a) Spice up your environment. Conference/classrooms aren’t the most inspiring places to meet, even though they are commonly used for brainstorming meetings. Use color on the walls, hang posters, and maybe even add a ping-pong or foosball table to the room. Ditch the uncomfortable chairs for sofas, recliners, and beanbags.

b) Play games with a creative bent such as Balderdash, Cranium, Pictionary, etc. This will exercise team creative muscles in a fun and semi-work related way.

c) Fellowship together in a way the team hasn’t before. Eat dinner/lunch together. Go to the movies. Visit a theme park as a group. Go on a retreat.

d) Change up the brainstorming process by throwing an object (such as a ball) around the room. When the ball is caught, the catcher has to shout out an idea immediately, and then toss the ball to someone else.

If you’re ready to take the leap into the world of collaborative worship design, check out Taking Flight with Creativity: Worship Design Teams That Work. It’s like a worship design bootcamp in a book!

Pray for me as I wld be flying to Kuching tis Fri - and we all hate delays!

2011-01-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

AirAsia plane skids at Kuching airport
By SHAUN HO

Published: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:16:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:25:39 AM

KUALA LUMPUR: An AirAsia flight to Kuching skidded off the runway on Monday night and landed on the grass verge leaving four passengers with minor injuries.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said flight AK5218, which is an Airbus A320, was carrying 124 passengers and six crew members.

“The plane was landing during a downpour and that is when it skidded,” he said.

Kong said the plane had landed on soft soil on the verge of the runway. AirAsia and Kuching International Airport staff have been working to remove the plane for checks.

As a result of the incident, services at the airport was disrupted, with up to 11 flights to the Kuching International Airport affected.

“I expect services at the airport to resume by noon,” he said after opening the National Maritime Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia Group Chief Executive Datuk Tony Fernandes tweeted the incident and said that his staff were working to remove the plane.

“Working hard to remove aircraft. All passengers are home,” Fernandes said in his tweet.

Kuching International Airport closed temporarily to facilitate AirAsia aircraft removal works

Published: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:50:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:55:26 AM

KUCHING: The Kuching International Airport is expected to be closed until further notice Tuesday for arrival and departure flights, A Malaysia Airports Bhd statement said.

This was due to an incident on Monday night when an AirAsia flight AK5218 from Kuala Lumpur, upon landing on runway 25 at 10.02pm during heavy rain, skidded and veered of the runway at Kuching International Airport. All passengers were evacuated safely from the aircraft.

Actions to remove aircraft, together with AirAsia Engineering Team, are currently undertaken but the removal works are currently hampered by the continuous heavy rain since Monday night.

Only one flight was released for departure from Kuching International at 7.30am Tuesday - flight MH2505 to Kuala Lumpur.

At the time of release, the affected departure flights are:-

AirAsia

1. AK6036 departure to Kota Kinabalu at 6.10am

2. AK5203 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 6.15am

3. AK6562 departure to Bintulu at 6.20am

4. AK6526 departure to Bintulu at 8.35am

5. AK5201 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 9.35am

6. AK6673 departure to Singapore at 9.50am

7. AK5843 departure to Johor Bharu at 10.30am

8. AK6546 departure to Miri at 11.10am

9. AK5205 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 11.55am

10. AK6505 departure to Penang at 12.20pm

11. AK5207 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 1.55pm

Malaysia Airlines

1. MH2802 departure to Miri at 7.00am

2. MH2290 departure to Bintulu at 7.20am

3. MH2266 departure to Sibu at 10.30am

4. MH643 departure to Singapore at 10.40am

5. MH2507 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 11.05am

6. MH2653 departure to Johor Bharu at 12.05pm

7. MH2564 departure to Miri at 12.35pm

8. MH2513 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 12.45pm

MASWings

1. MH3692 departure to Sibu at 6.00am

2. MH3904 departure to Bintulu/Miri at 6.40am

3. MH3690 departure to Sibu at 7.00am

4. MH3711 departure to Tanjung Manis at 7.25am

5. MH3411 departure to Mukah at 9.10am

Passengers are advised to contact their airline’s offices to enquire about their flight status departing or arriving at Kuching International Airport.

Malaysia Airports is currently working closely with AirAsia and other related agencies at the airport to expedite the resumption of flight operations at the airport.

Not be reborn as a dog in its next life?

2011-01-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

No expense spared for ‘daughter’ living in style
Tuesday January 11, 2011

A COUPLE in Singapore with no children are treating their pet dog Little Snow like their own daughter, reported China Press.

They feed it with good food, enrol it in social classes, take it to the spa and even to the Buddhist temple to join in their prayers.

Identified only as Liu, in his 40s and working in the publishing industry, the dog’s owner said he and his wife love three-year-old Little Snow like their own daughter.

To ensure it has a comfortable life, Liu said he buys for the dog organic vegetables and fish and sends it to salon and spa sessions every month.

They spend as much as S$500 (RM1,150) a month for these purposes as well S$400 (RM920) for the dog to “learn to socialise” by enrolling the dog in a training class, which is a 10-week hour-long session.

“We cook for the dog. A veterinarian told me it will not take dog food anymore once it is given cooked food,” said Liu.

Since they are Buddhists, the couple also take the dog to the temple from time to time “to seek blessings so that it will not be reborn as a dog in its next life”.

Another dog lover, retiree Lan Ping Chang, 59, said all his family members love dogs.

Besides dried food, he would buy organic vegetables, pumpkins, potatoes and brown rice to ensure his pet dog has enough nutrition.

He also shared his fish liver oil, bone and joint supplements and grape glucose drink with the dog.

Wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions

2011-01-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Hubby dumps wife and kids – on medium’s advice
By SHAUN HO
shaunho@thestar.com.my
Thursday January 6, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: A superstitious husband stopped having sex with his wife after a temple medium convinced him she was a danger to his life.

The wife, who only wanted to be known as Loh, said her husband has now abandoned her and their two teenage children and is refusing to meet them as he fears for his life.

Self-employed Loh, 44, said her husband first started consulting the medium to solve personal problems.

She claimed her husband’s personality changed after daily meetings with him.

“The medium told my husband I had been casting spells on him for the past 15 years and that I was a demon trying to kill him.

“He refused to eat or drink at home because he thought I poisoned the food,” Loh told a press conference held at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department yesterday.

Loh also said there were no prior family problems and that her husband was very loving although he was superstitious.

“I know he misses the children and although my son calls him almost every day urging him to come back, he still refuses to see the children as he is afraid I will kill him through them,” she added.

She said her husband, a factory manager, moved out of the house on the medium’s advice in August and had been paying very little for living expenses and their children’s school fees.

He withdrew the children’s savings totalling RM37,000 before moving out and recently asked for a divorce.

Loh is worried the medium is taking advantage of her husband’s trust in him, claiming the medium is also heavily in debt.

Loh had also found a newspaper report published in 2002 about another man who had neglected his family after he was “helped” by the same medium.

Loh has lodged two police reports.

“We have known the medium and his family for 20 years. I do not know why he is doing this,” said Loh.

Department head Datuk Michael Chong said he had received three complaints this month involving victims who were duped by mediums.

There are people who are worse off than I am right now

2010-12-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Unemployed Father Takes In Homeless Family For Christmas
Posted: 12-22-10 05:01 PM

Earlier this month, Gregory Schauer, 50, says he looked around his large, one-bedroom apartment in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and realized that he was barely using his master bedroom. Since he slept on the couch most nights anyway, he decided the best thing he could do with all of his extra space would be to invite in a homeless family for the holidays.

"I wanted to help someone else out by at least providing them a roof for shelter and a Christmas tree," he told HuffPost. "I can just barely cover all my bills, but I know there are people who are worse off than I am right now."

Schauer, who has been collecting unemployment checks since he was laid off from his engineering job in late July, posted an ad on Craigslist offering up his empty bedroom to a needy family. He would take care of rent and utilities, he promised, as long as they could afford to feed themselves. A homeless woman with three young children responded to the ad.

"I took in a mother and her three kids who were living at a shelter," he said. "It's a very nice, cozy apartment where they don't have to worry about bills or going from shelter to shelter. At least I can give them that."

Schauer said his new tenant works at Anthony Wayne Services Foundation, an organization that helps disabled people be more independent, and is on food stamps to supplement her modest income and feed her children. All Schauer does, he says, is keep a roof over their heads.

"I try to give them their space," he said.

Meanwhile, Schauer has five children of his own, all of whom live with their mother. He has been scouring Craigslist for extra work this holiday season to be able to afford presents for them.

"I am unemployed but I want to be able to give my kids a Christmas," he wrote in a Craigslist ad. "I'm very educated and also very handy. Will do just about anything for Christmas money so I can get my kids some presents to open on Christmas morning."

Schauer said he has received no replies to this ad so far, and since he has been paying 50 percent of his unemployment checks to child support, the prospects of buying presents for his kids this year look grim. But despite a disappointing job search, he said he still feels "blessed" to be able to provide Christmas shelter to one other family.

"If it inspires anyone else to open their doors or their hearts to help anyone out, it was all worth it," he said.

Comments section

stoves48
11 hours ago (10:36 AM)

For all of you cold hearted skeptics out there who thought this was a stunt, I wrote to the author to see if I could send this guy some cash and this was the response that was sent from Greg Schauer,

"Please let them know that the best thing they can do is pass it on so to speak. Instead of sending me anything, call a shelter, sponsor a family for Christmas, give to the food pantries, spread the spirit of Christmas to as many people as they can. This would be Truly wonderful. God Bless everyone who wrote such nice things. To me you are wonderful people. The warmth and love in my heart for others has never been greater."

What a fantastic person this guy is. I aspire to be so generous in action and in spirit.

Rally together to address the problem of broken homes

2010-12-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Man arrested, charged with murder of three-year-old boy
By Faris – December 23rd, 2010

A man has been arrested for causing the death of a three-year-old boy, who was beaten and subsequently died from his injuries.

Muhammad Raffiq Jaffah, 23, who is a friend of the toddler’s 22-year-old mother, was arrested and charged for causing causing grievous hurt to Danish Iman Abdullah on Dec 15, reported The Straits Times.

Currently in remand, he will appear in court next Tuesday and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Muhammad is alleged to have hit the boy in a Geylang Road apartment between 5.30pm and 6.15pm on Dec 15 by using his hand to slap the toddler’s face, causing him to hit the wall.

Danish was then taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital and six days later, he succumbed to his injuries at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital at 3.30am on Monday.

According to Singapore’s Malay newspaper Berita Harian, the child’s death certificate states that he died from a traumatic injury to the head.

A family friend who had visited Danish at the hospital told the paper, “His whole body was covered in black and blue bruises, his left leg was broken in eight places and the doctor said he suffered brain damage.”

He was buried at the Pusara Abadi cemetery in Chua Chu Kang on Tuesday. A man believed to be Danish’s father declined to be interviewed when Berita Harian approached him at the funeral.

It is understood that Danish and his mother used to live with his maternal grandmother in a four-room flat at Serangoon Avenue 2. However, neighbours said they had not seen both mother and child in recent months.

A neighbour, Ms K. Packyaletchumy, 48, said she used to see the petite, young mother walking with her son to school in the morning.

“The boy was very cute and chubby. He would always cry when he had to go to school and when he came home,” said Ms Packyaletchumy, a patient care assistant.

Another neighbour, Mr Ho Soon Chye, 55, said the family had moved into the flat about three years ago but he had stopped seeing both mother and child a few months ago.

The toddler’s death is the latest in a string of child abuse cases involving Malay families in recent years. Since 2006, there was a total six incidents of such child abuse cases which resulted in deaths.

Last year, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, called for the Malay community to rally together to address the problem of broken homes. This comes after the death of six-year-old Muhammad Nor Rashidy Rahmat, who was allegedly killed by a family friend.

On Wednesday, Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong GRC, Madam Halimah Yacob, said such abuse cases occurred mostly in dysfunctional families.

“Part of the problem is having young couples that are not mature enough to handle stressful situations that arise from marriage and parenthood,” she said.

Mdm Halimah added that further stress is created in families where parents remarry and bring in children from previous marriages.

The situation is also made worse by the fact that these families tend to belong to the lower income group and face pressures trying to make ends meet.

“Although there are many counselling programmes in place, most of these couples have to work all day, and they cannot attend the sessions.

“The challenge is in reaching out to them,” she said.

On the other hand, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, an MP for Hong Kah GRC, said understanding the profile of such families would help to target them more effectively.

He added that in the past year, he had seen changes in attitudes within the lower income group, and with parents wanting to do better.

Highlighting that the cases were not representative of the Malay community, Mr Zaqy said, “But once in a while, you get cases like these that make us take notice and reflect on whether we have been able to reach out to all corners and all sectors.”

Thank you for the incredible, amazing response to Yahoo!’s Fit-To-Post blog so far. We continue to welcome your views and comments but please don’t abuse this opportunity. Be nice. Be courteous. Be sensible. Respect the feelings of others and refrain from using any kind of offensive language. And in the spirit of great conversations, please don’t stray from the topic at hand.

You're not some guy's fun time

2010-12-22T03:37:00.000-08:00

Should You Ever Date a Guy Who is Separated but Still Married?

Dear DDHG,

I have a big problem and I'm hoping I can turn to DDHG to some advice. I'm a single, 28-year old woman with no kids. I have a good job, own my condo and have been supporting myself since I was 17 years old.

I put myself through college and am working on another degree right now. About three weeks ago, I met a really nice guy who seemed just perfect. There was one problem though, he said he was "separated, but still married". He told me about all the problems he had with his wife and why they were divorcing. He hasn't filed for divorce, neither has she, but they live in separate houses. Is this the kind of guy I should be investing my time in? Should a guy like this be on the dating scene in the first place?

- SEEKING ADVICE, New York

Dear Seeking,

The answer is no, this guy should not be on the dating scene. He should wait until he is divorced and so should you before you even think about dating him long term. Guys who have recently left marriages aren't really emotionally equipped to jump right into another serious relationship.

"Most guys want to play before they settle," says DDHG resident male The Average Guy. "If a guy has been in a marriage or committed relationship and it ends, the first thing they want to do is find something new. But they're not looking for a serious relationship, they're looking for fun."

You're not some guy's fun time. You're better than that. It seems like you've accomplished a lot in life and you don't need a guy who is still married to weigh you down. :)

Hang on, God will give us the victory!

2010-12-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

Be faithful

Adoniram Judson and his sweet wife, Ann, were missionaries in India and Burma. During their tour of service, Adoniram was arrested as an enemy agent when his homeland, England, and the nation in which he served became disenchanted with one another. Immediately, Judson was imprisoned. The tiny cell in which he was incarcerated was so crowded and small that the prisoners had to take turns sleeping. There was not enough room for all of them to lie down. The hot sun beating upon the dingy cell caused unbearable suffering through heat prostration. The stench also became obnoxious as the men were never allowed to bathe.

One day the government officials decided to punish the prisoners and Judson was hoisted into the air by his thumbs. Pain filled his body as he remained suspended in mid air for hours at a time. His precious helpmeet, Ann, would come by the cell daily, look inside, and weep. However, this soldier of the cross always encouraged her man by saying, "Hang on, Adoniram. God will give us the victory." As the days and weeks past, faithful Ann no longer made the visits and Adoniram's loneliness increased. No one had informed him that she was dying. All he had now was a memory of his sweetheart saying, "Hang on, Adoniram. God will give us the

Months later, upon his release, he immediately began the search for Ann. As he approached the area where he formerly lived, he saw a child so begrimed with dirt that he failed to recognize the little one as his own. He the dashed into the tent and saw the form of one so small and weak from malnutrition, that she appeared to be a skeleton. Her beautiful flowing hair had also fallen out and she was

As Adoniram called, she failed to respond. It seemed as though she were already dead. He took her in his arms and wept. The hot tears dropping on her angelic face revived Ann and she said, "hang on, Adoniram; God will give us the victory."

Adoniram lost his sweetheart, but not his faith and courage. He continued under dire circumstances to preach and to build churches, and when this man of God was buried, scores of churchs had come into existence through his labors. Adoniram and Ann ran the race faithfully unto the end and experience the "abundant entrance" I have been proclaiming. What will your homegoing be like, Christian?

Permissible Man-Slaughter

2010-12-01T23:06:00.000-08:00

50 FACTS ABOUT WOMEN

1. Women love to shop. It is the one area of the world where they feel like they're actually in control.

2. Women especially love a bargain. The question of "need" is irrelevant, so don't bother pointing it out. Anything on sale is fair game.

3. Women never have anything to wear. Don't question the racks of clothes in the closet; you "just don't understand".

4. Women need to cry. And they won't do it alone unless they know you can hear them.

5. Women will always ask questions that have no right answer, in an effort to trap you into feeling guilty.

6. Women love to talk. Silence intimidates them and they feel a need to fill it, even if they have nothing to say.

7. Women need to feel like there are people worse off than they are. That's why soap operas and Oprah Winfrey-type shows are so successful.

8. Women don't need sex as often as men do. This is because sex is more physical for men and more emotional for women. Just knowing that the man wants to have sex with them fulfills the emotional need.

9. Women hate bugs. Even the strong-willed ones need a man around when there's a spider or a wasp involved.10. Women can't keep secrets. They eat away at them from the inside. And they don't view it as being untrustworthy, providing they only tell two or three people.

11. Women always go to public restrooms in groups. It gives them a chance to gossip.

12. Women can't refuse to answer a ringing phone, no matter what she's doing. It might be the lottery calling.

13. Women never understand why men love toys. Men understand that they wouldn't need toys if women had an "on/off" switch.

14. Women think all beer is the same.

15. Women keep three different shampoos and two different conditioners in the shower. After a woman showers, the bathroom will smell like a tropical rain forest.

16. Women don't understand the appeal of sports. Men seek entertainment that allows them to escape reality. Women seek entertainment that reminds them of how horrible things could be.

17. If a man goes on a seven-day trip, he'll pack five days worth of clothes and will wear some things twice; if a woman goes on a seven-day trip she'll pack 21 outfits because she doesn't know what she'll feel like wearing each day.

18. Women brush their hair before bed.

19. Watch a woman eat an ice cream cone and you'll have a pretty good idea about how she'll be in bed.

20. Women are paid less than men, except for one field: Modeling.

21. Women are never wrong. Apologizing is the man's responsibility, "It's there in the Bible". Hmmm, who was it that gave Adam the apple?

22. Women do not know anything about cars. "Oil- stick, oil doesn't stick?"

23. Women have better restrooms. They get the nice chairs and red carpet. Men just get a large bowl to share.

24. The average number of items in a typical woman's bathroom is 437. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

25. Women love cats. Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

26. Women love to talk on the phone. A woman can visit her girlfriend for two weeks, and upon returning home, she will call the same friend and they will talk for three hours.

27. A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book, or get the mail.

28. Women will drive miles out of their way to avoid the possibility of getting lost using a shortcut.

29. Women don't try as hard as men during sex; after all, they don't fall asleep afterwards.

30. Women do NOT want an honest answer to the question, 'How do I look?'

31. PMS stands for: Permissible Man-Slaughter. (Or at least men think it means that. PMS also stands for Preposterous Mood Swings and Punish My Spouse.

32. The first naked man a women see is "Ken".

33. Women are insecure about their weight, butt, and breast sizes.

34. Women will make three right-hand turns to avoid making one left-hand turn.

35. "Oh, nothing," has an entirely different meaning in woman-language than it does in man-language.

36. Lewis Carroll's Caterpillar had nothing on women.

37. Women cannot use a map without turning the map to correspond to the direction that they are heading.

38. All women are overweight by definition; don't agree with them about it. Women always have 5 pounds to lose, but don't bring this up unless they really have 5 pounds to gain.

39. If it is not Valentines day and you see a man in a flower shop, you can probably start up a conversation by asking, "What did you do?"

40. Only women understand the reason for "guest towels" and the "good china".

41. Women want equal rights, but you rarely hear them clamoring to be let into the draft to cover the responsibilities that go with those rights. All women seek equality with men until it comes to sharing the closet, taking out the trash, and picking up the check.

42. Origin of the word "woman" is: woo-man.

43. If a man ticks off a woman she will often respond by getting a fuzzy toilet cover which warms their rear, but makes it impossible for the lid to stay up thus it constantly gets peed on by the guys. (which gets them in more trouble)

44. Women never check to see if the lid is up. They seem to prefer taking a flying butt leap towards the bowl and then chewing men out because they "left the seat up" instead of taking two seconds and lowering it themselves.

45. Women can get out of speeding tickets by pouting. This will get men arrested.

46. Women don't really care about a sense of humor in a guy despite claims to the contrary. You don't see women trampling over Tom Cruise to get to Gilbert Gottfried, do you?

47. Women fake orgasm because men fake foreplay.

48. It's okay for women to dance with each other and not be gay. You don't see straight men dancing together.

49. Women will spend hours dressing up to go out, and then they'll go out and spend more time checking out other women. Men can never catch women checking out other men; women will always catch men checking out other women.

50. The most embarrassing thing for women is to find another woman wearing the same dress at a formal party. You don't hear men say, "Oh-my-GOD, there's another man wearing a black tux, get me outta here!"

Do you sell heart medication?

2010-12-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests they go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter:
'Are you the owner?' The pharmacist answers yes.

Says Jacob: 'We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?'

Pharmacist: 'Of course we do.'

Jacob: 'How about medicine for circulation?'

Pharmacist: 'All kinds.'

Jacob: 'Medicine for rheumatism, scoliosis? '

Pharmacist: 'Definitely.'

Jacob: 'How about Viagra?'

Pharmacist: 'Of course.'

Jacob: 'Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, jaundice?'

Pharmacist: 'Yes, a large variety. The works.'

Jacob: 'What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?'

Pharmacist: 'Absolutely.'

Jacob: 'You sell wheelchairs and walkers?'

Pharmacist: 'All speeds and sizes.'

Jacob says to the pharmacist: 'We'd like to register here for our wedding gifts, please.'

Blur husband

2010-12-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

You Don't Need to Be a Weatherman...

It was two o'clock in the morning and a husband and wife were asleep, when suddenly the phone rang.

The husband picked up the phone and said, "Hello? ... How the heck do I know? What am I, the weather man?" -- and promptly slammed the phone down.

His wife rolls over and asks, "Who was that?"

The husband replies, "I don't know. Some guy who wanted to know if the coast was clear."

I love you

2010-11-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

Dearest Jimmy,

No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking off our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me.

I love you, I love you, I love you!

Yours Forever, Marie

P.S. And congratulations on winning the state lottery!!!

“What has Jesus done?” becomes more important than “What would Jesus do?”

2010-11-23T01:55:00.000-08:00

How to Avoid Christless Christianty
Mon, Nov. 22 2010 09:16 AM EDT

Scripture is of no use to us if we read it merely as a handbook for daily living without recognizing that its principle purpose is to reveal Jesus Christ and his gospel for the salvation of sinners. All Scripture coalesces in Christ, anticipated in the OT and appearing in the flesh in the NT.

In Scripture, God issues commands and threatens judgment for transgressors as well as direction for the lives of his people. Yet the greatest treasure buried in the Scriptures is the good news of the promised Messiah.

Everything in the Bible that tells us what to do is “law”, and everything in the Bible that tells us what God has done in Christ to save us is “gospel.”

Much like medieval piety, the emphasis in much Christian teaching today is on what we are to do without adequate grounding in the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. “What would Jesus do?” becomes more important than “What has Jesus done?”

The gospel, however, is not just something we needed at conversion so we can spend the rest of our Christian life obsessed with performance; it is something we need every day – the only source of our sanctification as well as our justification.

The law guides, but only the gospel gives. We are declared righteous–justified – not by anything that happens within us or done by us, but solely by God’s act of crediting us with Christ’s perfect righteousness through faith alone.

Preachers, read that paragraph over and over.

As I’ve said here before, don’t make the mistake of assuming that people understand the radical nature of gospel indicatives, so that your ministry is focused primarily on the imperatives.

The commands in the Bible are like a set of railroad tracks. The tracks provide no power for the train but the train must stay on the tracks in order to function. The law, in other words, never gives any power to do what it commands. It shows us what a sanctified life looks like but it has no sanctifying power. Only the gospel has power, as it were, to move the train. This is why the Bible never tells us what to do before first soaking our hearts and minds in what God in Christ has already done.

The fact is, that any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable. No matter how hard you try, how “radical” you get, any engine smaller than the gospel that you’re depending on for power to obey will conk out in due time.

Preach the gospel!

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is a Florida native, the new pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. A graduate of Columbia International University (philosophy) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Tullian is the author of Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life’s Most Important Relationship (Multnomah), Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Multnomah) and Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels (Crossway). Tullian is also a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He speaks at conferences throughout the U.S. and his sermons are broadcast daily on the radio program Godward Living.

Reduce the number of missionaries?!

2010-11-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

Southern Baptist Agency to Cut Missionary Force by 600
Thu, Nov. 26, 2009 Posted: 12:09 PM EDT

The Southern Baptist Convention’s international mission agency will cut its overseas force by as many as 600 missionaries in 2010.

Due to a severe budget shortfall, the International Mission Board decided to reduce the number of missionaries it has on the field, with the process already starting this year. The board will not bring home missionaries already serving on the field, but the reduction instead will result from natural attrition.

“We are simply not going to be sending as many new missionaries,” explained Wendy Norvelle, IMB spokesperson, to The Christian Post on Wednesday.

Some missionaries serve two- to three-year terms, Novelle pointed out, and the IMB will simply let those terms expire. Other long-term missionaries will retire or resign to take on positions in other ministries.

There are currently a little above 5,500 IMB missionaries overseas and the plan is to decrease that number to about 5,000 by the end of 2010.

The decision to reduce the missionary force is based on several factors, but mostly because of the economy, Norvelle said.

IMB has three major sources of income: regular offering in churches through the Cooperative Program, investments, and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which makes up more than half of the agency’s annual budget.

Last year, all three sources of income were down by millions of dollars each. The 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering was $9 million less than the total received in 2007. Moreover, it was $29 million short of the $170 million goal.

A smaller budget means less money to support overseas missionaries.

Norvelle said reducing the number of missionaries will have an effect on the Southern Baptist Convention’s mission work.

“Obviously, what we are about is taking the Gospel to people who never had the opportunity to hear and sending fewer people means there will be fewer forces and personnel on the field taking the Gospel where it needs to go,” she said.

“So yes, it will affect us. We are not able to, for instance, put some new personnel in an unreached people group.”

But Norvelle said SBC churches are widely becoming aware that the resources provided for mission work were not adequate and are discussing the concern. Many SBC leaders are “sounding the alarm” and saying the situation is unacceptable, she said.

“Southern Baptist [churches] took in $12 billion in 2008 in their offering plate,” the IMB spokesperson pointed out. “And so some of it may be a matter of priority of how churches choose to spend their dollar. Whether they use it to focus on reaching the lost world or spend it on programs and ministries that benefit themselves.”

The International Mission Board is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest evangelical denomination. The SBC claims more than 40,000 churches with nearly 16 million members.

Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter

The two enemies of the Gospel

2010-11-22T00:14:00.000-08:00

Are You Holding Back?
By Colin Smith

"Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." Romans 1:5

God calls you to a life of obedience through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. God calls you to find in Christ what you do not have, to receive from Christ what you cannot offer, to accomplish through Christ what you cannot do.

The two enemies of the Gospel

The Gospel always lives in the presence of two enemies-one is called "legalism," the other is called, "antinomianism." Legalism says, "Obey God's command, so that you may believe His promise." But if you have to clean up your life before you come to Christ, how will anyone ever be able to come?

Antinomianism says, "Believe God's promise, so that you can ignore God's command." There will be some in every church who, having made a decision for Christ, live carelessly and sin presumptuously. There are others who, falling many times by the same temptation, are overwhelmed by the sense of their own unworthiness.

The Gospel says something radically different, "Believe God's promise, so that you may obey His command." The gospel answer to antinomianism is that God calls you to a life of obedience. The gospel answer to legalism is that God calls you to a life of faith.

Are you holding back because you think you cannot change?

Come to Christ and you will find you begin to love what you used to hate, and you begin to hate what you used to love. The obedience that is beyond you by nature, is possible for you through a living union with Christ that the Bible calls "faith." Through this bond He will give you new desires, new strength and new life that you did not have before.

Are you holding back because you have problems and wounds?

Stop looking at yourself. You won't find the answer there. God is calling you to a faith in Christ and a life of obedience that flows from His life in you.

Are you holding back because you have doubts and questions?

Come to Christ with your doubts and questions, "Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

Are you holding back because you do not think you need Christ?

Your obedience is far from complete. God commands you to repent and obey the Gospel (1 Peter 4:17).

Are you holding back because your sins are many?

Look at the cross. The Savior is there for sinners. He is there for you. The blood of Christ has the power to cleanse you from every sin. This Savior is able to take you from a slimy pit and set your feet on the rock (Psalm 40:2). He is able to present you faultless and with great joy in the presence of Almighty God (Jude 1:24). Come to Him and find hope in Him today. Christ calls you to the obedience of faith.

Connecting with an old flame

2010-11-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

N.J. Pastor Tells Church Leaders to Get Off Facebook
Thu, Nov. 18, 2010 Posted: 07:02 AM EDT

A New Jersey pastor is requiring all married church officials to delete their Facebook accounts in the wake of increasing marital troubles in his church.

The Rev. Cedric Miller of Living Word Christian Fellowship Church told The Associated Press that he has been in extended counseling with many couples because of problems posed by Facebook – namely a spouse connecting with an old flame.

"What happens is someone from yesterday surfaces, it leads to conversations and there have been physical meet-ups. The temptation is just too great," he told AP.

Church leaders have until Sunday to permanently sign off Facebook or resign from their positions. Miller also plans to delete his account this weekend.

Miller isn't the only one seeing Christian couples run into trouble because of the popular social networking site.

Texas pastor Kerry Shook of Woodlands Church told The Christian Post earlier this year that he has seen at least one marriage break up over connections made with a past girlfriend or boyfriend on Facebook.

"When you start playing around with that kind of thing, you think it's no big deal. 'They friended me. I'll find out what's going on with them.' [When] you start down that path, you know where that path ends," the megachurch pastor stated then.

At Living Word Christian Fellowship Church, Miller said the misuse of Facebook has posed problems for 20 couples.

Miller plans to warn his entire congregation this weekend about the dangers of Facebook. The mandate to delete one's account, however, won't apply to the congregation.

He told Asbury Park Press that though some may see his action with the church staff as controlling, he's more concerned about saving families and marriages.

Living Word Christian Fellowship Church is more than 20 years old and draws some 1,100 attendees.

Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter

Copyright © 2010 Christianpost.com. All rights reserved.

Do you ever think about God?

2010-11-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Breaking the Ice to a Spiritual Conversation

When your non-Christian friends do not bring up a spiritual subject, make a statement about God, or ask a question about religion or Christianity. You may need to break the ice to a spiritual conversation yourself. These are nine suggested ways to break the ice:

1. Ask a question about your friend’s religious background.

This is a simple exploration of the history of your friend’s religious experiences that will provide you with information about where he is on his spiritual journey and how he came to be there. It may also reveal if he has excess baggage and/or false beliefs that you may need to deal with.

For examples:

“Jane, may I ask you a question?” After her response, ask, “Do you have a religion?”
“Andrew, you may think this is a strange question, but do you ever think about God?” After his response, ask, “What is your religious background?”

If he or she has no religious background, ask, “Then, Jane, who do you think God is?”

2. Ask a few exploratory questions about his belief.

For examples:

“Betty, I have a question for you. Do you think there is a God who created the universe?” – “What do you think about God?”

“Robert, you are a Mormon/ Buddhist / Roman Catholic, aren’t you?” – “Would you tell me something about your church / religion?”

Or, “Would you tell me what your view of God / the Bible is?”

Or, take the personal approach: “How long have you been a Mormon (or other)?” – “What led you to become a Mormon?”

Use your reflective listening skills to draw him or her out and show your interest (refer to point 7 on “Reflective listening, or speaking for the other person”).

3. Begin with an apologetics question

For examples:

“Alan, you are Mormon/ Buddhist / Roman Catholic aren’t you?” – “Well, I am interested in why people believe what they do. So, tell me this. How do you know for sure that what you believe is true?”

You can also ask your friend to describe his beliefs in these ways:

“Would you describe for me what you basically believe?”
“How does this help you in life?”
“What do you hope to gain from your belief?”

4. If you see a religious symbol.

If you see any religious symbol in a person’s home, car, place of business, or worn as jewelry, use the following questions to ask about it:

“I see a cross on your wall / I see you are wearing a cross. It looks nice. Is that just a decoration / piece of jewelry, or do you have a Christian background?”
“Is that a religious symbol you are wearing?” – “Can you tell me what it means?”
“I see a picture of a religious person on your bookshelf. Are you a member of Self-Realization Fellowship?”

5. When your friend expresses any sense of awe at the beauty of nature.

For example, if you observe a non-believer expressing awe and reverence at God’s creation, or new parents expressing such feelings as they look lovingly at their newborn baby, ask:

“That sunset is awesome. Have you ever thought about God being a beautiful artist who makes living art and not just still pictures on the wall?”
“You must be having a great time with your new baby. Have you ever thought about God being the Giver of wonderful gifts like this?”

6. After a tragedy that impacted the other person.

In this situation, use the person’s heightened sensitivity to death and eternity to lead him, first to express his feelings about the tragedy, and then to understand his need to know about eternity by saying, “Anna, where do you think people go when they die? Would you want to know for sure where you would end up?”

7. Reflective listening, or speaking for the other person.

There are some situations where a conversation about spiritualality is not easy to start. People who are not open to spiritual conversations often have something hidden behind the closed doors of their hearts. They either do not know how to say it or are afraid. This method helps to open a closed door to a person’s heart.

Reflective listening is showing your sincere interest and understanding by making your own statements that reflect back the thoughts, feelings and situation of the other person in a way that he could have said for himself, but didn’t. Reflective listening is non-judgmental and gives no advice. By paraphrasing, you show that you have been listening and therefore demonstrate empathy. People love to know that you understand or are trying to understand. It would help to draw out the deeper thoughts and feelings of the other person. For example:

Jenny: I came home last night and saw my lazy husband sitting in front of the TV while the dirty dishes were left in the sink. I had to wash them before I could fix dinner.
You: It certainly is tiring to have to do all the work around the house.
Jenny: Yeah, especially when I work just as many hours as he does.
You: I’ll bet you wish he would help with the work and make it a little easier for you around the house.
Jenny: I sure do.

Other examples of reflective listening concerning someone’s belief:

“Then you believe that you can know God through your feelings / experiences / understanding / meditation?”
“Then you believe that the Koran / the Book of Mormon is also from God?”
“Then you think you can get along fine in life by yourself without considering God?”
“Then you see Christianity as just a crutch, and you don’t want to have anything to do with it?”
“Then you are saying that, even if there is a living God who has the power of life and death over you, you don’t want to have a thing to do with Him?”

In order for your reflective listening to be effective, it is good to ask some exploratory questions to find out about the person’s belief first, before you can accurately reflect back his thoughts, feelings, and situation about his faith (refer to point 2 on “Ask a few exploratory questions about his belief”).

Sometimes it is helpful to reflect back what you observe, not just what you hear.

Examples are as follows:

“Wow, look at that stack of papers on your desk! You must be snowed with work.”
“It looks to me as if something heavy is weighing down that heart of yours.”
“You miss your mom, don’t you?”

These statements show your attention, interest, insight, and caring. Just simply
stating the facts of what you see about another person will show that you are aware of what is happening to him or her. Showing that you understand and are interested will help open the other person to share deeper thoughts and concerns with you and to be more open to what you have to say.

Suppose you know a teenager who used to attend church but who has mostly dropped out and is having some struggles or failures in life. After some preliminary conversation, you may say, “Jonathan, I have noticed something that may indicate that you are carrying a burden alone. When I look at you, I see someone who used to attend church regularly, but who now doesn’t find it important to him. [Pause] You are looking for something in life and you don’t see it in the church. [Pause] You don’t find any meaning in the worship service or in what the pastor says. [Pause] You don’t find any friends there that you would like to spend time with.”

He may respond at some point that this is not the problem, but he may also fail to give any additional information. You can then continue in your attempt to speak for the other person: “Maybe it is that you are facing some problems in life and don’t see any help from the church, the Bible, or God.” You indicate by your expression your sincere interest in him and your puzzlement as to what is causing his behavior.

At some point, he may give you a glimpse into the problem hidden in his heart. When he does, continue your statements in the same manner and tone of voice. You want him to understand that you can state his problem from his viewpoint with understanding and empathy and without any judgment, criticism, or advice whatsoever. This may go a long way towards solving his problem and opening his heart spiritually. You must not rush through this conversation, but rather, be patient in understanding his frustration and discomfort over his situation. If it is something that is deep within him, it probably would not be appropriate for you to try to give him your answers to his problem at this time.

Some people may slam the door harder by saying something like, “Don’t bother me about this. I don’t want to talk about it. Just leave me alone.” If he does this, you can respond empathetically that you don’t want to interfere with his life, but that you are concerned for his well-being. It is probably appropriate to leave the subject at that point, leaving the door open for him to approach you at a later time.

8. Use a truth statement.

A truth statement is a brief statement that links a person’s basic need to an action based on God’s truth. It provides a bridge, or emotional link, from where your friend is to where God is. These statements are made with a sense of urgency as one concerned friend for another. They provide a knock on the door of his heart that hopefully will lead him to open the door for further consideration and eventual acceptance of God’s truth.

You can learn to make your own truth statements from Scripture. Find a verse that relates to two conditions: one that you do and another that will be a result of what you do. Put the second behind the “going to” and the first behind the “need to”. For example:

For a fearful person: “If you’re going to get rid of your fears, then you need to get to know the God of peace who can help you and give you strength.” (Isa 41:10)

For a person grieving: “I know that you are grieving now and have a lot of pain. But our creator God is the God of peace. If you’re going to receive peace in your heart, you need to know the God of peace. He will help you through this. Do you know God?” – “Would you like to receive His comfort?” (2 Cor 1:3-5)

A feeling or need revealed by your friend can become a springboard to a truth statement. Present only one truth statement at a time, and then allow adequate time for him to think about and discuss fully the truth that this statement conveys to ensure that he understands it. If he has a negative reaction, don’t back off or soft pedal your statement. Your very conviction and genuine care and concern for him may eventually cause this statement to embed itself into his heart.

9. Use single sentence testimonies.

Give your testimony by allowing your natural reaction to come out about a circumstance that demonstrates your faith in God and Jesus Christ. For example:
During a conversation about a difficult situation in your life, you could say, “If it weren’t for my faith in Jesus Christ, I don’t think I could have gotten through this.”

If someone asks the reason for your cheerfulness or caring attitude, you could say, “Well, this may sound strange to you, but I have the love of Jesus Christ working within me; and He gives me meaning and purpose in my life.”

When you are speaking with a person who has expressed some personal problem or concern, offer to pray for him by saying, “I would like to pray for you [name the particular situation and party involved]. What specifically would you like me to pray for?”

If a close loved one has recently died, you could say, “You know, if it weren’t for my faith in Jesus Christ and my close relationship with Him, I would have had a far more difficult time getting through this. I had a very close relationship with [name the one who died]. But my strength at this time is the result of an even closer relationship with Jesus Christ who gives me meaning and purpose in life, and a desire to keep going and make new friends. Oh, at times it has been hard, but my relationship with Jesus Christ has made a big difference.”

A word of caution concerning personal testimonies – It can be risky to proclaim what God has done for you tangibly, especially to those who have little or no faith. They might think, “God healed his son. Why hasn’t God healed my daughter? Does God hate me? Are they better than we are?” Or “God brought him a car when he needed it. I just need a new lawn mower, and I can’t afford it now. If God can give him a car, why can’t God give me just a lawn mower? I guess God doesn’t care about me.” Hence, instead of testifying of tangible blessings, testify of your feelings and how God helped you through your difficult times.

Adapted from: Don Ashcraft, Tongue-tied No More: A Complete Guide to Conversational Evangelism (Fullerton, CA: Evangelism House Publisher, 2003), 15-18,38-47, 49-52, 54-56.

Count Your Blessings! Be a Blessing!

2010-11-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

20% of the world’s population consumes 80% of the planet’s resources.GEO4, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) 2007.

The world spends 12 times more on weapons than on aid to developing countries. OECD, 2008 (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).

5,000 people die everyday because of polluted drinking water. 1 billion humans have no access to safe drinking water! UNDP, 2006 (United Nations Development Programme).
1 billion people are going hungry. FAO, 2008 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

75% of fisheries products are exhausted, depleted or are in danger of being so. UN (United Nations).

The average temperature of the last 15 years has been the highest since records began. NASA GISS data.

The ice cap has lost 40% of its thickness in 40 years. NSIDC, 2004.

There could be 200 million climate refugees by 2050. The Stern Review: The economics of climate change part II, chapter 3, page 77.

Over 50% of grain traded around the world is used for animal feed or biofuels. Worldwatch Institutue, 2007.

40% of arable land is degraded. UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).
Every year, 13 million hectares of forest disappear. FAO, 2005.

1 mammal in 4, 1 bird in 8, 1 amphibian in 3 are threatened with extinction. Species are dying out 1,000 times faster than the natural state. IUCN, 2008 (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Quickie marriages among young couples

2010-11-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

Young couples quick to marry and quick to divorce

Thursday November 18, 2010

KUCHING: Quickie marriages among young couples is one of the factors behind the increasing divorce rate among Muslims in Sarawak.

According to statistics, about 50% of registered marriages in the state ended up in divorce.

Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said the divorce rate among Muslims in big cities such as Kuching, Miri, Sibu and Bintulu had risen.

“The number of Muslim couples getting married is increasing every year. Unfortunately, the divorce rate is also going up.

“The major contribution to divorce in the state is that couples are getting married too early and too fast.

“Initially, they think they are compatible but after some time, they realise they are not. Then, they bid goodbye and divorce. Some of them even left their spouses and disappeared,” he told reporters after attending the Aidiladha sacrificial slaughter of animals at the Nur Hidayah surau in Kampung Kolong 2 Wetan here yesterday.

Daud said the state Islamic Council offered counselling to couples who wanted to save their marriage. — Bernama

Make listening to God a habit of your life

2010-11-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

The Seven Foundations of Jesus’ Leadership
By Rick Warren

There are no perfect leaders. I’m not a perfect leader. Neither are you. But Jesus is. There’s no better teacher on leadership than Jesus. What made him such as effective leader? Lots of reasons. In this article I’ll give you seven of them.

1. Identification: I must know who I am. To be a leader you’ve got to know who you are. All great leaders know their strengths and their weaknesses. We’re a bundle of both. Leadership is not ignoring one in favor of the other. It’s being honest about them. Good leaders don’t try to be something they are not. They are self-aware.
Jesus had no doubt about his identity. He said:

I am the light of the world.
I am the Son of God.
I am the way.
I am the truth.
I am the life.
I am the bread of life.

Jesus defines himself 18 times by saying, “I am…” He didn’t let other people define him. He defined himself. If you’re going to be a leader, you must know who you are.

2. Clarification: Know what you want to accomplish. You must clarify what God has called you to do with your life. The direction of your life is your choice. If you don’t like the direction your life is headed right now, change it. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head. Nobody’s making you a victim. Nobody’s forcing you to serve in the manner you’re serving.

Jesus knew exactly what God had called him to do. He was a straightforward leader who established clear-cut goals. In John 8 Jesus says, “I know where I came from and I know where I’m going.” Jesus had a clear purpose. He knew not only who he was, but what was he trying to do with his life. He truly was a purpose-driven leader.
God has a purpose for your life and ministry. If you don’t fulfill it, you have wasted your life. You were put on earth to live for the purpose God created you for. A leader knows that purpose and pursues it with passion.

3. Motivation: Know who you’re trying to please. You need to settle the issue of motivation. You can’t please everybody. Just about the time you get one person happy, you’ll tick someone else off.

Jesus lived for an audience of One. His whole purpose was to please his heavenly Father. Jesus says this in John 5, “I only try to please the One who sent Me.” Jesus wasn’t trying to win a popularity content; he just wanted to please God.
That’s a lesson we have to learn as leaders. You’ve got to learn not to care about the opinions of others. You’ve got to focus on God’s opinion of what you’re doing. Don’t pay attention to those who cheer you or jeer you. Either one will sidetrack you.

4. Collaboration: Work with a small group. You never lead by yourself. You always do it in context of a team. All great leaders are great team builders. In fact, if you don’t have a team, you’re not a leader. You’re a loner. The test of leadership is whether anyone is following you.

Jesus modeled this kind of ministry. He never did ministry alone. Mark 3:14 says, “He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” Jesus enlisted other people to serve the cause with him.

If God gives you a vision for your ministry, he’s going to bring other people with the same idea together with you. If nobody agrees on your idea, guess what? It’s not from God.

5. Concentration: Focus on what’s important. Leaders must focus on what’s important. Life is filled with things that will distract you from what’s important. Sometimes we can be distracted by good things as well. If Satan can’t mess up your life by getting you to do wrong things, he’ll mess up your life by giving you too many good things to do.

Jesus was a master of concentration. He focused his life like a laser. He refused to be distracted. Luke 9:51 says, “As the time drew near for his return to heaven, he moved steadily onward toward Jerusalem with an iron will.” He headed toward Jerusalem to die on the cross for us. He did it with an iron will. He would not let anything distract him from what was important.

Your ministry has incredible potential. But that ministry potential won’t be realized until you decide what’s really important. Settle on what’s most important, and God will use your life like you could never imagine.

6. Meditation: Listen to God. Make listening to God a habit of your life. Jesus did. Prayer was a regular part of his life. The Bible tells us in Mark 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

If Jesus needed to get alone and listen to God, don’t you think that you need to? You need quiet times to reflect, renew, and recharge. You need time to just get alone, be quiet, and listen to God.

7. Relaxation: Take time to recharge. Leadership is draining. It’s hard work. We all need time to just relax. Jesus encouraged his very busy disciples to take some time for relaxation. Mark 6:31 says, “Crowds of people were coming and going so that they did not even have time to eat. He [Jesus] said to them [the disciples], ‘Come away by yourselves, and we’ll go to a lonely place to get some rest.’”

Jesus realized the disciples had been busy serving, and they were tired. They needed a break. So he told them to get away and rest. Rest is so important that God put it in the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment says this: every seventh day you take a day off. Pastor, this applies to you as well. You need a day away from the church.
Years ago I learned a key to lasting in leadership: divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually.

Divert daily means doing something fun every day. Get a hobby. Do something that relaxes you.

Withdraw weekly means you take a day off every week for relaxation and restoration.
Abandon annually means you get away and forget everything for some time each year.

Your leadership is a key ingredient to helping your church become what God has called it to be. In fact, the Bible says this in Proverbs 11:14, “Without wise leadership a nation is in trouble.” That’s true of every single area of life. Without wise leadership, your church is in trouble. Learn about leadership from Jesus. We have no better guide.

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund

2010-11-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Woman becomes first US transgender trial judge
Published: Wednesday November 17, 2010 MYT 7:44:00 AM

OAKLAND, California (AP) - A 49-year-old California patent lawyer has been elected as America's first openly transgender trial judge.

Alameda County elections officials say Victoria Kolakowski beat prosecutor John Creighton 51 to 48 percent - a margin of nearly 10,000 votes - in the Nov. 2 election to fill the vacancy in California's Superior Court.

Kolakowski had been leading since election night, but outstanding absentee and provisional ballots made the race too close to call until Monday.

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund has said she is the first openly transgender trial court judge in the country.

Kolakowski spent the past three years as an administrative law judge settling energy contract and environmental compliance disputes for the California Public Utilities Commission. She underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1991.

Praying for the folks in Belaga, Sarawak

2010-11-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

Belaga folk left high and dry
By ZORA CHAN
zora@thestar.com.my
Saturday November 13, 2010

BELAGA: Life is tough. That's a fact the people in the district have learnt the hard way.

The impoundment of the Bakun Dam in the upper reaches of Rajang River since a month ago has not only changed the natural landscape but also impacted the people's life socio-economically.

With very little water flowing from upstream, the river has shrunk and restricted navigational activities along the river.

Sandy banks and riverbed are visible and in some places, rocky beds are exposed, making navigation impossible for tugboats and express boats.

It has also become a joke in Belaga bazaar that people can play football on the riverbed.

Community leader Penghulu Neo Hood Joo, 62, said he had lived in Belaga all his life and had never come across sand banks or riverbeds until about two weeks ago.

Even in the driest months, between June and July, the water level was still higher than what it is now, he said.

Although he and other community leaders had been briefed on the impact of the impoundment and passed on the information to the ground, many were still caught by surprise when water level dropped drastically, he added.

"We didn't expect the water level to be so low that it stops express boats and tongkang operations from Kapit to Belaga," he said.

Neo said the government and experts should have anticipated this and built a road to link Kapit and Belaga before the impoundment began.

"Some shopkeepers still get their supplies through tongkang from Kapit because they do not have 4WDs to buy supplies from Bintulu, which is about four hours from here by logging road," he said.

He said the locals also feared that the coming rainy season would hamper transportation by land as some parts of the logging tracks would become too muddy and slippery.

"What if we were also cut off by road as well due to bad weather? Are we ready to face the challenges ahead?" he asked.

Neo said people in Belaga who worked in Kapit and Sibu would have problems getting to their villages for Christmas next month because the express service had stopped.

"They will have to fork out extra expenses to return by land from Bintulu. This also means a longer journey home, from just three hours by express boat from Kapit to two days by express boat from Kapit to Sibu, then from Sibu to Bintulu by land or air.

"A trip home that used to cost RM50 or less is now up to RM200 per person," he added.

All this would cause financial hardship to the people who were from low and medium-income groups, he said.

Neo said students studying at SMK Belaga would also face difficulty going back to their longhouses along the river.

"They can only use small longboats that will take a longer time to reach their villages compared to express boats. It is also dangerous because they have to navigate past rapids downstream," he added.

There are about 30 longhouse villages along the river.

Echoing the same sentiment, Penghulu Nicholas Mering Kulleh, 52, said most villagers could not afford to buy life jackets which cost between RM30 and RM50 each.

"If there are five people in a family, that's more than RM100 and the people, who are mainly self-sufficient farmers, cannot afford it," he said.

He said the impoundment had already claimed two lives, one at Korea Rapids upriver and another near Punan Biau downriver.

"Those living along the river are putting their lives at risk whenever they go to Belaga bazaar because of rapids, rocky riverbeds, jutting logs and dead trees," said the community leader, fondly known as Penghulu Nyalang.

Nyalang said he was also worried about sick villagers not being able to get help from Belaga Hospital due to the drying river.

"Life is tough. I am afraid it will be tougher in the coming days if the water level gets lower each day and there is not enough rain," he added.

He urged the government to build roads connecting some of the villages to the logging road that connects Belaga to Bintulu.

A villager from Rumah Tanjong, William Liah, 43, said he used to catch three to four fish a day weighing a few kilogrammes each, but that had changed.

"It's getting harder to catch fish as the fish have gone elsewhere," he said, adding that he planted padi and caught fish to survive.

Showing a fish weighing about 4kg that he had just caught after a week, he said it would fetch him about RM90, which was just enough to buy fuel to return home from the Belaga baazar.

"Some of us used to catch a lot of fish like labang, baung, mengalan, empurau and tapah further upriver near the dam's gate when the impoundment started. But that windfall was shortlived," he lamented.

He said he was among the few villagers who dared to navigate through the rapids to sell fish and buy rations.

"It's tough and risky, but do we have a choice? We still need to eat and live," he said.

On Thursday, former environment adviser to the Sarawak government, Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit, said water released from the dam should be about 150 cubic metres per second based on the Downstream EnvironÂ ment Assessment study done in the mid-1990s.

However, Sarawak Hidro was only releasing 110 cubic metres of water per second.

Having considered all evidence, I am left in no reasonable doubt

2010-11-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Former teacher gets 36 years and whipping for raping girl, 12
By RUBEN SARIO

Published: Wednesday November 10, 2010 MYT 12:24:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday November 10, 2010 MYT 2:14:17 PM

KOTA KINABALU: A former teacher at a private school here has been sentenced to a total of 36 years in jail and four strokes of the rotan after being found guilty of two charges of raping his 12-year-old student earlier this year.

Sessions Court judge Duncan Sikodol ordered Adrian Simon, 31, to be imprisoned 18 years for each charge but allowed the jail term to served concurrently.

He also allowed a stay of execution pending an appeal.

Adrian was accused of raping the the 12-year-old girl between February and March this year at about 2.10 to 3.30pm.

He was also accused of raping the girl at about 10.25am on March 26.

The offences were alleged to have taken place at the store room of the school’s science laboratory.

Both charges under Section 376(2)(e) of the Penal Code provided for a jail term of up to 30 years and whipping.

Duncan said he found that the “very credible and consistent” evidence from the girl was enough to convict Adrian.

“Although I am aware of the danger of convicting the accused on uncorroborated evidence and having warned myself of the same, given the very credible and consistent evidence of the victim, I think it is safe to rely on her evidence alone as it outweighs the inherent risks.

“Having considered all evidence, I am left in no reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of both charges against him,” he said.

Adrian’s counsel Khairul V Othman immediately asked the court for a lenient sentence as his client had been cooperative with the authorities and suffered much anguish since his arrest.

In pressing for a deterrent sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor Luke Ressa Balang said as a teacher, Adrian had the responsibility of caring for his students and that he had breached this trust.

“He raped a young girl. Imagine the stress and humiliation her family has to endure,” he added.

Money cannot buy happiness

2010-11-08T04:23:00.000-08:00

Canadian lottery winners give most of cash away
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 05/11/2010

An elderly Canadian couple have become beloved instant stars after winning more than 11 million dollars on the lottery -- and then quietly giving almost all of it away.

Violet and Allen Large, who live in a modest home in Lower Turo, Nova Scotia, scooped the jackpot in July.

But believing they already had everything they needed, they have been distributing the cash among charities, keeping only about 200,000 dollars in case of a rainy day.

The couple drew up a list of worthy causes, starting with their families and then adding hospitals, fire services, churches, cemeteries and charity groups, and sending off checks in the mail.

"Money cannot buy happiness," said Allen Large, 75, a former welder, explaining their decision to give away the loot.

His wife has been battling cancer, and chemotherapy treatment has caused her hair to fall out. But she said she feels lucky as it did not make her nauseous.

As news of their generosity filtered out they were first feted in their village, but now their smiling faces have appeared on television screens across the country and on the front pages of the national newspapers.

It has always been on my heart to reach the unreachable

2010-11-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

New church aims to attract the 'unreachables'

BY ASHLEY BATES
For The Times
October 30, 2010

The Rev. Kenny Rice decided five years after "planting" Set Free Baptist Church in Dahlonega, it was time to create a church with the same rock ‘n' roll, biker feel in Gainesville.

With the help of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association, Good Samaritan Baptist Church was created and it had its first service last Sunday.

"I'm kind of a church starter; we were up there for five years and it was time to start another one," he said. "That was my seventh church, so that seems like what we do - start them up and then get another one going."

Set Free was known for its nontraditional meeting space in Dahlonega - an old converted chicken house.

Rice hopes that he can reach the unreachable in Gainesville.

"We had 40 people at our first service, and that was nice, so we'll just grow it from here. That was the first service, we may only have 25 or 30 this Sunday, I just don't know" Rice said. "The Chattahoochee Baptist Association has been praying for years to start a ministry like what I do, down here in Gainesville. Just reaching people that wouldn't normally go to church."

And the church won't just meet on Sundays, there are plans for Bible study in local apartment complexes along with a Wednesday morning service at the CBA headquarters.

"There are a lot of apartment complexes here in Gainesville, and we're going to be starting Bible studies in those complexes and then everyone come on Sunday together," he said. "Our mission is to mission all during the week, not just on Sunday.

"We are having a traditional Southern Baptist service at 9 a.m. on Sunday and then what we're having is the Good Samaritan Baptist Church ‘Unleashed' at 11 a.m. That will be more like I'm used to with the rock ‘n' roll music with the words changed.".

Currently Rice is looking for Christian musicians for the classic rock band during services at Good Samaritan.

Rice moved to Dahlonega with his wife, Judy, and son five years ago. Rice was born in Compton, Calif., in 1950 and saw hard times as problems began with drugs, alcohol and violence and an eventual prison sentence, he said in a 2007 interview.

In 1985, he became a Christian. He was ordained in 1992 by Set Free Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, Calif. Soon after, Rice was sent to Washington to begin new Set Free churches.

The outreach ministry to bikers and reaching the unchurched and unreachable is Rice's main emphasis as a self-proclaimed former "outlaw."

"My background is out of that environment," Rice said. "And it has always been on my heart to reach the unreachable, and outlaws are pretty much as close to unreachable that you can get."

He even has a bike shop in the works at his own home so local bikers can work on their bikes in a Christian environment.

"We are very excited (as well as) the people he is beginning to meet with," said Mike Taylor, a church start strategist with the CBA and pastor at West Side Baptist Church. "We are excited about Kenny working with a group of people that feel like they don't fit in a traditional church. He's gonna reach a group of people that aren't going to wear a coat and tie.

"They will have access to hope and coming to know the Lord."

I don’t know for sure if I’m going to heaven

2010-11-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

Pastor Breaks Islam Code for Christians
Thu, Feb. 25, 2010 Posted: 06:19 PM EDT

A megachurch pastor who understands Islamic theology said the majority of Christians would agree for the most part with the five core beliefs of Islam.

J.D. Greear, who holds a Ph.D. in Christian and Islamic theology, told Debbie Chavez of the eponymously named Christian internet talk show that the five core beliefs of Islam is a good conversation starter when talking with Muslims.

“That is a real key in learning to dialogue with Muslims is starting with the things that we share in common,” Greear, who is senior pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., said on the radio show last week to promote his new book, Breaking the Islam Code: Understanding the Soul Questions of Every Muslim.

The five core beliefs of Islam are: there is only one God; God revealed His will to mankind through a series of prophets; God ‘s revelations are recorded in holy books; angels exist; and there is an afterlife.

Greear, who had lived in a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia for two years, said Muslims believe God revealed His will to mankind through a series of 25 major prophets, 24 of which Christians would recognize.

Muslims are taught, for example, that the first prophet is Adam, the 23rd is John the Baptist, and the 24th is Jesus. The major difference is they believe the 25th and last prophet is Muhammad, who brings together the messages of all 24 previous prophets.

Regarding the Islamic holy books, most Christians only know about the Quran. But Muslims also believe God’s revelation is recorded in other holy books, including the Suhuf Ibrahim, scrolls of Abraham; the Tawrat, the writings of Moses or Torah; the Zabur, writings of David or Psalms; and the Injil, or the Gospel.

“In fact, one of the verses in the Quran, in Surah (chapter) 10, says to Muslims that if you have questions about the previous prophets ask the Christians who have read these things before you,” Greear explained. “It actually points Muslims to Christians because all the Muslims get is little bits and pieces of the story of the previous 24 prophets.”

The pastor and church planter said he would cite the verse in the Quran that tells Muslims that they should ask him, a Christian, if they wanted to hear the full story of Moses. Then he would sit together with an interested Muslim and read together the story of Moses in the Bible.

Statistics show that over a third of all non-Christians in the world are Muslims, but only .05 percent of Christian evangelists in the world focus on Muslims. The area in the world with the most non-Christians is in the 10/40 Window – from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator, which includes the Middle East and extends from West Africa to East Asia.

But the Bible, Greear pointed out, says that before Jesus’ return “every nation, tribe, people and language” will come to God. Looking at the history of the Roman Empire and communism, which both opposed Christianity, Greear believes God will next move in Islamic countries.

“Islam is the one great stronghold that we've never really seen a massive breakthrough of the Gospel really ever take place,” he noted. And that is why Greear wrote Breaking the Islam Code, because he believes that the next movement of God will be among Muslims.

Though Greear readily acknowledges similarity between Islam and Christianity and that it is a good conversation starter, he is also quick to point out the differences between the two religions.

Muslims believe Jesus is only a prophet, not the son of God, and that he did not die on the cross. They also believe Muhammad is the prophet of God and that Muslims are saved by their good works that earn them favor with Allah.

Greear, while talking about the five practices of Muslims, highlighted their prayer and how it is connected to Islam’s merit system. Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day facing Mecca. They do not pray spontaneously from their hearts, but repeat verses from the Quran after going through a washing ritual.

Muslims earn credit towards entering heaven by keeping their prayer standard, so they have to do them or make it up if they miss the prayer because it reduces their chances of getting into heaven. If a Muslim prays in a mosque it is worth 25 times more than if they pray at home. If they pray in Mecca, it is worth 50,000 times more than if they prayed at home.

But despite Muslims’ hard work to enter heaven, there is no guarantee they will.

“This is probably the saddest things about Islam, because nobody knows for sure,” Greear said. “[I]n the Hadith (the collection of Muhammad’s sayings) you find out that Muhammad said, ‘I don’t know for sure if I’m going to heaven.’"

“It’s sort of classic religion, if you do more good works than bad works then it increases your chances of getting into heaven,” Greear noted. “But nobody knows for sure.”

Greear, who has led Muslims to Christ, said one of the best ways to share the Gospel with them is simply by being their friend and letting them see the Christian community. Muslims consistently say that one of the key factors that made them accept Christ is seeing the love that exists in a true Christian church.

“It is a love that they have never known,” Greear said. “Let them just see the community and brotherhood.”

The Durham pastor also recommends allowing Muslims to read the Bible.

“It is like what Martin Luther said, the Bible is like a caged lion,” he said. “If a caged lion is attacked, rather than defending it, just unleash it. Let the Bible do its own work. The main goal talking with a Muslim is not to convince them that Christianity is true, but to invite them to read the Bible because when they do that the Bible will do its own work.”

The Muslim expert said one of the biggest objections Muslims have about Christianity is the trinity. They believe Christians are polytheists because the Quran teaches them that Christians believe God the father had sex with God the mother and gave birth to Jesus and that constitutes the trinity. Greear said Christians should just plainly state that they only believe in one God despite what Muslims think.

The former church planter in Southeast Asia said, like many other missionaries, that many Muslims are coming to Christ through dreams and visions. In their dreams, some Muslims say they see a person dressed in white handing them a book. After repeatedly receiving these dreams, these Muslims would look for Christians to ask them to interpret their dreams.

“God can send these dreams, but there must be messengers on the ground who can share the Gospel,” Greear stated. “That is the way that God has limited Himself, if I can say it like that. The Gospel has to move forward by people preaching the Gospel.

“So yes, God will do His part, but we have to do our part by being there and witnessing,” he said.

Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter

This is a good and a timely step for them

2010-11-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hillsong's Darlene Zschech Leaves After 25 Years of Service
Thu, Oct. 28, 2010 Posted: 06:17 PM EDT

After serving at Hillsong Church for 25 years alongside Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston, renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech will be leaving the megachurch to assume a senior pastor role at a nearby Pentecostal church.

She will be leading Church Unlimited, near Syndey, with her husband, Mark, beginning in January 2011.

“We are incredibly honored and VERY excited to be heading into this great opportunity to serve the people of the Central Coast and everyone at Church Unlimited. We are entering into what we believe will be a wonderful and fruitful season ahead,” Mark Zschech said in a statement earlier this week.

“We really feel like God's called us to the central coast and to really have an impact there. And really the two words that are on our hearts are to lead and to build. We're going to build a church for everybody.”

Church Unlimited began searching for senior leaders several months ago, in conjunction with Australian Christian Churches (ACC) State and National leadership.

“Our aim was to find God’s choice, those who would lead us into the incredible destiny God has for our house,” the church stated. “God is faithful!”

Hillsong pastor Brian Houston expressed good wishes for the Zschechs.

“I feel good about it ... and our church leaders and elders feel good about it because Mark and Darlene have really sown into our church for a long, long time,” he said in a message to his mega-congregation, which is also part of the ACC denomination, formerly Assemblies of God.

“The Zschech family have been an integral part of our church family and whilst they will be greatly missed, we feel as though this is a good and a timely step for them.”

The Zschechs will still be involved in various Hillsong praise and worship projects, including an upcoming live album as well as Hillsong conferences.

Mark highlighted, "Whilst Darlene will remain very much in her various roles in worship ministry and myself in mission and media endeavors in the developing world, we have always been local church people."

They will begin in their new role as senior pastors at Church Unlimited on Jan. 23.

Felicia Howard
Christian Post Correspondent

Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine

2010-11-01T02:42:00.000-07:00

Study: Alcohol more lethal than heroin, cocaine
Monday November 1, 2010 MYT 8:56:00 AM

LONDON: Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.

British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.

Researchers analysed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.

Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals.

When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest.

But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower.

The study was paid for by Britain's Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and was published online Monday in the medical journal, Lancet.

Experts said alcohol scored so high because it is so widely used and has devastating consequences not only for drinkers, but for those around them.

"Just think about what happens (with alcohol) at every football game," said Wim van den Brink, a professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam. He was not linked to the study and co-authored a commentary in the Lancet.

When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin.

But experts said it would be impractical and incorrect to outlaw alcohol.

"We cannot return to the days of prohibition," said Leslie King, an adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and one of the study's authors. "Alcohol is too embedded in our culture and it won't go away."

King said countries should target problem drinkers, not the vast majority of people who indulge in a drink or two. He said governments should consider more education programs and raising the price of alcohol so it isn't as widely available.

Experts said the study should prompt countries to reconsider how they classify drugs.

For example, last year in Britain, the government increased its penalties for the possession of marijuana. One of its senior advisers, David Nutt - the lead author on the Lancet study - was fired after he criticised the British decision.

"What governments decide is illegal is not always based on science," said van den Brink.

He said considerations about revenue and taxation, like those garnered from the alcohol and tobacco industries, may influence decisions about which substances to regulate or outlaw.

"Drugs that are legal cause at least as much damage, if not more, than drugs that are illicit," he said. - AP

Completely Absurd

2010-10-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

US woman faces fine for ‘Christian roommate’ ad

According to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, the woman's advert was illegal.

Wed, 27 Oct 2010

An American woman who advertised at her church for a Christian roommate is facing a legal case and massive fines after her action was branded “illegal”.

In a case which has been described as “completely absurd” by her legal backers, the 31-year-old single woman has been landed with a civil rights complaint accusing her of illegal housing discrimination.

She is being supported by a US religious liberty group, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which says the woman’s actions are “obviously legal” and protected by the US Constitution.

Fines

The woman, whose name is being protected for her privacy, posted the notice at her church asking for a Christian roommate but an anonymous civil rights complaint was subsequently filed with the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

The Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center said depending on the outcome of the case, the 31-year-old woman could face several hundreds of dollars in fines and “fair housing training so it doesn’t happen again”.

Joel Oster, from ADF, said: “Clearly this woman has a right to pick and choose who she wants to live with”.

Legal

Mr Oster commented: “Christians shouldn’t live in fear of being punished by the government for being Christians.

“It is completely absurd to try to penalize a single Christian woman for privately seeking a Christian roommate at church – an obviously legal and constitutionally protected activity.”

According to the Fair Housing Center, the advert expressed “an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths”.

People are free to choose a roommate based on religion, but they cannot publish an advert with that intent, Nancy Haynes, the Executive Director of the Center said.

Single

ADF said it had sent a letter to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, who are now dealing with the complaint, but had received no reply.

ADF’s letter explains that the woman “is not a landlord. She does not own a management company. She does not run an apartment complex”.

It continues: “She is a single person seeking to have a roommate live with her in her house.

“She is not prohibited by either federal law or state law from seeking a Christian roommate”.

Healing To The Nations

2010-10-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Healing To The Nations
By Bob Fitts
Key: d

Verse 1

D A/C#
I hear a young child crying,
G/B D

and see tears of unending pain,
Bm G

I've watched as war torn nations
Em A

treated life with such disdain.
G A

My heart grieves to know that
D Bm

these haven't come to understand
C A

that I suffered for their suffering
G A D

and died that they might live again.

Chorus

A
Take My healing to the nations,
G D

bind their broken hearts with love.
A

Stretch My hand throughout creation
G D

with this message of My love.
D Dmaj7

That I came to bring light in their darkness,
D7 G

and bring joy where there once was pain.
Em A

Take My healing to the nations,
G D Em7 A D

bind their broken hearts with love.

Verse 2

For the fields they're ready for harvest,
and the labourers they're so few,
countless millions still that I want to fill
but the task isn't mine to do.
I gave My commandment:
go and preach good tidings of love,
for I finished the work on Calvary,
their healings already been done.

Protesting against the enforced reading of the Qu'ran to Christian children

2010-10-28T04:28:00.001-07:00

Iranian Authorities to Execute Pastor for Apostasy
Posted on: 2010-10-27 14:06:07
By Joseph C. DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

After a court order temporarily delayed his death, a Christian pastor in Iran is again scheduled to be executed.

Worthy News reports that Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will be executed this weekend for the crime of apostasy unless the court again delays his execution.

Before he was arrested in October 2009, Nadarkhani led one of the largest Christian communities in Iran. He was singled out by authorities for helping Muslims turn to Christ even though leaving Islam is punishable by death.

He was finally arrested after protesting against the enforced reading of the Quran to Christian children. His wife was also arrested and has been sentenced to life in prison.

Rights activists are petitioning for the release of both Nadarkhani and his wife.

Need to accumulate more for their old age

2010-10-28T03:44:00.000-07:00

S’pore may need to raise retirement age to 68, says Lim Boon Heng
By Channel NewsAsia, Updated: 28/10/2010

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Lim Boon Heng has indicated that the country may need to raise its retirement age to 68.

Mr Lim, who’s in Finland accompanying President S R Nathan on his state visit there said Singaporeans need to work longer as their life span increases.

That is because they need to accumulate more for their old age.

Mr Lim who is also the minister in charge of issues on ageing in Singapore, cited Finland as an example, and will use this trip as an opportunity to study how the Finnish are dealing with their ageing population.

Mr Lim added there are areas that Singapore can emulate. One of which is to mobilise the elderly to organise themselves and form retirement communities that can provide mutual support and friendship.

A law that will make it mandatory for employers to offer re—employment to workers beyond the age of 62 will be in place by 2012.

"We are raising the retirement age, through the process of re—employment from the current 62 to 65 in January 2012. Beyond that we would have to examine how we can further raise the retirement age. In Finland, they have raised it to 68, so it gives us an indication about where we should be heading.Because the Finns are not living longer than us, we have a life expectancy of about 80, I think the finns are little less than us," said Mr Lim.

—CNA/ac

Time will end within the next .... 3.7 billion years?

2010-10-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study
AFP - Saturday, October 16

Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The end of the world as we know it cannot be avoided, but it can be predicted, according to a group of astrophysicists who see a 50 percent chance of the final countdown ending in 3.7 billion years.

"Time is unlikely to end in our lifetime, but there is a 50 percent chance that time will end within the next 3.7 billion years," according to the team of US and Japanese scientists, who are challenging a long-standing theory of the universe.

While scientists have long concluded that the universe is expanding, and will do so for an infinite period of time, the researchers say the very rules of physics suggest that "an eternally inflating universe" is far from given.

"The point of this paper is to show that certain methods and assumptions that have been widely used by physicists for years -- most prominently, the use of a time cutoff in order to compute probabilities in an eternally inflating universe -- lead to the conclusion that time will end," Raphael Bousso of the University of California, Berkeley told AFP.

"In other words, the time cutoff, which we may have thought was just a calculational tool, actually behaves like a physical event, whether we like it or not," said Bousso, lead author of the study published on arXiv.org

Current theories of the universe begin with the "Big Bang," which cast our living space into being some 13.7 billion years ago in a massive explosion.

Since then, theorists have assumed the universe will simply continue to expand forever, but have also used a theoretical expiration date to help calculate the laws and rules of physics.

But Bousso and his colleagues says the discipline simply cannot have it both ways.

He cautioned however that the complex thought experiment and calculations proposed by the research could not be used to draw definitive conclusions.

"It's very important to understand that we are not saying that we are certain of the conclusion that time will end (though we cannot rule out that it may be correct)," he wrote.

But he said even if the theory was false, discovering why that was the case would help scientists better understand the universe.

"In science, this kind of reasoning is often valuable: you realize that your reasonable-seeming theory predicts something that sounds crazy, so you have to come to grips with that," he told AFP.

"Either you have to abandon the theory, or you have to understand why the crazy-sounding thing may not actually be so crazy."

For astrophysicist Charles Lineweaver, of Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory, Bousso's conclusions are simply incorrect.

"Bousso's average life of a universe is a set time, only because that's what happens when you introduce a cutoff point to get a reasonable probability," he told ABC Television.

"It's a statistical technique being taken probably too seriously," he added.

But Bousso said he and his team had not invented or introduced anything.

"These cutoffs have been used by many leading physicists for years," he told AFP. "We merely pointed out that it's not such an innocent thing to do.

"The cutoff on time is inevitably physical and hence requires a physical justification. It cannot be considered a mere mathematical trick."

Cities are where churches can reach the next generation

2010-10-21T23:25:00.000-07:00

Tim Keller: Churches Worldwide Need to Move into Cities
Thu, Oct. 21, 2010 Posted: 06:45 AM EDT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – New York pastor Tim Keller awed the crowd Wednesday evening with his well thought-out argument on why churches around the world need to move into cities.

Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan told attendees of Lausanne III that if Christians want human life to be shaped by Jesus Christ then churches need to go into cities.

Cities are where churches can reach the next generation (young adults want to live in the city); reach more unreachable people (people are far more open to the Gospel in the cosmopolitan city than in their hometown); reach people who have a big impact on the world (filmmakers, authors and businessmen); and reach the poor (about one-third of city dwellers live in shanty towns).

“Human beings, according to Genesis 1, are made in the image of God and reflect God’s glory more than anything else in creation,” said Keller, whose Redeemer City to City has planted more than 100 churches around the world.

“In these cities you have more image of God per square inch than anywhere else in the world,” he said. “So God makes the numbers argument.”

The influential pastor known for his deep thinking shared a story about a missionary friend. Keller’s friend once quipped that the country is where there are more plants than people and the city is where there are more people than plants. And because God loves people more than plants, He has to love the city more than the country.

About 300 years ago, less than three percent of the world’s population lived in cities. Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities and the number is growing rapidly. It is estimated that eight million people, or about the population of Bangkok, move into cities every two months.

“The people are moving into the cities faster than the church is,” Keller emphasized. “If you love what God loves then you will love the cities. If you want to go where the people are you got to go into the cities.”

But churches that want to go into the cities need to be contextualized in order to be effective, he said. Just like how urban China is different than China and urban America is different than America, an urban church is different than a church in the countryside.

An urban church, which has people from many cultures, is required to be extremely patient about accusations of cultural insensitivity and should expect to be accused of such. Pastors of urban churches need to accept that they can never fully solve complaints of cultural insensitivity, but that they can learn from criticisms.

Churches in cities also need to show people how their faith relates to their work because jobs are a much bigger part of urban dwellers’ life, Keller said.

“I had only known how to disciple people by bringing them out of the work world and into my church world,” the New York pastor shared. “But if you are in an urban church you can’t do that. You have to help people apply their faith to their work.”

Urban churches also need to expect disorganization and changes; be intensely evangelistic but at the same time famous for its concern for justice; be committed to the arts; and cooperate with other denominations and faith, he said.

“Look at the cities of this world. Look at the masses of these cities, God says. Why aren’t you moved by them? Why aren’t you going there?” Keller asked. “So let’s go.”

The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, also known as Cape Town 2010, has drawn more than 4,000 Christian leaders representing over 190 nations to Cape Town, South Africa. The conference was founded by American evangelist Billy Graham in 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland, to bring together the global body of Christ for world evangelization.

This Congress is unique in the diversity of its attendees and for discussing a wide range of global problems faced by today’s church, including secularization, Islam, HIV/AIDS, prosperity gospel, nuclear weapons, and environmental concerns. The conference program will conclude on Sunday.

Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter

Megachurch Crystal Cathedral has filed for bankruptcy

2010-10-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Calif. Megachurch Enters Bankruptcy amid Lawsuits
Tue, Oct. 19, 2010 Posted: 01:56 PM EDT

After years of leadership transitions and struggles with declining donations, renowned megachurch Crystal Cathedral has filed for bankruptcy.

In an announcement Monday, the Southern California church said it found it necessary to seek the protection of a Chapter 11 because of pending lawsuits by creditors.

The church had been facing at least three lawsuits for the more than $2 million in debts it owed vendors for services rendered for its 2009 "Glory of Christmas" production. Though creditors had agreed to work things out by providing a grace period, ultimately negotiations did not move fast enough to satisfy all parties.

Church officials said they will work with the Creditors Committee to finalize a payment plan "that is fair to all vendors and consistent with our belief as a Ministry and emerge from Chapter 11 as quickly as possible."

While the church addresses past due expenses and revenue decline, Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman, senior pastor of Crystal Cathedral, said ministry operations will continue as is. This includes Sunday services, the weekly "Hour of Power" television program, weekly church activities and the Crystal Cathedral Academy & High School.

"Just as we have taught for years, this is an opportunity to model God's sustaining strength through anything," Coleman said. "Many of the persons who support our Ministry are facing similar challenges and when they hear our message of hope, they know we are speaking from a point of true understanding."

Coleman expressed that she was not daunted by the financial woes.

"Challenging situations are nothing new to our 55-year Ministry," she said. "Many people said we'd fail when we started our church in a drive-in theater. But look how successful that was! Many said we'd fail in 1970 when we made the commitment to televise our first worship service in Los Angeles and then New York...but look how far we've come!

"We've always believed in a big God ... a God Who is greater than any problem or challenge we could ever face. Our announcement today to file for the protection of Chapter 11 is just one more chapter in the book that He is continuing to write – and we know that God's plans are good – we have no doubt His chapter will be good!"

Rumors that the Crystal Cathedral, based in Garden Grove, was headed toward bankruptcy began last year as the church put up for sale a four-story office on its campus along with a 170-acre piece of land. It also laid off some staff and canceled for the first time in 27 years its "Glory of Easter" production this year. And in August, the family of the ministry's founder, Robert H. Schuller, announced that they would take a voluntary 50 percent pay cut for two months.

But church officials reported that they are bouncing back as the most recent financial reports "indicate the best cash flow the ministry has experienced in 10 years."

The Crystal Cathedral claims to have over 10,000 members and is internationally known for its televised program. The leadership of Crystal Cathedral was handed to Schuller's son, Robert A. Schuller, in 2006. The younger Schuller resigned a couple years later following disagreements over the direction of the church's popular "Hour of Power" television program. In 2009, the Crystal Cathedral announced that the eldest Schuller child, Coleman, would co-lead the church with her father. She now serves as the senior pastor.

Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter

Parting of the Red Sea

2010-09-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Scientists Propose How Red Sea was Parted
Wed, Sep. 22, 2010 Posted: 02:28 PM EDT

The parting of the Red Sea is one of the most famous stories in the Bible and now scientists believe they have figured out how it actually happened.

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado used computer simulations to gauge the impact of a strong wind on the Red Sea.

They concluded that a strong east wind of 60 mph, blowing for 12 hours, could have pushed back waters at a bend where a river flowed into nearby lagoon. This in turn would have created a land bridge that would have been wide enough for people to walk across.

"The simulations match fairly closely with the account in Exodus," said Carl Drews, who led the team of researchers.

The Old Testament account tells of how Moses stretched out his staff over the sea and divided the waters. The biblical passage states: "all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land."

The Israelites, who were fleeing from Pharaoh's army, were then able to cross.

Drew explained that the parting of the waters can be understood through "fluid dynamics."

"Wind setdown occurs when wind blows across a body of water and part of the water level drops and so it exposes dry area," he said. "That's a well-known phenomenon. But the tricky part is to get water on both sides of the crossing."

The biblical account, he noted, describes a wall of water being on both the left and right of the Israelites when crossing.

Previous researchers tried to duplicate this and proposed that an underwater reef was exposed and that was where the crossing took place.

Drews, however, found in his research that it is difficult to make the reef "completely dry" in the course of 12 hours.

Thus, he proposed another mechanism where there is a bend in the body of water.

"When the wind blows, the water shifts and splits at the point of the bend," he explained. "And such a place occurs in the Eastern Nile Delta."

The research team used data from satellite images and maps, as well as archaeological records to recreate the lagoon as it would have been 3,000 years ago.

The findings are published in the latest edition of the PLoS One journal.

Brian Hutt
Christian Today Reporter

You'll never be perfectly balanced

2010-09-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

You'll Never Be Balanced
Sat, Sep. 25, 2010 Posted: 11:21 AM EDT

Balance is a mirage. It's a mirage in ministry. It's a mirage in marriage. It's a mirage in everything! No church is perfectly balanced. No theology is perfectly balanced. No person is perfectly balanced.

So for the record: you'll never be perfectly balanced.

Trust me, I wish I could perfectly balance family and ministry. I wish I could perfectly balance work and play. I wish I could perfectly balance grace and truth. There are a thousand things I'd love to balance. But you'll never be perfectly balanced.

Let me demonstrate. Stop reading. Stand up. And balance on one leg. You're not balanced are you? Muscles are quivering as you constantly react to your imbalance. Life is like that. So is ministry. I know that some of you are getting depressed, but this shouldn't be depressing. It should be incredibly liberating. Leadership is all about making the right adjustments. When you get out of balance, you know how to recalibrate. For example, you've been working too hard for too long. You need some play time! In theological terms, you need a sabbath. The sabbath is the way we balance creation and recreation.

My point? Embrace the imbalance. Such is life. We've got to continually evaluate the tensions in our lives and recognize where we need to recalibrate. For me, it's been family. I'm scaling back my travel because I sensed an imbalance. So I don't know where you're imbalanced, but I know you are! Again, you'll never be balanced. But it's a problem that can be solved once and for all. It's a tension that will be managed the rest of your life! Almost like rotating and recalibrating the tires on your car, you'll be standing on one leg the rest of your life.

Adapted from Mark Batterson's weblog at markbatterson.com. Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations. Mark is the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase and is a daily blogger at www.markbatterson.com. Mark and his wife Lora live on Capitol Hill with their three children.”

Mark Batterson
Christian Post Guest Columnist

More young local pastors

2010-09-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

United Methodists Start to See Uptick in Young Clergy
Fri, Sep. 24, 2010 Posted: 07:41 AM EDT

The United Methodist Church has begun to see an increase in the number of young clergy after decades of decline, a new report reveals.

There are now more young local pastors than at any time in recent history, according to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.

Up from 3.4 percent in 1985, local pastors under the age of 35 now make up 5.8 percent of all 7,341 UMC clergy, including part-time pastors.

At the same time, however, the median age of local pastors is still 55.

Younger clergy are not necessarily better ministers than their older colleagues, but they often bring a new passion and fresh ideas to their vocation, the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., the project director of the study, told the United Methodist News Service.

For years, United Methodists have been making efforts to draw more young people to clergy positions after a report in 2007 found that less than 5 percent of the denomination’s leadership came from the younger generation. Twenty years earlier, 15.05 percent of the leadership were aged 35 or under.

The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry called it a leadership crisis and urged action to double the number of young people in clergy, elder and deacon positions.

Weems of the Lewis Center observed, "Our assumption is that God continues to call people of all ages, so if there is a particular group not responding to that call, then it’s probably not [because of] God. There are other reasons why younger persons might not be responding."

One of the reasons he listed is that there are fewer children.

"What under-35 clergy have most in common is that they were active in church as children," he said, according to UMNS. "They were active in church as youth. So if year after year, there are fewer children in church, then it would naturally seem that there would be fewer clergy coming in."

According to the Lewis Center report, released this week, for the first time, more than half of active elders are now between the ages of 55 and 72. Elders are responsible for preaching and teaching the Word of God, administration of the sacraments, and ordering of the ministry of the church.

What may be accounting for the high number of older clergy is the decrease in retirements, mainly due to the economic downturn.

Meanwhile, the percentage of elders in the 35-54 age range dropped dramatically over the last decade, from 65 percent in 2000 to under half in 2010.

Still, the denomination has reason to hope.

There are currently more young elders, deacons, and local pastors than ten years ago, the report shows. The number and percentage of young deacons – who are responsible for forming disciples and assisting elders in the administration of the sacraments – reached their highest levels in 2010. They now make up 9.56 percent of all deacons.

The purpose of the Lewis Center's ongoing research effort is to identify clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church so that denominational leaders have the data for planning and a baseline for monitoring future changes.

The United Methodist Church is the second largest Protestant denomination in the country with 7.9 million members.

Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter

Intermarried more easily and with greater acceptance

2010-09-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

Bringing two halves together
Comment

By June H.L Wong
Friday September 17, 2010

For too long, we didn’t pay enough attention to Malaysia Day. Now that we have, there is still much to be done to forge a greater sense of unity, togetherness and appreciation of each other.

YESTERDAY was Malaysia Day. We “celebrated” it, or rather took note of it for the first time because it was a national holiday.

It’s good that we have finally given recognition to an immensely important historical event but one wished it had come sooner.

Imagine what we could have achieved if we had started years ago. That was what hit me when I read our Malaysia Day Star Special. It was the work of my colleagues who were picked for their familiarity with Sabah and Sarawak. Together, they produced an excellent edition that focused on giving a voice to Malaysians in those two states.

While I enjoyed the stories, I came away feeling that after 47 years there seems to be two nations, not one. All this leads to the inevitable question: Why is this so? Is it because of the way history is taught in schools?

From my time as a student – and I am a true blue product of the Malaysian education system from kindergarten to university starting from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s – till now, our history books seem to end with Merdeka declared on Aug 31, 1957, with only a cursory look at the events after that. The creation of Malaysia seems barely imprinted in our consciousness.

It is this failure to connect the two halves of the country that we now find ourselves in the embarrassing situation of being ill-informed of what brought these halves together as a nation and who these people are who share the same nationality as us.

It’s not just our education system that has failed. There are other institutions that should have played their part but didn’t.

Yesterday, the Department of Museums Malaysia director-general announced plans to showcase the cultures and lifestyles of ethnic groups in Sabah and Sarawak.

Datuk Ibrahim Ismail, who oversees 21 museums nationwide, was quoted by The Star as saying this would enhance integration among all Malaysians.

We support and applaud Ibrahim for his plans but again it also beggars the question: Why only now? Why wasn’t this done from the moment Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaimed “Merdeka Malaysia!” on Sept 16, 1963?

Ibrahim was spot-on when he said Peninsular Malaysians were only familiar with very few communities from Sabah and Sarawak. When The Star editors met on Wednesday evening to pick the front page photo for the Thursday edition, none of us Semenanjung folks could confidently identify the ethnic groups represented by the four pretty girls standing in front of the Malaysian flags.

We had to call our Kuching colleagues who told us the girls were Rungus and Kadazan. While it took a peninsular leader to create this entity called Malaysia, it is those in Sabah and Sarawak who seemed to have embraced it more whole-heartedly.

They are the Malaysians who are more colour blind and united, as observed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak himself. They are the ones who more comfortably adopted Malay as their lingua franca and intermarried more easily and with greater acceptance.

More than ever, we need to confront the truth why Peninsular Malaysians are “less Malaysian” than those in Sabah and Sarawak. Then only can we accept that something needs to be done; that we must bring the two halves of the nation closer together and learn the best practices from each other.

And we can do it because we do have common values and interests. It’s called 1Malaysia and if we can put aside our knee-jerk cynicism towards such a notion and really work towards it, it can become a reality.

Apart from getting our history books, Sejarah lessons as well as our museums right, we could also take a leaf from Hollywood and Singapore’s MediaCorp which produced TV series like Phua Chu Kang and The Little Nyonya.

Much as we hate to admit it, that little Red Dot of a country repeatedly runs rings around us and seizes upon ideas and opportunities way ahead of us.

Why do Malaysians love Phua Chu Kang? Why isn’t this TV character and his adorably dysfunctional family a Malaysian creation?

We know clever and sincerely wrought humour, even if built on stereotypes, can be accepted and enjoyed wholeheartedly. We have Lat to prove that.

So why haven’t we been able to build on Lat and have something that we share proudly?

Singapore keeps stealing our lines. Again, we should have come up with something like The Little Nyonya, a 2008 MediaCorp production about a Peranakan family set in Malacca spanning 70 years, currently on ntv7 with a huge following.

We could have done it better and truer too be cause the cast would speak in a mix of Malay, Hokkien and English instead of Mandarin in the Singapore series.

It’s not that we haven’t done it before – produced shows that Malaysians wanted to watch. We had those much-loved P. Ramlee movies, Bakat TV (this talent competition was the hottest thing on TV circa 1972) and Empat Sekawan.

If we look hard enough, we can find great stories to tell. For one, there is the fictional pirate created by Italian writer Emilio Sagari in 1883 called Santokan, the Tiger of Malaya, who was the nemesis of White Rajah James Brooke of Sarawak. Wouldn’t that make an exciting series if done right?

Remember that excellent Maybank advertisement about the Iban girl making her way in the world without forgetting her roots? Could that have been expanded into a powerful and riveting drama that would get Malaysians cheering for one of their own?

Here’s another idea: Next year marks the 500th year of the fall of the Malacca sultanate in 1511. That is one date we all learnt in school. Can you just imagine a gripping TV series based on the events leading to that year of infamy? History can be useful if we know how to wield it

Started off in an old, abandoned feed store

2010-09-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

America's Largest Church to Mark 50th Anniversary
Fri, May. 08, 2009 Posted: 12:44 PM EDT

Mother’s Day this year falls on May 10 – the same date as it did in 1959.

And while few Americans may know that historical fact, members of the largest church in America are almost certain to say they knew given that it was that same day 50 years ago that its church first opened its doors.

This weekend, Lakewood Church in Houston will be marking its 50th anniversary in a place far different from the old, abandoned feed store that it started off at.

Its 38,000-large congregation will be celebrating in the arena formerly home to the Houston Rockets, where it has worshipped for the past four years.

“I can hardly believe that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lakewood Church this coming weekend on Mother's Day,” the megachurch’s senior minister, Pastor Joel Osteen, expressed Wednesday.

“Most people know the story of how the church started off in an old, abandoned feed store with less than 100 people. But who would have ever guessed that my parent's hard work and dedication would establish a ministry that has literally affected people all over the world in every country from every race, tribe, and tongue,” he added.

Aside from the 38,000 churchgoers that Osteen draws each week to his 16,000-seat church, up to seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month reportedly view Osteen’s weekly sermon, which is broadcast into television markets across the United States and in over 100 nations around the world including Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, Africa and throughout Europe.

“I can't even begin to imagine how many lives have been touched over the years through the seeds they've sown,” Osteen wrote in his blog Wednesday.

Though Osteen has been praised by many for his uplifting messages and popular bestsellers, the charismatic minister has also received much criticism for his lack of formal theological training and for preaching what critics call the “prosperity gospel,” a belief that prosperity and success – particularly financial – is a sign of God’s favor.

Osteen, however, insists that his theology is not “dangerous,” as some say it is, and that God has used him to turn people’s lives around and to give them hope.

"I don’t know what can be so dangerous about giving people hope [or] causing people to have better relationships. I'm not leading them to some false God or something like that," Osteen said last year to Byron Pitts of CBS.

"You know, you get people that wanna criticize, 'You’re not doing enough of this, enough of that.' Well, we're not perfect,” he continued.

“But to have ... hundreds of people tellin’ ya 'You changed my life,’ ‘I haven't been in church in 30 years,' or 'You saved my marriage' ... you just feel very rewarded. You feel very humbled ... that you could help impact somebody’s life," Osteen said after getting emotional.

In the months leading up to this weekend’s anniversary celebration, Osteen has pushed forward with a number of new projects, including a collection of greeting cards that feature his inspirational messages and the Hope for Today Bible that features insights, notes, and encouragements from Osteen and his wife.

He also recently held the first non-baseball event in the new Yankee stadium in New York – a one-night inspirational event that drew nearly 42,000 people.

“Overall, the week was a tremendous success and the highlight ... was when over 20,000 people stood in Yankee Stadium to dedicate their lives to Christ and renew their faith in Him! We couldn't have asked for a better night,” Osteen exclaimed.

Though it was under Osteen that Lakewood grew from 8,000 attendees to 38,000, the popular preacher said Wednesday that he and his wife, Victoria, merely “picked up the baton” and continued the work that his parents had started.

“[M]y dad used to talk about how one day he was going to build a sanctuary that could hold 20,000 people. He prayed. He sacrificed. He and my mother stayed in faith year after year. When he went to be with the Lord, it looked as if the dream had died. It looked like as if it wasn't going to happen. But when you live a life of faith, when you honor God and go out each day being your best, you are storing up favor for future generations,” he stated.

Osteen succeeded the position of senior pastor from his father in 1999, more than eight months after the elder Osteen died of a heart attack. Before his father’s death, Osteen had only preached before a church once in his life – the week before his father died.

Today, aside from being the pastor of the largest church in America, Osteen is also author of two bestselling books. His first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, remained on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than two years and has sold more than 4 million copies. His second book, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, was released in October of 2007 and was an instant New York Times bestseller, remaining on the list for more than seven months and selling more than 1.6 million copies.

Osteen is also the most watched inspirational figure in America, according to Nielsen Media Research, and was featured as one of ABC News' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006."

According to Osteen’s ministry, more than one million people each week download audio and video podcasts of Osteen’s messages, making his podcast consistently one of the top five in the world.

Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter

Power of Prayer

2010-09-15T01:35:00.000-07:00

How important is faithfulness in prayer?

Dr. Wilbur Chapman often told of his experience when, as a young man, he went to become pastor of a church in Philadelphia.

After his first sermon, an old gentleman said to him, "You’re pretty young to be pastor of this church. But you preach the Gospel, and I’m going to help you all I can."

Dr. Chapman thought, "Here’s a crank."

But the man continued: "I’m going to pray for you that you may have the Holy Spirit’s power upon you. Two others have covenanted to join with me in prayer for you."

Dr. Chapman said, "I didn’t feel so bad when I learned he was going to pray for me. The 3 became 10, the 10 became 20, and 20 became 50, the 50 became 200 who met before every service to pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me.

I always went into my pulpit feeling that I would have the anointing in answer to the prayers of those who had faithfully prayed for me. It was a joy to preach!

The result was that we received 1,100 into our church by conversion in three years, 600 of whom were men. It was the fruit of the Holy spirit in answer to prayer!"

Prayer makes a difference in people’s lives. We should pray for one another, and even let one another know that we’re praying.

I can only offer Jesus to u

2010-08-30T04:20:00.000-07:00

Arthur Fretheim, an Evangelical Covenant pastor who during his career planted six new churches in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Illinois ( the last one when he was 65 years old), said to fellow pastors,

“One thing you learn quickly in church planting is this: All you’ve really got to offer people is Jesus. You don’t have a great choir in the beginning days; you don’t have a youth group; you usually don’t even have a nice building. The only ‘draw’ you’ve got is the Savior. And guess what - that’s enough!”

Satan’s 2000 A.D. Project

2010-08-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in 2000 A.D. some Satanists gathered for a meeting. They finished their meeting and went away but they forgot a document. A believer found that document. Let me read to you what is on that document; so that you will know what is going on.

They titled the Document Satan’s 2000 A.D. Project.

STRATEGIES TO DESMANTLE THE CHRISTIANS

1. Don’t permit them to read their Bible. Interest them in reading anything but the bible. Let them read amusing stories and magazines from our library. Let them read books that are not useful to their spiritual lives. Let us ask ourselves whether they are succeeding or not. Many will buy their newspapers and read it from page to page. Some will even underline the sentences of a newspaper and read the obituaries. But the Bible, no.

2. Push them into becoming lazy about prayers because if you allow them to pray, the spirit of their God will discover our plans and they will overcome us.

3. Let them hate fasting because if they fast they will be strong.

4. Don’t allow them to love one another. Remove sincere love from their midst.

5. Let them hate holiness messages with perfect hatred.

6. Let them criticize one another.

7. Give them freedom in cleverness and lying.

8. Let them know about the return of Jesus Christ, but let them think that there is still time so that they will not be prepared.

9. They must not witness or preach the gospel. Tell those of them who have Television to stay in front of it for hours and hours

10. Ask them to remain poor by forbidding them to tithe and for making them ignorant on removing the wealth of our people.

And Lucifer signed the paper.

Close your eyes and pray like this “Agenda of Satan, you will not prosper in my life in the name of Jesus.”

Pastors must plan for retirement

2010-08-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

Pastors and Retirement
by John C. LaRue, Jr.
posted 3/01/1998

Pastors must plan for retirement just like other American workers. But besides social security, what types of retirement plans are pastors actually contributing to? And at what age do most pastors think they'll have enough money saved to retire? Research conducted for Your Church reveals the following information about pastors and retirement.

Social Security: No Longer a Given

According to our research, the typical pastor is 47 years old and about 19 years away from collecting full social security. That benefit may be in jeopardy, however, due to life expectancy increases and a huge group of baby boomers who will start collecting social security in 2012. If the fund comes up short, future benefits may be reduced, the retirement age may go higher, and social security taxes may be raised.

Unlike the average American worker, pastors can opt out of social security. Though our study did not measure how many pastors have chosen this option, we do know that 39 percent of pastors' churches pay the employer part of social security self-employment tax, averaging $3,198 for senior pastors, and $2,109 for solo pastors.

How Much to Save

Social security isn't enough for most pastors to retire on. They should also contribute to a retirement plan. Financial planners recommend saving four to eight times the household's peak annual earnings in order to retire at the same standard of living. Pastors should save the following money for retirement (for planning purposes, these figures should be adjusted for inflation):

Annual Salary Amount to Save

Married, with non-working spouse
$39,180 $155,000 - 310,000

Married, spouse works part-time
$46,320 $185,000 - 370,000

Married, spouse works full-time
$61,690 $250,000 - 500,000

Pensions, IRAs, and Other Plans

About 89 percent of the pastors surveyed are involved with a retirement program. Churches help 7 of 10 (71%) pastors with this by contributing to a pastors' pension plan. Typically, senior pastors receive $4,286 a year, and solo pastors get $3,486 a year.

Sixty-one percent of pastors have a denominational pension. The median value of such programs is $30,000. Graph 3 shows how the value of denominational pensions varies by the base salary and age of pastors.

Such figures show that pastors must rely on more than a denominational pension to maintain their standard of living during retirement. Our survey shows that 59 percent of pastors are contributing to a retirement plan other than a denominational pension. Twenty-one percent contribute to an IRA, 21 percent to a 403(b) plan, and 18 percent to other retirement plans.

In addition, 34 percent of pastors' spouses have a retirement plan.

When to Retire

When asked when they believed they would be financially ready to retire, 46 percent of the pastors who responded said at age 65. About 18 percent thought they'd be able to retire before age 65. About 36 percent said they didn't think they'd be able to retire until after age 65. Seven percent thought they'd have to wait until after age 70.

The Study

In 1996, Your Church mailed 1,200 surveys and 594 were returned, for a response rate of 52 percent. With those samples, results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 4 percent.

John C. LaRue, Jr., is vice president of research and development for Christianity Today International, in Carol Stream, Illinois. He may be reached by e-mail atwebmaster@christianitytoday.com. Past Special Reports can be found on the Web at:http://www.ChristianityToday.com/cbg/features/report.html.html.
Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today International/Your Church magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail yceditor@yourchurch.net.

Mar/Apr 1998, Vol.44, No. 2, Page 80

Help your pastor prepare for and transition into retirement

2010-08-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Preparing for Pastor's Retirement

Whether your pastor is 30 or 60 years old, now is the time to begin preparing for your pastor's retirement. It is difficult to intentionally plan for the departure of someone you know and love. But we all know that growing older is part of life. And at some point, your pastor will no longer be able to do the work of pastoral ministry on a full-time basis. So even for members of the clergy, retirement is inevitable.

The most loving and responsible thing you can do is prepare for your pastor's retirement.

Issues With Pastor's Retirement

While everyone faces questions about retirement, pastors have some unique issues that need to be addressed. As you work with your pastor to create a retirement package, consider the following.

When your pastor retires, he will probably have to relocate. In most cases it is not good for either the pastor or the church for the retiring pastor to remain in the area. When a new minister replaces the retiring pastor people in the congregation will have a difficult time transitioning to the new leadership if the previous pastor is still in the area. They will feel conflicted emotionally and think they are betraying the former pastor if they adapt to changes proposed by the new pastor.

Additionally, many pastors occupy the church's parsonage until their retirement. While some people will object to "kicking out" your retiring pastor, he obviously has to move before you can hire a new shepherd. A pastor's retirement package needs to make provision for this inevitability. He may need a severance amount so that he can purchase a new home somewhere else. Or, a church can help him make a downpayment on a house in Florida (or wherever) ten years before he retires.

His health insurance may not go with him. In order to get the least expensive insurance coverage, you may be tempted to purchase health insurance that only covers your pastor while he or she lives in your area. But it's important that you think long-term. Will he be able to take his insurance with him when he retires? If not, he may be forced to remain in the area. His dreams of retiring to the country or moving back to his childhood home may go unfulfilled if he can't find adequate and affordable insurance.

Your pastor's retirement may be complicated by social security. In the United States, a pastor can opt out of social security tax deductions from his salary. As you prepare your pastor's retirement package, make sure you understand the consequences of his decision. If he opts out of social security, your church should still invest the 7 1/2 percent of his income that you would have sent to the IRS. Start some type of pastor's retirement account so that he will have some money when it's time to retire.

Your pastor may not be ready for full retirement. Most pastor's don't want to retire to a little community in Florida and play shuffle board for the rest of their lives. They want to be involved in ministry. But it's possible that their clergy retirement funds won't be sufficient to support anything else. Perhaps you could consider supporting your retiring pastor like a missionary so that he or she can do short-term missions trips, serve as an ambassador for a mission organization, or become a chaplain.

He may be tempted to delay starting a retirement account. Pastors don't get paid a lot - most pastors any way. Generally speaking, though, no matter how small his salary it is essential that he start saving now for retirement.

These are among the most significant issues surrounding your pastor's retirement. The best way to address these issues is to have open and frank conversations with your pastor. But please know two things as you talk with your pastor about retirement.

You may feel hurt or offended when your pastor talks about a life without your church. This is normal. It's kind of like hearing your parents talk about all the fun they'll have after you and your siblings are grown up. This is a good thing - it shows you love and respect your pastor. Don't, however, allow your feelings to cloud your judgement when considering issues of your pastor's retirement.

As hard as it is for you to think about your pastor's retirement, it's even more difficult for him. He or she may even try to avoid talking about retirement. But for his own sake, you need to pursue these conversations.

A Word to Pastors

Pastor, please allow me a moment to speak directly to you about pastor's retirement. I can't imagine the conflicting feelings you must be experiencing as you consider the end of your pastoral ministry. When you transitioned from one church to another earlier in your ministry you had something to draw you forward... something to lead you away from your current location. But as you prepare for retirement, you may not have someplace to be, so to speak. You may not have a deadline to start at a new ministry... nothing forcing you to pack your boxes and move on.

But you know what you need to do for your church. Your congregation is experiencing grief not unlike that of a grieving widow. And prolonging your departure forces your church to extend their grief - like a woman watching the slow decline of her husband's health. She knows that death is coming, but she doesn't know when. You've walked many people through this grieving process. You know how difficult it is for the surviving spouse. Don't do that to the congregation you love - the people you served for years.

I've seen far too many pastors linger beyond their time. They end up damaging the very relationships they spent years building. Don't do that to yourself. Don't do that to the church you love. As hard as it is, when it's time to go, pack your boxes and go.

Pastor's Retirement Conclusion

For some pastors retirement is too far off to think about. For others the thought of leaving ministry is too painful to consider. But eventually, one way or another, your pastor will leave your church. For many, that means retirement. Help your pastor prepare for and transition into retirement. And the best way to do that is to start now by dedicating part of his salary to pastor's retirement.

Prayer Camp 2

2010-08-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Prayer Camp

2010-08-23T05:39:00.000-07:00

contemporary understandings and developments

2010-08-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

Course Requirements (Revised)
August 1, 2010

Recommended Readings:

Bob Davies and Lori Rentzel, Coming Out of Homosexuality, Inter-
Varsity Press, 1993.

VanGoethem, Jeff. Living Together, Kregel Publications, Michigan,
2005.

Williams, Brian Keith. Ministering Graciously to the Gay and Lesbian
Community, Destiny Image Publishers, 2005.

Halverson, Dean. The Compact Guide to World Religions, Bethany
House Publishers, Minnesota, 1996. (Relevant topics only)

Fraser, Robert. Marketplace Christianity, New Grid Publishing, 2004

Stevens, R. Paul. The Other Six Days, William Eerdmans,. 1999.

Required Readings:

Lutzur, Erwin W. The Truth About Same Sex Marriage, Moody
Publishers, Chicago, 2004.

Stevens, R. Paul. Doing God’s Business, William Eerdmans, 2006.

Tong, Daniel. Chinese Traditions and Beliefs, Genesis, Singapore. 2003

Jack Balswick and Judith Balswick, The Family, Baker Academic, 2008.

(Book report: minimum 900 words for each book. First three books due on first day of class session. Last book (Balswick) due with Final Reflection Paper, see Post-Course assignment).

Pre-course Assignment:

Write a research paper on any area of personal interest to you that directly relates to one of the following subjects: Living Separate Lives and Divorce, or Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriages, or Building Strong Christian Families.

Your research paper must be at least 4,500 words, including footnotes and a bibliography (At least ten books). (Double line spacing; Arial font size 12). Due on the first day of class session.

Post-Course Assignment:

A Reflection Paper in two equal parts:

Part A: Review all course work done and write a synthesis of your learning – your insights, new ideas and thoughts, questions, and the way you have resolved issues personally, things you had to “unlearn”. This is therefore a REFLECTION PAPER of everything you have learned and unlearned in the 5 days in class.

Part B: Explore in depth any single aspect of the issues covered over the five days i.e. Issues on Marriage and Sexuality, Issues on Interfaith Dialogue, Issues on Evangelism in the Marketplace. Among other things, your research should also cover such aspects on the subject as contemporary understandings and developments, theological positions you take, one or two case studies, and how your findings and thoughts may be applied in practical ways in your area of work.

Please note that the subject matter of this Reflection Paper must be different to that of the subject matter of your pre-course research paper.

The Reflection Paper must be at least 15,000 words long. Clarity of writing, comprehensiveness of overview and quality (depth) of insight about issues, will mark excellent work. Include footnotes, references, and quotes, and bibliography. (Single line spacing; Arial font size 12). This Reflection Paper carries 45% of your final total grade. Date due to be announced.

How do we deal with cohabitating couples?

2010-08-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

“Facing Challenges In Pastoral Issues”

Doctor of Ministry Degree
Singapore Bible College

8 hours per day, for five days.
15 – 19 November, 2010

Facilitator: Dr Tony Chi, BTh, MA, PhD

Course Outline

Introduction:

In the ministry and enjoying it! Or are you not? Needless to say that there are many issues Pastors face at home, in the church, and in society. Pastoral ministry issues may be for some, the most critical. These can impact their church’s life as well as take a heavy toll on the Pastor’s ministry in particular. There are some pastoral issues that never seem to go away, and there are some answers that never seem to be adequate. The next five days will give you the opportunity to reflect, pray about, and interact with your peers on some of these Pastoral issues (again).

Issues on Marriage and Sexuality: (2 days)

How do we deal with cohabitating couples? How do we define and understand “cohabitation”? What is the Biblical viewpoint and how should the church respond to people in such situations? There are other complications - what if the couple has a child or children? Is there a place for these children in schools, the church’s children’s ministry etc? Will you baptise such a child? Naming ceremonies and affirming children who are born out of wedlock.

Divorced members. An exercise on an accelerated research on the Biblical injunctions regarding divorce. Are there exceptions or extenuating circumstances which must be brought into consideration? There is an urgency to involve the whole church in forming an adequate and Biblical view on whether divorcees can re-marry, take positions in church leadership, or even teach Sunday School. Where does “singlehood” fit in all this, and how does a church leader respond to a “converted divorcee” who now believes he/she is now called into fulltime church ministry?

Homosexuality. Here we will explore the contemporary and Biblical view on homosexuality. Should self-declared homosexuals be welcomed in church? What are other churches in other countries doing to minister to people who currently and openly practice homosexuality. We will also need to look into new civil laws and regulatory issues covering such matters as same sex marriages, welfare aid for such families, and same sex church memberships.

Family Wellness. What are churches doing to cater to the needs of parents, their children, teens and youth ministries, as well as those who may have older parents who may speak local dialects, other than English? What innovative programs have been developed for “families” to minister together as a unit in local church ministries?

The challenges that a double income family face, and how they balance time and energy between work and home. What advice should we give to those who depend on maids and parents, or child-minding schools to take care of children in their formative years of life? What about the problems families face due to a breakdown in communication with their teenage children? How do parents cope with the lifestyle of today’s teenagers? Identifying the numerous opportunities for couples today to enrich their marital lives through Christian conferences and church organized programs.

Issues on Interfaith Dialogue (or Diversion): (1 and ½ days)

Some experts on Interfaith issues have insisted that dialogue and planned conferences are the way to better harmony between differing faiths. Others are now looking at new and more practical methods of people from differing faiths to come together at social and religious gatherings to better relate to each other as neighbours.
Consider the following issues – and help us know what you are doing about it as a local church Pastor, and/or what your local church is doing about it.

Your neighbours or your church members’ neighbours are Buddhists or Muslims, or Hindus.

The impact of inter-religious tolerance in a multi-religious society. What do you understand by “public space” and “private space”?

What are some of the positive ways that churches today are doing to connect with people of other faiths (like in their own setting e.g. housing estate)?

What advice will you give to your church members regarding active and personal involvement/participation in Taoist or Chinese religious funeral rites and ceremonies? Can Christians eat food offered to idols? What about the practice of yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, and the frequent use of alternative medicine and Chinese traditional medicine?

Apart from the Bible, where are your spiritual resources that will enhance your Christian stance on the above issues?

Developing resource materials on appropriate ways in which Christians can approach people of other faiths - without threat, yet without compromise.

Evangelism in the Marketplace: (1 and ½ days)

Would the following statement sound “prophetic” to you if we say: “the days of doing church in church only have come to an end”? What is “marketplace” evangelism or ministry? What is the church’s current understanding of going out to the places of work and impacting lives for Christ there? How many Christian lay people do you know who are actively making their places of work a “mission field” on a daily basis?

This session will explore the implications as well as the opportunities of the role of the Christian Church today in contemporary society. What really is the church? Where are our active church members and what are they doing – the other six days of the week? Should “church” be done only on Sundays? Is “church ministry’ the prerogative of only fulltime clergy and paid Christian church workers?

Have you heard of the “Multichannel Church” or of a church ministry today called “LifeChurch.tv”? These ministries are high powered, high tech, and widely appealing to the computer generation of pre-believers. How much of such use do you think is applicable to your own church setting? Some churches today have a “virtual audience” through cyberspace and attractive websites. Comment on some Pastors today who have very successful local church ministries by being active social networkers, using blogs, twitters, and Facebook as means of connecting with people.

If time permits, we may also deal with the question: “How large should I grow my church?” How big is “big”? Should a large, growing church engage in commercial business in order to fund Christian ministries and church programs?

repulsed by business leaders with harsh and autocratic spirits

2010-08-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Authentic Christian faith is contagious

2010-08-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Charles Krulak tells of the time when he as a nonbeliever first came in contact with a contagious believer. In a speech, General Krulak said,

“Thirty-five years ago I was a young second lieutenant just graduated from the Naval Academy. I went down to Quantico, Virginia, home of the basic school where officers learn about honor, courage, and commitment.

I shared a room with another officer named John Listerman. John was a wonderful human. He exuded goodness. John was a Christian. That meant nothing to me other than Gee, what a nice guy. I guess this Christian stuff must be pretty good.

Upon graduating from basic school, John and I went to Camp Pendleton, California, where we joined the same battalion preparing to go to Vietnam. And I saw another side of John Listerman: He was a tremendous leader--aggressive and technically proficient. was a Marine’s Marine.

On a December morning in 1965 John and I went to war. John Listerman’s war lasted one day. We were on patrol moving down a trail through the jungle. We came around a corner in that trail, and we ran into an ambush.

John took the first round, a 50-caliber round right in his kneecap. As his kneecap burst, the crack was so loud it sounded like a mortar exploding. It threw him up in the air. As he was dropping, the second round hit him right below the heart and exited out his side.

“I was wounded also but nowhere near as badly. I saw John about 30 meters away on his back, his leg blown off. I crawled up to him, and I wanted to say, "Are you okay? Can I do anything?" but before I could do that, his head turned to me and he said, "How are you doing, Chucker? Are you okay?"

I said, "Yes, John. I’m okay."

He said, "Are my men safe?"

I said, "John, your people are okay."

At that point he turned his head and looked to the sky and repeated over and over, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for caring for my people. Thank you for caring for me."

I was dumbfounded.

John Listerman and Charles Krulak were evacuated.

General Krulak later became a Christian.

[Citation: Linda M. Gehrs, Oak Park, Illinois; source; General Charles Krulak, from a message given at the Wheaton, Illinois, Leadership Prayer Breakfast (October 2000)]

The world has never been impacted in a positive way by people that were greedy

2010-08-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

10 Characteristics of Growing Churches
By Perry Noble|Christian Post Guest Columnist

#1 – They have leaders that lead!

“For God so loved the world that He did not send a committee!” Not sure where I heard that…but its true!

#2 – A desperation for God’s power!

Prayer isn’t a good luck charm that is attached at the beginning or at the end of something…people are legitimately desperate for the power of God. They pray Habakkuk 3:2 prayers every day and…

#3 – They believe that greater things are in store.

They don’t just pray big prayers…but they have a sense of anticipation that is contagious! They don’t read Acts 2 and think “those were the good ‘ole days” but rather they think, “that’s where God STARTED this thing…we should be WAY ahead of this!!!”

#4 – They are full of ordinary people.

God always uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Jesus didn’t choose one scribe or Pharisee when He launched the church…and Acts 4:13 talks about how He used ordinary people to absolutely turn the world upside down. The staff LOVE the church…so much so that they would actually attend there even if they were not on staff!

#5 – They leverage technology.

They don’t view technology as of the devil but rather as a tool given by God to reach as many people as possible for Jesus. (Btw…isn’t it funny that some churches are against the use of technology yet all of them rode to their church in a car and their church building has air conditioner?)

#6 – The church is full of passion.

People in the church actually LOVE the church and do not attend because they feel like they have to! (The only reason people get angry with the fact that you love your church is probably because they have no idea what it is like to actually love their church!)

#7 – They take ownership of the great commission.

They REFUSE to be “keepers of the aquarium” and instead embrace the COMMAND of Jesus to reach the world for HIM! (BTW NewSpring Church…it has been SO encouraging to see so many of you come to our evangelism seminar this week! We have one more live one tonight at our Anderson campus – you can sign up here – and, if you cannot join us live for some reason this event will be available online just like our Sunday services…so you can join us tonight at www.newspring.cc from 7-9, can’t wait!)

#8 – There is a willingness to change and adapt, even when it means they have to go against the very “innovative” ideas that they themselves once established!

Anyone can change the traditions of the past…but true innovation occurs when we’re willing to change the ideas that we once thought were innovative and ground breaking!

#9 – Generosity is embraced.

The world has never been impacted in a positive way by people that were greedy.

#10 – The people in the church are OWNERS, not merely “members.”

Members have rights, owners have responsibilities. The people in these churches understand that it is not the pastors job to minister to the people but rather the bodies job to minister to the body! And as a result people serve Jesus by serving others instead of sitting on their “blessed assurance” and expecting to be waited on hand and foot.

Perry Noble is the founding and senior pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, Columbia, Florence and Greenville, S.C.

Not the time to stay mad at God

2010-08-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Do Not Hold Any Grudges Against the Lord

by Michael Bradley

Due to the very trying times we are now living in with most of the world economies still basically in bad recessions, I thought I would do this article for some of you who may really be battling with the Lord on some of the real heavy adversity that may have just struck you and/or your family.

In our article titled, “Trials and Tribulations – The Testing of Your Faith,” we give you all of the main reasons and all of the main verses from the Bible as to why every single one of us will have to face and battle a certain amount of adversity in this life – with absolutely no exceptions to this cold, hard fact and reality.

If by chance you have come across this article before that one, you might want to read that article after you read this one, as this will really help in giving you a proper understanding as to why even God Himself has to allow a certain amount of trials and tribulations to occur in our lives.

In this article, I just want to concentrate on one major point that will occur to many of us when we are faced with some of these heavier trials. And that point is there will come a time when you will have to decide if you are still going to continue to stay the course with God and continue to walk with Him on the divine path that He has set up for your life – or if you are going to continue to stay mad at God and from there, let a major grudge form out against you and Him as a result of the severe adversity that has just struck you.

As we all know, some Christians when faced with a heavier type of trial, will initially get very mad at God. They will ask Him – “How could you possibly do this to me? Where was my protection? I have been loving You and serving You all of these years, and then all of a sudden you let a heavy torpedo like this come ripping through my life? How could You possibly allow something this evil and this bad to come against me like this? You could have easily stopped it but you didn’t. Why?”
As we have said before, it is very easy to have high levels of faith and trust in the Lord when everything is going good and great, but let a heavier type of storm cloud come ripping through someone’s life and then all of a sudden their high levels of faith and trust in the Lord can take a major nosedive.

For many, their initial reaction will be one of major anger and possibly rage. You know God has the power and the ability to stop any kind of bad and evil thing from coming against you, but now all of a sudden you are stuck with having to deal with the reality as to why God would allow something like this to come against you in the first place, especially if you are walking in a good, full surrender with Him and you are walking in His perfect plan and destiny for your life.

How do you keep from getting mad at God when:

You have just lost your job, your house and your entire life’s savings
Your 6 year old child has just been abducted and killed by a sexual predator
Your spouse has just been killed by a drunk driver
Your mother has been left totally paralyzed from a bad car accident
You have just lost your marriage due to the infidelity of your partner who you had been married to for 30 years

I could go on and on with some of the heavier type of adversity that could strike anyone of us at anytime due to the Adamic curse that is still in full operation on this earth. As we all know, it is only by the grace, mercy and protection of God that more of us do not get these types of heavier trials coming into our lives.
But the cold, hard reality is this:

A certain amount of people, both Christians as well as unbelievers, are going to get some of this heavier type of adversity coming into their lives. As Christians, we then have to get a real grip on this when one of these do come our way, and make a conscious decision one way or the other as to whether or not we are going to let this trial affect our personal relationship with the Lord and with what He is doing with our lives in the perfect plan and destiny that He still has set up for us.

Some Christians will not get mad at God. They will take it all in stride. They will not lose their faith or their personal relationship with God, and they will just keep on moving forward with God in full control of their lives.

However, there will be other Christians who will not have this type of response to the severe tragedy that has just struck them. They will start wrestling with God. They will get mad and furious at Him for allowing this kind of tragedy to come into their lives in the first place.

For many who will have this second kind of response, I actually think God will have no problems with that kind of response at the onset due to the initial trauma of the event. For many, it will be an initial, knee-jerk reaction. Our emotions will get the better of us for a time and in those emotions will be major anger at God for allowing this tragedy to come into our lives in the first place.

However, what you will find is that you will not be able to stay mad at God forever. You will find that you will be wallowing in too much negative energy and this negative energy will start to affect both your thinking and your physical health.

You will find sooner or later after all of the wrestling you have done with God that you will come to a point where you will have to make up your mind one way or the other. Do I continue to stay mad at God and from there, let a real, live grudge form out between Him and me and then walk away from Him? Or do I let it go, continue to fully trust God with my life, and get back in the saddle again and keep moving forward in the divine destiny that God has already set up for my life?

Sooner or later you will have to make that very fateful decision, as you will not be able to stay on the fence post forever with the Lord.

At the time I am writing up this article, I am 56 years of age. Over the years, I have watched how different Christians have handled the heavier types of adversity that have come into their lives.

On the one side, you had the Christians who quickly got over the trauma of the event and they chose to stay close to the Lord and not get mad at Him and pull away from Him. They chose to believe that God was going to take care of this trial for them and turn it around and make something good come out of it, even though they had no idea as to how God was going to do that for them.

Then you had others who got so mad at God, they could not get over it. They knew God had the power and the ability to stop the trial from coming in on them in the first place, and they thus could not accept the fact that He actually allowed it to hit them. As a result, not only did they choose to get mad at God, but they chose to continue to stay mad at Him.

From there, I watched how “grudges” would form out against God. And once that deep grudge would form out against God, these people would then start to pull completely away from Him.

They would stop going to church. They would no longer pray or talk to God. If you tried to talk to them about God, they wanted no part of the conversation. Then over a period of years, I saw how God would chase after these people trying to get them to come back to Him. Jesus has already told us in His Word that a good shepherd will always go after a single sheep that has strayed.

But no matter how hard and how heavy God would chase after these people, they still kept turning Him down again and again, as they could never get over that bad and intense grudge they were holding against Him. That is why I have decided to put the word “grudge” in the title of this article, as this grudge ended up forming out a severe block and shield between these people and God.

And then over the years as a result of pulling away from God and ignoring His strivings to try and get them back, many of them lost their good marriages, their good paying jobs, and from there, their mental state just continued to get worse.
They became very unhappy and were depressed all of the time. And not only were they still mad and furious at God, but they became mad and bitter at the rest of the world as well, including with some of their own close friends and family members. Many of them ended up on anti-depressants because they lost all of their joy and zest for living since they pulled away and disconnected from the one Person who could give them that joy and zest for living – the Lord Himself.

I learned that these grudges, if not dealt with and pulled out within a reasonable period of time, could form out an actual stronghold. And once that stronghold formed out in that person’s mind and thinking, that was when they lost all desire to want to draw close to the Lord again.

To those of you who have been hit with a real severe torpedo shot, especially with the times we are now living in, let me give you 13 very important verses so you can see how important it is that you never let these kinds of grudges form out between you and God and from there, start to cause you to want to pull away from Him.

Again, if you are having some intense wrestling matches with the Lord over a severe tragedy that may have just struck you, that is alright. I believe God will have no problems with that kind of initial reaction at the onset.

But sooner or later, you will find yourself getting tired of staying in that kind of intense, wrestling match with the Lord. It will start to drain you and from there, it can then start to affect both your mental and physical health. You can only stay in these kinds of intense, wrestling matches for a certain period of time with the Lord before they start to wear you out both mentally and physically.

After that, you will come to realize that you will have to get off of the fence post and make a decision one way or the other. Are you going to get back in the saddle again and stay the course with the Lord, letting Him still have full control of your life and allowing Him to continue to lead you on the divine destiny that He still has set up for your life?

Or are you going to let your anger and wrath get the better of you, and from there, let a nasty grudge form out between you and the Lord, thereby preventing you from wanting to stay close to Him and continue on in your walk with Him? Sooner or later, you will have to make that decision.

To help you with this, here are 13 very good verses that are all going to tell you something very specific. I will first list out these verses, and then I will point out to you what they are trying to tell us, as God has set up a little pattern in each one of these verses. Here they are:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

For thus says the Lord God to the House of Israel: “Seek Me and live … Seek the Lord and live …” (Amos 5:4,6)

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!” (1 Chronicles 16:11)

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

“… and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!” (Psalm 119:1)

“For it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12)

“With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early …” (Isaiah 26:9)

“Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul …” (2 Chronicles 15:12)

“If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9)

“O God, you are my God; early I will seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1)

“… and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Here is the little pattern that God has set up in each one of these verses. If you will notice in each one of them, God wants you to be the one who will seek after Him. He wants us to be the ones who will initiate making direct contact with Him. In each one of these verses, it says we are to be the ones to seek after God. And if we do, then He will let us find Him.

God can obviously initiate the action with us anytime that He will want to do so. But with the way He is wording these specific verses, you can tell that He is letting all of us know that He wants us to initiate making direct contact with Him.

The reason I am listing these verses in this article is to show you the reverse can also occur off of these verses. Notice in verse #10 that it says if you forsake God, that He will cast you off forever.

If you decide to get mad at God and start holding a grudge against Him, then you are going to pull away from Him. And if you start to pull away from the Lord, then you will not be making any attempt to make any kind of direct contact with Him like the above verses are telling us to do. And if you stop trying to make direct contact with God, then you could be in danger of God pulling back on you, as these verses are telling us that God wants us to be the ones to make the attempt to make direct contact with Him.

Again, I believe God will chase after you for awhile, but where you could get yourself in trouble is off of the verse where the Holy Spirit will not strive after a man forever. If you keep ignoring God and all of His strivings to try and get you back, then He could decide to quit chasing after you. And if He does, then you will be left to wallow in your own self-pity, misery, depression and unhappiness. And that is not a place you want to be in, either with yourself or in your own personal relationship with the Lord.

Life is way too short to get worked into that kind of a bad, negative, mental state. Sooner or later, you will be leaving this life and entering into the most glorious place imaginable. And when you do, all of the trauma, pain and hurt of the tragedy you have been going through will all fall off of you like a heavy sack of potatoes. It will all be gone the second you enter into heaven. And then heaven will be for all of eternity – this life down here is just for the blink of an eye compared to the eternal time frame that is operating up in heaven.

If you are one of the ones who are on this fence post with the Lord as a result of some kind of severe tragedy hitting you full force, the best advice I can give you is to make a conscious, free-will decision that you will not pull away from the Lord, that you will continue to stay on the path that He has set up for your life, and that you will not give up.

Even if your wounded and hurt emotions will not be lining up with this kind of a statement with the Lord – just override those hurt and wounded emotions for now and just give God a good, conscious, free-will decision with your mind that you will continue to stay the course with Him. That is all He will be looking for at this point.

From there, over a period of time, the Holy Spirit will then move into your damaged and wounded emotions and He will then start to heal them up so you do not let any type of bitterness and anger start to get the better of you. You can do this very early on in a severe tragedy if you just give God the green light that you will stay the course with Him and that you will not pull away from Him no matter what happens from this point on.

Make this decision based upon your head knowledge of God and the Bible. Do not make this decision based upon your wounded and hurt emotions. The people who end up pulling away from God are doing this because of their damaged and wounded emotions. They are not relying upon their good head knowledge of God and the Bible.

That is why the Bible tells us that God’s people will perish and go into captivity without having knowledge. Again, here are these two vitally important verses on this issue:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

“Therefore My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge …” (Isaiah 5:13)

When people pull away from God as a result of letting a grudge form out against Him, they are in actuality going into captivity just like this second verse is telling us. That is why you can never, ever lose your faith, your belief and your trust in the Lord – no matter what life, hell or the devil may try and throw your way.

This is why it is extremely important that all Christians get built up in the Word of God, so they will have all of this head knowledge to fall back on when any type of severe adversity does strike them in this life.

CONCLUSION

Now, more than ever, we all need God in our lives. This is not the time to stay mad at God and continue to hold any type of grudges against Him.

And not only do we need God in our lives, but we need Him controlling it and running it, as most of the economies across the world still have not really rebounded and no one still knows for sure if and when they will. People are losing their houses, their jobs, and all of their life savings – and now, more than ever, we need God’s help to get through these very trying times.

For those of you who are tuned into the prophetic with the Lord, you can smell this a mile away that there are forces working behind the scenes trying to arrange a one world government. The Bible tells us that a real, live antichrist will eventually be coming to rule this entire world. And if he will be coming to rule this entire world, then a world stage and platform is going to be built for him so he will be able to do this.

Again, to those of you who are tuned into the prophetic with the Lord, you can “see” and “smell” this occurring behind the scenes, not only with our own government at this time, but with some of the other governments across the world as well, especially with some of the governments in Europe.

Again, this is why it is not the time to get mad at God and pull away from Him. If we are living in the end times as prophesied out of the Bible, then we are all going to have to stay very close to the Lord and be guided by His Holy Spirit so He can help us navigate and get through some of these rougher waters until the rapture occurs and we are finally taken off of this earth.

Remember – life is way too short to continue to stay mad at God, and from there, let an actual grudge form out between you and Him. No matter what has been thrown your way by way of a bad trial, just know that there are reasons for everything and if God will not give you those reasons down here, you will more than likely be told what they were once you get up into heaven.

Until then, do not let any type of adversity, especially any type of severe adversity, cause you to pull away from the Lord and totally disconnect with Him.
Look what happened to both Paul and Job. Both went through very severe adversity and both ended up staying true, loyal and faithful to the Lord. Neither one of them pulled away from the Lord. Job had to have one of the worst trials of all time and he refused to let it pull him away from the Lord. We have to do the exact same thing if we ever have any of these heavier trials come our way in this life.

I will leave you with one last verse that really says it all when dealing with the storm clouds of this life. Here it is:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35)

This is the type of verse you have to ground on and believe in if you are ever forced to have to deal with a heavier type of storm cloud in this life. We can never, ever let anything separate us from our Lord and Savior. Just remember the extreme, barbaric death Jesus went through to get us back to Himself and His Father. If Jesus was willing to die for us, then we should be willing to die for Him if circumstances should ever arise where that may have to occur.

Again, we ask that you go to our other article titled, “Trials and Tribulations – The Testing of Your Faith,” if you would like to see why God has to allow a certain amount of trials and tribulations to come everyone’s way in this life from time to time. In this article we give you all of the main Bible verses on this topic, along with all of the main reasons as to why every single person will have to face and engage with a certain amount of storm clouds in this life.

What God do you pray to?

2010-08-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Does it matter what religion we belong to?
By DAVID D. MATHEW
Sunday August 15, 2010

LAST Tuesday, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9 to 0 in favour of allowing the demolition of a building near the World Trade Centre site to make way for a 13-storey Islamic cultural centre and mosque.

Plans for the construction of the proposed mosque drew strong criticism from American politicians such as Sarah Palin who last month Tweeted to say: “Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing.”

She Tweeted again later saying to New Yorkers: “Peaceful New Yorkers, pls refute the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real.”

Palin was not the only one opposed to the building of the mosque.

The National Republican Trust paid for a provocative advertisement called “Kill the Ground Zero Mosque” which replayed scenes from Sept 11 with a background voice saying “On Sept 11, they declared war against us. They want to build a 13-storey mosque at Ground Zero. This ground is sacred. That mosque is a monument to their victory. The mosque at Ground Zero must not stand.”

Despite such opposition, the path is now finally open for the project to proceed.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a stirring speech given following the Landmarks Preservation Commission vote, stated that the government had no right whatsoever to deny Muslims the right to build a mosque.

“Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbours grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values – and play into our enemies’ hands – if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists – and we should not stand for that,” Bloomberg said.

“On Sept 11, 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked ‘What God do you pray to?’ ‘What beliefs do you hold?” the mayor said, before finishing by noting that political controversies may come and go but there is no neighbourhood in New York that is off limits to God’s love and mercy.

It is difficult to be a Muslim in many Western countries. Religious bigots are quick to play up on fears and remind everyone of not only Sept 11 but also the dangers of creeping Islamisa tion. — Sin Chew Daily/ANN

I am a human being just like you

2010-08-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Benny Hinn Says Neglecting Family Led to Divorce
Wed, Aug. 11, 2010 Posted: 01:58 PM EDT

Television evangelist Benny Hinn has admitted that his marriage probably broke down because he did not spend enough time with the family.

On the August 5 edition of his show "This is your Day,” Hinn said he was oftentimes "caught up with the ministry," so much so that he forgot about his family.

"I've made mistakes because I wasn't the perfect husband and the perfect dad because I was always gone traveling the world," he said. "That's probably what broke the whole thing up."

Hinn told his viewers "not to neglect your family," saying that the call of God should first touch the family.

"If you have no family, you can't go on anyways," he said.

Hinn's wife, Suzanne, filed divorce papers in California earlier this year, citing "irreconcilable differences." The couple had been married since 1979 and have four children together.

On his recent show, watched by millions around the world, Hinn said it was often painful to talk about their separation.

"We've had to be very quiet to protect the ministry, the work of the Lord," he said. "But sadly when you are a public person, everything you do becomes public."

Hinn continued: "I don't care if the anointing of God is on you. Nobody wants to be alone. I don't care who you are. I am a human being just like you."

The press recently linked Hinn to fellow televangelist Paula White, suggesting they were romantically involved.

Hinn rejected the claims and denied any wrongdoing, stating that the article published by the National Enquirer on July 23 was a "pure lie.”

Following the story, Hinn and White announced their decision to “have no further social relationship” until his divorce is finalized and “only if we feel direction from the Lord to do so.”

Brian Hutt
Christian Today Reporter

Severe economic downturn

2010-08-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

$8M Revenue Drop Forces Crystal Cathedral to Make Deep Cuts
Sat, Jan. 30, 2010 Posted: 11:56 PM EDT

Southern California’s famed Crystal Cathedral is making “cuts to the heart of our ministry” following a 27 percent drop in revenue – from $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009 – and with a drop in this year’s revenue anticipated.

In an announcement Friday, the Garden Grove, Calif.-based megachurch announced that its San Juan Capistrano location would shut down its operations following a decision by Crystal Cathedral Ministries’ International Board of Trustees.

That same day, the church said it was canceling its annual “Glory of Easter” pageant, the renowned live stage production that the church has presented every year for nearly three decades.

The church’s founder, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, said it was "with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries announces that after long prayer and deliberation, the Ministry through the 2010 Glory of Easter production will not be held due to severe economic downturn.”

"We ask that the entire church be united in prayer as we, the Crystal Cathedral congregation, share the triumphant message of Easter with those who regularly come to the campus and to our worship services,” added Schuller.

"In my 2009 Christmas Eve message, I shared the sentence, ‘A Set Back is a Set Up for a Comeback’ so we anticipate a positive turnaround in our country as we look forward to the 2010 Glory of Christmas and 2011 Glory of Easter. We dedicate ourselves to making that happen.”

In addition to the setbacks announced Friday, Crystal Cathedral is also reportedly laying off 50 workers and may pull its once-popular "Hour of Power" television show in up to eight markets.

Though some speculate that the drop in revenue is connected to the family feud that ensued following Schuller’s retirement a few years ago, Crystal Cathedral spokesman John Charles told the Los Angeles Times that the dispute had no effect.

“It is the economy,” he said. “We have a lot of older, retired people."

In 2008, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, who succeeded his father the year before, stepped down as senior pastor over the “lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this [was] placing this entire ministry.”

“[I]t has become necessary for Robert and me to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry to each pursue our own unique God-ordained visions,” the older Schuller reported in a statement on Oct. 28, 2008.

Since then, the megachurch founder has tapped his daughter, 58-year-old Sheila Schuller Coleman, to co-lead Crystal Cathedral with him, serving as the church’s “directing leader.”

In a prepared statement this past week, Coleman encouraged the congregation to “hang in there and be smart about surviving the downturn in the economy,” saying that “this storm will pass and we will be OK and we can begin to grow again as a ministry.”

Founded over 50 years ago, Crystal Cathedral is internationally known for its "Hour of Power" broadcast, once said to be the most-watched Christian program worldwide.

The church, which is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, is also known for the architecture of its main sanctuary building, which was constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass.

The church claims to have over 10,000 members and holds three services in its 2,900-capacity sanctuary every Sunday.

Joshua A. Goldberg
Christian Post Reporter

The church is still weathering the storm

2010-08-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Family of Crystal Cathedral Founder to Take 50 Percent Pay Cut
Tue, Aug. 10, 2010 Posted: 11:56 PM EDT

The founder of Southern California's Crystal Cathedral will take a voluntary 50 percent pay cut for the next two months as will his wife, his children, and his children’s spouses, according to a memo that was recently sent out to employees of the megachurch.

In the Aug. 5 e-mail, church staff were informed of the decision and told the move was made to meet the demands of the vendors to whom the church owes more than $2 million.

Employees will also face a pay cut of between 5 and 10 percent, depending on their salaries, according to the Orange Country Register, which first reported about the cuts.

None, however, were let go this time around – news that senior pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman said they were thankful for.

“[A]nd we are thankful that our financial situation is looking up and we can begin to take positive steps toward repaying our debts," added Coleman, who officially succeeded her father, Robert H. Schuller, last month.

Once a powerhouse in America and to many parts of the world, Crystal Cathedral has been struggling to survive the downturn in the economy.

Earlier this year, the Reformed church closed down all operations at its San Juan Capistrano location and put its 20-acre Retreat Center up for sale.

Crystal Cathedral also reported a 27 percent drop in revenue – from $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009 – and anticipates another drop in this year’s revenue.

To make matters worse, the Garden Grove megachurch also faced at least three lawsuits for the more than $2 million in debts it owed vendors for services rendered for the its 2009 "Glory of Christmas" production.

Fortunately, however, the creditors have agreed to work things out with the church and even extended the grace period from July to Oct. 9.

The church was also able to sell its Rancho Capistrano Retreat & Renewal Center to Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., of Oklahoma City, which in turn leased the property to another megachurch, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church.

“[I]t’s an incredible answer to prayer,” Coleman announced back in May.

While the church is still weathering the storm, Coleman has encouraged the congregation and assured them that “this storm will pass and we will be OK and we can begin to grow again as a ministry.”

Her father, meanwhile, said he anticipates a positive turnaround in America and said the church staff is dedicated to turning things around and bringing back its annual stage productions – the Glory of Christmas and the Glory of Easter.

This year, Crystal Cathedral canceled its Glory of Easter production for the first time in 27 years.

For more than a year now, Crystal Cathedral has been trying to dig its way out of a $55 million debt.

In that time, at least 100 employees have been laid off.

Joshua A. Goldberg
Christian Post Reporter

A staggering 70 percent of those describing themselves as Christian were female

2010-08-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Official Survey Reports 23 Million Christians in China
Thu, Aug. 12, 2010 Posted: 05:53 PM EDT

HONG KONG – Christians in China now number just over 23 million, according to the results of the Communist country’s first official faith survey.

Although that figure amounts to only 1.8 percent of the total population, it represents 73 percent of China’s religious population.

The figures were contained in the newly published Blue Book on China Religions, compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, an academic unit under the control of the Chinese government, according to China Daily.

The academy looked at the responses of over 60,000 questionnaires carried out in more than 300 counties across China.

Among the Christians interviewed, 69 percent of them said that they had converted to Christianity because they or their family members had fallen ill. A staggering 70 percent of those describing themselves as Christian were female and 67 percent of all Christians surveyed said they had been baptized.

The academy attributed the growth to societal reform over the last three decades, with 73 percent of Chinese Christians having joined the church after 1993, and only 18 percent having joined the church between 1982 and 1992.

“These statistics clearly indicate that the 30-year period of reform and opening up has been a period of rapid development for both Chinese society and the Chinese church,” Fu Xianwei, who heads the body that ensures churches follow state interests, was quoted as saying by China Daily.

Researchers noted a change in church demographics, with more young people, intellectuals and professionals joining the church in recent years.

To cope with the increase in number, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of churches in China, which now number more than 55,000.

Researchers noted that although the church had grown, Christian communities are still marginalized in society.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said on its website that Christianity mainly attracts people with low social status, including the poor, the women and older people.

It said that while half of Christians had completed their primary education, only 2.6 percent of them attained a college degree or higher.

There are different estimates on the total number of Christians in China when attendance at unregistered churches is taken into account, with figures ranging from 40 million to 130 million.

The Blue Book also touched on figures for Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam and Taoism. The number of Catholics in China, according to the book, is 5.7 million.

Aenon Shalom
Compass Direct News

Man of faith who fearlessly preached the gospel

2010-08-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pastor of Largest Church in Northern Caucus Killed

Friday, Jul. 30, 2010 Posted: 12:19:17AM HKT

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) – A pastor in the Russian republic of Dagestan known for founding the biggest Protestant church in the region and for successfully reaching out to Muslims has been killed by unidentified gunmen, local authorities have confirmed.

Artur Suleimanov, 49, pastor of Hosanna Christian Church in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, was shot on the evening of July 15 while leaving his church building.

The identity of the shooters remains unclear, but in the weeks leading up to the killing, Dagestan media broadcast calls for people to take measures against Suleimanov because he was too “active” and converted ethnic Muslims.

Suleimanov founded Hosanna Christian Church in Makhachkala in 1994. It started out as a small prayer group, but now with 1,000 members it is the largest Protestant church in the Northern Caucus region. According to a letter Suleimanov wrote to Compass several years ago, 80 percent of the congregation is made up of former Muslims.

The congregation established other branch churches throughout Dagestan and a formal Bible study center at the Makhachkala church. Suleimanov also equipped the church to distribute food and other aid to residents of the poverty-ridden country.

His death follows the shooting of Orthodox priest Daniil Sisoev of St.Thomas church in Moscow last November; a Muslim group claimed responsibility for the slaying.

Suleimanov is survived by his wife, Zina, and five children.

Dagestan is a small Russian republic of about 2.6 million people in the Caucus Mountains on the border with Chechnya. Ethnic Avars, Dargins and Lezgins, who are all traditionally Muslim, make up almost 75 percent of Dagestan’s population. In total, 91 percent of the population is Muslim, with the remaining 9 percent being Christian, mostly Russian Orthodox.

Because of Dagestan’s location, its population is trapped in a long-standing feud between Russia and the Chechen separatists fighting next door. The political realities of the conflict often bleed into Dagestan, resulting in civilian deaths.

The Russian government has from time to time cracked down on the Wahhabis, a sect of Sunni Islam with separatist tendencies. The Muslims in turn persecute Christians, because they see Christianity, and Orthodoxy in particular, as a Russian religion. Many converts to Christianity have to practice their faith in small, discreet home groups.

As an ethnic Avar, Suleimanov was considered by many Muslims to be an apostate and therefore deserving of death. But part of his success in reaching people was the fact that he was native to the region. Missionaries from outside Dagestan have met with mixed success.

In 1998, Herbert Gregg, one of the few U.S. pastors to live in Dagestan, was kidnapped. He was taken to Chechnya, where he was tortured, including having one of his fingers cut off. He was released after eight months of captivity and no longer lives in Russia.

Sergei Ryakhovsky, a Pentecostal minister active in Russia who presided over Suleimanov’s funeral, compared his killing to the 2009 shooting of Orthodox priest Sisoev.

On Nov. 19, 2009, a masked gunman entered St. Thomas church in Moscow and shot Sisoev four times. Sisoev, who was also known for his work among Muslims, died while being transported to a hospital. Before the shooting, he received numerous death threats from Islamic activists. After the shooting, a Muslim group linked to the Caucuses claimed responsibility for the killing.

A month later in Makhachkala, Russian law enforcement officers shot and killed Beksultan Kerybekov. According to police, Kerybekov pulled out a pistol and threw a grenade at a police substation when traffic officers stopped him to check his identification. Police later said the pistol found on his body forensically matched the weapon used in the Sisoev slaying.

“It seems that [Suleimanov’s killing] is in the same row with the murder of the Orthodox priest,” Ryakhovsky said to Interfaks-religion news agency. “But you cannot scare Christians with murders; for Christians to die for Christ is an honor.”

One of the publications calling for action against Suleimanov drew links between the missionary activities of Suleimanov and Sisoev among Muslims.

The Moscow-based Slavic Centre for Law and Justice and the Institute of Law and Religion issued a statement about Suleimanov shortly after the shooting. Saying he was a charming man and one of the most well-known Christian ministers in Russia, they called him a “true missionary with fervent heart and sincere faith.”

“He was a man of faith who fearlessly preached the gospel, sharing the faith in Christ with people even in difficult circumstances,” the statement read. “Since the beginning of his mission, Pastor Artur Suleimanov prayed for the salvation of Dagestan nations, despite all the difficulties and threatening that the community and preachers faced.”

Even the rich and educated are embracing Christianity

2010-08-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

China Church Growth 'Unique' and 'Explosive', Says Expert

Friday, Aug. 6, 2010 Posted: 2:09:45AM HKT

The Church in China is experiencing tremendous growth like never before, says an official with the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Mathews George Chunakara, WCC's Director of International Affairs and Public Witness, says there had been a "unique and explosive growth" of Christianity among the Chinese people.

"I have been visiting China for the last 15 years. I am astounded to see the tremendous growth there. Their worship places are now overflowing," Chunakara told New Delhi-based Christian Today in a recent interview.

"It is not just the poor you see in churches,” he added. ”Even the rich and educated are embracing Christianity. Beijing and Shanghai are the proof.”

In the early 1970s, there were an estimated three million Christians in China. Now, the number may be as high as 130 million.

And while the government has been known for keeping a tight grip on the activities in churches, Chunakara said the situation has "much improved" and that the government is now starting to "favor" religious people.

"The Chinese government will not raid unless provoked,” reported Chunakara. “Now being the fastest growing economy, they know the importance of a harmonious society. To promote such a society, they are giving religion a special role."

One example Chunakara pointed to was the Communist Government’s amendment of the Chinese Constitution two years ago to accommodate the role of religion.

"You could not expect such a thing to happen 15 years ago," Chunakara said.

Still, the government is continuing to keep a close eye on the activities of official churches and there has been sporadic persecution against Christians belonging to unofficial house churches.

But Chunakara praised God for the growth of the Church in China and in other Asian countries.

“Not only China, in many Asian countries the Church is expanding,” Chunakara noted. “More people are coming to God. In addition, the participation of young people is absolutely remarkable in comparison with those in West.

“There is genuine spiritual eagerness among the grassroot level people,” he said.

Chunakara said he believes God is using the foolish to shame the wise.

"While Christianity is dying in the West, God is bringing a spiritual awakening in third world countries like India and China," he stated.

Before taking on his current role at the WCC, Chunakara served as Asia secretary at the ecumenical church body.

Dibin Samuel
Christian Today Reporter

Wisdom is really an approach to life, a way of looking at the world

2010-08-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Character of Wisdom
An Introduction to Old Testament
Wisdom Literature

Dennis Bratcher

Wisdom Literature is a term applied to the Old Testament canonical books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, and sometimes to the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon). It also includes the Apocryphal books of Sirach (The Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus) and the Wisdom of Solomon. These books all share characteristics and points of view that are somewhat different than other biblical books, and those differences should be kept in mind when reading and studying them. Wisdom perspectives are also evident in other places in Scripture, such as the Psalms (see Wisdom Psalms and Types of Psalms), the teachings of Jesus, and the Epistle of James.

Wisdom is really an approach to life, a way of looking at the world and, for Israelites, a way of living out in very deliberate, rational ways their commitment to God. While Wisdom's roots go back to the early days of Israelite history, it began to flower in the latter part of the Old Testament period, and flourished in the Intertestamental period and the era of the New Testament (400 BC to AD 100).

The wisdom perspectives did not replace the other two major strands of though in Ancient Israel, that of prophets and priests. It was simply a different focus that was complementary with the other perspectives. While it is easy for us to assume in reading the historical accounts of Samuel of Kings, or the prophetic writings of Amos or Jeremiah, that Israel lived in constant crisis. Yet, if we stop and think about the time span of the major upheavals in Israel's history, there were many periods of several generations at a time where there was no crisis. During those times there was not great prophetic voice booming "thus says the Lord." There was just the daily routine of life that preoccupied most of the ordinary people of the land with the mundane questions of how to get along in life.

They were simple questions of living: how to discipline an unruly child, how to teach children what they need to know to survive as an adult, the dangers to the community of gossip and slander, the need for hard work and providing the necessities of life, why wicked people seem to prosper, the arrogance of sudden wealth. These are all life questions that most of us face today in the course of living. To realize that ancient Israelites faced these same questions, and grappled with them rationally from the perspective of experience and community wisdom, may say more to us today as modern Christians than we are used to hearing. Perhaps listening carefully to the Wisdom traditions as Scripture may help us bring an "earthy" balance to our tendency to be preoccupied with the metaphysical and the supernatural as a way to live life daily.

Here are some very brief characteristics of Old Testament Wisdom perspectives.

Wisdom is concerned with everyday life, how to live well.

1. Wisdom is concerned with the issues facing humanity in general, the typical and recurring aspects of life that face human beings on a daily basis. Much of the rest of Scripture is concerned with those unique events in history in which God reveals himself.

2. Little interest in history, politics, God who acts, miracles, sin, forgiveness guilt; these things are not discounted, only that the concern is focused on daily living on what might be called the mundane aspects of life, such as raising children, providing economic security, finding the appropriate wife, etc.

3. The world view is not mythical or cyclical, but it is concerned with stability and order, the status quo, especially in the social arena; the goal is to live in harmonious relationship with God, others, and the world.

4. The perspectives of wisdom are not unique to Israelites, although in Israelite wisdom commitment to God is simply assumed (cf. Prov. 1:7).

5. The focus is on interpersonal relationships, as well as reflective questions about the meaning of life and how to live it.

Wisdom does not appeal to revealed truth.

1. It does not address the human condition from the divine perspective, but rather from the perspective of human needs and concerns, and in terms of what human beings can and should do to address those concerns.

2. Wisdom attempts to give expression to the way things are; it is descriptive and not prescriptive, describing and defining the world and the existing social order as a means to live within both in productive ways.

3. Wisdom thinking grapples with understanding the world, especially the physical and social environment in which they must live; as such, it is both reflective, rational, and concerned with knowledge.

4. It is concerned with learning enough to be able to choose the proper course of action for well being in life, often expressed metaphorically as the "two ways" or the "two paths" (cf. Psa. 1).

Wisdom's claim to authority lies in tradition and observation

1. There is no "thus says the Lord" grounding of authority in wisdom thinking; rather the truth of life is already there in God's creation awaiting discovery.

2. Tradition represents the wisdom of experience, both in individuals and in the collective experiences of the community; preference is usually given to age and established and proven ways of doing things.

3. Wisdom is grounded in social structures, such as the family, the "schools" of the wise elders, or the king and the royal court.

4. Wisdom perspectives do not demand radical change, for example in dealing with social problems.

Israelite Wisdom is rooted in reverence and commitment to God

1. The basic world view of Israelite wisdom is that God is Creator, both of his people and the physical world; everything else in wisdom arises from this conviction.

2. As Creator, God has imbedded truth in all of creation; another way to say this is that all of creation reflects the wisdom, nature, and character of its creator, and therefore all of creation is a way to learn about God and his purposes for the world; creation is truly a "cosmos."

3. Wisdom takes seriously the confession in Genesis that the created world is good; there is no hint of an evil physical world that would emerge later in Greek thinking.

4. Human responsibility to God involves finding the truth of God in the world as reflected in how the world operates according to the harmony of its creator, and then living within that harmony of God's order.

5. Being wise is to search for and maintain the order of God in the world in order to live well as God has created humanity to live; a "fool" is one who does not recognize God as creator and therefore does not seek to live according to the harmony of God's creation.

6. The "way of wisdom" is an ethical system in which humanity is responsible for searching, finding, and doing the things necessary to secure their well being in God's world.

-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2010, Dennis Bratcher, All Rights Reserved

We have to decide what level of commitment we expect from the people we're leading

2010-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

Preaching for Total Commitment
What does it take to convince people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ?

Bill Hybels
Monday, December 29, 2008

Recently a man commented on the "tough topics" I'd taught on over the years—hell, money, sex, relational confrontation, self-discipline. He asked, "Of all the topics you've preached on, which has been the hardest to get across?"

I didn't even have to think about it. "Becoming totally devoted to Christ." My greatest teaching challenge is to convey what Paul was driving at in Acts 20:24 and elsewhere: "I no longer count my life as dear unto myself; I have abandoned my personal aspirations and ambitions; I have offered myself as a living sacrifice to Christ." When I teach that to secularly minded people, they think I'm from Mars. The thought of living according to someone else's agenda is ludicrous.

To many people, living for Christ is a kind of fanaticism the world could do without. Who, they wonder, would be foolish enough voluntarily to suffer loss, refrain from pleasure, or impinge on the comfort level of his life? They think total devotion to Christ means squandering the only life they have.

A man from my church provides a perfect example. His biggest problem, as I perceive it, is his successful company. Clients whose business he's not even seeking are lining up for his services. Just responding to them is tyrannizing his life. Several months ago I asked him why his heart didn't seem to be as warm toward things of God as it had been.

"Business has been dominating my life," he admitted, but added in defense, "but I'm not seeking it. I'm just trying to handle what's coming in. I mean, what do you expect me to do?"

I suggested he could say, "Enough is enough." He looked at me as if I were insane. What businessman in his right mind would say no to a client whose order would produce a bigger profit? You don't do that in this world. More is always better; it's the American way. The desire for more had a greater pull on this man than his desire to follow Christ, use his spiritual gifts, serve his wife, or be father to his kids.

If it's so hard to persuade people to commit themselves unreservedly to Christ, why bother? Why not settle for church attendance, or membership, or at least periodic service?

As ministers, we all have to come to terms with the quality of fruit we're producing. We have to decide what level of commitment we expect from the people we're leading.

Church history has taught us that a leader can do more through a handful of totally devoted believers than through a church full of halfhearted ones. So we're left with a tension: How can we teach in such a way that we produce fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, when we know that most people don't want to hear about radical discipleship?

Let me suggest five principles that guide me when I preach for 100 percent commitment.

Describe total commitment
The first step is to develop a clear understanding of total commitment. A teacher constantly has to define and redefine: What does it really mean to be completely devoted to Christ? If it doesn't mean simply showing up for services, putting in a check, and going home, then what does it mean?

Several Bible passages define total commitment for me and shape my preaching on the subject:

Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:31: "I die daily." I've never met a fully devoted follower of Christ who didn't have to die daily to a host of things that would like to have a grip on him—personal ambition, worldly pleasures, people's applause, greed. This culture ferociously maintains that "you can have it all," but that slogan is foreign to the mind and teaching of Christ. It's difficult for me to stand in an affluent, suburban congregation and tell people what they need to die to, walk away from, or give up, but I have to do it.

Jesus' command in Luke 10:27 to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind." This means we need to obey God's Word and order our lives in such a way that we can live in the constant awareness of his presence.

John's question, "How can you say you love God yet hate your brother?" (1 John 4:20-20). We live in an age in which hate is routine, and too often that attitude spills over into the church. Yet Scripture makes it clear that total devotion to Jesus Christ includes being at peace with our brothers. True Christians, particularly leaders, need to take Matthew 5:23-24 (the need to be reconciled with our brother before coming to God) more seriously. We need to make relational integrity a priority and actively seek reconciliation whenever a problem arises. That should be a prerequisite to ministry.

Jesus' constant teaching on the use of time, talents, and treasures. After a person spends thirty years devoting all of his or her time and talents to the marketplace, it's hard to start devoting it suddenly to the Lord. It's hard to hear verses like "Seek first the kingdom of God," or "Always abound in the work of the Lord," or "Set your mind on things above," or "What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul?"

It takes time to develop personal spiritual disciplines—Bible study, journaling, praying, fasting, reflecting. It takes time to be in a small group of brothers or sisters who will provide challenge and accountability. It takes time to advance the kingdom in practical service. But those commitments of time are a good measure of our devotion to Christ.

A medical professional from our church has decided to work a four-day week so he can devote the other three days to his lay-leadership role and his relationship with his family. The work time he has given up costs him substantial income every week. But he has decided to die to that so he can live to what Christ has called him to do apart from his vocation. Already he had been using his skills to serve needy people; but now, in addition, he's able to use his gifts of administration and leadership within the church in significant ways. He's putting his time, talents, and treasures at God's disposal.

Model it
The second step in preaching on total commitment is tougher: to live it ourselves. It's clear, I think, that we can't lead a congregation into total commitment unless we're attempting to model it.

Every pastor has been on the wrong side of the total-commitment fence at one time or another. It's like asking an athlete, "Have you always been in superb condition?"

Inevitably, the answer is, "Not always."

When you ask, "How'd you feel when you weren't?" they say, "Sluggish. Under par. Less than professional."

Recently I read about a top leader who was asked, "What is your main objective in leading your organization?"

He said, "To intercept entropy." That fascinated me, because that's what I try to do in my own life. I look at myself and say, Where is there slippage? Where am I getting out of condition? Where am I becoming sluggish? Before I pay attention to the spiritual condition of others, I examine myself.

One of my great frustrations is not being able to manage my life so that I'm always fully committed. But if I'm willing to hear the truth about myself, the Spirit will point out areas of carelessness and inconsistency. Then I can repent and intercept the entropy at a fairly early stage.

In addition to trying to model total commitment, we need other congregational leaders who are fully devoted followers, who can uphold the standard. Last night I looked around the table at our elders' meeting and thought, Every elder in this church is committed to Jesus Christ and would take a bullet for him right now. That means when I preach about total commitment, they're the first ones to cheer me on: "Don't ever settle for less. We're with you 100 percent." It would be pretty hard for me to bring a strong call for deeper discipleship if the elders and other key leaders weren't in agreement.

What's exciting is that the more fully devoted the pastor and lay leaders become, the more fully devoted the congregation becomes. The growth in the congregation then inspires the leaders to deeper commitment, and that prompts a continual cycle of growth. Total discipleship becomes contagious and exhilarating.

There's one man in our church whose only day off is Wednesday; he comes in that morning and cleans our water fountains. Another man comes in on his day off and services our vacuum cleaners. Other volunteers weed and cultivate various flower beds on the church property. I recently saw a young mom tending one of the beds. Her baby sat in a stroller, while she listened to a cassette tape and dug around the flowers. When I see discipleship manifested in service like that, I become motivated to be a more devoted servant myself.

Preach from every angle
The third step is to preach on total commitment from as many creative angles as possible. Here's what I mean:

Select series that lead naturally to a call for commitment. In a sense, every sermon I preach defines some aspect of commitment, whether it's about marriage, character development, caring for our bodies, or whatever. Still, I believe the call to devotion is best presented overtly, and some series don't lend themselves to that as naturally as others.

For example, I preached a series that dealt with honesty in relationships. It was a helpful series, but it didn't provide a good opportunity for calling people to a deeper commitment to Jesus Christ. To do that would have been somewhat manipulative, a bait-and-switch for people who came expecting something else. With some topics, if I want to have integrity, I need to stick with the subject matter and wait for another time to talk about discipleship.

But other topics naturally lead to a call for 100 percent commitment. Last year I preached a series called "Alternatives to Christianity," in which I discussed the New Age Movement, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, and contrasted them with Christianity. Following an honest comparison of these belief systems, I ended the series by saying,

After you've heard all this, wouldn't you agree that the Christian message is absolutely compelling? When you line it up against the other belief systems, doesn't it prove to be a more excellent way? If this series has convinced you that Christianity is compelling in its truths, in the person of Jesus Christ, and in what it produces in individual lives, if, in fact, it's the clear winner, then embrace it with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Don't hold back.

That series naturally lent itself to a call for commitment, and I didn't shrink from presenting it. As I plan my preaching, I monitor the series I'm selecting as to whether they lead without manipulation to a message on all-out Christian commitment.

Present committed service as a joyous response to what God has done for us, not as a means to earn salvation. We ministers have to make sure our people realize that discipleship is a way to say thank you to God, not a way to gain merit.

At times I've stopped myself during a call to commitment and said, "If you're outside the family of God, please understand that discipleship is a response to God's amazing grace. It's not an attempt to improve your status before God. Paul says you can 'give your body to be burned,' but you can't save yourself through discipleship. Commitment is a means to express gratitude, not to win entrance into heaven."

Illustrate the alternatives to wholehearted commitment. When I'm trying to challenge the secularly minded person to be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I find it effective to play out the opposite scenario.

For example, in a series called "Rare and Remarkable Virtues," the closing message was on contentment. I began by saying:

All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction. Unfortunately, history shows otherwise.

Then I went on to describe how this man concluded his life—emaciated; colorless; sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches-long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. "Howard Hughes died," I said, "believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards."

By depicting the path of the self-centered life, we can show its emptiness and ultimate futility. We can say, "Friends, it's madness. Can you see that? Maybe these men traveled further down the road to deception than you have, but play it out. Think about where you're headed. Sooner or later you'll get so tired of drinking cups of sand, you'll say, 'I'm ready for some living water.' You can do that 15 years from now, after you've gone through two or three more marriages and left a trail of broken children. Or, you can learn from the madness of others, and bow right now and trust Christ."

I go on to ask, "Has your most recent acquisition quenched the thirst in your soul? Has your most recent thrill, your promotion, your marriage, your new child, your published book, left you totally satisfied inside?" People need to admit that what they thought would satisfy them, when once attained, usually doesn't do the job.

For the currently satisfied, offer your help for a later date. Sometimes people say, "Hey, I'm happy with who I am. I'm not hungry or thirsty for anything. I have no major problems, and I'm doing okay." To people who are that self-deceived, there's nothing I can say. It does no good to try to convince them of their need. But publicly or privately I can offer my assistance for the day they finally realize they need Christ.

For several years I was chaplain for the Chicago Bears and taught a weekly Bible study at Halas Hall, where they practiced. One player used to walk by the door, shake his head and wink at me, and then move on. One day I said to him, "You're on top of the world right now. You've got all the money and fame you could ask for. So you go by and wink, and think I and the rest of the guys in there are fools." He just smiled.

I said, "I'm not trying to be a prophet of doom, but sometime the roof is going to cave in on your life. All of a sudden you're going to realize you don't have it all. When that happens, call me."

Three weeks later, he called. "My only brother just had his first child. It was born deformed. My brother's devastated, and so am I. I don't know what to do or say. Can I talk to you?"

With the currently satisfied, our best strategy is to advertise our availability for the day they realize their need. Patiently let the Spirit work

Bill Hybels speaking on patience is like Imelda Marcos speaking on frugality. But I've had to learn to be patient, to preach on discipleship and allow the Spirit to bring it to pass.

Becoming wholly devoted is a process. Colossians 1 says people need to become complete in Christ, but 1 Corinthians 3 reminds me that they start out as spiritual babes. My responsibility is not to push the growth but to monitor the diet. Does the menu I'm offering provide the nutrition that will lead them to maturity? Is the diet too meaty, so that it chokes them? Or is the diet junk food that tickles the taste buds but fails to sustain health?

All believers ultimately should abandon themselves to full commitment to Christ. However, all believers cannot do that at the same pace. Some people in our body are, by temperament, timid and methodical. If they take tennis lessons, they go forty-five minutes a week, and in eight years they'll play a good game. When it comes to full commitment to Christ, they follow the same pace. They're not fighting God or being rebellious; their slow progression toward commitment is in keeping with the overall speed of their lives. With them, I have to slow down and move accordingly.

Other people are just the opposite. Not long ago, a man wrote to me: "I own two businesses. I became a Christian at one of your services two weeks ago. I have already found two men to run my businesses. I am ready to devote the rest of my life to serving at Willow Creek Community Church. Call me."

We called him immediately—to make sure he wasn't moving too fast. His speed made us nervous, but some people are like that by nature. He probably knew his wife a week before he proposed!

Because of these differences in personality, I never say, "Decide by next Sunday." Ultimatums and specific time frames may not be consistent with individual temperaments. Instead, I say, "You've heard truth from Scripture today. Please don't be hearers only, but doers. As for me and my house, we've decided to do this (whatever I'm preaching). You, too, have decisions to make. May the Holy Spirit have freedom in you as you make the right ones." Be ready to live with opposition

I must point out a painful fact of pastoral life. Preaching sold-out Christianity draws the disapproval of snipers who will try anything to persuade us to lower the standard.

Halfhearted believers respond to messages on total commitment the way rebellious sinners respond to messages on repentance. Suppose you stood before one hundred thousand kids at a rock concert and said, "You're on the wrong road. Please reconsider the direction of your life. Fall to your knees, repent of your rebellion against God, and receive Christ as your Savior." You can bet you'd see hostility.

I've found similar resistance when I've challenged halfhearted, cosmetic Christians to be dedicated completely to Christ. Whenever you expose someone's addiction to gratification, you can expect a defensive reaction.

Pastors feel it. We preach a tough message on discipleship, and the reaction tells us it's "thirty-two degrees and falling." The next week we preach on rebuilding self-esteem, and suddenly it's "eighty-five degrees and sunshiny." What are we inclined to preach about the third week?

How do people couch their resistance? "You're being too harsh. You're being unrealistic. We're not ready for that yet. What about 'God loves you as you are'?" If I didn't have support from my elders, I couldn't keep it up, because sometimes the resistance gets too strong.

Not long ago we surveyed our committed core people. One question we asked was, "Are you using your spiritual gift in this body for God's glory on a weekly basis?" About 53 percent said they were. Scripturally, that's not good enough. So, in a message I cited that statistic and said, "I thank God for those of you who are using your spiritual gifts. And I pray for those of you who have been so deeply wounded in the past that you need a time of healing before you can begin to serve. But to the rest of you, I have to ask a tough question: What's going on? If you've been redeemed and welcomed into the family of God, you should be lying awake nights thinking of ways to show God your gratitude. One way you can do that is by identifying and using your spiritual gift. If you're not doing that, something is wrong!"

I have to confess I even used the word parasites for people "who eat and run, who enjoy the benefits of the body of Christ, but don't contribute to its well-being."

One of the elders stopped me afterward and said, "Great word. It had to be said." I needed that kind of support, because the next day the missiles started arriving in the mail: "Just because I choose not to serve in this body does not make me a parasite."

"You had no right to pressure us that way."

"You're an egomaniac who thinks you can tell everybody else how to live."

I answered every letter and offered to talk further. I did, however, affirm my understanding of 1 Corinthians 12: If you claim to be a part of the body, then you need to function as a part of the body.

The point is, when we feel we have to confront the congregation, that's when we need to be surrounded by elders who can say, "That's the right message, given in the right spirit. Don't let the missiles get to you."

Because of that, I alert the elders when I'm thinking of preaching a particularly challenging message. Sometimes they say, "Bill, that sounds more like your personal pet peeve than our collective concern. Be careful." Then I usually drop the issue or wait until I have a better perspective on it.

Other times, they confirm my desire to preach the message, and I can step into the pulpit with confidence. Why I keep preaching this message

What helped me overcome my hesitation to preach the genuine, all-or-nothing gospel of Christ? The realization that living a genuine, all-or-nothing life for God is the only path to satisfaction.

Every day I journal, write out my prayers, and resubmit myself to God. I say with the hymn writer, "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee." Or, "You are the Potter; I am the clay. Hold over my being absolute sway." Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I try to follow those commitments during the day.

I have never regretted my attempts to be yielded to God. In fact, my times of greatest yieldedness have been my times of greatest joy. They've prompted me to ask with the psalmist, "What can I render to the Lord for all of his benefits to me?"

On the other hand, I have paid dearly for the times I have not been yielded, when I've been self-willed, carnal, rebellious, or timid. Remembering that helps me when I reach the point in the message when I call people to full commitment to Christ. It's easy to feel tentative when I realize I may be asking a man to give up a six-figure income, or a woman to forsake a relationship she depends on, or a teenager to be rejected by his peer group. The Evil One clouds my mind and makes me think I shouldn't lay such heavy challenges on people.

Then I remember: It's in total commitment that we find the blessedness, peace, thrill, and adventure we were meant to enjoy. It's in the pursuit of radical discipleship that we experience the constant companionship and smile of God. Remembering that makes me want to shout from the mountaintops, "The best thing you can do is drop to your knees right now and say, 'Lord, here I am, wholly available. I pour myself out for you.' "

I've never met anyone who regretted his or her decision to become a devoted Christian. I could fill a stadium, though, with people who shipwrecked their lives because they refused to respond to God's call. People write me saying, "If only I could roll back the clock; if only I hadn't been obstinate in my relationship with God; if only I'd listened."

Radical commitment to Jesus Christ is a tough challenge, but it leads to life in all its fullness. Since we know that's true, we need to ask ourselves only one question: Will we shrink back from calling people to do what will serve them best and give God the most glory, or will we be faithful servants who speak the powerful, life-changing truth?

Bill Hybels is pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. This article was first published in Leadership in 1989.

Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

Without commitment, our individual lives will be barren and sterile.

2010-08-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Lost Art of Commitment
CONTRA MUNDUM

Why we're afraid of it, and why we shouldn't be.
Chuck Colson with Catherine Larson | posted 8/04/2010 09:33AM

Certain characteristics are so inherent to Christianity that to neglect them is to become a walking oxymoron. A Christian without commitment is such an oxymoron. That's why I was so disturbed when a friend shared a statement from presidential candidates at a Christian college. When asked, "What has changed the most in the past 20 years with young people who are entering college?" all the candidates said that young adults today are far less willing to commit to anything.

Whether we are talking about career, marriage, or faith, studies back up their observation. In 2008, more than half of people ages 20 to 24 had been with their current employer for less than a year. Although the recession has dampened this somewhat, young adults are still floundering when it comes to embracing a calling. Marriage, especially, has suffered; according to U.S. Census data, young adults are marrying later than ever. A 2006 PBS documentary, Generation Next, gave some insight into why: desire for adventure, career advancement, and prolonged adolescence. Lack of commitment is also hitting religion—hard. Studies suggest that the iPod generation is choosing which aspects of the faith to adopt to create their own unique spiritual playlists.

Among today's young adults, the unwillingness to commit is alarming, clearly one result of the philosophies of the 1960s and '70s coming to full flower. In 1979, sociologist Robert Bellah conducted extensive interviews to understand what "habits of the heart" defined average Americans. Many had no sense of community or social obligation. They saw the world as a fragmented place of choice and freedom that yielded little meaning or comfort. They even seemed to have lost the language to express commitment to anything besides themselves. Bellah called this "ontological individualism," the belief that the individual is the only source of meaning. Bellah saw how this attitude would, in time, unravel the church and larger society. Since then, we've seen an almost uninterrupted march toward self-focus, affecting all of our institutions but especially crippling work, marriage, and family.

The basic building blocks of society simply erode without commitment. Any sensible society must address this problem by educating people that commitment is the very essence of human relationships.

At the least, we need to teach this in our churches. How can you begin as a Christian without death to self and total commitment to Jesus Christ?

But beyond the ramifications for society as a whole, beyond even the obvious necessity of Christian commitment, when we refuse to commit, we miss out on one of the great joys of life. When we obsess over ourselves, we lose the meaning of life, which is to know and serve God and love and serve our neighbors.

This was made clear when 33 research scientists investigated the relationship between human development and community in a 2003 report, Hardwired to Connect. Their research revealed that we are biologically primed to find meaning through relationships.

After nearly eight decades of living, I can vouch for this. My single greatest joy is giving myself to others and seeing them grow in return. You cannot discover that without commitment. I first learned it by watching my parents care for my dying grandparents in our home. This is a custom long forgotten today, when such care is subcontracted out. I later saw it in the Marine Corps. You cannot go into combat, commanding 45 men, as I was trained to do, if you aren't committed to one another. You are going to die if the man next to you does not cover your back.

That's a point driven home in the excellent 2010 book Joker One, by Donovan Campbell. It should be required reading for every Christian, because the kind of commitment you see in the platoon—Campbell calls it love for one another—is what needs to be happening in churches. Finally, I see it at this point in my life, when my greatest reward is seeing ex-convicts restored and people I've taught begin to understand the faith in its fullness.

By abandoning commitment, our narcissistic culture has lost the one thing it desperately seeks: happiness. Without commitment, our individual lives will be barren and sterile. Without commitment, our lives will lack meaning and purpose. After all, if nothing is worth dying for (the anthem of the '60s anti-war protesters), then nothing is worth living for. But with commitment comes the flourishing of society—of calling, of marriage, of the church—and of our hearts. It's the paradox Jesus so often shared when he bid us to come and die that we might truly live.

Copyright © 2010 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

worship ought to be God-centered and gospel-fueled.

2010-08-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

Worship Is A Big Deal: Part 1
Today I begin a multi-part series of posts on corporate worship: what it is and why it’s important

Thu, Jul. 29, 2010 Posted: 12:41 PM EDT

Today I begin a multi-part series of posts on corporate worship: what it is and why it’s important.

At sixteen I dropped out of high school. And because my lifestyle had become so disruptive to the rest of the household (I’m the middle of seven children), my grieving parents had no choice but to kick me out of the house.

Having successfully freed myself from the constraints of teachers and parents, I could now live every young guy’s dream. No one to look over my shoulder, no one to breathe down my neck, no one to tell me what I could and couldn’t do. I was finally free-or so I thought.

My newfound freedom had me chasing the things of this world harder than most others my age. I sought acceptance, affection, meaning, and respect behind every worldly tree and under every worldly rock. The siren song of our culture promised me that by pursuing the right people, places, and things, I’d find the satisfaction, security and significance I craved. If I could look, act, and talk a certain way, my deep itch to matter would finally get scratched.

But it didn’t work out that way. The more I pursued those things, the more lost I felt. The more I drank from the well of worldly acceptance, the thirstier I became. The faster I ran toward godless pleasure, the further I felt from true fulfillment. The more I pursued freedom, the more enslaved I became. At twenty-one I found myself painfully realizing that the world hadn’t satisfied me the way it promised, the way I’d anticipated. The world’s message and methods had, in fact, hung me out to dry.

I felt betrayed. Lied to. I desperately longed for something-Someone-out of this world.

One morning I woke up with an aching head and a sudden, stark awareness of my empty heart. Having returned to my apartment after another night of hard partying on Miami’s South Beach, I’d passed out with all my clothes on. Hours later, as I stirred to a vacant, painful alertness, I realized it was Sunday morning. I was so broken and longing for something transcendent, for something higher than anything this world has to offer, that I decided to go to church. I didn’t even change my clothes. I jumped up and stumbled out the door.

I arrived late and found my way to the only seats still available, in the balcony. It wasn’t long before I realized how different everything was in this place. I immediately sensed the distinctiveness of God. Through both the music and the message, it was clear that God, not I, was the guest of honor there. Having suffered the bankruptcy of our society’s emphasis on “self-salvation”, it was remarkably refreshing to discover a place that joyfully celebrated our inability to save ourselves.

I didn’t understand everything the preacher said that morning, and I didn’t like all the songs that were sung. But the style of the service became a non-issue as I encountered something I couldn’t escape, something more joltingly powerful than anything I’d ever experienced, something that went above and beyond typical externals. Through song, sermon, and sacrament, the transcendent presence of God punctured the roof, leaving me-like Isaiah when he entered the temple-awestruck and undone.

I was on the receiving end of something infinitely larger than grand impressions of human talent. God and his glorious gospel were on full display. It was God, not the preacher or the musicians, who was being lifted up for all to see. It wasn’t some carefully orchestrated performance (which, believe me, I would have seen right through). Rather, I was observing the people of God being wrecked afresh by God’s good news announcement that in the person of Jesus, he had done for them what they could never do for themselves. In and through the praising, praying, and preaching, the mighty acts of God in bringing salvation to our broken world were recited and rehearsed.

I was a “seeker” being reached, not by a man-centered, works-filled, trendy show, but by a God-centered, gospel-fueled, transcendent atmosphere. I was experiencing what Dr. Ed Clowney, the late president of Westminster Theological Seminary, used to call “doxological evangelism.” It was, quite literally, out of this world.

I tell you this personal story as a way to illustrate just how important a church’s corporate worship is-God used a worship service to save my life.

I view my story as proof that the way a church worships is a big deal. Paul made it clear to the Corinthian church that worship is not to be taken lightly-that when Christian’s are gathered by God to worship, they should worship in such a way that non-Christian’s in their midst leave saying, “God is really among you.”

A church’s worship, in other words, ought to be God-centered and gospel-fueled.

(To be continued…)

Worship Is A Big Deal, Part 2
Contrary to what many modern people believe, we can’t approach God any way we please.

Fri, Aug. 06, 2010 Posted: 02:03 PM EDT

(This post is part 2 in a series on corporate worship that I began a few days ago. You can read part 1 here)

Contrary to what many modern people believe, we can’t approach God any way we please. Trying to do so is extremely dangerous, as the Bible makes clear (see Cain, Nadab, and Abihu, for example). In the Bible, God provides us with commands, instructions, examples, and stories to illustrate how he wants us to worship him. Our worship, therefore, is to be regulated by God himself through his Word.

The often misunderstood “regulative principle” of worship simply means we must worship by the Book-that everything we do in worship must be divinely approved.

During the Protestant Reformation, two views emerged regarding how Sola Scriptura ought to be understood when it comes to worship practices. Martin Luther believed we could do anything we want in worship as long as the Bible doesn’t say “no”-whatever is not prohibited is permitted. John Calvin believed we can’t do anything in worship unless the Bible says “yes”-only those elements that are appointed by God in Scripture are permissible.

Because Scripture is the all-sufficient Word of God, I believe with Calvin that everything we do in worship must be prescribed in the Bible. But the application of the regulative principle does not need to be narrow, as is often assumed. Because the Bible instructs us with its methods as much as it does its material, our scope regarding what God commands in worship is deep and wide. For instance, recognizing the various literary genres of Scripture-history, story, poetry, prophecy, epistle, and so on-should demonstrate that stylistic diversity is something God himself employs and enjoys. Therefore, shouldn’t stylistic diversity be something we celebrate in worship? In other words, God is telling us something about how to worship him by the way he communicates, not just what he communicates-both style and substance are prescriptive. Understood this way, the regulative principle allows for much more variety in worship than some have concluded.

While the entire Bible ought to inform and regulate our approach to God, Isaiah 6:1-8 especially captures what it looks like to worship God in spirit and in truth. For me, this passage has become a go to passage on worship and I believe our corporate worship experience ought to mirror the experience we see here.

(To be continued…)

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is a Florida native, the new pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. A graduate of Columbia International University (philosophy) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Tullian is the author of Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life’s Most Important Relationship (Multnomah), Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Multnomah) and Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels (Crossway). Tullian is also a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He speaks at conferences throughout the U.S. and his sermons are broadcast daily on the radio program Godward Living.
Tullian Tchividjian
Christian Post Guest Columnist

They were overwhelmed by deep repentance

2010-08-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

A LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS

Malaysia is divided into two sections: the west occupies part of the peninsula at the southeastern tip of Asia and the eastern section part of the island of Borneo.

Ethnic groups include the Malays, Chinese and Indians. Among the aboriginal tribes are the famous ex-head-hunters. One of their customs was that, when a youth reached maturity, he had to bring back the head of an inhabitant of a neighbouring villlage. This practice continued until Christian missionaries arrived.

The revival which came in 1973 was characterised by many signs and wonders with the power of God coming down in remarkable visitations.

A new move of God been in a high school among young people in a place called 'Bario'. This group used to get together at night to pray for hours after class. They were inspired by the book, Like a Mighty Wind about the Indonesian Revival and believed God could work among them also. They prayed, 'God, if You did it in Indonesia, You can do it here, also.

When the answer came from heaven, they were overwhelmed by deep repentance, accompanied by crying. Conviction was such that even small things appeared great in their eyes. Impoliteness or arriving late to class was seen as something terrible before God.

At first the teachers were very put out. The students spent all night praying, even though they would soon be having their final exams. The Holy Spirit then began convicting the teachers until they also started to cry out to God. There was a spirit of reconciliation around and many wrote letters to others asking for forgiveness.

The young people who went back to their villages at the end of term, took the fire of the Spirit with them and this affected other tribes. God gave them words of knowledge for members of their family, describing their sins and exhorting them to repent. Often they would indicate where they kept some fetish or article related to Witchcraft. The revelation caused the family members to fall on their knees and cry out to Cod. The young men and women would remain in the village from morning to evening, often for several days, till the whole tribe turned to God.

During this revival, there were many miracles. On one occasion, the Holy Spirit indicated that this group of young people should go to a village. While travelling through the forest, in the midst of dense vegetation, phosphorescent, transparent light appeared in front of them, illuminating their path. Wild animals did not bother them, and the light moved before them.

In every little village where these ignited hearts went, the fires of revival would spread.

On another occasion, God told a group of young people to visit a certain village. To get there they had to travel at night through the forest along dark paths. The Spirit of God told them to gather branches or leaves. When they broke a branch off a tree it became light in their hands. Those who saw such a miracle thought that when they arrived at the village the tribesmen would be impressed. Much to their surprise, however, when they arrived, the light vanished.

In the town of Bakelalan, people started to fall under the power of the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues during a meeting. One woman, who was the wife of the tribal chief, was about to have a baby. She fell under the power and remained like that for two days. When she came to consciousness, she gave birth to a healthy boy!

Often, after experiencing the conviction of the Holy Spirit and repentance, the people were flooded by waves of tremendous joy. They began to jump and shout and laugh.

Sadly, however, when some of the missionaries saw this, they said, 'This is not God.' The missionaries did not accept this move of God and stopped it. In the words of one eye witness, speaking several years later: 'Only now, do I understand the joy and laughter as I see again what God is doing in our midst. What we experienced then was snuffed out by the missionaries."

Revival began with a group of 20 or 30 people, but it became so large that today it can be read about in government archives.

Man torches self after ‘burning’ lottery win

2010-08-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

Monday August 9, 2010
The Star

A VEGETABLE farmer who lived a life of luxury after winning almost RM1mil in a lottery five years ago torched himself when his “pot of gold” became empty.

The 63-year-old from Serian, Sarawak, known only as Khoo, was reported to have dug a “grave” at the back of his house before splashing petrol on his body and lighting it, reported Berita Minggu.

The man had won more than RM750,000 five years ago and then reportedly spent up to RM1,800 on a single bet over the years, hoping to strike it big again, the weekly said.

Serian OCPD Deputy Supt Jamali Umi said the police have classified the case as sudden death.

He said the victim’s nephew had found the man dead in the hole.

A relative, who declined to be named, said Khoo, who never married, had stopped cultivating his farm upon winning the lottery and had spent the money on a new house and several vacations.

Swimming, teddy bears and pets are described as un-Islamic

2010-08-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

British muslim children in danger of ‘Talibanisation’

Fri, 6 Aug 2010

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is the chair of the British Muslims for Secular Democracy.

Something must be done to stop the alarming ‘Talibanisation’ of young British muslims, warns the chair of the British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD).

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown said: “Make no mistake, Taliban devotees are in our schools, playgrounds, homes, mosques, political parties, public service, private firms and universities.

“And if we are to have any hope of combating them, we need to stop this attitude of appeasement and understand why so many Muslims are attracted to the most punishing forms of belief, suppressing women and children.”

Brutal

Mrs Alibhai-Brown cites a number of concerning cases in which Muslim children have been brutally beaten and disciplined for participating in simple school activities such as theatre or music.

She recounted last November, how on the steps of Tate Britain, she witnessed a scene of a furious Asian father shaking his young son and tearing up the picture his child had drawn.

She said the father explained to her that according to his Islamic mentors, drawing pictures of people was forbidden.

Objections

In a separate case Mrs Alibhai-Brown spoke of 13-year-old Femida, who lives in a refuge with her Jordanian mother, a wedding singer.

She said: “Her father, a convert to Islam, had become more and more authoritarian.

“Mother and daughter fled after he took a hammer to the CD player and TV set, and tried to throttle his wife.

Violence

“‘He was screaming that he wanted to kill my voice so I could be a good Muslim,’ said Femida.”

Mrs Alibhai-Brown said the “rapid spread of rigid, diehard Islam is deeply worrying”.

She cautioned: “For many of us Muslims, this creeping Talibanisation of childhood is unendurable.”

Worrying

A BBC investigation revealed that in one London school more than 20 Muslim pupils had been removed from music lessons because their parents felt such teaching to be anti-Islamic.

The Muslim Council of Britain confirmed that music lessons are likely to be unacceptable to ten per cent of Muslims.

Swimming, teddy bears and pets are also described as un-Islamic by hardline Muslim parents.

Banned

Mrs Alibhai-Brown asked: “Why are we fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and indulging Taliban values here?

She insisted: “Even if it offends liberal principles, the powerful must find a way of stopping Islamicists from promulgating their distorted creed.

“If they don’t, the future is bleak for Muslims and the country. Many of us British Muslims care deeply about both”, she warned.

If you are without Christ, you are without God and without hope

2010-08-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hope

By: J. Hampton Keathley, III

Introduction

There are many key terms and concepts in Scripture like faith, hope, love, joy, grace, peace, pleasing the Lord, etc. that we come across as we read our Bibles, but often these are just vague concepts for many people. The following study is designed to provide a condensed biblical explanation of hope as it is found in the Word of God. As time allows we will provide other such condensed studies on key terms, especially of the New Testament.

A Definition of Hope

What is hope? Is it a wishy washy maybe or a kind of unsure optimism? The modern idea of hope is “to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire.”

In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.

Hope may refer to the activity of hoping, or to the object hoped for—the content of one’s hope. By its very nature, hope stresses two things: (a) futurity, and (b) invisibility. It deals with things we can’t see or haven’t received or both .

Romans 8:24-25 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Biblically, from the standpoint of the object hoped for, hope is synonymous with salvation and its many blessings, past, present, and future, as promised in Scripture. This is true even with what we have already received as believers because these blessings come under the category of what we cannot see. We may see some of the results, but it still requires faith and hope. For example, we do not see the justifying work of God, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to our account, nor do we see the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, nor our co-union with Christ. We believe this to be a reality, but this is a matter of our hope. We believe in the testimony of God in the Word and hope for the results in our lives.

In summary, hope is the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is true, has occurred, and or will in accordance with God’s sure Word.

A Description of Hope

It is Dynamic or Active

In the Bible, hope is never a static or passive thing. It is dynamic, active, directive and life sustaining. This is everywhere obvious as we read the Word. Take a concordance, look up the word “hope” and you will find reference after reference pointing out the active results of hope in the lives of those who truly have a biblical hope and live accordingly.

In other words, a biblical hope is not an escape from reality or from problems. It doesn’t leave us idle, drifting or just rocking on the front porch. If our hope is biblical and based on God's promises, it will put us in gear.

It has Results

(1) It changes how we see ourselves. It changes us into pilgrim persons, people who see this life as temporary sojourn.

2 Peter 1:13 And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

(2) It changes what we value. Hope, if biblical, makes us heavenly minded rather than earthly minded. Our Lord’s words here blast our deception away.

Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

(3) It affects what we do with our lives—our talents, time, treasures.

Titus 2:1-13 But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored. 6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. 9 Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

1 John 3:1-3 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

The Christian life, if it is grasped according to God's truth, is a magnificent obsession with an eternal hope, a hope that does not lead to an escapist attitude, but to the pursuit of life on a whole new dimension. It makes you bullish, as we might say today, on the potentials of this life as stewards of God. It gives us power to live courageously, to be all God has called us to be in Christ.

So then, why are we so quick to opt for earthly treasure and so slow to be obsessed with the heavenly? Perhaps it is because we do not believe in heavenly realities. They represent a celestial cliche in our minds, but no more.1 You see, it is the person who believes in this heavenly hope and who is so fixed on it, in the words of Peter, that he or she is able to have such a light grip on the things of this world that he or she is able to put first things first.

In other words, a biblical hope is never an escape from reality or from problems. It doesn’t leave us idle, drifting or just rocking on the front porch. If our hope is biblical and not just a heavenly cliche or like the sign, “in case of emergency, break glass,” it will put us in gear.

But, being dynamic, hope also has something else:

It has Rewards and Blessings

(1) It gives us joy and peace.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

(2) It gives us protection.

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

(3) It gives us strength, courage, boldness.

Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.

(4) It gives us endurance, comfort, confidence in the face of death.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

(5) It gives us confidence in ministry.

1 Timothy 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

The Derivation (Origin) of Hope

Where and How Do We Get Hope?

Negative--warnings regarding false hope

There are a number of warnings in Scripture against putting our hope in anything other than the Lord because these things will leave us ashamed, frustrated, disappointed, and in ruin.

Job 8:11-15 11 Can the papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the rushes grow without water? 12 While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other plant. 13 So are the paths of all who forget God, And the hope of the godless will perish, 14 Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider's web. 15 He trusts in his house, but it does not stand; He holds fast to it, but it does not endure.

Psalm 33:17 A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Point: deliverance must come from the Lord.

Psalm 146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God; i.e., rather than man.

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes.

Proverbs 11:7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. The strong man hopes in his physical strength, his money, or power or position, but ultimately, it must perish.

Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Without God’s wisdom which gives god’s hope, your hope will be in the wrong thing and it will be cut off.

Positive--the means and basis of the only true hope

God is called “the God of Hope.” This means He is the source of all real hope. If we are going to have hope (confident expectation), it must come from Him for He alone has the power to give it.

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.

If you are without Christ, you are without God and without hope.

Ephesians 2:12 …remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

1 Timothy 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope; 2 to Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

(1) Hope depends on knowing the Word of God.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Colossians 1:5-6 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

(2) Hope depends on knowing and resting in God’s Grace.

2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,

(3) Hope depends on the Spirit Filled life.

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Friends, on what have you fixed your hope? Does your life prove it? Has it changed who you are, what you value, and what you are doing with your life?

1 John White, The Cost of Commitment, p. 4

What is the Christian's hope?

2010-08-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

source: gotquestions?

Most people understand hope as wishful thinking, as in "I hope something will happen." This is not what the Bible means by hope. The Biblical definition of hope is "confident expectation." Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown (Romans 8:24-25; Hebrews 11:1,7). Hope is a fundamental component of the life of the righteous (Proverbs 23:18). Without hope, life loses its meaning (Lamentations 3:18, Job 7:6) and in death there is no hope (Isaiah 38:18, Job 17:15). The righteous who trust or put their hope in God will be helped (Psalm 28:7), and they will not be confounded, put to shame, or disappointed (Isaiah 49:23). The righteous who have this trustful hope in God have a general confidence in God's protection and help (Jeremiah 29:11) and are free from fear and anxiety (Psalm 46:2-3).

The New Testament idea of hope is the recognition that in Christ is found the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and hope (Matthew 12:21, 1 Peter 1:3). Christian hope is rooted in the faith in the eschatological (end time judgment) act of divine salvation in Christ (Galatians 5:5). Hope of Christians is brought into being through the presence of the promised Holy Spirit (Romans 8:24-25). It is the future hope of the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6), the promises given to Israel (Acts 26:6-7), the redemption of the body and of the whole creation (Romans 8:23-25), eternal glory (Colossians 1:27), eternal life and the inheritance of the saints (Titus 3:5-7), the return of Christ (Titus 2:11-14), transformation into the likeness of Christ (1 John 3:2-3), the salvation of God (1 Timothy 4:10) or simply Christ Himself (1 Timothy 1:1).

The certainty of this blessed future is guaranteed through the indwelling of the Spirit (Romans 8:23-25), Christ in us (Colossians 1:27), and the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:26). Hope is produced by endurance through suffering (Romans 5:2-5) and is the inspiration behind endurance (1 Thessalonians 1:3, Hebrews 6:11). Those who hope in Christ will see Christ exalted in life and in death (Philippians 1:20). Trustworthy promises from God give us hope (Hebrews 6:18-19), and we may boast in this hope (Hebrews 3:6) and exhibit great boldness in our faith (2 Corinthians 3:12). By contrast, those who do not place their trust in God are said to be without hope (Ephesians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Along with faith and love, hope is an enduring virtue of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13), and love springs from hope (Colossians 1:4-5). Hope produces joy and peace in believers through the power of the Spirit (Romans 12:12, 15:13). Paul attributes his apostolic calling to the hope of eternal glory (Titus 1:1-2). Hope in the return of Christ is the basis for believers to purify themselves in this life (Titus 2:11-14, 1 John 3:3).

THE 'AH BENG' CLUB'S SPEECH FOR NATIONAL DAY

2010-08-05T05:34:00.001-07:00

Under the 'ang moh' we all live happily together, no complain.
Malaysia & Singapore is one big family in our brains.
One day we both like 2 durians cannot get along.
Got sharp thorns, poke each other, until 'buay song.'
One moment like brothers, can give and take.
Next moment we kena kicked out by the leg.
Wah! Our towkay also cry like mad,
We all also feel very very sad.

Our neigbours all say, 'Wah they all sure to die!
They got nothing, how to get next bowl of rice?'
So 'boh pian,' we all work day and night.
We also join the army so that we can fight.
We don't care others 'see us no up'.
But actually inside we very pain in the heart.
Then slowly hor we grow rich and a bit fat.
Now others talk about us also got some respect.
They scratch their heads and say
'Very funny! Got nothing how come they can still make money?'

Last time also got no money to buy ice-cream cone.
Nowadays even small kids can also afford hand phone.
Sea port, airport also can become Number One.
He! He! Sometimes think about it also very fun.
But some people look at us also not happy.
Actually they jealous don't want to say only.
So every time their country got something wrong.
They all say Singapore 's behind it all along.
Everybody know we water no enough.
They turn off tap only we all cannot last.

They threaten us with water supply and shout 'Cut! Cut! Cut!'
Aiyoh! They all think the water is one big ketupat.
We all hear already also 'buay tahan'
Wah liao, they think we small can makan!
But now they 'cow pay cow bu' we all not very scared.
We want to build water desalination plant already so not so bad.
But their own economy now all go bust.
Got to sell water otherwise money no enough.
Then another neighbor say Singapore no friend friend,
Got so much money,! a bit more also donno how to lend.

They say we all only one small red dot,
Like the center of a big dartboard.
Maybe they think we mouse and they cat,
That's why they suka suka anyhow talk like that.
But we all still send them a lot of rice.
Show the world we actually very very nice.
Sometimes we 'cho ho sim' also kena whack.
But we all gentleman wan, don't want to fight back.
I think hor maybe they don't understand us very well.
That's why relationship sometimes like heaven sometimes like hell
Some say aiyah our prosperity is all due to luck,
That's why we all siao siao' can still win the Tiger Cup
I think hor, Singapore is like chilli padi in a pot -
Size small small but still very very hot

We Will Stand

2010-07-29T00:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's hard for me to understand
Why we pull away from each other so easily,
Even though we're all walking the same road
Yet we build dividing walls between
Our brothers and ourselves.
But I, I don't care what label you may wear
If you believe in Jesus you belong with me.
The bond we share is all I care to see
And we'll change the world forever
If you will join with me,
Join and sing, sing,

You're my brother, you're my sister,
So take me by the hand
Together we will work until He comes.
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side.
So long as there is love,
We will stand.

The day will come when we will be as one,
And with a mighty voice together
we will proclaim that Jesus
Jesus is King.
It will echo through the earth;
It will shake the nations,
And the world will see,
See that you're my brother, you're my sister
So take me by the hand
Together we will work until He comes.
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side.
So long as there is love,
We will stand.

Take me by the hand,
Join with me.
Join and see - yeah.
You're my brother, you're my sister,
So take me by the hand.
Together we will work until He comes.
There's no foe that can defeat us
When we're walking side by side.
As long as there is love,
We will stand

You cannot enter here!

2010-05-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

What Do You Live For?

There’s an old story about St Augustine. Early on in his Christian life, he was intensely absorbed in the writings of Cicero. And around this time, he had a dream that he had died. And now he was standing at the pearly gates. And the keeper of the gate said, "Who are you?" And he said, "I’m Augustine." Then the keeper said, "What are you?" Augustine said, "I’m a Christian." The gatekeeper said, "No, you’re not a Christian. You’re a Ciceronian!" Augustine said, "What are you talking about? I’m a Christian!" And the gatekeeper said this: "All souls on earth are judged by what dominated their interests. In you, Augustine, it was not the Christ of the gospel. It was the Cicero of Roman literature. You are not a Christian. You cannot enter here!" Augustine was so startled that when he woke up, he resolved then and there to be fully committed to Jesus Christ for the rest of his life. And to live for Him.

Contributed by: Marc Axelrod

Ranked family as the important issue in their lives

2010-05-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Five Major Trends for Churches in America

Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.
Mon, May. 10, 2010 Posted: 07:35 PM EDT

Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.

I am thus careful when I do trend projections. I am especially careful when I am projecting trends that will have a direct impact on the churches in America.

The Basis for the Trends

The trends that follow were not created in a vacuum. Most the information is based on studies we have done at LifeWay Research. But much of this research provides us information and facts about today’s realities. It does not offer certitude for future trends.

The process is analogous to weather forecasting. We can see all the ingredients that will likely cause a specific outcome. But those factors can change, so we can never say that we are 100 percent certain.

Five Major Trends

Because most of the research that is the basis for these trends was related to American demographics, we must not extend the projections beyond our nation’s borders. Nevertheless, it is possible that some of the research could have implications beyond American churches.

1. Our nation will see the emergence of the largest generational mission field in over a century. According to our current research, the Millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, will have a very low Christian representation. Our estimates now are that only 15% are Christian. With a huge population of nearly 80 million, that means that nearly 70 million young people are not Christians.

2. The dominant attitude of this huge generation toward Christianity will be largely indifferent. Only 13 percent of the Millennials rank any type of spiritual matter as important to their lives. They are not angry at churches and Christians. They simply ignore us because they do not deem us as meaningful or relevant.

3. Senior adult ministries in churches will experience steep declines. As the large Baby Boomer generation moves into their older years, they will resist any suggestion that they are senior adults, no matter how senior they may be. Unfortunately, many churches are slow to adapt to new realities. If they do senior adult ministry the way they’ve always done it, it will be headed for failure.

4. The large Boomer generation will become more receptive to the gospel. Our data is anecdotal for now, but we are seeing indications that the Boomers may actually become more interested in spiritual matters in general, and Christianity specifically. If so, this trend will be counter to other trends where adults tend to become less receptive to the gospel as they age. The Baby Boomers have tried it all and found no joy. They may likely turn to the hope of the gospel.

5. Family will be a key value for both of the large generations. For the Millennials, family is their most important value. Nearly eight out of ten of the Millennials ranked family as the important issue in their lives. They told us that they had healthy relationships with their parents who, for the most part, are Baby Boomers. Some churches say they are family friendly, but few actually demonstrate that value. Churches that reach both of these generations will make significant changes to become the type of churches that foster healthy family relationships,

The Opportunity to Respond

We believe these trends may indeed become reality. They admittedly do focus only on two generations, but these two groups are the largest two generations in America’s history. They cannot be ignored.

Trend projecting is a meaningless exercise if it fails to engender action. Ultimately each local church must determine where God is leading the congregation. In the case of the five trends noted here, the opportunities seem significant. May the response of Christians and churches be nothing less than radical obedience.

Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Thom S. Rainer

Christian Post Guest Columnist

“Facing the Challenges of Contemporary Pastoral Issues”

2010-05-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Doctor of Ministry Degree

Singapore Bible College

8 hours per day, for five days.

15 – 19 November, 2010

Facilitator: Dr Tony Chi, BTh, MA, PhD

Course Outline

Introduction:

In the ministry and enjoying it! Or not? Needless to say that there are many issues Pastors face at home, in the church, and in society. Pastoral ministry issues may be for some, the most critical. These can impact their church’s life as well as take a heavy toll on the Pastor’s ministry in particular. There are some pastoral issues that never seem to go away, and there are some answers that never seem to be adequate. The next five days will give you the opportunity to reflect, pray about, and interact with your peers on some of these Pastoral issues (again).
Issues on Marriage and Sexuality: (2 days)

How do we deal with cohabitating couples? How do we define and understand “cohabitation”? What is the Biblical viewpoint and how should the church respond to people in such situations? There are other complications - what if the couple has a child or children? Is there a place for these children in schools, the church’s children’s ministry etc? Will you baptise such a child? Naming ceremonies and affirming children who are born out of wedlock.

Divorced members. An exercise on an accelerated research on the Biblical injunctions regarding divorce. Are there exceptions or extenuating circumstances which must be brought into consideration? There is an urgency to involve the whole church in forming an adequate and Biblical view on whether divorcees can re-marry, take positions in church leadership, or even teach Sunday School. Where does “singlehood” fit in all this, and how does a church leader respond to a “converted divorcee” who now believes he/she is now called into fulltime church ministry?
Homosexuality. Here we will explore the contemporary and Biblical view on homosexuality. Should self-declared homosexuals be welcomed in church? What are other churches in other countries doing to minister to people who currently and openly practice homosexuality. We will also need to look into new civil laws and regulatory issues covering such matters as same sex marriages, welfare aid for such families, and same sex church memberships.

Issues on Interfaith Dialogue (or Diversion) - 2 days

Some experts on Interfaith issues have insisted that dialogue and planned conferences are the way to better harmony between differing faiths. Others are now looking at new and more practical methods of people from differing faiths to come together at social and religious gatherings to better relate to each other as neighbours.

Consider the following issues – and help us know what you are doing about it as a local church Pastor, and/or what your local church is doing about it.

Your neighbours or your church members’ neighbours are Buddhists or Muslims, or Hindus. The impact of inter-religious tolerance in a multi-religious society. What do you understand by “public space” and “private space”? What are some of the positive ways that churches today are doing to connect with people of other faiths (especially in their own setting e.g housing estate?) What advice will you give to your church members regarding active and personal involvement/participation in Taoist or Chinese religious funeral rites and ceremonies? Can Christians eat food offered to idols. What about the practice of yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, and the frequent use of alternative medicine and Chinese traditional medicine?

Apart from the Bible, where are your spiritual resources that will enhance your Christian stance on the above issues?

Evangelism in the Marketplace: 1 day

Would the following statement sound “prophetic” to you if we say: “the days of doing church in church only have come to an end”? What is “marketplace” evangelism or ministry? What is the church’s current understanding of going out to the places of work and impacting lives for Christ there? How many Christian lay people do you know who are actively making their places of work a “mission field” on a daily basis?

This session will explore the implications as well as the opportunities of the role of the Christian Church today in contemporary society. What really is the church? Where are our active church members and what are they doing – the other six days of the week? Should “church” be done only on Sundays? Is “church ministry’ the prerogative of only fulltime clergy and paid Christian church workers?

Have you heard of the “Multichannel Church” or of a church ministry today called “LifeChurch.tv”? These ministries are high powered, high tech, and widely appealing to the computer generation of pre-believers. How much of such use do you think is applicable to your own church setting? Some churches today have a “virtual audience” through cyberspace and attractive websites. Comment on some Pastors today who have very successful local church ministries by being active social networkers, using blogs, twitters, and Facebook as means of connecting with people.

Bario

2010-04-30T03:08:00.000-07:00

28 April 2010

Dear Prayer Partners,

1. TQ for your intercessory partnership during the ministry in Bario, Sarawak. I was there to preach for their 50th Easter Convention. The Lord moved mightily among the Kelabit as well as the Penan tribes there. Then I was in Tawau, Sabah to teach in the Bible School there.

Day One

2. I flew to Miri on Tues (30/3) night as I would be flying to Bario on Thur (1/4) morning. I took the opportunity to visit several pastors and friends in Miri whom I had not met for some time.

3. Aunty V, R and J had also flown in from KK Sabah to join me in this maiden trip. We all flew together on Thur morn on an 18-seater Twin Otter plane. In the airport, Rev. G accompanied us as he would be my interpreter during the revival meetings. He was also the former president of the SIB denomination.

4. Aunty S and her 18-year old son also accompanied us. I had met her Sept 2009 during the camp in Cameron Highlands where the Lord moved mightily among the campers. When the organizers of this Easter Convention called her for recommendation, she immediately called me in Jan 2010.

5. Another passenger, Datin M, happened to be in the same flight. Her husband, who was a trained pastor but became a politician, had just passed away two weeks ago. She was returning to Bario to rest and thank the people for their help during the recent funeral.

6. As the plane landed, we saw many people lining up to welcome us. A line of women dressed in tribal costume carrying pineapple with a straw poked into it. All the guests, including me, stood in front of the pineapple and drank it. It was the sweetest pineapple juice that I ever had.

7. Bario is located among the mountains and is the highest place where there is settlement in Borneo Island. Due to the soil and weather, it produces the sweetest pineapple as well as the world famous Bario rice.

8. The Kelabits are the natural inhabitants of this blessed land. They were one time ferocious headhunters and drunkards and animists. But praise the Lord due to the missionary effort of the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM aka SIB) in the 1930s/40s, many of them repented and gave their hearts to Jesus.

9. The gospel radically transformed them and many of them, together with their close cousins, the Lun Bawangs, became evangelists and pastors. When the community backslided in the 1960s, they experienced a major revival in 1973 where the Lord visited them in a tremendous way. It is documented in a book called The Bario Revival.

10. And now after 37 years since the outbreak of the 1973 revival, the Kelabits are in need of another major revival. The new generation needs a fresh vision of Jesus and His power again. Many of those who were in the 1973 revival are in their 50s - 80s now. They are still committed to the Lord and praying to see a fresh revival to overwhelm their children and grandchildren. It is most unfortunate that many of their children have left the Lord and have converted to other religion.

11. The first night of the service, I was asked only to open the ceremony as different congregations from the surrounding areas wanted to testify through songs and dances.

12. One of the ladies from the crowd came up to me and asked me whether I remembered her. She mentioned that she met me several times in one of the universities in the early 1990s. I used to mentor and disciple a number of the undergraduates during those times. And she just came back to Bario specifically for this Easter convention. She even brought two of her friends from West Malaysia to attend it. It is always interesting to see how the past catches up with me in the most unexpected places.

Day Two

13. The next morning, I preached that before Jesus returned to heaven, He gave us the Holy Spirit so that we are empowered to become witnesses for Jesus. Those who were opened received from the Lord and He moved mightily among the congregation.

14. They, especially the elderly women who had experienced the revival in 1973, spontaneously started dancing around the hall before the Lord. The Lord was just ministering to the people and refreshing them in His presence.

15. During the night service, there were a lot of students who had come from the neighboring school hostel. So I preached a short message for them and prayed for them as they have curfew hour to return to the hostel. The Lord touched many of them.

16. Another ex-student came up to see me. She, a Kelabit, seldom comes back for the Easter Convention but this year she did. I met her in the university in the early 1990s and discipled her for a few years. Now, she has quit her teaching job and is flying off to Ireland to join her Kelabit husband who is working there. I prayed with her and commissioned her over to Europe to fulfill the Great Commission there. The vision we planted 20 over years ago continues on overseas.

Day Three

17. On Sat afternoon I was preaching to the women and encouraging them to live godly lives. At night, just before I preached, they had a short ceremony to adopt me and the three ladies from Sabah into the Kelabit tribe.

18. They gave me a new name, Nganid Bala. Nganid means distributor or someone who shares and bala mean news. So Nganid Bala literally means the Sharer of the Word. I sure hope I can live up to this new name!

19. When I was preaching that night, halfway I felt a prompting to pray for the congregation. So I stopped and started praying for them. In the midst, there was a group of Penans and the Lord was ministering to them. Even after the service closed, they continued to pray in another prayer room beside the main church.

Day Four

20. The next morn, Rev G told me that the district pastor mentioned that he woke up at around 4 am as he heard some scuffling and tussling sound in the prayer room where the Penans were praying the night before.

21. Aunty J who is a light sleeper mentioned that she heard some scratching sound in the kitchen and then it moved to the prayer room. When the pastor came to look, the sound suddenly stopped as if it was hiding from the pastor. When the pastor left, she heard the sound again and it was like in frantic to leave the place.

22. All of the sudden, there was sound of windows plane shattering. When they checked it, the 2 lower window planes were broken. They believe it was an evil spirit who was trying to escape. About 2 weeks before this convention, there was a Penan student who had a dream of a half-man and half-beast demon who was terrorizing the students. This demon had apparently dug a grave and put all the students into the grave.

23. They believe the prayer the night before destroyed the stronghold that this demon had put over them – and that they had been pulled out of the grave and set free to worship God. This incident really encouraged the people to continue to pray and seek the Lord.

24. Sun morning, I felt the Lord leading me to preach a short sermon and then to pray for the families. We anointed the families with oil and prayed for divine blessings and covering for the whole families. This was a first time for many of them to do a family dedication, especially for the fathers who seem not taught to pray for the family.

25. On Sun afternoon, I was preaching to the youth congregation – and I shared on boy-girl relationship. On Sun night, the last night of the convention, I preach on having genuine or false faith and encourage the people to have a living relationship with Christ. They must not rely on someone’s faith but to have a true faith in Christ.

26. The presence of the Lord was powerful in their midst. One of them was trembling and crawling on the floor. He was grabbing someone’s leg and begging to be set free. When he saw me, he crawled over and grabbed hold of my legs.

27. He was asking why he could not stop trembling, and I explained that he is experiencing the terror of God – something that we do not see regularly now. I explained to him that he needed to confess his sins before God so that Jesus can cleanse him. He humbly did and joy flooded his soul. Later he was leaping and dancing before the Lord. There was much rejoicing among the people as they experienced the presence of the Lord.

Day Five

28. We are flying off from Bario today to Miri. They gave us a great sent off to the airport. The man, who was trembling the night before, turned out to be a law enforcement officer and he came and sent us off. And there were many people who came and sent us off and gave us many sacks of Bario rice. The Kelabits are well known for their warmth and hospitality.

29. In the midst of the celebratory mood, we recognized that we are in the midst of urgent warfare. When the plane landed, a religious teacher from another religion stepped down. Apparently he has been assigned to convert as many Kelabits as possible. They have access to money, loads of it and they are willing to spend it to gain converts from the Christianized Kelabit tribe. Continue to pray for my adopted tribe!

End of the Bario Easter Convention trip

30. From Bario, I flew off to Miri and in the evening to Kuching for another meeting there. The next day, Tues, I head back to Singapore. After 3 days of rest, on Saturday, I flew off to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Tawau

31. On Sunday morning, I preached in a church service, challenging the people there to grow spiritually. And on this particular Sunday, a group of 40 Bible school students were arranged to visit this church as part of their church visitation program. I believe the Lord challenged them with His Word and His presence.

32. In the same Sunday evening, I flew off to Tawau as I would be teaching there for 5 days. It was a good time to teach the Word to the pastors and trainee pastors – and to help them understand the Old Testament.

Kuala Lumpur

33. After the 5 days of class, on Fri evening, I flew off to Kuala Lumpur. On Sat morning (10am – 1pm), I had Bible Study with some undergraduates and encourage them to grow in the Lord. Then I went off to Shah Alam to preach in the afternoon (2.30 – 5pm) service there. I met most of them during the 2010 Chinese New Year camp. Then it was off to PJ to preach to a bunch of English Youth (5 – 7 pm).

34. Sunday morning, 8.45am, I attended an English church service in Cheras. I used to attend this church in the 1970s but at a different location. The old church did fundraising at that time to buy the very building that I was sitting in that morning. I remembered that I gave and contributed to the buying of the building. I had not visited them since 1982.

35. And now 30 over years later, the church has grown from the 80 people when I first joined to over 1000 people now. The Word of God multiplied – and I rejoiced that God gave me a privilege to be able to give to His work that has resulted in the salvation of many souls.

36. Then at 11.30 am, I preached in the Malay language service of this church but at a different location. They have about 50 people. The Lord touched many of the people. Thereafter I had a committee meeting (2.30 – 4.30) with the leaders of this BM congregation as I am supposed to be the spiritual mentor. We planned for the vision and direction of the church. Pray that the Lord will raise them up to be a lighthouse.

37. Then we rushed off to another church in PJ where I preached in the BM service (5 – 7pm). It was 2 days of hectic services and meetings. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few! I hope you can catch a sense of the urgency of the work that is being done. Pray for strength.

There are much more to share but time and space does not permit. Now busy preparing for the next ministries in May and June. Covet your prayers. God bless!