Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Christian faith-healing clinic

Two pastors have opened a faith healing clinic in New Zealand using "aggressive" prayer techniques based on the teachings of Canadian evangelist John Lake.
I do not know what they mean by aggressive prayer? You can Google the name ,'John Lake,' to read his auto biography .

They are offering to cure cancer, broken bones,stroke paralysis,dyslexia mental illness and even AIDs, Leukemia, Migraines, tumors, through prayer.

The patients were not charged and were counseled not to stop their regular medical treatment. They do not have to convert to Christianity or be a believer.

Not everyone who goes for healing will get healed. God works in mysterious ways. We do not know why some people are healed and others are not. Some may attribute it to sin or unforgiveness.

Some of those people are terminal and have no hope of being cured by medical treatments . It is a miracle when these people are healed and the doctors cannot explain.

There are some who are healed but later returned back to their original state. Again , there is no explanation.

There are skeptics who think it is quackery but since no money is involved, they should see the results of the healings.

If people are really healed , God is at work and praise Him for His works.




Reference and thanks to :-

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/2746441/Faith-healers-attack-cancer-with-prayer

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Couples living together before marriage and having children is no longer regarded as living in sin.

The Church of England declared that, couples who live together and have children without a wedding, will no longer be regarded as living in sin.They have created services in which they will be able to marry and baptise their children at the same time .

It encourages those cohabiting couples to come to church to solemnize their weddings and at the same time to baptize their children.

Because of the previous judgmental views of the church , many of the people from the congregations were forced to leave the church .There were no avenues for them to return except to repent and many chose to stay out or 'live in sin .'

There is a high proportion of people who live together without registering their marriages or having a wedding at the church.This could be due to the lengthy and expensive divorce proceedings.By cohabiting , they could leave anytime without the hassle of going to court.

This is a major milestone in the Christian history as the church is always officially against the concept of sex before marriage . Not all churches are strict on this rule but the general opinion is that it is frowned upon and considered a sin by those elders of the church or those hardline believers.

This new change in its policy means that the church has accepted the notion that sex before marriage is an accepted fact of life in today's modern society.To pretend that it does not exist is like the ostrich hiding it's head in the sand.

In the present era, many youths in those developed countries are involved in premarital sex and finding those virgin ones is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In time , the church congregations may shrink and dwindle as those who committed those sexual sins are rejected because of that doctrine.Someday the church may go extinct like those dinosaurs.

Do you accept and agree with the Church of England's new policy ?

Religion is a contentious issue and there are always two sides of a coin.There will be critics of this new policy and others who would not agree with their new outlook.

I welcome this new policy and it only shows that we have come to terms with the new way of life in this century.

We have all fallen short and have sinned before God. Why highlight certain sins when no one is ever righteous on this Earth? A small sin or a big sin is still a sin in the eyes of God.

Let those without sin cast the first stone....

It is by His grace that we are all saved.




Reference and thanks to :-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1201551/Now-children-baptised-marry-says-Church-England.html#ixzz0M3j8HX6y

Monday, July 20, 2009

Should Christians sue each other in court ?

1 Corinthians 6:7
Now, therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? (NKJV)


It is sad and shameful when you read in the papers that some Christians would resort to the secular courts to settle their differences or disagreements over some properties or money matters.

It is obvious that those disagreements are usually over substantial financial considerations or they would not have to seek redress from the secular courts.

According to Paul, in 1 Corinthians, disagreeing Christians should not go to secular courts to resolve their differences. As a believer in Yahweh and with His wisdom , we should be able to settle the disputes within ourselves.

To have lawsuits among Christians is a real defeat and make the church look bad in the eyes of those non Christians ,as it exposes the shallowness of those who practice this faith. They should leave it to their most High God to decide.

We should seek a solution or compromise in an amicable manner and if the other party would not agree with our requests, then we should accept it and leave it as that.

If others want to cheat us, and we are not wise enough , we have no one to blame but ourselves. Let God be the judge and let him face the wrath of God.


Related topic,

http://christianity.about.com/od/topicaldevotions/qt/dirtylaundrydlr.htm

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Yahweh gives spiritual gifts to every Christians.

"God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other."

—1 Corinthians 12:6 7


The special abilities given to each person by the Holy Spirit are called the spiritual gifts.They enable us to minister to the needs of the body of believers.

There are nine spiritual gifts, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge,the gift of faith,the gifts of healing,the working of miracles,prophecy,discerning of spirits,different kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues.

One gift is not superior to another.No single person can embody all those gifts. Each of us will have our strengths and weaknesses and those other gifts can compensate and balance our deficiencies. The purpose of those gifts is to build up the church which is the body of Yeshua. It is used to help the church function more effectively.

Those gifts are not for our own personal success. All gifts are from God and we should use them to build up the church. Freely you receive and freely you will give .No one should think highly than he ought to think. For without those gifts from God, we are nothing.

We know God works in different ways with different people who have different faith levels. We should not have preset ideas about how God works. Our experiences with God may not be the same with another person. God may use another way to get the message across to us.

If we say others are wrong , we are only limiting our powers of understandings of God to our narrow human concept and intelligence.There maybe a difference of opinions but this should not cause a division in the church.

Difference of opinions cannot be avoided because not all of us think on the same level as we come from different backgrounds , education levels and experiences. We should not fear the difference of opinions but we ought to learn to handle them with love and in the affirmative way.

We should always be aware that there is a possibility that God is speaking through another person and we should not just dismiss a person simply because he does not conform to our way of thoughts or what we have learned from our Bible knowledge.

Don't be like those Pharisees who rejected Yeshua because He was not from their society.

The church is like a human body and every part of the body is essential to the well being of the body.There should not be pride or feelings of inferiority in the body of Yeshua, for there is unity in diversity.


Reference and thanks to :-

Life Application Bible.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

When others make jokes or insult Christianity, how do you respond?

You cannot avoid it totally and there are times when you will have to choose to response appropriately to the challenge. You could laugh at the jokes and insults ,correct the misconceptions of his perspective or choose to ignore it and walk away. It depends on the circumstances and whom you are dealing with.

If you cannot get any distance with that person , it is best to change the subject and leave it to God to change that person.It is not time yet for him to know God. You are like planting the seed in his ground and someone will water for the seed to germinate.

Everyone is unique and do not think alike.We cannot expect others to think like us or accept our perspective in toto.We should be reasonable and rational and if we want people to respect us , we should respect others first.

You can be astonished that those who insult or criticized Christians have a fair knowledge about the religion. Christians are not perfect people and they do make mistakes. It is wrong to think that as a Christian we are superior to others or adopt such kind of attitude. There are good and bad Christians .

There is a big difference between insults against Christians and insults against God,His son,Yeshua and the Holy Spirit. You can insult Christians and all can be forgiven but if you blaspheme against God , that is unforgivable. You are dealing with something which you do not understand and you will learn that it is an unwise thing to do.

It is best not to joke or insult any religion. It is a very sensitive subject and their God is sacred . It can be offensive and some people are overtly sensitive and sometimes bothering on the fanatical or extremist side. It is no joking matter.

If you go into a house and the owner does not receive you , leave and shake off the dust from your feet. Go to those houses which openly welcomes you . They are ready to receive the Good News.



Reference and thanks to :-

A Christian Sense of Humor
by Holly Vicente Robaina

Monday, July 6, 2009

Guard your tongue..

"Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing."

—Proverbs 12:18



Encouragement for Today

God leaves no room for cutting remarks, even in jest. Our words should heal, never cut or wound in any way. Today, ask God to make all your words as healing balm, like an aloe plant. Ask him to remind you of cutting remarks you have made in the past, and to forgive you for them. Then go ask forgiveness from people you may have hurt.

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Encouraging Words Daily Devotional for Women encouragingwords@lists.christianitytoday.com

Laura1318's thoughts.

There are all kinds of people in this world. There are the wise and the foolish. There are people who have big ego's and would feel more holier than you and more intelligent than you .

They would belittle you and cut you down to make themselves appear the more intelligent or superior than you.Such people thinks highly of themselves.

It is not how much you know in your brain but how much you can apply your knowledge to good use.A person may go for several degree courses but what good is those knowledge when what he does is just to hang those certificates on the wall.

We should always try to build others up and not to cut them down. You maybe more intelligent than that person but there are many more people who are more intelligent than you.It is better to be humble than to be proud.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Yeshua or Jesus Christ ?

"When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings."

—1 Corinthians 9:21–23 (New Living Translation)


Paul looked to maximize whatever common ground he could with the people he was trying to reach with the gospel, while still obeying God's law. He focused on the spirit of the law, not on the letter. The law of love governed him.

What common ground can you use as the foundation of your relationship with neighbors, coworkers, or relatives you are trying to reach with the good news?

Are there any barriers to those relationships? Are they real barriers, or just things that are uncomfortable? Let God's Spirit show you answers to these questions, and how to act on them.

From,

todaychristianwomen.com


Laura1318's perspective.

God told us to spread the 'Gospel' or the good news or evangelize,to bring people to Christ /Yeshua.
Yeshua is the original Hebrew proper name for Jesus of Nazareth.His mother called him by that name .Jesus is a mis-transliteration of the Greek mis-transliteration, Yeysu.

It is the most proper to call Him Yeshua, since only in the Hebrew does His name have any meaning. In Hebrew,Yeshua means "Salvation," The name Jesus has no intrinsic meaning in English, except as it is known as His name in English.

Some churches have reverted to using Yeshua instead of Jesus Christ while some have kept to the old name.

Does it matter greatly to those who practice this faith ?

God has many names and I think it is not worthwhile to argue what is the most appropriate and correct name.As long as your prayers are answered by Him, it does not matter what you call Him.

It may not matter to some people but I think I will prefer the name Yeshua.Whoever wants to use the name Jesus Christ , it is their prerogative. I won't argue with them.

Since we have accepted Yeshua and found the new life is superior to the old life, we naturally want to tell our friends and relatives about the good life. This is easily said than done.

They would not readily believe you and it would take a lot of convincing to sway their opinions and skepticism.

The apostle Paul shows us the way to bring people to Yeshua. When he is with the Gentiles,he will agree with them as much as he can without forgetting that he must always do what is right as a Christian. Some people may call it 'compromising.'

The Gentiles were non believers in Yeshua and they were also called heathens.God chose the Jewish people first to receive His salvation and later to all those Gentiles. Those Gentiles lived outside the Jewish laws for they do not follow their laws.

The goal of every Christian is to glorify God and to bring people to Yeshua. To bring people to Yeshua,we should not have any philosophical position or material entanglements.

If we preach for pay , then we do not have much freewill to say anything we want but have to listen to our paymasters. Pastors who are paid a salary will have to toe the line.

The church elders or committees will terminate their services if they are not agreeable with the pastors actions or preaching.There will be a conflict of interest, whether to serve God or that particular Church.

There are no perfect church in this world and please do not try to look for one in this world cause you are not perfect either.

We find some Christians who like to quote the Holy scriptures to point out people's mistakes or wrongs in life.They are like those Pharisees in Yeshua's time, who are more holier than others and imposed many man made rules to burden the people.This is judgmental and it can only turn off that person from this religion.

It seems that they enjoy telling other Christians too who do not follow their right way.Only their way is the right way while others are wrong according to their thinking.We should respect each others opinions for not everyone thinks alike.Let God decides who is right or wrong.

Christianity is not only about God's law or scriptures but the most important thing is about love. If you have no love for your fellow mankind, your religion is nothing but a hollow faith. Faith without works is a dead faith.

You may have a very deep knowledge about the Bible but they are only words without any substance when what you preached to others but do not practice them yourself. You are nothing more than just a hypocrite.

To tell others about the good news, we should find the common ground with those we come into contact.We should avoid the 'know it all' attitude because it is a turn off to many. We should make them feel accepted even though we may not accept everything they said or hold and be sensitive to their needs.

That is what will break their defenses and let their guards down.We will then seek opportunities to share the good news with them.

This article is just my own personal views only and you are entitled to your own views.

Reference and thanks to :-

http://www.messianic.com/articles/yeshua.htm

Life Application Bible

Monday, June 29, 2009

"Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?

"Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it."

—Psalm 34:12–14


We all want to live a long and prosperous life but life and death is not in our hands.Here today and gone tomorrow. We can only enjoy life each day at a time. We cannot enjoy the future when it is not here yet.

We may plan for the future and that is all we can do .If we plan too far ahead, we maybe doing a futile exercise.No one knows except God what the future will hold for us. If we worry too much about the future, we are wasting our limited resources which we can use for other more productive uses.

In reality ,not everyone will be prosperous .If everyone is prosperous, then there will be no poor among us. Some will be born with a silver spoon in their mouths and they inherit the riches without working hard for it. There will be some who will find their riches while others will be born a slave to work.

There are two perspective about being prosperous in this world .
Being rich according to this world's standards or being rich according to the religious standards? They are two different things.

The worldly standard is about being rich financially while the Christian standard is about being rich in experience and knowledge and less emphasis on financials.

If you follow the Psalmist, it does not mean that you will be prosperous according to the world's standards. God's standards is not the same as the world's standards.
There are many non Christians which do not follow God's words and yet they are filthy rich.

To be rich in this world, you cannot be truthful and you will have to sleep with the devil to get what you want. You trade your soul with the devil for his riches.

If you work honestly , it will take a lifetime to be rich and only your children will get to enjoy them. To be rich in quick time, you will need to do business with the devil.

If you keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies,
turn away from evil and do good,you will find the peace in your heart.

Getting along well with others is an important part of a good and long life. That is if you don't get a neighbour from hell!

About Me

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The road to eternity is never ending and as we travel on this journey through Earth, we should enjoy each day as it comes .It is not about who you are but what you can do to enrich others life. "To know God is love" blog was created on 29th. June 2009

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