Channelofhealing

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Thank You Holy Spirit for always being there

Thank You Father, for bringing us thus far…even unto the end of the year 2009, we are confident you will see us through it all in Jesus Christ’s Name we Pray.  Thank you keeping us safe  and sound, Thank you for defeating our enemies and making a total mockery of the devils efforts to stop us from reaching our goals… We are indeed grateful for everything.

Channelofhealing wishes you, a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, May you dreams and aspirations be fulfilled this coming year, May you make the right and best decisions for your life this coming year and May the presence of the Lord and the Holy Spirit never leave you in Jesus Mighty Name Amen

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!

Is your defense, your works? You know Jesus but, Does Jesus know You? Turn away from trusting in your own good deeds, and cast your whole self upon Christ. Brethren,You have to listen to this video of Paul Washer, this is problem we all face today, many ask why won’t God just allow people into Heaven when they die, after all they were good Christians while on earth, one cannot be tired of explaining this to people especially new Christians… maybe with this would change that line of thought…I found it resoundingly refreshing to hear again.

This is a Miracle! THANK YOU JESUS! Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!What joy!

Remember this story broke in August , of this year, it was even posted on this site and Christians, World over have been Praying for this two ladies since then… to God be the Glory! They have been released from prison today, something that seemed impossible in the eyes of man, am sure many would have given up hope on their release but we know that there is nothing too hard for God to do, and today our God has done it again for His Children. I thank the Lord on their behalf and all that Prayed for them.

 Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad    

No bail required; charges of ‘proselytizing’ and ‘apostasy’ remain.
ISTANBUL, November 18 (CDN) — Two Christian Iranian women, Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, were released from prison this afternoon with no bail amid an international campaign calling for their freedom since their arrest on March 5.
The two women, whose health deteriorated while in detention at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, are at their homes recovering from their nine-month ordeal, an Iranian source told Compass. They still could face charges of proselytizing and “apostasy,” or leaving Islam.

The women were released at 3:30 p.m.

“Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the Lord and to His people who have prayed and worked for our release,” the two women said in a statement from United Kingdom-based Elam Ministries.

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“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — Yes, more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:5, 6).

What does it mean to wait for the Lord?

To wait means to be alert to something expected or anticipated. To wait for a bus means that we have decided not to walk, but to use public transportation. We must wait, because the bus has not yet arrived. We wait patiently because we have looked at the timetable and believe that the bus will come. We also know that when the bus does arrive, we must be waiting at the right stop.

Sometimes we become impatient. We think, “That bus is not coming!” So we leave the bus stop and start walking. Suddenly the bus zooms by. It does not stop, of course, because there is no bus stop there. Through impatience, we missed our chance.

To wait for the Lord means to continually look to Him for assistance and salvation, to be satisfied that God will work everything out.

If you were lost in a forest at night, you would be waiting, even longing for the morning light. Our souls should be waiting and longing for the help that only God can give.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — Yes, more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:5, 6).

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1, 2).

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4).

We wait for God continually: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:1-5).

We have courage to face the difficulties of live because we look to God for the help He has promised: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13, 14).

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You” (Psalm 33:20-22).

Because we wait on God for justice and judgment, we do not allow ourselves to become excessively agitated about evil people: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret — it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:7-9).

“Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil’; wait for the Lord, and He will save you” (Proverbs 20:22).

“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it” (Psalm 37:34).

Even in the greatest of difficulties, we may wait for God’s help: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps” (Psalm 40:1, 2).

Here David is probably speaking of difficulties resulting from sin. For our salvation we wait for God. Who else can help us? “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved” (Psalm 62:5,6).

We wait on God for salvation from death: “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:8, 9).

If we are not waiting for God, then He is waiting for us! He is waiting for use to repent so we can wait for Him: “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).

Do not keep God waiting! If you are not yet a Christian, repent, turn to God, believe in His Son Jesus Christ, whom God sent as Savior. Confess your faith and be baptized into His body, the church, that your sins can be forgiven. If you are a Christian who does not sufficiently wait for the Lord, and that applies to us all, look to Him for sustenance and salvation from day to day and forever.

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Let us wait for the Lord.

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from

The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive

(http://www.oldpaths.com)

PROPHETIC PREACHING -by A.W. Tozer.

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means
than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this
century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half,
there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-
synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man
who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions,
nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the
Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried
and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be
of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and
has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray
God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction
to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will
contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn
the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.
Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, Read the rest of this entry »

Life Changing Sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles, SO YOU ARE OUT OF GOD’S WILL by Pastor Jack Hyles (Chapter 27 from Dr. Hyle’s excellent book, Blue Denim and Lace)

“There came then His brethren and His mother, and standing without, sent unto Him, calling Him.” (Mark 3:31) “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) Most Christians at one time or another find themselves at least a bit out of the will of God. As someone has said, “It is not a sin for a bird to land on your head, but it is a sin for you to allow him to build a nest there.” It is easy to get out of the will of God. It is hard to get back in the will of God. The following thoughts are given to those who have slipped out of God’s will:

1. If the door is still open, go back through it. If a pastor has left a church and he should not have left, and if the church is still pastorless, he may go back. If the job is still open, the one who left may return. If one has gone to the wrong school, he may go to the right school. If one has entered the wrong profession, he may rectify that by entering the right profession. If one is engaged to the wrong girl or boy, he can break the engagement. In other words, if one does not perform wrong by doing so, he should re-enter the door through which he left the will of God. Read the rest of this entry »

from The Spurgeon Archive. The following excerpt is from "The Incomparable Bridegroom and His Bride," a sermon preached on Sunday evening, 10 June 1866, at the Met Tab.

Christians, be troublesome to the world! O house of Israel, be like a burdensome stone to the world! You are not sent here to be recognized as honorable citizens of this world, to be petted and well-treated.
Even Christ himself, the peaceable One, said, "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?"
What I mean is this, we are not to be quiet about our religion. The world says to us, "Hold your tongue about religion, or at least talk about it at fit times; but do not introduce it at all seasons so as to become a pest and a nuisance."
I say again, and you know in what sense I mean it, be a nuisance to the world; be such a man that worldlings will be compelled to feel that there is a Christian in their midst.
An officer was walking out of the royal presence on one occasion, when he tripped over his sword. The king said to him, "Your sword is rather a nuisance." "Yes," was the officer’s reply, "your majesty’s enemies have often said so."
May you be a nuisance to the world in that sense, troublesome to the enemies of the King of kings! While your conduct should be courteous, and everything that could be desired as between man and man, yet let your testimony for Christ be given without any flinching and without any mincing of the matter.
CH Spurgeon

Pope Benedict XVI recently wrapped up his visit to the Holy Land, reports the Catholic News Agency.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are lots of ways that the believer endures the reaction of the world. I’m not saying that every believer is always persecuted all the time to a great, intense degree. But the world is set against the things of God, and as you live them out, you will experience something of the reproach of Christ, some more than others.
Now if you want, you can escape. You can go through your whole life and never get persecuted. It’s very simple, really. I’ll tell you how to do it. First of all, approve all of the world’s standards, morals, and ethics. Just join in; live like the world lives and don’t tell people they are sinners, don’t tell them they are lost without Jesus Christ. Don’t tell people that they are doomed to death, and for goodness’ sake, don’t talk about Hell! Don’t preach and teach that Christ is the only way and that every other religious system is a lie. Don’t separate yourself from the world and all of its activities and all of its enterprises. Go along with the world – laugh at its jokes, enjoy its entertainment, smile when it mocks God, and let people take the Lord’s name in vain. Just be ashamed to take a stand for Christ, and I promise that you will never be persecuted.
Then, when you’re all done doing that, examine yourself to see whether you’re in the faith or not, because there might be good question as to whether you really are.
You may be a Christian living in disobedience.
May I add this? If you decide to live this way, remember Luke 9:26, where Jesus said this: "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed." Jesus said, "If you’re ashamed of me, I’ll be ashamed of you." The last thing I want, and I think the last thing any of us wants, is for Christ to be ashamed of us. But it can happen. In Luke 6:26, Jesus said, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you!" Don’t ever forget that. When you are popular with everybody, then they don’t know the truth about you; you have either masked your Christianity or are not a Christian at all.
– John MacArthur

The persecution Jesus talked about is here folks …it’s here but, many are not seeing it… yet we are are to rejoice even as Our Lord said in Matthew 5:10-12

¹⁰Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. ¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

By Hilary White LONDON, April 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -

A Christian teacher in the UK has been suspended after he complained about the use of training time to promote the idea that homosexuality is normative. Kwabena Peat, 54, was one of several teachers that walked out of his school’s compulsory training day in January, at which Sue Sanders, a prominent UK homosexualist activist, suggested that those who do not accept homosexuality as normal have ‘issues’ that need to be addressed, according to the Daily Mail.

After the event, Mr. Peat wrote to the three staff members who organized the session at Park View Academy, including a deputy headmaster, complaining about Sanders’ "aggressive" presentation. Peat was suspended with pay pending outcome of disciplinary investigations after the staff members complained that, although they were senior to him, they felt "harassed and intimidated" by his complaint.

Peat is being represented by the Christian Legal Centre who warned that if it is allowed to continue, the trend of Christians being sacked and suspended for expressing their beliefs will amount to "state censorship leading to the infringement of a person’s right to freedom of religion and speech."

Mr. Peat, a father of three who has spent most of his teaching career working in inner-city London, told the Daily Mail that he was upset that people who did not agree with the speaker’s position were not being allowed to express their views.

In his letter, he cited the Bible and warned that practicing homosexuals risked God’s "wrath." He said that he had expected Sanders to provide information on how to handle "homophobic bullying," but, he said, "She started promoting homosexual lifestyles and suggesting those who had objections should sort out their prejudices."

"She said, ‘What makes you all think that to be heterosexual is natural?’ It was at that point I walked out."

Mr. Peat said he is not surprised, but is disappointed, at the outcome of his complaint. He said, "I’m the one being harassed and intimidated for expressing my religious views. As an experienced professional I am very supportive of ‘equality and diversity’ programmes and have always got on well with colleagues who are well aware of my Christian beliefs."

Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and director of the Christian Legal Centre said that the "legitimate orthodox Christian view as expressed by Mr. Peat, however disagreeable others may find it, should not be construed as harassment or discrimination."

Sue Sanders is a long time homosexualist activist and co-founder of the Schools Out program. Sanders is a major player in Britain’s homosexualist political establishment. She is a member of the LGBT Advisory Group to the Metropolitan Police, an independent advisor to the London Criminal Justice Board, a member of the National Union of Teachers LGBT working party, the current vice-chair of the Southwark anti-Homophobic Forum and a consultant to the Crown Prosecution Services helping to establish national policy on prosecuting "homophobic crime."

In 2004, Sanders instituted LGBT History Month in the UK. In March this year parents were threatened with possible criminal prosecution by their local council for opting their children out of the LGBT History Month program at George Tomlinson Primary School in East London.

Christians in the UK have long warned that the concept of "homophobic bullying" is being exploited by government in cooperation with the homosexualist movement to suppress any principled opposition to the implementation of an anti-Christian and anti-family agenda in schools, particularly in religious schools.

In 2007, both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Labour government’s minister for Children, Schools and Families pledged the government’s full cooperation with the homosexualist political activists in "cracking down" on "homophobic bullying." Education Minister Kevin Brennan told homosexualist activists to expect government guidelines that will "compel" faith schools to comply with the homosexual movement’s agenda to normalize homosexuality and outlaw opposition.

The government later issued a directive for schools that defines "homophobia" as including "the presumption that everyone is heterosexual" a concept defined in the homosexualist movement as "heterosexism" or "heteronormativism."

I first wrote about this here earlier this year and  am still standing by what I wrote then, as per “Obama Worship craze”, you can read it for yourself. This is really getting out of hand , I wonder how much of this Idolatry our Heavenly Father will take from us before He sends His wrath upon us. I think it’s time we as Christians should cry and wail to God in repentance for our nations and ask God to heal our land .This is not the time for fund raising by the Church,hosting tea parties,Preaching on how God wants us to be rich and happy or even how to have great sex in marriage and other mundane issues but, a time for the Church to humble herself in penitence. We (the Church) have been so involved with so much Worldly activities that we didn’t know when the enemy snuck in  at night and sowed tares amongst our wheat and now we have to live with the bushy situation… metaphorically speaking. In all I I believe that the prophecies are being fulfilled just as our Lord Jesus spoke of and promised us, so Christians should not freak out but rather become aware of the what the Bible says about the End time events.

    
"The Truth" by Michael D’Antuono

By Drew Zahn© 2009 WorldNetDaily Sunday, April 26, 2009 Today’s Edition . 100 days in office,Obama coronated Messiah Arms outstretched, he wears crown of thorns on his brow–WND

On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be "crowned" in messianic imagery at New York City’s Union Square.

Artist Michael D’Antuono’s painting "The Truth" – featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head – will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square’s South Plaza.

According to a statement released about the portrait, "The 30" x 54" acrylic painting on canvas depicts President Obama appearing much like Jesus Christ on the Cross: atop his head, a crown of thorns; behind him, the dark veil being lifted (or lowered) on the Presidential Seal. But is he revealing or concealing, and is he being crucified or glorified?"

Even the title of the piece, "The Truth," suggests a play on biblical themes, as Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

"More than a presidential portrait," writes D’Antuono on a website touting the painting, "’The Truth’ is a politically, religiously and socially-charged statement on our nation’s current political climate and deep partisan divide that is sure to create a dialogue."

Like others in the news who have depicted Obama in Christ-like imagery, D’Antuono insists he isn’t claiming the man is Messiah, but only inviting "individual interpretations."

"’The Truth,’ like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder," claims the exhibit’s press release.

D’Antuono even invites the public to email him with reactions to the piece, answering his posed question, "What’s your

As WND has reported, D’Antuono follows others who have cast Obama in messianic imagery.

Clark’s Obama sculpture, riding a donkey at the Iowa Capitol

In January, artist Matthew J. Clark paraded a sculpture of Obama riding a donkey and preceded by waving palm fronds, reminiscent of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in the 21st chapter of Matthew as foretold by the prophet Zechariah: "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass."

Like D’Antuono, Clark was also unclear about whether his piece was proclaiming Obama to be the Christ or making some social commentary. Clark’s website described the sculpture in vague terms:

"This project was inspired by my thoughts about ‘icons’ and religious symbols and whether they represent truth or merely represent," Clark’s website reads. "The sculpture poses a question that relates to social conventions, metaphysics, and the collective response of society in reaction to fearful and uncertain times, but doesn’t impose an answer. For me, it has much more to do with the general public as followers than any leader granted power."

Others, such as Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, have been far clearer in their nearly religious adoration of Obama. As WND reported, Farrakhan declared last year that when Obama talks, "the Messiah is absolutely speaking."

Addressing a large crowd behind a podium with a Nation of Islam Saviour’s Day 2008 sign, Farrakhan proclaimed, "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn’t care anything about. That’s a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking."

Farrakhan pointed out that the man Nation of Islam followers refer to as "the Savior," Fard Muhammad, had a black father and a white mother, just as Obama did.

"A black man with a white mother became a savior to us," he said. "A black man with a white mother could turn out to be one who can lift America from her fall."

WND previously reported a website called "Is Barack Obama the Messiah?" capturing the wave of euphoria that followed the Democratic senator’s remarkable rise.

The site is topped by an Obama quote strategically ripped from a Jan. 7 speech at Dartmouth College just before the New Hampshire Primary in which he told students, "… a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote" for Obama.

WND also reported on near-religious experiences surrounding Obama on the campaign trail, as supporters who came to hear him speak on several occasions fainted in the middle of the candidate’s speeches. As WND reported, some compared the fainting to fanatical swooning in the midst of a mesmerizing preacher; others, like radio host Michael Medved, thought the collapses were staged moments; and still others believed it was simply a matter of people standing in the crowds too long and growing dehydrated.

P.J. Gladnick of NewsBusters, in an article about D’Antuono’s painting on the eve of the Obama administration’s 100-day-mark, notes that the messianic parallels begun early in the presidential campaign don’t seem to be stopping:

"The artist quite clearly portrays Obama as a latter day Christ-like figure, considering the outstretched arms and the crown of thorns. Obama worship, complete with halo images, has been noted before," writes Gladnick, "but it was nothing compared to current expressions in awe of ‘The One’ as we approach his hundredth day in office on Wednesday."

Further Reading:

Obama’s triumphal entry: Gentle, riding on donkey

Hail King Obama: President for life

Farrakhan on Obama: ‘The Messiah is absolutely speaking’

MY COMMENT:

THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT A CHRIST CENTERED CHURCH!!! I know they would not be Preaching anything about Christ and man’s need for repentance any time soon.

Farzana Hassan, a past president of the Muslim Canadian Congress, has been hired by Mississauga’s Unitarian Congregation to run children and youth programs for the church.

By: Radhika Panjwani April 17, 2009 05:51 PM A non-denominational Mississauga church known for its liberal religious practices has taken the unusual step of hiring an outspoken Muslim woman to run its youth programs.
The Unitarian Congregation announced yesterday it has appointed Farzana Hassan as director of spiritual exploration.
Hassan is a well-known author and poet and an outspoken activist who has butted heads with orthodox imams on issues such as hijab, polygamy and terrorism.
The Mississauga resident is also a past president of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
Hassan will be responsible for introducing and running children and youth programs for the church.
This is not the first controversial move for the congregation. In 1982, it invited an openly-gay member, Mark DeWolfe, to become a minister.
“It’s probably the first time that a mainstream congregation in North America has chosen a Muslim,” said the Rev. Jeff Brown, of his church’s appointment. “I am not aware of it having happened before. This is the congregation that does that.”
When the 150-strong congregation was looking to hire, said Brown, they felt Hassan was a perfect candidate because she reflects the diversity that exists in Peel.
Hassan says the Unitarian Universalists are the most inclusive of churches and that her own traditions and values are in sync with those practiced there, a reason she jumped at the opportunity to work with them.
“Universalistic tradition is a pluralist and humanist tradition,” Hassan said. “And these are values that I have espoused in some of the initiatives I’ve undertaken. I just plan to bring that experience to the church and articulate those values for the children in ways that are more meaningful to them. I don’t find any conflict in the values I stand for and the values of the church.”
Unitarian Universalism, Brown explained, is a theologically-liberal religion that draws wisdom and meaning from the direct experience of individuals. Its followers seek inspiration from many different theological sources and have a wide range of beliefs and practices.
But historically their roots can be traced to Christian Protestants.
“When people ask us what our scripture is, I say it’s the whole of the world. It’s our experience, contemporary writings and wisdom literature,” Brown said.

Thank you for visiting dear friend in Christ, here is a list of the latest Breaking Persecution News, Below are News Summaries from the Direct Compass News you can go through the links and select the one you would prefer to read and and pray on… God bless

China  -  Detained Uyghur Christian Taken to Hospital

Sri Lanka  -  Buddhist Mobs Attack Churches

Saudi Arabia  -  Authorities Release Christian Blogger

Turkey  -  Local Officials’ Role Emerges in Malatya Murders

Egypt  -  Coptic Church Issues First Conversion Certificate

Sudan  -  Converts from Islam Struggle to Survive

Iran  -  Two Christian Women Imprisoned

Pakistan  -  Suspects in Rape of Christian Girl Cleared

Vietnam  -  Historic Church Building Demolished

Sudan  -  Support for President Leads to Attacks on Churches

Bangladesh  -  Muslim Protests Stall Church Construction

India  -  News Briefs

Iran  -  Three Converts Ordered to Stop ‘Christian Activities’

Morocco  -  Officials Deport Five Foreign Christians

Laos  -  Police Destroy Church Building in Village

Pakistan  -  Christians Brace for Sharia in Swat Valley

Turkey  -  Christians May Appeal Fine for ‘Illegal’ Funds

China  -  Action Urged for Missing Rights Activist

Colombia  -  Six Months Later, Pastor Still Missing

Turkey  -  ‘Insulting Turkishness’ Case Proceeds Under Revised Law

India  -  News Briefs

Colombia  -  Leftist Guerrillas Threaten, Kill Christians

Pakistan  -  Christian Faces ‘Blasphemy’ Abetting Charge, Dangers

India  -  Pastor Shot in Bomb Attack on Church

Pakistan  -  One Woman Dead in Attack on Christians

Church promotes social media during sermon

MATTHEWS, N.C. – Leaders of a Charlotte-area church told members to bring their phones and data devices to Easter Sunday service and post to Twitter throughout the sermon.

Next Level Church’s pastor said the church has a responsibility to take advantage of every technological advance.The congregation was urged to post minute-by-minute updates to their Twitter accounts to allow members across the room to broadcast in real time how the message was touching them.

“People who didn’t get to make the service get the opportunity to see what notes I’m taking and what’s going on here in the service,” church member Robbie McLaughlin said.

The idea came from Lead Pastor Todd Hahn, who said social networking sties like Twitter are evidence of “a real desire in our community and our city for human connection.”

“We want to leverage everything that happens technologically in our culture to help people to God and to teach each other,” Hahn said.

Members said they don’t view “tweeting” about their experiences during service a distraction. Even if they get an e-mail or text message unrelated to the sermon, they said their focus is on a higher power.

“You should be free to worship in whatever way you feel is appropriate and right,” church member Carol Grubbs said.

Next Level Church said it has created controversy with its innovative outreach efforts in the past, including distributing shot glasses with the church logo at area bars. But leaders said the congregation has grown consistently to what is currently nearly 1,000 members.

Who is the Jesus of the New Age Movement? culled form the website LET US REASON TOGETHER MINISTRIES

There are many who are unaware of the New Age Movement and do not know

The New Age movement agrees with many philosophers that when Christ was a youth at age 12 to the age of 30 Years old Jesus became an explorer who traveled to far off lands.

According to one story, Jesus came to Japan in his early 20s, studied Japanese culture and religion and then returned to Judea when he was 33 to begin his ministry. He was never crucified because he switched places with his younger brother Isukiri and managed to flee across Siberia to Alaska and back to Japan by boat. Jesus settled in Shingo married, and had three daughters and lived until age 106. This theory first emerged in the 1930s when researchers claimed to have found a “will of Christ,” which indicated a burial mound that was believed to fit the theory found in the village about 370 miles north of Tokyo.

This is what is called the “lost 18 years”-promoted in The Aquarian Gospel and Elizabeth Claire Prophet’s book the lost years of Jesus. They try to fill in his history that is supposedly missing in the bible to account for his great powers and miracles. So they have stories of Jesus who traveled to spiritual centers in India and Egypt, and Tibet. He studied under spiritual masters, in India. Jesus is known to them as Issa (the Muslims name of Jesus the prophet), he became a master Hindu yogi, experiencing self-realization through Kundalini yoga. He later studied and mastered Vedic and Buddhist teaching. He then attained God- consciousness. He was initiated in the Hermetic mystery school in Heliopolis, approved by a world council. When he returned to his native people in Israel, He taught a Hindu world view that was veiled in terms that the Hebrews would understand. There is different levels to his teaching. One was literal which was for the masses the other is the true Spiritual knowledge that are secret teachings discovered by the initiates who are trained in occult knowledge.

If you have heard these kind of stories your not alone. Today they are quite common among adepts of occult knowledge. Much of all this can be traced to a hopeful rumor started almost a century ago. The most widely circulated report was alleged by Nicholas Notovitch who claimed that while traveling in Tibet in the late 1800s he was told by Tibetan lamas that a record of Jesus visiting them existed in a Himalayan monastery. In the early 1900s another visitor to Tibet was allegedly told the same thing. no one who had the ability to read and translate such “records” ever saw them, no copy was ever brought to the West as proof of these claims. The story now is that the “records” have been destroyed. (reference- Berean Call).

How convenient! This is too similar to the gold plates of Mormonism and Islam’s tablets for the Koran. No proof except an experience or hearsay.

This contradicts everything Jesus said and did, which was the very opposite of the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism. These fraudulent stories demonstrate how difficult it is to invent a fictitious history of Jesus and to make it fit into actual events on this earth. The theory of Jesus studying in India under the gurus simply does not fit into the New Testament record. The gurus are all vegetarians. Jesus ate the Passover lamb, fed multitudes with fish, after His resurrection ate fish demonstrating to He was actually resurrected bodily. Jesus taught one life and then judgment, heaven or hell as places of location for eternal occupancy, not reincarnation or karma.

Not only are these new age stories antithetical to Judaism but even more to what Jesus taught as there being only one God separate from his creation and sin needing to be dealt with. There are 3 feasts, 2 in spring one in fall that every Jew must attend or they would have broken the law. If Christ had broken even the smallest law he would have become a sinner like the rest of us and would have been disqualified to the Messiah. To travel to India or Tibet and return back for any of the feasts in Israel makes this an impossibility; much less his being gone for 18 missing years. Remember this all occurred before he was revealed as the messiah so he was not using any supernatural abilities. He never quoted any other book but the Old Testament, no other prophet except his own, which makes this all unlikely if he learned all this knowledge elsewhere.

The Scripture has a completely different view than the occultists. What is used as silence as missing years is actually used against Jesus for his claims as a being the Messiah the Son of God.

Luke 4:22 ” So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
Luke 2:41-47 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. … they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” Jesus did not have to travel and study to get his knowledge, he already possessed it. How? He was born with it, he was God.
Luke 2:11: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” He was Christ when he was born, he didn’t become a Christ or have the Christ spirit to come upon him. He was Yahweh, the Lord who incarnated only once among the people he gave His laws to and prophesied by the words of their own prophets (Isa.9:6).

After the incident in the temple we find the scripture state Luke 2:51-52: “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” He didn’t go travel seeking wisdom he had it and he stayed with his mother.

Jesus was specifically taught by His Father unlike any other person. Isaiah 50:4-7: “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, he awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”
Mark 6:2-3: “He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him.” The peoples argument is clear, we know him and his family how is this possible, he did not have the time to go off and study like others who devoted their lives to the scriptures.

John 7:26-27: “Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? “However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” Again the peoples argument we know Jesus so how can he be the Christ.

The term “Christ” is an interesting one because it means the one and only anointed one of God- according to the Bible. The New Age borrows the scriptural term and states it is an office. While this is partially true, it points to a person whose office is not succeeding, but uniquely for only one that would be born of a virgin, sinless and before the 2nd temple would be destroyed.

Hilton Hotema in his book Mystery man of the Bible Surmises that Christ is actually Appolonius and that Jesus did not exist. Others who are equally enlightened have similar opinions, but all are assumptions.

“The disciple Jesus of 2,000 years ago has by now become one of the most senior Masters in the Hierarchy: the Master Jesus. He reached His state of perfection in the course of His next life as Apollonius of Tyana. Many of those who followed Him during His life as Jesus were still alive during this subsequent incarnation — and many of them became convinced that Jesus had reappeared in their midst. It was Apollonius who undertook a journey to India which became the basis for the story, which many believe, that Jesus did not die on the cross but went to India and died in Kashmir, having lived to a venerable old age” (Jesus of Nazareth and Maitreya the Christ by Peter Liefhebber, Share International) (published by Lucis Publishing Co.) Peter Liefhebber is a veteran Dutch journalist.

He also states “In reality Jesus was a fourth-degree initiate and one of the older disciples of the Masters of Wisdom. He appeared before in biblical times as Joshua, the son of Nun, then as Isaiah, and again as Joshua in the book of Zachariah. In Palestine he made the great sacrifice of allowing himself to be used by Maitreya to fulfill His mission during the three years following the baptism in the River Jordan.

This is a fable which many of the occultists and initiates into secret wisdom teachings of the far east invent because they must deny the validity and accuracy of the Bible.

WHO IS GOD?

Marilyn Furgueson tells a story of a friend having a pantheistic revelation of God.” All of a sudden I saw that she was God and the milk was God, I mean, all she was doing was pouring God into God. (Aquarian conspiracy)

When Jesus said, ‘I am the door,’ he meant that I AM in each soul is the door through which the life, power and substance of the great I AM which is God comes forth into expression through the individual.” (Teachings of the Masters of the far East p.39)

Creme agrees and explains “…the forces of evil are part of God. They are not separate from God. Everything is God. … “YOU are God. I am God. This microphone is God. This table is God, All is God (The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters Of Wisdom, Benjamin Creme pp. 103,110)

Creme’s opinion given to him by his master, Lord Maitreya, you and I are not God and Jesus did not claim to be God.” The Christ is the Master ‘Of all the Masters , but He is not God, and never claimed to be God.”

Maitreya says “In Awe do men await Me. My friends, I am not God. As your Brother, your Friend, your Teacher, do I come. Forget this not.” (EXCERPT of MAITREYA’s MESSAGE NO. 67) This is probably a freudian slip of the truth by our friendly Christ impersonator to say he is not God. (To dispel any confusion…

Then he contradicts himself and teaches we are all god.

My Task will be to take you into the Light of your own true nature, and realise for you the Gods you are. (EXCERPT of MAITREYA’s MESSAGE NO. 71)

“May the Divine Light and Love and Power of the One Most Holy God be now manifest within your hearts and minds. May this manifestation lead you to see each other as the gods you are. (Message 13 Feb. 1982) So he is not God who is called the master of masters but we are. HMMM.

My plans unfold, My way is cleared. There are growing around Me now those who recognize Me as the spirit of the New Time. They give Me their trust and allegiance, and I speak for them. When you see Me, My friends and brothers, you, too, can join this band of workers, this Company of Light, and make manifest the God within. (EXCERPT of MAITREYA’s MESSAGE NO. 67)

“Do not try to worship Me” Maitreya counsels. “If you worship Me, you are trying to lower yourself. I do not want this. I want you to be equal. You are a spark of the Supreme Being. Do not think you are below Me.” (‘Maitreya’s Mission Vol. II, by Benjamin Creme; (Share International; Amsterdam, London and Los Angeles) In other words you can worship yourself. This is what the masters have been falsely telling there adherents for centuries. “We know the greatest of all teachers came to show more fully that the Christ in him and through whom he did his mighty works is the same Christ that lives in you, in me in all mankind; that by applying his teachings do all the works that he did and greater works” (Baird Spalding Teachings of the Masters of the Far East p16).

“Decked in all of the colors of the rainbow, glowing with the Light of God, man, one day will stand upright in his divinity. This I promise you.” (Message no. 4)

Benjamen Creme says, “One doesn’t pray to oneself, one prays to the God within. The thing is to learn to invoke that energy which is the energy of God. Prayer and worship as we know it today will gradually die out and men will be trained to invoke the (inner) power of deity” (The Reappearance of Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, pp. 135-136)

Benjamen Creme and others also tell Christians and others not to pray to Jesus because Jesus is not God but a disciple of Lord Maitreya. Even the Apostle Paul, who is now called “the Master Hilarian” is ahead of Jesus in the spiritual hierarchy: “… Christ is not God. He is not coming as God…. He would rather you didn’t pray to Him but to God within you.”

Benjamen Creme and the New Age Christ says to go inside yourself this is where all knowledge is found. If this were true then one would not have to read any books or learn from any educator, they would just go inside themselves and learn it all. We can dispense with all our education and teach people meditation and other occult techniques to learn everything we need to know. Jesus never taught Hinduism, and to remove him from his culture and time is inventing a fable, it is to have another Jesus (2 Cor.4,14.) The New age, the gurus, the spiritual masters need to have a meeting to decide what they are actually going to teach as error. It’s become so confusing to choose which falsehood one will follow these days. Its more assuring to stay with the literal truth which has had many infallible proofs. The Bible has been proven to be the eternal Word of God to people of all generations.