Channelofhealing

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 »

12 Christians killed, 20 churches burned in Borno rioting prompted by extremist group.

LAGOS, Nigeria, Aug. 7 (Compass Direct News) – With 12 Christians, including three pastors, confirmed killed in rioting ignited by an Islamic sect opposed to Western education, the Christian community in northern Nigeria’s Borno state is still counting its losses. The rioting instigated by an Islamic extremist sect known as Boko Haram, which initially attacked police and government bases, left hundreds of people dead and large property losses. “We are still taking inventory of how the crisis affected our members, but so far we have confirmed some of the Christians killed and churches burnt,” Samuel Salifu, national secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), told Compass. Rampaging members of the sect burned 20 churches before police captured and killed Boko Haram’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf. Police say Yusuf was killed “while trying to escape,” but a federal government panel is investigating allegations that security agents executed him after arresting him alive in his hideout. The chairman of the Borno state chapter of CAN, the Rev. Yuguda Zubabai Ndurvuwa, said many Christians abducted by Boku Haram extremists were yet to be found. Violence started on July 26, when armed sect members attacked a police station in Bauchi state that set off a firestorm of violence spreading to Borno, Kano and Yobe states.

Read More from the Compass  Direct News

Visitors to a gallery in Scotland have been defacing the Bible in the name of art. The Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow has invited art lovers to write their thoughts down in an open Bible on display as part of its Made in God’s Image exhibition. Next to the Bible lie several pens with a note saying: “If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it”. Several visitors have already taken up the offer, choosing to leave messages of abuse and obscenity rather than support for the words of God. “This is all sexist pish, so disregard it all,” one message read. Another scrawled over the first page of Genesis: “I am Bi, Female & Proud. I want no god who is disappointed in this”. Others wrote: “The Gospel According to Luke Skywalker” Read the rest of this entry »

An Open Letter to Brothers and Sisters in Christ from Bud Press, Director

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. –1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

As you may know, I have taken the time to educate myself on the problem of domestic abuse and the mindset of a female abuser. I have communicated with both Christian and non-Christian abuse counselors locally and nationwide, written a Letter to the Editor of our local newspaper, shared my concerns with numerous pastors locally, and written the story, “The Waitress, the Man, and the Rose” ( http://tinyurl.com/WaitressManRose ).

Yesterday, during another phone conversation with Paula Silva (a Christian counselor and former sufferer of domestic abuse), I was informed of the widespread abuse occurring within the body of Christ, and that many of the calls she receives are from pastors’ wives–all of whom are suffering from one or more forms of domestic abuse (verbal, emotional, and physical).

Yes, you read it right: wives of pastors are being verbally, emotionally, and physically abused by the very men who stand in their pulpits at least three times per week preaching the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. Read the rest of this entry »

A Christian doctor in England was removed from an adoption panel because she refused to endorse applications by gay couples.

Pediatrician Dr. Sheila Matthews had requested to abstain from voting in cases of same-sex couples, as she has done for the past five years. But the Northhamptonshire County Council said it decided to instead replace her on the panel because her view on gay adoption did not comply with England’s new Equality Law, as reported by U.K.’s the Daily Mail.

The Equality Law forbids discrimination against homosexuals or transsexuals in terms of access to goods and services, including adoption agencies. Under the controversial law, even religious institutions and churches are forced to hire open, practicing homosexuals.

Matthews said both as a medical doctor and as a Christian she cannot recommend placing a child with same-sex parents despite what the new legislation calls for. Men and women, she explains, bring different characteristics to parenting. Mothers are more nurturing while fathers are more challenging, Matthews said Read the rest of this entry »

State blames 2008 Kandhamal district violence on conversions, ‘reconversions.’

NEW DELHI, July 14 (Compass Direct News) – Nearly 11 months after an unprecedented wave of anti-Christian attacks shook the eastern state of Orissa, a reign of terror continues in the area as the former rioters issue death threats to witnesses. Of the more than 750 cases filed in various police stations in Kandhamal district and neighboring Gajapati district, only one has resulted in conviction. Some trials are underway amid reports of armed extremists threatening to kill witnesses. The Rev. Dibya Paricha of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Catholic Archdiocese said several witnesses are shrinking away to save their lives. On Thursday (July 9), a witness in Salapsahi village, in the Kasinpadar area under the Phiringia police station, refused to testify in a murder case. “During the trial, the complainant, the younger brother of the victim, said he did not know anything about the case,” Paricha, coordinator of the Christian Legal Association’s legal cell in Kandhamal, told Compass. “The previous day, he had said that he would tell the truth so that the culprits would be punished … From reliable a source we came to know that he was threatened with death.”  On June 30, three men carrying pistols – Sanjeeb Pradhan, Bikram Pradhan and Pratap Pradhan – threatened witnesses in the Gondaguda area of the Chenchedi Gram Panchayat administrative area, under the jurisdiction of the Sarangarh police station in Kandhamal, Paricha said.

The three men have been issuing death threats to witnesses through the area villages, he said.

“I know them [the three gunmen] personally,” Paricha said. “They were living hand-to-mouth until recently, and now they are riding a motor vehicle and threatening the survivors.”

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Chief warns Christians to worship only local spirits or lose homes.

By Sarah Page

Compass Direct News Mon, Jul. 20 2009 02:20 PM EDT

Following the confiscation of livestock from Christian families earlier this month, officials in a village in Laos on Saturday (July 11) called a special meeting for all residents and announced that they had “banned the Christian faith in our village.”

The chief of Katin village, along with village security, social and religious affairs officials, warned all 53 Christian residents that they should revert to worshiping local spirits in accordance with Lao tradition or risk losing all village rights and privileges – including their livestock and homes, according to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).

The Katin village leader also declared that spirit worship was the only acceptable form of worship in the community, HRWLRF reported. Katin village is in Ta Oih district, Saravan Province.

The previous Sunday (July 5), officials and residents confiscated one pig each from nine Christian families and slaughtered the animals in an effort to force them to renounce their faith. Officials said the seizure of the pigs – each worth the equivalent of six weeks’ salary for an average laborer in the area – was punishment for ignoring the order to abandon Christianity. (See www.compassdirect.org, “Officials Seize, Slaughter Christians’ Livestock,” July 10.) Read the rest of this entry »

THE BATTLE is GETTING HOT -Darren Smith. (5 Jul 09) Author of the “FALL OF BABYLON“

Many people have labeled me as a doomsday prophet over the last few weeks as God has sent the Words He gave me all over the world. The overwhelming response has stretched us to the breaking point….

I would like to share a couple of things with you guys about the whole doomsday thing. I believe that Gods Kingdom will crush all the kingdoms of the world. I also believe that we bring forth His Kingdom when we live the Gospel and not just talk about it.

Just yesterday in the street in Galveston we saw 4 people receive healing and all 4 where born again on the spot. We also had testimony of several that received healing the week before as well. 3 different people received the miracle of getting a house and off the street after we prayed with them last week. As we minister to these people, we share with them the power of God over every aspect of their life and the fact that if they die to this life they are raised with Christ and it is Christ in them, the hope of glory that rules their life. 

It’s amazing that people who are in such bondage to sin and so broken by this life can receive and step right into the Kingdom so quickly when many who have been religious all their life still do not live in the power of God. These miracles are available to all who believe and enter into Christ but few ever enter in. We see so many miracles because we are trying to expand the Kingdom of God and not trying to build our own kingdom. Everyday we live a faith Read the rest of this entry »

 RIGA (Reuters) – Ready to give your soul for a loan in these difficult economic times? In Latvia, where the crisis has raged more than in the rest of the European Union, you can.

Such a deal is being offered by the Kontora loan company, whose public face is Viktor Mirosiichenko, 34.

Clients have to sign a contract, with the words “Agreement” in bold letters at the top. The client agrees to the collateral, “that is, my immortal soul.”

Mirosiichenko said his company would not employ debt collectors to get its money back if people refused to repay, and promised no physical violence. Signatories only have to give their first name and do not show any documents.

“If they don’t give it back, what can you do

This is bizarre at best but its true. In Latvia there lives a man named Viktor Mirosiichenko who heads a company called Kontora Loan Company. Who is this man and what is so unusual about him? He will make a loan to you if you sign an “agreement” and pledge “your immortal soul” as collateral.

Mr. Mirosiichenko’s company employs Read the rest of this entry »

The following excerpt is from chapter 10, "The Evils of the Present Time, and Our Object, Necessities, and Encouragements," in An All-Round Ministry.
I see the spirit of compromise concerning holiness and sin, truth and error, far too prevalent. The spirit of compromise comes not of the Spirit of God, but of the spirit of the world.
It is always wisest and best to exhibit clear decision upon fundamental points; we must draw the line distinctly, and then stand to it firmly. Do not alter your course because of winds and currents. Do not try to make things pleasant all round.
Do not be like the fellow, in one of the American towns, who saw a traveller leaning against a lamp-post, weary and worn with his journey. The traveller enquired of him how far it was to such a place, and was told that it was ten miles. The weary traveller sighed, and said, "I shall never hold out. I shall faint on the road."
"Ah!" said his sympathizing informant, "I did not know you were quite so far gone, I will knock off three miles, and make it seven for you."
Of course, this operation in words did not alter the fact, nor really reduce the ten to seven. Yet this is the method of some weakly, amiable souls; they tone down truth, forgetting that their tone does not affect the fact.
This obligation is too severe; and, therefore, it is suggested that it may be somewhat relaxed. This doctrine is too stern; so make it wear a milder aspect. This manner of pleasing everybody at any cost is the style of the period. If sin, and human depravity, and so forth, are strongly spoken of in the old theology, run off to the new, and soften matters. If the punishment of the impenitent too much alarms men, treat it lightly, and spirit it away; who wants to win converts by fear?
Yes, yes; "make it seven."
But what avail your soft words? The distance is all the same for your lying; and when the deceived one finds it to be so, he will pour no blessings upon your heads.
May the Lord save us from the doom of deceivers of souls! May we be watchmen who will be clear of the blood of all men! Be decided yourselves; and then, like men who themselves stand fast, you will be able to help others whose feet are slipping.
CH Spurgeon

You might wonder, why is this news ??? but Heard recently that even in Lagos, Nigeria that, Churches that Pray out loud  (causing noise pollution) will be shut down. With even the evidence of one shut already. So now if someone is not happy with the Church noise around them all they have to do is go the authorities and the Church is shut down! The New World order is really taking shape everywhere now.

Police claim amplified Easter Sunday service defamed Islam.

ISTANBUL, May 27 (Compass Direct News) – Nine pastors from two neighboring villages in Pakistan could face prison time for using loudspeakers to broadcast prayers and sermons from their churches on Easter Sunday.

Martinpur and Youngsnabad, 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of Lahore, are majority Christian villages. The nine pastors who lead congregations there say that local Muslim security forces have twisted the law to solicit a bribe.

Police arrested and detained Hafeez Gill, Fahim John, Maksud Ulkaq, and a catechist from the Catholic Church in Youngsnabad identified only as Saqab at 10 a.m. on May 16. While en route to the police station, the officers told them they would be released if they offered a bribe, according to the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS). The pastors refused and were detained, but following a public outcry from their parishioners they were released at 2:30 p.m.

Reports indicate the arrest was premeditated. A leader in the village council invited the pastors to his house for a meeting, but when they arrived in the morning local police were waiting for them.

They were taken to the police station, where Station House Officer Mirza Latif showed them two First Instance Reports (FIR) registered on May 11 claiming they had misused their speakers. The FIRs, however, state the pastors misused the speakers on Easter Sunday, which happened nearly a month earlier.

For more follow this link

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

Read the rest of this entry »

Article on CNN May 15, 2009 — Updated 1407 GMT (2207 HKT)By John Blake, CNN — Just so you know, Bart Ehrman says he’s not the anti-Christ.

Bart Ehrman says most of the New Testament is a forgery but it’s still an important body of work. He says he’s not trying to destroy your faith. He’s not trying to bash the Bible. And, though his mother no longer talks to him about religion, Ehrman says some of his best friends are Christian. Read the rest of this entry »

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."

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.