Channelofhealing

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.

“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)

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 »

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 »

 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

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 »

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.

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.

An Orgy for Charity?

The informant also took the following photographs of the dungeon, a snake, scorpions and bracelet:

The Lesbian, Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City recently sold scratch off tickets to The Black Party which was held on March 21-22. The tickets mocked the creation story from the Bible. The tickets featured a naked man resembling a snake holding an apple.

From the ticket:

BECOME ONE of 10 INSTANT SINNERS!
Scratch off the serpent’s apple for your chance to win a free VIP ticket ($150) to
RITES XXX: THE BLACK PARTY.
100% OF PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE LESBIAN,
GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER

What is The Black Party and why would a gay advocacy group promote it?

In 1980 New York City businessman Bruce Mailman opened the Saint – a disco club – and began hosting The Black Party. Now the annual party is hosted at the Roseland Ballroom. The annual event features a large dance party, "strange live acts" according to their website, and lots of sex. This year the strange live acts involved snakes and scorpions.

A confidential informant entered The Black Party and observed the following:

• lewd and indecent exposure
• failure to clean up human excrement
• consumption of controlled substances
• sodomy
• carnal knowledge

The informant also took the following photographs of the dungeon, a snake, scorpions and bracelet:

Where is the New York City Health Department?

There were more provocative photos taken such as one showing a line of men engaging in sex acts. The informant also says the air was filled with the smell of pot.

According to Michael Musto in the Village Voice: "My friend and I danced for a little while near the main platform … only to sprint out of the way when the big black kinky man started PEEING off of the platform into the audience. I almost threw up."

After leaving the party, Michael Musto returns: "I arrive and notice that there are a few hundred less people there, but the ones left are pretty much all having sex. …We end up making out & wandering over to the corner, where a solid 200 guys are all hooking up & banging each other like bunnies (it’s literally like the ads showed) …"

In 2007 Gawker posted a video of comments from men that attended The Black Party. The attendees described public sex acts and the video is definitely not safe for work (profanity and sexual content).

What is the Center?

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (the Center) in New York City is one the gay rights movement’s most effective organizations. In 1983 the Center took over a former school and began offering the use of its facility to outside groups. According to their website, "AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), Queer Nation, Lesbian Avengers and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), were born at the Center."

The Center’s board of directors is a politically active group of people. The individual board members contributed thousands of dollars to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the 2008 presidential race.

The Center is also a prominent promotor of gay marriage. On March 25 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed a gay marriage bill at the Center Dinner – an annual fundraiser. Last year the event raised more than $500,000.

The Center relies on government grants to fund much of its programs and agenda. In 2007 the Center received $2,433,464 in government grants.

Backbone of the LGBT movement and the dangers

The Center has become an effective model organization for gay political empowerment. Gay community centers are being established around the country. These places are advertised as being a safe refuge for young homosexuals fleeing abuse. In a recent press release Terry Stone of CenterLink said, "Community centers are the backbone of the LGBT movement …"

Education programs are prominent feature of the gay community centers. For a brief time the Center hosted the Harvey Milk High School. Some critics claim that these educational efforts are really indoctrination. For example, David Kilmnick heads Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth and his bio says "his dissertation focused on heterosexist attitudes and changes following contact with an openly gay instructor."

The safety of the gay community centers has rarely been investigated. A hook-up culture exists in some of these places. Some teens meet at gay community centers to find sex partners. Sexual assaults sometimes go unreported. Since 2000 the police have been called to the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth center at least 55 times, according to the police list report. At least one person accused of vandalizing this facility is claiming he’s innocent and that he was beaten by police so that they could obtain a confession. I wonder if his story is true.

Will The Black Party end?

I have been unable to find a single report of Christians calling for an end to The Black Party. Maybe that is why the Center would promote and profit from such an event. They probably expect Christians to remain silent about The Black Party.

We must remember that people attending The Black Party can change. The Bible tells of prostitutes following Jesus Christ and leaving their former lifestyle behind. Will we tell The Black Party participants about the love of Christ?

———————————————————————————————–

written by Barry Bowen for Christian Headlines

I wonder what the results would be like elsewhere, say in Europe and in Africa?

By Jennifer Riley , Christian Post Reporter Mon, Apr. 13 2009 02:59 PM EDT

 The majority of American Christians do not believe that Satan is a real being or that the Holy Spirit is a living entity, the latest Barna survey found.

Nearly six out of ten Christians either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan "is not a living being but is a symbol of evil," the survey found.

Forty percent strongly agreed with the statement while 19 percent of American Christians somewhat agreed.

In contrast, about 35 percent of American Christians believe Satan is real. Twenty-six percent strongly disagreed with the statement that Satan is merely symbolic and about one-tenth (9 percent) somewhat disagreed.

The remaining eight percent of American Christians responded they were unsure what to believe about the existence of Satan.

Interestingly, the majority of Christians believe a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits, even though many of these same people believe Satan is merely a symbol of evil. Two out of three Christians agreed that such forces are real (39 percent agreed strongly, 25 percent agreed somewhat).

Likewise, most Christians in the United States do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force. Fifty-eight percent strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity."

Only one-third of Christians disagreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is not just symbolic (9 percent disagreed somewhat, 25 percent disagreed strongly). Nine percent expressed they were unsure.

Interestingly, about half (49 percent) of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol but not a living entity, agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit is God’s power or presence, not just symbolic.

"Most Americans, even those who say they are Christian, have doubts about the intrusion of the supernatural into the natural world," commented George Barna, founder of The Barna Group and author of books analyzing research concerning America’s faith.

"Hollywood has made evil accessible and tame, making Satan and demons less worrisome than the Bible suggests they really are," he said. "It’s hard for achievement-driven, self-reliant, independent people to believe that their lives can be impacted by unseen forces."

But a large majority of American Christians agree that a person must choose to side with either good or evil. More than six out of ten American Christians strongly agreed (61 percent) with the idea that a person must either side with God or with the devil – that there is no in-between position. Another 15 percent somewhat agreed.

Just one out of ten adults disagreed somewhat (10 percent) and a similar proportion (11 percent) strongly disagreed. Only a few adults (3 percent) did not have an opinion on the issue.

Barna explained that because of the "sheer force of repetition" many Americans "intellectually" accept the idea that you either side with God or Satan and there’s no in-between, even though this idea does "not get translated into practice."

Other survey findings include a significant number of self-described Christians believing that Jesus sinned when he lived on earth, contrary to the core teaching of Christianity that teaches the divinity and perfection of Jesus.

More than one-fifth (22 percent) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17 percent agreeing somewhat.

However, nearly half of American Christians (46 percent) strongly disagreed with the idea that Jesus sinned, and 9 percent disagreed somewhat. Six percent did not have an opinion on the statement.

The Barna report is based on telephone interviews for two surveys among people who described themselves as Christians. A total of 1,871 adults were randomly selected from across the 48 continental states, with the first 873 interviews conducted in January and February 2008, and the remaining 998 interviews conducted in November 2008.

Related

Many Christians Claim Unbiblical Spiritual Gifts, Survey Finds

Survey: Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold Biblical Worldview

Preachers, Philosopher Square Off in ABC Debate on Satan

Posted: April 07, 2009,11:30 pm Eastern© 2009 WorldNet Daily .Christian college creates homosexual housing: ‘It’s a chance for students to be part of a unique experience’.

Texas Christian University

The church-affiliated Texas Christian University has announced plans to allocate apartment housing on its Fort Worth campus for homosexual students and their supporters.

According to a report in the city’s Star-Telegram newspaper, the school plans to open a section of the Tom Brown-Pete Wright apartments for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender students and allies."

The school also will have two living groups that are designated "Christian-based" and others for fine arts and other themes, the report said.

"It’s a chance for students to be part of a unique experience," David Cooper, associate chief of residential life, told the newspaper.

Shelly Newkirk, a TCU sophomore who applied to create the homosexual residence lifestyle, told the newspaper her vision is that homosexuals and straight students will interact and hang out.

Cooper said the university opened its "living-learning communities" to student ideas.

Others coming up include the "Leadership and Strengths Community" for those who want to lead, environmentalists who are collecting in the "Green House" and the Health and Wellness Community.

"I think it’s wonderful that TCU is offering this," Nancy Tubbs of the LGBT Resource Center at the University of California-Riverside told the paper.

The report said a fraternity for homosexuals opened at the University of North Texas in 1998 but lasted only a few years before closing.

On the paper’s forum page, the reaction ranged widely.

"So let me get this straight. TCU now supports segregation?" wrote one contributor.

"Some of you will no doubt be SHOCKED to learn that ‘Christian’ does not necessarily mean ‘anti-gay.’ TCU is affiliated with the Christian (sic) Church (Disciples of Christ), a denomination that does not have anti-gay policies. … I’m just glad that some are trying to turn ‘Christian’ back into a term for love rather than the curse word that so many of you have caused it to be," said another.

Yet another was terse: "sick."

"The Gay Agenda: It’s Dividing the Family, the Church, and a Nation"

University to student: Endorse being ‘gay’ or leave

‘Hetero’ gal benched ‘for not being lesbian’

My COMMENT:

HAVE MERCY ON US, OH LORD!!! DO NOT DESTROY US IN THINE ANGER!

SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) — Ann Holmes Redding has what could be called a crisis of faiths.

Ann Holmes Redding says she sees no contradiction in being both a Christian minister and a Muslim. For nearly 30 years, Redding has been an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church. Her priesthood ended Wednesday when she was defrocked.

The reason? For the past three years Redding has been both a practicing Christian and a Muslim.

"Had anyone told me in February 2006 that I would be a Muslim before April rolled around, I would have shaken my head in concern for the person’s mental health," Redding recently told a crowd at a signing for a book she co-authored on religion.

Redding said her conversion to Islam was sparked by an interfaith gathering she attended three years ago. During the meeting, an imam demonstrated Muslim chants and meditation to the group. Redding said the beauty of the moment and the imam’s humbleness before God stuck with her.

"It was much more this overwhelming conviction that I needed to surrender to God and this was the form that my surrender needed to take," she recalled. "It wasn’t just an episode but …. was a step that I wasn’t going to step back from."

Ten days later Redding was saying the shahada — the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Mohammad as his prophet.

But Redding said she felt her new Muslim faith did not pose a contradiction to her staying a Christian and minister.

"Both religions say there’s only one God," Redding said, "and that God is the same God. It’s very clear we are talking about the same God! So I haven’t shifted my allegiance." Watch Redding say, "Being a Muslim makes me a better Christian" »     

The imam at the Islamic Center in Seattle, Washington, where Redding prays said she brings the best of both traditions to her beliefs.

"Coming from an example of wanting to be Christ-like and coming from the perspective of wanting to follow the best example — the example of our prophet Mohammed — it all makes sense then," Benjamin Shabazz said.

There are many contradictions between the two religions. While Islam recognizes Jesus as a prophet, Christianity worships him as the son of God.

• Diocese statement on defrocking Redding (PDF)

James Wellman, who chairs the department of comparative religion at the University of Washington, said that while it is not unusual for people to "mix and match" beliefs, it is almost unheard of for a minister to claim two religions.

"When you take ordination as a Christian minister, you take an explicit vow of loyalty to Jesus. It’s hard for me to understand how a Christian minister could have dual loyalties," Wellman said.

Redding said she sees the theological conflicts but that the two religions, at their core, "illuminate" each other.

"When I took my shahada, I said there’s no God but God and that Mohammed is God’s prophet or messenger. Neither of those statements, neither part of that confession or profession denies anything about Christianity," she said.

To her parishioners and family, though, Redding has turned her back on her faith and office. There was, she said, "universal puzzlement" at her decision to convert to Islam but still remain an Episcopal minister.

"I have people who love me very much who really don’t want me to do this, and I love them very much. And I would love to be able to say, ‘Because I love you I will renounce my orders’ or ‘I will renounce Islam’ … I hate causing pain to people who love me, that’s not my intention," Redding said.

The Episcopal Church also rejected Redding’s religious choice.

"The church interprets my being a Muslim as ‘abandoning the church,’ " she said. "And that [there] comes an understanding that you have to be one or the other, and most people would say that. It simply hasn’t been my experience that I have to make a choice between the two."

The Diocese of Rhode Island, where Redding was ordained, told her to leave either her new Muslim faith or the ministry. A diocese statement said Bishop Geralyn Wolf found Redding to be "a woman of utmost integrity. However, the Bishop believes that a priest of the Church cannot be both a Christian and a Muslim."

Even though she has been defrocked, Redding said she is not capable of turning her back on either faith. She said she wants to continue speaking about and teaching religion and perhaps even travel to the Hajj, a journey to Mecca that every Muslim is supposed to make in their lifetime.

Redding said she does not want her belief in two religions to diminish the value she holds for both Christianity and Islam. Each faith by itself is enough to fulfill a person spiritually, she said.

"It’s all there. I am not saying you have to go somewhere else to be complete. Some people don’t need glasses, some people need single lenses. I need bifocals."