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Showing posts from April, 2015

The Reality of Jesus Christ

  Jesus Christ is real. He is not fable, he is not a fiction, and He is not a tradition. The Message (Gospels) are not mythos, they the very truth of God! Jesus is not just a teacher, He is not merely a prophet. Jesus is the Son of God and God Himself! (Colossians 2:9, Ephesians 3:19).   I grow weary of what I am watching in Body. Believers treat their Lord like He is legend when our Lord is Life! Jesus is not a lifestyle, He is Alive! The things I am beholding, the falling away, the false philosophies posing as Christianity are astounding! People claim to be Christ followers and then act like He didn't rise from the Dead! Its appalling and frankly not surprising.   These are false christs Jesus Christ warned about. He said, " In those days there will be many false christs and false prophets. And if anyone says come to this place in desert or to this inner room and claims he is here, do not go and do not believe them, for surely as lightning flashes fr...

Getting Closer to God

We are often told that prosperity and success are signs that we are in God's will and this is you are close to Christ you shall have carts full of blessings. This prosperity doctrine prepares people to believe that following Jesus means joy unending; and they are right about the joy. But the success a true servant of Christ has is subjective; before the Lord it is success, but to many, even those in churches it will not look like success. The truth is that path to a closer relationship with Christ and the community of Christians is not prosperity but adversity. Not success, but suffering. It is in suffering that we come to know God's suffering better and are able to connect to others who suffer. Suffering is what every person on this planet has in common. It is thus my contention that if we all can fellowship suffering that is will lead us to God who suffered the most; Jesus Christ crucified. Honestly, only Jesus Christ fellowships in our sufferings. It says, "For bec...

Armenian Genocide: 100th Anniversary

This month marks the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In April of 1915, over 1.5 Million Armenian Christians were executed by the Ottoman Turks for their Christian Faith. The genocide was believed to have begun on April 24th. For many years this atrocious act was denied by the Turkish Government. The memory of the horrors of this holocaust have haunted the Armenian people, some of whom are my friends. I have friends who live in Jerusalem that are Armenian. Their parents escaped the genocide of 1915. Many of their family and friends were slain in the massacres. For them it dark hour of history, when evil unleashed great persecution during the First World War. Holocaust Memorial Day was this month and we acknowledge the appalling acts of evil done by Nazis to the Jewish People and to Christians alike. The 1915 killings are a reminder that the Church can be persecuted and killed en masse. It should be a sober memorial for all Christians. A moment to remember that...

Martyrdom 2015

I have just been informed that the largest city in Iraq has been captured and that the Christians (which majority of the city's population) are being lined up and beheaded! Please pray for these brethren! Pray for them to either "endure to the end" and hold on to their faith in face of being cut to pieces or that they are provided a "way of escape!" Martyrdom is paradox of sorts. On one hand it means the death of our devout brothers and sisters in Christ, on the other hand it fuels conversion and churches grow the more martyrs they are. Why is this? Why is blood the base of the Church? Why is Christians dying the door to many believing in Christ? The answer is that is how it started. Jesus was martyred for our sins, He was and is God who was crucified. Think about that. God's plan was for God to die so that we may live eternally. So isn't it interesting that Gods' people dying brings life to Church and more people into the eternal life! I am n...

In His Service: Be a Knight of Christ

The time has come for men to enlist in the army of the Lord! To become Knights of Christ in his charge! "Our war is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and thrones." (Ephensians 6:12). Man has been manipulated into a shadow and echo of what he once was. Nowadays there is this equality of the sexes, and applaud that women can now do what their hearts desire, but there is band brothers bond that is being lost. There are times when men and women need to pray together, work together, and collaborate. And then there are times when men need to be with men and pray, worship, and talk. In same manner women need to be with women and pray, worship, and talk. Its not about separating, its about dynamics. Men talk differently when there are only men (not talking about crude talk, but they feel freer to let loose and be themselves). When a women is present, there is the God designed desire to impress and be conscience of the woman's feelings. Its hard...

The One Thing

  What is your one thing? The one thing that if you lost everything else you would be content and survive. For some it is family, others freedom, and still yet others fame. But all of these things can be taken away. Your family can be taken away, split up, or even executed. Freedom can be lost in a day or less, as most prisoners know. Fame is fleeting because no one can hold the attention of the world very long. Take for instance movie stars, music stars, and celebrities, they all have their day in the spotlight, but inevitably someone else comes along and take the limelight and captivates people with something new. For collectors and consumers it may be possessions but this too is folly because stuff can be lost, stolen, and destroyed. A film called, "The Lady in Gold," starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds is a great example of how something you own can be taken away.     For others ambition, work, and their passions are their one thing. But ambition event...

Confession of Sin

      Confessing sins is a major doctrine of the Catholic Church. But is it for all Christians? Do we have to confess sin daily? Aren't we already a "new creation in Christ?" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yes we are, but confessing sin or repentance is not a one time event that takes place as confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Confession is throughout the Bible and we shall look at the verses and the reasons for the practice. Confession or repentance really means "to turn from and desist." It is not a sorry or apology, it is a shift of purpose. Sin in Greek means, "missing the mark." Though we are new Creations in Christ we miss the mark everyday. We fall short sometimes because while we are alive in Christ "the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." (Galatians 5:17). Let us look at the first major scri...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Injustice

I recently watched Batman v Superman trailer and must raise some concerns I have. One, Superman is going to seen as a savior, while it has been believed Superman is an allegory of Christ, I am concerned that is shows people worshipping him saying, "Kal-el" and on a statue of Superman is the words written "false god." I agree, Superman is not God and it seems religious people in the film will be against Superman, which honestly if Superman showed up today we as Christians wou ld be against him because rather than seeing him as "Man of Steel", we would know him to be the "Man of Sin." (2 Thessalonians 2:3, KJV). The final scene has Batman and Superman facing off and Batman says, "tell me god, do you bleed? You will bleed!" My matriarch mother mentioned that this will inevitably boil "into an attack on Jesus Christ and his blood. Viewers, especially atheists, will twist this into Superman bleeds and is proven to not be god, s...

Going Two by Two

Isolation is one of the principle weapons of our enemy. If the devil cannot divide us from God, he will divide us from one another. The reason for separating the saints is that we draw strength from one another in our mutual Savior Jesus Christ. This is the reason many churches have schisms and that dear brothers and sisters in the lord split over trifles. Our enemy knows that a " house divided against itself cannot stand ." (Mark 3:25). We become vulnerable alone. Going two by two is not a doctrine of the church or some wise teacher. It is the very commission Christ gave. Our Lord said, " Go two by two into the towns, taking not a cloak, a walking stick, or even purse. You will caste out demons, heal the sick, and do wonders ." (Mark 6:7,  Luke 10:1-5, Luke 9:3). Why did Jesus send them two by two? The answer is multi-layered. Firstly, when you are there are two or more people fear loses power. IF you know you are not alone when proclaiming the Message, that t...

Jesus The Door

Jesus is the Door. (John 10:7). The door to salvation. This description of Christ and what is means it often lost on us. The reason is that it draws parallels to Noah and the Ark. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, "In the last days it shall be in the times of Noah, people will drink, feast and have children, and the flood suddenly came upon them. In same manner shall be the Son of Man's coming.,," (see Matthew 24:37-51). This particular passage tends to draw our attention to Christ's Second Coming and how it will sudden like the Flood, but we are missing a point here that is revealed latter in the next chapter when Jesus gives the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Jesus said, "there were ten virgins, five who kept their lamps lit and their oil stocked and waited and watched, and five who fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. Suddenly there was trumpet and the Bridegroom (Jesus) had come. The five virgins with lamps that were lit went out, but were asked...

Relating to God

The disposition of our body is a major barometer for how we feel in a relationship. You may notice out and about that around certain people, even strangers you stand erect and with confidence, but suddenly you come into the presence of someone and it is as if your back is bent forwards and you are in a constant bowing or arched position. What is the cause of this phenomenon? Does it have a connection to God? Is it demonic and emotional witchcraft? The answer to all of these will be explored in this post. Let us begin with God. It is interesting the different postures people have in regards to the Almighty. In some churches when praying and praising, the person stand stall and lifts their hands and arms above their shoulders as if reaching out to their best friend. In another setting a person is bent over rocking back and forth like an Autistic child while praying, giving the impression that God requires this motion and distortion of posture to please him. Then there is the bowing ...

Spirit of Jezebel

While it is impossible to know is the Templars were innocent or guilty. One fact remains that we should pay heed of: jealous people will try to destroy devoted followers of Jesus. In the Church jealousy is the child of Jezebel, a spirit that seeks to divide the faithful and ferret out true followers of Christ. She does not merely influence women, but can be found influencing men. Her goal is to get God's people out of church and to ruin them. She is very successful, especially because in these times many people do not take the demonic and deliverance very seriously. Jezebel was woman that existed in the time of the Prophet Elijah. She was pagan woman who had many Baal priests and influenced the Israelites to abandon the True God (Jehovah). Elijah did battle with these Baal priests and held a contest; where the Baal priests chanted and cut themselves to get their god to set a pyre on fire, but Elijah doused his pyre and called down the fire and the blaze engulfed the w...

The Lord of Hosts

It is important that we see the merciful side of the Messiah. The image of Jesus Christ upon the cross gives us comfort that He loves us, died for our sins, and has reconciled us unto Him. However, we must be careful to not caste aside the justice side of Jesus. Our Lord is returning and His wrath will be for those who are wicked. Some declare that Jesus' Judgment at the Last Day is unfair or unwarranted. To such claims I say blasphemy! One cannot judge God! And if you consider it from Christ's point of view perhaps you could get down from your high horse, no pun intended. Jesus went through the excruciating death on the cross for every person. He bled and died miserably for the sake of all men and women. Those who refuse to believe in Him or accept Him have in effect spat in his face and said no to His sacrificial love! A no that is both insane and the epitome of evil! If anyone dare reject God who so loved them that He died for them so that they could be free from sin, t...

Silver and Gold have I Not

We live in a world that is dominated by money. From corperations to charity causes to churches there is a clamor for coins. While money is not evil, the Apostle Paul warns that, " The love of money is the root of all evil ." (1 Timothy 6:10). One of the issues I have had with the Church and Christian Causes these days is the merchandising. You walk into a church and often it feels like you stepped into a store. The room leading to the sanctuary is filled with CDs of sermons for $3-5 and if there is not table of books and etc. there is stations outside for selling. Is this not exactly what Jesus reacted to in the Temple? It says in the Gospel of John that Jesus went to the Temple for Passover and found there the money changers selling doves, oxen, and other items. In response our Lord, "made a whip of cords, He drove out them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer's money and overturned the tables. And he said to those who ...

Rome: From Crucifying Jesus to Becoming a Church

        Rome. The most brutal civilization to ever reign. The Romans were masters of the world. They conquered nations like spreading fire. Roman Rule was the background upon which Jesus Christ's Ministry rose and it was at the hands of the Romans that Jesus was Crucified. Rome's role in the History of God's Church is as bizarre as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to St. Paul. Rome in the time of Christ had expanded its empire to the far reaches of the world and was consolidating its power. The Romans were ruled by dictator known as the Cesar, who was appointed during crisis but like most leaders who gain great power, was never to relinquish it. In fact, this will foreshadow the Cesar of the Church, known as the Pope. Rome's role in Christianity really started at the Crucifixion. Pontius Pilate, who was prefect and Governor of Judea was presented with Jesus of Nazareth on charges of blasphemy and other religious law. Pilate immediately found not fau...