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Showing posts from April, 2017

The Peace of True Gospel

In past five years I have spent considerable time involved with many denominations ranging from Eastern Orthodoxy to Baptist. During my studies and time spent in these different circles I have come to a conclusion. There is peace in Protestantism. This is not a partisan post, or to shame Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. I am merely pointing out the fact that after five years of even attending masses and a Orthodox vigil, after spending time in minds of Augustine of Hippo and Antony of Egypt , I have come to this conclusion. Right now there is exodus from Protestant churches to Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. I have had two friends personally leave Evangelicalism for Catholicism, and recently Hank Hanegraaff the Bible Answer Man became Eastern Orthodox. I have talked about this trend, why young and old are flocking to the High Churches, I broke it down into the reasons like community, and reverence. However, from my own experience I discovered that these churches di...

The Lonely Places

Our Lord Jesus often withdrew to lonely place, " But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed ." (Luke 5:16). En masse prayer is often emphasized in the Church, and for good reason, " For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them ." (Matthew 18:20). However, just as there is time to pray in numbers, there is a time to go to lonely places and pray alone, " But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you ." (Matthew 6:6).I think in this age of insatiability and total access to information it has become difficult for people to do this. For one, the lonely places are disappear as men devour the Lord's pasture, "Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field A desolate wilderness. They have made it an empty wasteland; I hear its mournful cry. The whole l...

The Dignity of Christianity

Of all the religions in this world, Christianity is the only one with dignity. The ancient Azstecs ripped out human hearts of living people, and built monster gods, the Molech worshippers threw living babies into the fire, Artemis or Ashteroth worshippers had people do sexually depraved orgies, Baal worshippers waged genocidal wars on the innocent, Hindus believe people must be reincarnated and their bad deeds can revert them to becoming a dog or ant, Celts did human sacrifice and witchcraft to kill people, Satanists seek to harm people and destroy families, Buddists believe they must mutiltate their bodies with asceticism and get to higher enlightenment through hardship, Jews believe they must follow strictly the laws of Moses with curses and blessings, New Ageists believe man is not special and equal to a tree and other life, Nihilists take hope from mankind by saying there is no afterlife and so makes life pointless, Darwinists make man equal to apes and a sub species of...

Tropical Christianity

In the horn of Africa, on Hawaiian island, and in the isles of Jamaica, Christianity flourishes. In these places where tribalism survives in various forms, there are titans of Christ. There in the African plain and Jamaica many love Jesus, and radiate his Spirit. I have seen first hand in Africa the love of God manifest in the African people, their warmth, innocence, and simpleness (like child bible), struck me as something not found easily in West. In Hawaii at first glance it seems heathen, but there in a measure of paradise, there is a rest that permeates like the rest of Christ (Matthew 11:28). There is something of Trinity in the tropical and rural world of these contries. Coconuts, palm trees, bilboa trees, and music that sooths the soul all made by our Savior (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16). No worries makes many nervious in rat race, but the chilled back and slower pace I find is actually closer to Christ's words, " Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow wi...

The Reformation Continues

This year will be the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was started by a monk in Wittenberg named Martin Luther, who nailed a 95 Thesis on a door and sent a letter to the Bishop on October 31st, 1605. The Reformation did not accomplish what Luther wanted, reforming the Roman Catholic Church. Now thanks to renegade and bizarre Pope, Catholics are starting to read the Holy Bible and fufill the hopes of Luther. Catholics I know who read Scripture feel changed, they notice a difference in themselves and those who read the Bible. A Reformation is coming to Catholic Church, and it was stirred by the Antipope Francis I, whose attempts to merge Catholicism with other religions has failed, at least in major demographics of the Church. What Luther hoped was that Church of Rome would come out of their idolatries and heretical trust in Canon Law, and return to Scriptures and pure faith of the Apostles. The biggest obstruction to a full fledged Reformaiton in the...

The True Cross Relic

The True Cross is the actual Cross Jesus was crucified on for our sins (John 19). It was allegedly discovered by Helena, Constantine The Great's Mother during excavations in Jerusalem in 323 A.D. Constantine had recently converted to Christianity having won at Battle of Milvan Bridge, where he saw the sign of cross in sun or a vision, and words, "In hoc sig natius: in this sign you shall conquer." Helena and Constantine went on pilgrimage, Constantine having already founded St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, Italy went to Jerusalem, where he had the Church of Holy Sepulcher built and his mother's archaeologists found three crosses, one of them purportedly healed people, and this was deemed the True Cross, the one Jesus had died on. Relics had great importance to people back then, although the Apostles and Jesus himself never preached or encouraged relic hording and worship, nonetheless people began to crave anything connected to the sacred, and in this case, what c...

Pilgrim Trail: The Way of St. James

In Spain there is a pilgrim trail from Pyrenees to Santiago Compestela. This is called the Way of St. James or the Comino Santiago Compestela. For centuries Christian pilgrims have traveled this road to Compestela Spain to visit the shrine and cathedral of St. James the Apostle. There in the cathedral is the preported bones of the disciple of Jesus who died for his faith in Jesus. Pilgrims are given a sea shell which in ancient times for Christian represented resurrection and eternal life, and a passport which is stamped at each station on the way to St. James Cathedral in Spain. On this journey many pilgrims experience community and their cares being addressed by Christ. Many secular people have started the pilgrimage finding its spiritual and social aspects appealing. But the Camino was pilgrimage for Christians. Back in Middle Ages and in Modern Catholicism there is concept called Penance or Penitential, which means a Christian must merit holiness through harming their bodies, th...

The Trap of Religion

Graveyard, symbol of the spirit of religion's goal The trap of religion is easily sprung on servants of Christ. It promises more. More mysteries, more sufferings to prove you are worthy, and more self righteousness and platform to punish people with. Religion often gets its webs and coils around Christians because it looks so similar. It's caricature christ wears a similar crown of thorns and promises that you will be good enough this time to prove yoru holiness to the Holy Trinity, when in truth you already are holy, "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all . " (Hebrews 10:10). Jesus told us there would be other christs to deceive even the elect, one of them is found in Church, it looks and dresses like the True Christ, but the false christs demands where Christ develops, the false Christ crushes where Christ shows compassion, and the false christ creates another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) and l...

God is Waiting For Our Prayers, PMs, Texts, and Instagrams

Jesus is waiting for our prayers. Just as we wait for package or mail (email these days) from people we love, so Jesus waits for our prayers. Obviously prayer isn't just a request line, though Jesus hears our requests, our prayers are to communicate with Christ. Just as we get excited about facebook or twitter containing those highlighted red symbols telling us we have comments, likes, and other communique, so it is with our Lord. He wants to hear from us, He died on cross to reconcile us to Him, so we can " Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need ." (Hebrew 4:16). Our prayers are a sweet incense before God, " And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel ." (Revelation 8:4) and He delights in responding in moment of our prayer, afterwards, or sometimes we preempts us and knowing our hearts and minds (1 Samuel 16:7) ans...