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Banned From Meeting In Church, Rwandan Worshippers Gather At Home

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Banned From Meeting In Church, Rwandan Worshippers Gather At Home

Grace Umutesi has secretly been conducting services in her house in the Bannyahe slum on the outskirts of the capital since officials shut down her church in July for failing to comply with building safety standards and other regulations.

“I’m very disappointed by the decision of the government to close our church,” said Umutesi, 35, a mother of four. “But we cannot stop to pray and praise God because our church has been closed. God is everywhere and he listens to our prayers.”

Umutesi, an elder at Joy Temple Ministries, said her church was closed because the pastor had no theological degree from an accredited institute as the government requires. She also said her church lacked proper toilets and bathrooms for guests and congregants — and can’t afford to comply with government regulations.

“It’s expensive for the church and it’s wrong for the government to tell us not to worship,” she said.

Joy Temple Ministries is one among thousands that authorities have shut down in recent months. An estimated 8,000 churches and 100 mosques have been closed across this East Africa nation of 12 million people, according to the government’s latest figures. Muslims comprise around 5 percent of the Rwandan population.

At the beginning of this year, Rwandan lawmakers enacted new laws requiring pastors to be educated and church buildings to be renovated, offer two bathrooms for men and women and provide paved access to churches on a half hectare of land or more.

Critics of President Paul Kagame said the crackdown is an extension of his long record of disregarding human rights. They say he has been clamping down on freedom of expression since he took power in 2000.

But the government has defended the move, saying it wanted to bring sanity in religious institutions and that it was not targeting any religion or church.

Paul-Kagame.jpg

 

“We have freedom of worship in our country but that does not mean that you keep worshipers in a substandard house of worship that is likely to fall next day,” said Justus Kangwagye, a government official responsible for overseeing faith-based organizations in the country.

“We simply require churches to meet modest standards and all preachers to have theological training before opening a church.”

The new rules led to the closure of most Pentecostal churches where charismatic preachers draw huge followers because of purported miracles. Kagame has long accused Pentecostal pastors of using “fake” miracles to lure locals and enrich themselves. The authority arrested six pastors earlier this year for trying to defy government orders to close down churches. Those pastors were later released.

In response to the shutdowns, numerous worshippers have decided to conduct their worship services in their homes.

“Thousands of faithful are now secretly praying in their houses for fear of government crackdown,” said one senior pastor who did not want to be mentioned for fear of arrest.

“When the government arrested the six pastors,” he said, “it was like a stern warning to others not to resist the new laws on churches. We are feeling pain as pastors but we can’t talk about or discuss the issue. … How can leaders deny their people the right to worship freely?”

Some faithful are walking for miles away from their homes every Sunday to look for other churches to worship in after their own were closed.

Esther Umohoza, who lives in Nyamirambo estate in the southwestern corner of Kigali, walks nine miles every Sunday to worship. She sometimes attends a Bible study at her neighbor’s house every Wednesday to keep close to God.

“Life has become hard, especially for Christians in this country,” she said. “You have to travel for a distance to seek God. But we are not going to give up on seeking God. I pray that the government revises these rules. We need churches to be everywhere so that people can pray freely.”

But Umutesi believes prayer will lead to changes in government policy. She hopes churches will reopen soon.

“We are praying God to change the government’s mind so that they don’t completely shut down churches,” she said. “We believe no leader can go against God, and if he does so, our country will be cursed.”

 

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Wading Through Waters

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Wading Through Waters

I wonder how people in cut off towns live in this 21st Century.  Does anyone care for these towns? Do we not hear politicians talking of building roads?

Where are the roads?

I watched the video of Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills and the Healing Jesus Crusade team attempting to go to Kpassa and I felt sad. Literally driving unmotorable roads waging through water to bring the good news of Salvation to Kpassa.

Kpassa is the capital of Nkwantaa North District in the Volta Region of Ghana. Inhabitants are mostly Komkombas engaged in farming.  For these Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills and his team would risk their lives wading through waters which they cannot tell its depth just to send the message of salvation.

Praise to Jesus despite the initial difficulties, over 100,000 people attended the Kpassa crusade and a record 99,000 and more took a decision for Jesus.

Former CCA General Secretary Bishop John V Samuel Passes Away

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Former CCA General Secretary Bishop John V Samuel Passes Away

It is with profound grief that we received the sad news of the demise of Bishop John Victor Samuel, a former General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA). He passed away in Multan, Pakistan in the early hours of 30 August 2018. He was 87 years old.

The funeral will be held in Multan on Sunday, 2 September 2018.

Bishop John Victor Samuel, a prominent Asian ecumenical leader served CCA as its fifth General Secretary from 1990 to 1995. He served the Church and ecumenical movement in various capacities for more than half a century. He was a member of CCA presidium from 1973 to 1977; member of WCC Central Committee, Moderator of Commission of Interchurch Aid, Refugee and World Service (CICARWS/WCC), President of NCC Pakistan, Presiding Bishop of Church of Pakistan, and General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement in Pakistan.

Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of CCA expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and said that Bishop Samuel would be remembered for his ecumenical collegiality, personal warmth and friendship, as well as his numerous ecumenical contributions in Pakistan and at the international level.

“In his capacity as the General Secretary of CCA in the 1990’s, Bishop Samuel was instrumental in initiating and developing future Asian ecumenical leadership” recollected the CCA General Secretary who was a colleague of Bishop Samuel at CCA in the 1990s.

Bishop Samuel is survived by his wife Shirin, sons Ajmal and Amjad, and daughter Anjum.

 

http://cca.org.hk/home/

Roy Moore Loses To Doug Jones In Humiliating Senate Result For Donald Trump

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Roy Moore Loses To Doug Jones In Humiliating Senate Result For Donald Trump

Doug Jones, the man who made his name prosecuting two former Ku Klux Klan members who bombed a black church, has won a stunning victory in the Senate race in Alabama – the first Democrat to win such a seat in the state for 25 years.

In doing so, the 63-year prosecutor, who just weeks ago was trailing Republican Roy Moore by double digits in the polls, also delivered a humiliating blow to Donald Trump, who had mocked Mr Jones and endorsed his opponent. It also reduces the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49, complicating Mr Trump’s efforts to push forward his legislative agenda.

Mr Jones’s fortunes increased sharply after Mr Moore’s campaign was rocked by allegations that he abused teenage girls and women when he was in his thirties and working as a local prosecutor.

Mr Moore denied the allegations and dismissed them as an attempt to undermine his campaign, but they appeared sufficient to either lead some Republicans to vote for Mr Jones or else to enable the Democrat to persuade a sufficient number of his potential supporters to actually go out and cast their ballots for him. However, Mr Moore’s campaign made clear in the wake of the result that they were not conceding yet.

It didn’t stop Mr Jones and his supporters celebrating the result. He told the victory – indeed the “entire race” – had been “about dignity and respect”.

Mr Jones said he now wanted to find “common ground” with other politicians in Washington.

Appearing visibly emotional on stage at a campaign victory rally in the city of Birmingham, he said: “I have always believed that the people of Alabama have more in common than divides us.

“We have shown not just around the state of Alabama, but we have shown the country the way – that we can be unified.”

Celebrating the victory on the same day he marked his 25th wedding anniversary, Mr Jones said he felt overwhelmed by the result.

“Take this election from the great state of Alabama. Take this opportunity,” he said. “On a very personal level, I want to thank each of you for fulfilling a lifelong dream to serve in the US Senate.”

While raucous celebrations went on long into the night in Birmingham, at Mr Moore’s headquarters in Montgomery there was silence after the result became clear.

One of the former judge’s longtime supporters, Rich Hobson, took to the stage to say the Republican was not conceding the race.

“Some people are calling this. We’re not calling it yet,” he said. “In the meantime, I’d ask you to pray.”

Mr Moore also came out on stage and said that he would not be conceding, telling campaign supporters “it’s not over.”

“It’s going to take some time,” the candidate said during a brief appearance before supporters.

Campaign chairman Bill Armistead said that because the vote is close and approaching the state’s recount requirement, “we do not have a final decision on the outcome.”

Alabama state law calls for a recount if the margin of victory is less than 0.5 per cent. With all precincts reporting, Mr Jones leads by 1.5 percentage points — three times the threshold.

If the secretary of state determines there were more write-in votes than the difference between Mr Jones and Mr Moore, the state’s counties would be required to tally those votes. It’s not clear how that would help Mr Moore, who ended the night trailing Mr Jones by more than 20,000 votes.

Once again, it means President Trump has thrown his weight behind a candidate in Alabama – and lost. On Tuesday morning, hours after ballots opened, Mr Trump had repeated his support for Mr Moore on Twitter, where he has 45 million followers.

“The people of Alabama will do the right thing,” he said. “Doug Jones is pro-abortion, weak on crime, military and illegal immigration, bad for gun owners and veterans and against the wall. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet. Roy Moore will always vote with us.”

On Tuesday night, as news of Mr Jones’ stunning upset sank in, not just among the political class but across the country, Mr Trump offered measured congratulations.

“Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends,” he said.

If the result was a huge embarrassment for the President it was a similar blow for his former strategist, Steve Bannon, who had become one of Mr Moore’s most outspoken supporters and who was hoping to use what he believed would be a victory in Alabama, to drive the momentum for similar so-called insurgent campaigns in 2018.

In Argentina, Homeless Addict Thankful For Gospel Power

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In Argentina, Homeless Addict Thankful For Gospel Power

In a neighborhood known for brothels and beggars in an otherwise historic section of eastern Buenos Aires, a homeless Argentinian from a well-to-do family arrived penniless at a church site established to feed the poor.

Giovanni recognized some people there who were living, as he was, on the streets of the city’s San Cristobal section, where centuries-old charm came with pockets of prostitutes, crumbling sidewalks and mildew-stained apartments. The red-light areas of San Cristobal also had their share of drug addicts who would maim or kill to get the money to support their habit.

Giovanni had refrained from telling those on the street that he was the only one in his family who had not attained a profession, much less excelled in one, as his well-off relatives had.

But something in the church volunteer who served him dinner gave him a sense of trust, and Giovanni opened up to him. The more he had faltered in school, work and relationships, the more estranged from his family he had become, he told the volunteer, an indigenous ministry co-leader named Juan Ovando.

Juan warmly greeted him, and it occurred to Giovanni that Juan was already like a brother to him – except that this brother loved him unconditionally.

“It wasn’t long before they cut all contact with me,” Giovanni said.

Failure had led to more drinking, and drinking to more failure. His alcohol addiction came to light.

“I don’t mind living on the street,” he said. “If I’m going to be intoxicated all the time, I might as well be on the street.”

Both men fearlessly forthright, their directness tempered by a deep underlying current of kindness, Giovanni and Juan hit it off instantly. Both were native Argentinians of Italian ancestry, like many of the residents of the San Cristobal area. Italian immigrants, along with the Spanish and French, were responsible for much of San Cristobal’s 19th century European architecture that Giovanni passed through on his way to Juan’s ministry office later that week.

Giovanni accepted Christ the first time he met with Juan, said Pastor Jorge Ovando, Juan’s twin brother and head of the indigenous ministry, Buenos Aires Outreach (BAO).

“In Argentina, we ask people to accept Jesus immediately – it happens all the time,” Pastor Jorge said.

Giovanni’s discipleship came about naturally, as he couldn’t resist stopping by Juan’s office every afternoon to talk, study the Bible and drink mate (“MAH-teh), Argentina’s national beverage made from dried yerba mate leaves steeped in hot water and sipped through a metal straw from a shared, hollow gourd.

Discipleship at BAO’s churches involves teaching new believers every aspect of the ministry, with much of it learning by doing, and Giovanni was eager to begin. Serving Jesus by serving others begins immediately at BAO churches, and new believers’ special gifts are soon revealed. It quickly became apparent that Giovanni had the gift of serving others, Pastor Jorge said.

“He obeyed everything and was looking for my brother every day to drink mate,” he said. “He began to get involved in the church, got married to the woman who leads worship, and now they are in charge of those that go every week to give food to homeless people in San Cristobal.”

Giovanni, now the father of a 1-year-old baby, also helps lead worship, and he is developing his leadership abilities as one of 35 students invited to study at the ministry’s Bible institute.

“He has a new life,” Juan’s wife said. “Now he’s praying about helping his siblings to come to Jesus. Because now he’s preaching about the change in his life.”

Flash-Mob Evangelism

The ministry that doesn’t shy away from asking for rapid commitments to Christ stages equally aggressive evangelistic campaigns.

Team members from the ministry’s seven churches will “invade” a neighborhood for no more than two hours, with individuals responsible for approaching people or knocking on doors in an area of two or three blocks. They invite people to an outdoor evangelistic event at, say, 5 p.m., when the music of drums and guitars will set the atmosphere for Pastor Jorge’s message.

“At the end we’ll preach the gospel, invite people to receive Jesus and pray for all the needs in that area,” Pastor Jorge said. “Then we’ll give and get phone numbers for follow-up. Some people spit on me, and we need to be ready for that. Our Lord suffered on the cross, and we need to be ready to commit to serving Him.”

In the same vein, a few skilled dancers from the churches might play some recorded music at a park and begin choreographed worship, with others gradually joining in. A flash-mob of 40 Christians is dancing for Christ before the music stops and a crowd has gathered for the ensuing gospel message.

“We preach the gospel and praise God with a flash-mob,” Pastor Jorge said. “We try to use every kind of model. The ministry’s main motive is to reach people for Christ.”

The wide-ranging ministry’s mother church in Luján, about 45 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, meets at a store-front site virtually in the shadow of the historic Basilica of the Virgin of Luján. The BAO church must hold four services to accommodate the 1,000 people seeking to worship, and talks are underway to purchase an adjacent site that would give room for 2,000 people to meet at one time.

More importantly, the larger property would allow the ministry’s kindergarten and school to expand to meet growing demand, Pastor Jorge said.

“We could have many more students, but we can’t because the space is very small. The new property is next door and just recently came up for sale,” he said. “We just have to have faith that we can buy it even though this is a very expensive area. What God most dislikes is when we don’t believe, when we’re scared and we have many doubts.”

You Can Have It All

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You Can Have It All

“The Father gave us everything, the very beautiful world and all there is in it was given to us; all the lands, the sea, rivers, plants and vegetation, animals, birds, beasts of the field…oh, name them.  Everything the Father had spoken into being was actually meant for our pleasure.”

“He created Adam from sand, and from a single extracted side rib, He created me. He created us and gave us such a wonderful, indescribably beautiful place to live in. Oh, our mouths were indeed filled with laughter”

Extract from Eve: IF I HAD KNOWN.

It is perceived that no single person can have everything.  We often hear people make this casual remarks: “you can not have it all”.  And fortunately, we (born again and tongue speaking Christians) have come to accept this ungodly assertion.  Hell no! Can’t you see who is behind this statement? Yes… The Devil.  Listen, God spells it out very clearly in book of Genesis – that it is possible to have it all. Oh pardon me… You actually have it all; “…I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. – everything that has the breath of life in it…” Yes! That’s what am talking about; Adam and Eve actually had it at.  That was how God intended things to be. His original plan  for mankind was to have everything.  According to God’s plan for his children, they could have everything before they even desired.  Like seriously… Yes! Like seriousely.  It is very obvious my dear… Look, whatever Adam and Eve lacked, God provided before they even desired for that particular thing. Isn’t it amazing? A wife (Eve) was made readily available for Adam when He sensed his loneliness. Again, God provided a job for Adam to satisfy his sense of worth before Adam himself could desire the need to work and engage in something meaningful to make him fulfilled and contented.

Until the serpent deceived mankind and change the course of life for humanity, God needed not to let His children ask before he gave to them. Adam entered the world to find his beautifully designed and built abode, waiting for him.  A beautiful world with all there is in it for his comfort. Even Eve had a husband waiting for her immediately she entered the world. The good Lord planned his children’s comfort before they even entered the world. Like what many responsible couple expecting the arrival of their baby would do.  They prepare well in advance for the arrival of the new addition to the family. For example, they spend money, effort and time to put the baby’s room together. Even some rich folks wanting a particular school for their baby would go extra mile to register the unborn child with the most prestigious schools.  Jehovah God did this and more when He decided to bring man into the world. He first and foremost brought order to the world which was initially without form. “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep…” Gen 1:2  The world was in a chaotic condition but because God needed a habitable place for his children, he brought form, order and beauty to the earth –  This… the Lord did without being asked to do it.  You have to believe this; the original plan for man was a life of bliss, comfort, laughter and harmony.  Man needed not to ask for anything… but here we are in a fallen world: pleading and crying for things as basic as daily food. The fallen state of man leaves him with little blessings to operate with – no wonder the assertion “ you can’t have it all”.

Adam and Eve had everything. Remember, their father (God)  pledged the whole world to them.  And also blessed them with the ability to increase, multiply and be fruitful… How great!  But sad see mankind selling their souls for the basics. Why? Because the serpent is still after their inherent blessings .  ” … Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth…”  I am certain that the feeling of insufficiency and lack came about when man sinned and lost his right of ownership and rulership; hence the statement “you can’t have it all.” Mankind’s inherent blessings of fruitfulness, multiplication, replenishment, subjugation and dominion is the solution for lack and insufficiency.    No wonder these blessings have become the bone of contention between the serpent and man. The serpent wants to prove to the God that He wasted His precious time at creating the world and giving man such power to rule the world and all there is in it. Oh men!  You see the Devil is smart… He knows that man indeed have it all.   The serpent is bent on wiping out humanity with wars and its associated disasters.  Sexual Immortality with its resultant effect of strange sicknesses and diseases is what the serpent is using to plaque and completely wipe out humanity. The blessing of subjugation pronounced on man is fiercely being contended with; the introduction of homosexuality, bestiality and all forms of addiction leaves man with the spirit of uselessness – unable to rightfully own and control his inherited world meant for his good and comfort.

“… Rule over the fish in sea and the birds in the sky...

But God still believes in His children. He did not make a mistake by creating man. At the end of the day, the victory is with man. ”

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15

The Lord indeed gave man everything; including the greatest blessings of all – SALVATION.  The greatest blessings was when he came to the earth himself to put His world together. Through Jesus Christ, mankind is able to rule as God planned in the beginning. The spoken blessings of fruitfulness is seen at work in the lives of those are saved by the grace.  Though Satan has plagued the world but the world has also witnessed these blessings at play in the lives of many. Many servants of God have revolutionized the world with the good news of the risen saviour. It is now your turn to rise up and work with the inherent blessings “… Be fruitful… Subdue the earth…”. So do not buy into the serpent’s lies; you’re are actually the ruler and you have it all.  The devil has no share in this… It is only when you allow him to deceive you that is when he gets to enter and do his worse. But other than that, you are the king created to rule and have dominion. You have been fashioned to this way so operate as such. It is inherent; YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL.

 

Nora

The Vatican Gives “Prosperity Preachers” A Dirty Slap!

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The Vatican Gives “Prosperity Preachers” A Dirty Slap!

In the latest edition of the Vatican-approved Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica, two of the pope’s communication advisers, Antonio Spadaro and Marcelo Figueroa, wrote an article dated 18th July 2018 entitled, “The Prosperity Gospel: Dangerous and Different”, in which they strongly rebuked those they regard as “prosperity preachers”.

In the article, the authors named and shamed well-known and generally well-respected Christian TV preachers such as Paula White, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, and Paul Yonggi Cho, holding them responsible for spreading this “heresy” through the media and television networks such as TBN.

“Names such as Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, Robert Tilton, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and others have increased their popularity and wealth thanks to their focus on knowing this gospel, emphasizing it and pushing it to its limits.”

Even the American President Donald Trump got a mention in the article, being accused of associating with these pastors, and linking their message with “the American Dream”.

“It leads to the conclusion that the United States has grown as a nation under the blessing of the providential God of the Evangelical movement. Meanwhile, those who dwell south of the Rio Grande are sinking in poverty because the Catholic Church has a different, opposed vision exalting poverty.”

The authors claimed that this so-called “prosperity gospel” was born in the United States and has since spread to Africa, especially Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, as well as in India and South Korea.

“The preachers, prophets and apostles who have joined this branch of neo-Pentecostalism have taken up more and more important posts in the mass media, published an enormous quantity of books that have rapidly become best-sellers, and given speeches that are often transmitted to millions of people via the internet and social media.”

The dangers, they note, of this “religious anthropocentrism”, is that people would not trust Jesus as their saviour or the source of salvation, but as the source of wealth and health. Such a “gospel” they claim, views poverty, sickness and unhappiness as a lack of faith, and warn that this form of belief can “overshadow the Gospel of Christ.”

The authors point out that Pope Francis has strongly warned “the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean that “a sort of prosperity gospel” at the level of pastoral work creates churches “concerned with efficacy, success, quantifiable results and good statistics. The Church ends up being run like a business in a misleading way that keeps people away from the mystery of faith.”

Speaking against the principles of seed-sowing, the authors asserted that “When all is said and done, the spiritual principle of the seed and the harvest, in this evangelical interpretation that takes it completely out of context, states that giving is above all an economic act that is measured in terms of return on investment.”

In their view, “this “Gospel,” which puts the accent on faith as a “merit” to climb the social ladder, is unjust and radically anti-evangelical.”

It is interesting to note that the Catholic Church, in speaking in such strong terms against “prosperity preachers”, fails to acknowledge that albeit the Catholic Church is exalting poverty, it has amassed immense wealth over the years, among other things, through the sale of indulgences. This practice is what is commonly known as “buying your way into heaven” by giving donations to the Catholic Church to ease your way through purgatory.

Is this a case of the kettle calling the pot black?

Don’t shoot me down. I’m just a concerned citizen.

https://laciviltacattolica.com/the-prosperity-gospel-dangerous-and-different/

Nana Akua Dede

Give Thyself Wholly Conference Opens At Mampong Akwapim

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Give Thyself Wholly Conference Opens At Mampong Akwapim

The picturesque, historic town of Mampong Akuapim awoke to perhaps the most overwhelming influx of people on Tuesday July 31st 2018.

 

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
(Isaiah 2:2 KJV)
This scripture was practically fulfilled as the Give thyself wholly conference opened at the breathtakingly beautiful Anagkazo Bible and Ministry Training Center.
Thousands of local and international delegates from all around the globe are attending this annual conference for pastors and ministry workers.

The conference name ‘Give thyself wholly’ is based on the scripture from 1 Timothy 4:15.
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
(1 Timothy 4:15 KJV). God gave his servant Bishop Dag Heward-mills this burning vision to train pastors and ministers of the gospel to give themselves wholly to the work of the ministry to experience fruitfulness and increase in ministry.
Bishop Dag has faithfully carried out this vision through these powerful and life-transforming conferences. The Give thyself wholly conference 2018 promises to be no exception – stirring and impactful as always!

 

By Kweku Sampson

Here Is The Naked Truth About Sin

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Here Is The Naked Truth About Sin

In all honesty, this more or less feels prickly than familiar. We’ve been at that point where our eternal security effortlessly fell on the weighing scale whiles our religious ideals held up high – secretly, we knew what was happening, but of course ‘He is a merciful God’. It is at this point the mysterious relationship of God against man’s free will gets ‘questionable’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been here, in this spot, numerous times. Every Christian wrestles with sin every single day – “but if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer doing it, but sin which dwells in me”, Rom. 7:20NASB. Due to our sinful nature, it is usually emblematic of us to sin against our own will. But just like my pastor Bishop Dag Heward Mills said, a spiritual man does not fight the action (sin), he fights the desire, because “but each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust (desire) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death”, James 1:14-15NASB.

Don’t overthink this, stay with me:

In our daily struggle with a number of sins, most of us can be honest to identify at least one sin that presents a lifelong struggle, an imperfection that causes us to learn the same old lesson in a familiar cycle. But has it ever occurred to you that the finest way to stop sinning is to stop trying to stop sinning?

Let me re-echo this in caps – THE FINEST WAY TO STOP SINNING IS TO STOP TRYING TO STOP SINNING.

Why? As we become more cautious of our sins and trying to avoid them, truth is, all we are doing is feeding the very thought about the sins we’re trying to avoid.
“But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion)”, James 1:14AMP.

In this struggle, fear is your greatest ally. Sin births fear when we forget how we’ve been made righteous in the righteousness of Christ. We view this sin in a huge perspective of fear wrapping up with a blind awareness of how His righteousness is never enough to save us. It is. The moment there is a shift in this mindset, you’ll immediately begin to feel safe… safe in Christ, and when you begin to feel safe, the desire to sin lessens. “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace”, Rom 6:14NASB.

So, as you go through your daily struggles, refocus your mind on Christ and his grace instead of obsessing over the sin you keep trying to stop. Remember, you are free from bondage, and his grace is sufficient. See yourself as one who receives grace – you will have a thankful heart and grow daily with unwavering eternal security.

 

Akwele

Undeniable Wealth of Wisdom For Business From The LABBLAM Conference 2018

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Undeniable Wealth of Wisdom For Business From The LABBLAM Conference 2018

The LABBLAM conference 2018 was an impactful and memorable one by all standards.

The conference saw many delegates representing many different businesses from around the capital city, Accra and many from outside Accra as well gathering to learn about business by learning about ministry (LABBLAM).

The conference took place at the beautiful campus of the Anagkazo Bible and ministry training center located at Mampong Akuapim.

 

Teaching from his book, ‘He that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not from him shall be taken even that which he hath’, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills touched on the importance of certain character traits, mindsets and attitudes which lead to fruitfulness, abundance and profit in business. He expounded on the importance of creativity, building, sowing seeds among others in achieving undeniable success in business.

This annual conference also had a unique feature this year – a question and answer time where delegates directly had the opportunity to ask the speaker questions relating to business.

The delegates were obviously hungry for more as this session had to be cut short due to time constraints.

 
The LABBLAM conference takes place every year and hopes to be even bigger and better next year. Indeed, every business represented was blessed to be exposed to depth of wisdom shared at LABBLAM conference 2018.

 

Kweku Sampson

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