Home Blog Page 147

Good News, Satan Wants To Destroy You!

Admin
-
0
Good News, Satan Wants To Destroy You!

The gospel is full of odd comforts. Discovering I’m afflicted with depravity brings the relief of the doctor’s diagnosis: “There is something wrong with me. It’s not all in my head.” More importantly, it provides the good news that in Christ there’s a cure for what ails me.

The doctrine of sin is not the only strange solace the gospel offers. It also tells us that we have an Enemy who walks around roaring like a lion looking to destroy us, so we should watch out (1 Pet. 5:8)! Many of us already feel like we’re in the middle of a battlefield, with an ancient foe wreaking havoc and destruction. The Bible says we’re right.

Unfortunately, we are tempted to forget this in our daily walk with God. As Fleming Rutledge notes, we read our Bibles and live our lives as if “there were only two dramatis personae, God and humanity” in the drama of redemption, contrary to the New Testament, “which presents three.”

Even those of us who believe the Gospels—which show Jesus came casting out demons, aiming to “bind the Strong Man,” and flinging Satan down like lightning—can tend to act as if all that stuff was way back then in biblical times.

Yet the Bible says Satan is at work now and we dare not forget it. Indeed, it’s not enough to know we have an enemy. We need to know his “schemes” (Eph. 6:11) and what resources we have in Christ against him—what Puritan Thomas Brooks called our “precious remedies against Satan’s devices.”

In The Crucified King, Jeremy Treat identifies three main ways Satan works: deception, temptation, and accusation. In other words, he is a wicked whisperer.

First, our Enemy whispers lies about everything, but especially about God. And he’s good at it. He lied to Adam and Eve, leading them to believe God was harsh, self-protective, stingy, and unconcerned with sin or disobedience. Satan does the same to us today.

To reject those lies, we must listen to God’s Word and hear of God’s opposition to sin and unrighteousness, as well as his compassion, self-giving love, and goodness toward us in the gospel. We can learn to trust that God is kind, sovereign, and wise.

Second, Satan also whispers temptations to those of us who wander along, blithely unaware that “sin is crouching,” trying to destroy us by inflaming our desires. This is not a matter of excusing ourselves and saying “the devil made me do it” every time we fall into sin. Still, Scripture calls for vigilance for a reason.

Beyond that, many of us are beaten down by shame, feeling defeated by the same old sins, or even horrified at the dark thoughts that can cross our minds. Remembering Satan is a whispering tempter helps to acknowledge that those thoughts, those temptations, are not us anymore. Not in the depths of who we are in Christ, at least. God has truly redeemed us. We pray in real hope that the Spirit of the Obedient Son who resisted Satan in the wilderness can help us resist Satan as well so that “he will flee” (James 4:7).

Finally, our Enemy whispers accusations. Much of the condemnation and guilt we live with is not the holy conviction of God but instead is the work of the Accuser, the one who lives to condemn the saints (Rev. 12:10).

But Christ has robbed those accusations of their force by wiping away our guilt through his death on the cross (Col. 2:14). And he sends the Spirit of God not as our Accuser but as our Advocate, testifying to our hearts that we are God’s dearly loved children. As Martin Luther counseled a distraught friend:

When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.”

All this is another way of saying, “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” and then recall that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:1, 4).

Yes, we have a foe looking to harm us, but even more, we have a mighty God of peace who has promised to “crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20).

 

By Derek Rishmawy

Derek Rishmawy is a doctoral candidate at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Christians In North Korea Will Benefit Because Of President Trump, Says Franklin Graham

Admin
-
0
Christians In North Korea Will Benefit Because Of President Trump, Says Franklin Graham

Leading evangelist Franklin Graham believes that President Donald Trump’s meeting with North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday will benefit the highly persecuted Christian community in the isolated nation.

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Tuesday, the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian organisation was asked if he thought Trump’s meeting with Kim will “have the potential to ease some of the persecution on believers in North Korea.”

The question comes as Open Doors USA has ranked North Korea for the past 16 years as the worst persecutor of Christians in the world as tens of thousands of believers have been killed or forced into prison camps for their faith.

“No question, no question,” Graham, who has personally taken four humanitarian trips to North Korea, responded. “I think this meeting with Kim Jong Un and President Trump is huge. Yes, the Christians are going to benefit in North Korea as a result of President Donald J. Trump.”

Graham, the son of Billy Graham, who has appeared to be one of many white evangelicals leaders personally engaging with the Trump administration, explained that he has spoken directly with Trump about North Korea.

“I have talked with him on several occasions about North Korea and I believe this is probably one of the most dangerous areas of the world and I encouraged him to pay attention to it,” the 65-year-old said. “I am certainly glad that he and the rest of the administration are focusing on this region of the world.”

Graham maintains that he is very optimistic about what the future has in store for the Korean peninsula. He added that if both sides can somehow work out some sort of concrete peace agreement, it could save the U.S. government billions by not having to send troops and armies to the region.

“We still maintain our armies on the border, billions of dollars have been spent [over the last 50 years] and there has been no movement. And, President Trump is the first president who is trying to resolve this issue,” Graham said. “I commend him and just thank God that he has taken this direction and he is focusing on this.”

“I think the North Koreans have been wanting to talk to the Americans for a long time,” he added. “This is the first administration that they have been able to talk to directly like this. The North Koreans just want to be shown respect and other administrations would just brush them off like they were nothing. These are prideful people.”

In the interview, Graham said that all Christians should pray for their political leaders, even the North Korean believers who are being persecuted by their own government leaders.

“I want the communist government to know that Christians are not their enemies, that they have the potential of being the very best citizens in the country because God commands all of us to pray for those in authority — whether we pray for our own president or the people in North Korea that are Christians should be praying for their leadership.”

There was much speculation before Tuesday’s meeting in Singapore whether or not Trump would bring up the issue of Christian persecution with Kim. During a press conference following the summit, Trump assured that the issue was indeed discussed to some extent.

“I brought it up, absolutely,” Trump responded. “They will work on that. We did not put it down in the document. It will be worked on. Christians, yes.”

“We brought it up,” Trump reiterated. “Franklin Graham spent and spends a tremendous amount of time in North Korea. He has it close to his heart. It did come up and things will be happening.”

Graham is not the only faith leader who has voiced optimism about the summit. Catholic leaders in South Korea have welcomed the meeting as a “surprise and joy.”

“Peace is never attained once and for all, but must be built up ceaselessly,” Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee Joong, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, said in a statement shared by Vatican News.

As the meeting resulted in a joint statement calling for “efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula,” Apostolic Nuncio to Korea Archbishop Alfred Xuereb thanked God that “He listened to our prayers for reconciliation of the Korean people.”

Not all prominent Christians are happy about the summit, as North Korean state media is reporting that the Kim regime is touting verbal concessions made by Trump that were not in the agreement.

Trump has been critized by a number of Christians for saying that Kim “loves his people,” though Kim has a record of horrendous human rights abuses against his people.

“In declaring the North Korean threat over despite its nuclear program, Trump appears to be accepting an armed Pyongyang and suggesting the threat is resolved based on his ‘special bond’ with Kim alone,” Evan McMullin, a 2016 independent candidate for president who was favored by many conservative Never Trumpers, wrote in a tweet. “He’s dangerously putting his political interests ahead of national security.”

As Trump also reportedly said Tuesday that the United States and South Korea will halt some joint military exercises, Fox News commentator Shepard Smith argued that the meeting was more beneficial to Kim than to the US.

“He wanted the photos, the seat at the table, he wanted the legitimacy that came with the event, the handshake with America’s president,” Smith said on the air Tuesday. “Kim Jong Un got it all, for actually doing nothing.”

Smith suggested that such a meeting could provide a sense of legitimacy to a “regime that tortures and murders its own citizens, imprisons children for the actions of parents and grandparents, and a leader who has committed crimes against humanity.”

Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton argued that although the meeting between Trump and Kim should not be celebrated, it was “necessary.”

“You know, countries like Iran and Cuba and other two-bit rogue regimes don’t have nuclear weapons, yet. They can’t threaten the United States in that way. Once North Korea had nuclear weapons, once they have missiles that can deliver them to use, I would liken it to past presidents sitting down with Soviet dictators,” Cotton told talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday. “It’s not something that we should celebrate. It’s not a pretty sight. But it’s a necessary part of the job to try to protect Americans from a terrible threat.”

Stewarding A Gospel Movement In Chicago

Admin
-
0
Stewarding A Gospel Movement In Chicago

We long to see the power of the Holy Spirit energizing the Church. 

I am excited to be a part of a new event, making its debut in Chicago this October, The Gospel and Our Cities: Chicago 2018. This new conference will bring together thought leaders and practitioners on key topics around urban ministry: justice, mercy, faith and work, church planting, church renewal, and renewing Chicago. If you have a heart for the kingdom work happening in our cities today, you won’t want to miss this event. I’ll be presenting alongside several others and I hope you’ll join us.

Executive Director Walter Wood was kind enough to answer a few questions about the heart behind the conference, and the hopes of the planning committee. I think you’ll see the time is definitely right for an event like this.

Ed: First, tell us about the purpose of this conference.

Walter: Our vision is to accelerate and support gospel movements in cities throughout North America. By that we mean that we long to see the power of the Holy Spirit energizing the Church in repentance, faith, new obedience, dynamic prayer, church planting, works of justice and mercy, faith and work initiatives, and many people coming to Christ.

We are driven by a desire to see thousands of churches planted and revitalized through the good news of the gospel. We long to see our cities impacted and transformed. We hope this conference will contribute significantly to our vision.

Ed: So, why create another event? What do you hope to accomplish?

Walter: Our program will focus primarily on serving our cities, understanding the implications of the gospel for city ministry, and building gospel movements. We hope to inspire and encourage greater vision for reaching our cities. It’s our hope that pastors, marketplace leaders, ministry leaders and church planters will be encouraged and equipped, and that as a result, give rise to regional or local fellowships of like-minded churches that will pray and come together to work for gospel renewal in their cities.

Additionally, we are excited to launch City to City North America, part of the global church planting organization founded by Tim Keller, that will focus specifically on the cities of North America. We hope to connect church planters and church leaders to our vision, training opportunities, and content offerings.

Ed: What is the format of the event?

Walter: Over the course of our three-day event, we’ll have main sessions which feature a keynote speaker and include worship, video, testimonies, panel discussions and Bible expositions. In addition, there will be approximately 50 breakout sessions covering a variety of topics. All the sessions are focused on our vision to reach the cities of North America, and we’re excited to include a significant portion of our breakouts on the challenges and gospel activity in our host city of Chicago.

Ed: Who is this event designed for?

Walter: Whether you’re a pastor, church planter, city leader, or among the general public, our lineup of key note, breakout, and panel speakers will inform, inspire, and hopefully move you to roll up your sleeves and join us in gospel ministry in our cities. We have intentionally priced this event to be affordable for teams and groups to attend together so that we might encourage and equip as many as possible.

You can learn more and register at the Early Bird rate by visiting TheGospelAndOurCities.org. I hope we’ll see you there.

Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, serves as Dean of the School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership at Wheaton College, is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group.

Two Countries With More Religious Younger Populations

Admin
-
0
Two Countries With More Religious Younger Populations

Most people spend their youthful years chasing unrealistic dreams and following fleeting passions. By the time they are crossing 40 (or even later), they realize that most of their precious years have been spent ‘chasing after the wind’, at which point they begin a more intent search. They become more religious.

The trends however are interestingly different in 2 countries.

Here’s an interesting find.

An analysis of 106 nations found Ghana and Georgia are the only 2  places where under-40s are more religious than older compatriots – Ghana, and the former Soviet republic of Georgia – according to a global analysis.

46 out of 106 countries were surveyed by the Washington-based Pew Research Center. People between the ages of 18 and 39 were less likely to say religion was very important to them than adults over the age of 40.

Countries where the age gap is most marked are Poland, Greece, Chile, Romania and Portugal – all predominantly Christian countries, and all with a percentage point difference between the two age groups of 20 or higher.

The US has a 17-point difference, and Ireland a nine-point gap. The UK is among 58 countries in which there is no significant difference between younger and older adults.

In Lebanon, a majority Muslim country but with a large Christian population, there is a 20-point age gap. In Iran, ruled by an Islamic theocracy, there is a nine-point difference.

There is an age gap in a majority of Latin American and Caribbean countries, about half of European countries, and in North America. It is more likely to be a feature of Christian-majority countries than Muslim-majority ones.

According to Pew: “Although the age gap in religious commitment is larger in some nations than in others, it occurs in many different economic and social contexts – in developing countries as well as advanced industrial countries, in Muslim-majority nations as well as predominantly Christian states, and in societies that are, overall, highly religious as well as those that are comparatively secular.”

The report, The Age Gap in Religion Around the World, says that a common explanation is that “new generations become less religious in tandem with economic development – as collective worries about day-to-day survival become less pervasive and tragic events become less frequent.

“According to this line of thinking, each generation in a steadily developing society would be less religious than the last, which would explain why young adults are less religious than their elders at any given time.”

Better education, and a trend towards religious belief as one gets older and faces mortality, could also help explain the gap.

The report notes that the most religious areas of the world are experiencing the fastest population growth, due to high fertility rates and relatively young populations.

Dramatic Entry Into Cape Verde

Admin
-
0
Dramatic Entry Into Cape Verde

My entry into Cape Verde was not easy. When I got to Praia, it became a night mare. I got into a queue for international arrivals as usual and filled all the forms as protocol demanded.

I noticed ahead of me that others were asked to stand aside and when it got to my turn, I was also asked to stand aside! The officer kept on scrutinizing my passport.

He was particularly interested in my used UK visas.

I stood there for about thirty minutes. Not knowing what was going on, I eventually attempted to speak to one of the officers who spoke a little English.

After some more scrutiny, they asked me if I had money.

I declared it, then to my utter amazement, the officer asked me how much I was paying the guy who was going to pick me up.

Obviously irritated I asked him what he meant.

He said flatly, “we’re sending you back tomorrow”.

Before I could say anything, I was ushered into a side room with about seven other men. The room had two bathrooms and two rooms, one for males, another for females. The main door was locked.

At this point, I was fuming!

About thirty minutes later, an official came in with about 6 Sierra leonians. They spoke English.

Fortunately the official could speak French so I asked him in Fench what was happening. He looked at me with an expressionless face and asked how much money I had.

I immediately answered thinking I had a glimmer of hope.

To my utter surprise he said “il n’est pas suffice”  meaning “it’s not enough”.

That was the end of the dialogue and he was gone.

I settled in a corner chair and began to pray. Just when I had settled with the idea of going back, an officer came in and called my name.

After about 5 hours of detention, I left the airport, but that was not the end.

I left without my passport nor my luggage. They were confiscated!

Fortunately, my host happened to be an important banker who knew people in high places.

God used him in my favour. He  made some phone calls that had me released. I was particularly grateful to God!

The following day Daniel (my host) took me to the airport to reclaim my passport and luggage but it was to no avail. I managed to get my passport stamped and get my luggage a week later!

‘Interesting’ way to start a mission indeed!

I guess the prince of Cape Verde met me at that airport!

Kweku Sompa Osei

Adventures In Mexico: I Believed!

Admin
-
0
Adventures In Mexico: I Believed!

From about the age of 12/13 I had a strong desire to be a missionary like the Missionary Sisters from India… (Roman Catholic Nuns). 

After secondary school I wanted to go to Bible School but I knew my Nigerian Daddy would cut my head off so I had to live with this constant nagging in my spirit to go out there and preach the gospel.
At 20 I moved to England and although I thought it would be the last place God will give me an opportunity to serve Him, it happened there. I met an evangelist in 2003 who believed that this black girl could serve God! I thought I had met Jesus!!!

Fast forward to 2005, I got married on the 8th of October and left London on the 13th! Yes a 2/3 day honeymoon and I was set like a boy bounding home from school.
I never thought that it could be till it happened!

My husband wasn’t able to go at the time but gave his full blessing for me to go ahead.
People say it was brave but I can’t imagine how different would have been without Mexico! It was like in the volumes of my book it had been written… MEXICO!

I set off with 3 of my church sisters. The oldest of us was only 23. (This is the same mission Natalie wrote about some weeks ago).
4 single ladies making a great decision for no one but God!!! If I had to live my life again definitely this chapter must be included!

We arrived on the 14th with nothing but our Spanish translation booklet, only to be told Spanish in Spain es totalmente differente (that it’s totally different).
Mexicans we excited to see us; we were like their prized jewels.. que guapa, que bonita…. hola chica… we were buzzing! I mean I don’t think I’ve ever felt this useful!

Walking to class one morning I found 800 pesos on the floor and I knew it was God’s assurance that he would take care of us… I gave one of my sisters 400 pesos as she was with me. I had paid for the first level of classes in Spanish which was for 6 weeks. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford the next level but miraculously I could preach and even ‘argue’ with Mexicans in spanish (sorry when you have Nigerian blood you make people believe you so not that type of arguments).

All I did was BELIEVE!!!
I believed that one day a black girl from nowhere will become a missionary.
I believed that I would speak Spanish.
I believed I could preach and sing in Spanish.
That’s probably what set us apart.
In Mexico I experienced what God can do with those who believe.
To be continued…

Magaret Pierre

Interpreting Spiritual Language – Tongues

Admin
-
0
Interpreting Spiritual Language – Tongues

Have you ever wondered the meanings behind the beautiful language the Holy Ghost gives you the power or ability to speak?
O sha da da …..

Well from scripture we understand that they are tongues on angels.

But also sometimes ordinary human beings understand it. This happens when the tongues include a language spoken by people in other lands. An example was when the apostles in Acts 2 spoke for the first time after receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Greeks, Romans and other people’s had come to Jerusalem for the Passover.

Other times people are also given divine gift of interpreting. That is divine!

In modern times, translating language using apps has is trending. Well has it occurred to you to try interpreting your tongues?

I guess it has not!

But some young people are praising God as they discover the meaning of snippets of tongues using language translation apps!

Depending on your leaning: conservative Pentecostal or a modern charismatic you may be excited or worried.

But the thought of perhaps using technology to discover what God is doing on your behalf is exciting!!!

My Stories On The Mission Field

Admin
-
0
My Stories On The Mission Field

“On the 25th of August I left Accra, Ghana for Mozambique to start our mission church. I was full of zeal and passion but at the same time I was gripped with fear, the fear of the unknown. I was going to a country that had been plagued with civil war for almost 20 years, a Portuguese speaking country, one of the poorest countries in the world where I didn’t know anybody there. You can understand why I was gripped with fear in spite of my zeal and passion to go to the mission field. I had just been married for less than four months and was leaving behind my wife who was also carrying my 2 months baby in her womb. My spiritual father, BISHOP DAG HEWARD-MILLS who had sent me on this mission prayed for me on the phone and encouraged me that God shall be with me. I felt the love, the believe, the trust and the confidence he had in me as I was going to the mission field. I felt so strengthened and encouraged as the plane took off because of the assurance of MY PROPHET that “IT WILL WORK”.
I landed safely at Maputo International Airport the next day by the grace of God to start the Lighthouse Chapel Int Mission in Mozambique which now has 27 branches across the country. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!…”

To be continued…
#GodrichlyblessBishopDagForSendingMissionaries#

The Discontented Missionaries

Admin
-
0
The Discontented Missionaries

” Some years ago, some missionaries I had sent to the mission field began complaining about various things. They would call one another and gossip about how they were not being treated fairly. Through no fault of the Missions Office, one of them was separated from his wife and felt that his wife’s trip to join him was being unduly delayed.
Another missionary complained about the routing of his wife’s flight. Other missionaries joined in and became equally discontented about other issues. Different little issues became mountains of fodder for discussion.
After a while, the spirit of discontentment, murmuring and grumbling was rife amongst this team of missionaries.

I remember a meeting I had with them. They all seemed different from the people I had known. I wondered how they had become so forgetful so soon.
These young men had forgotten how I had helped them to come into ministry.
They had forgotten how I had flown them into international cities and set them up to start churches.
They had forgotten that they had never had to rent a house since they finished school.
They had forgotten that their daily bread was guaranteed, whether the church they pastored made enough money or not.
They had forgotten that cars were handed over to them on a silver platter.
They never needed to know the price of a car.
They had forgotten the times of fellowship and love I had had with them.
They had forgotten how I had visited them in their homes and become close to them.
They had forgotten my involvement in their personal lives.
They had forgotten how I would sit, chat and fellowship with them.
They had forgotten how I had helped them to choose marriage partners.
They had forgotten how I had encouraged and guided them in the ministry when they were in university.
“They had forgotten how I helped them to have their weddings.
They had forgotten how I sent them on honeymoons and paid for everything.
They had forgotten that they did not need to know the price of a plane ticket – it was just bought for them.
They had forgotten how privileged they were to have been sent to countries they had never known.

As I sat at the meeting, I realized that my young missionaries had forgotten too many things too soon. They had become grumpy, disgruntled and discontented with the ministry and with me. It was as though another spirit had taken over their lives.”

I held on for as long as I could but I had to dismiss them from the mission field and from full-time ministry.

It was a painful and very difficult decision but there was no way out. I had no choice but to take the decision to dismiss them. These were beloved sons of mine and I knew that what I was doing would change their lives drastically.

These soldiers would not be a part of what I was doing and I would march on without them.

Forgetting had cost them too much. May you not forget what the Lord has done in your life!”

 

Excerpt From: Dag Heward-Mills. “THOSE WHO FORGET
.” Parchment House Publishers, 2011-06-16T00:00:00+00:00. iBooks.

Mother

Admin
-
0
Mother

From the day my mother conceived

From the day my mother conceived

Toils and hardships she’s perceived

From the very day of birth

She’s worked hard to fill me with mirth
Rolling and kicking in her womb

I proceeded in the strangest mood

Laying me on her tender laps

She gave me kisses and gentle taps
Through my very troublesome childhood

She taught me much to prepare me for adulthood

And this thing she used to say’

Be the very best while you may’
She brought me up in the ways of the Lord

She made it fun, I never got bored

She’d always say

‘Never give the devil a side

Because he’d always like to drive’
My tears and laughter in them she shared

I was simply amazed at how much she cared

I’ve always known that words can kill

But not her words, they sure did heal
Day by day my thoughts I gather

And I always think if my mother

Among all mothers, she’s the first

Oh yes, in her is the very best
So on this precious joyous day

In the lovely month of May

As I sit and gaze at the cloud

I can’t help but shout out loud
I’ll forever love my mother

She’s the greatest gift ever!’

 

1...146147148...157Page 147 of 157