Tag: Church

A church building or church house, often simply called a church, is a building used for Christian religious activities, particularly for worship services. The term is often used by Christians to refer to the physical buildings where they worship, but it is sometimes used to refer to buildings of other religions.

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How To Be Overwhelmed by God’s Blessings

How To Be Overwhelmed by God’s Blessings

As a youth in church I hated today’s verse. I didn’t want to give my money to anyone and God doesn’t need it. I was so focused on giving  that I overlooked the promise. God says He will “open the windows of heaven and pour us out blessings”. But, notice that today’s verse says there is a condition – we have to step out in faith and bring our tithes to Him. In other words, we have to be obedient to God with our finances.

We are stewards over the resources God has given us. When we are good and faithful stewards, the Lord entrusts us with more. He opens the windows of heaven. Have you ever thought about what kind of blessing would be so great that there would not be room enough to receive it? It may be hard to comprehend, but that’s what God’s Word promises – to overwhelm us with His blessings! Hallelujah!

Today, I encourage you, be a cheerful giver, be a tither, bless God and put yourself in a position to receive His blessings. Begin to thank God for His faithfulness. Lift up your eyes to Him. As the Scripture says, prove Him and see Him move mightily in your life!

“Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

(Malachi 3:10, AMPC)?

Pray With Me
Yahweh, thank You for choosing to bless me. Father, thank You for the promise of opening the windows of heaven in my life. God, I choose to be obedient to Your Word. I choose to be a better giver. I choose to be faithful and thank You for Your faithfulness to me. I can’t wait to see You open You’re spiritual windows in the heavens and overwhelm me with favour, in Jesus’ Name! Amen.

A special word from the Lord, from Pastor Ray Patrick

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Curing Openhomeaphobia. The Debilitating Fear of Hospitality.

Open-home-a-phobic, noun (op-en-hom-a-fo-bick) From Latin phobicus; Greek phobikos;
1. Someone terrified to open his or her home to guests.
2. Someone filled with anxiety due to the overwhelming feelings that his or her home is not good enough for company, the rooms not large enough, the food not tasty enough.
3. Someone who panics at the thought of fitting hospitality into a schedule jammed with deadlines, timelines and bottom lines.

Symptoms include:
– Gagging at the word “guest”.
– Uncontrollable urges to hide when the doorbell rings.
– Sweating when the church bulletin pleads for people to include internationals for holiday meals.

If there ever was an age in which the beneficial, healing properties of scriptural hospitality was more needed than in this one, I don’t know which age that might be. The AARP Bulletin reported,

“Social isolation has become such a problem in Great Britain that Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a ‘minister of loneliness’ to measure it, determine its impact and develop a strategy to address it.”

In addition to watching what we eat, exercising daily and developing an overall strategy of attempting to be healthy, researchers on aging are discovering it is also important to focus on realizing a sense of purpose, developing positive mental habits and developing meaningful social connections.

What an opportunity for the church in society and for the Christians who follow Jesus to reach out with antidotes to overcome the social isolation that exists and is growing in our contemporary world.

At the Gospel for Asia campus in Wills Point, Texas, we actively promote hospitality in various ways by encouraging staff members to open their homes to one another for times of prayer or fellowship, to have people over for dinner, meet ups or get-togethers, and to build a community amongst ourselves that cares about the needs of our colleagues and neighbors in practical and substantive ways.

Yet a majority of Christ-followers don’t seem to understand that the One they follow was without a home of His own or a place where He knew he could lay His head. And yet He was the most hospitable human ever to walk the surface of this planet. We are not aware that we have developed a raging neurosis, which I term openhomeaphobia, the fear of inviting people into our homes.

For instance, how many of us have recently invited a small group from our church, a few neighbors from our apartment or condo-complex, colleagues from work, even members of our own extended family into our home for a dessert evening or for a meal? How many of us have prayerfully considered who around us are alone, who are suffering from social isolation (maybe we ourselves are part of that statistic!) and have asked, “Lord, what can I do about it?”

Sometimes–often, in fact–it is fear that keeps us from doing what it is our hearts are telling us to do. Long ago, as a young woman, I learned that if fear popped up in the face of any venture that was challenging me to do what I thought I should, it was a sure sign that was exactly what I should be doing.

So, let’s look at some of the cures for this neurosis.

Here are 20 practical remedies for overcoming openhomephobia.

  1. No matter what, always greet people warmly at the door.
  2. NEVER apologize for the condition of your home.
  3. If you are insecure with hospitality, be as SIMPLE as possible.
    Do     only coffee, tea and dessert. Hold a pie party and let the bakers in the group bring the pies. Serve baked potatoes with toppings and a salad. Have a soup-pantry supper. Buy from a local grocery. Serve from pans off the stove.
  4. Hold a potluck.
    Have everyone who comes bring something.
  5. Plan a leftovers party.
    Have guests share their leftovers and add them to yours. Ask, “What’s in your refrigerator? This is what’s in mine.”
  6. Never do an in-depth cleaning before people come.
    Just pick up, light candles, put out flowers. Clean after they go.
  7. ALWAYS accept other people’s offer to help.
  8. Bring people home after church.
    Let them set the table. Serve pancakes. Serve French toast. Serve frozen waffles.
  9. Extend hospitality as a team.
    Team with your husband or wife. Team with your housemate. Team with friends. Team with church members or work colleagues.
  10. Pray before you invite anyone into your home.
    Ask God to provide the guest list.
  11. Develop a list of standard conversational questions to rely on.
    Think about each guest before he/she comes. Try to decide upon one thing you really want to know about him/her.
  12. Include some element of silliness, like holding an evening when everyone brings one funny story to tell. Or eat the meal backwards, beginning with dessert (a healthy one!).
  13. Hold a “craving potluck.”
    Everyone brings something he/she really craves. Do this without pre-planning.
  14. Organize a work-together exchange.
    “We’ll help you with this house project if you’ll help us with this home project.”
  15. When children are included, build some part of the event around them.
    Then everyone participates in the activities. Everyone plays musical chairs. Everyone dances (even the toddler) around the piano player.
  16. Do things for the purpose of healing and welcoming–not to impress.
    What kind of background music will soothe people after a busy day, a busy week? What is something nice you can put on the table for a centerpiece?
  17. Figure out some follow-up.
    Most likely, people will not write thank-you notes. Can you call and tell them how much you enjoyed their being in your home? Can you write a note?
  18. Make SURE everyone is introduced.
    Don’t assume people know one another. This can be done informally, but in larger groups it is better to have everyone tell his/her name and one thing about themselves.
  19. Declare the purpose of the evening:
    “We invited you tonight so you could have an opportunity to get to know one another better.”
  20. It is perfectly appropriate to set time limits. Invite people for dinner from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. You can say (as you stand), “Well, this has been a wonderful evening [or afternoon or breakfast], but many of you have busy schedules tomorrow [or today], as do we, so we don’t want to go late [or long], but we want to tell you before you leave how much we have loved having you all in our home.” (David has often threatened to come down in his pajamas with a similar message: “You all must be getting tired”¦”!)

As a last neurosis cure, remind yourself that the very act of welcome and invitation is a God-like act. When we extend welcome, we are showing to others what God is like.

Romans 15:7:

  • “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God” (RSV).
  • “Accept one another, then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (NIV).
  • “Therefore, receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God” (NKJV).

Do you think, could it be possible, that if one Christian conquers a neurosis of openhomeaphobia, that one single individual could impact a lonely, socially isolated society? What if tens of folk live a life of hospitality, hundreds of welcoming folk, thousands of inviting folk, ten thousands of accepting folk were cured? What impact, exactly, do you think that would have on this world?

 

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Am I A True Christian?

Am I A True Christian?

None of us can run away from doubt, it is always hot on our heels. There is good doubt, the type that keeps you out of trouble, and there is bad doubt, the one that puts you in trouble. The problem is, we tend to get our wires crossed when it comes to our faith.

The question ‘am I a true Christian?’ is one that is often asked by many of us at some point in our lives, but it is the wrong question to ask. This question tends to have a mindset of doing, and not believing. Often, people will start to list the things that make them a good Christian (been there, done that!) such as giving to the poor, observing certain holidays, going to church, being a kind person, showing love, and the list goes on. While those activities and qualities are present in the Christian life, they are not the things that you should measure yourself by because you will always find someone better than you. Comparing yourself to this person will make you doubt ‘how Christian’ you really are. 

I had a habit of doing this, measuring myself against other Christians and seeing how I stacked up. It drove me crazy, I tell you. I would find myself listening to different sermons on how to grow spiritually, how to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice, how to be more discerning, how to pray, etc. while trying to listen out for any false messages by the Christians speaking on this teaching. I wanted to be the best Christian that I could be, and so I believed that if I read my Bible religiously every day, or prayed for a certain amount of time a day, then I would be okay. Or if I jotted down in my journal everything that I could possibly think of that may mean something whether it was a dream that I had or something that I noticed around me… It all just became overwhelming because I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I started to doubt that I was even Christian because I was not as good as the others that I was comparing myself to. There was always someone who was more giving, or kinder, or who was more discerning or was more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In short, I tortured myself with these thoughts, thinking that if I did not get that aspect of my Christian walk ‘right’, then I was not good enough.

Although I did not admit it to myself at the time, I knew that I was doing it to be accepted by GOD. Crazy, isn’t it? Even though I knew that I had asked Jesus to become the LORD of my life, and was washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, I was still trying to earn His approval because I did not think that I was good enough. The bottom line is that I did not understand just what it meant to be redeemed by Him, to be purchased, to be His. In our own futile thinking, we look at our relationship with GOD as though it is conditional: as long as I do this, I am good with GOD. What nonsense. The truth is that GOD does not need a bunch of ‘good’ Christians, He needs obedient and humble Christians who are prepared to do His work. 

There is also that mindset that if we do something, then we will get something from GOD. Therefore, our relationship with GOD becomes more about getting something out of Him, and not genuinely appreciating Him. Our GOD is a rewarder, He gives abundantly, but when we look at His hand and not seek His face, we are heading for troublesville .

I believe that the question we should ask ourselves is how committed are we to Christ. When we know our level of commitment, then doubt becomes void because you know where you stand. If you’re a once-a-week type of Christian, then you know that you’re not right with GOD. If you only call on Him when you’re in need, then you’re the ‘user’ type of Christian. If you talk-the-talk but do not walk-the-walk, then you’re a hypocrite. If you have one foot in the Body of Christ and one foot in the world, then you’re a lukewarm Christian who is in danger of being locked out of heaven. 

We doubt because we do not understand what GOD requires of us. We base our relationship with Him on the human model which is flawed. Humans love, but we struggle to love unconditionally especially when people have done us wrong. GOD loved the world so much that He gave us His Son while we were still sinners. He made way for us to come to Him, He did not put stumbling blocks in front of us or give us a bunch of rules before we could be saved. He said that whoever believes His Son and confesses Him will be saved- that was it. After that comes our level of commitment to Him. 

The Bible says the he who stands firm to the end will be saved, not the one who believed, confessed, and then went back to living in the world. He told us to come out of the world, to separate ourselves. So I leave you with this: if you have doubt about how Christian you are, check your level of commitment.

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Abortion: A License to Kill

Abortion: A License to Kill

The world went from calling a ‘clump of cells’ nonhuman, to allowing abortions when the clump of cells begins to ‘look human’, accepting third-trimester abortions, and now pushing for the termination of babies moments before birth, or in some cases, just after birth. It seems that what they are seeking is an all-inclusive licence to kill.

Just the other day, a cousin wanted help with writing up an argument for a school debate. The debate? Whether you agree with abortion or not, and why. She took the pro-life route, but not without some backlash for it. Another pro-choice family member said that the world did not need any more unwanted children and that women who were not ready to have children and take care of them must abort their babies to save the rest of the world some trouble. I sat there for a moment, merely listening to the debate going back and forth. The pro-choice side was quite strong and appeared to be winning, but I decided to speak up and deliver one line: you will answer to GOD for what you have done, I hope you’re ready for it. Everyone sort of looked away, looking for something to say, but as they were supposed professing Christians, they had nothing to say. Murder is murder, no matter the stage of life. The excuse that a woman should have a right over her own body at the expense of the growing baby in her stomach is weak. No amount of getting angry or violent will change that fact.

I believe that most people reading this are aware of what the Scriptures say about murder, life, and being known by GOD before even conception has taken place. The most beautiful verse about growing life is Psalm 139: 13-18, verses that I take comfort in during times of uncertainty concerning my purpose and worth. As Believers, we know that we can turn to GOD’S Word and find the words that we need to overcome whatever challenges we are facing, but the rest of the world does not. They are hellbent on living their lives as they will, not accepting the consequences for their choices. Every problem must be looked at in context, but sin does not need a framework to be considered sin, it just is because GOD has said it is, and murder is a sin. For example, a young cousin of mine has recently fallen pregnant due to her promiscuous lifestyle. She is 18 this year, and instead of being in her last year of school, she is only beginning her high school year as she has failed several times. This can be blamed on her lack of school attendance. You dig deeper, and you’ll find that she was not disciplined as a child growing up, in fact, she was primarily left to live her life as she wished. Both her parents have now passed away due to AIDS, and she lives with family members but does not respect them. Most of my family wanted her to get an abortion because her baby would mean one more mouth to feed as she is not working. According to the world, this context for abortion would be acceptable, but to GOD it is not. What they are saying is that a life should be extinguished due to the mistakes of the mother. So, if I was to use their reasoning then the family of a murder victim should be allowed to kill the murderer’s mother, father, siblings, or child to atone for what the murderer has done. It doesn’t sound so acceptable when used in another situation, does it?

Another family member had a botched abortion, by botched I mean that the baby lived. She is also living with HIV, and the father of the child is also HIV positive. We all (or should) know that HIV can be avoided being passed down to the foetus; however, her situation led her to take the abortion route. She already has three children by three different men, does not have a stable job, and is an alcoholic. She does not take care of her children, in fact, two are now considered adults and can mostly defend for themselves. The last born is taken care of by family members. The local clinic told her to have an abortion due to these circumstances, but she waited until she was five months to do so. Off to the hospital she went to remove the child from her womb, thinking that she would not have to deal with another baby in her life. They removed the baby, put it in a black bag, and tossed it on the cold floor of the morgue. A nurse entered the morgue several hours later only to find mewling noises coming from the bag. She opened it and realised that the aborted baby was alive! This sent the hospital into a panic. They quickly got the baby into an incubator and informed the mother that the baby was alive. Could you imagine the shock? For the next five months, the baby was kept in an incubator, damaging her eyesight in the process. When she was finally allowed to be taken home, the mother was told that her baby would never be able to walk, talk, and would likely die as a toddler. To top it all off, the baby was HIV positive. Ten years later, the little girl is walking, and though she cannot speak, she uses sign language. She is the sweetest little girl with a cheeky attitude of her own and is well aware of all that goes on around her. She goes to a special school, is learning how to write more clearly, and loves anything to do with drawing and colours. In short, she is a girl like any other, even with her special needs.

Abortions can bring about emotional trauma that may not be experienced immediately after, but let me tell you that when it comes to bite your rear end, it takes a chunk. I know of an old woman who is riddled with guilt for the two abortions she had as a young woman. It gets so bad that she becomes gravely ill and has to be admitted into hospital and put under observation. Her mind comes and goes, sometimes not recognising her living children and calling out for those who have died. Her reasons for abortion were tied to the hard times of the country when Apartheid was still in effect. She is a black woman who had had relations with white men (I do not know if it was rape) resulting in two pregnancies. She managed to abort two of those pregnancies for fear of being found with a mixed-race child, but she was not able to do so with her third pregnancy. Now as an old woman, those abortions have come back to haunt her and do not give her peace.

Of course, the argument of high-risk pregnancies also comes up. Let me stress here that I may speak frankly, but I do not feel disgust for the people but for the sin. People will say that a medical reason to abort the baby is acceptable, especially if it puts the mother at risk. Also, if the baby is to be born with a deformity, then it would be better to abort the baby before he/she is born. I hear what the argument is, but my stand does not change. Abortion is wrong because it is murder. People would sooner laugh in my face when I say that Jesus is the Great Physician than listen, but it is true. Do you not think that He would be able to save both mother and child? Do you not believe that He can help that child with the deformity? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is within us today if indeed we are His. Nothing is impossible for GOD, but only if we believe. To doubt is to tell Him that we do not believe that He can do anything for us. He created the world, for goodness sake, will He not help a mother in need? But the world chooses to reject Him still, and even His own people doubt His power to heal. People would sooner find an excuse for their sin than humble themselves and fall to their knees before Him to seek grace and mercy. Or, worse yet, His own people deny that He still performs miracles and wonders in the world today.

Forgiveness is available to those who have had abortions in the past but regret having done so. If you serve our Sovereign LORD, then you should know that He will forgive you for there is no condemnation for those who believe. He scatters your sins away and makes you clean. Do not miss this opportunity due to your guilt. He loves you in spite of your sin, but you need forgiveness from Him and yourself to be set free.

All I know is that the GOD we serve does not change, neither is He cold to the plight of people. He loves us all, but not all of us are His. He loves the downtrodden, the deformed, the unwanted- all of them! The world may reject them, but Jesus stands with open arms to accept them. What He did back then He can do today, and what He considers sin is a sin no matter the reasons the world may give. At the end of the day, you need to understand that there are consequences to everything, and perhaps you will not experience those consequences now and go about your life as you want to. But when you stand before the Ancient of Days and give an account of your life, do not say that you were not warned.

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PURGE THE CHURCH?

Disclaimer: I do not profess to teach or have any sort of authority over men. I share the Word of GOD and any matters of the world that directly applies to our lives and walk as Christians.

Many churches have been brought down by individuals who came in with their yeast and let it spread among the members. Fellowship has been tainted, churches have lost their way, and people are lost in the wilderness. Is the Church in need of a purge?

I have been to a handful of churches in the past, and as with many people unaware of the Born Again factor, you just attend church, listen to the sermon, and then go home. Unchanged. No spiritual growth. No closer to GOD than before. It used to upset me that I could read the Bible and understand the words I read, but not truly understand what I was reading. It was only when I became Born Again that I realised that you need the Holy Spirit in your life if you hope to understand His Word as He intended. Before then, I would open my Bible every now and again, read it, think that I had done my job as a Christian, and then go about my life as per usual. Listening to church sermons was no help either as everything sounded monotonous. We were told to be good, to love one another, follow GOD’S commandments and a bunch in between that I cannot remember. Back then I was unaware of wolves in sheep’s clothing; people who were not true Christians but called themselves that to keep up a certain image of propriety in the community. I genuinely believed that the people who attended church every Sunday were good people, upstanding members who were involved in community projects and life in general. When I became Born Again, it was as though a veil had been lifted from my eyes (2 Cor 4:3). I began to see a whole lot of wrong that I had never noticed before.

When we, as the Body of Christ, gather together in a building or even out in the open, our fellowship must be Spirit-led. The word/message that the preacher will share must be from the Holy Spirit, we need to listen with a discerning spirit, and we need to be open to the teaching from the man of GOD. Our worship and praise need to be in truth and spirit, and when we offer up our prayers to our Heavenly Father, it must be with a clear heart. This is how I believe that the church in the Book of Acts was like. The first Christians were so grateful, humbled, and appreciative of their salvation that they wholeheartedly served the LORD mind, body, and spirit. Of course, there were a few bad eggs, but they were dealt with. I do not recall a professing Christian being allowed to bring sin into the Body of Christ without being called out for it. It was a serious thing back then! However, it seems that we have lost this principle. 

Judgement is lumped up into one bag of avoidance. We all know that we are not to judge each other for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD (Rom 3:23), but there is a type of judgement allowed, and that is the judgement of immorality within the Church. As I grew in the LORD, I started to notice unsavoury details about professing Christians. While I endeavoured never to judge them (I failed at times), I could not ignore that their lives did not reflect the fruits of the Spirit. It bothered me to sit in church, knowing that there were people who disregarded GOD’S Word in their lives. They were living in sin, but somehow they vindicated themselves because of how ‘good’ they otherwise were. As far as I know, no one is good but our LORD, but we must be faithful.

Grown men would be out partying the night before and come to church reeking of hard liquor, but because they attended church, were helpful in the community, and good givers (money wise), it was deemed okay. You can’t judge, right? No one is perfect. But I didn’t buy that. I have taught myself to think in Scriptures, so when something good or bad happens, I have a Scripture for it- this helps me to avoid temptation as well. Well, these men didn’t just slip up, this was their life, this was how they lived. Now, we have to understand that we are to be ambassadors of Christ, our lives are meant to be a reflection of Him. Of course, we don’t always get it right because we are at war with our own flesh, but to live in sin, justify it, and have the world see you doing it, what kind of message are we sending out to non-Believers?

One of the churches that I attended had a Whatsapp group chat. It was a handy thing because we were able to communicate with one another, notices could be sent out quickly, any events happening in the church would reach all the members, and basically, any updates would be given. One of the leaders of the church, a woman, posted a crude and vulgar joke. Of course, the other women were quick to tell her that it was not acceptable and she apologised, but I had to wonder why she herself thought it was acceptable even to wish to read and share such a thing? As a leader, you lead by example, and I couldn’t help but think about her own state of mind. Did she find this type of thing funny? And if she did, had she never read GOD’S Word concerning coarse jesting? What message was she giving to the people in her life? I was worried for her and the people that she was influencing! One last example that I wish to give is concerning a sangoma (traditional African witchdoctor) who also professed to be Christian. Now we know that Deuteronomy 18:10-12 forbids the consulting of spirits, charms, incantations, etc., but this woman was and is living a dual existence with her life as a sangoma and a Christian. This is simply not possible. Again, what message is she giving out to others concerning our faith? I am sure that many of you are aware of this type of problem in churches, and there is a solution for it, but it’s not exactly an easy one to do. 

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 is clear that immorality in the Body of Christ must be judged. A little earlier, the Apostle Paul states that a little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6). Paul said: But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner- not even to eat with such a person (1 Cor 5:11). He is saying that if someone professes to be Christian, but does these things, then you should have nothing to do with them. This is the last resort for an erring brother or sister in Christ. First, I imagine that a leader of the church would sit down the person and speak with them concerning their sin. If they are unwilling to repent of it, then out they must go. We cannot have their sin influencing our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ. This is easily enough done in smaller churches, but I do not know how this would be monitored in mega churches.

I know that many people would have a problem with asking members to leave a church, but how can we continue to allow blatant sin in the church? Doesn’t it bother us? By telling them to leave the church does not mean that we do not love them, but that we do not accept their sin. Now, we are not to go all willy nilly telling people that they need to leave the church, this is for the leaders of the church to do so. There must be order in a church, and appointed leaders are the ones to make the final decision (after prayer) based on the situation. Too often we will begin to gossip, condemn people, ostracise them, and basically forget Whose we are and Whose they are. If we cannot do something in love, even when disciplining, then we should not do it at all. Imagine a non-Believer were to come to church, searching for Someone whom they do not know but need. He/she would witness the division in the church, perhaps even recognise a local club goer singing praises to the LORD. What would be going through that person’s head? Likely that Christians are no better than the rest of the world. A young Muslim girl once questioned me about this: why were supposed Christians frequenting bars, going to parties, drinking, and carrying on like the rest of the world? What were they doing in church? She concluded that Jesus had to be a weakling for His own followers not to be obedient. Of course, I explained things to her and told her what a mighty GOD we serve. She went away thoughtful that day.

We also need to bear in mind that there are Christians new to the faith, those who are still growing. They need guidance, not condemnation. I was quite stubborn as a new Believer, and there were some areas of my life that I would not change out of pride and fear. I found it difficult to forgive people who had wronged me, and I hated to be told that I was wrong. I did not yet see wrong in what I was doing, I believed that I was justified. I would hold onto a grudge as though my life depended on it. I actually removed myself from a church because some members would speak to me about it and I just didn’t want to hear it. Sometimes when you carry deep emotional scars, it’s difficult to listen to the truth. It was in the ‘wilderness’ that GOD taught me the importance of forgiveness. It is better to have a person leave the church than have them believe that their sin is justified.

Of course, there will always be wolves in sheep’s clothing in the church, those who are not Christian but use the cover of Christianity for their own means. These people are more difficult to pick out especially if you are not as spiritually discerning as you should be. Then again, some churches have ceased to be a place of true fellowship, and it is far better to leave that church than to sit through services/sermons that do not honour GOD. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, although I do have moments where I wish to give them a piece of my mind. The Holy Spirit will always then remind me of where I came from, how I started this walk of faith. That is quite humbling, to say the least! At the end of the day, you have to make sure that you are right with GOD because there is nothing that you can hide from Him. Search your hearts daily for anything contrary to Him, and keep Jesus at the centre of all you do. 

Note: Perhaps the word purge sounds harsh, but according to the Oxford Dictionary, it means to make yourself sb/sth pure, healthy, or clean by getting rid of bad thoughts or feelings. Now we know that sin starts in our minds- we think it before we do it. These bad (sinful) thoughts often driven by emotions or vice versa. Get the sin out, and keep the Church clean:)

Disclaimer: I do not profess to teach or have any sort of authority over men. I share the Word of GOD and any matters of the world that directly applies to our lives and walk as Christians.

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MILLENNIALS ARE DITCHING RELIGION FOR WITCHCRAFT. HERE’S WHY

Millennials Are Ditching Religion for Witchcraft. Here’s Why

Disclaimer: I do not profess to teach or have any sort of authority over men. I share the Word of GOD and any matters about the world that directly applies to our lives and walk as Christians.

Gone are the days when people regarded witchcraft as evil and demonic. These days, it has become a path of spirituality that many millennials are choosing to take. The witch population doubled in 2018, and I daresay that not many of us were aware of it happening.

More than half of the young adults in America believe that astrology is a science, compared to less than 8% of the Chinese public. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Astrology is an essential aspect of the average Chinese man or woman. They firmly believe that the time of a person’s birth is the main factor in determining that person’s personality, as opposed to the month you were born in for the Western astrology. Chinese astrology is the divination of the future from the Chinese calendar. Did you get that? Divination. Let’s continue. Wikipedia states that “astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means of divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events.” Yes, I know, I used Wikipedia which is the last source of information that a person should turn to, but they are not wrong so in that I’m justified. Another website (which I very briefly looked through) describes astrology as “an ancient art” and that “understanding the patterns of the universe gives you the insight you need to navigate life.” So, my question is: how different is Chinese astrology to Western astrology? Both are claiming to tell the future based on when you were born. One may take the time of your birth and the other the month, but they clearly have the same roots. Which carries another question: why is astrology considered a science in America by more than half of the young adults and just 8% by the Chinese? Awfully strange if you ask me. It sounds like the Western world are trying to fool the public- what’s new?

Spirituality is increasing, while interest in religion is decreasing. According to a study from the Pew Research Center, it appears that the majority of the American population do not believe that it is necessary to believe in GOD to have good morals. In 2007, 81% of participants between the ages of 18 and 29 who “never doubt the existence of GOD” plummeted to 67% in 2012. It seems that many of them may have looked in the direction of psychic services such as astrology (shocker! Not.), aura reading, mediumship, tarot-card reading, and palmistry. This industry grew 2% between 2011 and 2016, although personally, I believe that it was much higher. The psychic service industry was worth a whopping $2 billion back in 2017, imagine what the IBIS World would report now in 2019?

Friends, people are turning to astrology and tarot card reading at an alarming rate. Several recent studies state that there might be more than 1.5 million witches in the U.S today, but I think that’s a lie. The number is far higher than that. I was watching a Youtube video the other day to see what this ‘sudden’ spike in witchcraft was all about. What do these witches actually do? Well, I do know already, it’s not rocket science or anything, but hearing it from the mouth of a witch was interesting (no, not really). A practising witch pulls tarot cards, they have crystals everywhere, they make shrines, they cast spells, they meditate, and apparently it all speaks to their radical feminism. A spell is supposedly a prayer to the universe, where they will have chalices full of water and candles lit up, something that represents the gods and goddesses and is just like how you pray in church (well, would you look at that!). Being a South African who is familiar with the witchcraft that happens in my own country (I literally live in an area where there are known witches and have been attacked by them), the witches that I know seem hardcore in comparison to the ones described in America. It’s funny how the media is trying to make it seem young, hip, and trendy to cover up what really goes on behind closed doors. There are the public witches (Wicca) who apparently practice ‘light’, good spells, mother earth nonsense etc., and the ones that meet in secret places, make sacrifices and call up all manner of devils, but it’s all the same really. Carrying on.

They say that the powerful are scared of this figure that has been traditionally powerless, but now that is not the case. They (the witches) draw on the sexual assault cases cropping up everywhere (that Weinstein guy, R Kelly, etc.), as well as the Me Too movement, saying that the only way to heal is by coming together in what they see is as a coven of witches. Confused? Well, I was. I didn’t think that there was much correlation between coming together for support and being a witch. But then they brought up feminism, and I thought ‘oh, I see where this is going.’ Witchcraft is making a comeback among US feminists because they believe that is it the only way to be powerful, to have power or take back power from the patriarchal society, and be in control of your own life. Being a witch in the modern world feels rebellious to these millennials, and it seems like a practical approach to spirituality (to them anyway).

One witch (I’m not putting names here) stated that she came from an Irish Catholic background and that there is a lot of Catholic folk magic and Catholic folk traditions that people are not aware of (who among you reading this still don’t know this?) which are witchcraft. Her grandmother and mother did things that they would never label as witchcraft, such as hanging a rosary on your door to keep evil away. One witches’ practice revolves around spirit contact and trance work (going into trances and communicating with spirits there). Witchcraft is also supposedly a method of decolonising oneself, your notions of morality, gender, religion and returning to a mindstate that was pre-Christian to become less prejudiced and ‘free’. Some wake up in the morning and pour a glass of water to their ancestors to honour them (hey, I know all about ancestral worship, it’s huge in Africa) and thank them for where they are right now. At the end of the day they will say thank you to the land, to the gods, spirits and animals of where they live, to the mighty dead, and the living people.

I’m going to take a breather here from all this witchy devilry and insert the Word. The following Scripture clearly tells us that everything that these people are doing are an abomination to GOD.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your GOD drives them out from before you.”

Go back a couple of years (us millennials) to when Harry Potter became the thing to read, The Hobbit took us to distant lands, and Narnia gave us a world unlike our own. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a cool chick who kicked butt, Charmed was a magical TV series that most people followed religiously, and magical movies fulfilled our every need for fantasy. I will give my last dollar (or Rand which won’t mean much anywhere else) when I say that many of us were so into this world that we imagined ourselves as having powers, destroying the bad guy with them, being unique because of our abilities, and wishing that we could be those people that we were watching or reading. It was a heady thing for us, more potent than a Man whom we spoke about in Sunday School, once a week in school, and not much else. I don’t remember being taught of how powerful Jesus was and is, how He destroyed death by his own death on the cross, how He overcame the devil and gives authority to his people to defeat evil principalities and such, or how Him arising from the dead was a mighty working of GOD’S Spirit. Why weren’t we told that He is the Superhero, the only One that we need? Why was He not hyped up as much as our books, TV series and movies were? There is power in the Name of Jesus, people, more power than any silly made-up world and hero. Maybe some of you got to be taught this Jesus, but many of us were not. He was just this good, benign Man who walked this earth and died for our sins. We were told how He loves us in spite of our sin. This all true, don’t get me wrong, but He is more than that, so much more, and many millennials do not know this or understand it. They only know of the old rubbish taught by religious people who probably aren’t even Christians themselves but agents of the devil masquerading as Christians.

This is an epidemic, plain and simple. Many millennials are being lost to witchcraft. And while I focused on America (well, because it’s America), this can be said for other places in the world. Only, it may not be witchcraft as in Wicca, but other religions, Satanism, Buddhism etc. I am a millennial myself, born in the last year of the 80s and a firm 90s kid. I remember what we used to watch growing up, and it seemed harmless. That is the deceiving part of it, how harmless it all seemed. We all wanted to be powerful, to have control of our futures, and magic seemed like the way to do it, so we may have played around with it- horoscopes, fortune tellers, ‘as light as a feather, as heavy as a rock’, Ouija board etc, but some of us didn’t get out. I once told GOD that if I ever got married and had children, that I would tell them just how powerful He is and precisely what He did. How nothing on this earth compares to Him, and how much He loves them. I want them to see His magnificence, His untouchable glory, and His gift of salvation for us all. There is a way out of this world and its troubles, and that is to give your life to Jesus. And while you still may live in the world, it does not matter because He has provided us with everything that we need to overcome the evil of this world that is not just physical, but primarily spiritual. To GOD be the glory now, and forever more.

There is so much more that could be said about the truth behind the lives of those who practice witchcraft, but I have chosen to tackle what the media is portraying to us. This goes much deeper, and if the Holy Spirit wills it, I shall write another post.

Disclaimer: I do not profess to teach or have any sort of authority over men. I share the Word of GOD and any matters about the world that directly applies to our lives and walk as Christians.

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‘Jesus is more precious than my same-sex attraction’

Are Character Building Studies Necessary?

A young woman has spoken out about how she is pursuing Christ in the face of her struggle with same-sex attraction. As a teenager, Rachel Gilson began feeling attracted to women, and it wasn’t long before she embraced lesbianism.

Although she felt “neutral” towards Christianity growing up, as she began to pursue relationships with other girls, she says she became “more opposed to it”.

‘A big barrier’

“I saw it as being for stupid people”, said Rachel.

But by college, Rachel had become curious about the existence of God, secretly searching for information about Jesus and reading C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

“What I read about Jesus online was much more compelling than what I’d expected”, Rachel said, “but at the same time, my sexuality was a big barrier. I knew that I wanted to marry a woman someday, and I knew that Christianity wasn’t OK with that”.

‘God is real’

But one day, while reading, Rachel felt convicted that “God is real, and I am in a lot of trouble. Because not only is he real; he is perfect, and I am incredibly imperfect.”

She recalled: “I understood for the first time that Jesus had come to place himself as a kind of wall between God’s wrath — his right and fair anger at my sin — and me. I knew that if I trusted in Jesus, I was going to be saved.”

A student group on her college campus helped Rachel to grow in her faith, giving her a Bible, answering her questions, teaching her how to pray and helping her fight sexual temptation.

Precious Jesus

She said that while her attractions to women haven’t disappeared since becoming a Christian, she is choosing to put Christ first in her life.

She said, “it would definitely be tragic to give up something that valuable for something that is less valuable. And it would also be tragic to pretend like this real part of my life, my sexuality, is less than it is.

“But Jesus is more precious than even that very deep part of me, because of his great love.”

She said that while her attractions to women haven’t disappeared since becoming a Christian, she is choosing to put Christ first in her life.The Christian Institute, on Rachel Gilson

‘Worth it’

She concluded: “The reason that most people aren’t Christians is either because they think that Jesus isn’t really real or that he isn’t really worth it. But Jesus is both — really real and really worth it.”

“I gave up some major things and some significant sexual relationships — but God has heaped upon me beautiful and good things in their place.”

Read More!

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Stop Calling Yourself The Persecuted Church

 Open Doors World Watch Map/Open Doors

There is no more prayer in schools.

They want to take God’s name out of the national anthem.

The list of “assaults” on Christianity grows and varies from Western country to country. Every day Christians take to social media and share how life is so hard. We are under siege. Our lives are in danger of ungodly people changing things in our government. We are suffering at the hands of sinners. And the likes…

These kinds of things make their rounds on Facebook and Twitter because we are the “persecuted church“.

Only we couldn’t be more wrong. And we need to stop calling ourselves that.

Open Doors, an organization dedicated to helping the actual persecuted church, wherever they might be in the world. But it isn’t in North America.

The World Watch List was recently updated, sharing the Top 50 nations where being a Christian is the toughest. While you can find the full list here, read over the Top 20 as shared by BibleGateway Blog.

Top 20 Countries Persecuting Christians

  1. North Korea
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Somalia
  4. Libya
  5. Pakistan
  6. Sudan
  7. Eritrea
  8. Yemen
  9. Iran
  10. India
  11. Syria
  12. Nigeria
  13. Iraq
  14. Maldives
  15. Saudi Arabia
  16. Egypt
  17. Uzbekistan
  18. Myanmar (Burma)
  19. Laos
  20. Vietnam

The only “Western” country to make the Top 50 list is Mexico, coming in at 39.

Think about that.

These Christians suffer from Communist or Post-communist oppression, Dictatorial Paranoia, Ethnic Antagonism, Islamic Oppression, and/or Religious Nationalism.

They are regularly attacked, routinely harassed, habitually disturbed and made the public pariah of their respective nations. Their government makes examples of them, create laws with which to demoralize and cripple their lives. Freedoms and rights are removed or none existent.

Christians have no voice, no power, no representation, no ability to advocate for change in these nations. None of which are Western countries.

More than 245 million Christians live with high, very high, or extreme persecution on a regular basis. If not daily. That number is up from 2018. It was 215 million last year.

David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA said this,

“Islamic radicalism continues to dominate and influence all spheres of life for Christians, and we are watching China and India very closely. The distressing impact of billions of people living in an environment in which the government oppresses freedom of religion is unravelling day by day as millions of Christians are being attacked, imprisoned or killed. Open Doors will continue to walk alongside these Christians and advocate on their behalf for human rights we take for granted in America.”

That is the persecuted church. Those are the people that are suffering in the name of Jesus.

Having someone disagree with us on Facebook is not persecution. Having a government make changes to their laws to no favour a single religion is not what people in North Korea are suffering. Someone mocking your faith in a cartoon or a meme is not what is happening in Afghanistan.

They are being murdered. They are being imprisoned.

I’m not saying that our lives are easy or that the way we are treated is right, but what Western Christians deal with is not persecution like the rest of the world deals with.

Let’s remember what our brothers and sisters are going through, remember what our forefathers endured as well.

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

– Hebrews 13:3

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

– 2 Corinthians 4:8-12

This article first appeared on Christian Thought Sandbox.

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Have Church While Cooking Your Sunday Roast

The digital age is great, but has it taken over? In this blog, I discuss whether it's a positive thing for the Church and Christian organisations to go digital.

The digital age is great, but has it taken over? In this blog, I discuss whether it’s a positive thing for the Church and Christian organisations to go digital.

So, I attended the Premier Digital Conference on Saturday 3rd November in London. For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it’s an event to help the Christian community take advantage of all the opportunities brought about by our digital age. Their aim is to ‘inspire with what is possible, equip with new ideas and skills and connect you with people and organisations that can help you achieve your aims’.

As you can imagine, as a virtual ministry assistant, this was an amazing event for me, and it proved to be just that”¦”¦.

To me, this event really brought to question, whether Churches, and Christian businesses were now becoming in tune with the digital age.

Why do Christian organisations, more specifically, Churches, find it so difficult to move with the times and become more digital / virtual?

Is it because Christianity is all about community, communication, being present with one another?

In today’s age, we now have Church apps where you can download your Church sermon, or Church newsletter; Bible verses posted on Facebook or Instagram, view Church sermons from YouTube while on the go. We have so many online Churches. A lot of Churches aspire to get their Church online. So, do less people now physically attend Church now that there are so many online Churches? You could now literally have Church while cooking your Sunday roast! Will it eventually get to a point where there will be no physical Churches, and everyone will be at home in their families, or worse, on their own listening to their Church sermon online?

 Of course, the flip side of this is that tens of thousands of people can easily hear the word of God. People who may not have usually attended Church can just tune in to hear what it’s all about. People who are house bound can experience Church in their homes.

As a virtual assistant, I’m all for the digital age. Most of my work and interactions with Churches, pastors, Church leaders are done digitally, and it works well. But it is very slow to catch on. In times of such great change, it is important to take the positives of the digital age. We can reach so many people in different cities, countries and even continents. We can work and bring together a vast amount of different ideas from different cultures and generations.

Nevertheless, we must not lose our human connections. We must not forget what Christianity is about. Loving your neighbour, helping and supporting each other and working together.

As a Christian community, we must be known to not only love Jesus Christ, but to also love one another, and to live in fellowship with one another. When the world sees this, our light will ‘shine before others, that they may see”¦ our good deeds and glorify”¦ our Father in heaven’. (Matthew 5:16)

 We need to find a happy medium where we have an option to connect virtually and digitally, but also not loose touch of our human contact.

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Smartphones are paving way for the Antichrist, says head of Russian church

Russia Orthodox leader: The internet is the tool of the Antichrist

In a bold statement on Monday of Orthodox Christmas, Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, warned his congregants about putting too much trust in their smartphone. What spiritual leaders term “external forces” can track and control smartphone users where “location, interests, and fears” have been collected from their devices, a media report explained.

People’s dependence on smartphones and modern technology could bring about the coming of the Antichrist, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has warned. 

Speaking to Russian state TV, Patriarch Kirill said smartphone users should be careful when using the “worldwide web of gadgets” because it represented “an opportunity to gain global control over mankind”. “The Antichrist is the person who will be at the head of the worldwide web, controlling all of humankind,” he said.

“The Antichrist is the person who will be at the head of the worldwide web, controlling all of humankind,” he said. 

Kirill said he was not against technology, only wary of the possibilities generated. “Control from one point is a sign of the coming of the Antichrist,” Kirill told government-run television network, according to the Moscow Times.

“The Antichrist is the personality who will be the world leader who controls all mankind. Thus, the structure itself presents a danger, ” he told television interviewers. He stated, “if we don’t want to approach the apocalypse, there shouldn’t be a single center (control and access).”

Worldwide Problems

The explosive growth of smart phones used on our earth is mind blowing. An estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide will use a smartphone by the end of 2019 according to research on the Statista website. And the latest statistical patterns do not show a decline. By 2020, according to emarketer.com, the smartphone user base will number 4.78 billion people, more than half the earth’s population. Whether people buy smartphones or not will depend on many factors, some of which might be budget problems. Some people who can’t afford to buy a device may be forced into using one because they follow their peers. There is also a question concerning the environment: Making a smartphone involves mining, and uses a number of precious metals that are in hard to reach places on the planet. Extracting these materials can damage large areas of land and place people – who live nearby in physical danger. Other environmental problems include spills of toxic chemicals and disruption to the planet’s ecosystem.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – NOVEMBER 11: (AFP-OUT) Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill looks on during his meeting with Israel’s President Shimon Peres on November 11, 2012 at the President’s residence in Jerusalem, Israel. This is Kirill’s first visit to Israel since becoming head of the church in 2009. (Photo by Sebastian Scheiner-Pool/Getty Images)

Kirill’s TV appearance on Monday came two days after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church– a split that has been described as the largest in the Orthodox Christianity since the Orthodox church became independent from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054.

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Did Slain Missionary John Chau Do More Harm Than Good?

While other youngsters were probably occupied with games, gadgets, and hanging out with friends, John Chau’s thoughts veered into doing missions. Reports say it was way back in high school that he learned about the North Sentinel people being the most isolated worldwide and from that time grew a focused desire to reach those unreached people of the sAndaman Islands for Christ. And he prepared himself well. Friends and colleagues say he trained himself physically and mentally. He studied linguistics and acquired survival skills. In 2017, he joined All Nations and trained as a missionary at its Kansas City headquarters.

News broke out that the body of 26-year old John was seen dragged across the beach and buried after the indigenous people slew him by bows and arrows. This was reportedly witnessed by the very fishermen who ferried him by boat during this illegal visit to the island. An overflow of mixed views began to surface. A few saw him as a martyr, even a modern-day Jim Elliott.  Some, however, condemned him for his so-called “irresponsible”, “disrespectful”, and “illegal” (by virtue of The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act of 1956) action of invading the prohibited island of North Sentinel. Some saw it as a selfless act; others thought it idiotic, ignorant, or an unhealthy obsession. My heart goes out to the family he’s left behind for they are left to deal with all the negative press even while they mourn the death of their loved one.

We should hope that after all these negativity dies down and John Chau’s life and death becomes “old news”, that in the aftermath, he had not done more harm than good to the cause of Christ and to the work of the church. If there is to be any benefit; churches, mission organizations, and all believers should note all that we can learn from this unfortunate incident.

Consider legalities and consequences.

Jim Elliott and John Chau had the same desire, took on the same mission, and died in a similar way. All that God allowed Jim and his companions (and consequently their wives) to experience were documented and widely circulated even to this present day. From their lives we glean inspiration to boldly persist in Kingdom work. From their lives we also draw wisdom to work towards pursuing Kingdom work in more effective and safer ways.

In Jim’s time, there were no laws in place which prevented them from landing on the shores of Ecuador. They didn’t break any laws. John did and many are capitalizing on this. Can you do wrong in order to do right? Heroes like Corrie Ten Boom broke the law to do good but the laws they broke were morally wrong and broken in the first place. I honor the heart John had to reach the North Sentinel Islanders for Jesus Christ. However, in setting foot on prohibited ground, authorities brought issues of preservation and health safety against him. Fear was raised that he could have brought communicable diseases that may endanger the survival of these indigenous folks who for thousands of years have aggressively closed themselves off from civilization.

Consider cost and benefit ratios.

Most mission boards today recommend and train missionaries to touch base with locals first, to make initial connections, and to slowly integrate themselves into the community before even beginning to start evangelizing. Mission efforts today naturally begins with charitable helps to show people in a practical way that one is sincere. Even in one’s country, among your own people, it’s a rare thing to see someone immediately warming up to you when you immediately and bluntly just share the Gospel with them. Effective witnessing now more often necessitates forged relationships and a clear means of communication. No matter how hard you desire to share the Gospel with someone, if you are not communicating on a level of understanding, all your efforts are futile. The purpose is for them to be enlightened. The purpose is not to just speak Gospel truths. The chief and end purpose is for salvation to take place.

John had been perceived as ignorant for his efforts to declare the Gospel to a people who do not understand a word of what He was saying. Some writers accuse him of having a “white savior” complex or of following a religious tactic of proselyting by colonialization that’s been practiced for centuries. Again, I admire his heart for wanting them to hear about our Savior. I do not dare to make judgments whether he did a sensible evaluation of the fruitfulness and benefit to this endeavor as I am not privy to all the circumstances and developments that came about along the way as he planned and executed this mission trip. What I take from all this is that in all our endeavors, we really need to make a careful count of the cost and to explore better means to accomplishing our goals and purposes.

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A Change Is Gonna Come: Give Me That Old-Time Religion 15 Essential Gospel Hymns

Worship is in an extremely important component of the Christian life. As Christians, our whole lives should be a living sacrifice of worship to God, but undoubtedly, praise and thanksgiving through song play a big role (just look at Psalms). With the rise of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) in the last 50 years or so, the previous popular choice for corporate worship time, hymns, have become less prominent in some circles.

The best Southern gospel songs are among the most beloved and enduring tunes in all of gospel music. You don’t have to be religious to be affected by the power of gospel music. After all, it influenced soul and R&B music – along with rock’n’roll legends the likes of Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones – and even Bob Dylan tried his hand at writing bona fide gospel songs.

What we need in the churches is the Holy Ghost and fire. We need what the old time saints had. That old time religion.   More than anything else they had a dedication to God. When they prayed you knew that God was there.

There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long
But now I think I’m able to carry on
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

Follow our Forever Gospel playlist for more of the most uplifting music you’ll ever hear.

 

[waveplayer ids=”17012,17013,17014,17015,17016,17017,17018,17019,17020,17023,17024,17025″]

 

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Watch Vocal Artist Kymberli Joye Take ‘The Voice’ to Church, With “Break Every Chain”

Team Kelly's Kymberli Joye performs "Break Every Chain" during The Voice Live Top 11 Performances.

With her impressive vocal range and soulful sound, Team Kelly’s Kymberli Joye has been a standout performer on “The Voice” ever since her initial blind audition.

Now, the minister and worship leader hailing from Windsor, Connecticut has taken her passion for Jesus Christ to center stage with her live Top 11 performance of “Break Every Chain.”

With parents as pastors, the 26-year-old contestant has had Christianity ingrained in her roots, but nothing brings her faith to life quite like worship. Bringing judges to their feet and audiences members to their knees, Joye undoubtedly took “The Voice” audience to Church with her goosebump-raising rendition of this popular Christian song.

Check out her unforgettable performance of “Break Every Chain” below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfIog7RIgFE&feature=youtu.be

Team Kelly’s Kymberli Joye performs “Break Every Chain” during The Voice Live Top 11 Performances.

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Where did the word “Church” come from?

At the risk of sounding like one of those zealots, it is time that we begin to openly draw a distinction between our Lord’s Ecclesia and Constantine’s Church. All of us that are serious about our relationship with our Father and our walk of faith have recited, or at the very least heard it recited, the statement Jesus spoke to Simon Peter: “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.  When we read the word “church” in this passage, we immediately begin to visualize a building or a group of buildings—because that is how we’ve come to understand “church” as we know it—and equate that to what Jesus said as written in the quoted passage. Or perhaps we envision a group of people that congregate in a building on Sundays or some other day during the week.

For the last 406 years, most of the Christian world has been conditioned by the teachings of the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible. For the most part, this translation has served a very important role in shaping the ideals and beliefs of people and nations around the world. For the purposes of this article, I want to address a specific point of conflict with the way the KJV text translated a particular word from its original use. That point is this: “how did the word ‘ecclesia’ get replaced with the word ‘church’”? The answer to this question will no doubt offend some and open the eyes of others. Nonetheless, it is a question that anyone who is serious about their walk of faith should consider.

One of the other agendas of the KJV translators was the change of the word “ecclesia” to the word “church”.

During the creation of the KJV one of the mandates of King James I of England to his team of translators was that they were to ensure that the new version would conform to the ecclesiology (that is, simply put, the doctrinal beliefs, architecture, and adornment) and reflect the Episcopal (Bishop’s oversight) structure of the Church of England and its belief in an ordained clergy. If this was the only instruction to the translators, it alone would have been enough to call into question the purity of their finished work, or at the very least, it would lead to the inevitable concern about a hidden agenda regarding the final work. But this was not the only coercion. One of the other agendas of the translators was the change of the word “ecclesia” to the word “church”. I’ll deal with “ecclesia” later in this article. For now, let’s focus our attention on the word substituted in the place of “ecclesia”.

“Church” was originally used by Emperor Constantine when he made Christianity the state religion of Rome around 310 A.D. Thus the word “church” became the standard of assembly for the Christian religion, and has continued to be used this way ever since. By the time of the creation of the KJV, the word church presented itself as a satisfactory pawn for King James to perpetuate the superiority of the English monarchy over the Kingdom government of the Body of Christ.

Throughout the KJV translation, the word “church” was substituted for the Latin word “ecclesia”. These two words do not mean the same thing, neither do they derive from a common word; in fact, they convey two significantly different understandings. In short, the translators of the KJV deliberately altered the meaning of critical passages of scripture to divert the reader’s and believer’s understanding as it pertains to who Jesus declared them to be, and what our position in the Kingdom of Heaven truly is.

The word “church” was substituted 112 times for the word “ecclesia”

The word “church” was substituted 112 times for the word “ecclesia”. There are three other translations of the same word into the word “assembly”. One could easily become suspicious as to why these three instances were not also translated “church”. Given that the words do not mean the same thing, why would the translators make such an obvious alteration to the “Holy Scriptures”? The exact answer cannot be definitively concluded, but it is not hard to arrive at a reasonable conjecture of a deliberate agenda to alter our understanding of our Kingdom position relative to the state’s desire to maintain control of the Christian religion.

So what does the word “church” really mean? In the earlier Greek, it was pronounced “kuriakos” or “kuriakon.” The meaning of ” kuriakos ” is understood by its root, ” kuriakos,” which means “lord.” Thus, “kuriakos” (i.e.,”church”) means “pertaining to the lord.” It refers to something that pertains to or belongs to, a lord. (Note the usage of the lowercase letter “L” here”¦this particular usage refers to someone having power, authority, or influence over someone, and generally refers to someone in the position of a master or ruler in an established monarchy.) The Greek “kuriakos” eventually came to be used in Old English form as “cirice” (kee-ree-ke), then “churche” (kerke), and eventually “church” in its traditional pronunciation. Church from its original Old English meaning referred to a public place of worship.

       Paul and Silas was not building churches they were establishing the Ecclesia!

Now let’s look at the word “ecclesia”. Ecclesia [from medieval Latin and Greek, meaning “summoned” or “called out”] means “a regularly convoked assembly”, especially the general assembly of Athenians. It was the name given to the governmental assembly of the city of Athens, duly convoked by proper officers and possessing all political power including even juridical functions. Consider Acts 17:1-7, and in particular verse 7: “Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus”. We can see here that what Paul and Silas were doing was inciting insurrection among all those that would hear and believe their preaching. They were not trying to change Judaism, they were establishing the ecclesia.

The Ecclesia is NOT the “church”. This is something that believers have been told since the days of Constantine, in order to exercise control over us and to keep us from understanding the true identity of our dominion. We, the Ecclesia, are the governing body of our Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, in this season, Holy Spirit is once again raising up voices to give understanding to the Ecclesia”¦that we are not “the church” as we have been told. He is revealing to us that we must come out of this Constantinian religious system and begin to embrace our true sonship, our inheritance, and our authority as heirs of righteousness and heirs of promise.

In this season, those who are hungry for the truth of our identity will begin to hear the sound of the call to the Ecclesia. I encourage you to pursue that sound as it will lead you to its source: Holy Spirit! There you will find the truth of who you were created to be. There you will find true worship of your Father in heaven. There you will find your place in the Godhead. Don’t be afraid of what you begin to hear. Holy Spirit will not allow you to be misled or seduced. He will guide you into ALL Truth.

BLESSINGS!

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Why the Church Needs to Refocus on the Concept of Sanctification

Sanctification belongs to our Father in Heaven.  Being sanctification is freely offered to the heirs of righteousness.  It is given to us as part of our inheritance, which comes by salvation.  It is our Father’s perfect will for us, that we are sanctified.  By the proclamation of our Lord, who is the pillar of all that is our inheritance, we are sanctified through the truth of our Father in heaven.  We are set apart from all that is in the world; from all that is not of faith; and from all that is unbelief.  Heaven sent sanctification is not with rituals of behavior or customs of tradition; neither is it self-imposed separation from the world.  While separation from the world is commanded by our Lord and is a result of sanctification, it is important for us to understand how this separation is accomplished.  Sanctification comes when we hear the truth and we obey that truth.  Truth is living and it is universal.  Self-imposed sanctification only leads to dead works.  Our Father’s truth is alive.  It is as alive as the life we live.  His truth is subject only to his perfect will.  Our Lord admonished us that our Father’s Word is truth when he said: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth”.  We are set apart from the world not by self-imposed, artificial rituals and practices; but rather by the truth that makes us free.    

Church leaders throughout the ages have received truth from Holy Spirit, only to fall victim to holding on to what was received so passionately, they become unwilling, or even unable, to embrace the followup enlightenment when it arrived.  Consider the Word of God concerning circumcision!  Circumcision was once the primary distinction whereby a Hebrew identified their relationship with God.  Circumcision was believed, and it was followed.  Circumcision was mandated as a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham.  It was later ritualized under the Levitical Laws.  However, once grace arrived, and faith by grace, circumcision became a symbol of not having faith.  Apostle Paul wrote; “for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love”.  So, if that which was once the standard of a relationship with God, has now become that which hinders what God is doing, how much more is that which He is doing now, greater than that which has been replaced?

If we say we have all the truth that our Father has, or that there is no more truth that He will give, then we make Him a liar.  If that which we have is the conclusion of God’s revelation, then of necessity Holy Spirit did not need to be sent.  For what do the scriptures say?  “When the spirit of truth is come he will lead us into all truth; and show us things to come”.  Now the things to come are not limited to the writing of the apostles of old, but every generation is beset with the mandate to understand the things set before them and to peer into the things to be.  Each generation must be willing to embrace things that have been hidden until now.  If they have been hidden from generations past and have been reserved for the present generation, then of necessity Holy Spirit must expose what has been hidden in days past.   It is incumbent upon present apostolic leaders, to avail themselves to the unction of Holy Spirit to speak those things She is revealing to the generation at hand.

I further make the case, which even now, we do not have all the truth that was spoken through the apostles of old.  Even our own canon speaks of truths that have been lost to antiquity.  If in fact, we accept Apostle Paul as a vessel of truth through which Holy Spirit has spoken;  where he makes mention of an epistle he wrote to the Corinthian church, that to this present day has been hidden from the Ecclesia even our present generation.  If then, the truth that was scribed in this lost epistle was inspired by Holy Spirit, and I believe it was, then it is clear we do not have all that was given by Holy Spirit.  Further, the epistle written to the Colossians makes reference to an epistle Apostle Paul wrote to the Laodiceans.   This epistle to has been hidden from generations that followed.

Beloved let us not stifle the ministry of Holy Spirit because we are unwilling to allow Her to freely give us the things She has received from our Father and our Christ.  She is our comforter.  Lest you mistake my boldness as skepticism of the scriptures; I say boldly, the scriptures are the Word of our Father, but all of our Father’s Word is not in the scriptures we have.  Therefore, I submit my spirit to Holy Spirit who delivered the Word that admonishes us that lack wisdom, to ask God for wisdom and God will give it liberally to all who ask because we ask in faith and don’t waiver.

Contemporary leaders are always charged with “Who hath ears to hear let him hear”.  We must never become so beholden to what has been done that we are unable or unwilling to receive what is being done now.  Some have concluded there is nothing new, and all things that will be has already been.  We embrace this understanding because Solomon said it in the writings of Ecclesiastes.  We’ve been told from the writings of Solomon; there is no new thing under the sun.  Even as Solomon has declared nothing new under the sun, Isaiah admonished us to forget about the former things and do not consider the things of old because Jehovah was doing a new thing.  Is this a contradiction?  On the contrary, it’s actually moving on from truth in a previous generation to truth in the contemporary generation.  Isaiah wrote after Solomon and declared what

 Jehovah was speaking in his generation.  Even so, must we be bold to break free from the captivity of what was written aforetime to declare the wonderful truth that is being spoken in our generation?  The things that were written aforetime were written for our learning, they were not written to incarcerate in a time before us.  All truth begins with the Son, who gives it to Holy Spirit, who gives it to us.   Thus, by authority given to me as a good steward of this gospel, I declare to you, Yeshua is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and in Him, we are transformed into the sons of the kingdom and heirs of righteousness.  Amen!

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I Didn’t Marry My Soulmate … On Purpose

I did not marry my soulmate. And my wife would agree. Before anyone picks up their pitchforks and torches, let me explain. The philosopher Plato is credited with coming up with this notion of “soulmates”. He  believed that prior to birth a perfect soul was split into “male and female,” and that to be complete they must find each other and “reunite their souls.”   Many people out there believe in this idea of soulmates.

We all have heard someone say:

“I’ve found my soulmate”  or

“We are meant to be together”  or

“He/She is the one”.

Some Christians believe in soulmates, saying that the love of their life is a “gift from God”.

The concept of finding one’s soulmate is something pop culture puts out there on what an ideal romantic relationship ‘should’ look like. We are told that when we find our ‘soulmates’ or ‘the one’, we will be happy and finally be complete. Sadly, this places unrealistic expectations on the relationship. If complications in the marriage begin to occur (and they inevitably will), some might take this as a sign this person must not be ‘the one’.

No wonder divorce in the United States is so high! Sadly,  4 in 10  marriages have ended in divorce.

Early on into our marriage, I viewed our relationship incorrectly. I thought getting married was going to usher in my own happiness. When things went wrong, doubt would set in. But later on I came to realize, I had the wrong perspective on what God’s purpose was for marriage. My purpose and completeness should come from God, not my wife.

Gary Thomas points out “the problem with looking to another human to complete us is that spiritually speaking, it’s idolatry. We are to find our fulfillment and purpose in God”¦and if we expect our spouse to be ‘God’ to us, he or she will fail every day. No person can live up to such expectations.”

As a society, we have an ungodly view on marriage that is more transactional. The pop culture perspective of marriage is focused more on what the other person brings to your life which is quite selfish. Having this perspective on your marriage will lead to disappointment and possibly divorce.

Marriage was not created by God to find our own personal happiness and purpose in another person. He designed marriage to reflect the love He has for us. Our marriages should model the kind of relationship that Christ has for His bride, we the church. We must model the love in our marriages as defined in Ephesians 5:25-30:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.

This means pursuing a love in our marriages that is sacrificial, purifying, and unwavering. As Christians, our marriages should reflect the love Christ has for us. Marriage is about sharpening each other for our own salvation, not about finding our own personal happiness, purpose, and completeness in another person. Marriages are comprised of two broken people who came together to become one flesh. By having a godly perspective on the purpose of marriage provides the necessary building blocks for a successful and lifelong marriage. The pop culture perspective will only bring disappointment and unhappiness. When we fulfill God purpose for marriage, it will bring glory to Him and His kingdom.

My wife is not the one. She’s the one because I married her. When we came together, I was one, she was one, and when we got married, we became one. I didn’t marry her because we were destined to be together by fate. I married her because that was  my choice. And it was  her choice  to marry me. I love her because  I choose  to love her. And she loves me because  she chooses  to love me. No matter what  I will always choose  to love her every day for the rest of my life. This is my promise to her.

 

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