Wednesday 6 December 2017

What happened To Lebanon Christians

My 911 Happened To Me in 1975 -Brigette Gabriel


As a 10 year old girl, Brigitte Gabriel did not have to read about radical Islam from a textbook, or through stories. She experienced it. When her native homeland, Lebanon, was bombed by Islamic terrorists, the rubble of her home was around her, along with the sounds and smells that come along with that. After escaping with her life, she later became an American citizen. She thought all of the memories and realities of Radical Islam were long gone. That all came crashing down when the events of September 11th struck terror in the hearts of America. This event was different for her than most. As most Americans had never experienced terrorism at such a level, this brought all of the pain and emotions that Gabriel thought she had left, back to the surface of her own life.

It was the terrorizing events of September 11th that changed Gabriel’s life, in more ways than one. Gabriel was about 10 years old when she experienced the terrorist attacks in Lebanon. At that moment, she asked her father why this was happening. Fast forward a few decades, and she found herself reciting the very same words of her father, when her daughter asked her why the events of September 11th were happening. “Mommy why did they do this to us?” Gabriel continues, “and I found myself looking at my daughter and repeating to her exactly what my daddy told me in Lebanon, 30 years ago. ‘They hate us because they consider us Infidels and they want to kill us because we are Christians.’” It was this very moment that defined in her what she has been called to do in her life, as an American, to be an activist against Radical Islam and to educate Western Civilization about Radical Islam.



It is this very understanding of who Gabriel is, and her background, that emphasizes her authority when speaking about Radical Islam. As noted earlier, her knowledge does not come from books, or writing a thesis, but from personal experience. This was truly demonstrated when she spoke about the history of the ideology of Islam recently at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. It is no surprise to say that Radical Islam is a national threat today. Gabriel openly addresses this concern by stating, “...what I’m going to do right now is crunch 1,400 years of Islamic history in 5 minutes and make it as exciting as I can possibly make it.”  As she begins speaking, she underlines her speech with the wisdom, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Often times, the Western Culture has been unaware of the original foundations of Islam. Gabriel continues by explaining how Islam started with the prophet Mohammed and his “revelation.” As Mohammed desired to make this “revelation” known to others, it was made known to only his immediate family and friends. Unsatisfied with the results, Mohammed went to Medina in hopes of a better response to Jews in Medina.  So, he took excerpts from the Old Testament. Gabriel expresses, “This is why you see a lot of similarities between Judaism and Islam. For example, Jews don’t eat pigs. Muslims don’t eat pigs. Jews pray few times a day. Muslims pray few times a day. Jews fast on Yom Kippur. Muslims fast on Ramadan.”

She continues to emphasize how the original spiritual beginnings of Islam took a militant turn, as we are seeing now in the world with ISIS. The response of the Jewish audience didn’t have the response as Mohammed had hoped. When Mohammed was once for them, he was now against the Jews. “That’s when Islam went from a spiritual movement for the first 12 years of Islam into a political movement cloaked in religion.” It was this very reaction that caused Jews and Christians to be viewed as ‘second class citizens’, or “Dhimmi”, in Islamic language.

As the militant movement against the Jews continued under the leadership of Mohammed, he created his own methods of marking those that he was against. “Jews and Christians were given identifiable clothing. The yellow star, which was given to the Jews that most people think, is a German invention. It was actually an Islamic invention, in the 9th Century, in Iraq…” It is this very revealing truth of history that causes one to pay more attention to the mindset -shattering truths that Gabriel offered to all of those who listened. She continued to express the true events of what took place during The Crusades, The history of The Caliphate, the significance of ISIS, the history of Yasser Arafat and why the current peace treaty with Iran regarding their nuclear program MEANS NOTHING TO IRAN.

Be not only educated, but empowered in truth to know how to respond to the events facing our culture today, and so much more. Greg and John shared in this segment. Also shared in this segment: prophet Mohammed, Islam, Medina, military, the yellow star, persecution, Jizyah tax, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Radical Islam, Germany, The Crusades, Saudi Arabia, Taqiya, Mecca, peace treaties, Yasser Arafat, Oslo Accord, Iran, Nuclear Agreement, Afghanistan, and The United Nations.



Your Testimony - God’s Story in You


You have a story and if your story is God’s story in you, then that story is a testimony and can be a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Sharing your story requires thought but no special training. “You are an expert on what happened to you!” And you can share your testimony anywhere with anyone and give them the “reason for the hope that is in you.”

You can share about Jesus Christ through your story - what God has done for you, what He is doing, and how you have experienced his grace and goodness in your life.


Here’s a question for you: Are you Ready to share your faith story with others and how God’s story has transformed your story?  please use the contact us form or send an email via businessofchrist@gmail.com


SOURCE 

Saturday 2 December 2017

Bible Frequently Asked Questions

Some Twenty-Five Typical Bible FAQs


One of the reasons Donald Trump is on my profile is because of his Administration’s unapologetic return to Christianity. He not only brought back Bible study and prayer into the White House but also recently told Americans to wish each other Merry Christmas instead of “Happy Holidays”.


I respect people’s right to atheism, or to believe or disbelieve anything. But one interesting trait about Facebook atheists is that they only dare mock Christianity - never the other religions. The more aggressive ones go a step further, sharing juicy tales about Jesus’ alleged relationship with Mary Magdalene, about how Roman soldiers “hid His body” (to deny the Resurrection of course), His “gay relationship” with the Apostle John etc. These are of course mainly from TV’s pseudo-intelligentsia - ranging from CNN to the History Channel.

So why is the world so obsessed with Jesus Christ? And why is everyone so angry that there are still millions of Christians who believe that Jesus is God?
Honestly, I don’t know. But what I do know is that many people are still confused with what the Bible is all about. So here are few typical Bible FAQs:

1) Why aren’t Christians leaving their faith despite continued attacks against Christianity by popular media?

A) Because our Bible has already mentioned that in the last days, the number of attacks against God will intensify.

2) Why do Christians still believe in God despite the “evidence” that God doesn’t exist?

A) Because Christians base their belief on something called ‘faith’, which means you can “prove” or “disprove” that what they believe is true or isn’t true.

3) Isn’t that what we call “blind faith” since Christians cannot see God?

A) The term “blind faith” is just a meaningless phrase created by people who can’t understand why people believe in something. For instance, they can’t “prove” their mother loves them either. And they can’t see electricity, magnetism or planet Pluto either. But they still believe in those things.

4) That’s stupid. You can prove your mother loves you from the way she looks after you. And you can prove electricity, magnetism and planet Pluto exists from mathematics.

A) Then it’s also stupid to say God doesn’t exist when God looks after us. Also, Stephen Hawking once ‘proved’ God exists through mathematics alone. (he proved that the simultaneous ‘creation’ of masses between 2 celestial bodies must be continuous to preserve the distance between them to ensure the relative gravitational forces between them stays constant).


5) Why is there no mention of things like dinosaurs in the Bible, or stuff about science, technology and significant events in history?

A) The Bible doesn’t mention dinosaurs as much as the Quran or Mahabharata doesn’t mention about the Apollo moon landing. Religious scriptures focus on the relationship between Man and his God, not history, geography, science or technology.


6) What about that silly story about Creation, Adam, Eve, the snake and the apple?

A) First, it’s not an apple but an unspecified forbidden fruit. Second, the story of Creation is intended to reveal the Ordering of the world as God destined, and how systems in external and internal environments came about. It is NOT a scientific account of how the universe came to be.

God knows that we are not quantum physicists and hence, spared us from unnecessary and irrelevant details as to how He works. Finally, the story of Adam and Eve, the serpent (not snake) and the fruit is not some cartoonish tale but an allegory of Man’s creation, his communion and eventual separation from God. The plan for redemption came about immediately after he sinned, not some “idea” that God had after Jesus came.


7) Is the Bible even relevant in this time and age?

A) You bet. It’s the world’s best-selling book of all time, and still sells up to 100 million copies annually. Total sales are above 5 billion copies over the past 4 centuries.

8) What is the Bible?

A) It’s a collection of sacred texts and scriptures that Christians consider to be divinely inspired to govern the relationship between God and Man.


9). How do you know the Bible is not just some fable written by a bunch of old Jews?

A) Altogether, there are 66 books written by different people from Moses to John, over a thousand years and spread over 1 million square miles of territory with no possible contact with each other. Over a thousand years, the stark consistency between the writings of each is statistically improbable, which makes the Bible a shockingly consistent account of all historical prophecies and predictions.

10) Then how come many Christians themselves are distancing from the Bible today and Sharing Facebook articles that discredit it?

A) Because they are frustrated with the Bible’s strong stand against issues they feel uncomfortable about. The Bible challenges their permissive attitudes towards things like abortion, drugs, homosexuality, and confronts their pro-liberal agenda. So they attack Christianity and the Bible instead.

11) What about the Crusaders, white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan?

A) Christianity has nothing to do with the Crusaders, racists or the Klan as much as Islam has nothing to do with terrorist activities by Muslim groups, Hinduism with the mob attacks against Indian Muslims or Buddhism with the killing of the Rohingya people in Myanmar.


12. What good is the Bible when we can’t use it for anything?

A) You don’t “use” the Bible. It is not a magic book. It doesn’t cast spells or incantations. It is just a compilation of authoritative texts from divine origin that went through a normal human process of writing and editing.


13) If Christianity is correct, why is there Catholic and Protestant?

A) Again, the schisms in religion are common in all religions. That doesn’t negate the authority of the scriptures. Catholics look to the Bible within the context of sacred tradition and doctrine issued by Church fathers. Protestants focus solely on Scripture, nothing else.

14) So how do both view the Bible?

A) All Christians view the Bible as an infallible source of doctrine, though not necessarily accurate in history of factual details concerning the non-relational aspects of Man’s communion with God.

15) Why is there an ‘Old’ Testament and a ‘New’ Testament? Which is correct?

A) Both. The Old Testament describes Man’s attempt to reach God through his own works, while the New Testament describes God reaching Man through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. As Man’s attempt to reach God failed, the applicability of Christianity is contained in the New Testament. But the Old Testament still lays the basis of the New Testament as it contains many prophecies that confirm Jesus Christ as God’s final Revelation.

16) What is the Old Testament about?

A) The OT has 4 parts. Part 1 comprises the Torah, Part 2 the former Prophets, Part 3 the Latter Prophets and Part 4 the Poetic books.

17) What is the Torah (or Taurat)?

A) The Torah comprises 5 books, starting with Genesis that talks about Creation and God’s early relationship with humanity, His covenant with Abraham and how he led the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan. The Torah also contains the 10 Commandments revealed at Mount Sinai.

18) Why don’t Christians apply the Ten Commandments anymore?

A) Because as the New Testament teaches, the Ten Commandments describe Man’s attempt to live holy and righteous through a series of Do’s and Don’ts alone. That failed, as works alone doesn’t guarantee the intent and motivation of the heart. Jesus however, fulfilled the entire Ten Commandments and hence, paved the way for direct Man-God communion through belief in His saving grace alone.

19) What is the former Prophets?

A) They are the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. They talk about the struggle of the Israelites to possess the land, Israel’s transition from a theocratic state to a monarchy, the succession of kings and the tragedy that fell on Israel that ended in foreign conquest and exile.

20) What are the Latter Prophets?

A) They are accounts from individual prophets called the ‘major’ prophets (Isaiah to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) and minor prophets (Hosea to Malachi).

21) What are the Poetic Books?

A) They comprise expressions of Man’s deep passions towards God, from love to anger to lamentations to despair to hope to joy everlasting e.g. Psalms, Proverbs and Job, Song of Solomon (but not to be confused with Jon Solomon), Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther.


22) Ok now what’s the New Testament about?

A) The NT comes after the OT and is about the coming of God in the form of Jesus Christ, His life, His sacrifice, His resurrection and ultimately, the promise of His return.

23) Why is the Bible still relevant today?

A) Timothy 3:16 says “All scripture is inspired by God, and used for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness". It is the perfect Book to improve our shitty human characters.

24) How does Islam view the Bible?

A) In Islam, the Bible is held to reflect true revelation from God but in a manner that had been distorted (Arabic Tahrif), which necessitated the giving of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to correct this deviation.

25) How do Christians respond to this Islamic precept?

A) We Christians reject the Islamic assertion owing to the verse in Hebrews 1:1 that says “in the past God spoke to Man through the prophets but in the last days, has spoken through his Son, Jesus Christ” - meaning there is NO further revelation AFTER Jesus Christ”. We are also warned and repeatedly advised to reject any other presumed addition to that which God had already revealed.

26) How do you know that the Bible’s written form is still exactly as it was intended?

A) Jesus said not one “jot nor tittle can be removed from the Law until all had been fulfilled”. The word ‘Jot’ refers to the smallest written letter in the Hebrew alphabet while ‘Tittle’ refers to the stroke that distinguishes letters e.g. a single stroke between the letter O and Q. This means Jesus Himself had 200% assurance that the written texts of the Jewish Law back in His time was 200% exact as the original Commandments given to Moses on Mt Sinai. This gives Christians the assurance that the present written form of the Bible’s King James version is already the full and completely accurate account.

27) So what do asshole Christians like Donald Trump and you really believe?

A) It’s as simple as A, B and C. We Christians believe that:

A) The Bible is the Word of God, meaning that God Himself, inspired, intervened and influenced the words, message, and collation.

B)The Bible may be inaccurate as far as science is concerned (as there was no need for God to give the prophets of old revelation pertaining to things like dinosaurs, geology, age of the earth, shape of the earth, the cosmos, study of the atoms and so on), but contains NO errors in matters pertaining to faith and practice towards the betterment of humanity, and

C) The Bible is written EXACTLY as how God intended it.
America was built on the basis of Christianity and the Bible, from the advent of the Pilgrim Fathers to the founding fathers to the written Constitution to the US Dollar Bill which says “In God We Trust”. And Trump’s Administration will continue to return American institutions to what was once the bastion of real Christianity, anchored with a strong and unshakeable conviction in the Bible, despite the perils and pitfalls that befall mortal men.

As such, the Bible will continue to inspire some of the greatest monuments of human thought, art, literature and music, and serve as the last line of defence against fundamentalism, extremism and human savagery brought about by evil men and their religions. It will continue to provide the ideological basis for immigrant societies and free them from regressive thought patterns, obsolete patriarchal attitudes, caste systems, poverty and violence against women and children.


Finally, the Bible will continue to inspire men and women to acts of great service and courage to ensure freedom and real liberation, develop human capital and most of all, provide a source of religious and moral norms to unite communities and help them care for one another.

God bless you all. Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

Written by Servant of Christ, Capt Dr Thirunavukkarasu Jr R Karasu
Hanoi, December 2017

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Prayers and Tips for Overcoming Addiction to Pornography by Porn-Star-Turned-Christian

Overcoming An Addiction To Pornography


Brittni De La Mora

This is such a taboo addiction simply because it is glorified in the world and not spoken about enough in the Church. Whether you’re a male or female, if you are addicted to porn, you are not alone. The Adult Industry is a multibillion-dollar industry for a reason.

However, I don’t believe you came here for statistics. I believe you came here for help. As many of you know, I am a former Adult Star. I got into the industry at the age of 18. I did not have very much time to develop a porn addiction because I went straight into filming it.

However, what I have learned is that like any addiction pornography is an escape. It is an escape from boredom and an escape from pain. Addiction can bring forth an external euphoria that makes one forget about their internal trauma.
Have you ever been heartbroken?
Have you ever been rejected?
Have you ever felt unloved or unlovable?
Has it been challenging for you to truly forgive and let go of the pain that a person has caused you? Because often a broken heart is most susceptible to addiction.

The pain of a heart is real and out of the brokenness of one’s heart, one will look for healing or numbing wherever they can get it. For example, if you had a severe toothache but for some reason, we're unable to make it to the dentist, then I would imagine that you would take some Aspirin and put some Novocain on it until you could make it to the dentist. Right? You wouldn’t allow yourself to remain in pain, would you? The same is true for our hearts. When our heart is in pain, but we can’t find the healer, then we will naturally look for a quick fix to numb the pain. Aspirin will not cure a toothache, only the dentist can do that. Pornography will not cure a heartache, only Jesus can do that.

If you are serious and would truly like help to overcome this addiction I would like for you to boldly pray this prayer,

Brittni De La Mora on her wedding day with husband Pastor Richard De La Mora  

   “Father, I am powerless over this addiction, but you are not. I ask that you would forgive me for my sins and heal my broken heart. Right now, I forgive all who have hurt me. Jesus, I make you my Lord and Savior and I pray that you would transform me and restore my purity and innocence to me. I command the spirit of addiction and lust to leave my life now in Jesus's name. Lord, I thank you because 2 Corinthians 5:17 calls me a new creation in Christ. The old has passed away and the new has come for me. I am a new creation. I am not a product of my past nor my mistakes. In Jesus's name, Amen.”

    If you prayed this prayer I would like to encourage you to take a few more steps so that you can walk in the victory that Christ has given you.

1      Get plugged into Church - Make friendships by serving in Ministry. If you’re new to all of this, send me a message & someone from my team can help you out.

2      Read the Bible - every day. Pray - every day. Worship with a song - every day. Google Hillsong United have great worship music.

3      If you want stability, then you need accountability. Ask someone to hold you accountable (a leader in the Church would be a great choice.)

4      Have systems and platforms that will block you from going onto pornographic websites.

5      Do Not feel ashamed. Jesus died to give us freedom over our mistakes so don’t allow your mistakes to hold you as a prisoner to your past. Walk into your future, and if you slip up, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back up again.




If you have any questions, we are here for you!

Love,

Brittni De La Mora

Visit her blog for more details



Your Testimony - God’s Story in You


You have a story and if your story is God’s story in you, then that story is a testimony and can be a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Sharing your story requires thought but no special training. “You are an expert on what happened to you!” And you can share your testimony anywhere with anyone and give them the “reason for the hope that is in you.”

You can share about Jesus Christ through your story - what God has done for you, what He is doing, and how you have experienced his grace and goodness in your life.


Here’s a question for you: Are you ready to share your faith story with others and how God’s story has transformed your story?  please use the contact us form or send an email via businessofchrist@gmail.com

SOURCE

Tuesday 28 November 2017

It’s a Difficult Time for Us’ Wife of City Harvest Church Pastor

Sun Ho, Wife of City Harvest Church Pastor Kong Hee, Says After Verdict: ‘It’s a Difficult Time for Us’


City Harvest Church, Singapore

Ho Yeow Sun, co-founder of Singapore-based City Harvest Church and wife of pastor Kong Hee, disclosed their loved ones is going through a tough time following the High Court on Friday passed down the jail terms for Kong and five other leaders of the church.

"Keep my family in prayer," she told Asia One. "It's a difficult time for us."
Kong was found guilty of three charges of criminal breach of trust. Just last year, the judge found him along with the five other CHC leaders guilty of misappropriating church funds amounting to S$50 million or about US$8 million. Kong was sentenced to eight years in jail, but after filing an appeal, his jail term was reduced to three years and six months.

Kong, as well as the team, were said to have funneled S$24 million into sham bonds to help promote the music career of Kong's wife Sun Ho by means of what the church called Crossover Project, that was allegedly a method whereby the gospel could possibly be preached. They used another S$26 million to cover traces of the misappropriated funds.

Justice Chan Seng Onn, one of three judges who heard the case, said the Crossover Project was obviously a "very extravagant" way of spreading the gospel. The case involved the largest amount of charity funds which had been misappropriated in Singapore. Sun Ho herself was caught in a controversy after a number of her controversial music videos raised some eyebrows.

Involved with the case were former CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han, who had previously been sentenced to three years and four months in jail; deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, who was sentenced to three years and two months; former CHC finance manager Serina Wee, who was sentenced to two years and six months; former CHC finance committee member John Lam, who was sentenced to one year and six months; and former CHC finance manager Sharon Tan, who was sentenced to seven months.

Pastor Kong Hee and wife 

Kong said Friday that he was grateful his sentence was reduced.
"While the conviction being upheld is not what I have expected, I am grateful that the sentence has been reduced," he said in a Facebook post. "Once again, thank you so much for all the love you have given to me and my family."

On Sunday, Kong was greeted by a loud cheer as he went onstage. He asked the church for forgiveness for "all the hurt, all the disappointment and all the painful ordeals" it had gone through because of the trial.

"I really, really, really wish that I was and am a better, wiser leader," he said, according to Straits Times. "Pastor is sincerely sorry and genuinely asks for your forgiveness. Please forgive me."
The Singaporean government said the CHC case is "not over yet" and that it will seek counsel from the Attorney General's Chambers. Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the outcome of the CHC trial could have "serious implications" on other cases involving corruption and on the government's "zero-tolerance approach," according to Today.

Among the many issues that may be brought up was the fact that during the trial, the prosecution did not concentrate on "any gain to third parties for its case on conviction and sentence, even though this may have been suggested in the charges."
Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin agrees.

"While the Prosecution did, in its oral submissions before us, attempt to make the point that a benefit had accrued to Kong Hee's wife, Sun Ho, this point was not raised in its written submissions for the appeal and was also not raised before the Judge," he said.




SOURCE

'Unqualified' to Lead Church Says Perry Noble

Perry Noble Admits He is 'Unqualified' to Lead Church in Wake of Alcohol Abuse, Divorce


 NewSpring Church

Perry Noble, the former pastor of NewSpring Church, had admitted he's still "unqualified" to begin a new church at least a year after being taken from his position as a result of alcohol addiction and other concerns.

"Back in July, it was announced I have filed the paperwork to one day begin Second Chance Church. Ever since then there have been individuals on the internet who had been quite consistent in conversing to me I am 'unqualified,'" Noble said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

On top of losing his church, Noble revealed in October the "deeply personal and painful" news which he together with his wife of 17-years, Lucretia, are getting a divorce.

"I've deliberately not cleared up that accusation specifically until recently...and also to that accusation I say...Those who are calling me 'unqualified' are absolutely correct," he continued. "Taking a look at this Scripture I will point out why I feel unqualified..."

He first pointed to 1 Timothy 3 which lists the various qualifications for biblical leaders, including "to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money," among others.

Noble highlighted how he has fallen short of each requirement: "Like I said before - I absolutely do not dispute the fact that, according to the letter of the law laid down by Paul in this passage...I am unqualified," he stated.

"AND...I am POSITIVE there are actually those on Facebook who will be more than pleased to fill in the gaps of the things I left out that point even more so to the fact I am unqualified...O God to be an awesome one day as those who attack others on social media!"

However, the former pastor contended he doesn't know anyone "batting 1,000 on all of these qualities" and reiterated that he has never felt qualified in his life.

"I am also UN-wavering in the fact people who slip need a Second Chance, and I'm called to start a church not for perfect people, but for those who want to get back up!"
He added, "I am UN-willing to allow those who don't know my story to try to tell me what my future should look like."

"I am UN-able to give my life to anything apart from the local church. I am UN-phased by those who want me to quit. I am UN-afraid of the future God has for me.
"And I think it is UN-real that God still would like to used a messed up, a busted and unqualified guy like me to take the Gospel to as many people as possible."

Christianity Today notes that a few months ago, leaders at NewSpring-which spans across 15 locations in South Carolina-reiterated that Noble is still unfit to be restored to the pulpit.
"We have been asked why Perry can preach at other churches but not at NewSpring," said teaching pastor Clayton King. "We cannot speak for other churches and how they make decisions. For us, Perry currently does not meet the biblical qualifications of a pastor, teacher, shepherd."

At the time, Noble reacted to the comments in a Facebook live video: "There may be quite a few things I did wrong as senior pastor of NewSpring Church; however, I preached Jesus weekly that I had the opportunity to serve at NewSpring Church," he said. "They can continually talk about my sins. They can talk about how I'm seemingly unrepentant-although I would say in order to determine if someone is repentant, you have to have a relationship with them because it's hard to call out repentance from the cheap seats-but while I will allow those things to go on, I will never allow anyone to talk about my motives for ministry."

As reported by a 2015 survey by Barna Group and Pepperdine University, nearly 1 in 5 pastors have struggled with drug or alcohol addiction. Those pastors were divided on whether or not being open about their own addiction could possibly have an unfavorable (46%) or favorable (41%) impact on their ministry.



SOURCE



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Churches and Christmas Sunday Services

Some Churches to Not Hold Services for Christmas Sunday


Christmas day for this year is going to be celebrated on Sunday. Result in several of the churches wondering should they would hold services for December 25 as most of them will celebrate Christmas along with their families. Many of them, nevertheless, was considering adjusting the services activities in order to make up for the celebration of Christmas.

Megachurches, like North Point and Buckhead Tower Point, are well-known to withhold services on a Sunday usually in the Christmas week to allow time to the volunteers in catching up with the family.

"We're 15 years old and we've always done it," said Bill Willits, Director of Ministry Environments of North Point. "Our volunteers are very, very grateful because it's such a busy season."
Willow Creek Community Church also received fire in 2005 after they made a decision to give out DVDs for anyone to watch on a Sunday for Christmas season.

"I consider this in numerous ways as a capitulation to narcissism, the self-centered, me-first, I'm going to put me and my immediate family first agenda of the larger culture," said Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, according to New York Times.


"If Christianity is an evangelistic religion, then exactly what message is this sending to the larger culture -- that worship is an optional extra?"

This current year, on the other hand, Willow Creek thought to carry out several Christmas Eve services plus one Christmas Day service. According to Church Executive Pastor Heather Larson, the church will deliver nine services up till Christmas Eve and start the Christmas Day service at 10 a.m.

"This year, on Dec. 25, Teaching Pastor Steve Carter and I will be leading with our families. It will be a great Christmas service for all," he said in an interview with Christian Post. "Our services, dates and times vary as the calendar varies. It's a true celebration of our Lord's birth and that is our focus every year."

However, the Virginia megachurch mentioned that the church is going to be performing a Christmas Sunday service unless weather conditions turn worse.

"We usually have held a service on Christmas Sundays unless we have been completely snowed out. Sometimes we intend to cancel our first two Sunday morning services due to inclement weather and at least try having one service at 11," Pastor Steve Holley said.

Pastor Holley also reiterated the necessity of celebrating the time of worship and it is the church's obligation to encourage the people to observe this holy obligation.

"I also find it hard to help support any claim of inconvenience in worshiping on Christmas Day when there are Christians all over the world suffering persecution would you welcome both the comfort and freedom that churches like ours have in the U.S," he said.

Other Roman Catholic churches in the East that are covered with a committed Catholic population see the attendance of a Mass in Christmas as a no-brainer considering that the whole idea of performing a service of worship is to celebrate the presence of God, particularly in Christmas.




SOURCE

‘Fairly Serious Error’ Reading of Quran in Church Service

Queen’s Chaplain Steps Down, Calls Reading of Quran in Church Service a ‘Fairly Serious Error’

Rev. Gavin Ashenden

One particular chaplain to the queen resigned right after his criticism with the reading of the Quran within the church service held at St Mary's Episcopal in Glasgow recently.

The Rev. Gavin Ashenden, in a blog published on his website, explained he necessary to resign from his post, that he held for nine years, in order to avoid any confusion that his statements against what occurred in the service were released on behalf of the Queen.

As among the 33 chaplains for the Queen, his behavior could possibly be misinterpreted as representing the monarchy. When deciding on to vacate his post, although being able to freely “speak on behalf of the faith,” he said.

“If I did decide to speak out, really should be integrity and responsibility, I should not do it while I was in possession of the office of ‘Chaplain to the Queen,’” Ashenden wrote. “Because I think it a higher and more compelling duty to convey out on behalf of the faith, than to retain an open honor which precludes me performing this at the moment, I resigned my post,” he continued.

Ashenden got involved with a controversy when he openly criticized the reading of the Quran during a church service at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in celebration of the Feast of Epiphany. As reported by the church, Muslim worshipers were invited and permitted to participate in the service as part of the church's efforts to bolster interfaith relationships.

Having said that, while in the service, passages from the Quran saying Jesus was not the Son of God were read in Arabic, causing many Christians to feel offended that this was allowed at a church service, particularly one which was intended to celebrate the wise men’s visit to Jesus when He was a child as an acknowledgment of Him being God in human form.

 Muslims believe Jesus is a prophet but does not believe He is God.
Ashenden felt compelled to share out up against the Quran reading, that he thought to be “a fairly serious error.”
“To have a reading from the Koran at that point was a fairly serious error for the Christian worshipping community, but to decide on the reading they chose doubled the error,” he told BBC Radio 4 in an interview. "Of all passages you could have read likely to cause offense, that was one of the most problematic.”

In a letter he wrote for The Times, he also demanded that the church apologizes to Christians who are enduring intense persecution from Muslims.

"The challenge with what actually happened in Glasgow was that even though it was presented as a way of building bridges and a way of educating people it was done badly in the wrong way in the wrong place in the wrong context.,” he said. “It must not occur in the Holy Eucharist specifically a Eucharist whose principal purpose is to celebrate Christ the word made flesh come into the world.”
Ashenden said he made a decision to resign after meeting with officials from Buckingham Palace.

The Scottish Episcopal Church released an announcement stating that while developing strong interfaith relationships is one of the commitments of the church to cultivate the work of reconciliation, efforts to do so “must be founded on truth.”

“We approach others with open hearts but we stand in the truth of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” the Scottish Episcopal Church said. “Those who are looking for to operate in the area of interfaith relationships must consider thoroughly perhaps the choices which they make are suitable or otherwise.”





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