Saturday 13 January 2018

Reason Marketplace Is a Great Place for Christians

Seven Reasons Why a Marketplace Is a Great Place for Christians



If God has called you into business, please don’t wish you were called somewhere else. A marketplace is a great place for Christians right now. Here’s why:

Marketplace opportunities

1. Almost all non-Christians are in the marketplace


Today, less than 20% of Americans attend church regularly. In many European countries, the percentages are much lower. At the current rate, regular church attendance is projected to drop to 11.7% by 2050.

The good news is that these people who aren’t attending church will still be waking up to go to work alongside their Christian co-workers in the marketplace each morning.

2. Almost all Christians are in the marketplace


At least 85% of the Christian workforce spends 60-70% of their waking hours in the marketplace. In addition to serving our families and our local churches, the marketplace is the primary context in which our spiritual gifts should be used. The ministry potential for Christians using their spiritual gifts collaboratively in the marketplace is astounding!

(In case you don’t know what your spiritual gifts are, my forthcoming book will include a spiritual gifts assessment as well as teaching on how you can use your unique gifts for ministry in the marketplace.)

3. Discipleship actually can happen in the marketplace


Church leaders often are criticized for the lack of discipleship and spiritual growth among their congregations. Let’s give our pastors a break. How much discipleship actually can happen during a two-hour church service on Sunday?

Discipleship-that is, becoming more like Jesus-happens in everyday life. Yes, discipleship can happen anywhere… even during a two-hour, lecture-style event on Sunday. However, the potential for discipleship and ministry investment in a weekly service is a fraction of what is possible during an entire work-week spent with our co-workers, clients, etc.

4. The marketplace is a more authentic showroom of Christianity


If you were shopping for a car, you’d probably go to a showroom. Before you bought anything, you’d probably want to see if the car actually functions properly on the road. You might even ask the dealer to allow you to take the car home for a day or two to test it out.

The local church is like the showroom for Christianity. The marketplace is the test drive. The marketplace is where our unbelieving co-workers get to see if they really want what we have. Daily, they see how we react under pressure. They see how we treat people. They see how much God truly matters to us in our daily lives.

As mentioned in “Reason #1,” most people aren’t even coming to the “showroom” anymore, so marketplace Christians are now serving as both the showroom and the test drive of Christianity.

marketplace Christians

5. The marketplace forces the Church to use all of its capabilities


Personality-driven and super-pastor Christianity don’t work in the marketplace. Having a bunch of Christians sitting on the sidelines of ministry may not prevent a local church from increasing numerically, but it won’t transform the marketplace for the glory of God.

So far, most of the teaching about “marketplace ministry” has been defining marketplace ministry without regard for people’s unique spiritual gifts. For example, if I have an apostolic gift, of course I’m going to view marketplace ministry as a mandate to “ascend and take the Business Mountain for God” (see 7 Mountains). If I have a pastoral gift (i.e. marketplace chaplains), of course I’m going to view marketplace ministry as a calling to “care for the personal needs of my employees and/or co-workers.”

We need to approach marketplace ministry in a way that leverages the spiritual gifts of all Christians in the marketplace. The “one-size-fits-all” approach only produces self-condemnation and ineffectiveness for marketplace Christians attempting to operate outside of their God-given spiritual gifts.

6. Denominational divisions are less-destructive in the marketplace


We can choose whether to attend a Baptist Church, Pentecostal-Charismatic Church, Presbyterian Church, a Non-Denominational Church, etc… but most of us don’t have the luxury of co-working only with Christians with whom we agree theologically. The marketplace has a way of diluting some of these differences. This opens the door to collaborative ministry beyond the walls of our local churches and traditions.

7. Everything gets funded from the marketplace

All money comes from value that has been created in the marketplace, and business professionals ultimately decide what gets funded. These business professionals need to know God and His plan for their lives in order to make righteous decisions concerning money.

Although business is often thought of only as the economic engine of the Church, I hope that we will begin to see and realize its full potential for transforming society for the glory of God.



Discussion: In addition to these seven reasons, what is another reason why God is mobilizing Christian business professionals for ministry in the marketplace?



Written by  Darren Shearer





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Praise and Worship

The Act of Praise and Worship

Power of Praise

Before we try to find out what is the act of praising and worshipping God, we should first find out what does it exactly mean when we say that. When we worship God, we are showing our love and devotion to Him. To worship out God involves something like praying, singing his hymns and praises, or simply reading from the Bible.

However, that is just a limited definition and understanding of “worship” as it worship encompasses way more than that. Praising, on the other hand, is a different part. When we praise God, we express our admiration for Him. We are extolling him in for all that he gives. Praise is the act of celebrating about God. Praise can be done with singing, poetry or simply confessing his goodness to others through preaching. Therefore, to be a good Christian, we should worship God and give our praise to Him daily.

We can do this at many places, in our homes, at work or wherever we happen to be. Praising and worshipping God is not only a way of life, but it is essential for every Christian.? The Scriptures direct us to praise and worship God in the following way:

1.The Holy Bible asks us, followers, to use musical instruments while singing in worship by saying that a worshipping group should show enthusiasm and strength of faith by playing those instruments with full rigour and joy and blow the Ram’s horn (Shofar) when playing the music.

2.Similarly, Psalm 150:3-5 says, that we should play these instruments such as harps, lyres, cymbals, strings, and trumpets while singing in praise of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit and seeking their light to lead our lives.

 3.We the followers are expected to conduct our worship and praise lord with joyful shouts and by clapping our hands. Psalm 47:1-2 says that all nations following the Christ, let them clap their hands and let the cries of joy be shouted out loud, for the Lord above us all is so glorious and great above us.

4.It also says that we should engage in the praise and worship of our God, both individually and in a group. 2 Chronicles 29:28 mentions of an assembly of worshipers bowed down, while the singers sang the Lord’s praises and played the trumpets. Psalm 22:22 says about a worshiper who says to the Lord that he will declare his name to his compatriots and sing his praises. 2 Samuel 12:20 says about David that when he woke up, he put on his clothes, got ready, went to the house of their God and worshipped.



The Biblical examples that are given below share with us the various forms and positions that we can use for praising and worshipping God:
When it comes to your Sitting position, -Acts 2:1-2 says that at the Day of The Pentecost, all the faithful followers came together and sat in the house and suddenly a sound like a violent came and filled in the room.

When it comes to Dancing, -Psalm 149:3 says that let the faithful sing the praises of our Lord while they dance to the tunes of tambourine and harp.

When it comes to Lifting hands, -Psalm 63:4 says that a follower will praise the name of Jesus while they are alive and thus lift their hands to show that symbolically.

When it comes to Bowing head, -2 Chronicles 29:30 says that King Ezekiah and his men ordered the Levites to praise the Lord as did David and Asaph. Following his orders, they bowed his head down in front of God and sang his praises.

When it comes to Lying prostrate/bowing down -1 Kings 18:39 says that when people saw the miracle of God, they prostrated and cried to him. Nehemiah 8:6 says that when Ezra praised to God, all the people in congregation lifted their hands and yelled “Amen.” And then they bowed down and worshipped their God.

When it comes to Standing, -Exodus 33:10 says, whenever they witnesses a pillar of cloud at the entrance of his tent, they worshipped the pillar of cloud.

When it comes to Kneeling -Psalms 95:6 says that worshipping is submissions to our God and hence, we should kneel in front of him and pray to him.

We hope this guides you to praise our Lord and worship in the right way as our book; The Holy Bible directs us to do.




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Monday 8 January 2018

The (Sometimes Frustrating) Gift of Sex

There's Hope for every Marriage


Dr. Juli Slattery believes there's hope for every marriage.

Psychologist, author, and TCW blogger Dr. Juli Slattery is dedicated to helping women pursue passion in their marriages. But, for many wives, deep frustrations are holding them back from experiencing the sexual intimacy they long for.
We spoke with Juli about the common causes of sexual frustration, her counsel for women facing sexual challenges, and the spiritual hope women can find in these difficult situations.


Many Christian couples deal with sexual frustration but feel very alone-as if everyone else is having a great time in the bedroom while they’re missing out. But is that true? How common is sexual frustration for married couples?

That feeling of others having great sex while you’re not is perpetuated by the movies and also by the fact that when a couple stays silent about it, it’s easy to think they’re the only ones having that problem. In reality, I’d say that only about 10 to 15 percent of couples do not have some significant frustration when it comes to sexuality. So it’s far more common to run into some sort of brick wall that really is difficult.

What do you see as the most common sources of frustration, pain, or disappointment for Christian women?


The first is not being able to enjoy sex. Perhaps she can’t enjoy sex because of physical pain or because it’s always just about what her husband needs and she can’t seem to get anything from it. The second most common frustration is due to a difference in desire levels, whether it’s the woman who wants sex more often and the husband doesn’t, or whether it’s the other way around.

For some Christian women, there’s an emotional desire to experience sex as something beautiful, passionate, and God-honoring, but there’s a disconnect with their actual physical experience. A woman may be frustrated because, in reality, she’s engaging in sexual intimacy more out of duty than real sexual desire. What encouragement would you offer for someone in that situation?

First, we need to recognize that female sexuality is way more complicated than male sexuality. Many couples don’t go into marriage fully grasping that. They just assume that somehow this is all going to work out and he’ll get his needs met and she’ll get her needs met. What often ends up happening is that, because the man’s needs are more obvious, he’s typically more vocal about them, and he knows how to get his needs met.

For many couples, the first several years of marriage become about the man’s sexuality, and what they do in the bedroom becomes about how the man gets satisfied. This often happens without couples even realizing it-and nobody stops to ask, What happened to the wife’s needs?

It’s not that hard for a woman to love a guy sexually in the moment, but it can be very difficult for a man to learn how to unlock his wife’s sexuality-especially when she might not even know how herself.

I do think that that’s a common struggle for Christian women-especially those who saved themselves sexually until marriage. They might not know where to begin in terms of their own sexual needs and desires.


Yes. For example, a husband may ask, “What do you want? What feels good?” And she’ll say, “I don’t know.” Then she might start to cry or get frustrated and give up. The average couple just proceeds like that over the course of their marriage; their sex life becomes all about what he wants and he needs, but it may be because she doesn’t know what she wants and what she needs.
The first step is recognizing that this sort of pattern is not what God intended. In order for sex to be fulfilling for the wife and the husband, it is going to take serious intentionality and focus on learning who she is sexually.

Some women have been in a marriage like that for 10 or 15 years and they start to believe, There must be something wrong with my body; I guess I just can never enjoy sex. That’s just not true! There’s most likely nothing wrong with your body-and if there is, it’s most likely something that’s very easily fixed. It often has a whole lot more to do with your mind, your emotions, and your spiritual beliefs about sexuality.

One reason a wife may feel there is something wrong with her body is if she is unable to reach climax. That can be a very deep, emotional wound for a woman.


I’m not a medical doctor, but from everything I’ve read from a medical perspective, a struggle to achieve climax is almost never a physical problem. While there can be hormone imbalances and things like that which impact sexual desire and response, it’s almost never due to an anatomical difficulty. The vast majority of the time, this sort of struggle has to do with a woman’s mind and what’s underlying her thinking about sexuality.

Sometimes orgasm starts to feel like the goal that she can never achieve, so even sex play has an implicit pressure for both the husband and wife-like, Is it going to happen now? It’s kind of like when you know you have to get to sleep and you’re so frustrated that you can’t sleep that as you work yourself up, you become less likely to fall asleep, and you get more and more upset.
And the same thing is true for a woman in this situation. A continual cycle of disappointment and frustration makes it even less likely that she’s going to overcome that difficulty.

How can a woman take steps to heal if she feels stuck in a painful cycle of disappointment?


I think the solution to this kind of struggle is a combination of two things. First, it means letting [climax] go as the ultimate goal. And I’d love for a woman in that situation to sit down and list all of the things that are wonderful about sex between her and her husband. For example, she might write, It’s just between him and me and we have secrets that are fun to keep.

Sometimes we laugh together. It feels good to be able to meet his needs. It feels good when he touches me here. To realize that sex really is about more than climaxing-that there are so many good things happening-is a first step. Making climax the only goal is really robbing you of all the other gifts involved.

The second thing is not to give up hope. Don’t settle for a mindset like, Well, I guess it’s just never really going to happen for me. Instead, begin to work on it and pray that God will bring the fullness of what he wants for you and your husband sexually.

Practically speaking, how can couples work on this issue together?


I’d recommend Cliff and Joyce Penner’s book Restoring the Pleasure, which explains how couples can engage in an exercise called “sensate focus” that can help a woman become more aware of her body and pleasure. It’s also important to keep in mind that many women can’t have an orgasm without direct stimulation to the clitoris. This means that many wives need manual stimulation-not just the friction of intercourse. So don’t be shy about making this a normal part of your sexual interaction with your husband.

Sexual frustration can lead a wife to start to feel resentful toward her husband. How can she handle those feelings?


At the core of this is the common frustration that your husband isn’t like you. Whether it’s because he wants sex more often or less often or differently than you want it, that can really set both of you up for a lot of underlying anger and resentment.
For me, as a wife, it was really huge to let go of some of that anger I felt and to realize that it could be that God intentionally made me and my husband very different for his purposes. In fact, frustration is actually part of the whole gift of sex.

Think of it this way: if you and your husband were exactly the same and had the same desire, then having sex would cost you nothing. You could be selfish and be a great lover at the same time. But the way God designed it, it’s impossible to be selfish and be a great lover at the same time. It requires of you to do what Philippians 2 tells us to do: to consider the other person’s needs as more important than your own and to have a spirit of humility.

That’s what God wants in us more than anything else: he wants us to have the right heart toward our spouse. If sexual frustration is one of the things he uses, then ultimately that’s a good thing if we handle it right.

We don’t normally think of sexual frustration as a spiritual growth catalyst! What can it look like for frustration in this area to actually help a woman become more spiritually mature?


Let me just share how God is teaching me this. About seven or eight years ago, I was in that place of a woman who really was resentful about sex. Yet at the same time that I felt that way, I also had a very close walk with the Lord.
I distinctly remember one time when I was praying: Lord, I’m yours. How do you want me to serve you? I’m willing to go to the mission field for you-I’m willing to do whatever you call me to. And God clearly started to challenge me in my heart: You’re willing to do all these things, but are you willing to go up and initiate sex with your husband? Put down your Bible and go up and show your husband love.
That really hit me. I think a lot of women are in that place where they would do anything for the Lord, but this is such a tangible thing to give-and it can be such a difficult thing to give. It’s a true test of not just your devotion to your husband but also your devotion to God.

God challenged me to look at my own selfishness in a very tangible way. We hear over and over and over again from the world, “It’s your body, it’s your right.” Yes, we definitely need to hear that in certain circumstances-but Scripture also tells us that it’s not only your body. Your husband also has authority over your body. Scripture challenges both husbands and wives with a very different message: it’s not okay to be selfish with your body.

What’s the most important thing you’d like to say to Christian couples who are currently facing sexual challenges?


Look at the sexual frustration you’re experiencing not as a stop sign, but actually as something that can take you to a deeper level of intimacy with your husband. In working with couples who have been through every frustration you can imagine-from pornography addiction to adultery to physical pain during sex to many other difficulties-those who have persevered and sought the Lord through the process have, without exception, said, "I would never give up what we’ve learned. That was the hardest thing we’ve had to go through, but we are so much closer than we ever could have been if we had not gone through that trial."

Are you sexually frustrated in your marriage? Seek the Lord, work through the obstacle you’re facing, and do so with the hope that the intimacy that you build is going to be so much better than what you initially thought sex could be.






By Kelli B. Trujillo        Read what sex outside marriage says about you




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Saturday 6 January 2018

Prayer Requests

Today's Prayer Requests


Karuhanga Nelson |  I pray that I should continue to know God and be protected from all sort of evils ,my wife should be helped to get a job and I pray that my school should have increased enrollment and I pray for peace prosperity and increased income in my families I pray for the sick,those in prisons those who lost dear ones and I pray for my country my president I pray for my kids Ethan and Ethan to grow up knowing God

vijay aggarwal | Plz pray for money in abundance for a comfortable life

Ronald Hendrix | Pray for me as we lost a dear family member, pray that God gives me the strength to continue on even though I dont know how, so many problems that I face now Financially and mentally, and the uncertainty of whether I am going to loose my home, or be able to pay the bills,

VERA BANKSTON-JONES | FATHER GOD, Into this new year I'll try so hard to be all I can be, keeping in step with was real, trying to keep my health up to par, and in truth with you Father!.......SELAH


April Asbury | Needing prayers for my family. We are struggling financially. So afraid we're going to be homeless again as we were for 4 mo in 2017. Needing prayers for my daughter as well. She was victimized at the end of last May. Her attacker is yet to be arrested. The law enforcement agencies involved both feel they have enough to arrest this person. It's the prosecutor who's keeping the case from going forward & Justice being sought not only for my daughter but for another little girl. Prayers for me to grow in Christ & be the Christian He wants me to be. I recently started going to church. I pray God opens my husband's heart & he'll start going to church with us. I pray 2018 is the year that both my husband & daughter are baptized. Lastly, please pray for my youngest son who's serving in the Army. Prayers with all our military & their families. Ty.

Joel | I want God to give me total grace to obey Him in everything for the rest of my life,divine provision,multiple promotion in my car and total protection upon my household

MG | I want to first thank the lord for letting me see another year. Im asking for prayer help for speedy response of an favorable decision in my petition to the USCIS im asking god to write his name all over my papers saying approved in jesus name amen


patpeng | My health   

WA -  I would like prayers for a new job, restored health, security, and a new love. In jess name, amen.

GFM - Prayer for prosperity

VA - Plz pray for money in abundance for a comfortable life

My is Laura Nicolás I ask for prayer for God to bless my marriage and strengthen my marriage and grant a petition that we have. I know that my God still works miracles. for him there is nothing impossible amen


Anibal Peralta ||  Dear Brothers. We reach the gospel in the tribal and river villages here in the Amazon jungle, we would like to ask some bibles in Spanish language to reach in our missionary trips. We look forward hearing from you. ANIBAL PERALTA GUEVARA CORREO CENTRAL . IQUITOS, LORETO PERU


Charles boles | I want god to bless me with a car and a good friend to talk to

Christian Ngando | Please put us in prayer for our Church




CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A PRAYER REQUEST

Celebrating Christmas with Borneo Natives

Celebrating the birth of Christ with Sarawak Natives at Rumah Dian



I wrote previously of the purpose of celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ in everyday life with everyone. I had the privilege to celebrate with Borneo Natives in Sarawak together with my local church as one of the programs organized to foster community relationship and building themed 'Spread the Joy'. A week ealier it was Christmas procession that displayed unity and oneness in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 28:19-20 says Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

It was a wonderful experience for most of us, the two days, one night with the natives at Rumah Dian (longhouse) shows us the simple lifestyle and easy going day to day life of these natives. we were given the opportunity of sharing Christ and by the grace of God, souls were saved. All glory to God Almighty.

Photos and videos below



24 gates longhouse with morethan 150 residence




24 gate longhouse. Rumah Dian

natives preparing local delicacy




longhouse view


getting ready for night meeting








night meeting praise and worship led by sis. Anita




dance practice


Morning session

prayer session

With Life Church Members

Prayer session 




Prayer session with pst Anti, pst Alfeus and bro. Amin





bro. Austin and Sis. Anita during praise and worship

Pst. Alfeus presenting love gift to Community cheif 

Dance and praise parade around the longhouse.


With Tuai rumah 

opening of love gift 





Parade across all 24 pintus led by Pst Anti and Pst. Alfeus




Declaring the presence of the Lord Jesus 

Presentation of love gift




Pst. Anti Anti Intering

Sunday School with the children

gift love to the community

Life church members with community chief. sis.Mercy, sis Iris, Tuai rumah Dian ak Ramba  & Bro. Gideon

Visiting Life Church Members

Life church members with Taui rumah








Night session teaching by Pst Anti

prayer by pst Anti and bro. Amin for community head 

Altar call. Glory to God Almighy

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