Slogans, Sermons, and The Celebration

Celebrations

Christian obligation in work should not be restricted to just spending the hours. This implies doing a job with technical and professional efficiency and, most of all, with love of God.

Yesterday, my birthday presents were delivered a bit early.  Actually, they came just in time for the Superbowl ( my second favourite part of tomorrow!)

The present included two items, a hat and a sign for my office.

The first is a new cap, with what I thought was my favourite slogan for sports and ministry.  "Do Your Job" which is actually a vital consideration in football, at the military (as the centurion noted) or in our relationship with God and the ministry which is created by God in our lives.

We merely should walk with Him and do as He leads.  Which takes faith, the dependence on God that provides the will and ability (Ephesians 2:13 (KJV)) to do what pleases Him!   Do Your Job, do it trusting in God.  Do Your Job, loving God

Another slogan now hands on my office door, a couple feet from me.  No Days Off!  Perhaps surprisingly, this slogan had not been revealed through the entire march to last year's Superbowl victory, but afterwards, during the victory parade.  What was the secret to the victory?  The coaches and players lived football, they lived the game, in season and out of season.  They lived based on the standard of their slogans... and did their job, whatever it required.

Can you imagine if the church did this?  If it made the sacrifices to walk with God each day?  If it dwelt in His presence, relied on His mercy, recognized His love and peace satisfies our lives?  If we ceased treated being Christian was a part-time gig, and wished to live in His love, not just part-time (as if to hit the minimum requirements to gain heaven) nor even full-time ( meeting what we think is our duty) but every day treasured our time with Him, and rejoiced in the love that is our, in and through Jesus?  That is really what our "job" is, everything else, worship, loving for others, caring for others, these things are just the impact of walking with Him.

Plus there is the motto I haven't got anything on, one which I could not find out relevant within the Kingdon of God.  The latest slogan, 'Not Done Yet"

However, I knew that where that slogan is actually in the church.  It happens the moment sermon ends, and for a number of us, this is actually the very high point of our church time together.

This is not even close.

For the sermon is merely enlightening God's plan in our lives.   Still, we're not near to being done at that point.  The finest time in the church comes when we approach the rail with each other, as we bow as a group, acknowledging the presence and invitation of God, and people who can kneel, and as a community of His people, share in the Eucharist as one.

As I preach, my hunger for the sacrament grows, and I pray it grows in my people.  To be accepted at the dining room table, completely righteous in the eyes of God, entirely washed by Him and made able to celebrate.  Even as we realize we are not done yet, as we take a knee, the Lord's Supper is the start of the celebration of Jesus finishing His work in us,  For He has done all it takes to make us His own.  And the Eucharist is His thanks to the Father, and our thanks to Him, for it is finished.

He Has done and is doing, His job.
He takes no days off...
And Then He is not actually done yet and maybe, while he brings in the very last prodigal home.

For the time being, allow us to walk with, work with and celebrate the love of God.  AMEN!



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Credit:  Escriva, Josemaria. The Forge (Kindle Locations 2578-2581). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Prayer Requests

Today's Prayer Requests

AJ | Please intercede for me, I'm going through satanic manipulation due to lack of self control especially in the area of immorality. I've been praying constantly against it, but the more I pray, the more I engage into it. Please intercede for me, I'm getting fade up. Thanks

G.James Babu | Greetings. Pray for my salvation. I want to get heaven through lord Jesus.also pray for my family

Moshi Chang | Pls Pray to God w/ me for him to grant me complete healing & recovery this month Feb 2018 from this sickness/disease of auto immune that I suffer daily. To give me back my normal life & strengthen my body & soul.

VERA BANKSTON-JONES |  FATHER GOD, Hold and guide my steps!.......SELAH

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

Thu Thuy | please pray urgent to bind spirits od Phuong , Trong , Dung  and Van Anh , destroy  satan steal , kill and destroy and all attacks to me . n the name of Jesus   please destroy the witchcraft  Phuong , Dung , Van Anh used to  gain the money for them .  Plese pray to bless  everyone in Viet Phap hospital . God bless you

James O Ayodele | (1)God should release every of my hanging blessings to me (My Green card)before this month end(2)God should give me victory over debts and God should teach me his own way to serve him till eternity and help me to make heaven ijn amen

jennifer carrion | my husband has been gone for a 1 week and ill want is him to come home we have been married for 1 year i dont want our marriage to end we married in the lords house



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High Cost of Love

Cost of Love

The joyful love that satisfies the soul with happiness will depend on suffering. There is absolutely no love with no renunciation.

44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.   -Luke 7:44-50 (KJV)

There was a song when I was growing up called "Love Stinks" and though it was talking more about infatuation, there is some truth to the idea.

For love is a commitment, knowing that commitment usually entails us to go without, to make sacrifices, to lay all we are on the line, in order to genuinely take care of the one we love.

Parents know this very well, as they will go without to provide for their children,  From little things like watching television shows their kids like, and not watching the ones they want to because they are inappropriate for their child's ears and eyes.   Teachers who give up time to plan, or to think of how to reach "that" student understand this as well. 

It is a puzzle, a contradiction, that waiting or refusing your happiness in the interests of the one you love can bring about much more joy, greater happiness.

The woman in the gospel reading found this out. She did something very costly, anointing Jesus feet with oils that cost her much, oils she most likely bought to treat herself well, to help her ignore the discomfort of life, after having suffered the embarrassment of submitting to others desires.

However, in the wonder of God's mercy, she sacrificed the benefit of her labours to take care of Jesus with love, to absolutely adore the Man who didn't push her away.  Perhaps she was one of several people invited to Zaccheus' house, one of many sinners Jesus was accused of drinking and eating with by the Pharisees. She tried to pay back that love, with the most expensive thing she knew of, by using an action of love that demonstrated how much she reverend the man that didn't want sex from her, and still spoke with her and interacted with her.

The suffering that loves costs is high, and often it stinks.  However when it comes to loving God, what it really demands, though pleasurable, or rewarding, is really what stops us from finding joy.  We go without having pleasure, without having gain, to get ourselves free.

Just at the prostitute seen herself free of sin, and humiliation, and sense of guilt.   Instead, she knew love, and that she was welcomed in the presence of God. She gave up what was costly and pleasurable and found a joy so much greater, and happiness that comes from being accepted and loved.

knowing this, realizing it in our heart, gives us the motivation, the ability to desire to give up what we need to give up.  Not because we have to, but for the joy set before us, the same joy that drove Jesus to endure the cross, for us.

Lord, help us to embrace you, receiving your love.  And as our love and adoration "costs" us, help us to realize the joy that comes from knowing that love.  AMEN!




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Credit: Escriva, Josemaria. The Forge (Kindle Locations 2743-2745). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Our Life in the Christ

Revealed in our Church’s liturgy, music, artwork...

10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13 And that their children, which have not known anything, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. -Deuteronomy 31:10-13

Christ has died. 
Christ has risen
Christ will come again
We were dead in our sins
Now we're buried with Him
We have risen in Christ
We are given new life
And Christ will bring us home
Making us his own
Christ has died
Christ has risen
Christ will come again!

The Christian images, as we find them in the catacombs, simply take up and develop the canon of images already established by the synagogue, while giving it a new modality of presence. The individual events are now ordered toward the Christian sacraments and to Christ himself. Noah’s ark and the crossing of the Red Sea now point to Baptism. The sacrifice of Isaac and the meal of the three angels with Abraham speak of Christ’s Sacrifice and the Eucharist. Shining through the rescue of the three young men from the fiery furnace and of Daniel from the lions’ den we see Christ’s Resurrection and our own. Still more than in the synagogue, the point of the images is not to tell a story about something in the past, but to incorporate the events of history into the sacrament. In past history, Christ with his sacraments is on his way through the ages. We are taken into the events. The events themselves transcend the passing of time and become present in our midst through the sacramental action of the Church.

The centering of all history in Christ is both the liturgical transmission of that history and the expression of a new experience of time, in which past, present, and future make contact because they have been inserted into the presence of the risen Lord. As we have seen already and now find confirmed anew, liturgical presence contains eschatological hope within it. All sacred images are, without exception, in certain sense images of the Resurrection, history read in the light of the Resurrection, and for that very reason, they are images of hope, giving us the assurance of the world to come, of the final coming of Christ.

324 Looking at his mercy, faith comforts and consoles us. Our opponents teach wrongly when they praise merits in such a way as to add nothing about this faith that takes hold of mercy

The readings this morning were just crammed full of thoughts that I needed to hear.  I could have doubled the amount I quoted, and foregone writing.  Except that I need to, for as I've said before, my devotions have to be thought through, meditated upon, and brought together in my writing.  It used to be called spiritual journaling, and someone once suggested I put it out there to be shared.

Today, it seemed like a lot of my readings were set up to talk about living within the story.  About faith is a life of dependence on God, living in harmony with Him, rather than a statement of what theological statements we hold to be true.

We see that in the words from the Lutheran confessions, as we take hold of mercy. That is faith, this incredible love of God that is revealed to us, that floods our lives so that we can hold onto it.  For faith is an engagement with God with not our mind at first, but our heart and soul.

Pope Benedict in the longest quote talks about this in the imagery in the early church and the synagogue, when visuals made our sacramental life part of the narrative poured out in visual representation.  And all of that representation is reflected in the resurrection, the very summit of our being made one with Christ.  For we are united to Him in His death, in order that we can rise to our new life with Him.

That is the reason for the reading of the entire community of Israel, over 2 million people, plus the foreigners that make their home among them.  (Note that part about the aliens!) They were to know the covenant so that they could be in awe of God's love and provision for them!  Even more than that, this awe was lived out before Him. In other words, not just in His are of vision, but right before Him, in His presence.

As I was reading all of this, I thought of my friend's version of the liturgical hymn, the Memorial Acclamation.  Chris is not only an incredible musician and professor of worship but has a great understanding of sacramental covenant theology.   So when he recomposed this ancient part of Christian worship, he not only told Christ's story, but he made clear what was inferred.  That we share in that death, and in that resurrection, and in Christ's coming again.  What has become veiled and vaguely visible, Chris revealed in a glorious way. ( You can hear a rock version of it at the link!)

Every aspect of our ministry, from the music to the artwork and images, to the words we speak and lessons and liturgy are geared to help us make this transition.  We are not just people reading about history, we aren't just witnesses to the story, we are the characters in the story, living and interacting in great awe with God.  Just as people have done since Adam and Eve walked through the garden.  Our people may not realize this, so we need, like Israel, to teach them more and more.  They need to know it, they need to experience His love. as do we, as do our communities.

May the Lord make this happen, opening our eyes more and more to His love!

AMEN!



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SOURCE
Ratzinger, Joseph. The Spirit of the Liturgy. Trans. John Saward. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000. Print.

Tappert, Theodore G., ed. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press, 1959. Print.

The Memorial Acclimation by Rev. Dr. Christopher Gillette

The Struggle….of Brokenness

The Interior Struggle

The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

735- The interior struggle doesn’t take us away from our temporal business-it makes us finish it off better!
Brokenness; It is real, I encounter it each day in my own life, and I try to shepherd others through it daily as well.

The Pantheon, a place once dedicated to worship of idols but reborn to host the worship of God. May our lives tell a similar story as we realize what God does to us in baptism!

Brokenness

It sucks.  And we aren’t the first generation to deal with it.  It goes all the way back to two people who weren’t broken but became broken.

The breaks may be physical, or social, psychological.  They may seem to others to be tiny fractures, for others life is simply shattered.  Some of our breaks we hide… not easily, and some we try to hide from, distracting ourselves, trying to find ways to numb the pain.

Some of our brokenness may be dealt with, for that is what doctor’s, counsellors, and mediators are there to do.  Other types of brokenness have to be endured, and that too sucks.  To deal with something broken for 40 or 50 or 70 years.  Never knowing how bad the brokenness and pain will be the next day.  We never know when we will be completely overcome by it.

As a pastor, I know this all too well, in too many areas I’ve tried to endure it.  Physical, emotional, social, and outcast. Been there, done that. Have the scars and the memories that still hurt.

I wish I could heal it all, I know sometimes it happens, as God’s mercy overwhelms us and the person’s shattered life is made whole.  I don’t understand why this one, and not that.  I only know the healing we all have access to, the brokenness that for everyone there is healing, that there is being made whole, as we are made holy.

Spiritual healing

The healing that comes from realizing God’s love.  The healing that comes from the cleansing and restoration that forgiveness is.  Our heart and soul freed of the burdens of guilt and shame.  The healing that comes from encountering the love of Christ, pure, faithful, incredible, without measure.

A love so graphically pictured in the cross, and in our baptism.  A love that invites us to share in Christ’s brokenness in communion, that our brokenness we would realize He shares in as well.  And in our promised resurrection united with Him, the brokenness fades into the past. Freed of it, spiritually now, but when Christ returns… completely as we dwell with him in Heaven forever.

This is our God, who loves us, who cares… who heals.

Find your rest in Him, and your endurance is guaranteed. This is what Paul tells us about, the struggle to hold onto Christ, realizing He is holding on to us. A struggle that as we are healed spiritually has an incredible impact on our lives, on our work, on the art that comes out of our lives.  Remind others of this as well, for that is what it means to be the church.   A place where people find healing in Christ while helping others heal.  AMEN!



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Source
Escriva, Josemaria. The Forge (Kindle Locations 2662-2664). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Prayer Requests

Today's Prayer Requests

Thuy Nguyen | PLEASE PRAY URGENT FOR ME TO DESTROY EVERY ATTACK FROM PLEASE PRAYPLEASE URGENT FOR ME TO DESTROTHE EVIL , SATAN TO MY HEALTH , LIVER AND STOMATCH , SPIRIT AND SOUL  , PLEASE PRAY TO ME  TO  SIGN THE CONTRACT AND BEGIN TO WORK IN HOSPITAL FRANCE -VIETNAMESE SUCCESSFUL .  GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND CHURCH

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

Karen B. | Pray for me, I am in rehabilitation to learn to walk again. Pray for my son, that he finds Christ.

Joshua | That me and my family get approved for apartment building we filled out for


Peter Sidadasi | Dear sir iam Peter, 41 years old from India, sir iam doing His valuable work since 2003 among the Idol worshippers in four defferent places, very critically areas. so many people were accepting Jesus Christ as their own Saviour and took the water baptism so we have no permanent Church building, at present we are worshipping in rented houses and some people not able to purchase bibles so if you possible plz provide telugu old and new testament bibles for distributing to the needy people and pray for Church building and winning for soul's for Christ.

VERA BANKSTON-JONES | FATHER GOD, In You can only I come to rest, heal,accomplish the tasks set before me! I'm nothing without You Lord! Keep me afloat my remaining days!.......SELAH
My name is Dudu please pray with us my daughter is looking for a job or intership cause she completed last year her honours degree. I trust God that with your prayers join together miracle will happen in Jesus Name.

Elda | My desire is to be spirit filled every second of my life, to worship God in spirit and in truth! 

Jesual sona | Sir and mam praise the Lord. My wife name is premila sona. We kneed a baby so please pray for my wife and me.Thank you

Britannica Rodgers | I pray for myself as to get a job and be financial stable and also to get my own place for me and my son also pray for my sister and her spouse that they get a change to make it through the hard times

MW | Dear Lord my bless life and my family's life and lead me where you want me to go, and bless my hand and marriage to Chase Nash

FEMI MORONKEJI OLORUNFEMI |  Please help me pray that my Australia Visa Application with the Australia Immigration Department since last year August be approved. It has been a long awaited application and its been under assessment for over 5 months. Kindly help me pray for God's mercy over this application for it to be approved on time. That I may not suffer any bad news of rejection over it in Jesus name. Thank you.

BF | As a single parent l am having financial difficulties. This situation has caused a rift in my family.

sigesh | for my studies and my mom

eve | please help sir, i am trying to quit smoking. I have tried to pray in the past for gods guidance and help, but some how I may not be doing it right, for I ask strength to guide me and lead me to the right path..it goes unanswered. Please help, I really wish to stop this terrible addiction as it has claimed the vessel god has given me to live in.  I want my body to be a temple, and to be healthy. So many ups and downs.

MA | Applying for further studies. Needs God interventions.Amen

LJ |  I'm feeling like I am alone in this life, since I have gotten sicker with my condition MultipleSlacroise and I am trying to get stronger but I lose lots of strength and get tired quick, please pray to God to heal me from this disease in Jesus name amen. Hungry for God's healing over my legs, mind,body, and soul in Jesus name amen

Vera Bankston-Jones | FATHER GOD, Only in you can there be peace! Guide me Father!.......SELAH

Deborah Gomeyac | Hello i am deaf too. kindly please pray for me because i has seizure problem.pray for my daughter planning for studying other new school in the future. pray for my husband stop suffering sick about backpain.

Mercy Kalaga | Plz pray for job .I want get it bank job .so pl pray for me




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hero of murderous jihadist

Palestinian kids' TV makes hero of murderous jihadist

Continuing the trend of making heroes out of cold-blooded killers, Palestinian children’s television recently aired a program that declares an Islamic terrorist who has murdered more than 100 Israeli Jews a “role model.”

In the kid’s 10-minute From My Country TV show, arch-terrorist Abu Jihad - who the Palestinian Authority (PA) credits with murdering at least 125 Israeli Jews - is touted as a “role model to be followed.”

“The opening of the weekly 10-minute program - which has been broadcast twice so far - shows a cube with photos of six different Palestinian personalities,” Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported. “One of them is terrorist Abu Jihad, who orchestrated numerous terror attacks against Israelis, among them the most lethal attack in Israel’s history - the Coastal Road Massacre - in which Palestinian terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians, among them 12 children.”

‘Hometown’ hero?

In the Palestinian television program broadcasted with the goal of recruiting future jihadists to brutally take over Israel in the name of the Islamic god, Allah, the young host of the show introduces the latest installment by inciting nationalism through portraying Palestinians’ selfless commitment to improve their so-called “homeland,” despite their “struggle” with Israeli Jews.

“Hello, my dear friends, and welcome to the program From My Country,” the Palestinian host opens up, according to PMW. “You certainly know how beautiful our country is: its villages, cities, historical, religious, archaeological and tourist sites. The most beautiful thing is that all of this beauty of our country is reflected by great personalities who have given and are giving much to the homeland, whether in the political, literary, artistic or scientific struggle.”

He then colors the aggression against the Israelis as being motivated by oppression, insisting that “weapons” are a valuable tool for Palestinians to artistically express the depth of their plight and pride in “their” land.

“The prominent personalities struggled by way of pens, paintbrushes, words, weapons, and knowledge … to express our appreciat[ion] and follow the example of these symbols,” the host continued. ”Let us always keep them in our memories.”

Like clockwork, the children’s TV show ties militant Islamic personalities with their hometowns to instill a sense of pride and duty in Palestinian youth, with the first episode featuring PA President Mahmoud Abbas, of Safed, and the second installment noting that late Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali was born and raised in Al-Shajara, where he accrued his jihadist beliefs.

“Each episode of From My Country is about a specific famous Palestinian personality and the town or city in ‘Palestine’ in which that person was born,” PMW’s Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Itamar Marcus announced on Wednesday. “The other ‘symbols’ included in the opening of the new PA TV children's program are current PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Safed), former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat (Gaza), the Palestinian national poet Mahmoud Darwish (Al-Birweh), and female singer Rim Banna (Nazareth). The opening lists the birth place of Abu Jihad as Ramle and Kanafani's as Acre.”

Furry friends encourage brutal jihad

Abu Jihad is not the only character Palestinian children’s TV has used to motivate youngsters to take their place on the jihadist battlefield.

The long history of promoting jihad includes the use of Assud - a bunny character who was “martyred” in the name of jihad after he called for Palestinians to occupy Israeli cities to initiate an Islamic takeover of the land.

“We should teach our children that we have a land to which we must return: Jaffa, Acre, Haifa, and Tel Aviv,” the bunny character incited parents, according to WND. “We will return to all these cities, Allah willing.”

The use of animated and costumed characters to produce cold-blooded Muslim killers is nothing new.

“Palestinian television also featured the ‘martyrdom’ of Farfour, a Mickey Mouse-lookalike,” WND’s Bob Unruh reported.

Terrorist twos and sinister sixes

As early as two years old, Palestinian youth are told via their TV sets to annihilate their Jewish neighbors.

It was reported back in 2015 that a two-year-old Palestinian boy was broadcasted on official PA TV singing a song about his hope to become a martyr in the name of jihad - a tune that the Palestinian faction group, the Fatah Central Committee, claimed was instrumental in instilling a sense of belonging for Palestinians.

“Daddy, buy me a machine gun and a rifle [so I can kill Israelis],” the two-year-old sang, according to WND.

Another PA TV show around the same time featured two six-year-olds being interviewed in military fatigues, which each bragging that they aspired to “blow up the Jews” with ruthless determination. The questions were being asked by a girl just a little older than the boys, who posed the following inquiry to Muhammed - one of the two six-year-olds - about his poetry.

“Who taught this poem, Muhammad?” the young girl asked.

After the boy’s mother interjected that “Muhammad Ali Zakariya Al-Astal” taught the poem, the boy started reciting the following verses:

“Oh Jerusalem, I shall redeem you with my soul and my blood,” the boy orated the first verse before chanting two more. “I shall liberate you from the Jews by means of the Al-Qassam Brigades, of course. I bring glad tidings to our prisoners: Salvation is near.”

Inciting violent jihad through poetry is not the only way Palestinian children are taught to unload their indoctrinated hostility against Israeli Jews.

Zakaria, another interviewee, was asked about the reasoning behind his occupational choice on PA TV.

“[I want to be an engineer] so that I can blow up the Jews,” Zakaria proudly stated.

The program’s hostess then clarified to boy’s response.

“You want to blow up the Jews? No, we want to blow up the Zionists,” the TV personality corrected the boy. “You mean the occupation, right? Okay, so that is why you want to become an engineer?”

The use of Disney-like characters to incite jihad is not off limits to the Palestinians, either.

“In 2010, the terror group Hamas’ Al-Aqsa Television ‘martyred’ Assud and knocked off a Mickey Mouse-lookalike for the cause of jihad,” Unruh recounted.

Hellish holiday greetings

The same year, a “holiday song” credited to the world-recognized Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was performed by children and aired on Hamas Al-Aqsa TV.

The song, called “Give Us Our Pocket Money to Buy Guns and Wage Jihad,” or “Holiday Gun,” was sung by Palestinian youth MuhammadAl0Madhoun and Ibrahim Shek Khalil, and below is the script obtained by MEMRI:

Children’s choir: Dad, we put on our new clothes.

Give us our pocket money. Today is a holiday.

Dad, we put on our new clothes.

Give us our pocket money. Today is a holiday.

Me, my brother, and the neighborhood kids want to arm ourselves with guns.

Dad: My children, I’m worried about you.

This toy might harm your eyes.

My children, I’m worried about you.

This toy might harm your eyes.

Think about another toy.

You are the apple of my eye, may Allah protect you.

Child: Dad, we are a steadfast people.

These guns need hands to carry them.

Dad, we are a steadfast people.

These guns need hands to carry them.

Today we play, tomorrow we will wage Jihad.

How joyous my heart will be on the Day of Return.

Children’s choir: Dad, we put on our new clothes.

Give us our pocket money. Today is a holiday.

Dad, we put on our new clothes.

Give us our pocket money. Today is a holiday.

Me, my brother, and the neighborhood kids want to arm ourselves with guns.

Dad: Your words have filled my heart with joy.

How fortunate Al-Aqsa is to have boys like you.

Your words have filled my heart with joy.

How fortunate Al-Aqsa is to have boys like you.

Here’s your pocket money.

Go and buy yourself a gun.

Don’t shoot anyone but the enemy.

Child: Okay, Dad. Have a happy holiday.

How joyous my heart is when you put your hand in mine.

Okay, Dad. Have a happy holiday.

How joyous my heart is when you put your hand in mine.

I keep my light for my loved ones and my fire for the enemies.

What happiness!

What happiness!

Children’s choir: What happiness!

What happiness!




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SOURCE

Terrorists Kill Eight Christians in Central Nigeria

Muslim Herdsmen, Terrorists Kill Eight Christians in Central Nigeria

Violence attacks on villages in north-central Nigeria that killed eight Christians during the past two weeks were executed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen aided by terrorists from Islamic extremist groups, a local pastor said.

The Rev. Sunday Gado Biri told reporters that the assailants also torched 50 homes owned by Christians, including his very own, and his church building was partly burnt in the attacks on Zanwra, a suburb of Jebu-Miango close to the city of Jos, Plateau state. 

“A critical view these attacks have demonstrated that it's not just the herdsmen that are attacking Christian communities, as there are terrorists working together with them to execute these attacks,” said the 54-year-old pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Zanwra.

He appealed to the Nigerian government to bring to an end unabated attacks on Christian communities.

“It is regrettable that the soldiers brought here are not taking critical measures against the herdsmen,” he said. “When the herdsmen were burning up the houses, the soldiers could not stop them. Regardless of this, I still want to appeal to the Nigerian government that it should stop these killings.”

In attacks on Zanwra village between Jan. 22 and Jan. 25, the eight Christians died in four ambushes on several days, even though the houses were damaged in two distinct attacks.

Pastor Biri said one of his church elders, 60-year-old James Nengwe, was slain the night of Jan. 24 as he tried to escape.

“He was on his way to the military camp almost two kilometres from his house when he was ambushed, shot and killed by the herdsmen,” the pastor said. “In fact, he was only a few hundred meters from the military camp. He chose to take refuge at the military base camp when he saw the herdsmen destroying and burning up houses close to his house.”

Zanwra resident Moses Chohu confirmed that armed herdsmen shot Nengwe to death as he fled for security.

“A Christian community leader, the ward head of Zanwra, Nengwe, was ambushed and shot to death near a military base camp by armed herdsmen as he tried escaping to the military camp,” Chohu told Morning Star News. “Houses in Zanwra village were being burned by the herdsmen when they ambushed Nengwe and killed him.”

Pastor Biri said the attacks have reduced the number of people attending his church services.

“Some of our members have been displaced, and church attendance has drastically dropped,” he said. “Prior to these attacks, church attendance was at about 400 worshippers, but at the moment we hardly have about 200 worshippers during services on Sundays.”

Nigeria ranked 14th on Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.

The pastor said Nengwe has family members and was devoted to the church.

“When the attack on our villages started we constituted a committee to support Internally Displaced Persons,” he said. “Baba James was a member of this committee. Lately, there was an attack on this community by herdsmen, and five houses owned by some people in my church were burnt down by the herdsmen. Because of this, we constituted the committee on the IDPs.”

Another Zanwra resident, Patience Moses, 30, told reporters that on Jan. 25, a day after killing village head Nengwe, the assailants attacked again at about 7 p.m.

“All houses surrounding the DTV area [near Zanwra] to the ECWA Church, Zanwra, were burnt down,” she said. “The house of the pastor of ECWA church, Rev. Sunday Biri, was burned down, even though the church itself was partly burned. Soldiers that were attempting push away the attackers ran out of bullets, and so the attackers prevailed in burning down houses.”

A mini-van carrying persons from Jos to Kwall was ambushed near the ECWA church, Zanwra, and “the driver, the conductor, and one other Christian” were killed and about 20 others injured, Moses said. Police identified two of the Christians killed in the ambush as Danlami of Kwal District and Emmanuel Audu of Jebbu-Miango.

Around 50 houses belonging to Christians were burned, Moses said, including those of Pastor Biri; Dauda Babuje; Jonathan Davou; John Huyep; Danladi Sunday; Sunday Ragwa; Yakubu A.A.; Morris Ragwa; Joro Sunday; Adamu Hunye; Timothy Audu; Audu Hunye; David Saku; Luka Adamu; Infor Aji; Demi Sunday; Damjuma Gah, and two identified only as Maley and Monday.

In the DTV area near Zanwra, the houses of the following Christians were burned down by the herdsmen, she said: Joshua Audu; Saku Leh; Musa Akwa; Paseh; Audu; Shehu Audu; Danlami Gyah; Monday Njwe; Friday Monday; Igya Danlami; Monday Gyah; Uwah Audu; Gbah Gyah; Kuku Gbah; Adeh Njweh; Jonathan Ndeh; Musa Njweh; Ishon Njwe; Yakubu Njweh; Ishaya Barry; Fidelis Barry; Monday Ishaya; Musa Dahro; Christopher Musa; Joshua Musa; Guba Bitrus; and Friday Saku.

Zanwra resident Chohu said attacks on Christian communities in the area began on Jan. 14 when three Christians from Kimakpa village went to Maiyanga village, and herdsmen attacked them as they were returning to Kimakpa at about 6 p.m.

“One of them was killed, the second was injured, while the third escaped unhurt,” Chohu said. Their names were not readily available.

On Jan. 22 three Christians from Kpachudu and Kwall villages who had gone to a mining camp at Telma village were returning at about 6 p.m. when Muslim Fulani herdsmen ambushed them at Chuvo-Kpara village, Chohu said. The three died in the attack, with the herdsmen chopping off the head of one of them and taking it with them.

“On Jan. 24, at about 7:50 p.m., just about an hour after the ward head was murdered by the herdsmen, they also set afire four houses in Alleh village near Zanwra,” he said. “The houses burnt were those of Christians Dauda Ahmadu, Musa Nengwe, Danjuma David and SundayNengwe.”

The ward head, Nengwe, was buried on Jan. 25 at about 10 a.m. in a funeral witnessed by a Morning Star News correspondent, and by the evening of the same day, the herdsmen invaded Zanwra village anew, burning more houses of Christians and displacing many of them.

Zanwra residents identified two of the dead as Emmanuel Audu and Danlami.

Matthias Tyopev, the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, said in a press statement that three people were killed in the Jan. 24 attacks.

“Three people were killed and burned by the armed men,” he said. “Eight others sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries. About 20 housing units were also set ablaze. An investigation is ongoing to unravel the remote and immediate causes of these attacks.”

Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.



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Knowledge and Love

Knowledge and Love: A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:8-13

As you experience the length and width, the height and depth of God’s love for you, may your knowledge be tempered by the love that God creates in your life, as you live your life through Him

Given a choice...which will you choose for those you love?

There is a cute picture floating around the internet, of one of these.

It says above it, “it doesn’t matter how old or mean you are, when w toddler hands you one of these and say’s ‘it’s for you’, you take it and start talking into it.”

I think that is pretty much true, and I am tempted to try it on some of you afterwards.

It’s because we care for our children, or grandchildren, or nephews or nieces or students. Or in the case of the teachers, our students. We love them, and they can melt the hardest heart.

So I want to think of that kid, who could get you to answer one of these.  Close your eyes, picture them in your mind and answer this question.

If you could choose what would be said about them at the end of their lives, would you desire it to be said they were geniuses, or that they loved and cared for the people around them and made a difference in their lives?

Not a difficult decision, or at least I would hope that it wouldn’t it be!

And in our gospel reading this morning, this is what the apostle Paul is talking about. And it is what we are talking about this morning, Knowledge and love.

Importance versus building up the community?

If I may, I would like to use a personal example.  When I was younger, there was this game called trivial pursuit.  Some of you may be familiar with it.

I loved it!  And I was…. pretty good at it.  Enough so that I usually won and proved the apostle Paul correct when he said, knowledge makes us feel important.  Some translations phrase it a little differently.  Knowledge puffs us up talking about our egos, and our minds.  And then one day, I looked at the name of the game again…

Trivial Pursuit.  What I was doing was chasing after what was trivial, what was meaningless.  And in the end, about all odd bits of knowledge were good for was putting little pieces of plastic inside another piece of plastic and annoying some friends.

While there is a lot of knowledge that isn’t trivial, there are enough examples of people who think they are more important than others because they have the knowledge given to them.  I won’t list the occupations, but I bet you are thinking of one or two professions that act that way.  Or you see yourself in this.

That is why Paul will say in chapter 13 if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2

Instead of focusing on knowledge, Paul tells us it is love that builds the house, in this translation, it translates the house as a church.  But the concept works the same in the church, in the home, or in the community we call home.

In each, in our homes, in our church, in our community, it is love is what binds us together, it is love that makes that bond strong and causes us to grow as a family.

The challenge is loving others the way we love the kid handing us the phone.

In the example Paul uses, he talks about how this love changes us, using the example of food offered to idols.

For him, with all the knowledge of one who was a leading Jewish theologian and became the greatest of Christian pastor-theologians, the idea of food offered to idols was silly.

The idols were carved pieces of wood or rock, metal fashioned to look like how man imagined God to be. And because there was no inherent power in them, because they weren’t gods, eating the food someone else dedicated to them was of no great importance.

But it was of great importance to those who didn’t know different.  They saw the world as a cosmic battle between these false gods and the One True God who came to us, love us and died for us.

And while knowledge would say debate with them and show them the truth, love said that we needed to remember they weren’t ready for to hear that; be patient.  Winning the argument isn’t worth driving them from Jesus. We can go without being proved right in the small stuff, we can even go without that piece of bacon wrapped shrimp or stuffed pork chops rather than cause them to stumble and do what they thought was wrong.

It’s not worth the fight, it’s not worth the debate.  Such debates can destroy faith, but love puts it in the correct priority… and eventually, love will straighten it all out.

How it happens

But how do we love others, especially when we some people are just darn difficult to love?  And how do we teach our children, grandchildren, students and other children we come into contact with to love like Jesus loved us?

The answer on how to love like that, how to make a difference in someone else’s life isn’t found in some instruction manual, it isn’t found in a series of podcasts or videos.

It is found in knowing that we are God, as Paul said,

There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live.

And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

It is found in living for and in God that we find the love that changes us.  It forgives and removes our sin, and makes us holy, set apart to love God, to love His people.  It is something that is realized more than learned, something that we spend our life growing in, and as He changes us, we love, even those others see as unlovable.

For that is what knowing God’s love does, it changes us, and it gives us hope in the middle of what seems a lost and broken world.  That is why we are here, and why we have a place for kids, who will hand us a phone, and learn from us how to love.  As we learn it from God our Father.  AMEN!



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When Pastor is building personal kingdom instead of Christ’s kingdom

Some Signals that your Pastor is Establishing His Personal Kingdom

The term pastor comes from a Latin word indicates “shepherd.” In Ephesians 4:1, Paul identifies shepherding “pastors” as a single functionality in the Church alongside teaching, missionary work, evangelism and prophecy. The significance of this role can be viewed through the importance that Jesus placed on it in John 21:15-17 where Jesus charges Peter to feed and tend to His sheep. How is a pastor required to feed and tend to the flock of God? He does this when he is capable watch over and teaches the flock the Word of God (1 Timothy 3:1-2), To develop the flock into readiness and maturity.

Additionally, he carries a responsibility to safeguard the doctrine of the church. Retaining the integrity of the Gospel is considered among the pastor’s greatest callings. Several pastors obtain the title “overseer” as a general command to have their hand in all the things as well as the command to rule the church may well come to extremes too. What are examples of the signals your pastor is establishing his personal kingdom instead of Christ’s kingdom? Listed below are few indicators.

If Pastor Doesn’t Delegate or Assign 

A considerable warning sign that your pastor is creating their personal kingdom happens when he starts to do everything, declining to delegate and assign just about anything. If this occurs, your pastor has excessively control which is no more centred on Christ’s kingdom as well as the role of the church. The gifts of the many people in the church need to be useful to the ministry of the church. Every member of the church needs to be permitted to minister within their unique place in the body. One person can’t do it all.

When the Pastor is the Focus and attention, Not Jesus

Here is one of the truthful threat for pastors. Any time a ministry starts to grow and develops larger in capacity, there exists a real danger of the fact that pastor begins building his personal kingdom rather than the Kingdom of God. Ultimately that gradually, as time passes and practically undetected, the pastor turns into the core of attention and Jesus is swapped on the altar by the man. Without a doubt; this kingdom never will last since it is of man. It may well flourish for a while, however the same is true of a flower after which it’s all gone.

When the Pastor is Surrounded by "Yes Men"

This is often a relatively substantial warning sign and may have very unfavourable ramifications. “Yes men” is the term for those people who only say yes or agree with everything that is made available to them. When a leader desires to achieve success, they need to be prepared to say “no” to “yes men.” The challenge with yes men and people not wanting to differ, lead-up or question their leader is allowing their leader at risk of accepting things as they are. It’s necessary for leaders to develop an atmosphere where people will be open and sincere. In case your pastor isn’t performing this, you ought to be worried.

When the Pastor Overrules the church Board

What if your pastor a loosened cannon? Should they, this will be a wake-up call that possibly they are too controlling and get their eyes focused on a different kingdom. A pastor must not hold the church chequebook in their control. The church deacon or treasurer ought to be in possession of it and need no less than two signatories, and none should be the pastor. When you notice your pastor starting to violate the policies of the church, in that case, this can be a key warning that something is happening that shouldn’t be. A pastor is answerable to the church.

When Pastor Avoids and Resists Accountability

The word accountability means “the quality or condition of being accountable; a responsibility or readiness to acknowledge commitment or to account for one’s actions and activities.” Unfortunately, pastors are certainly not omitted. Attention must be given to a pastor who may have ceased being accountable for job duties. Here is a tremendous warning sign that the pastor is setting up his personal kingdom and not that of God. Pastors create the example for accountability. Keep in mind, a pastor’s basic responsibility is to oversee the church combined with elders, and his emphasis must be mainly spiritual, taking care of issues, for example, edifying believers and equipping the saints to do the ministry work.

When the Pastor is Always and Constantly Right

The moment your pastor is at all times making themselves right or perfect, this is often troublesome for many different reasons. Nobody is always right or perfect, plus pastors. A pastor’s responsibility isn’t to interpret the Bible; their job is to preach the Gospel. It’s not depending on what they think or assume. It’s according to what God says. When your pastor is hesitant to recognize or admit their errors or doesn’t admit an evident mistake, that can be a big warning sign.
Furthermore, if there’s an issue in the church, your pastor needs to be approachable and friendly. If a pastor is indeed unapproachable and not open to constructive worries or criticisms, then he his heart is simply not in the proper place in regards to the ministry.

In conclusion

Generally, all signs including the above mentioned must not be ignored or overlooked. Pastors that don’t delegate and assigns, do not allow input or suggestions, refuse any correction are creating their personal kingdom and never God’s. As soon as they rarely take accountability, always do what they desire no matter what the church policies and bylaws say, this is definitely a pastor that isn’t centred on advancing God’s kingdom. A church can’t survive under this type of leadership.



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