16 Traits of God: Do Any Surprise You?

How many of God’s traits can you list in 30 seconds? Compare your answers to the list of 16 traits below.

This article is by Gregg Allison and Chris Castaldo, adapted from their new book The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants After 500 Years.

Catholics and Protestants generally agree on the nature of the triune God, affirming the following divine attributes in accordance with God’s own revelation of himself:

1. Independence: God is self-existent; indeed, his very nature is to exist. Independence is the opposite of dependence or contingency, which is true of all created things. God is not dependent, and he cannot be dependent on anything or anyone else.
2. Immutability: God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is immutable in his (1) triune nature; (2) attributes, as presented in this section; (3) plan, that is, his purpose for all creation that he is bringing to pass; and (4) promises, all that he pledges to be and do for his people.
3. Eternity: God always exists, not being bound by time. He has no beginning; God has always existed. He has no end; God will always exist. And God does not develop presently in terms of time-sequence. Indeed, God existed before time, which he created when he made the universe.
4. Spirituality/Invisibility: God is an invisible, spiritual being, not composed of any material element. Because of God’s spiritual nature, no one has ever seen, or can see, God.
5. Omnipresence: God is present everywhere, not being bound by space. Furthermore, it is not as though part of God is present in one place and another part in another place. Rather, God is present everywhere with his whole being at the same time.
6. Omnipotence: God is all-powerful. He is able to do everything that is fitting for him as God to do. This means (thankfully) there are some things—for example, breaking his promises, ceasing to be God, sinning, lying—that God cannot do.
7. Omniscience: God is all-knowing. He fully knows himself, the past, the present, the future, the decisions and actions of his creatures, all actual things, and all possible things. God does not grow in knowledge by learning new things.
8. Wisdom: God always wills the highest purposes and the proper means to achieve those purposes for his own glory and his people’s blessing. Divine wisdom is clearly seen in creation, salvation, and the church.
9. Truthfulness and Faithfulness: God always tells the truth and always fulfills his promises. Indeed, he cannot lie and cannot be unfaithful to his word.
10. Love: God always gives of himself. Love eternally characterizes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From this trinitarian love flows the creation of the world, which God continues to love even when it is hostile toward him. Indeed, God’s love is demonstrated in the sending of his Son to die for sinful people.
11. Goodness/Grace/Mercy/Patience: God is kind and benevolent. He is good in and of himself, and all his ways in creation, providence, and salvation are good. In grace, God expresses his goodness to people who deserve condemnation. In mercy, God expresses his goodness to people who are distressed. In patience, God expresses his goodness by withholding punishment.
12. Holiness: God is both exalted above creation and absolutely morally pure. Because of his transcendent holiness, God is completely separated from his creation. Because of his moral holiness, God is completely pure and uncorrupted by sin.
13. Righteousness/Justice: God is upright in himself and in his ways. God himself is absolutely righteous and acts in ways that are perfect. He is just in establishing moral standards, requiring conformity to them, and judging people’s obedience and disobedience.
14. Jealousy: God is protective of his honor. Because he alone is God, only he is worthy of ultimate allegiance. Thus, when people, who were created to honor God, honor something or someone else, God is provoked to jealousy.
15. Wrath: God intensely hates sin and is ready to punish it fully. Because he is holy, God cannot approve anything that is not perfectly holy. Because he is righteous, God metes out punishment against anything that violates his right standards.
16. Glory: God is infinitely beautiful because of who he is. This beauty is displayed as God manifests himself in creation, redemption, and consummation. Glory is also the magnificent splendor that shines from the revelation of God and his ways. Though these divine attributes may be named and defined in different ways, Catholics and Protestants acknowledge them as the characteristics of God.

—Gregg Allison and Chris Castaldo,The Unfinished Reformation

Air force commander says “Jesus is my guide”.

An Air Force commander of the US has said Jesus is his guide and influences his decisions.

The Incirlik Air Base in Turkey published the interview last month on its website, which recently decided to feature new faces to the base as an introduction to others.On Sept. 15, the focus was on U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Kersten, who serves with the 39th Medical Support Squadron. The unit provides “preventative and clinical health and wellness services for U.S. and coalition forces.”Is there a leader from your career that influenced you the most?” he was asked during the interview. “If so, who, and how did they affect the way you lead?”“There’s no ONE in particular, Kersten responded. “As a Christian, my example is to be like Christ. He is my guide and affects all of my decisions. He teaches to do all things as unto the Lord and I believe this is synonymous with integrity first and excellence in all we do.”But Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) took issue with Kersten’s response and wrote to his superiors to demand that he be punished. Weinstein asserted that Kersten had violated military rules with his reply, and said that it caused him to wonder if Kersten would be biased against those of other faiths.“Lt. Col. Kersten willfully and definitively violated AFI 1-1 with his sectarian Christian proselytizing statement. He has proclaimed to the entire Incirlik Air Base community that ALL of his decisions are based upon his Christian faith,” he wrote. “Moreover, and perhaps even more outrageously, he claims that his exclusivist Christian faith is synonymous with two of the three Air Force official core values.” He got a reply from Col. John Walker soon thanking Weinstein for his correspondence, but advising that the Air Force protects service members’ rights to practice their religion.“The Air Force places the highest value on the rights of its personnel in matters of religion by its members,” he wrote. “Our Airmen are sworn to protect our rights and liberties as Americans, including the right of all Airmen to practice their religious faith of to practice no faith at all.”

Christian town in Iraq freed from extremists.

As anti-Islamic State (IS) forces continue their operations to recapture Iraq’s second city of Mosul, Christians from towns around it have welcomed the retaking of their two years’ deserted homes. According to sources monitoring the situation on the ground, Bartella, a town with a significant Christian presence prior to the IS invasion, was back in Iraqi government hands on Thursday (20 Oct.). The town, located 21km east of Mosul, has yet to be cleared of mines and other explosives,  World Watch Monitor reported.  According to Almasdar News, Bartella had a pre-IS population of 30,000. It had a Christian Assyrian majority before mass migration by Kurds and others made Assyrians a minority in 2003. Meanwhile, the battle continues for Qaraqosh (32km southeast of Mosul), a town that was once home to Iraq's largest Christian community, considered one of the oldest in the world. On Tuesday, displaced Christians in nearby Erbil held a vigil, cheering and dancing, but their jubilation may be premature.

Several towns from which Christians were displaced since the summer of 2014 are yet to be freed, while an influx of new refugees from areas currently being clawed back from IS could further irreversibly change the demography of an area once seen as the last stronghold of ancient Christianity around Iraq’s north-eastern Nineveh Plain. Mosul is the capital of Nineveh province, formerly home to the largest concentration of Christians and other ethno-religious minorities left in Iraq.

Tim Tebow: The God I Serve Performs Miracles Every Day—Not Me

Earlier this week, Tim Tebow wowed fans once again with his compassion and trust in God when he dropped everything to pray for a fan suffering from a seizure. Tebow said of the experience, “I know the God I get to serve is a God that always performs miracles in people’s lives, every day, all the time.”
Tebow was signing autographs after a baseball game on October 11, 2016, when he stopped to pray and lay hands on a man having a seizure. The man’s seizure stopped, and many called the incidence a miracle. Tebow tried his best to downplay his role in the event, saying that he doesn’t believe he himself has the power to perform miracles, but “in terms of the God we serve, yeah, I do believe in miracles.”
The former NFL football player turned baseball player took the time to answer some questions about the experience on Wednesday, October 12, 2016. “When the moment comes, you’ve just got to be ready to try to help people and try to care about people,” he said.
According to Tebow, the opportunity to pray for the fan was even better than the home run he hit in his first game playing for the New York Met’s minor league team. “That’s totally different than the home run. The home run’s great and it’s fun and hopefully I get to do it again soon, but in my opinion, they don’t even compare.”
You can watch more of the interview in the video below, posted byCBN

Bangladesh Muslims find salvation in Jesus Christ.

Even though persecution against Christians in Bangladesh is on the rise, so is the number of Muslims converting to Christianity in the south Asian nation. Just as in other countries where the population is dominated by a Muslim majority government, Christians in Bangladesh are at risk of being killed or persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ. But while nearly 90 percent of Bangladesh's population of 165 million people is Muslim, Christianity is gaining traction. According to the human rights organization Christian Freedom International, it is estimated that as many as 91,000 Muslims across Bangladesh have converted to Christianity in the last six years, even though apostasy in many Muslim cultures is punishable by death. Pastor Faruk al-Ahmed, a Christian convert from Islam who has been preaching since the mid-1990s, personally attested to the rise of Christianity in his own community in Northern Bangladesh during an interview with the British news site Express. "When I began my ministry in Kurigram, there was only one traditional Christian family and one Muslim background family," the pastor explained. "Now, almost 1,500 believers from Muslim backgrounds are glorifying God in this area." "Persecution will come more but the believers and I are ready to face it," al-Ahmed added. The number of Christians in Bangladesh is estimated at 1.6 million, which comprises around 1 percent of the country's total population. Despite reports that Christianity is growing in the country, CFI emphasizes that Christians are forced to keep their worship activities secretive to prevent "retaliations" for their faith. According to a report in Christian Post.

What Are the 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God, so when the Bible talks about fruits of the Spirit it is like talking about God's character.  What are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in the Bible?

The Holy Spirit is God, as is God the Father and Jesus Christ God's Son.  Our human minds cannot fully comprehend one God in 3 persons, but that is how God is described in the Bible.

God sent the Holy Spirit to this earth to dwell in the hearts and lives of all true believers in Jesus Christ.  We cannot live the Christian life in our own power.  When God fills us with His Holy Spirit, then His character can begin to flow through our hearts and lives.

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul writes about the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Just as a tree bears fruit, so our lives will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit as we yield to Him.  Here are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit that the Apostle Paul writes about in the book of Galatians Chapter 5:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

Let us ask God to make His fruits real in our lives as we yield to His Holy Spirit!

Pastor in Iran freed after six years in prison.

Behnam Irani, who led several Muslims to Christ says: "I have the joy of the Holy Spirit”.

The Iranian pastor held in prison for six years for Christian activities that Iran brands crimes against the state, has been released, according to charity and advocacy groups. Behnam Irani, 43, was first arrested in December 2006, four years after he became a pastor.In April 2010, security forces reportedly raided one of his house church services, assaulted him and took him into custody, while other security officials interrogated those attending the service and confiscated Bibles, Christian literature and DVDs.The evangelical Christian from Karaj city was sentenced in 2011 to six years in prison for action against the state. In 2014, it emerged that Irani faced 18 new charges, including one for a capital crime. "Irani has been released from prison and is now free," advocacy group Present Truth Ministries (PTM) was quoted as saying by BosNewsLife. "We thank you all for your prayers. 

The Lord has preserved himPTM said that Irani "came to know Jesus Christ in 1992 and has been a pastor since 2002."In 2008, Irani was given a five year suspended sentence. According to BosNewsLife, "Irani continued his activities as an effective evangelical pastor of a 300-strong house church congregation of the evangelical Church of Iran movement, raising anger among authorities in this strict Islamic nation."PTM said: "Brother Behnam was in prison for two months then he was released on bail in June 2010. In January 2011 he was tried for and convicted of crimes against national security. Basically, in this instance, crimes against national security is holding house church services and leading Muslims to Christ."Irani gave a rare interview with BosNewsLife from prison, through a mediator, saying: "I've the joy of the Holy Spirit. I'm very thankful for Christian activists who are fighting alongside with us." According to a report in Christian Today.

Is Blackk Rasta Now A Christian? - WATCH VIDEO

The Kochoko hit maker Blakk Rasta convert from Rastafarian to christian ?
This is not a rumor nor a joke.
The former Hitz Fm, Taxi driver reggae show host Blakk Rasta has converted to Christianity.
In his recent speech at Assemblies Of God Tema Mitchell camp branch, the popular Ghanaian international Reggae artiste and radio show host Blakk Rasta confirmed he is now a Christian and going to win souls for Christ.
Bellow is the full video as he shares the powerful word of God with the congregation..

Carl Lentz Explains the Premise of Christianity to Oprah Winfrey

Pastor Carl Lentz sat down recently with Oprah Winfrey to explain the premise of Christianity. Winfrey’s take away from their conversation is that Lentz focuses on the relationship aspect of God, not the religious aspect.
“Your goal is to transform the way people experience their relationship with God. Would you say?” Winfrey offers. Lentz agrees with that statement, then expounds: “People waste so much time doing it in their own strength and they can’t figure out why it’s not working.”
Lentz is the head pastor of Hillsong Church in New York city. He says, “I pray churches like ours can give people a clearer view” of what having a relationship with God looks like.
Lentz then goes on to explain what he believes the key to developing a relationship with God is: “I think the premise of Christianity is looking in the mirror going ‘All right, I’m not going to make it. I can’t do enough. God I need you.’ In that moment, I believe there’s a rescue, a salvation, that you can’t counterfeit any other way.”
He says, If you admit your need, repent and “hand over the keys,” God can “do this better than you can.”
At [1:16], the clip ends and what follows is information about Winfrey’s SuperSoul Sunday series. This segment on Winfrey’s show is known for having people of all different faiths and persuasions on to be interviewed by Winfrey on the subject of spirituality.

Lentz is known for being the pastor of a handful of celebrities, and his church is known for drawing large crowds. In our increasingly post-Christian society that is becoming more and more disillusioned with traditional religion, perhaps Lentz’s words on the emphasis on relationship with God over religious practices or a works mindset will help those viewing Winfrey’s show to reconsider their stance on Christianity.

Lest you think Lentz just went on Winfrey’s show to offer a positive feeling message lacking Biblical truth, in the next clip he goes on to talk about the evidence we see in the Bible of Jesus being the only way of salvation. “I know people who think Jesus is an option; he’s a good guy; he was a moralist. I don’t see him like that. I saw Jesus as salvation,” Lentz says.
To Lentz, Jesus is “the answer. He’s the sacrifice; he’s the atonement.” People sometimes get confused with the gospel, though, because “it is good news, but it begins with bad news. We’re all in trouble.” This is the part that people get hung up on: We have to understand that Jesus saved us from our own evil-ness. We have to swallow the pill, so to speak, that says we are sinners in need of salvation, and we cannot find or bring about that salvation in our own strength.
Read More:Church Leaders

Amazing! The Fastest Growing Church In The World Is In The Islamic Country Of Iran.

Everyone loves a good story. As Christians, we especially love stories that tell us how, when all seems lost, God makes a way.

One such story is about the church in Iran—and it’s one of the greatest stories in the world today.

It’s a simple story that can be summarized in just two sentences: Persecution threatened to wipe out Iran’s tiny church. Instead, the church in Iran has become the fastest growing in the world, and it is influencing the region for Christ.

As simple as it is, such an amazing story is worth examining deeper.

Growth Amid Persecution

The Iranian revolution of 1979 established a hard-line Islamic regime. Over the next two decades, Christians faced increasing opposition and persecution: All missionaries were kicked out, evangelism was outlawed, Bibles in Persian were banned and soon became scarce, and several pastors were killed. The church came under tremendous pressure. Many feared the small Iranian church would soon wither away and die.

But the exact opposite has happened. Despite continued hostility from the late 1970s until now, Iranians have become the Muslim people most open to the gospel in the Middle East.

Despite continued hostility from the late 1970s until now, Iranians have become the Muslim people most open to the gospel in the Middle East.

How did this happen? Two factors have contributed to this openness. First, violence in the name of Islam has caused widespread disillusionment with the regime and led many Iranians to question their beliefs. Second, many Iranian Christians have continued to boldly and faithfully tell others about Christ, in the face of persecution.

As a result, more Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries put together since Islam came to Iran. In 1979, there were an estimated 500 Christians from a Muslim background in Iran. Today, there are hundreds of thousands—some say more than 1 million. Whatever the exact number, many Iranians are turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior.

More Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries put together.

In fact, last year the mission research organization Operation World named Iran as having the fastest-growing evangelical church in the world. According to the same organization, the second-fastest growing church is in Afghanistan—and Afghans are being reached in part by Iranians, since their languages are similar.

Read More:Sunday Adelaja

Persecution can’t stop the love of Jesus in North Korea.

God is hard at work even in North Korea, considered as the number one country where Christians are most persecuted.The mainly atheist secretive nation of 24.5 million people is one of the few countries still under nominally communist rule, according to a BBC country profile. Even in this grim, forbidding land, people who believe and follow Christ continue to endure more than 70 years of persecution, the Gospel Herald reports. Christian persecution in the country reportedly became intense after the end of the Second World War in 1945. The government led by its "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung sought to remove all traces of Christianity by conducting a massive crackdown against Christians. In the 1970s, the government announced Christians no longer exist in the country. However, a report released last month by the Christian Solidarity Worldwide said there are thousands of Christians in the country, some of them suffering from extremely harsh torture in labour camps. In some cases, the report said, Christian prisoners are hung on a cross over a fire, and at times crushed under a steamroller. And yet, in spite of all this, Christians remain. In fact, their community is growing, according to an article from the Lausanne Global Analysis.The article notes that since 1995, the North Korean government has allowed about 480 foreign organisations to work in the country, and 70 of these are Christian, including Samaritan's Purse and World Vision.The Lausanne Global Analysis says a large part of the North Korean population centres been exposed to Christian work, detailing that Christian groups are in 85 of the 145 counties and 23 of the 27 cities in the country.Even more surprising was the revelation that the North Korean government is extending tolerance toward these Christian groups since the people leading these groups are reportedly perceived to be people of integrity, aside from the benefits they give to the country. According to a report in ChristianToday.
Source:Gospel Truth

How To Become A Christian Today

Many people believe that to be “saved” (born again), to be a Christian, all that is required is to say and ask the following,  “I believe in Jesus come into my heart, Lord Jesus. ”

This way of believing is based on the following Scriptures in the Protestant Christian Bible New Testament:

John 3:16 KJV – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17 KJV – For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:18 KJV – He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Romans 10:9 KJV – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 KJV – For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Every Word of God is true, but these Scriptures alone are not the complete truth’s about Spiritual Salvation through Jesus’ Atonement.

A person can live a decent, moral, law-abiding life, accepting and believing with their whole heart the above scriptural  passages  and still be spiritually lost.

The following Scriptures are from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth:

Matthew 4:17 KJV – From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:14 KJV – Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

Mark 1:15 KJV – And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Jesus first command was REPENT!

TO REPENT MEANS TO TURN FROM YOUR IDEALS AND PLANS FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE.

REPENT MEANS TO TURN FROM YOUR LIFE OF WANTS AND NEEDS.

REPENT MEANS TO TURN TOO RECOGNIZING AND ADMITTING YOUR NEED FOR JESUS, AS YOUR PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR.

REPENTANCE MEANS TO TELL GOD THAT YOU ARE SORRY FOR NOT HAVING JESUS IN YOUR LIFE AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR.

CONFESSING TO GOD OF YOUR  PERSONAL SORROW FOR LIVING YOUR LIFE YOUR OWN WAY.

REPENTANCE MEANS THE WILFUL SURRENDER OF YOUR HEART AND WILL TO GOD.

REPENTANCE IS COMMITTING YOUR LIFE TO GOD AND JESUS.

REPENTANCE MEANS STUDYING OR BEING READ TO, AND THEN OBEYING THE COMMANDS AND TEACHING OF JESUS, THE APOSTLES, AND EVANGELISTS IN THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN BIBLE NEW TESTAMENT ONLY!

JESUS ALONE IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD!

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO HEAVEN! I

IT’S BY THE GRACE WHICH IS GOD’S POWER, STRENGTH, LOVE, AND FAVOR. THAT ENABLES ALL TO HAVE FAITH IN JESUS AS THE FATHER’S  DIVINE SON AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. THROUGH UNDERSTANDING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF SALVATION, OF REPENTANCE, AND FAITH, ONE CAN BE SPIRITUALLY BORN AGAIN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN IS INITIATED BY GOD THE FATHER’S GRACE, BECOMING SPIRITUALLY BORN IS JUSTIFIED BY  JESUS AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS’ PURPOSE  FOR COMING TO THIS PLANET. UPON THESES UNDERSTANDINGS REPENTANCE IS REQUIRED AS STATED ABOVE.

ONE CANNOT BE BAPTIZED AS A CHRISTIAN, ONE CANNOT CONFESS TO BE A CHRISTIAN. A PRIEST OR MINISTER CANNOT PRAY YOU INTO HEAVEN.  YOU ARE NOT SELECTED BY GOD TO EITHER GO TO HEAVEN OR HELL.

AS JESUS STATED YOU MUST BE SPIRITUALLY BORN AGAIN, AND THIS NEW SPIRITUAL BIRTH CAN AND IS ONLY INITIATED BY THE FATHERS GRACE, JUSTIFIED THROUGH HIS SON JESUS, FAITH IN JESUS’ ATONEMENT, AND REPENTANCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL.

Now let us read some more Scriptures regarding what it means to be a follower (disciple) of Jesus:

Matthew 13:44-46 KJV – [44] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. [45] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: [46] Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Matthew 16:24-26 KJV – [24] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. [25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mark 3:31-35 KJV – [31] There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. [32] And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seeking for thee. [33] And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? [34] And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! [35] For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Luke 6:46-49 KJV – [46] And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? [47] Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: [48] He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. [49] But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Luke 14:26-27 KJV – [26] If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. [27] And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

John 8:31-32 KJV – [31] Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 12:25-26 KJV – [25] He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. [26] If any man serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serves me, him will my Father honor.

John 15:4-8 KJV – [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [6] If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. [8] Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

To be a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus. It is living an NEW life, according to all the teaching of Jesus, the Apostles, and Evangelists in the Protestant Christian Bible New Testament.

St Charles, MO, USA

Norman Oetker Protestant Christian Missionary served in: US., Thailand, Reynosa Mexico, and now in Saint Charles Missouri.

Source:Norman Oetker

Friday,October,15,2016

Palestinian Muslim gives his life to Jesus.

 

Taysir Abu Saada is now on a mission to preach the gospel to Muslims and Jews.

Tass Saada was born to a wealthy family in Gaza, who later fled to Saudi Arabia during the six day war in Israel, and then later to Qatar. Tass says he was a violent child who twice attacked a teacher – once by trying the stab him, later shooting him with a gun. He later went to Syria, where he was trained to use weapons. “My father wanted me to continue studying in Qatar. But I didn’t listen to him. I signed his name on the application form and left Qatar for Syria and there I joined the Fatah movement, which moved me to Jordan. I trained hard and was part of many actions and activities,” he says. After returning to Qatar to meet his family, Tass was sent to the United States, as his family couldn’t cope with his violent ways. There he worked at a French restaurant and came in contact with Charlie who regularly came to eat there. Charlie would later lead him to Jesus. Tass also married an American woman, with the sole intent to get citizenship. He thanks God that they did not divorce and that his wife plays an integral role in his ministry. Tass says he encountered Jesus when he and Charlie went to a building which used to be a burial site, as he planned to start a restaurant. He now runs ‘Hope for Ishmael’ which is an organization dedicated to reaching Muslims and Jews with the Gospel in Israel, Palestine, and other neighbouring areas and also ‘Seeds of Hope’ which is a humanitarian organization.
Read More:Gospel Truth

“I am a Muslim and I love Jesus” – Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II

The Emir of Kano, Lamido Muhammed Sanusi, has said that he loves Jesus Christ even though he is a Muslim.

He took to his instagram page earlier today to make the declaration.

He posted a photo with the caption “Many people are unaware of the fact that one cannot be a Muslim without loving Jesus (Peace be upon him) known in as Arabic Isa (Alayhis Salam).”

Comments from people showed support for his declaration and the picture has over 800 likes after an hour it was posted.

Westminster Abbey service affirms British fight against modern slavery

Prime Minister Theresa May speaking at Westminster Abbey in London during a service and a wreath laying to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and mark the United Kingdom's commitment to combat modern slavery.

A special church service in Westminster Abbey has seen the UK reaffirm its commitment to tackling modern slavery.

The Prime Minister and the UK's two leading church leaders, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster, all made fresh pledges to tackle human trafficking and forced labour at a service in memory of abolitionist William Wilberforce.
Campaigning by William Wilberforce, a Christian, led to the passing of the landmark Slave Trade Act of 1807 which made the British Empire and Transatlantic slave trades illegal.
At the service Theresa May pledged to put Britain at the forefront of the fight to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Mrs May said the Modern Slavery Act which came into force last year meant Britain now had some of the toughest penalties anywhere in the world.
"As Prime Minister, I want Britain at the forefront of this fight, leading the world with our efforts to stamp out modern day slavery and human trafficking.
"This is a global phenomenon that knows no geographical boundaries, crossing not just borders but over the internet.
"So we need a radical domestic and international approach to target every aspect of this despicable trade and strip the slave drivers of the profit they make out of human suffering by putting them behind bars.
"We will work tirelessly, relentlessly pursuing the perpetrators of these appalling crimes so that victims of slavery can go free."

The tomb stone of William Wilberforce at Westminster Abbey in London during a service and a wreath laying to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and mark the United Kingdom's commitment to combat modern slavery. Sources :Premier

How Burkina Faso's different religions live in peace

The Archbishop of Ouagadougou wishes a traditional chief a happy Eid

The Pope has invited Burkina Faso's president to the Vatican later this month to see what can be learnt from the West African nation's example of religious tolerance. BBC Africa's Lamine Konkobo is from Burkina Faso and assesses if this can continue in a region under assault from Islamist militant groups.

Religious tolerance has long been wired into the social fabric of my country, with many people drawing their faith from more than a single creed.
The Islam practised by many Burkinabe Muslims - who account for about 60% of the population - would be considered blasphemous by Salafists, as they include many animist practices.
My own father was not born a Muslim. He converted to Islam in the 1970s as a result of his business dealings with El Haj Omar Kanazoe, a rich trader from the Yarse sub-ethnic group known for their affiliation to Islam.
While my father chose to become a Muslim, setting his children up to follow in his footsteps, the rest of his family remained animist and my father could not disown them for that.

Playing a traditional drum, particularly on Eid, might be seen as un-Islamic but in Burkina Faso it is quite acceptable

In the neighbourhood where he chose to set up his household, he was under the tutorship of his maternal uncle, a patriarch named Yandga who was the custodian of the village's fetishes.
Anywhere my father looked, even if his new co-religionists urged him to hate, he could not have done so without losing his soul.
 Like many others across the country, he had to adapt to the dynamics of society around him by accepting that Islam was not the only way.
Read More:BBC

Refugees take refuge in Jesus Christ.

A growing number of Muslim refugees in Europe are converting to Christianity, according to churches, which have conducted mass baptisms in some places.Reliable data on conversions is not available but anecdotal evidence suggests a pattern of rising church attendance by Muslims who have fled conflict, repression and economic hardship in countries across the Middle East and central Asia.Complex factors behind the trend include heartfelt faith in a new religion, gratitude to Christian groups offering support during perilous and frightening journeys, and an expectation that conversion may aid asylum applications.

At Trinity church in the Berlin suburb of Steglitz, the congregation has grown from 150 two years ago to almost 700, swollen by Muslim converts, according to Pastor Gottfried Martens. Earlier this year, churches in Berlin and Hamburg reportedly held mass conversions for asylum seekers at municipal swimming pools.The Austrian Catholic church logged 300 applications for adult baptism in the first three months of 2016, with the Austrian pastoral institute estimating 70% of those converting are refugees.At Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral in the UK, a weekly Persian service attracts between 100 and 140 people. Nearly all are migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere in central Asia, according to a report in The Guardian. One in four confirmations conducted by the bishop of Bradford, Toby Howarth, over the past year were of converts from Islam. Most were Iranian and most of those were asylum seekers.

A Hindu from Lucknow puts his faith in Jesus.

Sanjay Gupta, hails from a religious Vaishav Hindu family in Lucknow. According to a report in JeevanMarg, Sanjay was involved in his family trade of money lending, but the influx of money into his hands since a young age caused him to take up several bad habits, and also took to selling drugs. Due to his habits, Sanjay was shunned from all family gatherings as scuffles became commonplace. As his parents were very religious, several rituals were performed, Sanjay was given bracelets and amulets to wear, but they did no good. 

Sanjay says that at a time when he was in the darkest phase of life, Jesus spoke to him. Sanjay was scared at first, consulted a Hindu sage and later a Muslim religious leader who specialized in casting out evil spirits. Sanjay says that he later realized that the voice that spoke to him wasn’t evil, but was of the Lord Jesus Christ. After experiencing the love of the Lord, Sanjay decided to follow Jesus, although as a consequence, his family cut off all relations with him, and also refused to give him his inheritance. Sanjay has dedicated his life to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. His testimony is also available on YouTube.
Source:The Gospel Truth Newspaper

Amazing!!! Lebanese Trans-Gender Meets Jesus And Gets Transformed Back To His Real Self!

Two years have passed so far and the Lord was helping me and disciplining me. Before that, I was just a human bound with evil and thrown in its deepest pit.

Ever since I was a child i suffered from evil for I was sexually molested. Moreover, I grew up during war times and my country Lebanon was collapsing.. and I was collapsing along. At home, i used to feel so lonely, usual and weird. At the age of 4, I lost my father and didn’t have the chance to know him well.

Oh how often I threw myself over his bed, hoping he’d come and embrace me, wishing I’d be able to cry out and express the fear, terror and unease I felt toward my defiled body. How I needed to express how disturbed my mind was as I was so ignorant of my situation
.
 I’ve always blamed him and would shout out at him: why did you abandon me?! Why didn’t you protect me from the sufferings and the dilemmas I am enduring now?! Where is the sweet innocence of childhood?! What has become of my masculinity?! Where has love gone?! Why did affection and tenderness disappear?! Where are you dad??!!!

I always felt like an alien, not only at home but at school and in the streets too, where loud filthy belittling and dishonoring words chased and stalked me: sissy, gay, b***h…
Their voices bulldozed all that was left of my pride. My most basic rights were raped and snatched from me.
While the others were playing, having fun and enjoying their life at school, I sat alone, aching, feeling much too older than my colleagues

Years and years passed yet I never found myself comfortable in my skin. On the inside, wars were raging between my body of man and a voice that would whisper saying: if you want to feel strong again, just allow me to erase your image and change you into the image that would satisfy you.

I underwent costmetic surgeries and I let my hair grow long. I gave myself up to dreams and illusions. I laboured for fame and money and became obsessive with perfection. I became so proud and arrogant as I achieved success in the world of Fashion. I danced in night clubs, drank too much alcohol and engaged myself in filthy relationships.
I thought I was reaching happiness and fulfillment but I was wrong.

I only got completely lost in a worse and more hideous maze. All were but illusions and fantasies. I was evermore tormented.
I could not find rest and nothing was able to ease the scars of physical and emotional abuse caused by repeated hitting and usage of damaging and painful words done by my relatives.
Nothing won the war against my unbearable memories.

I helplessly searched for the love that I lacked in the midst of all of this yet, still, i only got used and abused. As I met people who suffered harder lives, my torment only grew deeper and wider and all my desperate tries got me to the same failures. My artificial beauty and my red nights did not bring me happiness.
Until one day, I met a woman who later on became a friend. She preached the Good News to me and told me that all my sorrows and sins could be washed away and that Jesus Christ alone could save and erase it all.
Then I was told what happened at Creation: God created man into His image. He created them man and woman and He blessed them and commanded them to multiply and fill the earth.

This is when I understood that I was a rebel and that I was fighting along with Satan against the will of God, firstly by changing my physical image into a third gender that God did not create, and secondly by going against procreation and childbearing as they are impossible except between one man and one woman. Two women or two men only got their children by asking one man and one woman to create them for them.

I then felt a need to know more about God through the Holy Bible and I found the truth:
I had to be born again. And being born again meant that I would ask God to renew me at heart and recreate me, forgive my sins and transgressions, and grant me back my masculinity and my sound thinking and mind.

Overwhelmed by this wonderful news, I asked God to forgive and change me into the man He created me to be.
Ever since, my life became so different: my days are filled with rest, I enjoy the true peace in my mind and soul, and the true joy of the Lord wraps me.

Thank You Lord Jesus for allowing me to find You. Thank You for pulling me out of the pit of destruction.
May all glory, might, majesty, worship and praise be Yours forever because You alone are worthy.
I love you Jesus!
Source:Antoine Bou Ezz

Pool Where Jesus Healed a Blind Man Discovered, Proves The Gospel of John Is True!

Archaeological evidence now proves the Gospel of John is true.

Though discovered more than a decade ago, the pool of Siloam continues to make headlines, most recently in an analysis by author and speaker Eric Metaxas.

In John 9, Jesus spat in the dirt, rubbed the mud on a blind man’s eyes and then commanded him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam.

Workers stumbled upon this very pool in 2005 while repairing sewage pipes.

“Scholars have said that there wasn’t a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit” to illustrate a point, New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth told the Los Angeles Times. “Now we have found the Pool of Siloam … exactly where John said it was.”

The site of Jesus’ miracle is just one of many in archaeological discoveries verifying the authenticity of the Bible.

The news isn’t so much in the discovery, but in what the site stands for, Metaxas says.

“The point is that it’s become increasingly clear that the default scholarly position of disbelieving the Bible because it is the Bible is untenable,” Metaxas writes. “Of course, Christians should already know that. But it’s still gratifying to see that other people are able to see it, as well. Even if they have to go to the Pool of Siloam to do it.

Bullets can’t stop the Gospel. Christian missionaries preach the good news of Jesus Christ in war-torn Aleppo.

 

Bullets can’t stop the Gospel.

Christian missionaries preach the good news of Jesus Christ in war-torn Aleppo.

Fearless warriors of Christ are giving hope to the hopeless in the war-battered Syrian city of Aleppo. These are the local missionaries who brave bombs and bullets to show the light of God and His redeeming power to the city's battered and endangered residents, according to Christian Aid Mission. Since the Syrian civil war started five years ago, an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 people have been killed, about half of them civilians. But despite the horrific conditions and stink of death everywhere, local Christian workers continue their work of providing spiritual nourishment to the people of Aleppo, giving them strength by keeping their focus on Christ. Part of their work is baptising people who have accepted Christ. Since the beginning of this year, the local missionaries have baptised more than 230 people, according to the director of the gospel ministry in Syria, who talked to Christian Aid Mission.He said on one occasion alone, 53 people were baptised, with each one telling how they came to believe in Christ. The director cited the story of one woman in Aleppo who had dreamt repeatedly of a man who told her that three people would come and bring her good news."She continued to have this dream for six days in a row," he said. On the seventh day, a team of three Christian workers decided to visit her house. "When they opened their Bible, she instantly fell to her knees," the director said."These are the people that the man in my dream told me to meet!" she excitedly told her husband and children.After the Christian workers told them about the saving death and resurrection of Christ and prayed with them, they all embraced Christ, the director said. 
As appeared in www.Christiantoday.com.

The flood couldn’t shake their faith. Several Haitians gather to worship Jesus in churches damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

The flood couldn’t shake their faith.

Several Haitians gather to worship Jesus in churches damaged by Hurricane Matthew.

Survivors of Hurricane Matthew put on their Sunday finest and picked their way through downed power lines to sing praise and pray in ruined churches, while desperation grew in other parts of devastated Haiti and international rescue efforts began ramping up. Guillaume Silvera, a senior official with the Civil Protection Agency in the storm-blasted Grand-Anse Department, which includes Jeremie, said at least 522 deaths were confirmed there alone — not including people in several remote communities still cut off by collapsed roads and bridges.National Civil Protection headquarters in Port-au-Prince, meanwhile, said Saturday its official count for the whole country was 336, which included 191 deaths in Grand-Anse. Despite the loss, families packed what remained the city's churches, many seated in pews under open sky because Matthew ripped away roofs and even walls of the sanctuaries, according to report on Yahoo. At least one was so badly damaged that worshippers set up an altar and prayed outside.Elise Pierre, who said she was about 80, said she believed it was a divine miracle that she and her loved ones survived."If God wasn't protecting us we'd all be gone today, blown into the ocean or up into the mountains," said Pierre, whose straw hat almost concealed a gash on her forehead she sustained when her sheet metal roof collapsed during the height of Matthew's fury. According to report on Yahoo.

PMB Rejoices With Gospel Faith Mission At 60

Pastor E. OAbina

President Buhari

As the Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT) celebrates its 60 years anniversary, President Muhammadu Buhari felicitated with the General Overseer, the leadership, and members of the Christian organization.
According to a statement by his special adviser media, Femi Adesina, in a letter to the church, the President said, “Sixty years is a significant milestone in the life of any individual or organization. As the Gospel Faith Mission International turns 60, it is my pleasure to rejoice with the leadership, the teeming members and adherents of the Christian faith, who worship in the church.
“Six decades of labour in the Lord’s vineyard must have produced innumerable fruits, with great impact from now to eternity. I wish GOFAMINT many more successful decades of fruitful service to the nation.
“As you celebrate, accept my best wishes. And kindly tell your members that a new dawn beckons in the country. We see it ahead, and we shall step into that land of unity and prosperity. God will take us there by His Grace,” President Buhari added.

How RCCG Evangelist was Murdered while Preaching

A Deaconess at the Divine Touch Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Eunice Elisha, was murdered by unnamed suspects while she was preaching around the pipeline area of Kubwa, a satellite town of the FCT on Saturday. Reports indicated that Eunice, a mother of seven, was cut in the neck and stabbed in the stomach.

Reports indicated that Eunice, a mother of seven, was cut in the neck and stabbed in the stomach.

Her husband, Olawale Elisha, who is also a pastor at RCCG, told journalists that his wife had gone out to preach in the neighbourhood at about 5am and never returned home. “My wife always goes out early in the morning for ‘Morning Cry.’ There was a particular day she went out and she told me that there is a mosque at the back where they commented about what she said. So I just cautioned her. “This morning (Saturday), she went around 5am and I was still in bed because we did vigil which she participated in for a while because of the ‘Morning Cry’ she planned to undertake. Two of my boys are footballers, so they went to the field to play. And when they came back, they told me that they heard some footballers saying that some hoodlums had butchered a woman who was preaching early this morning. “So, when I heard this, we trekked down in the shorts I was putting on and we didn’t see anybody but we saw blood on the ground. I asked a policeman around and he said it is true but that they had taken her to Phase 4 Police Station. “I went to the station with my children and when we got there, I saw the lifeless body of my wife at the back of the police van and from there, she was taken to the mortuary. The incident happened between 5am and 5:30am because she usually goes out 5am and comes back 6am.” He said. The deceased, according to her husband was born on July 23, 1974 while he got married to her on July, 2000. Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) Police Command said it has arrested some suspects in connection with the murder of the 42 year-old female preacher. The spokesperson of FCT Police Command, ASP Anjuguri Manzah said the Commissioner of Police, Mr Alkali Usman has directed the homicide section to take over the investigation. “We have made some arrests and they are helping in our investigation. “The commissioner of police has ordered the homicide section of the command to take over the investigation of the case,” he said. The spokesman, however, did not mention the number of suspects arrested. He said that personnel of the command had visited the scene of the incident and investigation had commenced in earnest. 

Some residents of the area where Eunice was killed, speaking under anonymity, said they heard the woman preaching in the morning, before her voice faded off, followed by screams. “I heard her voice as usual in the morning around 5am preaching and at a point, her voice faded. “By the time I woke up to start my morning chores, I started hearing people say that a dead body has been found in my area. “On getting there, I discovered that it was the body of the woman preacher. She is such a nice and jovial person, she doesn’t deserve to die at all and if at all, not in that manner,” a source said. “She was practically slaughtered. Her legs were injured and she was lying in the pool of her own blood before policemen came to evacuate her body,” he said of how the woman was murdered. Another resident simply identified as Idris said: “I heard her preaching today like every normal day. “Later on, I heard someone screaming but because of the security situation in the country, I decided not to come out. “By the time I came out, I saw people gathered discussing the death of the woman. I believe if most people had come out when she screamed, she would have been saved.” Also, the head of security outfit in charge of the area, Sam & Co, Mr. Sam confirming the gruesome manner Eunice was killed said: “I saw a deep cut on one side of her stomach and her leg. “She was not stabbed. I feel if she was stabbed, we would have met her gasping for breath. But when we got to her place because we heard someone shouting blood of Jesus repeatedly, she was already gone. “This is a woman who preaches every morning. She always admonishes people to repent and that the kingdom of God is at hand. “We heard someone shouting the blood of Jesus and we noticed that the rate at which the person was in the pool of her blood.”

Source: Vanguard