Mohammedans’ religion might be sustained by scimitars, but Christians’ religion must be maintained by love.

He who religiously obeys Mahomet may yet be doing grievous moral wrong; but it is never so with the disciple of Jesus: obedience to Jesus is holiness. - C.H. Spurgeon

Posted by Walt as C.H. Spurgeon Gems, Islam at 6:18 AM EDT

No Comments »

by Michelle Brown
http://www.lifeoutreach.org/

Recently I had the privilege of visiting a big cat sanctuary.  There are more than 30 tigers, lions, cougars and other felines housed at this particular refuge.  Each animal has its own story, most of them sad.  A cougar's former owner had tried to de-claw the cat using improper measures, a cruel act necessitating post-rescue corrective surgery.  Another had her front teeth removed, which means she can't eat the meat that is the staple of her diet.  A lynx is missing an eye.  More than one of the animals had been rescued from people who kept them trapped in small, filthy enclosures.  All of the cats' original owners believed they cared about these animals, but their actions proved otherwise.

As disheartening as their stories are to hear, the good thing is that these beautiful cats are now in the care of a wonderful couple who loves them dearly.  Volunteers put in long hours to provide for every animal, not only in terms of food and medical care, but also with interaction and room to play.  It takes daily love and sacrifice, but each worker believes that the payoff is worth the risks.  The goal is to help these animals thrive as much as possible, particularly since they will never be able to live in the freedom they were created to enjoy. They are glorious creatures, but they will forever be chained in captivity.

Like these amazing animals, many people spend their formative years imprisoned in dysfunctional and abusive environments.  The hardest kind of abuse to overcome is that which is perpetrated by someone who says, "I love you," but whose behavior contradicts those three special words.  Whether the abuse is physical, mental, or emotional, victims can spend the rest of their days in captivity.  They, too, need a sanctuary a place of care and healing.  The comparison ends here, though, because big cats aren't people.  Animals don't have the higher reasoning to recognize that they are not truly living in freedom.  These cats couldn't survive in the wild even if they wanted.

People were created in the image of God.  Every individual bears the mark of His glory in his or her person.  Unfortunately, as a result of the fall that glory has been chained.  All of us, in one way or another, have been taken captive.  Sometimes we become so accustomed to our captivity that we don't realize we are imprisoned.  We think it is natural, but we are mistaken.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Walt as Ministries at 9:27 PM EDT

No Comments »

By Rev. T. Myles Weiss MA MFT

Where’s the Muslim Martin?

Where is the voice of reform that will transform this religion of one billion people?

We need a voice similar to Martin Luther, who challenged the forces of corrupt Christianity. In his day, he dared to call for the end of selling indulgences, that vile practice which enslaved poor families by exchanging their hopes of eternity for their meager finances. The church of his era sold empty promises. Luther demanded change. He spoke out for a more spiritual future for those who followed Christ. He called on leaders to admit their failures and change their ways.

We need a voice like Martin Luther King Jr. who challenged the forces of segregation and spoke up for the civil rights of Black people in America. He used non-violent protest to draw attention to this shameful fact of America’s past. His voice changed our country.

We need a voice like Martin Short, whose self deprecating comedic styling may be instructional for the Muslim world, which seems to have a desperate need for a sense of humor. This ability to laugh at one’s self is seemingly absent from the mentality of mainstream Islam. If it is present, we need to hear it.

We are waiting for the “religion of peace” to demonstrate a self-correcting movement toward moderation.  We are waiting for the masses of Islam to demand corrections to Jihadist theology. We are waiting for the civil rights enjoyed by Muslims in America and Israel to be granted to women, Jews, and Christians, Buddhists and Hindus in Muslim lands.

We are waiting for a humanity enhancing humor that reaches across differences and celebrates the universal human condition by “lightening up” and laughing a little.

We are waiting for Martin.

© Rev. T. Myles Weiss MA MFT 2006

_____

Myles Weiss is a Marriage and Family Therapist, Founder of Trust and Triumph, a successful substance abuse recovery group, and Pastor of Beth Shalom. He serves on the leadership teams and boards of several organizations including The Center for Changing Worldviews, Vertical Call and Beulah Prayer House. As co-host on Middle East Affairs for Changing Worldviews TALK Radio with Sharon Hughes, Myles expresses his passion to promote understanding of the pivotal nature of Middle East politics and the need for peace with security. Myles has conducted marriage and family seminars in Russia, organized outreaches in India and trained ministers in Africa, and received his Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Azusa Pacific University. Contact:  mwtherapy@sbcglobal.net .

We live in a changing world…

Sharon Hughes
President, The Center for Changing Worldviews
Host, Changing Worldviews TALK Radio
PO Box 750624
Petaluma, CA 94975-0624
(707)322-3632

Websites: http://www.changingworldviews.com/
http://www.womantalk.us/
Blog: http://changingworldviews.blogspot.com/
Email: sharon@changingworldviews.com
http://www.womantalk.us/

Posted by Walt as Humor, Islam at 9:07 PM EDT

No Comments »

CHICAGO - The criminal case against Repent America (RA) director Michael Marcavage, relating to his arrest and subsequent incarceration during Chicago’s “Gay Games,” has come to a screeching halt. On October 4, the prosecutor announced that neither the alleged “complaining witness,” nor any of the numerous police officers identified as witnesses were willing to come to court to pursue the charges.

The case was continued from August 30 to October 4 when the prosecution advised the court that they had been unsuccessful in their attempts to reach the “complaining witness.” In the interim, the prosecution was to have made special efforts to contact the alleged witness, as well as reach the police officers involved to determine how they would proceed. The prosecution, however, failed to pull together a case, resulting in the “disorderly conduct” charge lodged against Marcavage to be “stricken off the call with leave to reinstate (SOL).” The charge cannot be reinstated unless the prosecution can demonstrate “good cause.”

“Obviously, as these were transparently trumped up charges and as the city could find no credible witnesses ready or able to back them up, the case was tossed on the trash heap where it belonged from the beginning. The case should never have been brought,” stated Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel at the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, attorney for Marcavage. “And now that it has been thrown out, it’s high time that our city be held to make a full accounting for this egregious and disgraceful suppression of fundamental First Amendment liberties on the streets of Chicago,” Brejcha concluded.

Repent America filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Chicago a week prior to Marcavage’s arrest for an incident that took place on July 16, 2006. On this occasion, several RA volunteers were arrested and jailed for several hours, but not charged, for attempting to minister the Gospel on a public sidewalk near Navy Pier. The lawsuit has now been amended to include the July 22, 2006 incident.

"Adding insult to injury, we found on retrieving a videotape of the events leading up to the arrest (outside Wrigley Field, just before the closing ceremonies) that after confiscating the tape the police had recorded over it to destroy this critical evidence, yielding a powerful inference that the videotape would have fully proved our client's utter innocence," said Brejcha. "It was an honor to represent one so intrepid and determined to preach the Word of God in the teeth of such adversity and so near the Gates of Hell," Brejcha concluded.

Related Documents:
Narrative of Arrest on July 22, 2006
Copy of Federal Lawsuit, "Marcavage vs. City of Chicago, et. al."

Posted by Walt as News Events, Social Issues at 12:41 AM EDT

No Comments »

“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been
forgiven–for she loved much; but he who has
been forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47)

by Beth Moore
Life Outreach 

When I was writing Breaking Free, the journey of my own walk with Christ to liberty, I was forced to examine my entire life for the first time. I saw a pattern that developed from my victimization as a child and I became a victim of my own self-destructive personality—cycling from one pit and to another.

I thought you were supposed to act like a big girl, forget the hurt and injured part of your life and walk on. With great energy, I pushed the monster of my past down, so the unhealed, dangerous part of me could stay hidden.

Early on, God put a passion in me to know Him through His Word. I never studied God‘s Word to get healed from the hurts in my heart and my mind, but that is exactly what He did.

We often hear the merciful healing of God compared to peeling an onion–layer by layer. That was my experience, but looking back over the process brought a time of unparalleled warfare. The enemy came for me. He didn't get me, but he got serious hits and I became sick at heart while remembering my family stuff and my wrong choices.

I was scheduled to speak in New Orleans during this time of grieving over my past. In those days, we met in church sanctuaries. We always asked the host church to select a person from their congregation to present a devotional before we began. God used those devotionals profoundly but never like this particular weekend when I was asking, “What in the world am I doing here?”

A woman I had never seen walked in the room. She grabbed a chair and pulled it so close in front of me that our knees touched. She looked me in the eye and from memory, told me the story of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.

She leaned close and said, "I do not know you from Adam. I have never read a single book you have ever written or heard a tape where you have spoken. I have no idea why God has put me in this strange position, but I've come with one message to you from your God. ‘You have been forgiven much and you love much. Go in peace!’”   

When she left the room, I felt pinned to my chair. My praise team had no idea what was going on in my personal life, but I understood why God had sent that woman to say those words to me.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Walt as General, Ministries at 9:42 PM EDT

No Comments »

“By this shall all men know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34)

Tommy Tenney
Life Out Reach  

When I was a child and my family went on a trip by car, my sister and I would immediately declare, “This is my side and that's your side.” The moment we drew the line, a war started. "Dad, her hand is on my side. Dad, his foot is on my side."

My dad, who was a preacher, would quote his favorite scripture, "Don't make me have to stop this car!"  We were arguing about controlling and possessing our side of the car, but the car belonged to my father.

The body of Christ does the same thing. We draw artificial lines and argue our sides, but it is His car, it is His kingdom, and it is His purpose. The church has a problem with false ownership. It is not my church or your church; Jesus bought and paid for it with His blood. All He really wants is no more fighting in the back seat.

In John 17, Jesus prayed a prayer that I believe he had prayed privately many times, but in this setting it was prayed aloud for his disciples to hear. He had seen how His disciples wouldn’t wash each other’s feet, so the Son of God demonstrated the spirit of a servant.

Jesus prayed the same thing five times in different ways each time. “Father, I pray that they would be one. That they would be one as you and I are one; that they may be made perfect as one,” Ironically, it is the only prayer Jesus prayed that was never answered.

How could He pray three words at the tomb of Lazarus and raise the dead but pray five times for unity and it not happen? Does that mean His prayers were not powerful?  Of course not. I just think it is easier for God to deal with a dead carcass than a live ego.

We are called to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). When we sacrifice our own agendas and come into mutual submission to Him and one another, we demonstrate the spirit of a servant. Too many among us are driven by our own agendas and not His agenda.

Unity is where the real battle lies. Satan doesn’t care whether it is between denominations, gender prejudice or racial prejudice; he just wants to divide. Disunity is the weapon he uses to destroy God’s dream of a unified church.

If we don’t live in submission to God and each other, then the world will recoil from our disunity and division. The world will turn from God because of us. Only when we become one and act in unity as Jesus prayed will we prove to be unstoppable, unbeatable and relentless in bringing down the gates of hell. It is time the one unanswered prayer of Jesus Christ be answered by the church.

But Matthew 18:19 says, “And I say unto you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” When God sees unity, He dials up the power.

This Week
Let’s link arms and hearts in one accord. The season for prayer and supplication for unity is upon us.

Prayer
“Lord, I will answer the prayer of Jesus in John 17. I will help create unity in my home, community, with my local church, and the body at large to erase man-made lines of division. I commit to relate to all Christians. He who calls my Father his Father, I will call brother.”

Don't miss the movie One Night With The King, based on Tommy's best-selling book, opening nationwide on Friday, October 13. Find out more at http://www.lifetoday.org/site/R?i=EIwbXg_EOdlsdAbxZ_H88Q..

Posted by Walt as Ministries, The Bible at 4:59 PM EDT

No Comments »

At 8:00 one evening, Prasad lay down to sleep as usual. However, as he would soon find out, the evening would be anything but normal, as his sleep was interrupted by two bizarre dreams.

In both dreams, dark-clothed men surrounded Prasad, but a host of angels fought on Prasad's behalf with bow-and-arrow, swords and other weapons. The angels won the battle, and the men of darkness fled.

Prasad was unsure of what the dreams meant, and the vivid scenes frightened and disturbed him. That night, he also noticed something very unusual about the Gospel tract lying on the table near his bed. The picture of Jesus on its cover began to increase in size and even started speaking to him.

Then a man dressed in dark clothes appeared behind Prasad. But an angel came, watching the man and tenderly stroking Prasad's bed. Prasad was then able to sleep peaceably for the rest of the night.

The following afternoon, frightened by the evening's events, Prasad went to GFA missionary Indra and returned the Gospel tracts, as well as the Bible she had given him. She responded by asking whether he had been able to read all the tracts and the Bible, and strongly encouraged him to read all the literature. But Prasad refused to take any of it.

Later that day, as Prasad was outside washing his hands for his evening meal with his family, he saw another vision. A white-robed angel in a thick cloud motioned for Prasad to come to him—but Prasad was afraid to approach. Then suddenly, a man in a black gown appeared behind Prasad again—but fled when he saw the angel. The angel then told Prasad to listen and take heed to everything Indra, the GFA missionary, had told him.

Early the next morning, Prasad visited Indra and her women's outreach team, asking for the Bible and Gospel tracts. Knowing nothing of the preceding day's events, Indra was puzzled, but happily gave him the materials. Prasad shared with the team his whole story, starting with the unusual dreams from a couple of nights earlier.

The women encouraged Prasad by telling him about a man who had become a Christian after seeing visions. And as they clearly shared the Gospel, Prasad believed and placed his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Rejoicing, the women patiently answered Prasad's questions about the Christian faith and also explained to him the importance of prayer.

Give God thanks for this soul that has been called "out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV). The women's team would be so grateful for your prayers that Prasad's family, too, will embrace faith in the Savior.

Source: Gospel For Asia

Posted by Walt as Ministries, Witnessing at 9:18 AM EDT

No Comments »