Christian leaders inviting Muslim leaders to love God and one another.

Reported on Moriel: Christian Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors Together

As Christians ought to live peacefully as commanded in 1 Tim 2:1-2,

 1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

We need to remember that the pre-requisite for peace is central in our daily pursuit in fellowship and in relationship with God through Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit. That we are urged, to pray for peace for those in authority, SO we can live peaceful and quiet lives IN ALL GODLINESS AND HOLINESS. While i see and be convicted now that I ought to live a life in peace with Muslims or even other faiths, but there is a difference in compromising our reasons for peace, with Muslims. As much as i stressed the importance of living in peace with the muslims, there is an irreconcilable difference between Christians and Muslims being, Jesus is God, our Lord and Saviour, through whom our redemption to God is possible, that Muslims will never accept. So i ask, on what basis can such Ecumenical movement advance the Kingdom of God, of which Jesus is the Cornerstone?

Audio House – Cheapskate marketing gimmick?

A Digital SLR going for S$519 is too good to be true, but until I was directed to a SMALL FINE print on the brochure, that says, only if you can guess the first number of the 4D Lottery, then you are entitled to the special price on a rebate in terms of an Audio House Voucher to buy something else from the store. Another customer walked past saying SCAM.

SCAM indeed as Audio House tries to compete in such underhanded marketing gimmicks just sickened me to the core. You can be sure, with these cheapskate tactics to draw crowds, the reputation of the store will suffer significantly to another long list of SCAM store that cheats and deliberately misdirect information on its products and price to swindle customers.

The golden compass – movie that kills god.

“The Golden Compass” is a movie that introduces children to a series of books. The author said “my books are about killing God.” He wants to “kill God in the minds of children.” The movie’s website allows visitors to answer a set of questions and create their own “daemons” that journey alongside them in life. Please consider getting these and giving them out at theaters that screen the film. – Way of the Master

Please spread the word on this movie ” The Golden Compass ” that we should see how another waves of atheism spreading to kill ‘God’ by attacking the children, just like how Harry Potter movies introduce Occult to the minds of our children. 

Ken Behr and ECFA on the Financial probe of the churches

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11560285/

It is interesting to note that, through the interview transcript of Ken Behr from ECFA (Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability) that NONE of these six ministries are part of ECFA.

Ken brought out some of the key pointers from the investigations that includes the available financial gain through the church and ministries should be first for the community in fulfilling the great commission and the Great Commandment to love God and each other. And why Grassley has decided to investigate these ministries is that many of these people got rich through perhaps illegal means via the tax exempted laws and maybe it is not illegal, but when called to the stand under oath, a $35,000 conference table and a $12,000 toilet would be hugely embarrassing to the ministers. In the eyes of the laws, they might be ‘clear’ but how will they account to God and to those who gave their money when they are struggling for a meal a day for their family when these ministers travel in private jet, live in a multi million dollar mansion, driving an expensive car, and dine in fine restaurants? I cannot see how these ministers now can preach about servanthood, or carrying their cross on the pulpit.

One more thing is that it is a tragedy that we need the secular government to ‘judge’ these ministers when the Church has failed on the whole to do it in the first place. Is the Church too dead to greed, monetary fixation to even recognize the yeast of the pharisees in these ministries?

5 kinds of Christians – Christianitytoday.com

The above chart is a survey of Christians who attend Church in America. It is not very clear what’s the level of participation in being ‘Christianness’ are the Americans and what it means by involving in Church beyond Worship? I wonder how the chart will look like for Singapore Christians?

Active Christians 19%

• Believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ
• Committed churchgoers
• Bible readers
• Accept leadership positions
• Invest in personal faith development through the church
• Feel obligated to share faith; 79% do so.

Professing Christians 20%

• Believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ
• Focus on personal relationship with God and Jesus
• Similar beliefs to Active Christians, different actions
• Less involved in church, both attending and serving
• Less commitment to Bible reading or sharing faith

Liturgical Christians 16%

• Predominantly Catholic and Lutheran
• Regular churchgoers
• High level of spiritual activity, mostly expressed by serving in church and/or community
• Recognize authority of the church

Private Christians 24%

• Largest and youngest segment
• Believe in God and doing good things
• Own a Bible, but don’t read it
• Spiritual interest, but not within church context
• Only about a third attend church at all
• Almost none are church leaders

Cultural Christians 21%

• Little outward religious behavior or attitudes
• God aware, but little personal involvement with God
• Do not view Jesus as essential to salvation
• Affirm many ways to God
• Favor universality theology

The Bible spoke of 4 types of Christians too! Matthew 13:18-23

 18“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Predominately, the scriptures identify the 4 types of people which the Word was sowed.

Faith in the Death of Reason

Some said, we are not living to the full abundance until we know why we are here, and what God has intended for us to do in this life, as in our call. That’s why there’s always an urge to search for our calling, or the question, “Why we are here on earth?”

It was interesting just a couple of days ago, when Mercy asked me if i can hold a talk on Evolution in the Youth Service, quite hesitatingly i agreed to it. However, with where the world is heading in these apathy towards faith, i can see where the next battlefield Christianity will face in the area of intellectualism, the ideal fitting front where the walls of Christian faith is beginning to show cracks with Atheism and Evolution taking up arms against a faith as alien to the darkened minds.

Well do look out for more info on the date i will be sharing with the youth and i will welcome all to join in for discussion, I hate to see myself as teaching but more of sharing will be more appropriate.

In a taxi

On my way home last night from Mercy’s place, the weather was extremely warm, humid and it was really uncomfortable. Waited a couple of minutes for a cab but none showed up, (well two of them went off on the opposite side of the road), and until this cab showed up out of nowhere, and it was all frosted up!

I was like “WOW” i love it. I love the cold freezing temperature inside the cab, and for once, i enjoyed a cab ride. I even give the uncle tips! Then i realized, hey God knows how uncomfortable i was at that moment and He sent this cab out of nowhere to pick me up? It is perhaps one of those reminders that God does care, it is just that I am too short sighted, that i would only see what i want to see ahead, but the bigger picture is usually, much more beautiful than what we see in front of us.

Human Rights: China detains managers of Australian company for spreading christianity

BEIJING, CHINA — Three senior employees of an Australian owned multi-million dollar bio-engineering corporation in China’s Guangdong province remained detained Thursday, November 22, and their company closed, over allegations of involvement in “illegal” Christian activities. It came after Guangzhou Enoch Biological Science and Technology Co., was raided by various Chinese government agencies, said Christian rights group China Aid Association (CAA). Read on the article, click here

Christian Group sueing BBC

Stephen Green, national director of Christian Voice, said in 2005 that the show portrayed Jesus as a “coprophiliac sexual deviant”. A coprophiliac is someone who is sexually aroused by faeces. The British musical, based on the US television programme, was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002. It moved to the National Theatre in 2003, and then to the West End. It toured the UK for 22 weeks in 2006, and is now showing in New York. The BBC televised the opera in 2005. – Guardian UK

A group of Christians are sueing BBC for televising the blasphemous play by Jerry Springer – the Opera. At first, i thought that Christians should try not to get into a situation we have to sue someone, or some organization, are these Christians doing the right thing? I am sure for one, reserves all judgment in God’s hands. And even the scriptures are clear that in the end days, people will be lovers of themselves and blatant blasphemous of anything holy and will be the representation of the Spirit of the Anti Christ. I am not surprised nor shocked by the audacity of these people, nor any commercial entity hoping to get a profit out of these rubbish, but my concern is whether it is right for a Christian to get involved in this legal entanglement?

Hit the street with the gospel! Join us!

We will take the gospel to the streets – Clark Quay, next Saturday 1 Dec 2007 at night! If anyone wants to join us in this adventure with God, drop me an email : daniel.ho@gmail.com

The place is one of the nightspots with lots of people who needs God. We will be going down with some tracts, and we will be praying for these people! Pray for God to prepare the hearts of these people and let the Holy Spirit move before us, for we dare not move ahead of what God wants to do.

On the edge of spiritual dis-satisfaction!

Was watching this drama on the mobile-TV on board the bus last night call “Life Story” and sometimes, i just looked at the world, the gross injustice on why good people has to suffer sometimes while the wicked prospers! It reflects how wicked and sinful human race has become, or rather fallen into. I see such injustice day in day out, from old folk begging for a living selling tissue papers when people walked past them, and i do not care about whether these are from a syndicate, because they do get paid, if they are, and what’s $1 to support them? I see how people are not getting a chance at life especially ex-convicts, or even people who had done wrong. If Christ has forgiven their sins, who am i to judge them? How self righteous i am!

Was talking to Mercy one night why Christians are sometimes worse off than Non Christians. One reason is that most of the time, Christians tend to be self righteous, when non christians are not. They accept people more readily than people who are forgiven and ought to extend that same Grace and Mercy shown to them, but failed to. The injustice among the world is not as heart breaking as those witnessed within the Church. Where millions around us are dying, without God, without proper meal, and here we are, ministers who suppose to represent God, are enjoying a millionaire lifestyle with private jets, million dollars estate, and driving luxury cars. These ministers and Christians live like Kings on this earth, but forgotten about servanthood and as bond slaves in the Kingdom of God. One thing i realized, why i do not want to talk about the slums in India, because, i see the same condition of hopelessness, and desperation in my country, with old folk off Commonwealth Close, Toa Payoh, the modern slum littering the ‘dark alleys’ of our sophisticated cosmopolitan society. Why are Churches building a multi million dollar corporation and neglecting the essence of Christian lifestyle – to care for the poor, widow and orphans of our nations? Where do i direct such anger that i, echoed what Paul said, the chief of all sinners, except that i am nothing like Apostle Paul.

Where am i heading? A deeper intimacy with God will cause a radical dis-satisfaction with your spiritual life, and with your life and ultimately your attitudes and values. One cannot hold on to their WANTS, and not nailed it to the Cross, and carrying it daily if we desire to follow Christ. He demand nothing less than total commitment. Jesus is coming back real soon, real soon, and when He does, will he say, “Good and Faithful servant” or “Away from me, i do not know you.”

An urgent desperation!

I love what’s on the homepage of the Desperation Band – a generation in desperate pursuit of God. After listening to the song “Coming your way” which my heart cries for the presence of God. Oh how feeble and pathetic my effort in living this life so far, so lacking in the FIERY passion to pursue Him. Dare i to take a stand with His banner lifted up high in desperation to see God move in this generation that we will see millions turn to Him? God how we need you to move or we will die!

Trials by Fire

Fear is the shadow of Faith – Pastor Doug.

The same is true that trials are the shadows of every moments of intimate with God. A Christian who seeks to find God and to seek God with all his heart, is a definite target for the devil. But surely, with every passing of the storm, the sun will shine. The storm will pass, no matter how bad it is, God still reigns sovereign. My trials by fire lasted one day, from sheer intimate moments with God to the gates of hell, and i can only thank God for His grace and Mercy!

Rest

Pastor Bruce Allen talked about the 7th Day of Creation where God created Rest, that He make it holy for us. As I was talking to God while walking to work, Oh how i enjoyed coming into His presence and just chat with Him as Adam before his fall in the garden of Eden.

God created Rest for one more purpose and that’s fellowship in intimacy. Notice that God in the state of Rest, walked among the garden looking for Adam, and they had fellowship. There, I know why I am created, for the very purpose of having a fellowship with God, in us, we desire and we seek the very purpose of fulfilling that ‘hole’ in us, only God can satisfy. When I came into His presence, there is a fullness of joy, joy radiating from an intimate fellowship in connection with something bigger than ourselves, and that overwhelms. I am not perfect until I am called back or caught up when Jesus comes again, till then, i know for sure, despite the flaws and the serious problems in my character, i am justified by my faith in God fully. That’s REST. Rest is not just on the Sunday, but Rest comes when we come face to face with the Almighty God.

Financial investigation rocks White’s Kingdom

Pastor Randy White announced he will not quit despite the investigations on Sunday morning service.  And the financial investigation is not the only thing besieging Randy and Paula White. The ministers Randy and Paula White are due for divorce after 18 years of marriage. The mismanagement of White’s ministry in financial area, rocked the church where broken promises of Randy White has caused questions on his ministry.

As the pressure mount on the Kingdom of White which is built on lavish lifestyle, not counting the millions of dollars properties owned by White and the Church, the expensive cars and others, and the expensive split of Randy and Paula White, into the millions are not the only signs showing.

I believe God is aligning the major ministries in America, especially those who abuse the trust given to those on the pulpit and in leadership, with the aspect of managing finances and be counted as good steward of the financial wealth God has entrusted, not wasting on lavish lifestyle befitting of a pharisees, in the process of pulling out the weeds, it is in God’s hands, the dealings of these pastors with respect of His Mercy, that we should all be praying for – Not just justice be done, but Grace be poured out on these pastors, that their souls will be saved, not put out to the dangers of the fire of hell by their pride and greed.