Celebration Ministries

The last few weeks have brought to light the limited abilities and powers of politicians; no government seems to have fully anticipated the financial turmoil. For years the markets have been given a free hand, resulting in common sense being thrown out the window in the name of greed. Politicians passed laws that enabled and at times drove lenders to give money to people, who really had no business to get into debt. Banks took the cues and drove up the debts to unimaginable proportions.

If you checked Focus on the Family’s website a few weeks ago you would have found a video with a call for prayer. This was a prayer request that a torrential rain storm would drown out Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, at his rally at Invesco Field in Denver. Once the media got a hold of this, pressure mounted, and Focus on the Family apologetically withdrew the video. Ok, so we all make mistakes. I suppose even those who believe that such a prayer would be God’s will realize how ridiculous this looked. The person who produced the video stated that he believed God would show His divine disfavor towards Obama, by a torrential downpour beginning the very minute the program started. Of course, this would only happen if born-again believers prayed hard enough.

The most famous dissident of the Soviet era, Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, passed away last week at the age of ninety. To my way of thinking, he was a giant, not because I agree with everything he said or wrote, but because he exhibited a rare quality. Solzhenitsyn believed in something beyond his own personal wellbeing and convenience, which is probably a common human trait, but here is what stands out: he dared to give voice to what he believed, no matter what the consequences.  Now granted, most of us live in societies where we can believe and say whatever we desire and there are no negative repercussions. We can think, say and write whatever we want about political and religious leaders; our television networks produce comedy shows that mock anyone who is in the public’s eye; we can picket, demonstrate and shout obscenities without fear of any real consequence. Sure, someone may be detained for a couple of hours but no one is going to jail long-term and certainly no one is going to be shot in a back alley for voicing an opinion.

I know you all have heard of Dr. Phil. He has a lot of insights into human relationships and he gives helpful advice. I’m sure many are able to enjoy self-improvements as a result of listening to Oprah’s favorite doctor.

Most gospel believers were appalled when the news media ran clips recorded at a Sunday morning service in September 2001 when the Rev. Jeremiah Wright declared, “God Damn America.” Reactions to the pastor’s outburst ranged from amazement to outrage. Rev. Wright is the retired pastor of the South Chicago church where Presidential nominee, Barack Obama worshipped for more than 20 years.

In his book, Whistling In The Dark, Frederick Buechner writes, “There is perhaps no better proof of the existence of God, than the fact that year after year he survives the way his professional friends promote Him. If there are people who remain unconvinced let them tune into their TV’s for almost any of the big time pulpit pounders almost any Sunday morning of the year.”

Two weeks ago the Vatican reported that Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single religious denomination in the world. According to the Vatican 2008 yearbook, Muslims make us 19.2% of the world’s population, compared with Catholics at 17.4%. Roman Catholic statistician Monsignor Vittorio Formentti said, “For the first time in history we are no longer at the top: the Muslims have overtaken us”

I must admit I am biased, not for Obama, Clinton or McCain, but I do tend to view things from the perspective of the gospel. World events, elections, no matter what is going on, I ask myself: is this a positive or a negative for the Gospel? Initial excitement for a political candidate can quickly change to disappointment. I remember in 1976 when, then candidate, Jimmy Carter announced he was born again. It had been unthinkable for a politician to admit such a thing, so naturally I felt incredible joy. In retrospect our opinions differ on the effectiveness of the Carter presidency. Whenever we deal with humans we are bound to, at some point, be disappointed.

I have traveled to Africa for more than 25 years, and there is no country I have visited more than Kenya. To me Kenya has always represented Africa’s best hope for democracy and peaceful interracial relationships. This is why it is so shocking to hear the devastating news over the past weeks. Kenya has always struck me as a country of optimism, but obviously that good feeling has taken a hit after the December 27th election.

People from most religions aspire to live according to a code of good morals, and Christians are no different. The Judeo-Christian morals are best summarized in the Ten Commandments. However, when it comes to how to live a moral life, Christians who believe the Gospel view things vastly different from other religions. Within Christianity there are two very different schools of thought; one based on the Gospel of grace, and the other a moralistic view of Christianity. The Gospel view is that good morals are unattainable by human effort. Though an appearance of morality can be obtained through various rules, rituals and behavior modifications, true morality starts with a transformed heart.

The Bible contains thousands of promises. In the Old Testament we find promises concerning the coming Messiah, God’s salvation plan for the world, and promises for the Jewish nation; promises of blessing, inheritance and divine favor. All these promises, no matter who they are promised to, have one common denominator, one thing which regrettably has eluded millions of Christians. Look at these words:
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ...was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:18-20)

One of my absolute favorite characters in the Bible is Andrew. We hardly know anything about him. There is virtually only 5-6 scriptures that mention his name and none of them are overly specific, but even amidst the little that we know; he amazes me. Every time Andrew is mentioned he is bringing people to Jesus. Whether they be Jew or Gentile it didn’t matter to him. He knew that everyone needed Jesus and that Jesus was here for everyone.

The devil has no power. His only means of influence is to deceive believers, and if we believe the devil’s lies we empower him. Consider the demonic opposition recorded in the books of Acts; believers were made homeless, taken to prison and beaten. Philip went to a city dominated by witchcraft. Paul preached in cities where idolatry and magic held sway over the people. How were these evil forces were dealt with?

No matter what your job, career or experience, one of the ditches that any person can fall into is overconfidence. Especially when you focus on yourself and your own strengths and experiences. Here Peter pledges his unwavering devotion to Jesus, but there is one element of his commitment that is lacking - humility. He doesn’t come to the Lord in humility and proclaim it; he boldly pronounces it to both Christ and all of His disciples that he will never fall away. Peter’s bold proclamation reminds me of some of the worship songs that we sing on Sunday: “I will do this Lord”, “I will do that”, “I will go here” “I will go there”. These are fine, but if they are missing the needed reliance/dependence on God’s grace then they aren’t going to amount to too much.

Have you checked the bestsellers lists recently? Atheism has an audience in our nation. This could mean that the number of so-called atheists is on the increase, or that believers are buying books to find out what the atheists are saying. Two authors, whose books have reached considerable popularity, are Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. I have read enough of one of Mr. Hichens’s books to recognize he is re-hashing the arrogant thoughts of those who have defied God throughout the centuries. The Bible is clear that only the fool says in his heart “there is no God”. This does not mean that atheists are fools in all areas of life, but to deny a Creator in the face of nature’s splendor is utter foolishness.

Seeing, but not seeing, is a common problem. Christians see that Jesus carried their sins, but they still don’t see themselves righteous; Jesus bore their sickness, but they have a difficult time to see themselves healed. We see that Jesus has become our righteousness, redemption, wisdom and sanctification, but somehow we still look for all of the above. Out of one side of the mouth we say, “God has given us everything in Christ,” and out of the other side we claim to be a very “needy people”. On the one hand we agree with Jesus that if we drink the water He gives we’ll never thirst again, while on the other we say, “Lord, I’m so thirsty for you”. Do you see the contradictions? Is this schizophrenic life normal Christianity?

When I wrote my latest book, “My Muslim Friends,” I anticipated some backlash. We Christians often view Muslims as aggressive, but we don’t always realize that we can be pretty aggressive ourselves.  Well, my expectations have been realized.

Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” JOHN 18:10, 11

Her wizened face expressed bewilderment; “I don’t understand, who are you talking about?” I was taking a stroll with some of our team members in the outskirts of Bali’s capital, Denpasar. This was the third person I had stopped to talk with and her answer proved to be the same as the previous two responses.

Almost all Christian publications carry frequent articles about Israel and ours is no exception. Topics typically range from political support for the nation of Israel in its current military struggle, to encouraging Christian tourists to visit, to articles that promise blessings to those who bless the Jews. 

There is no better time to reflect on the joy of being a Christian than at a funeral. This past week Toronto experienced a tragic loss (if you want to you can google the young man’s name Jordan Manners) a wonderful 15 year old boy who died under mysterious circumstances at his school in the North West end of the city. While the circumstances surrounding his death may be mysterious the cause was not - he died of gun violence. At the funeral there was a tremendous amount of grief, anger and resentment (emotion in general) expressed. Why did this happen? Who’s to blame? What will be done about it?

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Israeli - Arab war that dramatically changed the map of the Middle East, initially tripling the land governed by the nation of Israel. The conflict in 1967 was preceded by months of escalation of tension culminating on June 5th by the Israeli Air Force destroying 400 aircraft of Syria, Jordan and Egypt; most of them on the tarmac. Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula after four days of battle, and when Jordan and Syria joined Egypt, Israel counter attacked. By June 7th Israeli troops had captured Jerusalem’s old city and had taken control of the entire West Bank. By June 10th both Jordan and Egypt had accepted a cease-fire, while Israeli forces had also captured the Golan Heights. Syria accepted a cease-fire by June 10th.  The war left 679 dead Israelis and an estimated 21,000 dead among the Arab nations. Thousands of others were injured.

“Professional help” is the cure most often suggested when someone has been involved in a moral failure.  In other words, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the word of God is for the little daily challenges, but in a serious dilemma professional help is the answer.  I don’t for a moment minimize the common sense one can gain from professional counseling.  Human wisdom is not to be despised, but it is not a cure for sin.  The apostle Paul reveals that the cause of sin is a lack of grace.  Laws, rules and reliance on self make us prone to sin, while grace causes us to reign over temptations. (Romans 5:17) Sin doesn’t have dominion over us when grace is abounding. (Romans 6:19)

If the current Christian scene were a football game, I’d say we are in the fourth quarter and if you look at the scoreboard legalism has an insurmountable lead over grace. This has been an ongoing battle for 2000 years; the legalism of the Pharisees vs. the unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor of God presented by Jesus. There is a line between those who uphold the traditions of men based on merits versus Jesus the friend and transformer of sinners. The Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) dealt with this ongoing conflict where certain “Judaizers” wanted to lay more “burdens” on the new believers.  That time the truth prevailed, and it was agreed that we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  In Antioch, the same battle continued as Paul had to publicly rebuke Simon Peter and his spiritual mentor Barnabus because they were slipping into legalism instead of standing by the message of Christ alone and grace alone (Galatians 2).

Revolutions or reformations are not needed in every generation; it is only when things have gone so far that the very foundations of people’s belief systems need to be challenged. Martin Luther lived in such a time. The predominant Christian religion of his day was selling salvation and the forgiveness of sin for monetary gain in the market place. Are we due for another reformation, or as I often call it, a gospel revolution?

“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern” PHILIPPIANS 3:17

It never ceases to blow my mind who Christians emulate. Idolatry seems to be alive and well (in North American Christian circles anyways) as each week numerous men and women are described to me as “strong Christians” or “spiritual people”. I don’t know who you look to but first and foremost I can’t stress enough that Jesus is our example. And the Apostle Paul is our example. And in case some are saying, yeah but I can’t see them in physical form right now, then look to those who follow in the pattern of Jesus’ teaching. Look to those who adhere to the doctrines of Paul; who believe as Paul believed. In every life there are patterns. Many times I find that people who make a mistake one year, make the same one the next year and the next year, etc. I believe that Paul addresses this very pragmatically when he says “follow my example” and “use my life as a pattern”. Here are some modern day entrapments for a believer.

I have just about seen enough articles, teaching albums, etc. advertised under titles like “Greasy Grace”, “Crazy Grace”, or “Grace Gone Wild”. While I am sure that just about everything can be abused, even grace because the Bible says so. These three titles that warn against the grace message don’t have a clue and often have little or no knowledge of what the message is. Instead they build up a phantom and an attack that their imagination has created. It goes something like this: “Those who preach a radical message of God’s grace are people looking for a low commitment, a low level Christian life where anything goes because sin is tolerated (after all, Jesus paid for them).” Often writers are connecting the message of grace with general moral decay in the church and in the world. I used to have this opinion of grace teaching myself only seven or eight years ago. I had never really heard the message but just assumed that people who would preach that all sin, past, present and future had been paid for by Jesus, couldn’t be doing anything good with their sermons, in fact they must be something negative (creating a license to sin).

Perhaps this week would be best served up discussing the issue of questions (or maybe a better term would be “questioning”). It appears that throughout the Old and the New Testament the Lord encouraged questions. If you desire to have a fun-filled Saturday afternoon you could start in Psalm 1 and read all of the questions that David asked God throughout the entire book (time well spent J). Actually there is a good parallel here between David’s questions and Job’s questions. Certainly by most scholarly accounts, there is no indication that David ever realized that (at least) his psalms would be read by any one other than himself. Those beautiful, and complex thoughts are his towards the Lord and we all can relate from time to time. Yet David was a man after God’s own heart. There is no indication that the Lord ever rebuked him for his private questions. He and the Lord shared a deep and glorious friendship that was only strengthened in the secret place. When you read the psalms part of you wonders if David even wants answers to most of his questions. Read Psalm 9: “I will praise You, O Lord…” on and on it goes. Then read Psalm 10: “Why do you stand afar off, O Lord…” on and on it goes. It’s downright hilarious and it perfectly mirrors an emotional “Believer” today (at times). Yet throughout his entire life David demonstrated a trust in the Lord – even though he had questions all the time.

A survey was made of over 4000 laymen in 114 evangelical churches across the U.S. They were asked, “Do you feel the preaching on Sunday relates to what’s going on in your life?” Over 83% saw virtually no connection between what they heard on Sunday morning and what they faced on Monday morning. I find this an amazing statistic considering the first century ekklesia was extremely relevant to every aspect of a person’s life.

I remember when I used to enjoy being called a fundamentalist or call myself a fundamentalist. That was back when fundamentalism meant, “Clinging to unchanging truths.” In that sense, I am still a fundamentalist, clinging to the unchanging reality of what Jesus has done through His death and resurrection and what He is doing in His present day ministry as our exalted King.

As almost everyone knows who watches the news, the Discovery channel just aired a so-called documentary, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”, produced by Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron of “Titanic” fame. This is just the latest in a series of attacks on the authenticity of the Gospels and Christian belief concerning Jesus. The story line of the film is that Jesus’ family tomb has been found near Jerusalem, that the ossuary (casket) held the bones of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their supposed son, Judah, as well as others from Jesus’ “family”. My friend Dr. Eddie Hyatt made some interesting statements in his newsletter this week. Let me summarize his thoughts and then add a few of my own…

I saw a catchy slogan the other day outside of a Church which read:
“When you were born, your mother brought you to church…When you were married, your wife brought you to church… When you die, your friends will bring you to church… Why not try coming to church on your own sometime?” I think that many pastors must feel that these types of phrases bring people in off the streets. Indeed “the Church” has become a pretty interesting place nowadays – you never know quite what you’re going to get dependant on where you are from week to week and from place to place.

How are we saved, and what is the means of our salvation? Amazingly, much confusion exists among evangelical and charismatic Christians on this topic. A recent issue of Christianity Today heralded an increased acceptance of Calvinism, which prompted me to read a couple of books on this subject. Well, now I am even more convinced of the need to address the subject of salvation.

A very common sermon in today’s day and age seems to be “Religion Bashing”.

You can dress it up any which way you want to - “God hates religion”, “Religion kills” whatever. I must confess that I have preached one or two of these types of sermons myself.

How will America, Canada or any nation experience spiritual transformation? Is moral legislation the answer? What about more Christian politicians? Popular columnist and news commentator, Cal Thomas, who has been a Christian right political activist since Ronald Regan was first elected president, used to think so. Back then the idea was (and still is with many) that if only enough “real” Christians were elected in all levels of government we’d have honesty, integrity, moral laws and godly judges. America [or Canada or whatever nation would follow this path] would then be a truly Christian nation. Cal Thomas now sees things differently; Christian politicians and morality will not change America, but a grassroots spiritual awakening.

But so much the more the news spread abroad concerning Him, and great crowds kept coming together to hear [Him] and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. But He Himself withdrew [in retirement] to the wilderness (desert) and prayed. LUKE 5:15, 16

Jesus attracted people. There is no other way to read/interpret scripture. Wherever Jesus went, whatever Jesus did, whomever Jesus spoke with; He attracted multitudes. It’s true that the miracles attracted people. Undoubtedly some came to stand off in the distance and see Him “perform” supernatural acts which their natural eyes could not believe. Yet the Bible is clear to make another notation regarding why people came. They came to “hear Him”. Why? No one had ever, throughout the entire history of the world, spoken like Jesus spoke. The Bible says that “grace” and “truth” came through (in) Jesus. His every Word, look, act, subtlety, parable, deed, rebuke and exhortation exemplified grace and truth. Even the miracles were a demonstration of God’s grace manifested towards mankind. These three things attracted people to Jesus: grace, truth and the supernatural.

It is possible, at times, to read scripture after scripture and not really pause to discern what exactly it’s talking about. It’s happened to me a number of times. For example, Hebrews chapter four has an abundance of meat in it; so much so that one couldn’t possibly “eat” it all in one sitting. Have a look. . .

Christmas has started a bit different for RoxAnne and I. It has been an exciting year! I enjoy blogging and I sure enjoy your responses. I am writing from Timika, in the province of Papua, Indonesia. Last night we finished a Gospel Festival; and at the end of it I was swarmed by Muslims. They were hugging me, squeezing me, wanting to get close… it was awesome. I know they were not praising me; I was only basking in the overflow, so to speak, of what Jesus had done for them. They were only grateful to me because I had brought them a witness of the LIGHT. Now it is the day after and I am thinking back.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
HEBREWS 1:1, 2

Once again Christians are becoming very upset about whether or not the word “Christmas” is used as opposed to “X-mas”. Petitions are already being circulated about nativity scenes in various key places around the cities of the world. It’s almost easy to get lost in the battle for the name “Christmas” rather than focus on what Christmas truly is. 

This year we have celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street Pentecostal phenomenon. An October survey from Pew Forum on Religion and Public states that more than 40% of Pentecostals, in a majority of countries surveyed, indicate that they have never spoken in tongues. In the United States only half of Pentecostals have spoken in tongues. It was the experience of speaking in other tongues, just like on the day of Pentecost, which propelled the Pentecostal movement to the front pages of newspapers across the world 100 years ago. Of course no one has suggested that speaking in tongues has ceased among Pentecostals, not at all. In fact today, people from a wide range of denominations and backgrounds enjoy this gift.

The Apostle Paul, while giving his incredible “witness” to Agrippa in Acts chapter 26, makes a very interesting comment. He says “the king (Agrippa), before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.” Although this is possibly one of the best salvation sermons ever given (even though we do not know if Agrippa ended up receiving or not), that is not the focus of today’s blog. Rather I would like us to turn our attention to the last part of the verse where it says “this thing was not done in a corner”. What an absolutely wonderful criteria for whether or not something is true, right, godly! Throughout the ages, there have been two types of people: those who like to do things in the open and those who like to do things in a corner. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that he favors those who like to do things out in the open.

One of the issues that prompts Christians to action is keeping “Christ” in Christmas. Every year as Christmas approaches, great concerns are expressed about nativity scenes at city halls and the lighting of Christmas trees or “Winter Festival” trees. I visited the UK last week. One of the Nov 7th articles in The Daily Telegraph (UK) headlined “Christmas stamps ignore Christianity”. The news item was triggered by the Church of England criticizing the Royal Mail service for featuring snowmen, reindeer and Father Christmas on its stamps, while ignoring religious art or the nativity scene.

These last number of weeks we’ve been camped in Corinthians, truly an inspiring and relevant book for 2006. This week we’ll select another small piece of scripture from 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

God loves Muslims! Do you believe that?

When you read my new book, ”My Muslim Friends” (yes it arrived from the printer this week), you’ll see another side in the current debate about Islam and Christianity. Here is an excerpt from page 62

Lately I’ve been ‘hanging out’ in 1st and 2nd Corinthians; what a marvelous book! Almost every major doctrine is covered in there and Paul does it in an extremely clear and relevant way. Of course we all know 1 Corinthians 13 which is probably the finest piece of literature ever written on love! But the rest of the book has real gravitas (you can go look that word up later and use it in a conversation tomorrow with your boss’..haha) as well.

Recently I was asked to articulate the purpose of this ministry in a single sentence.  The questioner pointed out that to many organizations this could be a trying, even painful process. It could be difficult for me because I have to consider a wide range of ministries we are involved with: the Celebration Church, World Impact Ministries, Celebrate Jesus International, Celebration Bible College, overseas Gospel Festivals, television ministry and International Pastors’ seminars. I could break down every one of those departments into other areas of activities. For example the Celebration Church is currently in three locations: Toronto, Niagara and Hamilton, each one presenting its own challenges and opportunities. 

Sometimes it’s good for a “blogger” (like me) just to keep his mouth quiet and allow the Bible to speak for itself. After all who could say it better than Jesus or Paul? Not I! One of my favorite verses (you know the kind that makes your heart leap when you read it) is 2 Corinthians 3:2, 3. Let’s have a look, “You are our epistles written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”

As if a military coup was not enough, Thailand is once again in the news, this time in regards to Bangkok’s new four billion dollar Suvarnabhumi international airport. According to the London Times, the airport has been haunted by ghosts, spirits and mystical deaths. The official opening, scheduled for today September 28th, has already been postponed a number of times, most recently because of sightings of ghosts. A number of employees claim to have seen the spirit in the form of an old man. During the nine weeks leading up to the official opening, 99 Buddhist monks had been praying for the spirit visitations to cease. The exorcism reportedly ended with 1000 employees present and the spirit taking embodiment in one of the people present. With this the Buddhist monks claim that the matter should be over, at least for now.

There is a great dialogue that can be found in John 18 (verses 33 to 38) between Jesus and Pontius Pilate. In my mind it shows a stark contrast in priorities between a politician and a believer. Pilate was an extremely good politician who had managed to survive as Governor in one of the most unruly provinces in the Roman Empire. The first thing that Pilate asks is “are you a king?” That’s what a politician is worried about – political opposition. Who’s in office right now? Who has the title of President, Prime Minister or King? Because that person must have “the power”?! 

It is starting to sound familiar. Muslims are up in arms and the Vatican is defending Benedict XVI and his speech quoting 14th Century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologis. The issue in question is whether or not Islam is an inherently violent religion? The Pope’s claim is that Islamic extremists convert by violence, an argument he claims to make in an attitude of “not trying to offend Muslims”. To the Muslim Brotherhood Chairman Mohamed Madhi Akef the Pope’s speech only adds fuel to the fire and shows the west’s “hostility to Islam”.

“When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.”

“Those who know don’t speak. Those who don’t know speak.”

I don’t know how true these quotes are, but I like them nonetheless. One of the “read between the lines” doctrines in the Bible is that of Friendship(s). This sounds like a bit of shallow discussion but I have seen over the years numerous relationships based on numerous things: work, next door neighbor, family etc. However, how many sincere friendships do you have? How many people are in your life that truly know you and genuinely care about you?

I just spent five days traveling across the United States. Staying in hotels and having some free time on my hands I made it a point of watching a lot of Christian television. Something struck me very strange in program after program. The viewer is inundated with the preaching which claims we need victory?, breakthrough?, the next level?, etc. The preaching is quite obviously targeting born-again, spirit-filled believers. Are we really that needy? Or are preachers merely feeling a false emotion-based feeling of need?

I have a confession. Early on, I realized that as a minister I was standing up and telling people to live one way (for example – pray every day) while I myself was struggling. I found that on any given week I certainly couldn’t say that I prayed more than one hour per day. And even if I did pray it was usually at a prayer meeting (ie. in front of people). We were all very forceful prayer warriors then. I can’t speak for what the others were like when they were alone, but I know that my private prayer life was not nearly as...how should we phrase it – vocal! In retrospect, years later I find myself wondering how much of our prayers back then were for God’s ears and how much was for each other’s.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15

I remember going to youth group when I was fourteen and the dreaded subject of witnessing would come up. The announcement was made that after the meeting we’d be heading down town to “witness”. I would rummage through my thoughts, pretending not to be scared out of my wits that I might run in to someone that I knew; trying to figure out how to look cool while doing it.

Jesus’ non-discriminatory approach.

Last weeks blog brought a lot of reaction. Thank you for responding whether you agree with my sentiments or not.

End-time prophecy predictions are a tricky business. Anyone remember Salem Kirban prediction books in the 70’s? What about a host of other prophecy teachers who foretold Jesus’ return in 1982, 1987, 1988, 1992, 2000 etc. All through these emotionally charged predictions I have been saying that Jesus’ return is not tied to a date on the calendar, but to a fulfillment of a condition the Gospel must first be preached.

Have you noticed how unfriendly many Christians are towards Muslims? After September 11 I have known Muslims and traveled in Muslim countries for over 20 years and I can tell you that Islamic nations, just like Christian nations, have their share of violence.

However most Muslims, just like most people in all countries, are peace loving, hardworking people. Most importantly, Jesus died for the world – for everyone.

Perhaps now more than any time in history there are more opinions, books and teachings on prayer than ever before. How to pray! When to pray! What to pray? Every angle of a believer’s prayer life seems to be covered. People brag about how much they pray; how many sermons or preachers have we all heard expounding on lengthy and extensive prayer sessions that last hours on end. Many times I’ve walked out of sermons feeling inadequate and almost borderline sinful over my seemingly lack of a prayer life.

Paul tells the Galatians, it can happen and quite easily at that.  The bewitching is in believing the oldest lie there is. “Yes, surely Jesus died for your sins.  His death made you righteous, but you must prove your love to him by doing things that are right.  You need to show God why he should keep on loving you.” In fact, God’s love is extended unconditionally to everyone.  He loved us when we were enemies. 

Have you been on the treadmill of faith? You are running as hard as you can in your pursuit of faith but not getting anywhere. Could it be that Christian preachers have made faith into something we manufacture by efforts of prayer and Bible study rather than a gift of God?

“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18,19