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Who Are You Worshiping

September 21st, 2009

Mysha

jedi I read a news story today about a “Jedi church founder thrown out of Tesco for refusing to remove his hood was left ‘emotionally humiliated‘. It made me shake my head with sadness. What will we think of next? The aspect of the story that made such a negative impression on my brain was not that Daniel Jones was thrown out of Tesco, not that Tesco has taken a stance on hoods, but the fact that there is actually a “Jedi” church with a whopping 500,000 members.

“Cattle know who owns them, and donkeys know where their master feeds them. But that is more than my people… know. They don’t understand at all.” Isaiah 1:3. With all the literature available to us in the 21st century we still refuse to worship the God who made and has given us everything. Instead we look around for everything and everybody else to worship.

Mankind made in the image of God with His likeness has stooped so low and moved so far away from our heavenly ideal, that we are now worshiping a fictional character from a science fiction movie. A movie that is the invention George Lucas American film producer, screenwriter, director and chairman of Lucas film Ltd. In reality Daniel Jones, founder of the “jedi” church has founded a religion based on the imagination of George Lucas. This is not an attack on George Lucas, 23 year old Daniel Jones, or on anyone else for that matter, it is just pure amazement that intelligent thinking individuals could exchange God for a fictional character from a movie.

I sometimes wonder how God can stand to look at us created with such a high intellectual capacity, worshiping man made objects which have no life, fictional characters of human imagination and even created humans. When, “ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities, both eternal power and His divine nature have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So … people have no excuse at all! They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise but they are fools; instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles”. Romans 1:20-23

It seems that the more knowledge increases the more foolish mankind becomes. Who are you worshiping?

God’s View Of Same Sex Marriage

June 15th, 2009

Mysha

ssmarriage The Stockholm News ran an article “Same sex marriage suggested by board of Church of Sweden” on 13th June, 2009.

Can you believe It? The church board of the Church of Sweden is suggesting same sex marriage? It would be understandable if this proposal was a suggestion of the legislators of Sweden, but a suggestion like this coming from any church board is particularly disturbing.

Leviticus 18:22 puts it like this “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” That is a very clear message telling us that God finds homosexuality particularly detestable. He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah “because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is grievous”. Genesis 18:26 – The sin of Homosexuality!
In Malachi 3:16, God lets us know that He is not a person who goes back on His word. Even though man behaves badly, He says, “I am the Lord, I change not”.

Even if we could claim that the old Testament theology is defunct and we are now living by New testament theology. A journey to Romans 1:22-27 should cure us of any thoughts we harbor that God has changed His mind about same sex relationships. It reads, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

What is particularly disturbing about the church board’s suggestion, is that the elected officials who are the authority of the Church, the people selected to instruct the congregation on how to get well from the diseases of sin and teach the truth about the character of God, are the very ones leading their congregation into sin. If one cannot go to the church for instruction on what is right from what is wrong and where can one go?

God has not changed His mind about same sex relationships. So please do not be misled by the action taken by the church board of the Church of Sweden but study the Bible for yourself, and be willing to be guided into all truth by the Spirit of truth.

Chinese Christian Bookstore Owner Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison

June 14th, 2009

Mysha

On June 10 (Beijing time) a Beijing Court found Christian bookstore owner and house church leader, Shi Weihan, age 38, guilty of “illegal business operation” and sentenced him to three years in prison and 150,000 Yuan fine (about $22,000 USD) for printing and distributing Bibles at no cost.

Six others stood trial together with Shi Weihan, and also received criminal sentences. It is believed that these individuals were share holders and executives of the printing company which printed the Bibles.

If an appeal is made, the process could take up to a year, while Shi Weihan would remain in prison. It is still uncertain whether the family will file an appeal due to the enormous pressure from the Public Security Bureau (PSB).

Weihan who has serious medical diabetic condition, and his wife Zhang Jing have two daughters, 12-year-old Shi Jia and 8-year-old Shi En Mei.” According to friends, Shi Weihan’s wife Zhang Jing is bearing much of the burden for the family. Her main concern is caring for their two daughters, and continuing the house church work.

Friends of Shi Weihan and his family ask Christians around the world to pray for the following: that Shi Weihan’s health would be protected, wisdom for the family regarding whether to appeal the conviction or not, favor for a possible medical parole and God’s peace and favor in these difficult circumstances.

Ancient First Temple Artifacts Uncovered in Jerusalem

May 22nd, 2009

Mysha

Archaeologists from Israel’s Antiquities Authority (IAA) have revealed two important artifacts recently discovered in Jerusalem, both dating from the First Temple Period (8-7 BCE).

The first, a bone seal engraved with the name “Shaul” was found in an excavation being conducted under the auspices of the IAA, in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, located in the City of David.

The dig, which is underwritten by the “Ir David Foundation” (City of David) is being carried out under the direction of Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa and Eli Shukron of the IAA.

The seal, which is made of bone, was found broken and is missing a piece from its upper right side. Two parallel lines divide the surface of the seal into two registers in which Hebrew letters are engraved. A period followed by a floral image or a tiny fruit appear at the end of the bottom name.

The name of the seal’s owner was completely preserved and it is written in the shortened form of the name, Shaul, which is known from both the Bible (Genesis 36:37; 1 Samuel 9:2; 1 Chronicles 4:24 and 6:9) and from other Hebrew seals.

Another Hebrew seal and three Hebrew bullae (pieces of clay stamped with seal impressions) were previously discovered nearby.

The second artifact, an ancient jar handle bearing the Hebrew name “Menachem” was uncovered in the neighborhood of Ras el ‘Amud during an excavation prior to construction of a girls’ school by the Jerusalem municipality.

The jar handle, inscribed with the name “Menachem” carved in Hebrew, was found among settlement remains dating to different phases of the Middle Canaanite period (2200 – 1900 BCE), and the last years of the First Temple period (8-7 BCE) that were recently uncovered during the excavation.

The name Menachem Ben Gadi is noted in the Bible as that of a king of Israel who reigned for 10 years in Samaria, as one of the last kings of the Kingdom of Israel. According to Kings II, Menachem Ben Gadi ascended the throne in the 39th year of Uzziah, King of Judah (Judea).

The names Menachem and Yinachem both are expressions of condolence, noted excavation director Dr. Ron Be’eri, who speculated they might be related to the death of family members. The archaeologist added that such names already appeared earlier in the Canaanite period, on Egyptian pottery sherds and a document about an Egyptian governor on the Lebanese coast.

This is the first time that a handle with the name “Menachem” has been found in Jerusalem.

Hana Levi Julian