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Communist China City Pays Up To $1500 To Report Christians

China’s crackdown on Christianity escalated March 20 when the government of the fifth-largest city began issuing rewards to those who report “illegal religious activities,” including house church meetings.

The Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs in Guangzhou said it would reward prizes of 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yuan ($450, $750 and $1,500 U.S.) to Chinese citizens who spot and turn in their neighbors to government officials, according to Asia News.

The size of the prize will depend on the scale of the illegal activity.

All churches in China are required to register with the government. Some churches, though, face severe restrictions in how they worship and practice their faith. Because of this, millions of Chinese Christians worship underground.

“The authorities could not have picked a better time, just before Easter to introduce these measures,” a priest told AsiaNews. “At this time, we often meditate on the passion of Jesus and Judas’ treachery for 30 pieces of silver. The Guangzhou government wants to turn people into many mini Judas.”

Guangzhou, with 11 million people, is the fifth-largest city in China and the capital of the province of Guangdong.

Last year Guangzhou authorities shut down the 5,000-member Rongguili Church, but members still meet in homes, Asia News reported.

Referencing the new regulations, one Christian woman told the website, “Now here in China we live in a Big Brother atmosphere.” Under the new law, citizens can report suspicious Christian activities at the government office, by phone or via letter.

The law lists as dangerous people who “establish religious places without authorization; non-religious groups; non-religious institutions; non-religious places, temporary places of worship, religious activities and religious donations.” This includes “organizing unauthorized religious courses, conferences, unauthorized pilgrimages,” AsiaNews said.

Children under 18 are not allowed to take part in Mass or catechism, according to AsiaNews.

Chinese Official Vows to Eliminate Christianity in China

How I Can Only Imagine Smuggled the Gospel into China

‘We’re Not Allowed to Print Anything’ about Jesus, Chinese Print Shop Tells Church

Persecution Rising in China: And Things Could Get Worse

Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.

Photo courtesy: Pixabay

Who Goes There?

by Pastor Larry DeBruyn for Contemplative Spirituality, Spiritual Discernment

Encountering voices in contemplative prayer . . .

“We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
—The Apostle John, 1 John 4:6, NASB

Introduction
Through practicing the discipline of solitude and silence, contemplative spiritualists hope to hear God personally speak to them. As one nationally known personality stated on the Be Still DVD, “intimacy automatically breeds revelation.” [1] But if a voice speaks, there is some question regarding its identity. Therefore in the video’s same segment, “Fear of Silence,” Richard Foster offers advice about how to discern who might communicate in the stillness. He said:

Learning to distinguish the voice of God . . . from just human voices within us . . . comes in much the same way that we learn any other voice. Satan pushes and condemns. God draws and encourages. And we can know the difference. [2]

Though there could be others, Richard Foster admits to a cacophony of possible voices that might speak: first, human voices within and without (a source that could involve hearing oneself speak, in which case, contemplators would be listening to themselves); second, the voice of Satan or demons; and third, God’s voice.

Who’s Voice?
In order to determine whose voice might be speaking, Foster provides criteria. If the voice is positive and reaffirming, then the voice is God’s. If however the voice is negative and that like a bully who “pushes and condemns,” then the voice must be that of Satan. To discern whether or not the voice is human, Foster offers no advice.

So if the voice is human, one is left wondering, why go into a meditative trance to hear yourself or another human speak? After all, in the normal concourse of life people talk to themselves and listen to others all the time, unless contemplators feel so isolated and alone, or unless in accord with the eastern monistic worldview, meditators believe they are gods so that when they listen to their voice, they are listening to god’s!

Yet Foster is of the opinion that the voice could be God’s. He errs however, by asserting that the divine voice invariably “draws and encourages.” Scripture does not record that God exclusively speaks in that manner. Yes, God encourages. To disobedient Israel he said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). But God can and often has spoken negatively. Speaking for God, the prophets of Israel called the sinful nation to repentance as they warned the people of coming wrath and judgment. Of the prophets who droned on and on with their “encouraging” message even in the face of Israel’s utter moral and spiritual collapse, the Lord said, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds” (Jeremiah 14:14). In light of God’s manner of speaking through the prophets, can biblical Christians legitimately dismiss negative messages as being from Satan?

In his classic work on the subject of holiness, German theologian Adolf Köberle countered the significance of the negative criteria Foster mentions. He wrote:

The clear-cut difference between mystical piety and that of the Bible can be seen most clearly in the attitude towards prayer. All mystical prayer . . . becomes a blissful absorption into divinity, where personal consciousness ceases, like the impassible, dreamy rest of Nirvana. The experience of all Biblical suppliants stands in direct contrast to this beatific transcendence. When anyone has really encountered God Himself and not merely a higher ego or an imaginary, fantastic portrayal of God, he is roused from dreaming to watchfulness, from an impure approach to a terrified retreat, from the familiar confidence of bombastic prayers to words that express a real feeling of awe towards the One Who is so far above the suppliant himself. [3]

Köberle then cites Isaiah’s response to his beatific vision and communication he had of and from the Lord as his response was: “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Can Isaiah’s beatific experience accurately be described as one of being drawn to and encouraged by the Lord? If not, then to use Foster’s expression, was Isaiah being “bullied” by Satan?

Assuming that God speaks Soul to soul today, what if Foster’s paradigm for determining the supernatural communication’s origin was reversed, that the negative voice is God’s and the positive is Satan’s? It happened that way in the Garden. God warned Adam and Eve that for disobedience to God, “you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17), but Satan reassuringly told Adam and Eve, “You surely shall not die!” (Genesis 3:4). The point is that when engaging in meditative spirituality, the contemplator or mystic can never be certain who will speak, and as a consequence, the experience can become the spawning ground for myriads of flashy ideas based solely upon, he or she “heard this or that.” At the juncture of such hearing, Christians and the church will have turned aside to the hearsay of “myths” (2 Timothy 4:4).

We live in the age of the Holy Spirit and His spiritual communion and communication with the human soul. But the Spirit’s communication is not always pleasant. Of the Holy Spirit Jesus predicted, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8). Even the Comforter does not always comfort. Sometimes He convicts, and conviction of soul is not pleasant to experience. It upsets. We do not like to be told we are wrong. Yet without the voice of the Spirit’s conviction, we would continue in sin, pursue unrighteousness and deny we are accountable to God for our behavior. So when for legitimate reasons the Spirit’s conviction comes over them, will Christians be so deluded by the positivity and feel good message that saturates today’s evangelical church that they will ignore the Spirit’s conviction; or worse, in a turnabout, they will assign the criticism to be the bullying voice of Satan?

None of us likes criticism. Never is it pleasant, especially if deserved. Instinctively, we become defensive. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is not only the Comforter of believers, He is also their critic. As we might indulge the fleshly inclinations of our hearts, the Spirit brings feelings of guilt to bear down upon us. He calls us to repent of sin and return to God’s righteousness. Again, should believers rightfully assign all guilt feelings to Satan? If the message of the plethora of positivity preachers who dominate evangelicalism is to be believed, then the answer would be, “yes.” Negativity is satanic. But if the Bible’s standard of spirituality is believed, the answer is “no,” for one mark of spirituality in the Bible is a person’s sensitivity to sin (See Genesis 18:27; Job 42:5-6; Isaiah 6:5; Luke 5:8; Romans 7:14-25; etc.).

A Warning
That contemplative spiritualists engage in practices that by their own admission expose them to the influence of Satan’s voice is troubling. Scripture admonishes believers, “Neither give place [i.e., an opportunity] to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). But in his advocacy of contemplative prayer, Richard Foster admits that Satan may seize the silence as an occasion to speak. He states:

I also want to give a word of precaution. In the silent contemplation of God we are entering deeply into the spiritual realm, and there is such a thing as supernatural guidance that is not divine guidance . . . there are various orders of spiritual beings, and some of them are definitely not in cooperation with God and his way! [4]

How to Contemplate
In the first edition of his book The Celebration of Discipline (1978), Foster proposes “four forms” of meditation. [5] The first involves two activities: one, in yogic style, sitting for about five to ten minutes with your palms down (consciously letting go of your problems—release it) and then with your palms up (silently waiting for God’s peace—receive it); or two, concentrating on breathing (exhaling worries, fears and concerns, inhaling God’s peace).

The second involves meditating on some aspect of creation because if we will but listen, God as Foster quotes Agnes Sanford (1897-1982), “still speaks to us through the earth and the sea, the birds of the air and the little living creatures upon the earth . . .” [6]

The third involves meditation for an extended period of time on a particular Scripture during which time the contemplator can “actually encounter the living Christ . . . be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing power.” [7] In contrast to imagination that might happen during meditation, Foster writes that with Jesus “it can be a genuine confrontation” and then adds, “Jesus Christ may actually come to you.” [8] Meditators can, it appears, stimulate their own personal and private Parousia, Presence or Second Coming (Matthew 24:30), and this despite the fact that Scripture declares the event will be public (Revelation 1:7).

But Foster describes yet a fourth type of meditation, one he calls “the Mt. Everest of the soul,” one that “has its objective to bring you into a deep inner communion with the Father where you look at Him and He looks at you.” [9] And this can happen despite Jesus’ testimony that He alone had visage of the Father; He said, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father”; and despite the Apostle John’s statement, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 6:46; 1:18; Compare 1 Timothy 6:16.). But go for it anyway.

Going OBE (Out of the Body)
As contemplators climb smaller meditative peaks, and meditatively gaze at the sky above, they may sense a desire to go higher. [10] Foster describes an exercise of meditation that can induce and transport the contemplator’s soul to experience another dimension of reality. “After awhile” wrote Foster, “there is a deep yearning within to go into the upper regions beyond the clouds.” [11] So to climb the highest peak, Foster tells readers,

In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily. Imagine your spiritual self, alive and vibrant, rising up through the clouds and into the stratosphere. Observe your physical body, the knoll, and the forest shrink as you leave the earth. Go deeper and deeper into outer space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence. Listen quietly, anticipating the unanticipated. Note carefully any instruction given. With time and experience you will be able to distinguish readily between mere human thought that may bubble up to the conscious mind and the True Spirit which moves upon the heart. Do not be surprised if the instruction is terribly practical and not pointed if no words come; like good friends, you are silently enjoying the company of each other. When it is time for you to leave, audibly thank the Lord for His goodness and return to the meadow. Walk joyfully back along the path until you return home full of new life and energy. [12]

Question: In light Scripture’s admonition to “resist the devil” (James 4:7), why should Christians flirt with a spiritual practice that might expose them to hear Satan or a demon speak?

Conclusion
The fact that contemporary evangelicals seek “fresh” revelations from and experiences with God, even to go “out of the body,” indicates that they no longer consider Holy Scripture to be sufficient and authoritative in matters of faith and its practice (Contra 2 Timothy 3:16.). Yet if the Bible is no longer considered sufficient, hearing another voice give a revelation raises the following conundrum:

If a voice repeats what’s in Holy Scripture, then the word is unnecessary. If a voice intuition or actual speaking contradicts the Word of God, then what it says is heresy. If however, the voice supplements the Word of God, then the fresh revelation points to Scripture’s insufficiency, and regarding this last point Proverbs warns: “Add thou not unto his [God’s] words, lest he [God] reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6, KJV).

So the Apostle Paul warned the Colossians against the folk religion that was leading them astray from the faith:

“Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God” (Emphasis added, Colossians 2:18-19).

One of the marks of spiritual defrauders is, as Paul points out, that they take their “stand on visions they have seen.” Would it not also be a legitimate application of Paul’s words to think that spiritual defrauders might also take their stand upon voices they have heard?

___________________
Endnotes
[1] Michelle McKinney Hammond, “Fear of Silence,” Be Still (DVD © 2006 Twentieth Fox Home Entertainment LLC).
[2] Ibid: Richard Foster segment.
[3] Italics mine, Adolf Köberle, The Quest for Holiness, John C. Mattes, Translator (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1938): 35-36.
[4] Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (San Francisco, CA: Harper San Francisco, 1992): 157.
[5] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1978): 27-28. In the book’s 10th Anniversary revision, Foster still advises the same formats for meditation, but eliminates much of the advice and goals of meditation evident in the first edition. See Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Revised Edition (San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row Publishers, 1988): 29-32. Christianity Today, the magazine of evangelicalism, has called the book, having sold over a million copies, one of the top ten books of the twentieth century. This raises the question, How many copies of the 1978 edition are still in circulation as used books? If they are still circulating, then the issues raised deserve continuing address for the mystical path Foster promotes is even today being followed and experienced.
[6] Ibid: 25. During the 60s thru the 80s, Sanford was a charismatic leader of the Inner Healing Movement.
[7] Ibid: 26.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid: 27.
[10] As they climb the “mystic mountain,” contemplators may at hear and experience “attendant voices and visitations.” See Ray C. Petry, Editor, Late Medieval Mysticism: The Library of Christian Classics, Volume 17 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1957): 21. Other experiences may include body illumination and levitation. Other experienced paranormal phenomena (PSI) can include clairvoyance, clairaudience, precognition, prophecy and so on. See Herbert Thurston, S.J., The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, J.H. Crehan, Editor (Fort Collins, CO: Roman Catholic Books, 1951); Montague Summers, The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism: With Especial Reference to the Stigmata, Divine and Diabolic (London, GB: Rider & Company, 1950); and Raynor C. Johnson, The Imprisoned Splendor: An approach to Reality, based upon the significance of data drawn from the fields of Natural Science, Psychical Research and Mystical Experience (Cambridge, GB: University Press, 1989).
[11] Foster, Celebration of Discipline (1978), 27.
[12] Ibid: Emphasis added. In a bibliographical note regarding the first edition of Foster’s Celebration of Discipline (1978), Christian philosopher Arthur Johnson stated: “In an attempt to provide advice on living the Christian life, Foster promotes a very mystical view of Christianity.” Therefore Johnson concluded that, “Much of what the Protestant Reformers opposed is promoted by Foster.” See Arthur L. Johnson, Faith Misguided: Exposing the Dangers of Mysticism (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1988): 153.

Lord Jesus Christ – The Son of Man

The following Scriptures are about the Son of Man, a messianic term the Lord used for Himself in Scripture. I hope they strengthen and encourage you in your faith. If you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ, I hope these Scriptures will cause you to re-evaluate your rejection of Him or apathy toward Him.

We begin in ancient Babylonia when Daniel, the prophet, (530 B.C.E.) had a vision of heaven. We then weave in and out of the New and Old Testament, ending in the last book of the Bible, Revelation.

Be strengthened and encouraged by what the Word reveals about our coming Warrior King and Priest, Jesus Christ! Carl

Daniel 7:9-10 – Daniel’s Vision Of The Ancient of Days and The Son Of Man

“I kept looking

Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days took His seat;

His vesture was like white snow

And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was ablaze with flames,

Its wheels were a burning fire.

[10] A river of fire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The court sat,

And the books were opened. …

Daniel 7:13-14

[13] “I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

[14] “And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.”

Revelation 1:10-18 – The Apostle John Encountering The Glorified Lord Jesus On Island of Patmos.

[10] I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet…

[12] Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw…

[13] … One like unto a Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

[14] His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. [15] His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

[16] In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

[17] When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.

And He placed His right hand on me, saying,

“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

[18] and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Colossians 1:15-22 – Who the Lord Jesus Is.

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him. [17] He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [18] He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. [19] For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him…”

Hebrews 1:2-3

[2] … whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. [3] And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

Acts 7:56 – Stephen’s Vision As He Was Being Stoned To Death.

…and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Matthew 16:27 – Jesus Christ Speaking About Himself.

“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Psalm 2:7-12 – What ‘God The Father’ Told ‘God The Son’ Plus A Warning.

[7] “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:

He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

[8] ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

[9] ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,

You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”

[10] Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;

Take warning, O judges of the earth.

[11] Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.

[12] Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,

For His wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Matthew 24:29-31 – Lord Jesus Tells About Gathering His Followers.

[29] “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

[30] And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

[31] And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. …

Luke 21:28 – Lord Jesus’ Instructions To Believers In That Day.

“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Psalm 110:1-7 – God The Father Speaking To Jesus, The Warrior King and Priest.

[1]The LORD (God The Father)says to my Lord (David’s Lord – Messiah -Jesus Christ):

“ Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

[2] The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion (Jerusalem), saying,

“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

[3] Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power;

In splendors of holiness,

from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten you.

[4] The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind,

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek.”

[5] The Lord (Jesus) is at Your (God The Father’s) right hand;

He (Jesus) will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.

[6] He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses,

He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.

[7] He will drink from the brook by the wayside;

Therefore He will lift up His head. … (clarification added)

Revelation 14:14-20 – The Reaping Of The Church From The Earth

[14] Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud,

and sitting on the cloud was one like the Son of Man,

having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.

[15] And another angel came out of the temple,

crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud,

“Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come,

because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”

[16] Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth,

and the earth was reaped.

The Reaping Of The Lost Souls

[17] And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven,

and he also had a sharp sickle.

[18] Then another angel, the one who has power over fire,

came out from the altar;

and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle,

saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth,

because her grapes are ripe.”

[19] So the angel swung his sickle to the earth

and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth,

and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

[20] And the wine press was trodden outside the city,

and blood came out from the wine press,

up to the horses’ bridles,

for a distance of two hundred miles. …

Isaiah 63:1-6 – Jesus Treading Wine Press OF The Wrath of God When He Comes To Save Israel.

[1] … Who is this who comes from Edom (modern Jordan),

With garments of crimson from Bozrah (Petra),

This One who is majestic in His apparel,

Marching in the greatness of His strength?

“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

[2] Why is Your apparel red,

And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

[3] “I have trodden the wine trough alone,

And from the peoples there was no man with Me.

I also trod them in My anger

And trampled them in My wrath;

And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,

And I stained all My raiment.

[4] “For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

And My year of redemption has come.

[5] “I looked, and there was no one to help,

And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;

So My own arm brought salvation to Me,

And My wrath upheld Me.

[6] “I trod down the peoples in My anger

And made them drunk in My wrath,

And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

(Clarification added)

Isaiah 34:1-3 – In The End, All Nations Attack Israel And Jesus Destroys Them.

[1] … Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples!

Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.

[2] For the LORD’S indignation is against all the nations,

And His wrath against all their armies;

He has utterly destroyed them,

He has given them over to slaughter…

Revelation 19:11-16 – Jesus Christ, The Son of Man, Returns To Earth.

[11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse,

and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

[12] His eyes are a flame of fire,

and on His head are many diadems;

and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

[13] He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood,

and His name is called The Word of God.

[14] And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

[15] From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations,

and He will rule them with a rod of iron;

and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

[16] And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written,

“ KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” …

Conclusion

What a mighty Lord and Savior we serve, a Warrior King and Priest. He is coming to deliver the true Body of Christ and to reveal Himself to the nation of Israel and save her from all of her enemies. The Messiah is coming in a second advent to finish what He started in the first advent.

Are you ready to meet Him Christian? Are you ready to meet Him lost person? That is the question.

Carl

What Does Intercessory Prayer Look Like?

Let me say right off the bat that we are not “dream” people. We don’t try to interpret dreams or live our lives according to our dreams.

That said, one night this week, my lovely wife had a dream concerning intercession, praying for the souls and needs of people. She said it was unlike any dream she had ever had. Vivid colors.

I wanted to share the dream with you in hopes it may encourage you to persist in your prayer life and to continue to intercede for lost souls and the needs of the Body of Christ. Feel free to share it with someone if the Lord directs you to do so.

Keep Praying!

Carl

Intercession

Last night I dreamed I was interceding along with others for many different requests. The prayers of the saints were flowing like a multi colored, liquid rainbow. Occasionally, while praying, a feeling of hopelessness tried to creep in, to hinder the prayers for others and the prayers seemed to fall out of the flow, to the ground, in the form of solid, colorless matter. I was running beside the flow, gathering the fallen prayers and putting them back up in the colorful, undulating flow that eventually came before the Lord of Lords. The enemy was constant, in trying to block and halt the prayers through discouragement, hopelessness, loss of vision and other tactics. But God, in His faithfulness, remembered every prayer that was birthed in the heart of the intercessors and voiced in faith.

The Root Cause of the Catholic Sex Scandal

The following document is from Berean Beacon, a ministry operated by former Catholic priests. Please pray for the many people affected by this scandal regardless of their religious affliation. God bless. Carl

The Root Cause of the Catholic Sex Scandal

“While the USA is entangled in a Catholic sex abuse scandal similar events are being revealed in other nations. “Of all the countries where sexual-abuse revelations have scandalized the Roman Catholic Church, Ireland has been among the hardest hit. In the past decade, this predominantly Roman Catholic nation of 3.8 million people—which has exported priests worldwide from its now largely closed network of seminaries—has seen more than 100 priests convicted for molesting children and church-state relations torn apart. Bishops have admitted they frequently knew of abuse claims but transferred pedophile priests to new parishes rather than notify police, as they now concede should have happened. One of the earliest public cases triggered a government collapse in 1994.”[1] While the case in the USA has engendered the most attention, this has actually been a global scandal, with incidents documented in many countries around the world. The highest number of occurrences takes place in the strongest Catholic countries where the Church is held in the highest veneration, such as in Latin American countries.

Many Catholics are quite irate concerning child abuse by their Priests and call for the removal of corrupt Bishops, reform, and redress and compensation. There are many of such groups,[2] one of these demands, “that Corrupt Bishops must go!”[3] While Catholics call for the exposure of the facts, the Vatican has for many years ordered strictest secret in child abuse cover-up cases. “The order, written in Latin, was sent from the Vatican in 1962 and is marked with the seal of Pope John XXIII….The document states: ‘Matters should be pursued in a most secretive way … they are to be restrained by a perpetual silence … and everyone pertaining to the tribunal in any … is to observe the strictest secret, which is commonly regarded as a secret of the Holy Office … under the penalty of excommunication.’”[4] While the grave concerns of ordinary Catholics are quite commendable, they are just a genuine humanistic response to depraved behavior.

The Hand of God in Providence

It is necessary to see the whole crisis in the light of the sovereignty of God, and to discern the root cause of what has become a persistent agonizing and revealing wound. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty in the Scriptures gives us an exalted view of His purposes. By understanding the nature of God we gain wisdom and understanding because, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.”[5] God is the Father and fountain of all good. He is not and cannot be, the author or advocate of anything that is evil. He is acknowledged as the cause and spring of every thing that is good, in the words of Scripture, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.”[6] However, since God controls all things, this means that evil is also under the control of God, He has, in His good judgment, decreed that the evil of Apostasy would have full dominion throughout history for His own purposes and to His glory! Apostasy and its evil fruits are included among God’s eternal decrees, made known to us in His Word of truth in the Scriptures.[7]

In our own day however, it appears that Christ Jesus is beginning His end time judgment, upon the apostate Vatican Church. There has come upon that Church an “evil… which you will not know how to charm away.”[8] A wound has come upon the Church of Rome that she just does not have the charisma to overcome. So therefore, “the Lord reigneth; let the people tremble!”[9] The Lord God rules the world by His providence, governs true believers by His grace, and administers and judges apostate systems in His righteousness, even unto repentance. We are not only to believe that the Lord lives, but that the Lord reigns even through the Catholic scandals and their origins!

The Root of the Crisis

The true nature of the crisis in the Catholic Church is not pedophilia, but homosexuality. The root cause of the predicament is however much deeper. The starting place is the traditional doctrine of the Catholic Church regarding overcoming evil. To deal with sin the Church of Rome proposes for her Priests and her people a looking within to find their destiny, thus she states,

“This is the reason why this sacred Synod, in proclaiming the noble destiny of man and affirming an element of the divine in him, offers to co-operate unreservedly with mankind in fostering a sense of brotherhood to correspond to this destiny of theirs.”[10]

This is one of the basic concepts of Pagan religions, which hold that there is a spark of the divine within each human being. Thus, in Hinduism it is held, “By understanding your true Self, by coming to know one’s own undying soul, one then arrives at the knowledge of Brahman itself…”[11] Rome persists in maintaining this Pagan teaching of “an element of the divine” within man, and brings such a concept to its logical conclusion in attempting to deal with sin and evil inclinations.

“…Nevertheless man has been wounded by sin. He finds by experience that his body is in revolt. His very dignity therefore requires that he should glorify God in his body, and not allow it to serve the evil inclinations of his heart. …When he is drawn to think about his real self he turns to those deep recesses of his being where God who probes the heart awaits him, and where he himself decides his own destiny in the sight of God.”[12]

For a sinner to attempt to be right with God by deciding “his own destiny in the sight of God” is to degrade the person of God, and His written Word. The Scripture makes known God’s character and the means of salvation is proclaimed as “not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”[13] Such a glorious portrayal of the nature of G
od may drive sinners to despair of self. This is exactly how it should be. It is not until the sinner loses hope of any help from within himself that he will depend solely on God’s mercy and grace. Once the Holy Spirit convicts that person that there is no help from within, he will recognize that he is lost, and cry out, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”[14] The God of infinite mercy be merciful to such a one. The sinner however who “decides his own destiny in the sight of God,” will be ever undone, forever lost, as we see in the lives of those Priests involved in child abuse.

Self-Salvation Leaves the Priest Hopeless

What Catholic priests have learnt, and the doctrine to which they look for help with moral problems, is such as the following official teaching,

“It is, however, only in freedom that man can turn himself towards what is good. … For God willed that man should ‘be left in the hand of his own counsel’ so that he might of his own accord seek his creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him. Man’s dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint.”[15]

To those who believe Rome’s teaching regarding man’s dignity and his ability to choose God, we pose the Lord’s question, “how can ye believe, which receive honour one of another?”[16] Water cannot flow uphill, nor can a sinner act contrary to his corrupt nature. What then can one do? One must first acknowledge that he is spiritually dead, and cry out for help. It is the Holy Spirit that awakens a sense of need. We hear and learn from the Father by the Holy Spirit through His written Word. God’s Word shows forth the mind of God “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”[17] It is exactly opposite to what Rome proclaims, man, as “left in the hand of his own counsel.” This concept of self-salvation however is ingrained in Catholicism, together with its dependence on its seven physical sacraments to obtain grace.[18] Man “left in the hand of his own counsel” and to his “dignity and freedom” is the red wine of deceptive pride. This teaching is a thousand light years away from the conviction of the Holy Spirit that comes from God alone, through His written Word. This type of teaching is the basic cause of the moral crisis within the Catholic Church. For decades Archbishops and bishops have kept dreadful accounts of child abuse out of the public eye through an elaborate code of secrecy, deception, and intimidation. Under it strictest penalty that of pain of excommunication Rome has since 1962 warned the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops to keep the clergy sexual abuse secret. The press has exposed this clandestine legislation.[19] The many homosexuals within the priesthood are also a most serious cause of the crisis. Homosexuality can be ranked, after an incorrect method of dealing with sin, as the second major reason behind the present calamity.

Homosexuality in Catholic Seminaries

Were it not documented in Catholic books[20] one would hardly believe the utter decadence in seminaries and in colleges that train for the priesthood. The subculture of homosexuality is rampant right across the U.S.A. Page after page of ‘Goodbye, Good Men’ tells of the horrific influence of homosexuality, which has permeated the youth in the Catholic seminaries. The ideals of the youth are replaced by unnatural lusts that have become prevalent in major seminaries and colleges training for the priesthood in the U.S.A.[21]

Donnell Cozzens, a leading Catholic priest and rector of St. Mary’s in Cleveland Ohio (one of the leading U.S. Seminaries) states in his book on the priesthood that: “An NBC report on celibacy and the clergy found that ‘anywhere from 23 percent to 58 percent’ of the Catholic clergy have a homosexual orientation.[22]

Other studies find that approximately half of American priests and seminarians are homosexually oriented… Moreover, the percentage of gay men among religious congregations of priests is believed to be even higher.”[23] Then nonchalantly he states, “At issue at the beginning of the twenty-first century is the growing perception—one seldom contested by those who know the priesthood well—that the priesthood is or is becoming a gay profession. And to the point is the question: Does it matter? Does not the question reveal still another form of homophobia?”[24]

Then under the heading “The Gay Crisis” Cozzens states, “Gay seminarians are likely to feel at home and at ease in a seminary with a significant gay population. They feel they belong and their need for meaningful, deep relationships with other gay man is easily met, and because they instinctively recognize other gay seminarians, circles of support and camaraderie are quickly formed… The straight seminarian meanwhile, feels out of place and may interpret his inner destabilization as a sign that he does not have a vocation to the priesthood”[25] In the concluding sentence of the book Cozzens says, “Behind the changing face of the priesthood remains the saving face of Jesus the Christ.”[26]

The Unthinkable Has Happened

The doctrine of self-salvation, and the tolerance of homosexuality[27] in the priesthood, has been the root evil behind the present ignominy. While the unthinkable has happened the Vatican has been unashamed and has continued to declare that her teachings and tradition are
not the cause. Thus, she officially declares,

“In any case, the [Catholic] church of the West cannot weaken her faithful observance of her own tradition. And it is unthinkable that for centuries she has followed a path which, instead of favouring the spiritual richness of individual souls and of the People of God, has in some way compromised it, or that she has with arbitrary juridical prescriptions stifled the free expansion of the most profound realities of nature and of grace.”[28]

The unimaginable is now in front of men’s faces, both tradition in doctrine, and celibacy in practice, have failed. First again looking at the traditional way of dealing with the “slavery to the passions.” The audacity to teach that God is willing to do His part if you “freely choose what is good,” is a God insulting denial of the Gospel. This is exactly what Rome teaches; we give another official quote from Vatican documents,

“Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward towards his goal by freely choosing what is good, and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end. Since human freedom has been weakened by sin it is only by the help of God’s grace that man can give his actions their full and proper relationship to God.”[29]

This tradition repudiates one of the most precious truths taught in the Bible, namely, that God helps those who are incapable of helping themselves, those who have tried again and again only to fail.

The Gospel of the Sovereign Lord

If there is to be a real answer to the horrific crimes, it is necessary that Catholic Priests and people be convicted that they are made right with the all-Holy God by grace alone through faith alone, and in Christ alone and all glory and praise is to God alone. To come to Christ Jesus for life, is for the sinner to recognize that he is utterly destitute of any claim upon God’s grace. It is to see that in ones own power he is lost and hopeless. It is to come clean with God and admit that he is deserving of nothing in himself but eternal death and punishment. To come to Christ for life, is for the sinner to abandon his own imagined dignity, and so-called ability to overcome passions. To know eternal life is to disown man made self-salvation and to unreservedly believe only on the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord. “Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.”[30] Looking to personal dignity and ability, and to rid oneself of “all slavery to the passions” is worse than foolishness, it is soul damning. Catholic Priests and people are responsible to use the means of that the Lord God’s has appointed. The Sovereign Lord has shown His hand in the midst of crisis! Forgiveness of sin, including homosexuality is God’s gift to the believer. It is granted to the believer, based on Christ’s finished work on the cross.[31]

God’s action in Christ Jesus shows His graciousness to believers so that their eyes of faith are fixed on Him alone. “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”[32]

As the Sovereign Lord judges in time, we pray it will result in true repentance and true belief. Since we are dealing with Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, we boldly pray that the Lord’s own words will be fulfilled as never before! “Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live… Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols,nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.”[33] The end design of Sovereign Lord is the giving of renewing grace enabling sinners to be a kind of first fruits of His creatures, that sinners should be God’s portion and treasure. In the words of Scripture, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.”[34] In history past, the Sovereign Lord has often displayed His renewing grace in the midst of great evil, that this would be so again is our heartfelt prayer. The resurrection of souls from the depravity of sin to life Christ Jesus is the Gospel of good news, which we proclaim!

The Medium Who Gave Herself To Science

A medium is someone who communicates with familiar spirits that pretend to be deceased humans. All deceased humans are in either heaven or in a place of torment awaiting judgement. Neither are allowed to communicate with the living. (Luke 16:19-31)

In Deuteronomy 18: 10-14 God says He considers this practice detestable and an abomination. Christians are not to consult mediums.

We have warned often that those who do true eastern style meditation are opening their minds and bodies up to these evil spirits. The following Berean Call. Article shows the reality of this possibility. God bless! Carl

March 7, 2019

Dave Hunt

There is considerable data to support the belief that “possession” involves the invasion of the person by another independent entity. Eileen Garrett was so uncomfortable with being possessed by “spirit controls” who spoke through her that she gave herself to every possible scientific test in order to prove to herself that it was all a figment of her imagination. But the tests, in fact, confirmed her worst fears: that she was indeed possessed by entities she could not escape.

One series of rigorous medical tests was conducted in New York by Dr. Cornelium H. Traeger, a specialist in arthritis and heart disease. When he began the tests, Dr. Traeger held firmly to the common opinion of psychologists that the entities allegedly speaking through Garrett were simply splits of her psyche and not separate entities with their own minds. While Garrett was possessed by different “control” spirits, Traeger tested her “blood count, bleeding time, clotting time, respiration, pulse, heart pressure and cardiac reaction by an electrical cardiograph, as well as by the injection of various drugs.” According to an associate, Dr. Elmer Lindsay:

“The results were…so surprising that Dr. Traeger hesitated to show them to his colleagues. No human heart could show records so diametrically opposed and divergent…. When the bleeding time…blood counts [etc.] were checked the results suggested an actual change in the physical composition of the medium’s blood when she was [controlled by different entities]….”

Other elaborate tests were administered to Mrs. Garrett and her “controls” by Hereward Carrington, director of the American Psychical Institute. Again the results were startling. When Carrington tested Mrs. Garrett and the various entities speaking through her with a lie detector, the polygraph confirmed that each entity differed fundamentally from the medium and from each other. Referring to cases where “possession” is suspected, SRI senior scientist Willis Harman points out:

“Physiological and biochemical changes…can include brainwave patterns, chemical composition of bodily fluids, immune status, allergies, skin electrical responses, and other [which differ depending upon which “personality” is in control]…. This development leaves little doubt that in some important sense the alternate personality ‘really exists’ as surely as does the usual personality.”

Not surprisingly, the entities controlling Eileen Garrett presented the same lies right out of the serpent’s mouth. They claimed to be gods who represented “the God principle which is within us all.” Their message agreed with that coming through all the other channels: that there is no death and no judgment—only acceptance as the departed ones move on from this life to another level of existence and continue to learn their lessons and advance ever higher.

The evidence is overwhelming that intelligent entities exist independent of mankind and that they are able, when given entrance, to use the human body to their own ends. The consistent message they present betrays their true identity and purpose.

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Pastor of Underground Church in Kenya Beaten Unconscious

Please pray for this Christian pastor and his family. Hebrew 13:3 instructs us to:

Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.

Carl

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 11, 2019 (Morning Star News) – The Somali pastor of an underground church in Kenya near the Somali border suffered a broken thigh bone and other injuries after Muslim extremists beat him with wooden clubs on Friday night (March 8), sources said.

Pastor Abdul (surname withheld for security reasons), a 30-year-old father of three, had finished leading a prayer gathering at 9 p.m. on the outskirts of Garissa and was on his way back to his house when several ethnic Somali Muslims attacked, he told Morning Star News from his hospital bed, still visibly in pain.

Pastor Abdul said he did not know the assailants. As they approached him, he said, one of them told him, “We have been following your movements and your evil plans of changing Muslims to Christianity.”

Leader of an underground church of 30 former Muslims, he clandestinely met with them in smaller groups on varying days for worship, prayer and Bible study, he said.

“Immediately several assailants began hitting me with wooden clubs, and I became unconscious,” Pastor Abdul said. “I woke up and found myself surrounded by neighbors. I was rescued by the neighbors who found me in a pool of blood.”

They rushed him to a hospital in Garissa, where doctors found his thigh was broken and bruises throughout his body.

“Apart from the thigh pain, I now feel pain all over my body, especially the waist, the back and my left leg near the ankle,” Pastor Abdul told Morning Star News between groans. “I’m almost unable to bear the pain. My family is in great fear, and Christians have located us to another place. Our prayer for now is to get a safe place for my family. My life and that of my family is at stake.”

His children are 8, 5 and 3 years old.

The pastor, who became a Christian seven years ago, said the Muslim extremists discovered his activities even though he had taken precautionary measures to try to keep his movements secret.

The population of Garissa, about 100 miles from the Somali border, is predominantly ethnic Somali. On April 2, 2015, 148 people at Garissa University College lost their lives in an attack by Muslim extremist Al Shabaab, a rebel group in Somalia affiliated with Al Qaeda, and several attacks on churches and Christians have taken place in Garissa.

Somalis generally believe that all Somalis must be Muslim. Somalia’s constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and prohibits the propagation of any other religion, according to the U.S. State Department. It also requires that laws comply with sharia (Islamic law) principles, with no exceptions in application for non-Muslims.

Somalia is ranked third on Christian support group Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian; Kenya is ranked 40.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.

Oprah Winfrey’s New Age “Christianity” (Part 2) – Neale Donald Walsch, “God” and Hitler

March 19, 2015

By Warren B. Smith

Several months after the tragic events of 9/11/2001, Oprah Winfrey did a special program on the ten most “memorable thinkers” she had ever met.1 One of these memorable thinkers was a controversial New Age channeler by the name of Neale Donald Walsch who teaches—among other things—that we are all “God”2 and that “Hitler went to heaven.”3 Oprah’s high praise of Walsch provides important insight into the strong New Age beliefs she attempts to pass off as being “Christian.”

Who is Neale Donald Walsch?

In 1992, Neale Donald Walsch, a disillusioned and distraught former radio talk-show host, public relations professional, and longtime metaphysical seeker, sat down one night and wrote God an angry letter.4 He was amazed when “God” immediately answered his letter by speaking to him through an inner voice. That night, and in subsequent conversations, Walsch wrote down all the dictated answers to his questions. Walsch’s Conversations with God, Book 1 was published in 1995 and became the first in a series of best-selling Conversations with God books. It seemed that in Walsch, “God” had found yet another willing channel for his New Age/New Gospel/New Spirituality teachings.

In a style reminiscent of John Denver and George Burns in the movie Oh, God!, Walsch and “God” present a more “down home” version of the same New Age/New Gospel teachings that were conveyed through previous “inner voice” dictations to Helen Schucman (A Course in Miracles), Barbara Marx Hubbard (The Revelation), Benjamin Creme (Messages from Maitreya), and many others. With Walsch playing the role of devil’s advocate, “God” cleverly plays off of Walsch’s leading questions and comments. Walsch and “God” come across in these conversations as a couple of “everyday Joe’s” who systematically dismantle biblical Christianity with their straight-from-the-source, “thus saith the Lord,” “spiritually correct” teachings. With the assurance of two foxes now in control of the henhouse, they emphatically assert that their New Gospel is from God and the “Old Gospel” is not.

To read whole article click here.

God Speaks To Mankind

God has spoken to mankind over the centuries in many different ways, and in these last days He has given specific instructions.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, [2] in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Heb. 1:1-2 (emphasis added)

And then again,

Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James a and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. [2] And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. [3] And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. [4] Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [5] While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

Matt 17:1-5 (emphasis added)

That is pretty plain, is it not? God, the Father, has spoken to us through His Beloved Son, Jesus. By reading the Bible we can find out what He said. If someone claims to speak for Him, it will line up with what Jesus said. If it does not, the person is not speaking for God.

Thank you, God, for making it so simple!

No secret societies, no rituals, special prayer methods, magic words, secret oaths or mystic ceremonies. Just read what Jesus said in the Bible to know what God has said.

Carl

Oprah Winfrey’s New Age “Christianity” and the Emperor’s New Clothes

The following article shows how dangerous the new age/new spirituality is. By promoting certain authors, Oprah has spread far and wide, her version of “Christianity”. Marianne Williamson, a candidate in the 2020 U.S. presidential race, is one of the authors she has promoted. Now is the time to be paying attention:

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11-12

God bless you. Carl

March 2, 2015

By Warren B. Smith

“The twenty-first century will be the time of awakening, of meeting The Creator Within. Many beings will experience Oneness with God and with all of life. This will be the beginning of the golden age of the New Human, of which it has been written; the time of the universal human, which has been eloquently described by those with deep insight among you. There are many such people in the world now—teachers and messengers, Masters and visionaries—who are placing this vision before humankind and offering tools with which to create it. These messengers and visionaries are the heralds of a New Age.1 (emphasis added)—Neale Donald Walsch’s New Age “God”

Get ready to be awakened.2 (emphasis added)—Oprah Winfrey

The colorful orange and blue paper band around the book issued the following invitation to readers: “Join Oprah and Eckhart for a worldwide web event . . . Every Monday night for 10 weeks . . . Register at Oprah.com.” A personal message from Oprah stated, “Get ready to be awakened.” It was early in 2008, and it all had to do with a much-publicized selection from Oprah Winfrey’s book club—A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose by New Age author Eckhart Tolle. Through this worldwide web event with Tolle, Oprah was making a definite statement. She was no longer content to just share and promote her New Age beliefs. In this Internet class with Tolle, she would now be actively teaching them. This was a bold move by a woman who was willing to do everything in her power—which is considerable—to convert humanity to a new worldview and to a New Age “Christianity” that is no Christianity at all.

The “Shift”

With her good friend Marianne Williamson simultaneously teaching a daily year-long class on A Course in Miracles on Oprah and Friends XM Satellite Radio, Oprah was unleashing two very public New Age classes. And these classes were teaching millions of people that the way to save themselves and the planet was not by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but rather by accepting the “God” and “Christ within.” As Williamson put it in her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles: “I accept the Christ within.”3

For entire article click here.

How religious is your state?

By Michael Lipka and Benjamin Wormald

Mississippi, Alabama and other Southern states are among the most highly religious states in the nation, while New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine in New England are among the least devout, according to some of the key measures used to determine levels of religiosity in the Pew Research Center’s most recent Religious Landscape Study.

To begin, select a state to see where it ranks in terms of overall religiosity. In exploring the interactive it is important to keep in mind that differences between two states may not always be statistically significant due to the margins of error that are inherent in this survey data.

To select a state click here.

In Defense of the Faith

Dear Reader: the following is an question concerning the authenticity of the Bible that was received by The Berean Call. Dave Hunt, the author of the God Makers, The Mind Invaders, and The Woman Rides The Beast, gives an excellent answer. I pray you are blessed by the discussion. Carl

February 1, 2019 Dave Hunt – Berean Call– February Newsletter

What about Satan as Serpent?

Question: I think one of the great evidences against the authenticity of the Bible is its treatment of the serpent. In the Bible, the serpent is the embodiment of evil, whereas ancient myths and religions give exactly the opposite view. The Bible equates the serpent with the devil, but the most ancient religions, some of which are even practiced to the present time, almost universally identify the serpent as the Savior, or at least as benevolent and to be worshiped. How can the Bible be true at the same time be so much out of touch with what is clearly the common intuition of humanity?

Response: This is a fascinating subject, and its implications go beyond our ability to understand fully. There is no doubt that the Bible repeatedly identifies Satan both as the serpent and the dragon, not only in Genesis 3 but elsewhere. For example, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation:12:9 – “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”)

In view of the usual human revulsion and fear of both dragons and serpents, one would think that Satan would do everything possible to deny such a connection, yet the opposite seems to be the case, for some strange reason. How intriguing it is that both are so closely associated with nearly all pagan religions. The dragon is found on thousands of temples throughout Asia, while the serpent permeates and even dominates the religion of India.

Serpent Worship Everywhere

In the temples of ancient Egypt and Rome the body of the god Serapis was encircled by the coils of a great serpent. In Hinduism one of the three chief gods, Shiva, has serpents entwined in his hair. Yoga is symbolized as a raft made of cobras, and its goal is to awaken the kundalini power coiled at the base of the human spine in the form of a serpent. Numerous other examples could be given, from the plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl, the Savior-god of the Mayas, to the annual snake dance of the Hopi Indians. One of the greatest authorities on the occult (himself a practitioner of occultism) has written:

“Serpent worship in some form permeated nearly all parts of the earth. The serpent mounds of the American Indian; the carved-stone snakes of Central and South America; the hooded cobras of India; Python, the great snake of the Greeks; the sacred serpents of the Druids; the Midgard snake of Scandinavia; the Nagas of Burma, Siam, and Cambodia . . . the mystic serpent of Orpheus; the snakes at the oracle of Delphi . . . the sacred serpents preserved in the Egyptian temples; the Uraeus coiled upon the foreheads of the Pharaohs and priests—all these bear wintess to the universal veneration in which the snake was held. . . .”

” The serpent is . . . the symbol and prototype of the Universal Savior, who redeems the world by giving creation the knowledge of itself. . . . It has long been viewed as the emblem of immortality. It is the symbol of reincarnation.” (Manley P. Hall, The Secret Teachings or all Ages: An Encyclopedic outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Sybolical Philosophy (The Philosophical Research Society, Inc, Lost Angeles, CA 90027, 1969)

In Greek mythology a serpent was wrapped around the Orphic egg, the symbol of the cosmos. Likewise at Delphi, Greece (for centuries the location of the most sought-for and influential oracle of the ancient world, consulted by potentates from as far away as North Africa and Asia Minor), the three legs of the oracular tripod in the inner shrine of the temple were intertwined with serpents. As one further example, consider the Greek and Roman god of medicine, Aesculapius, whose symbol of modern medicine, the caduceus, was derived.

In the temples erected in his honor, Aesculapius was worshiped with snakes because of ancient myth that said he had received a healing herb at the mouth of a serpent. Here again we have the Genesis story perverted: The serpent is not the deceiver and destroyer but the Savior of mankind, replacing Jesus Christ. At graduation ceremonies of medical schools around the world, where prayers to the God of the Bible or to Jesus Christ would not be allowed, graduates, upon receiving their MD degrees, still repeat loudly in unison the Hippocratic oath. It begins, “I swear by Apollo, by Aesculapius, by Hygeia and Panacea, and by all the gods and goddesses. . . .”

Surely the Bible’s depiction of Satan as a serpent and dragon, the deceiver and destroyer of mankind, and then as the god of this world who originates pagan religions, fits the evidence. Furthermore, the very fact that the Bible stands alone against all ancient religions provides further evidence that all of them have a common source and that the inspiration behind the Bible is, exactly as it claims, independent of theirs. In fact, the two sources of inspiration are obviously diametrically opposed.

Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement and Health Around the World

In the U.S. and other countries, participation in a congregation is a key factor

Actively religious people tend to be happier

People who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members of religious groups, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of survey data from the United States and more than two dozen other countries.

Religiously active people also tend to smoke and drink less, but they are not healthier in terms of exercise frequency and rates of obesity. Nor, in most countries, are highly religious people more likely to rate themselves as being in very good overall health – though the U.S. is among the possible exceptions.

Many previous studies have found positive associations between religion and health in the United States. Researchers have shown, for example, that Americans who regularly attend religious services tend to live longer.¹ Other studies have focused on narrower health benefits, such as how religion may help breast cancer patients cope with stress. On the other hand, there are also studies that have not found a robust relationship between religion and better health in the U.S., and even some studies that have shown negative relationships, such as higher rates of obesity among highly religious Americans. (For more on previous studies of religion and health, see this sidebar.)

Taking a broad, international approach to this complicated topic, Pew Research Center researchers set out to determine whether religion has clearly positive, negative or mixed associations with eight different indicators of individual and societal well-being available from international surveys conducted over the past decade. Specifically, this report examines survey respondents’ self-assessed levels of happiness, as well as five measures of individual health and two measures of civic participation.²

By dividing people into three categories, the study also seeks to isolate whether religious affiliation or religious participation – or both, or neither – is associated with happiness, health and civic engagement. The three categories are: “Actively religious,” made up of people who identify with a religious group and say they attend services at least once a month (sometimes called “actives”); “inactively religious,” defined as those who claim a religious identity but attend services less often (also called “inactives”); and “religiously unaffiliated,” people who do not identify with any organized religion (sometimes called “nones”).³

This analysis finds that in the U.S. and many other countries around the world, regular participation in a religious community clearly is linked with higher levels of happiness and civic engagement (specifically, voting in elections and joining community groups or other voluntary organizations). This may suggest that societies with declining levels of religious engagement, like the U.S., could be at risk for declines in personal and societal well-being. But the analysis finds comparatively little evidence that religious affiliation, by itself, is associated with a greater likelihood of personal happiness or civic involvement.

For full report click here.

Easy, Easy, Easy

“It is an easy thing to be godly from the teeth outward.”

Preceeding quote is from Matthew Henry’s (1710 AD) comments describing false teachers in Romans 16:18.

One godly characteristic the false teachers exhibited was “Christian” speech. From the teeth outward they appeared godly. In other words, they used Christian lingo and profess to be Christian but inwardly, in their heart, they are ravenous wolves sent by satan to mislead the true born again Christians. They use their oratory skills and cunning to lead Christians astray. The scripture says

“… and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” (Romans 16:18)

The Lord Jesus warned about these people:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] So then, you will know them by their fruits. …. (Matthew 7: 15-20)

Don’t be “unsuspecting” but be a fruit inspector. The Lord Jesus is telling you and me that by examining the fruit of their lives you can recognize the ravenous wolves despite their Christian words, mannerisms, associations, and their smooth and flattering speech.

In another blog we will discuss some of the fruit you should look for.

THEREFORE, “Gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit” (I Peter 1:13) and “be on alert, your adversary, the devil, prowls about…seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).

Carl

Knock, Knock! Who’s There? That Is The Question In Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness and Contemplative Prayer.

Some Christians today, in their desire to have a closer walk with the Lord or for some health reason, have turned to meditative practices rooted in eastern mysticism such as Yoga, Mindfulness, Meditation, Contemplative Prayer, etc. The goal being to reach a passive state of “silence” or “stillness” where all mental thoughts cease and the ‘Lord’ can be heard. While it is noble to want a closer walk with the Lord Jesus, a person must be careful how he goes about seeking this intimacy, because a sincere motive is no protection from deception.

In Watchman Nee’s 1927 book, The Spiritual Man, he discusses how we can discern if the Lord Jesus or evil spirits are communicating with us. Following are some quotes from the section entitled, The Mind A Battlefield, where he compares the different mental conditions through which the Holy Spirit works versus the mental conditions through which evil spirits work.

At the end of his comments, we have quotes from Quaker Richard J. Foster, an advocate of these practices, and a former Yanamamo witchdoctor.

I hope you find the material enlightening. Thank you for your time.

Carl

“God creates man with a mind to be used —“he who hears the word and understands it” (Matt. 13:23). God desires man to understand His Word with the intellect, from whence the emotion, will and spirit are reached.”

“In their desire to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit many of the Lord’s people feel they do not need to measure, investigate, and judge by the light of the Bible all thoughts which seemingly come from God. “

“The passivity of the mind is due to a misconception of the meaning of consecration and obedience to the Holy Spirit. Many take for granted that the thoughts in their head hinder their walk. They do not perceive that it is a brain which ceases to function or which functions chaotically that hinders spiritual life, whereas, one which functions properly is not only profitable but also essential. Such a mind as this can alone cooperate with God.”

“Let us pursue one step further this matter of passivity as a condition for the operation of evil spirits. We are aware of one class of people who especially relish communicating with these spirits. People usually do not hanker to be demon possessed, but this special class craves to be so possessed. These are the soothsayers, the augurs, the mediums, the necromancers. By accurately observing the cause of their possession we may come to understand the principle of demon possession. These people tell us that in order to be possessed by what they call gods (who actually are demons) their will must present no resistance whatsoever but be favorably disposed to accept whatever comes upon their bodies. To render their will completely passive their mind must first to be reduced to blankness. A blank brain produces a passive will. These two elements are the basic requisites for demon possession. Hence a necromancer who is waiting for his “god” to come to him lets down his hair and shakes his head for a continued period until it is dizzy and his mind completely out of action. As the latter is turning blank his will naturally becomes immobile. At this point his mouth begins to move unconsciously, his body gradually trembles, and before long his “god” descends upon him. This is one way of becoming possessed. Although there may be others, the principle for the spiritist is the same: to achieve passivity of will through a perfectly blank mind; for all spiritist agree that when spirits or demons alight upon them their heads can no longer think and their wills can no longer act. They are unpossessed until this state of an empty mind and an inert will is reached.

Today’s (1927) so-called scientific hypnotism and religious yogi, which enable people to possess the powers of telepathy, healing, and transforming, are in reality founded upon these two principles. Using the argument that certain methods can be beneficial to mankind, those of this class who perform such techniques as focusing one’s attention, sitting silently, contemplating and meditating, are actually employing these devices to reduce their mind to a blank condition and their will to passivity so as to invite supernatural spirits or demons to supply them with many wonderful experiences. Our purpose here is not to inquire whether or not these people realize they are inviting evil spirits to come; we merely wish to observe that they are fulfilling the requirements for demon possession. The consequence is grave; perhaps later they shall awaken to the fact that what they have welcomed are indeed evil spirits.

Our intention here is not a full treatment of this subject. We simply wish to acquaint the Lord’s children with the principles behind the practice of the black arts: which are a blank and passive mind and will. Evil spirits are overjoyed should these conditions be present, as they can immediately commence to do their dark work.

It is well for every Christian to always bear in mind the one basic and crucially important distinction between the working of evil spirits and that of the Holy Spirit: the Latter works when man fulfills His working conditions, while the former work when man fulfills their working conditions. If man, even though he may appear to be seeking the Holy Spirit, meets the requirements for evil spirits to operate, God’s Spirit will never operate. The wicked spirits wait tirelessly for the opportunity to act. Should anyone be incompetent to distinguish what is truly of God from what is a counterfeit, he need only ask himself one question: what kind of condition was he in when first he experienced such phenomena? If he had fulfilled the prerequisites for the Holy Spirit’s activity, it must have been from God; but had he met the necessary conditions for evil spirits to work, then what he encountered must have been the evil spirit. We do not reject every supernatural phenomenon; what we simply and earnestly desire to do is to separate what is of God from what is of Satan.

The basic distinction between the operating requirements of the Holy Spirit and the wicked spirits can be summarized as follows:

All supernatural revelations, visions or other strange occurrences which require the total cessation of the function of the mind, or are obtained only after it has ceased working, are not of God.
All visions which arise from the Holy Spirit are conferred when the believer’s mind is fully active. It necessitates the active engagement of the various functions of the mind to apprehend these visions. The endeavors of evil spirits follow exactly the opposite course.
All which flows from God agrees with God’s nature and the Bible.”

The Spiritual Man – Watchman Nee ( Part Eight – The Mind A Battlefield – selections from pages 21-27. Emphasis- mine.)

In addition to what Nee said the dangers of a blank mind and passive will, the Quaker Richard J. Foster, an advocate of “Christian” contemplation, expresses his concerns about who is speaking in the “silence” when he says

“I also want to give a word of precaution. In the silent contemplation of God we are entering deeply into the spiritual realm, and there is such a thing as supernatural guidance that is not divine guidance…there are various orders of spiritual beings, and some of them are definitely not in cooperation with God and his way! (Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home)

In other words, there are other dangerous spirits in this “silence” that can do you harm. Shame on Foster for encouraging innocent people to expose themselves to such danger. In the, Be Still, DVD he offers advice about how to discern who might be communicating in the “silence” or “stillness”:

“Learning to distinguish the voice of God….from just human voices within us…comes in much the same way that we learn any other voice. Satan pushes and condemns. God draws and encourages. And we know the difference.”

He admits to a chorus of voices that might speak in the “solitude” and “silence”: God, satan, or even other human voices. To show how naïve Foster is, in telling people how to discern God’s voice from satan’s, listen to what the former witchdoctor has to say about what he experienced while in the “silence” and focusing.

Chief Shoefoot, a Yanamamo shaman or witchdoctor, in the DVD, I’ll Never Go Back – A Shaman’s Story, describes the multitude of spiritual beings (demons) that are in this “deep spiritual realm” that Foster encourages people to go into, with blank minds and passive wills. The Chief begins by relating his initiation into shamanism. How he, after having drugs blown up his nose, was told by the head witchdoctor to sit in “silence” and “focus” only on him (the witchdoctor). Then the “good” and “bad” spirits materialized, a vast mass swirling around the teacher, beautifully attired in tropical bird feathers, and certain “good” ones entered his chest where, he said, they built their houses and invited other “good” spirts. There were other “bad” spirits that were not to be accepted since they caused jealously, murder, etc.

These evil “good” spirits brought bondage, eventually causing him to think he was losing his mind. He said the spirits were “deceivers and loved to deceive.” It was at this point that he met a missionary who helped him understand why God sent his Son to earth. He was born again and delivered from all of the evil spirits. To the anthropologist’s argument that these primitive tribes should be left alone, Chief Shoefoot says he never wants to go back to living a life dominated by the forces of darkness.

In conclusion, Watchman Nee shares that a blank mind and passive will are a welcome mat for evil spirits to enter a person, that the voice one hears in this “silent” state, which is the goal of all eastern mysticism meditation, is NOT God’s but deceiving, evil spirits. Even the advocates of these practices, like Richard J. Foster, admit that a person is exposing themselves to deception by these evil beings when in this state. Finally, the error of Foster’s advice on how to discern God’s voice from satan is revealed by Chief Shoefoot’s testimony. From this once professional witchdoctor we see that there are “good” spirits that do good things and “bad” spirits that do evil things. So in this meditative state you can have a wide range of feelings, from being “drawn and encouraged” to being “pushed and condemned” depending on the evil spirit. Feelings are a dangerous yardstick for WHO you are hearing in this mentally blank and passive state.

He said these spirits were beautiful in appearance but that they all deceive and love to deceive.

If you are a Christian or a non-Christian who is involved or considering trying these eastern meditation methods, I strongly suggest you stop these practices or never get started. God never asked you to seek Him in such a way that exposes you to demonic possession. Use your mind to meditate on His Word found in the Bible and let the truths therein bring practical righteousness to your daily walk and overflowing joy into your life.

The Lord Jesus said He came so that you could have abundant life. Don’t settle for a counterfeit.

“Now to Him is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude 24 -25)

Carl

Choose Your Bible Teachers Wisely

“It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts, and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills. Let me tell you something, friend, it is not love, and it is not friendship, if we fail to declare the whole counsel of God. It is better to be hated for telling the truth, than to be loved for telling a lie….”
Adrian Rogers

As you can see from an overview of this text that Paul shared what would be termed today “negative” truth with this church. Following are some observations that can be drawn from Paul’s statements:

The parameter he used for sharing was, is it profitable to them. His first priority was their spiritual well being, not their subjective feelings, nor his reputation, financial status or social status.
There were serious, eternal issues at stake; therefore, he testified solemnly of the way to salvation and to the gospel of the grace of God. There was no showmanship or frivolous handling of the truths of God but there were tears as he admonished [instructed and warned] each one.
These were serious matters that Paul would be held accountable to Jesus Christ for; therefore, he shared with them the whole counsel of God so he would be innocent of the blood of all men. He shared the positive, the negative and everything in-between.
We Christians do not like to be warned that we could be deceived. Yet, Paul stressed to these church leaders that there were savage wolves, people activated by the devil, who would destroy church people’s lives and that some of them, the elders, were these very savage wolves. Not a very positive statement. He did not build up their self-worth, positive image, or encourage them. He told them a hard truth.
He told them to remember the words of Lord Jesus about giving; thereby, pointing to the ultimate authority of knowledge.

Therefore, dear Reader, if you are in a church that does not give you the whole counsel of God, the positive, the negative and everything in-between, I advise you to get up, grab your Bible, and run out the door. If they are just tickling your ears and giving you what your flesh or the contemporary culture wants you to hear, you’re in, or headed for great deception. Find yourself a pastor who loves the sheep enough to tell them the truth, even when it is not popular, and fears the Lord instead of man. A pastor who loves you more than he loves money and popularity.

Why should you do this?

Because the savage wolves are still here! And they still want to lead you astray and devour you and your love ones.

Peter said in 2 Peter 2:1, as there were false prophets before the Lord Jesus came the first time, there would also be false teachers among the New Testament believers, who would secretly introduce destructive heresies alongside of biblical truths. They would use the Holy Scripture to camaflouge their lies.

This is why the Lord Jesus gave certain offices to His Church that would produce a certain Result:

….gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. [14] As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;…

Ephesians 4:11-14

These men mentioned in verse 14 above, are savage wolves. By the preaching and teaching of the whole counsel of God, the Church is protected from these destructive, demonized people, whose goal is to destroy. If you have ever watched a wild animal attack and devour another wild animal, you know how powerful this analogy is. No mercy, no stopping until the victim’s life is snuffed out. We once had a hawk knock a wood duck out the sky and they fell in front of our dinning room window. Watching the hawk kill the duck was a sobering reminder of the life and death struggle in the physical world and the spiritual world.

Therefore, choose your spiritual teachers very wisely, including the spiritual books you read. Do some research and find out what the author believes before you expose yourself to their teaching.

Remember what Adrian Rogers said at the beginning of this post.

“It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts, and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills.

“Falsehood” is what savage wolves give unsuspecting hearts (Romans 16:18) to ensnare them. “Therefore be alert…”

May you be growing into the “measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ“. Thank you for your time.

Carl

INDIA – No. 10 on Open Doors’ World’s Watch List

10.Unprecedented Christian Persecution in India

In the world’s second most populous country, Christians saw unprecedented persecution on numerous fronts from both the State and general Hindu society. For the first time, India enters the top 10 on the World Watch List, jumping one spot from No. 11 in 2017. Home to more than a billion people, even an incremental rise in persecution yields an exponential impact. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, Hindu extremists have fueled a crackdown on Christian house churches and have attacked believers with impunity—believing that to be Indian is to be Hindu. So any other faith is viewed as non-Indian. In rural areas, Christians were told that one church would be closed down every week because they have been “destroying” local tradition and culture by “luring” others to convert to Christianity. And it is common for Christians to be cut off from local water supplies and be denied access to government-subsidized groceries. In India, saying “yes” to Jesus has become a risky decision that costs you and your family greatly.

To read more about these countries and the remaining 40 countries on Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List, click here to see the list and download the full report. To help you pray with these believers, Open Doors has a mobile prayer app that alerts you to prayer requests from believers. Learn more about it and sign up to get regular updates delivered to your phone. Share Your Comment

Dear Reader: thank you for your time reading these important posts concerning persecution of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let us remember them in prayer and support them financially and physically were we can. God bless your obedience to Him. Carl

No. 8 and 9

8. Believers in Yemen Especially Vulnerable in Civil War and Famine

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An ongoing civil war in Yemen has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory, making an already difficult nation for Christians to live in even harder. The chaos of war has enabled radical groups to take control over some regions of Yemen, and they have increased persecution of Christians. Even private worship is risky in some parts of the country. Christians are suffering from the general humanitarian crisis in the country, but Yemeni Christians are additionally vulnerable since emergency relief is mostly distributed through Islamic organizations and local mosques, which are allegedly discriminating against all who are not considered to be pious Muslims. Converts to Christianity from Islam face additional persecution from family and society. In Yemen, the small church is composed mostly of Yemeni Christians with a Muslim background who must live their faith in secret. They face persecution from the authorities (including detention and interrogation), their families, and radical Islamic groups who threaten converts with death if they don’t denounce Christ and re-convert.

9. IRAN: Illegal to convert, illegal to preach

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In this gateway to the Middle East, Christians are forbidden from sharing their faith with non-Christians. Therefore, church services in Persian, the national language, are not allowed. Converts from Islam undergo persecution from the government; if they attend an underground house church, they face the constant threat of arrest. Iranian society is governed by Islamic law, which means the rights and job possibilities for Christians are heavily restricted. The government sees them as an attempt by Western countries to undermine Islam and the Islamic regime of Iran. Leaders of groups of Christian converts have been arrested, prosecuted and have received long prison sentences for “crimes against the national security.” In December, to crack down on Christians sharing their faith, Iranian police arrested 100 Christians in one week, making a blatant statement to both Christians and Muslims. Iran is also infamous for its prisons and inhumane treatment of Christians in places like Evin Prison where well-known house church pastor Yousef Nardarkhani is serving a 10-year sentence.

Dear Reader: Let us remember our brothers and sisters in prayer as they suffer in Yemen and Iran; especially those imprisoned for their faith. May the Holy Spirit fill them with boldness and confidence in Christ, as they live as sheep among wolves. May grace upon grace be upon them.

Thank you for your time spent educating yourself on the state of the Body of Christ in the earth.

Carl

Sudan and Eritrea: 6 & 7 In The Top 10 Persecutors of Christians

6.Christian Converts in Sudan Targeted for Persecution

Sudan has been ruled as an Islamic state by the authoritarian government of President al-Bashir since 1989. Under his charge, the country offers limited rights for religious minorities and places heavy restrictions on freedom of speech or press. The last year has been difficult for Christians in many ways. There have been arrests; many churches have been demolished and others are on an official list awaiting demolition. And many Christians are attacked indiscriminately in areas like the Nuba Mountains where there is an ongoing conflict between government forces and rebel groups. Christian converts from Islam are especially targeted for persecution. So to keep from being discovered, converts will often refrain from raising their children as Christians because this might attract the attention of the government and community leaders (since children might inadvertently reveal their parents’ faith).

7.Christians Imprisoned in Shipping Containers in Eritrea

Since 1993, President Afwerki has overseen an authoritarian brutal regime that rests on massive human rights violations. During the 2019 World Watch List reporting period, government security forces conducted many house-to-house raids and imprisoned hundreds of Christians in inhumane conditions, including small shipping containers in scorching heat. Protestants, in particular, face serious problems in accessing community resources, especially social services provided by the State. Christians from non-traditional church groups, such as evangelicals, face the harshest persecution. In 2018, Eritrea embraced an end to hostility with both Ethiopia and Somalia. How that agreement will play out for the situation of Christians remains to be seen. This extreme pressure and state-sanctioned violence are forcing some Christians to flee Eritrea–often called “Africa’s North Korea”–and seek asylum.

Dear Reader: please pray for these precious people who are suffering for believing in and following Jesus Christ. That is their only “crime”! May grace upon grace be upon them.

Carl

Libya and Pakistan: No. 4 & 5 Persecutors of Christians

4.Believers in Libya Face Deadly Violence

After the ouster of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya plunged into chaos and anarchy, which has enabled various Islamic militant groups to control parts of the country. Libyan converts to Christianity face abuse and violence for their decision to follow Christ. The country is also home to many migrant workers who have been attacked, sexually assaulted and detained, which can be even worse if your Christian faith is discovered. Libyan Christians with a Muslim background face extremely violent and intense pressure from their family and the wider community to renounce their faith. Believers from other parts of the continent are also targeted by various Islamic militant groups and organized criminal groups. Few will forget the horrifying video of Egyptian workers martyred by ISIS militants on the coast of Libya. The level of violence against Christians in Libya is very high, and Christians in Libya are subjected to violent, inhumane and degrading treatment.

5.Christians in Pakistan Live With Open Discrimination and Constant Threat of Mob Attacks

Under Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws, Christians continue to live in daily fear they will be accused of blasphemy—which can carry a death sentence. The most well-known example of these laws is the case of Asia Bibi. After sitting on death row for more than 10 years, the Christian wife and mother was acquitted of blasphemy charges in October however her life is still in grave danger from radical Islamists that have gained increasing political power in the world’s sixth-largest country. For that reason, the new ruling government must maintain good diplomatic relationships with some radical groups. Christians are largely regarded as second-class citizens, and conversion to Christianity from Islam carries a great deal of risk. An estimated 700 girls and women abducted each year are often raped and then forcefully married to Muslim men in the community, usually resulting in forced conversions. While traditional, historical churches have relative freedom for worship, they are heavily monitored and have regularly been targeted for bomb attacks (for example, the Quetta attack in December 2017 on Bethel Memorial Methodist Church). In Pakistan, all Christians suffer from institutionalized discrimination. Occupations seen as low, dirty and derogatory are officially reserved for Christians. Many Christians are very poor, and some are victims of bonded labor. On the other hand, many Christians belong to Pakistan’s middle class; however, this does not save them from being marginalized or persecuted.

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The Hand of God in Providence

The Root of the Crisis

Self-Salvation Leaves the Priest Hopeless

Homosexuality in Catholic Seminaries

The Unthinkable Has Happened

The Gospel of the Sovereign Lord

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10.Unprecedented Christian Persecution in India

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8. Believers in Yemen Especially Vulnerable in Civil War and Famine

9. IRAN: Illegal to convert, illegal to preach

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6.Christian Converts in Sudan Targeted for Persecution

7.Christians Imprisoned in Shipping Containers in Eritrea

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4.Believers in Libya Face Deadly Violence

5.Christians in Pakistan Live With Open Discrimination and Constant Threat of Mob Attacks

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