Gay activists launch all-out campaign to stop Australian Christian conference

Oct 23, 2014  – Faith, Freedom, Homosexuality – Andrew Smith, Australian correspondent

CANBERRA – Gay activists in Australia have launched a furious campaign to convince Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten to pull out of speaking at the Australian Christian Lobby‘s national conference this weekend, and to pressure the hotel hosting the event to cancel.

While gay activists had previously achieved notable success in convincing politicians to withdraw from the World Congress of Families event in Melbourne in August, this case has a twist, in that Shorten himself personally supports gay “marriage,” and is so far refusing to back down.

A spokesman for the Australian Christian Lobby, which is a leading force in the country against redefining marriage, told LifeSiteNews that organizers of the conference are aware of Shorten’s position, but that rather than go the path of shutting down public discussion on an issue, the ACL’s position is to have open debate in the public space.

But despite the opposition leader’s support for their cause, gay activists deluged his office with about 100 phone calls in a single day, asking him to pull out of speaking at the conference, while he has also received continued pressure in the homosexual media.

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Iran – World’s “Fastest-Growing Church,” Celebrates New Bible Translation.

Monday, September 22, 2014 – By Jeremy Reynalds – Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

LONDON (ANS) — A major new translation of the Bible into modern Persian, launched in London Monday, marks a remarkable transformation for the church in Iran.

According to a news release from Elam Ministries, the organization behind the translation, at the time of the Islamic revolution in 1979, there were no more than 500 Christians from a Muslim background in the country. Now Iran is thought to have the fastest-growing church in the world.

“A very conservative estimate puts the number of Christians in Iran at 100,000,” said David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries, speaking in the news release.

He continued, “The generally-accepted estimate is 370,000. Some believe there are 700,000, some over a million. Operation World puts the annual growth rate at 19.7 per cent. If that is the case, Iran will very soon have one million Christian believers.”

Yeghnazar believes there are a number of reasons why the church has grown so rapidly.

“The Iranian identity is not rooted in Islam and there is real disillusionment with the religion,” he said in the release. “The house church movement has emerged, allowing Iranians to go to Christian meetings easily and not risk all by going to a public church. New Christians have zealously shared the Gospel and Scriptures and there has been on-going prayer for Iran around the world.”

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Should You Turn Your Light on at Halloween?

Dear friends & family in Christ,

We’re posting the following article below for your prayerful interest and Holy Spirit led action as we proclaim & demonstrate that Jesus is Lord over Halloween!
by Riley Stephenson, KCM Minister of Evangelism

Whether or not to participate in Halloween activities has been a big debate among the members of the Body of Christ. As believers, we have nothing to fear when the Holy Spirit is our guide. What does He have to say about this issue?

The Bible tells us not to “copy the behavior and customs of this world” (Romans 12:2, New Living Translation). But this verse should not be an excuse for us to shut the door on the world. We also need to let our light shine, as my family and I learned a long time ago—especially on the darkest day of the year!

For years my wife, Kim, and I would not turn on our porch light at Halloween. When persistent trick-or-treaters knocked on our door anyway, our family ignored them. We would not let our girls carve pumpkins or color Halloween artwork at school or go trick-or-treating.

Then one year the Lord spoke this scripture to our family: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, New King James Version). We realized that God wanted us to reach out to our neighbors on Halloween night. So we changed our MO! We bought good candy, not the cheap stuff—you know, the kind that has bubble gum in it that loses its flavor as soon as you put it in your mouth. We got chocolate bars! And we began to minister the love of God to those who were participating in Halloween. We handed out candy to our neighborhood kids, gave them tracts, and asked them if we could pray with them about anything.

Halloween is a great time for us to get to know our neighbors. Streets are packed with parents and children. Paul said it this way: “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22–23, NLT).

As Christians, we walk every day in the burden-removing, yoke-destroying power of God (see Isaiah 10:27). If we close our door on our neighbors at Halloween, if we “turn our lights off,” we miss a big opportunity to remove burdens and destroy yokes from other people’s lives.

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Hillsong’s Brian Houston on Gay Marriage: ‘I Believe the Writings of Paul Are Clear on This Subject’

By Nicola Menzie , Christian Post Reporter – October 18, 2014

Hillsong Church pastor Brian Houston has issued a statement specifying his position on marriage and homosexuality after a news outlet reported that he “won’t take (a) public position on LGBT issues.”

The news report came after Houston brought up the topics of homosexuality and same-sex marriage at a press conference held on Thursday with New York City media, on the occasion of Hillsong Conference being held at Madison Square Garden.

“I encourage people not to assume a media headline accurately represents what I said at a recent press conference,” Houston says in a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Saturday.

“Nowhere in my answer did I diminish biblical truth or suggest that I or Hillsong Church supported gay marriage,” he adds. “I challenge people to read what I actually said, rather than what was reported that I said. My personal view on the subject of homosexuality would line up with most traditionally held Christian views. I believe the writings of Paul are clear on this subject.”

(Photo: The Christian Post/Scott Liu)

Pastors Brian Houston and Bobbie Houston of Hillsong Church appear at a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, at The Eventi Hotel in New York City. The press conference came on the occasion of the Hillsong Conference being held at Madison Square Garden from Oct. 16-18 in NYC.

The question that resulted in Houston’s remarks on homosexuality centered on how his church tries to remain relevant. In his response, the Hillsong pastor offered homosexual marriage as an issue that is a challenge for some churches. Traditional Christian teachings define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

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Beware of Superstar, Self-Appointed Church Personalities

The Flaming Herald – 10/9/2014 Bert M. Farias

Are these popular ministerial personalities great in the sight of the Lord or only in the sight of man? Are they really known in heaven or only on the Earth? Are they God-anointed or self-appointed? Is it ministry they deliver or some subtle form of hype?

“Many who are great in the sight of the Lord are living in cottages and hovels, and are scarcely known, unless to a few neighbors equally obscure,” said William Jay.

Believers, especially Christian ministers, need a baptism of clear seeing and holy discerning. Our ministry marketing budget may be soaring high, but our perception can sometimes be so low. Our motives need refinement. The refiner’s fire is near the door. Will you open it? Can you see the narrow way to holiness? Or is all the smoke blocking your view?

Before me now I see the impression I saw months ago. There are two scenes. One is of a clear and sunny horizon lined with an endless row of people. The other is of a vast forest. Dense fog covers the forest, and out of the fog comes the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, for the most part, is not found among the general populace. People have to really look to recognize Him.

Think about it. Our Savior was not born in a big metropolis, but in the small town of Bethlehem. And He grew up in the despised region of Galilee. He was not born in a palace where kings are, but in a lowly stable. The wise men had to really search and diligently follow the star to find Him. When Jesus entered into ministry, it is written that He had no place to lay His head (Luke 9:58). He did not have a ministry headquarters. He died a criminal’s death on a cross, naked and nearly alone. His grave was a borrowed tomb. His throne was an invisible one hidden from the multitudes of those who were healed and delivered through His ministry. He was called meek and lowly; certainly not the description fitting for a king. But today, ministry is so different.

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Why South Korea is so distinctively Christian

The Economist ^ | 08/21/2014

SOUTH KOREA, a dynamo of growth, is also a fire with faith. This week Pope Francis will spend five days there, for Asian Youth Day and to beatify 124 early martyrs. About 5.4m of South Korea’s 50m people are Roman Catholics. Perhaps 9m more are Protestants, of many stripes.

Yoido Full Gospel Church’s 1m members form the largest Pentecostal congregation on Earth. Belief’s farther shores include the Unification Church, soon to mark the anniversary of its founder Sun-myung Moon’s “ascension”.

The late Yoo Byung-eun, the shifty and versatile tycoon behind the ferry Sewol which sank in April, killing 304 mostly teenage passengers, had also founded his own sect (and the website God.com, now in other hands); its followers hid him during Korea’s largest-ever police man-hunt.

All this is particularly striking, because Asia is mostly stony ground for Christianity. Spanish rule left the Philippines strongly Catholic, but Korea is less simple.

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Church Unite Services in Melbourne at Convention Centre at 5pm & 8pm this Sunday evening 19th October

Dear friends & family in Christ, We're very pleased to announce tha Pastor Daniel has decided to join many other pastor & churches in cancelling Sunday evening service on 19th…

Continue ReadingChurch Unite Services in Melbourne at Convention Centre at 5pm & 8pm this Sunday evening 19th October

How to Be Led by the Holy Spirit

6/28/2014 Joyce Meyer – Charisma News

What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? Some may refer to it as being filled with … or sensitive to … or anointed by the Spirit. It probably sounds really spiritual. But being led by the Spirit is actually a very practical part of living the Christian life. Simply put, to be led by the Holy Spirit just means to be obedient to Him.

The Holy Spirit does such awesome, yet practical work in the lives of God’s children. He is our comforter, counselor, helper, intercessor, advocate, strengthener and standby. He teaches us and guides us into truth—and He even brings the things we learn back to our remembrance as we need it.

And the best part of it all is that He lives in each of us. Ephesians 3:16 tells us that He enables us to be “strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]” (AMP).

He comes to live in our hearts when we’re born again, and then He teaches and guides us according to God’s plan and purpose for us. One of the ways He does this is by convicting us of the sins in our life. Much like a child does, as Christians, we learn what’s right and wrong as we grow in our faith. We may get by with things that are not right for awhile, but the time comes when we need to grow. I remember when I would go to church every Sunday and then spend most of the afternoon gossiping about the pastor or whatever I didn’t like about the service.

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Amid Iraqi Terror Crisis, Light of Christ Is Dawning

8/22/2014  Mark Andrews and Kyle Patterson

Before sending the first wave of military “advisers,” U.S. officials expressed reservations about putting combat “boots on the ground” in Iraq again to deal with a fierce Islamist terrorist threat in the country’s unstable northern regions.

But a Tennessee-based Christian relief organization has had its own “boots on the ground” in this dangerous territory for the past nine months and is showing no signs of backing down in the face of the ruthless militants’ convert-or-be-slaughtered ultimatum.

“Despite the atrocities being committed by ISIS [short for the Islamist State of Iraq and Syria], Iraq represents an opportunity to bring the hope and love of the Gospel,” says Crisis Response International (CRI) Director Sean Malone.

Teams of CRI responders–a combination of staff and trained volunteers–are committed to bringing a witness of God’s love in tangible ways providing food, shelter and medical needs to hundreds in Iraq daily, he said. But most importantly, CRI is praying and bringing the peace and salvation of Jesus into the hearts of hundreds of Iraq residents who are desperate for answers.

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‘They would not convert and it cost them their life’. Family of eight Iraqi Christians shot in the face

05 August 2014  |   Ruth Gledhill – Christian Today

Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad, who has witnessed extreme sufferings of Christians being killed and persecuted in recent weeks, has accused the British Government of doing nothing to help fleeing Christians. Bishops and other church leaders have added their voices his concerns.

Catholic bishops in Engand and Wales have called on Christians to join with people across Iraq “in praying for an end to the violent persecution that threatens to extinguish the ancient Iraqi Christian community.”

Church leaders in Iraq have selected Sunday, August 9 for the Day of Prayer.

Bishop of Clifton Declan Lang, who heads international affairs for the Catholic bishops, said: “Events in Iraq over the past few weeks have been disastrous. Christians have been systematically driven out of Mosul.

“A community of 60,000 before 2003 has dwindled over the years and is now down to almost nothing. For the first time in 1,600 years, no Masses are being celebrated in Mosul. Many Christians have fled to the surrounding Nineveh Plains and into Kurdistan as militants from the Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State of the Levant (ISIS), threaten those who do not subscribe to their fundamentalist ideology.

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Kurdish forces retake 2 Christian villages; crosses restored to churches

Catholic Culture ^ | August 21, 2014 | Assisted by US airstrikes, forces of the autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan have retaken the historically Christian towns of Tel Isqof (or…

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Tonight’s Blood Moon-Lunar Eclipse: Second in 2014-2015 “Tetrad” of Four

Aimee Herd : Oct 7, 2014 : EarthSky.org

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” –Luke 25-28

In the early morning hours before sunrise on October 8th, there will be another lunar eclipse in the northern hemisphere; turning the full moon to “blood”-red in color as it passes through the shadow of Earth.

The total eclipse will last about an hour, with a partial eclipse going in and coming out—each taking about an hour—so the entire process of the lunar eclipse will last about 3 1/3 hours.

Who will see it?

That all depends on where you are! According to an EarthSky.org report:

North and South America, the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, Australia and eastern Asia are in a good position worldwide to watch the total eclipse of the moon on October 8. If you live in the Americas or Hawaii, the total eclipse happens before sunrise October 8. In the world’s eastern hemisphere, the total eclipse happens after sunset October 8.

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Tent Churches Emerge in Iraqi Refugee Camps

9/25/2014- Charisma News

Fatima, an Iraqi woman who had fled atrocities committed by the Islamic State (ISIS), was drawn to the sound of singing in a tent in a refugee camp in Dohuk, a city in the Kurdish region of Iraq. She approached cautiously.

Though embarrassed when the Christians worshipping inside saw her, she came closer and asked if she could enter and listen to what they were saying. By the time the meeting finished at 4 a.m., she was on her way to embracing Christ as her Savior and asked if she could bring friends and family to the next meeting.

Fatima, her husband and three daughters put their trust in Jesus for their salvation, and within a few weeks her involvement led to another 60 families making the same commitment, according to an area ministry leader supported by Christian Aid Mission.

“Tent churches are going on everywhere,” said the ministry leader. “Last week we had 68 families openly surrender their lives to the Lord. With all their large needs and difficult situations that they are going through, they thank God for the indwelling of Christ in their hearts. Twelve of those families were Muslim.”

In addition, 200 children who received Bibles and coloring materials prayed to accept Jesus into their hearts.

Broken Hearts

Near Amerli, which Islamic State fighters besieged for more than two months before Kurdish and Iraqi forces aided by U.S. warplanes drove them out on Sept. 1, the ministry leader’s team encountered people in need of water, food and medicine. In a visit with a group of families able to escape before the ISIS siege, the team found opportunities to meet both spiritual and physical needs.

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Black Christians and the Myth of Prosperity Preaching

SOURCE: American Thinker – Patricia L. Dickson – July 20, 2014

With the in-your-face display of greed and arrogance of the so-called pastors on the reality show Preachers of L.A., I began to wonder: when will black Christians wake up and say enough is enough?  Although there are some white pastors of mega-churches who have a net worth of almost triple their congregants as well, I want to focus on the plight of the black saints who sit under the ministry of black pastors (and some white pastors) Sunday after Sunday and continue to live paycheck to paycheck.

After some years of attending mega-churches pastored by both black and white men and their wives, I began to notice a trend.  These pastors would always tell their congregation – mostly non-college-educated and barely surviving members – that the way to prosperity is through tithing.  Tithing was the only means to prosperity taught by these pastors.  In fact, the reason for all that ailed the saints (hard times, sickness, and lack) was non-tithing (i.e., theft of God’s money).  Not having a college education during the majority of those years, I felt guilty if I found myself in a situation where I could not tithe on certain Sundays.  I would hear the pastors say, use your rent or utility bill money and pay your tithe; God will make sure your bills are paid.  I would blame God when my bills went unpaid instead of blaming the pastors (or myself for listening to the them).

After I completed a couple of degrees and began associating with a group of financially intelligent individuals, I started to learn and apply sound financial principles.  I then realized that my financial situation had improved for two reasons: more education (resulted in a better job with higher pay and/or promotion on current job) and knowledge of how to manage and invest my income.  I also realized that my pastors never mentioned education or investments (other than investing in the kingdom of God) as a means to acquire wealth.

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