Tips on New Year’s Positive Resolution for Christians

Towards the end of this week, 2010 comes to a close. Some may just want to put 2010 behind them and forget about. Others don't want this year to end. Along with a new year comes the traditional setting of New Year’s resolutions that millions of people make each year in an attempt to better their lives. Follow my FB for tips on making informed resolutions for the year 2011.

If we as Christians make resolutions, what kind of resolution should we make? Many Christian’s resolutions are so general; to pray more, read the bible more or attend church on a regular basis. But if there is no power in your resolution, these resolutions will not last.

Philippians 4:13 tells us, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Put God in the center of your New Year's Resolutions... for better results.

For Proverbs 19:8 says, "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers." A new year shouldn't necessarily mean a new resolution. If we put God first in our lives and seek his will, then every day will be a "new day" with Christ.

When you are ready to set your resolution, you may need to write it down. Take time to analyze your life so that come next year you can make significant step towards positive goals to enrich your future. Don't forget that you are different and your resolution suits you and not others.

New Year's resolutions can be tricky; many people make them and than slowly forget about them. Do you want to be one of those that make dramatic resolution that would have otherwise changed life and then dump it in one week?

If this would be the case with you, make a resolution to NOT MAKE A RESOLUTION THIS YEAR. Remember you should keep to the goals here too.

However, making a tangible resolution will give you a mind set to begin the year on a positive note. A resolution well reasoned will give you a sense of purpose throughout the year.

For those who are looking forward to more spiritual resolutions, here are some tips: Be realistic in setting your resolution. Make sure you don't overwhelm yourself, wanting better results. Note, too many resolutions can result to over commitment. Follow through your goal plan.

Be realistic: Don't aim to Jupiter, when you have not landed on the moon yet. i.e If you are not committed to spiritual matters on a lower lever, don't seek higher level as yet. Don't resolve something like this, “I want to Know God Better" if you have not born again yet.

Don't overwhelm yourself: Don't plan to attend every Church function. In any case functions in the church will not save you. Plan on which function will help you build your relationship with God. i.e. Church services, small fellowship group, small bible study groups e.t.c.

Better results: It is not possible to grow overnight. Growth is a process. You need to realize that it will take time for you to get mature in the things (Word and Knowledge) of God. See 1 Corinthians 13:11.

Follow through your goal: Missing one day in a series does not mean you have lost. Keep pushing to your goal. Remember when you resolve to build your spiritual life; temptations will always be at your door step. Remember Satan is tempter and spiritual enemy. See Matthew 4:3

It doesn't matter what your resolution(s) is (are), one sure thing is that making new year's resolution is a perfect time to recreate your live both at spiritual level and of course physical.

Many others will make resolutions to stop bad habits, ie smoking, drinking, and infidelity among others. In these categories of resolutions, the advice here is: find support system, someone you can be accountable to. In this way you have someone to help you attain your goal.

Support system may be your family member(s), your peers, pastor, face book friend(s), bible study group(s), spouse, and the list is endless...

Always be accountable to yourself even in the midst of the support system. Be conscience of your resolutions and the goals you have set. Remember it is about you not them.

If the resolutions are not attainable in the first week in the New Year, revise them without changing the goal. If you change your goal, one week would go to waste.

Many people will make resolutions relating to health issues. The advice here is that one should be realistic in setting the goal concerning health, i.e. do you want to change your health or improve it?

The following will help you on health issue resolution(s): Is it weight that you want to loss? Do you want to eat better foods? Is it excise that you need?

Whatever your resolution(s) is (are), make sure you set a goal on what you want to accomplish. The goal you set must be personal.

Don't make a resolution like..."As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" Josh 24:15. This is not personal. Serving God can be good resolution, but involving the whole family, marks the beginning of failure.

My resolution is to Keep John 3:16. I want to believe in God that I may live.

So kick off 2011 with a few resolutions, and do not be afraid not to live up to them for where there a will there is a way. Happy new Year You All.

Christmas - A Celebration of Man.

I just finished reading a small book by Lee Strobel entitled “The Case for Christmas” This small book is a gift from my “favorite nurse” at the hospital where I am a chaplain and she is a communicable decease control nurse. In this book Lee investigates from a journalist view point the Child in the Manger. After reading the last chapter of this book, the identity of the Messiah, I was left wondering why man is so much involved in celebrating Christmas with feasts and not faith in this Messiah. Christmas than becomes the celebration of man.

We have all heard the statement, “the feeling of Christmas is in the air”. For most people December brings along with the cold and winter some special feelings. In fact this is my first white Christmas. My family and I are enjoying it in Columbus Ohio.

In December we begin to see the Christmas lights and decorations. We see many nativity scenes, some of which are equipped with live animals. Most of these decorations are in people backyards. We experience the overstocked and busy stores. We see Santa Klaus in department stores bidding children to sit on his lap and leave their Christmas wishes. We soon see gifts wrapped and placed under the tree.

All of these things remind us that Christmas time is here again. This is a season that special feelings cause heightened reactions. It is a season of cranky sales clerks, quick trips to the mall, a season in which we spend more than we have, and eat more than we need. But Christmas is much more than all of that. Christmas is not a time of celebration. It is the celebration of the birth of our Lord. Yes celebrating His birth.

Christmas seems to become more eloquent each year.

Christmas is much like many of the national holidays we celebrate. These holidays are also birthday celebrations of great men who developed our heritage into what it is today. In America we have the president’s day; in Kenya we have Mashujaa Day and so on. These holidays are named after the men we celebrate, or season and events that make us who we are. Christmas is also the birthday of a man who we should admire and give honor to for what He has done for us and given us. We also should be proud to claim what He so graciously has given us salvation.

As we celebrate Christmas, we must remember that Jesus Christ is the heart of Christmas. It is in His name that we gather together and celebrate. The apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:5 it is about Jesus we preach, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

When we celebrate the birthday of a great man in history, we think about the kind of man He was. As we celebrate Christmas the question should also come to our mind is, what kind of Man was this whose birthday splits time into B.C. and A.D.?

Who was in the manger that Christmas morning? Some say he would become a great moral leader, others a social critic. Still others view Jesus a a profound philosopher, a Rabbi, a feminist, a prophet and more. Who was he really? How can you know for sure? My next article in this blog is the summary of Lee’ book. But the conclusion of Christmas the celebration of man is: Who was Jesus?

The most important question we can ask to determine what kind of man Jesus was is, What do you say about Him? This is the most important question because the answer will determine your eternal destiny. You only have two options. You can accept Him as who He says He is. You can say, “I believe Jesus is the most unique man who has ever lived, and I believe His uniqueness can be confirmed by the fact that He was God himself living among us.” Or, you can say, He was the biggest liar in history and His lies laid the foundation for history’s greatest mockery and foolishness.

Your answer to this most important question will determine whether or not you experience the true meaning of Christmas.

Pitfalls to Watch for in your Christian Walk

Is Jesus just a believe system for you or do you have a vital and living relationship with him? Many people know about him, study him but they are missing a personal and living relationship with him. In this article I will show you four approaches that you have to avoid at all costs in order to enter into a very personal and intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Luke chapter 24. 1-12 we find the resurrection account of Jesus. Three women, Mary Magdalena, Joanna and another Mary went to Jesus’ tomb but discovered that his body was not there. They loved and followed Jesus. Now they are terrified because there Jesus is not there. Two angles appeared and asked them a very important question. The same question is to this day a challenge to you and me:

“Why are you looking for him who is alive among the dead? He is not here: he has risen!”

The all important and challenging question in this story is that of the messenger in the tomb, "Why are you looking for him who is alive among the dead?" Many people today still look for Jesus among the dead.

Firstly:

There are those who regard him as the greatest man and the noblest hero who ever lived - but who also died like everybody else. Don’t fall into this trap. I hope that Jesus is not just a moral model for you. Not just a great person who was and did good. Believing in Jesus means not just to acknowledge that He once lived but that He is alive and well today. He wants you to accept Him as your personal saviour so that He can come and live within you.

Secondly:

There are those who regard Jesus simply as a man whose life must be studied, his words must be examined and his teachings must be analysed. Some Christians tend to think of Christianity and Christ merely in terms of something to be studied. When we come together in our Bible study groups - do we only come together to study, to examine and to analyse and to discuss?

Yes, without any doubt, study is necessary and important!

But Jesus is not only someone to be studied! He is someone to be met in person! If you want to know something about Jesus why not ask Him? Jesus is someone to be lived with every day of our live.

He is not only a figure in a book, even if that book is the greatest book in the whole world - Jesus is a living person. He wants to walk with you, and he wants to talk with you. He desires to be your friend. Wherever you are, whatever you do, he is there with you and He wants you to realise that.

Thirdly:

There are those who see in Jesus just the perfect pattern and example. And yes, he is that. But a perfect example can be the most heartbreaking thing on earth. For centuries the birds gave men an example of flight - and yet not until modern times could men fly.

Can you remember, when you received your first writing book in grade one? At the top it had a line of copperplate writing; below it had blank lines on which we had to copy it. Remember how discouraging it was to try to reproduce that perfect pattern, that example? But then the teacher would come and take our hand into his or hers and guide our hand with his or hers and we got closer and closer the ideal.

That is exactly what Jesus does. He is not only the pattern and the example. He helps us and guides us and strengthens us to follow that pattern and example. He is not simply a model for our life - He is the alive - he is the life.

Fourthly:

Some Christians look for the living Christ in dead tradition. Mark 7.6-8 (New International Version) He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

I am so glad that over time many of our churches and denominations did let go of dead traditions and moved into the freedom of the Holy Spirit. For many years it was more important to live by manmade church rules than to obey God’s commands.

If you sang the right songs, used the appropriate instruments, wore the right cloth and had your hair done in the right way, then everything was good and you where a good Christian. You tried top live by those rules but did that satisfy your soul? Of course not! Because pleasing man puts you under bandage. You are trying, but you can never please man.

But pleasing God brings wonderful results. It brings peace and joy. It opens the doors for God’s blessings. It really satisfies you.

My dear readers, I encourage you not to look for Jesus in the wrong places. Don’t look for Him in History. Don’t try to find Him at university. Don’t look for Him under the noble man. And please don’t try to find Him in tradition.

But meet Him as you pray and read His Word. Meet Him while you have fellowship with other believers. And meet Him as you do acts of kindness for your fellow man

The living Christ wants a vital and living relationship with each one of you.

Christian Growth - Morarity

Christians are not perfect and never will be, apart from the fullness of the Kingdom of God in glory. Yet, it is common that non-Christians accuse Christians of thinking that they (the Christians) are better than everyone else. And Christians are too often infected with the pride of thinking the same thing -- sometimes blatantly, sometimes subtly.

There is a sense in which this idea of moral superiority is true, and a sense in which it isn't. Christians do in fact grow and mature in morality, so they do enjoy a kind of moral upgrade. Moral improvement is one of the benefits of Christianity.

At the same time it is a supreme folly and sin for Christians to think that they have been saved because they are morally superior to anyone else. Too often the reverse is actually true. Many heathens are in fact morally superior to many Christians. The point is not that Christians are morally superior to heathens in general because some are and some aren't. Rather, the point is that Christians grow in moral purity. A Christian should always be more moral, more honest, more righteous than he or she used to be. We are not to compare ourselves with others (2 Corinthians 10:12) -- Christian or heathen, but with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ alone is our model. (Comparison to others is not the same as imitation. See the chapter on “Imitation,” p. 61.)

Nor are Christians saved by their moral superiority to other people. No one can practice moral improvement in order to become a Christian. It doesn't work like that. No matter how hard we try, we cannot measure up to the moral requirement established by God in the Bible. It cannot be done, and the fact that it cannot be done is one of the central lessons that the Bible teaches. Israel failed to be what God called her to be. The faithful Jews in Israel were very righteous, very moral by any human standard, including our own -- but not by God's standard.

While moral improvement is a result of salvation, it is not in any sense a cause or foundation of salvation. Rather, salvation is in Christ alone. Augustus Toplady was correct when he wrote:

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.

At the same time, there is no salvation apart from moral improvement. Christians are "called to be saints" (v. 2, Romans 1:7) who are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (v. 2). Christians grow in grace, grow in obedience, grow in faithfulness, grow in righteousness, grow in moral improvement. Christians are not necessarily better than anyone else, but they are necessarily better than they used to be.

And Christians cannot claim any personal credit (or glory) for their moral improvement. We are what we are, not because we have worked hard to become good Christians, but solely because Jesus Christ died on the cross and dispatched His Holy Spirit to us while we were still awash in sin and disobedience. The Holy Spirit grabbed us by the scruff of the neck and hauled us aboard the life raft known as Jesus Christ. We had nothing to do with it until we found ourselves in Christ. Good thing, too! Because we, like Israel before us, are completely unable in our own strength and ability to be what God has called all people to be. Nor are we now -- yet -- what God has called us to be. But Christ has satisfied God's demands, deflected God's wrath, and provided a way for us to grow in godliness.

Paul proclaims, it is the "Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end" (1 Corinthians 1:7-8). Here is a clear expression of the doctrine of assurance. Our salvation is assured, not because of anything that we can do, but solely because of what Christ has done. Christ's grip on us is much stronger than our grip on Him. Our assurance of faith rests in His grip on us, not in our grip on Him.

9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit and 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In addition to the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, the Bible tells us that there are also 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit.

For the record, we feel that the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit are much more important than the 9 gifts are, as the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit have to do with God imparting part of His divine nature into the core of our personalities to help make us into a much better and holy people.

God's ultimate aim for all of us is our sanctification in Him and part of that sanctification process has to do with the Holy Spirit Himself transmitting 9 specific divine qualities and attributes into our personalities.

But if the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit are the cake, then the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit are the icing on the cake.

Put these two together and allow God to work with a believer with both sets of these 9 fruits and 9 gifts, and you will have one mighty, sanctified soldier of Jesus Christ, as the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit will give you some serious and heavy ammunition to have at your disposal as you walk with God's anointing in your daily life.

I call the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit torpedo gifts, as the Holy Spirit can manifest any one of these 9 gifts through any believer anytime that He will want to do so.

Each one of these gifts are major power gifts, and they are all direct, supernatural, miraculous manifestations direct from the Holy Spirit Himself - and any Christian can get themselves in place to receive these 9 gifts, as the apostle Paul himself tells us not to be afraid to try and stir up these 9 specific gifts with the Lord.

Here is the direct verse from our Bible on the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit:

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

Now I will lidy each one of these 9 gifts so you can have them right at the top of this article at a very quick glance:

The Word of Knowledge,The Word of Wisdom,The Gift of Prophecy,The Gift of Faith,The Gifts of healings,The Working of Miracles,The Discerning of Spirits,Different Kinds of Tongues,The Interpretation of Tongues.

Not only does the Bible tell us that these 9 gifts are available to all believers, but then it takes it one step further and tells us that we can actually try and stir up these 9 specific gifts with the Lord. Here are 5 very good verses telling us to not only desire spiritual gifts, but to also not be afraid to try and stir these gifts up with the Lord:
1. "Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy." (1 Corinthians 14:39)
2. "... and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." (1 Corinthians 14:1)
3. "Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecies." (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
4. "Do not neglect the gift that is in you ... Meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all." (1 Timothy 4:14)
5. "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands." (2 Timothy 1:6)

As such, every believer should go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to release these 9 gifts through them anytime that He will want to do so.

Let God know that you will be a willing vessel for the manifestations of these gifts, and that you will give Him a full and solid green light to manifest these gifts though you at anytime that He will want to do so.

These 9 gifts are a tremendous aid and help to not only you in your own personal walk with the Lord, but many of them can be also used to help other people out as special needs and circumstances arise in their lives. Notice the very first line in this verse says that these 9 gifts are given to each one for the "profit of all."

What God Treasures is not What People Treasure. A Bible Study synopsis on 1 Corinthians.

In 1 Corinthians 4:9 Paul contrasts his success with the success of the Corinthian church. He suggested that men like himself and Apollos were treated as if they had been sentenced to death, like they had become a spectacle or embarrassment to the church and to the world. Why? Because they preached that the foolishness of Christ was greater, stronger and smarter than the wisdom of the world. He preached that the wisdom of Christ was opposed to the wisdom of the world, opposed to the wisdom of worldly scholarship and philosophy.

It is important to note that Christianity is not opposed to scholarship and philosophy per se, but to scholarship and philosophy that tries to function apart from or independently of God and His Word. God is not opposed to intelligence. He created it. What He is opposed to is intelligence that suppresses the truth in unrighteousness, that tries to hide the fact that all people are responsible to God for their behavior and beliefs.

1 Corinthians 4:10 draws a stark contrast between worldly success and gospel faithfulness. "We are fools ... you are wise. We are weak ... you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute." The difference is not subtle, but stark. Paul and Apollos were poor, buffeted (beaten) and homeless. And they worked with their own hands, as did the lowest social strata in Greek society. They were everything that was despised by successful Greeks.

But in spite of all outward appearances they were not defeated. Their mission was to rebuild human culture from the ground up. They remained focused on their mission. "When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things" (1 Corinthians 4:12-13). The point is that God's ways are not our ways, that what God treasures is not what people treasure -- and again the difference is not subtle but stark. Paul has offered this list of stark differences between himself and those who opposed him, those who had brought accusations against him. He had been trying to show the difference between the perspective of God's wisdom and that of worldly wisdom (or foolishness).

In 1 Corinthians 4:14 he tells the church that he has not written these things to shame them, but to warn or admonish them. A synonym for admonish is discourage. Paul was discouraging the saints in the use of worldly wisdom, which he also called foolishness. It is important to see that Paul engaged in discouragement as a method of teaching the gospel. Faithfulness involves not believing and not doing the wrong things as much as it does believing and doing the right things.

Paul was able to admonish the Corinthian believers because he considered himself to be a father to them. "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (1 Corinthians 4:15). Paul falls back upon the character of the family to describe his relationship with the church. He does not consider himself to be a CEO or an administrator or a captain or king or counselor or a guide, but a father.

A father loves his family. A father has an obligation to care for his family, to teach them what is right and to point out what is wrong, to encourage them, but also to discipline and discourage them (from the wrong things). A father has authority, responsibility and accountability within the extended family structure. A father doesn't work for the benefit of his family in order to get paid. Being a father is not a job. A father works for his family without consideration for his own benefit. A father is there in good times and in bad times, to encourage and to discourage, to point out the truth and the lies.

Finally, said Paul, "be imitators of me" (1 Corinthians 4:16). Don't forget the context of this verse. Paul has been telling them about the differences between those who live according to the wisdom of the world -- which he also calls foolishness, and those who live according to the wisdom of God. He has essentially told the Corinthians that the success of their church has come from their commitment to worldly wisdom. He will continue to admonish the Corinthians throughout this letter, and the next, because of their worldliness and sin. They were engaged in worldly thinking and outright sin -- all in the name of Christianity! He told them that they were proud of the success that their church enjoyed -- it's wealth and political power -- because they were worldly minded and unfaithful to Christ. Their pride in their church was an expression of their faithlessness and their misunderstanding of the gospel.

In contrast to what they were believing and doing, Paul said, "be imitators of me" (1 Corinthians 4:16). He wanted them to imitate real faithfulness rather than to faithfully believe in imitation Christianity. Like Apollos before them, they were trying to incorporate what they knew about Jesus Christ into their Greek worldview. They succeeded in making Jesus fit comfortably into Greek society, and the church had grown drastically as a result.

God's Plan for those seeking him: Bible study at Friendship Church

God has a great future planed for you, but you will not be able to fully enter into it if you don't break free from your past. God wants you to leave your past behind you and focus on your future with courage, hope and great expectations! God is serious about setting you free from your past. Are you?

The good news is that God will help you to leave your past where it belongs: in the past. Yes, he will help you, but He is not doing it for you. He wants this victory to be your victory and not His. But in the process of breaking free from your past He is going to be your strength and your help.

If you would keep your focus on you past you would be the most miserable person on earth. I learned over and over and still do to this day what to do, when the enemy confronts me with the things of my past. I learned this lesson from the Apostle Paul.

Paul the Apostle,writes in Philippians 3:14 "No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be but I am bringing all my energies to bear (focus) on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race...(to win it)."

I always wondered what the Apostle needed to forget. Did he get drunk every second day? I don't think so. Was he addicted to drugs? No! What was it then that he wanted to forget so badly? One day it occurred to me. It was him who was responsible for the death of so many Christians. Can you imagine, Paul preaching up a storm in one of the churches and there, in the front row sits this lady and he remembers that it was him, the great Apostle Paul, who handed her husband over to the authorities for execution. And here he preaches about how believers should love one another... Do you get the picture?

How did Paul deal with his past? Did he pray: "Please, God, take my past away from me?" Did he go to some other preacher and ask him to cast the 'spirit of the past' out of him? Did he go and see a counselor for six month? No! No! No!

You need to understand that Paul did not concentrate on 'forgetting' the past. He knew that he could not make his past go away - never to be remembered any more. What he is saying here in Philippians is this: I will use all my energy, my power and my will to do this one thing; I will not focus any more on my past, but I will use all my energy and will to focus on my future, on God's plan for my life and most important on running and winning the race!

The self-improvement gurus penned the term: Interrupting an old thought pattern in order to change. When Paul was plagued with his past he did not dwell on it but he changed his focus from past to future. He started thinking about God's calling in his life. He focused on the work that still needed to be done. He focused on his congregations and their needs. He wrote letters while in prison and encouraged his fellow believers. When he felt bad he did good. When his past took hold of him he shook it off and said: "I'm off and running and I'm not turning back"!

That my dear friends is true victorious Christian living. That is how you break free from the guilt of your past. Your past is not going to float away in some miraculous way. No angel will come and remove some infected brain cells in the Name of Jesus!

No! You must change your focus! When you feel bad and down, start doing something good and worthwhile! Take your eyes of yourself and do something good for someone else. Do little acts of kindness. Volunteer and do something in your church. Go help in your local food bank. Give a homeless person not just a coin but a bill and tell him that God loves him. That will make you feel good.

I am sure you have experienced this yourself: You had this terrible headache. It was bothering you all morning long. And then you got so involved in the task you were doing, you where concentrating on finding a solution to a problem - and you forgot all about your headache, it was actually gone. You changed your focus from headache and feeling bad to concentrating on creating something, helping someone or getting excited over some progress you made.

Paul says in Philippians 4:8-9 "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious— the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies"

After he tells us what we should focus on he makes one thing very clear: Put into practice what you learned. That's it, friends! Reading this article will not help you breaking free from your guilt of the past. You have to get active! If you really want to leave your past behind, then get Philippians 3:14 and 4:8-9 into your heart, mind and spirit and put it into practice. You have God's and my guaranty: IT WORKS!

Let's sum it up. If you will not get your focus off your past you will be spiritually paralyzed, unable to move anymore. Think of Lot's wife who turned into a pillar of salt because she was not willing to turn away from her past life.

Let me assure you that God has a great and wonderful future planned for you. You have a divine purpose. God's calling is on your life. God has marvelous and wonderful ideas for your life. Do you want it? If your answer is an honest "yes" then do like the Apostle Paul. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself over your past step out and run that race that God has called you to run. Don't be half-hearted but press on forward! God has called you to win the race.

Start seeing yourself as the winner. Picture yourself running the victory lap - and all of heaven is standing up und cheering you on. Please promise me that you will make God proud of you.

I pray for you, my dear readers that with God’s help you will change from “feeling bad” to “doing good.”

God is going to pour out buckets full of blessings over your life. Keep on running and keep on winning!

Dreams interpretation is a gift- Book Report

Over the weekend I finished reading a small book on dreams by Robert A. Noreen. In this book Robert brings to the reader the explanation and meaning of dreams. He define dream as a sequence of images that passes through a sleeping person, much like a video show except that it also carries some personal emotions. P 10. He observes that has dreams but most people do not know that their dreams do have significant impact on their real life. Dream serves to warn, instruct, direct, and foretell future events in a person’s life. I don’t consider myself as a dreamer but as a visionary.

Based on this author’s explanation, dreams are messages of the night. It is also called visions of darkness. During deep sleep our inner soul becomes sensitive to the spiritual realm. For most dreamers, (I am using the term dreamer loosely); messages in the dreamscape contain symbols which are specific to the dreamer and so a dream dictionary can not be accurately applied for any serious dream interpretation. When a dreamer wakes up or and come to normal senses, sometimes is confused about the meaning. But as said earlier, not accuracy can be applied to most dreams.

Robert explains that dreams can truly benefit the recipient only when it is properly interpreted. Some dreams occur from having too much activity during the day and it only reflects our mood, this kind of dream does not carry any significant messages. There are however, certain dreams which bring us warning of future events in our life and these are prophetic dreams and we should pay special attention. A good example here is the visions of John in the book of Revelation.

Types of Dreams
There are several examples of dreams but Robert provide only 3 basically major types of dreams:

1. The carnal dreams that come from the internal soul of the person. . Past troubles which we have not properly dealt with can manifest fear, anger, and sadness and caused recurring dreams.

2. Type II is the Spiritual Prophetic dreams which is sent by God to foretell the future. This type of dream almost always speaks about the future and they are very important to us.

3. Type III is the dream we get when we are hyper active during the day. This type is more confusing and leads to disturbed sleep since they are haphazard and disjointed.

Theological Reflection
In the bible, Proverbs 18:16, “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.”

Dreams interpretation is a gift, it can not be easily learnt in a class setting, but it however can be imparted by a spiritual mentor. Impartation refers to the spiritual laying of hands upon the person and saying a prayer over them. Dream is a form of divine communication that connect God with to us since God promised to tell his servant what is to come. Dream is a more complete system of authentic communication because it is a four dimensional message, it contains events, people, feelings and words or symbols. Dream can not be intercepted as in any man made device.

What was more fascinating as I went through this book was that the author points out that dreams are interpreted much the same as the instantaneous flow of prophetic utterance, meaning given by the Holy Spirit. Fascinating because as a born Christian, I have interpreted many dreams, those that were send to me or and others. After the final chapter I felt peace and assurance from the Holy Spirit who has been my guidance that ascertains the truths have passed to fulfillment through me. In the book of Hosea 12:10, the bible says “I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.” Emphasizing on this point Robert assert that, although anyone can claim that they can interpret dreams, the difference between true and false interpretation is that the truth will come to pass.

Finally, dream interpretation is a spiritual gift, and if you have a dream you should consult reputable Christians of the same faith. I pray that you will have divine messages of the night from our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t dismiss your dream. God may be sending you a message of your own or of others through a dream.

Book Review - The Broken Covenat- Moses Marango

Moses Marango. The Broken Covenant: Xlibris corporation, 286 pp.

Moses Marango was born in Bungoma , Kenya and educated in Kimwanga R.C. then Friends’ School Kamusinga before joining JKUAT for his Bsc. In Applied Mathematics and Physics. He later pursued his Msc. in Project Management & Governance at The Keller Graduate School of Management in Houston, Texas. He also studied Electronics Engineering Technology at NIT- Houston. Moses has been involved in defense of the voiceless and he also championed the oppressed. Moses lives and works between Nairobi Kenya and Houston Texas USA.

The Broken Covenant was written to expose the vises that permeated the government of the Republic of Kenya during the reigns of the first president of the Republic since independent through the third president. The purpose of the book is to create awareness to the readers and to the citizen of the Republic of Kenya issues facing the country such as; tribalism, corruption and the killings that followed after the disputed presidential election the year 2007.

According to the author dictatorship and corruption has permeated the government so much to a point of losing trust with the justice system of the land. In this book the author questions the validity of the government, and the church which aught to be the watch dog of the government. Safety is a manger concern to the author, whose cites tribal biasness on the side of the police force.

The point of thrust from the author’s view point is how to address the issues of economy, improve security, healthcare, infrastructure, create jobs, curb starvation and also he questions the free education provided for by the government.

This book is worthy reading if one wants to understand who was responsible for the 2007 post election chaos that left over 1700 Kenyans dead and thousands more homeless. This book does not only inform and educate the reader but also challenges the reader and calls for action on the part of the same. The author purposely calls the abiding citizens of the Republic of Kenya to get involved in the management of the Nations affairs, calling the citizens to fear God in passing the same heritage to their posterity.

The author discusses political decay prior to 2007 presidential election, the injustices that became the norm in the government since the founding of the Republic. He alludes to the point that the legacy of the first president may have played a big role in shaping the corrupt government Kenya has today. The author point out that the president has not keep the promise he made in the vow of office, thus the title “Broken Covenant”

In defense of his mean thesis, the author opens up the scene in a camp for internally displaced persons following the chaos of the disputed election. In the scene the author brings in a troubled teenager whose parents have died in the chaos only to be left in the care of her illing grandmother. This teenage (Nina) is traumatized having seen many people being killed, raped and worse she does not know the whereabouts of her parents. Wanjiru her grandmother seems to be well versed with the events that have crippled the country since independence. Day in day out she narrates to her granddaughter Nina how the government has been unfaithful to her subjects to a point of colonizing them and using force at time, p 107.

The author exposes in this book how the citizens of the Republic of Kenya have died in the hands of the police, who in the first place are to protect them. He accuses politician of scheming the attacks of citizens without facing repercussions. The author points the spread of impunity that has permeated the whole country, from the president, police, members of parliament and local government citing that who should be trusted.

This book is an eye opener to what has happened in the country and to the evils that have crippled the republic of Kenya for years. The author calls peace loving Kenyans to join hands and remain united to build the country. He volunteers to be the leader of leading other in finding peace rather than leaving the leadership to the ruling class of the privileged few who have ruined the country’s resource.

"Broken Covenant" explained - Meet the author - Moses Marango

When I read your review of 'The Broken Covenant' on your blogspot, I discovered I had found a friend who would help review my next book; and am already working on it. So, get ready bro!

There are a number of issues you raised in your blog that were really some good food for thought. For example, in my opinion you misunderstood and therefore wrongly interpreted the following phrase in the book summary, " In my view and for those who care, there is no any selflessly profitable reason to the Kenyan society as a whole, for an individual to religiously profess support for a public servant or anybody else for that matter, who breaks and abuses the law yet conveniently interprets it in favor of his tribe, stakes or status in the society just because he is relatively wealthy and influential".

Let me break it down further. Raila Odinga for example, enjoys a following that is almost 100% in Luo Nyanza. In fact, when he was in the opposition, he castigated President Moi for using the Provincial Administration (who are Civil Servants) in advancing his (Moi’s) protracted political interests. Granted, Moi’s actions were wrong and illegal and particularly against the Public Ethics Act as enshrined in our law. In 2010 however, during the referendum campaign, the Rt. Hon.Raila Odinga, in his capacity as the nation’s Prime Minister, ordered all the Permanent Secretaries and other civil servants to go home and campaign for the government side – the ‘YES’ side. Ironically, the Public Ethics Act was still in our laws yet, whether during Moi’s era or the coalition government’s era, all members of his tribe agreed with him to the dot as did most of the other Kenyans. And this is just one issue. Overall, this phenomenon nearly creates a religion called "railaism" in the Nyanza part of Kenya . Just like at the moment, there are people from the Rift Valley who have nearly converted William Ruto into a small god. And they almost practice 'rutoism' in the Rift Valley. The same thing happened sometime back with my own people from Bungoma who nearly practiced 'Wamalwaism' as a religion.

And that is what that particular paragraph talks about. The 'religiously profess support' phrase as used in this context and as emphasized in the book itself, specifically targets the general members of the public who blindly support "one of their own" ‘ The phrase was not actually referring to or talking about any church body in particular as you explained in the blog.

Further, in your critique, you observe that the title "The Broken Covenant" was perhaps not the best for the book. I suspect you have your own understanding and definition of the word 'covenant' and would rather (as you suggested) I should have used the word ‘promises’ in its place. Interestingly, your definition of the word ‘covenant’ (as given in the blog) is exactly what happens when our presidents are taking the oath of office. They swear before God and His children while holding the Holy Bible in their right hand, to defend and protect the country, her constitution and citizens and serve all without fear or favor.."so help me God". Then, they proceed to sign this very ‘covenant’ or ‘promise’.

In my view however, this is not and cannot be a promise. They give promises when campaigning. But they take the oath and enter into covenant with God’s people at the swearing in. This is a written commitment that they sign and by them invoking God's name, they must not break the covenant. I thus, elect to proportionately argue that just because politicians elsewhere make and break their promises whenever they feel like, that trend does not necessarily pave way for our leaders to take such a solemn oath, turn against it, yet we choose to mildly reduce the very covenant they signed to be interpreted as promises similar in pattern to those that have been broken anywhere else anyway.

Pastor, I like your thought process and thank you for your review. I am keenly waiting for your actual review based on the book content instead of the summary. Hopefully, I will continue benefitting from your views.

The Absent Presence of God - Service at OBMC Chapel

Several times we find ourselves in situations and circumstances where it seems that God is coming too late. Hope deterred makes the heart sick. In such circumstances we seem to cry out “God, where are you?” So many thoughts and suggestions fly through our minds; there is that imminent temptation of trying other means without God. But, can God be late? Is it possible for God to step into a situation where we exclaim “Oh God, you should have come an hour ago. Now it’s too late!” Can God be late? The truth is this: God cannot be late. Let’s find out why.

 WHY GOD CANNOT BE LATE

HE CONTROLS TIME: Lateness is a function of time. Most often, you reason that God is coming too late because he did not come in your own time. Remember, eternity exists in God; therefore, there is no lateness in God’s actions. He has made everything beautiful in his time (Eccl. 3:10) not in your time.

HE IS ALL-KNOWING: God is all-knowing. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what you are going through; he knows the right time to step into the situation. He knows all things. Therefore, no matter what you are going through, be sure of this: Your Father knows (Matthew 6:32).

HE IS OMNIPOTENT: God is all-powerful. He can do anything, anytime, anywhere. There is no impossibility with God (Jeremiah 32:27).

 REASONS FOR DELAY

TO SHOW GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY: God is sovereign. He cannot be pushed around by mere mortals. If God answers ALL our prayers or always responds at the time we expect him, then he will no longer be God. He is no longer sovereign.

TO REVEAL MAN’S LIMITATIONS: Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Sometimes, God delays so as to allow us exhaust all humanly-possible avenues. Therefore, when he finally steps into the situation, no one can deny it is God. He could have delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before been thrown into the furnace, but he didn’t. He could have delivered Daniel before been thrown into the lions’ den, but he didn’t. Yet, he wasn’t late in delivering them. In fact, the seeming delay brought more glory to God.

TO MAKE US MATURE: Life is in stages; men are in sizes. Sometimes, God delays a process in order to teach us patience – a necessary ingredient for maturity. Add to your faith …….. Patience (2 Peter 1:5-6). Some of us have “great” faith but when the answers to our prayers seem delayed, we give up. Delay is not denial; add patience to your faith.

 WHAT TO DO WHEN GOD SEEMS LATE

BUILD YOUR FAITH (Jude vs 20): The best time to learn is in times of adversity. We can learn more lessons in hard times than in good times. There’s a positive lesson in every negative circumstance. Hence, when God seems late, it’s time to build up and strengthen your faith; it’s the best time to toughen your faith in God. Build up your faith.

LEARN PATIENCE (2 Peter 1:6): Patience as a virtue cannot be learnt or acquired by reading books (not even the Bible). You can build up your faith through scripture study and listening to inspiring words but patience is not gotten that way. Patience, which adds flavour and durability to your faith, only comes through hard times when God seem to come late. Add patience to your faith.

PRAISE HIM (1 Thess. 5:17; Eph. 5:20): It is okay to praise God after a miracle. But can you sincerely praise him when the going gets tough and the future appears blurred? Can we truly praise him when he comes “late”? However, the best time to praise God is when he comes “late”. When it seems as God is coming too late, he is coming in a big way. Praise him and he will do it.

Many of us have missed God’s blessing for our lives simply because he seems to come late. God is a God of purpose; when he comes late , he has a reason for that. Therefore, there’s no cause for alarm; your father knows all you’re going through and he’s bringing you out. Don’t give up. When God comes late, he comes big.

The Broken Covenant: Book Summery - Author :Moses Marango

Moses Marango was born in Bungoma , Kenya and educated in Kimwanga R.C. then Friends’ School Kamusinga before joining JKUAT for his Bsc. In Applied Mathematics and Physics. He later pursued his Msc. in Project Management & Governance at The Keller Graduate School of Management in Houston, Texas. He also studied Electronics Engineering Technology at NIT- Houston. He lives and works between Nairobi Kenya and Houston Texas USA.

In this book the author is trying to shed light to his the readers, more so the people of Kenya on issues that affect their livelihood. The author is not only pointing to the political woes in the country, but also to the economic, social and tribal issues among many other issues. I ( this reviewer) met with the author and asked him why he wrote this book. His answer was…” I wrote the book to let people in Kenya know that the 2007 election were the cause of the trouble Kenya has today.” Whether or not this is the reason why he ( the author) wrote this book, this reviewer can't tell since his theme is not clear as one reads the book.

The author cited that when the third President Kibaki of Kenya succeeded the second president Mr. Moi in 2002, Kenyans were optimistic and ready to forget Moi’s dictatorship that was eulogized for its cancerous corruption and tribalism. The author seems to point out in this book that Mr. Kibaki and other political leaders, the church as well as the police force, embraced tribalism which he (author) asserts that was the same path Mr. Moi followed. The author observes that, these eventually lead to violence and more than 1,500 Kenyans were killed  and over 500,000 IDPs.

The author continues to ask rhetoric questions to his readers: Can the ICC afford justice for Kenyans as Kibaki and Raila feign innocence? What part does the Kenyatta legacy play as most Kenyan leaders pretend to fight inherent tribalism? Can the church in Kenya be trusted again? Is he going to receive any answers? I guess his aim is not to receive answers as such, but to bring awareness to his readers that Institutions that should be trusted as medium of peace and justice have failed the common “Mwana inchi” Kenya citizen- emphasis mine.

He further continues to ask his rhetoric questions hoping that his readers would fully understand the magnitude of the problem the country face: What happened to the covenant? How safe are we with the same police commandants still in charge despite their obvious tribal biasness? How can we help the economy to grow, improve security, healthcare, infrastructure, create jobs and curb starvation? How free is the free primary education? Who was responsible for the 2007 post election chaos in Kenya? And how can we prevent another one from happening?

In his attempt to answer his own questions, Moses elaborates the root course of the problem by asserting that the impunity is just as immoral and illegal as any crime itself. He further observes that in Kenya, impunity  suffocates the tenets and thus, the administration of natural justice in favor of the power brokers and selfish tribal lobbyists. He conludes that this unfairly consigns the rights of the voiceless and the less fortunate to the peripheries of the society calling it injustice.

In this book, the author alludes to the point that it is delicate conduit that deliberately purposes to inform, educate, challenge and call to action- all those of us who consider ourselves the remaining patriotic citizens of this great nation to get proactively involved in the management of our national affairs and by extension, put perfected Godly footprints in our children’s destiny. Is he going to receive an audience in his argument as far as educating his readers is concerned? This reviewer is not positive about that. Why? Many natives of the country in question don’t have the culture of reading, the culture to hold a book and read is not in the tradition of the would be students or readers of this book.

Finally, the author asserts his own authority in what he believes and accuses the religious body saying that  there is no any selflessly profitable reason to the Kenyan society as a whole, for an individual to religiously profess support for a public servant or anybody else for that matter, who breaks and abuses the law yet conveniently interprets it in favor of his tribe, stakes or status in the society just because he is relatively wealthy and influential. Does this mean that the author is taking part in who should be supporting who in the political arena? While this reviewer thinks so, he may also want to point out that there is no clear line between church and society in the republic of Kenya. Not in the post -colonial constitution.

His conclusion of this book is like a personal alter call whereby he points out that for every pledge we make, we become indebted. And for every promise we give, every commitment we enter into, and every vow we profess, we consciously put our own name and integrity on the line until we honor our part. The author changes from a write to educator and finally to a preacher. He is playing different roles to his readers to make a point. This reviewer agrees with this change of role, simply because those who may be reading this book ranges from educators, preachers, administrators and politicians among others.

Critique: The title “The Broken Covenant” theme according to this reviewer does not flow throughout the book. The author would have used a different title for the book. A good title for the book would have been "BROKEN PROMISES." His theme in the BROKEN COVENANT is not clear as one reads through the book with knownledge of what a covenant is. A covenant is a relationship between two parties that has been agreed upon through writing or vow. In his topic the author seems to suggest that Mr. Kibaki, the current president of Kenya had a covenant relationship with Kenya citizens. While this reviewer  may partly disagree with him, he would also point out that politing is not a covenant of any sort. This reviewer holds these views simply because politing in any country is full of promises which are not fulfilled anyway. Did the president break any covenant per se? Not at all. Do Kenyan citizens need to know why the promises make to them by Mr. Kibaki never fullfilled, Yes, Yes and Yes, it is their right to ask the same from the president. 

The author uses a lot of abreviations and assumes that his readers understand what they mean. An example of these are; IDPs ( Internaly Displaces Persons), ICC-International Criminal Court and JKUAT- (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Techinology). This reviewer recommends to the author that his next works should be clear with all abbreviations explained so that his readers may have meaning of what he (author) is explaining.

However, this is a good book to read if one is interested in understanding what is going on behind Kenyan politics. This reviewer  recommends this book to all Kenyans and mostly to those in and like politics. He would recommend the same to the sitting  president of the republic of Kenya and the presidents before and after him, the PM, all government ministers and elected government officials.

Reviewed by E N. Kaburu ( the blogger)

Spiritual Growth . God alone is our resource. Philippians 3:12-14-SIFA Church

Spiritual maturity is a process that begins when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. He or she is born again of the Holy Spirit and then chooses to live "in Christ." Even the Apostle Paul had not arrived, yet he continually pressed toward the prize.

Therefore, in order for Christian maturity to develop in your life, you must make a choice to learn God's Word, allow God to renew your mind, and then be obedient to what you learn. Romans 12:1-2.
Illustration of parents who always want their child to grow fast and become adults   What are the marks of spiritual maturity? Spiritual maturity is learning how to walk in obedience to God. It is making the choice to live by God's viewpoint rather than your human viewpoint.

• It is learning to walk under the instruction of another. That person is the Holy Spirit. Since believers are indwelt by the Spirit, they should also walk under His control.
• You study God's Word! 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17

Ask the congregation to show by raising hands how many ready the word of God daily.

Spiritual maturity should be a priority for for every christian. Believers can only discover God's truth by in-depth Bible study and feed yourself spiritually. Then apply that sustenance to your life as you walk in the Holy Spirit.

A Testmony By John - Healing is possible

Greetings and blessing in Christ. God as always if allowed by us moving in and thru us. During my stay at the Oakbend resort(Hospital) God really spoke some good things into my life. Thru a good visit with Pastor Kaburu(Chaplain) and the Holy Spirit I became aware of a truth that I have known but haven't moved on. When we ask for healing and we get these momentary touches we often wonder why it don't last. The reality is it's probably on us. Take into consideration that our fleshly bodies at salvation becomes the temple of the Most High God. So I ask myself have I or do feel good about the physical place that I ask him to dwell in. My awareness is that God expects us to honor and maintain the body he has entrusted us with. After all why waste healing on me if I don't think enough of it to do my part and maintain his work(healing). With restoration comes responsibility. We are a trinity body, mind, and spirit. To be righteous before God all these areas need to be at peak for Christ to be able to do a work in and thru us. I believe complete healing for me is coming. I see it every day in my life. God heals and I must do my part. So let us stand firm in what God has planned for us and watch be our provider.


Yours in Christ
John

The Church's Ministry of Healing- Early healing ministries(Bible Study)

Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

Recently, I read about the healing ministries in the book of Acts. As always I was excited and amazed at the authority God gave to Peter and the boys! Can you imagine being so powerful that a person could be healed by being in your shadow? (Acts 5:15) Now that's power, and given to those considered very low in social status and education.

The healing that occurred in the early Acts days, occurred because the disciples were sourced by God, not by religious acts. They knew what "Jesus" meant, and they used His name in their lifestyle, not just their words. Because they were sourced by God, they healed the sick and raised the dead.

The Bible says clearly that faith in God makes you WORTHY. Faith brings about righteousness, not performance. Be sourced by relationship not your own performance, because standing on your own will lead to a fall. Notice the action packed healing ministries the Disciples had in place until chapter 15.

NB: Healing a very important part of Jesus’ ministry (healing and deliverance through the power of the Holy Spirit) had been common place in the early church, but has been largely overlooked or ignored in the modern church.

There are no health issues beyond the power of Jesus.Mk 5:21-26

When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.Mk 5:21-26

Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee from the Eastern side where had just healed a person possessed by demons but in the process the demons went into a herd of pigs who promptly had a severe allergic reaction causing them to stampede off a cliff in to the lake for forgetting two salient features of pigs that to this day we know are true that pigs can neither fly nor swim.

Consequently, he wore out his welcome in the area and the people there suggested to him that he get out of town before the cows or sheep or dogs might be tempted to do the same thing. Back on the western side the reception for Jesus was completely different to the Eastern side. There was a large crowd already gathered there eager to hear from him. Here is the setting for divine healing of two women. One is a woman and the other a 12 year old girl.

The first person to come to Jesus is Jairus. Mark describes him as one of the synagogue leaders. This is a lay leader in charge of the premises and the order of worship in the service and held in high regard within their Jewish community. He comes before Jesus and amazingly he falls at Jesus feet in humility because he has a request, a request that is so audacious because of the nature of the request.
The request is for his daughter not himself she was ill, so ill in fact that she lay literally dying. He might have tried all sorts of expensive medical therapy before this and this is the last ditch attempt to save her she lay at deaths door. Whenever I get a patient like this, gasping and at deaths door the first thing as a doctor we do is to say we will do our best but that in no way to guarantees the survival of the patient. Many who come in at deaths door actually will die. No doctor wants to get a patient at deaths door because the disease process would have been so far advanced along that a recovery would be slim and even so fraught with a lot of complications. At deaths door the problem may have started out in one of her organs, a boil perhaps on the skin but by the time the person is on death's door the heart, the lungs, the kidneys each in turn will pack up.

Jesus response is not like our doctors response, Mark records that he simply went with him. Then look at the woman. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. What’s this bleeding that occurred in this woman? Was she bleeding from her ears or her nose or her mouth?

Hugh in his book "BY HIS STRIPS"- a biblical study on Divine healing, observes that this most probably refers to a menstrual bleeding a common enough condition which today we call as menorrhagia . He further points out that it occurs in women in their 40's and doctors till this day do not understand it much so they cut it out. I am quite sure there would be not a few women in this church who have had to have this surgery called a hysterectomy.

She had seen many doctors and spent all her money and what did she get in the end she got worse instead of better. Now isn't this statement a typically biased statement against doctors by Mark? I guess some things never change I know many people today who go to private hospitals who have the same complaints. Seen a whole bunch of doctors, one for the bowels , one for the urine, one for the heart and one for the head and in the end they are not better if not worse. What about seeing the one and only doctor who has all specialties(JESUS) there are no health issues beyond the power of Jesus.

"By His Strips"( Hugh Jeter) The Healing Ministry of Jesus-Bible study - Friendship church

Healing was essential to the ministry of Jesus because He had the power to perform miracles. They flowed from within Him as heat from the sun, as wet from a waterfall, as dry from sirocco winds. He knew it, people sensed it, and to Him they came in droves and multitudes. In unconquered confidence, Jesus welcomed blind, crippled, leprous, even dead people into His presence. No problem loomed too great for His skill; none intimidated Him into silence. He performed all the healings we would expect since He came as God's Healer.

Healing was essential to the ministry of Jesus because He had compassion equal to His power, as Matthew 8:17 notes; as Matthew 14:14 illustrates. When the burgeoning throng interrupted His plans for a quiet retreat with His disciples, He healed their sick, then He fed them. That contrasted starkly with the disciples, who wanted the pesky crowds dispersed.

Knowing they could receive help if only they could access Him, people responded to that compassion, in bold, unorthodox ways. The Canaanite woman struggled through His disciples' desire to dismiss her, and His own initial, courteous refusal, to get what she knew she could trust Him to grant (Matthew 16:28). The woman with a hemorrhage crept silently through the crowd to merely touch His clothes (Mark 5:28). And the crowds "begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak," (Matthew 14:36), for "all who touched him were healed."

Healing was essential to the ministry of Jesus because it symbolized His success in the spiritual warfare between Himself and Satan. In ongoing discussions about evil, all secular, and many Christian thinkers fail to mention Satan as the agent by which illness, disease, and disaster entered the world.

Yet, in Luke 13:16, Jesus identified Satan as the enemy responsible for the harm done to humanity. Satan hates God compulsively, but has no recourse but to harm the humanity made in God's image. He unrelentingly attacks humanity, knowing His time to oppose God's creation is short (Revelation 12:12).

Whenever Jesus confronted Satan's presence in illness, disease, or demon-possession, He overcame the symptoms of Satan's presence to prove His conquest of Satan personally. Since "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. . ." (1 John 3:8), He had to dismantle the apparatus of illness, disease, and demon-possession by which Satan exercised control over creation. The victory He won in the wilderness could be authenticated in ministry only by evicting Satan's power from the lives he had bludgeoned.

By healing all bodily systems, and every bodily dysfunction, Jesus reclaimed and recovered for God all that Satan pirated. Healings proved that Jesus had invaded Satan's realm, shackled him and, despite his unavailing protests, plundered and snatched from his malevolence any victim He pleased.

Through all His healings, Jesus assaulted Satan from first one corridor, then another and still another. Satan never knew where the next attack would originate or how devastating it would be. But when it came, he always felt IT was the hardest blow yet!

Healing was essential to the ministry of Jesus because He envisioned healing as a physical symbol of forgiveness. He guaranteed the ultimate glory of the human body through His personal resurrection, but forecast that restoration by healing twisted, shrunken, blinded limbs and organs. The paralytic's restoration is but one of many such examples (Mark 2:1-12).

All of our physical ailments, limitations, and adversities have their final removal in the Master's initial healings and ultimate victory over death. The perfected result of forgiveness is the new, imperishable body Paul described in 1 Corinthians 15:35-57.

Healing was essential to the ministry of Jesus because healings offered indisputable evidence that He is the Christ of God (John 21:30-31). Understand: He considered healings as credentials, but only as extensions of Himself as His own best defense. Understand: since Jesus expected healings to recruit faith in Him, He wouldn't heal gratuitously. Thus, when the Pharisees wanted to see a miraculous sign (Matthew 12:38), He instead figuratively preached His death and resurrection. On His second visit to Nazareth, He performed but a few miracles because the people doubted Him (Mark 6:5). And He turned a cold eye on Herod's hope for a miracle (Luke 23:9). Nevertheless, in Christ's works lurked evidence that God Almighty lived in human form and loved the humanity created in their image.

Pentecost Sunday. Are you Pentecostal?

What is Pentecost? Are there churches that are Pentecost while others are not?
Is the church supposed to use the word Pentecost only as a noun or can it be used as an adjective? And so I ask you: Are you Pentecostal?

In spite of the fact that the church doesn't know what the adjective means, the church insists that the word remain in our vocabulary as an adjective. The church is unwilling for the word simply to be a noun, to represent a date, a place, an event in the history of the church, refuses for it to be simply a memory, an item, something back there somewhere. The church insists that the word is an adjective; it describes the church. The word, then, is "Pentecostal."

If the church is alive in the world it is Pentecostal. And you thought we were Methodist!

How do we keep this aliveness, this fire burning, this spirit moving? What must exist in us, around us, and through us, if we are to be Pentecostal?

The Holy Spirit speaks through broken people to a broken world, using language every broken heart can hear and understand.

Because we know what it is like to be broken by hatred, we can speak of the healing love of Christ’s sacrifice.

Because we know what it is like to be broken by despair, we can speak of the healing hope of Christ’s forgiveness.

Because we know what it is like to be broken by doubt, we can speak of the healing faith in Christ’s promises.

Because we know what it is like to be broken by illness, we can speak of the healing wholeness of Christ’s resurrection.

Because we know what it is like to break down doing church — program church, purpose-driven church, seeker-sensitive church, organic church, missional church, NCD church, simple church, we can stop doing church and start doing Pentecost.

The church of Jesus Christ is alive and well. In fact, Christianity is still the fastest growing religion in the world. But it’s growing not in the North and West, but in the South and East. Why the difference? Why is Christianity surging in the South and East and not in North America and Europe?

Because where the body of Christ is growing the people aren’t trying to do church. They’re doing Pentecost. Maybe it’s time for us as a church to stop relying on our own powers and programs, our blueprints and boilerplates, and start doing what these early disciples did: trust the Spirit and do Pentecost… See the next article coming up in the next few days.