I've never been known to melt at the sight of little children. I always loved my own, but I didn't go nuts over other peoples' kids. That is, I didn't go nuts until I became a grandmother (a very young grandmother, thank you). Suddenly I saw the world differently. I suppose that when I was younger and dealing with my own children I was just always grateful to have time to myself. I wasn't interested in dealing with someone else's child.

But age and distance have caused a change in me. I see children differently now. I hope I'm starting to see them as God sees them. When they're young they're still open to wonder and surprise. They're not yet jaded by disappointments and betrayals. They're at a place where they still believe the things they are told. It's true that they are also very selfish, impulsive and demanding. These undesirable traits have not yet been trained out of them. And in all honesty, they never will be. Even we adults are selfish, impulsive and demanding at times. But we've learned to put a pretty face on it when we need to. We've become more cunning and subtle in our selfishness. We are all fallen, and these ugly traits are difficult to overcome. Children, on the other hand, wear their selfishness on their sleeves. Oh well, at least we know where we stand with them.

But there's one other thing that I've started to see now that I'm older and have more perspective. We all know that children are the future. But have we really considered how we can have a direct impact on the future through our children? If any of us were raising a prodigy, we would go out of our way to ensure they got the education and training required to bloom into all they were capable of. After all, they might be the next Einstein or Mozart. But what if our children might be the next Peter or Paul, or Athanasius or Martin Luther? Shouldn't we go out of our way to ensure they also bloom into all that they can possibly be? Even if they're not the next Martin Luther, any Christian training they get will bear eternal fruit. So it's a win-win situation all around.

These ideas seemed strange to me at first, since I'd never given children much thought. But God works in remarkable ways, and we should all be careful not to close any doors that God might want to keep open. For example, I have been a teacher, speaker and author for adults for nearly thirty years. I love teaching adults and have never considered doing anything else. I never imagined myself teaching children, and honestly, I didn't want to. Whenever I was at church and would hear a plea for workers in the childcare center or children's Sunday school class, I would immediately shake my head. "Not me," I'd whisper to my husband. "I did my time when my kids were young."

But then God placed on my heart the idea for a children's series. I'd like to complete my Doctorate in Apologetics, and was itching to do something with it. But my thoughts were always toward adults. This is why the thought of doing a children's series was so foreign. However, God helped me to understand that children would be the very best place to start. By the time someone is an adult they've already got so many things fixed in their minds. It is harder to unlearn some of that stuff. But children haven't yet learned it, so they are almost a blank slate (depending on their age, of course).

Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, GA, mentioned that a lot of children grow up with what he calls' child-faith'1. This is great until they go off to college or enter the workforce. Suddenly that 'child-faith' can't stand up against non-Christian worldviews such as philosophical naturalism, materialism and evolution. What most often happens is that a young person's faith is shattered, and then they become bitter toward the Church. In fact, many of the most outspoken Atheists were once ardent Christians. They can often articulate the doctrine of Christianity better than Christians. But something happened and they turned away.

So, believing that God was putting this work on my heart, I began the children's series Heaven's Little Warriors. It's been slow going, but very rewarding. I am absolutely terrified of teaching bad theology, so I include plenty of Scripture references, and have other people read each story before I ever let it out for general use. And I'm having fun learning to distill some deep Apologetic arguments into pictures and words that even young children can understand. The beauty of it is that the parents can learn, too, as they read the stories to their kids. And the pictures help the illustrations along.

Naturally, I have my own grandchildren in mind when I make these stories. I would not want to publish anything that I wouldn't let my own children and grandchildren read. But one day I was previewing one of the books to two of my granddaughters. They sat there quietly, listening, and didn't say much. So I wondered if the stories were too complicated. But later on one of them made a comment referencing the book, and it warmed my heart. They had gotten it after all. And not only that, but it had stuck with them. This is how I know that this is God's work. So I'll keep at it.

Children's books are just one avenue for reaching the next generation. Children are flexible and learn in so many different ways. I would love to hear stories of other ways Christians are reaching the next generation for Christ. They truly are the future of Christianity.

1. Stanley, Andy, History's Mystery, http://northpoint.org/messages/history-mystery , April 20, 2014

I know what your thinking, "Ohhh! No not another article about God and Atheism!" Well not quite, this article is not the same kind of article you've read before …

Why? Because in the first place I used to be one of those "fake Atheists" that claimed like the "Parrot" I was then, all the same rhetoric the real Atheists (so-called!) I spouted the words but never saw a single bit of real evidence to support what I said all the years I stated it. Evolution in school DID NOT help me to recover any ground as it changed many times over the years, from "Billions of years to Millions of years for the same processes (Not that the school text books noticed the changes!)

I don't know about you but I as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have too get this out … I'm sick and tired of hearing from BOTH sides in this debate about God's existence. I experienced the lack of evidence from BOTH ends, and the trouble started because we began from a wrong premise- this debate is not about scientific or historical bantering back and forth; it is simply about "Hypocrisy" on both sides, outright lies and misdirection.

We all go though life with questions that seem unanswerable throughout our lives but do questions really make us hate someone that we say we don't believe in or is it more like we hate what we have become and don't want to face up to the judgment involved in change?

Matthew 7: 13-14 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. " What Jesus said is VERY simple to understand and I don't care if you believe in God or not, this can't be misunderstood without a lot of help. Life cannot be found on the world level it's hidden behind the trees on a NARROW path of life where God is both revealed and active in the lives of those who bother to seek him!

Now I ask you would it not be at the very least plain "Foolishness" to not see the facts at hand and turn around and use "Hypocrisy" as your reason to say God doesn't exist? This little verse explains clearly that another path exists and its possible to take the wrong one … Right? So knowing this simple fact alone explains those in the Churches who pretend to be Christian in the name of God. This proves nothing except that the Bible is 100% right about "Hypocrisy and False brethren". People always use and abuse "good intentions" for both financial and personal gain and they themselves are "Atheistic in their personal lives" no one out there who uses the gospel this way is anything but a "Fool" (The Hebrew definition: of a fool is a heedless moral blockhead who is mentally insane, meaning they do the same stupid things over and over again but expect different results each time.)

John 3:18 plainly says: "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

This is also simple, if you refuse to believe (As an Atheist or Christian copycat) the words of God then the CONDEMNATION you feel is "already inside your heart". God at no time condemns anyone it is the sin within you that puts you down BECAUSE of disbelief.In fact the Law did not in itself condemn people it was their personal handling of what the Law stated that condemned them and brought about their own judgment. So for anyone to blame "The rules" presented for the "Results Received is a" fool "in the sense that they are" Morally stupid "about just what it means to be disobedient. I mean let's get real if you break a Law in any country and get caught do you blame the "Rules" you broke or yourself for being stupid enough to get caught? This is just simple stuff, nothing hard to understand..God treats all men, skeptic, atheist, agnostic or believer the same he expects you to listen and follow IN obedience just as millions have had to do before you … and that my Friend is completely FAIR AND BALANCED behavior!

John 8:24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." The issue is not believing in certain facts over other facts, it is a question of knowing clearly just who Jesus is in our personal thinking COMPARED to what the Bible presents as Jesus. No matter what you say you believe about Jesus the question come down to what God says period. It's this simple: on judgment day your OPINION with not matter just the simple statements of Scripture!

Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

BEWARE of those who sound off as religious leaders or lay people but are motivated ONLY by money, fame, or power (remember there's nothing wrong with money, fame or power BUT for these things to be your motivator makes you misjudge and to minimize the anointing in your life and glorify yourself). Just as their are Hypocritical Atheist's that misuse and misapply information because they can't stand it when a real point is made there are also Hypocritical believers who use the Bible filled with God's Love as a tool to beat over the heads of others. We must as humans learn to work around these "Foolish" people and come to the facts on both sides as clearly and concise as is humanly possible!

As I sit here looking at different websites about Atheism to find FOR ONCE something new..what do I see? The same boring idle conversations parroted back and forth about how Christianity lies to us, and we need to end the rule of God! Nothing, absolutely nothing worth reading out there. It's all the same and you might be surprised to know so is most all Christian banter … worthless diatribe that proves nothing but a total and purposeful misunderstanding of the other side. There MUST be others on both ends of this debate that feel the same way I do about others telling us what we all "must" believe or else? Only a being capable of perfect love and judgment is allowed to tell us what to believe because he and he alone has perfect knowledge of past, present and the future. The only problem with this is us having agreement about his existence not the "side issues" of personal attacks!

What is a Lie?

A lie is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someones feelings or to avoid a punishment. To lie is to state something that one knows in themselves to be false or that one has not reasonably investigated to be true with the intention that it be taken for the truth by oneself or someone else. We must realize that as human beings limited as we all are guilty of lying to ourselves as much as to others!

Lying is typically used to refer to deceptions in oral or written communication. Other forms of deception, such as disguises or forgeries, are generally not considered lies, though the underlying intent may be the same. However, even a true statement can be considered a lie if the person making that statement is doing so to deceive, thus the Bible stated in a wrong context becomes a lie. In this situation, it is the intent of being untruthful rather than the truthfulness of the statement itself that is considered a lie.

A bold-faced which is what most in the debate on the Atheist side practice is a lie which is told when it is obvious to all concerned that it is a lie, but stated in such a way as to insult the intelligence of the hearer. Everyone should agree that this form of "Lying evidence gathering" for either side is childish and unproductive!

The Old and New Testaments both contain statements that God is not capable of lying not just that he wouldn't lie but that he cannot as part of his nature lie! (Num 23:19, Ps 89:35, Hab. 2: 3, Heb 6: 13-18).

The Bible is filled with many instances of lying both to God and to others. This issue has set the rabid Atheists afire with retribution against the God of the Bible! But this is pure misunderstanding about the context of the lies in question! God in each case DID NOT want the lie but let the person do as THEY WISHED as he always does. There is not one single skeptic alive that would allow God to force his will on anyone is there? Sin is wrong in any context but our will prevents us from seeing the end from the beginning as God does, so we seldom make the right choice when confronted with truth or error! No lie stated in scripture ever is said to prosper the teller and is punishable in many ways if we simply read it in complete context, something very few Christians and Atheists are willing to do!

Now what exactly does God believe in regards to Atheism? Well it's very simple actually God believes in all of US not in our actions against him, God sees past our imperfections. He witnesses our future obedience to him amidst our present sinful acts! There is not a person alive today that God sees as they are right now. God sees things that are NOT now manifest as if they were manifest, therefore Mr. and Mrs Atheist and Christian believes in the you that should be not the you you've become by experience!

God "calls things that are not as though they were" (Romans 4:17) .This not only states the obvious but speaks to the nature of God to look into the future and see us as we should be, free from our actions of disobedience. The real issue is: will we cooperate or continue to look for him in the wrong place expecting to see what is not there, hear what cannot be heard, and feel what is somewhere else? It's plain, God's terms or NO EVIDENCE will make sense to your "Unregenerate mind" no matter how convincing it seems to us!

I know that this article does not debate God as Atheists would like so they can tear it up and spit it out but I thought it would be better to reach the heart than argue with your head. As I stated before to know God will not happen as long as you look for him in your limited mental capacity, that's just the plain fact of the matter. God dwells in a realm built by his personal FAITH that saw the end before the beginning so I ask you how in the WORLD could he be asked to reveal himself in a faithless environment?

We all go though life with questions that seem unanswerable throughout our lives but do questions really make us hate someone that we say we don't believe in or is it more like we hate what we have become and don't want to face up to the judgment involved in change?

Remember … Psalm 14: 1 says "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." it is you that must decide within your own heart that there is or is not a God but just remember you do have this in common with God:

God himself says there are NO OTHER gods but him, so in effect he too is an atheist (small case or big case)! He knows just what you mean when you say religion is fake and should be ended as it is! The real Atheists are the hypocrites in religious power who deny him while saying they serve him ….. this is true "A-theism" to be able to use a holy thing for all the wrong reasons means you really don't believe what you represent!

Isaiah 44: 6-8

"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 8Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. "

What in the world could I have possibly learned about Christianity from “That 70’s Show”? I’m sure that’s what everyone is thinking right about now.

Well today I was watching it and the episode was about the family going to church and generally their take on religion. The kids didn’t want to go and the mom wanted them to because she kept having these dreams about how if she wasn’t a “Good Christian” and taking her kids to church God wasn’t going to let her into heaven.

The dad didn’t like going to church because it was boring and he didn’t see any point to it. The daughter kept hitting on the youth pastor and overall it was a pretty funny show…but I digress. What it taught me was that people need to know what being a Christian really means to us and to God!

What do you think would have been the kids reaction to going to church if they realized that they didn’t have to go? Do you think they would of wanted to go because they wanted to get to know the God that sent his son Jesus to die on the Cross for their sins? Do you think the mom’s life would of been a lot less stressful if she realized she wasn’t responsible for the fate of herself and her family? That she could of gotten into heaven the way she imagined by just accepting God’s gift of salvation by faith? And the daughter that kept flirting with the youth pastor? Well, she probably wouldn’t have been looking to satisfy her need for intimacy with so many different people when she realized how much God loved her and desired her companionship.

It’s amazing how much it would help the lives of these people on “That 70’s Show” if they realized who they were and who God is. Would it change your life if you knew these things? God created you and me and loves us very much (Genesis 1:1). He gave us all life and deserves our love and gratitude. But we chose to disobey Him and all of us has failed to do what is right (Romans 3:23). We may not be as sinful as that guy down the street or we may be even worse than him or anyone else we know; but either way we are ALL guilty before God (1 John 1:8).

God is a perfect, completely good, and always just. Because of this He can’t overlook the fact that we have all sinned. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The fair punishment we deserve for our rebellion against God is death.

Jesus, the only Son of God, came to earth and lived a perfect sinless life–he was completely innocent. He received the punishment that we deserved when he was crucified on the cross, he took it all upon himself–the death sentence that should of been ours. (Romans 5:8) But he did not remain dead, after three days he rose from the grave and later ascended into heaven. And he will return one day. Jesus died for you. You can be saved by asking Him for forgiveness from your sins. If you are willing to repent of your sin, He is waiting to forgive you. It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, if you cry out to Jesus for forgiveness, He won’t reject you. The word “repent” literally means “to turn away from.” You need to look at your life, admit that you are a sinner, genuinely desire to turn your back on that sin, and ask Him to forgive you. If you do this, He promises to forgive you.

True Christianity is not about attending a particular church, or trying to make your behavior fit some model of how a Christian should act. Being a Christian means that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, that He is your Savior. Jesus is always present. He can hear you now if you ask Him for forgiveness. If you want to pray and ask Jesus to be your Savior, you can say a prayer something like this:

“Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. The truth is that I have sinned by my choice, and I am responsible for it. I know that the fair punishment for my sin is death. Jesus, I believe that You died in my place. Forgive me for my sin. I am relying totally on You because I know that I can do nothing to fix my situation. I repent. Come into my life, take away my sin, and give me the life that you’ve promised me.”

If you have prayed this, YOU ARE SAVED! You are now completely forgiven, a new creation, holy and blameless in the eyes of God. If you messed up here and there, don’t worry, the words are not what’s important–they are just simply our faith being expressed through prayer.

Congratulations and welcome to the family of God!

© Caleb Osborne – All Rights reserved

There's another "move of God" that's sweeping the nations. Have you noticed? Very few of those I've spoken with actually have. There are others who don't necessarily view it as being a literal "movement" because it's not quite as defined as they like. Not to mention those who don't particularly approve of God "moving" in this direction. But as one British minister said to me several years ago, addressing all the controversies revolving around every new thing God has done since Genesis, "There's never been a tidy move of God."

Never.

Just as the Egyptian magicians were able to mimic Moses when his rod was turned into a snake, Satan is STILL duplicating and infiltrating whenever possible, muddying up the purity of the flowing river of God, deceiving "even the elect" of Christ's Kingdom. And successfully dissuading many a curious onlooker from diving in as a result of the disjointedness of The Body of Christ.

What is this move of God? It's the incredible mass exodus, the numbers of people who are leaving organized Christianity at an alarming rate, and the ministers who are either leaving the faith, or are ceasing to believe in the inerrancy of God's Word (in a moment well see if these are really men of God at all). Fact is, what most theologians and church people see as a horrific trend, may well be a mighty move of God's Spirit. And when the wind of the Spirit begins to blow, Wisdom cries out for us to adjust our sails. Let me explain.

Very simply, Jesus wants His Church back. It's His Bride. Sadly, this lovely young woman has been made a prostitute with Religion as its Master. She was never intended to be structured, organized, or institutionalized. She's an organism, not an organization. A living, breathing entity, not a cyborg to be programmed by a pious, human chain-of-command. Just as Christianity was once seen as a radical move among Judaism, I see this "Churchless Christianity" phenomenon as a move of God within the Church itself.

THE FACTS

People are leaving organized churches in Biblical proportions; at a rate of 53,000 a week in Europe and North America combined (the US lost 57,500 in the entire Vietnam War, to put that number in perspective). As a whole, Christians lose 7,600 a day to other religions or irreligion. I hear from these people all the time by eMail.

Incidentally, several years ago a leading Bible seminary sent 12,000 letters to pastors of various denominations and asked one question: "Do you believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God?" The results of the survey were startling: 85% of the Presbyterian USA pastors said NO; 85% of the Methodist pastors said NO; 85% of the Episcopal pastors said NO; 55% of the Baptist pastors said NO; 45% of the Catholic priests said NO. (Source: Warner A. Bonner, Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net )

These are our "leaders," folks.

Be concerned. Be very concerned.

Christian Researcher, George Barna says of the American Church, "… new research supports our contention that the structure of the American church is already undergoing radical change. If you add up the proportion of people who will call the cyberchurch their 'church home ', those who will align with an independent house church and individuals who will be steadfastly unchurched, within the next 15 years a majority of Americans will be completely isolated from the traditional church format. " (There are many church organizations well able to support existing ministries of each genre rather than attempt to launch their own from scratch. Hint. Hint.)

According to a study released 12/23/01 by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, while Americans flocked to their synogogues and churches after 9/11/01, one out of four adult American Internet users, roughly 28 million, have sought out religious or spiritual information online since that infamous day. I can attest to this.

More than 3 million US adults find religious information online EVERY DAY, up from 2 million last year. That's more than use the Internet for gambling, banking or trading stocks! Sixty-nine per cent of those engaged in religious activities online search for educationalor reference material, 50% research other faiths, and 35% seek spiritual advice through eMail. Forty-one percent said they sent or received eMail prayer requests. Seven percent made contributions online (unfortunately, I cannot attest to this stat).

As a man with an eMinistry, I don't see this "Church Exodus" as being a bad thingat all, for I've witnessed the fruit of CyberChurch and it's quite bountiful! No, I'm not advocating that we stop face to face fellowship. Perish the thought! We need each other. We are a Body fitly joined. But for those who need specialized attention – and the statistics reveal there are MANY, including the shut-in, the handicapped, the shift worker, the spiritually shipwrecked – I liken CyberChurch to Christ reaching the masses from town to town, in fields and on beaches, in the market, or wherever people gathered who would listen. Even if they must gather electronically.

The Lord could have erected a church building after the Sermon on the Mount but He chose to minister while making disciples in preparation for the harvest to come (no farmer harvests his crop without a barn or a silo in which to put the harvest – otherwise, it rots on the ground). The Western Church must learn to use today's information technologies in conjunction with our postmodern orientation, to serve the greatest number of unchurched people possible in the most nontraditional and non-threatening ways. In other words, like Moses with his staff, God used what Moses had on hand at the moment, coupled with Mo's willing spirit. In the third world Church, they use things such as wind currents to send Scripture-laden balloons across borders. They use flowing rivers to send the Gospel downstream in bottles. They get creative with what's available. Little is much in the hands of God. What do WE have available?

The lowly computer is just one option.

It's simply naive to expect our local professional ministers to do the job or to expect the unchurched to "come to church." After all, shepherds don't produce sheep; sheep produce sheep. It's pure fantasy to believe the world could be won by Christian TV, radio, or music either. The Christian entertainment world is a ghetto into which the mainstream rarely strays. I didn't, before I was saved. Did you? What arrogance to think that THEY should come seeking US!

IS THERE ANY HOPE?

Americans say they want revival! A poll conducted by Public Agenda, a secular think tank, showed that most Americans feel society would improve if people were more devout. 69% of the 1,507 US adults polled in Nov. '00 agreed that "religion is the best way to strengthen moral behavior and family values." 74% agreed that "it is a bad idea for families to raise children without any religion." (Source: Tribune News Service, 01/10/01)

Brennan Manning, author of "Ragamuffin Gospel," says, "Too many people are living in a house of fear and not in a house of love. In the past, churches have been wounders of the healers, not healers of the wounded." He explains, "Our huffing and puffing to impress God and our thrashing about to fix ourselves while hiding in our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat denial of the Gospel of grace."
It's been said that Christianity is the # 1 cause of atheism. We, ourselves, are to blame for this churchless faith phenomenon, resulting from years of misdirected church teachings and traditions. In its current state, we just don't stand up to the scrutiny of our critics. Only God Himself can get us out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into.
But that ALONE should inspire great hope within us all!

NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH?

Many years ago, a man visted my hometown of Arlington, Texas and was going about sharing what he referred to as "a revelation on the Church." Though he was way ahead of his time, the vision he shared for "how to have Church" was actually nothing more than what 80% of the Church was already practicing throughout the third world … the ONLY places where Christianity is currently flourishing, and amidst persecution at that! Though all listened politely, behind his back he was mocked and belittled. And I held their coats, just as Saul did when they stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr. By the way, this man was James Rutz, author of the hot, new book, MegaShift. Read it and you'll see why it's so hot! we laughed at him back then.

In his book, Rutz chronicled more than a week in the life of his Church for the rest of us to enjoy. Fascinating and fun! Regrettably, though I've never journaled Church activities, his description reminded me so much of what I've experienced many times in the years since.

He writes: What does the Church of Jesus Christ, our current part of the Kingdom of God, REALLY need to look like in order to delight her Bridegroom? Let's imagine a "helicopter's view" ofdaily life together as TRUE brothers and sisters in Christ. What would the Holy Spirit and a family of believers living in obedience to His Word look like today? What does the Church today, walking in God's presence and full of grace, look like? How can we recognize the Life of Christ, alive again today in His Body, the Church?

It looks amazingly similar to the Life of Jesus in His physical body 2000 years ago! "
Here are 21st century nurses, restaurant workers, contractors, engineers, teachers, business owners and managers, carpetcleaners and secretaries – clothed in the garb of the teaching and Life of Jesus; a Church that was formed from His victorious death (Gen 2: 21-22; Rev 5: 9; Eph 2: 11-22; 5: 22-32).

This is typical, natural Life in the Spirit of Christ. This is a touch of the Life God's Family is MEANT to have – where Truth touches individuals specifically in its gatherings. Meetings are filled with openness, faith-filled confession of sin, teaching, training, and praise in response to all that is currently happening. Disciples bring songs they've written, praise they're brimming with, chapters from books that have elevated or challenged them, video-teaching tapes that have been a catalyst for growth in them, and ten thousand other possibilities. God's Family is gathered, circled in barns, parks, hotels conference rooms, living room, apartment clubhouses, gymnasiums, or stadiums. Every barrier between God's Children is destroyed …

This is The Church, the ekklesia (the "called out ones"), as expressed from Acts 2 to Acts 2002. There's real Life here. Accountability. Horizontal as well as vertical relationship. Face to face, and by any OTHER means available. Anopportunity to truly become "brothers and sisters"; the family of God. And an opportunity to expand the servant-base, empowering people so that even MORE disciples would be trained and equipped for making MORE disciples. THAT is the Great Commission, after all.

There's power here, too, as the family walks in agreement. Power in prayer. Power to heal and deliver those who are oppressed. Power in miracles. And it draws people unto itself as "many will come and see and put their trust in the Lord."

BELIEVERS ONLY

Quite a few who receive the eMail broadcasts of "Your Town For Jesus" from team ministries are of the "Believers Only" crowd, not belonging to any organized Church body for any number of reasons. Some actually refer to me as their "Pastor." Some even call me "Father." (Please, just call me "Michael." God does.) I've even been "accused" of being a "prophet." If you're one of these – or want to be – please listen: though you may not attend organized services held in a building with stained glass windows, you DO require SOME sort of Christian fellowship. Iron sharpens iron. "Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together" still applies, even if your only form of regular gathering is here, on your computer. Bottom line: all God really requires is your heart-felt availiability in order to open the door for miracles in someone else's life … in person or not.

Your worship of God is not to be limited to the Sunday sing-along. Nor is it about being entertained or "being fed" (Jesus said His food was in DOING the will of the Father). Worship is a lifestyle. To what do you give the majority of your time, energy, money? Careful, for this may have inadvertently become your God. Though church
attendance as we know it in the West is not biblically required (for the Church was never intended to be a building or an orgaization); Church existence is mandatory.

In other words, BE the Church, don't merely GO to church. The real SERVICE of the Church occurs AFTER the Church service.

Need pastoral counseling and prayer? Write or IM me at team1min@aol.com

Every blessing!

I received an email from someone asking me about BodyTalk, one of the two primary modalities I use in my healing practice. She was interested in taking BodyTalk but, as a practicing Christian, wanted to be sure it was not of “New Age thinking.” I attempted to get her to give me a more exact question, but she couldn’t other than wanting to avoid “New Age.”

After much thought I sent her a response: “Many people fit BodyTalk easily into their Christian faith.

Jesus laid hands on people to bring healing…except for the time he healed long distance…and then there was the time he made a paste of mud with his spit to heal the blind man… which I’ve never tried .

When I begin Body Talk and connect with the person on my table, I take a moment and say a silent prayer.” I then told her to pray about it and then make her decision.

There is a deep fear on the part of the majority of Christians of the energy modalities which have become prevalent in the last few decades. They believe that energy work is a tool of the devil and will lead someone away from Christ.

I know numerous people who profess to be active Christians and use modalities such as BodyTalk, PSYCH-K, Healing Touch, Pranic Healing, The Reconnection, Matrix Energetics, Reiki… and I could continue the list for I don’t know how long.

These Christian people find themselves more in touch with God and with their faith than before they began this new work of theirs. They see themselves as continuing the healing ministry of Jesus.

Jesus was conscious of the need for healing. Although he attempted to reserve it for “the children of Israel,” he relented when the Canaanite woman implored him to heal her daughter by saying, “… even little dogs eat scraps which fall from the Master’s table.” (Matthew 15:22-28).

The Christian Gospels show Jesus healing many people in various ways, almost always by laying hands upon them. Mark 16:18 has him saying, “… they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.”

The energy modalities I’ve mentioned above all use some form of laying hands upon the ill or distant healing. When it is done in the name of Jesus, you can certainly say that it is Christian based.

But are these forms of facilitating wholeness in the body “good” if they are used by those who do not profess a belief in the one once known as Yeshua bar Joseph? As contained in Luke 9:50, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

No matter what the religious persuasion of someone using BodyTalk, s/he has the deep desire to facilitate balance within their client, thus allowing the body to naturally repair itself. Their purpose is from the heart. How can that be wrong no matter what you call it?

During the EU Referendum campaign, the term ‘Project Fear’ was frequently used by the Leave campaign to describe the position taken by the Remain campaign, as they so emphasised the dangers to our economy of a departure from the EU. Sometimes the term was used the other way round, i.e. to refer to the fear of immigration and the fear of ever closer union.

Regardless of the relevance to the issues, the term reminded me of the way many people have described Christianity. They claim the Church tries to use fear to recruit and to dominate. I have also come across people who claim to have been brought up in a churchgoing family where fear was the main driving force in their religion. These were usually people who had ceased practicing and often ceased believing, although some had discovered a different kind of Christianity to which they were happy to belong.

Was Project Fear around in the past? One source of misinformation is historical drama on TV. Almost all clergy and other ‘religious’ people are portrayed as narrow-minded censorious hypocrites. Occasionally there is one who is nice but rather naïve. This may lead viewers to develop a negative view of the Christianity, whether past or present. A view too often built on assumptions rather than observation.

Why do I dispute this view? Because of my own experience. Throughout my life I have known many Christians and few if any have conformed to the stereotypes. I have found the same of Jews, Asians, businessmen, public officials and lots of other ‘stock characters’ of fiction and of popular imagination. The only Members of Parliament I have met were honest, sincere people trying to serve the community. I have also found that most of the writings of all kinds by Christians of past ages do not sound as if they were full of fear but rather of hope.

Why does it matter?

· All stereotypes are dangerous. They help build prejudice and are obstacles to real encounters and to creating healthy communities.

· I think it is important to have a truthful understanding of our past, as it affects our view of the present and of ourselves.

· I do not want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to experience real Christianity due to an unreal image, however acquired.

What about me?

· My own experience of God is something I may write about at more length on another occasion, but I can assure you that fear has seldom played much of a part in it.

· When I first stopped to ask myself where I stood, I was not afraid of Hell: I just did not want my whole life to be based on a falsehood – either way.

· And now? I do not obey out of fear of punishment, but because I want to do what I know to be right. Can you love your neighbour out of fear?

What about the Big Stick?

There is a lot in the Bible about God’s Laws. This sounds like a man with a big stick is watching us. Surely that is Project Fear? I used to think of God’s Laws as somehow analogous to the laws made by Parliament. I now know there is an important difference. God’s Laws are more like the Laws of Science. They are based on the principles on which the World was intended to run. You cannot really break them, only ignore them – at your peril. If you ignore the Laws of Gravity and fall from a height, it does not make Gravity unfair or tyrannical. If I as a Risk Management Consultant advise you of the likely consequences of an action, am I part of Project Fear?

What about the Ultimate Big Stick?

Hell-Fire preaching has rather gone out of fashion. People who do not believe in God tend not to believe in Hell and so are not likely to be impressed by Hell-Fire preaching. I am not alone in having far different reasons for choosing to be a Christian. Does this mean we can dismiss Hell as fiction? Not necessarily. If you spend all your life choosing to ignore God, is it right that you should find yourself forced to join him and all us godbotherers in Heaven in the end? Are you not excluding yourself?

Further reading? Try the First Letter of John in the Bible. Not the Gospel of John, although probably by the same writer. All of it, if you can, otherwise just Chapter 4 verses 18 and 19. “Love casts out fear”.

Christianity is God’s religion. It was founded originally by the Lord Jesus Christ and spread with His Blessing by the Apostle Paul. Paul was originally an enemy of Jesus and a murderer of Christians, but after Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, he became an enthusiastic follower of the Risen Lord.

Christianity is a historic religion. It is founded upon the historical life, teachings, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity is the only religion that can make such claims to history, and eyewitnesses wrote down the Lord’s actions and words in four inspired books that we call “gospels” – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The basic story of Christianity is simple. It all starts in the Garden of Eden – a perfect Garden featuring a Forbidden Tree. God created man perfectly in His Image out of the dust of the earth. His Spirit breathed life into this form, and mankind became a living being. God realized that Adam was lonely, so he put him to sleep and created a woman named Eve out of Adam’s rib. Everything was great for a while, but then Satan visited the Garden, and all hell broke loose. Satan slyly convinced Eve that she should eat the forbidden fruit from the Forbidden Tree. Eve unfortunately listened to Satan and partook of the forbidden fruit. Adam discovered Eve and the serpent, and he too unwisely partook of the forbidden fruit in a deliberate act of rebellion against God. As a result of eating the fruit, their eyes were opened, and they realized that they were naked. They were ashamed and tried to hide from God.

God appeared on the scene in the Garden and experienced confusion at not being able to find Adam and Eve. “Where the heck could they be?”, He thought to Himself. He called out, “Adam!”. There was no answer. He cried out, “Eve!”. There was no answer. After several attempts at calling them and after a frantic search of the Garden turned up nothing, Adam decided to have mercy on God. Adam cried out and said, “Father, we are over here under these trees in the south end of the Garden with this talking serpent! Follow my voice, and You will find us!”

God successfully located Adam, Eve, and the talking serpent and heaved an enormous sigh of relief. He killed some animals and clothed Adam and Eve and then pronounced punishment upon Satan. He condemned the talking snake to eat dust for the rest of his life, and he predicted the coming of a Savior who would punish him to an even greater extent, finally defeating him in the process.

About four thousand years after the events in the Garden of Eden took place, a Savior was indeed born, just as God the Father had predicted. He was the offspring of God and the Virgin Mary, and He was also God in the Flesh. God blessed the Holy Child, and He grew up in the fear and admonition of the Father. When Jesus was 12 years old, Mary and Joseph lost track of Him while they were in the Holy City on important business. They searched frantically for him for several days, only to find Him amazing the Jews with His knowledge and wisdom in the Temple in the Holy City. Jesus looked at them strangely and said, “Didn’t you know that I would be about my Father’s business?” We don’t have the details of Jesus’ life past this point until He was about 30 years old.

Jesus was ready to start His ministry by the age of about 30. He went and found the man who was preparing the way for Him – a man who ate locusts and honey by the name of John the Baptist. As Jesus approached the place where John the Baptist was baptizing folks for the remission of their sins, John looked up and cried out, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John was shocked at the idea that Jesus needed baptizing, but He insisted upon it. When John dunked Jesus in the water, the Father spoke from the clouds in approval of the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit flew down from Heaven in the form of a dove and landed on the Lord’s shoulder, thereby sealing God’s approval of His ministry.

Jesus roamed the countryside with His twelve disciples and preached and taught the multitudes over the next three years or so. Some folks wisely believed on Him, while others listened to Satan and remained deceived and unwisely did not believe on Him. Jesus constantly challenged and upset the Jews, so they wanted Him put to death. They tried to capture Him on more than one occasion, but it wasn’t His time to die yet. When His time finally did come, He told Judas (who had been possessed by Satan) to do what he had to do quickly. Judas did his pre-ordained job, and betrayed Jesus to the Jews. The Jews captured Him, and took Him before the Romans to be put to death. Pilate could find no reason to kill Him, but the Jews insisted. So, Pilate released Barabbas – a convicted killer – to them and took Jesus to be executed.

As was predicted in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 53), Jesus was beaten and bruised and then crucified. After Jesus cried out, “Father, into Your Hands I commit my Spirit!”, Satan thought that he had gotten the victory since Jesus was dead! But, Jesus had predicted that He would rise from the dead three days later, and history records that it really happened! What Satan thought was his biggest victory turned out to be his biggest defeat! Jesus died on Friday night, but raised Himself from the dead on Sunday morning! Hallelujah!

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and to many people, further proving Himself to be God. After His final appearance at the Mount of Olives, He returned to Heaven to live forever with the Father and to be our Advocate before the Father.

Jesus is our High Priest and Advocate before the Father. If we accept Him as our Savior, He will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us and make us whole. If we choose to reject Jesus and His saving message, then we have no right standing before the Father, and we will quite justifiably go to Hell for our sins.

The essential message of Christianity is that because of what Adam and Eve did, we are all sinners, and we need the forgiveness and love of God. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross to save you from Hell. Won’t you accept His free Love Gift of eternal life today? All you have to do is ask Him sincerely, and He will forgive you of your sins and give you a new eternal life in Himself. Don’t wait! Do it today! Praise God!

In largely Hindu India, the number of Christians is on the rise. Despite being a child of the West, Christianity in India is growing up with its own identity.

"Indian Christians, because they live in close proximity with other religions, tend to take other religions seriously and bring them to their theological discourse, which the Western Christians do not need to do," said Kuruvilla Pandikattu, a Jesuit priest and physicist. "By and large the perspective is similar," Pandikattu said.

Certain areas in India have always been strongholds of Christianity, such as Goa, a former Portuguese settlement on the West Coast, and Kerala on the East, where the Apostle Thomas is believed to have settled in the first century.

While the landing of Thomas is hard to prove or disprove, "there is definite evidence of a thriving Christian community in Kerala by the third century largely because of Syrian spice merchants who stayed in Kerala and intermarried," said Corrine G. Dempsey, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

"A conservative estimate is that 60 percent of all Christian Indians come from Dalit and lower classes," said Albion University's Selva Raj.

Missionaries, though banned by the government, gain a foothold thanks, largely, to the entrenched caste system in society. Although casteism has been officially outlawed since 1950, rural society runs along strict caste lines. The lowest caste, Dalits or Harijans , previously called "untouchables," faces widespread discrimination along with economic and educational disadvantages.

India has a quota system, similar to the American affirmative action, but the realities of rural life are removed from it. Sociologists and anthropologists agree that a casteless religion is, therefore, attractive to indigenous tribals.

Yet, it is hard to determine whether faith precedes the desire for socioeconomic mobility, or vice versa, said Raj.

Evangelists also influence Christians from the mainstream churches or from other sects, said Rowena Robinson, an associate professor of sociology at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. "It is difficult to judge from attendance at evangelical ceremonies, the measure of actual conversions. The two should not be confused. Many may attend healing rituals etc without aligning themselves on a more permanent basis," continued Robinson, who authored Christians of India and Religious Conversions in India: Modes, Motivations, and Meanings .

Those who do convert soon discover that Christianity is also rife with discrimination, Raj said. Even after adopting Christian names that have no obvious caste markers like Hindu names do, it remains obvious they are converts and, therefore, a step below. "Until 30 years ago, Christian cemeteries had separate burial grounds for Dalit converts," said Raj, whose forthcoming book is called Dealing with the Deities .

Converts tend to retain their pre-conversion rituals, traditions and non-converted relations. "In all conversions almost everywhere, it is unlikely that the past will be completely eradicated. Cultural retentions are always there, including in terms of kinship structures, marriage patterns and ritual elements," said Robinson.

Even in educated circles, the influence of preconversion and their neighbors' Hinduism abounds. Christian brides in India wear white but eschew dresses for saris. At Kerala's Syrian Christian weddings, the climax of the event is the tying of the tali around the bride's neck, like at Hindu weddings, said Dempsey. The tali is a gold leaf-shaped ornament worn on a gold chain. Christian talis often have crosses on them to distinguish them from Hindu talis. "Syrian Christian churches often have prominently displayed gold lamps similar to lamps you see in Hindu temples," she said.

Additionally, "Saint festivals look very much like festivals at Hindu temples, especially when it comes to processions in which the saint's statue – like the Hindu murti, or statue – brings up the rear."

Syrian priests even used to provide astrological advice, though Dempsey said this has fallen out of favor in the past half century. Nevertheless "some Christians still quietly visit astrologers and pay attention to muhurtham, or auspicious timing, when it comes to travel or arranging major events such as weddings," she said.

"Kerala Christians don't see themselves as hanging onto Hindu practices as a sign of semi-conversion," said Dempsey, who with Raj co-edited Popular Christianity in India: Riting Between the Lines . "Rather, they understand their Christianity as being embedded in the culture and are proud of the fact that their Christianity is ancient, integrated and different from more recent converts."

Sonjharia Minz, a professor of theoretical computer science at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, is the daughter of a Christian pastor, but her family is originally from the indigenous Oraon tribe in northern Jharkhand state. Minz has been exploring the similarities in tribal religion and Christianity, focusing on the elements that made conversion easier. "Pre-salvation rituals are very similar," she said, "as are myths, practices and attitudes toward all of creation."

"Theology emerges from concrete, lived reality," said Raj. "For [Indian Christians], these are discrimination and poverty."

"Western people are more radical," said Ram Surat, a convert from a middle class Hindu family who works as an evangelical social worker with a "holistic ministry to people who are dealing with AIDS, casteism and sexism" on the side. "Our psyche is different."

In this day and age when the opinions of scientists and Christians are often completely opposite, along comes the book, Rise of the Time Lords-A Geek’s Guide to Christianity, written by Michael Belote, a physics and mathematics geek in his thirties. Michael, with a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and a M.Sc. in Operations Management, became a born-again Christian who threw himself into Bible study and theological books to try to make some sense of his newfound faith.

In reading his book, one will soon come to realize that it’s like reading two separate books simultaneously. The first part of each of the seventeen chapters refers to science that deals with the origin, structure and space time relationship of the universe, and the origin, nature and destiny of man. The sources of this information are taken mainly through the studies of Astronomy, Anthropology, Cosmology, and Thermodynamics, all of which are based somewhat on two controversial beliefs such as the Big Bang theory and the theory of Evolution.

The second part of each chapter relates to the teachings of the Christian Bible dealing with the creation of the universe, the fall of Adam and Eve, the Old and New Testaments, the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible, the Law, the Ten Commandments, the three Person Trinity of God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, the means of salvation, Hades, Heaven, Hell, the coming destruction of our universe, and the creation of a new Heaven and a new earth. The following are two examples of the many important bits of information found in this book:

Example #1: Due to the current knowledge about this fine-tuned universe that we live in, there are twenty or more fundamental constants that had to be exactly correct at the time of the Big Bang, or no life could have ever existed. For that reason, many scientists are finding it difficult to come to any other conclusion except that there must have been a God.

Example #2: Whereas we are three dimensional creatures capable of full perception of up/down, left/right and in/out, we are only vaguely aware of the fourth dimension of time because we cannot feel or experience time in the past or the future. God created this entire universe, including time, making Him more than a four dimensional being, which puts mankind at a disadvantage of fully understanding God and His universe.

In each chapter, the author expertly compares the teachings of science with the teachings of Christianity supplemented with zany glimpses of his personal life. Even if one is limited in scientific knowledge, the information found in all of these chapters will be interesting and informative. For believers and nonbelievers, this well-written book is absolutely a must read.

Jesus and the New Age Movement (NAM)

To New Agers, Christ is merely a spiritual state (an ideal state of awareness) rather than God in the flesh. They basically deny the deity of Jesus Christ. They believe in a “Christ”, but they do not recognize nor mention His first name as being a part of “the Christ”. To them, Jesus was merely unique man who attained self mastery. Salvation through Jesus means nothing to them; since the blood of the Lamb and the sanctity thereof has been replaced with “Christ Consciousness”.

Their meaning of “Christ consciousness” is that Jesus was not the only Christ, but that He mastered the “Christ Consciousness” along with other great “spiritual masters” such as Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed; the occult Gnostic teaching (the ancient Babylonian mystery religions) at play again.

Salvation and the NAM

In the NAM (New Age Movement) writings, sin is rarely if ever mentioned since sin does not exist in a world where everyone is god. So they cannot accept the definition of sin as the bible describes, but rather as a lack or deficiency of spiritual enlightenment. They believe that Jesus is merely a person who achieved mastery. They do believe in “the Christ”, but their Christ is not associated with Jesus. Sounds like delusionary confusion to me.

The NAM wants to make it a great mystery as to who “the Christ” is; but the bible makes it quite clear that the Lord “Jesus Christ” is God in the flesh; the great I AM! God and Jesus are One (John 8:58; 1 John 5:7)!

Sin and the NAM

There is no such thing as sin in the NAM; there can be no sin because there is no external God that judge’s sin. Since man is god, as the NAM think, man has a limitless potential for self-actualization.

Because sin does not exist, there is no need for repentance in their eyes. Other related beliefs:

– that the soul is part of the universe and never dies

– that it is reborn or reincarnated in different physical bodies in a succession of future lives

– that the good or bad “karma” earned in the present lifetime determines one’s subsequent incarnation

– that humans should seek to progress to higher states of consciousness and higher planes of existence

– that there are many different paths to the goal of spiritual perfection

– that no one path is the only correct path

All of the above contradicts the word of God in the bible (which of course the NAM rejects), and is contrary to the principle of salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). They also contradict the teachings of Christianity whereby Christ is the only way to eternal life as children of God (John 14:6).

Self Improvement and the NAM

The human potential movement among the New Agers is based on the false belief that we are god and that we just need to achieve an enlightened state to recognize it. They consider meditation as a primary tool for achieving this state of mind.

Unfortunately, the pride of the heart associated with NAM is actually a limiting factor, when one considers that it takes humility, and spiritual wisdom from the true God (via a relationship with Him) in order to recognize our innermost weaknesses, and our maximum potential here on earth. Only through the worship of the sovereign God and not self-worship can we expect to achieve any kind of divine immortality. Self worship and the like are just delusions of grandeur that may compromise our salvation.

Man’s Destiny and the NAM

The NAM believes the following regarding man’s destiny:

– that the salvation of the world depends upon human beings (as opposed to God)

– When enough people harmonize their positive energy and turn their thoughts to peace, the world will be cleansed (see note below)

– Since man is intrinsically divine and perfect, his only real problem is ignorance of that fact (there is obviously no place for humility in the NAM).

– that man’s mortality is actually an illusion

– That salvation in the NAM is for man to become enlightened through gnosis (experiential knowledge).

The NAM offers many occult teachings, materials and techniques to enable unbelievers to evolve into the unitive state of oneness. These techniques include but are not limited to crystals, channeling spirit guides, past-life therapy, yoga, and related techniques for achieving altered states of consciousness

Good and Evil and the NAM

Good and evil is considered non-existent in the New Ager’s utopic world view. Since all is one according to the NAM then are good and evil the same? Apparently so, since NAM along with many Far Eastern religions consider that everything is merged in one!

They believe that because “all is One,” there is neither good nor evil. They think that a person can transcend his consciousness and go beyond the bounds of moral distinction and accountability. They are not aware that the prince of this world (Satan) wants everything to be evil, he wants everything to belong to him – including the godship of the universe.

On the contrary, the scriptures of the bible make a distinct separation of good and evil, light and darkness. In the bible everything has a counter force and that is what allows for balance both in the world and the cosmos. Once one takes over, then chaos results. There must be evil in order that good can exist and vice versa. The bible warns all who call good evil, and evil good (Isaiah 5:20).

Lucifer, Satan and the NAM

New Age literature apparently denies that Lucifer is Satan or the devil. In fact they seem to elevate Lucifer (Satan), referring to him as the bearer of light. NOTE: The bible reveals that Lucifer indeed was the angel of light until he rebelled against God. He convinced 1/3rd of the angels to also rebel. He and these fallen angels were cast out of heaven.

For true Christians Christ is the light of the world. In John 8:12, Jesus declared: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Contrary to this basic Christian belief, some sects of the NAM teach the opposite:

– that Lucifer is a mighty being of light and the “Ruler of Humanity,”

– that pagans are not Satanists, but merely follow a non-Christian spiritual path

– that Satan is the “dark god” of the Christian faith

Most pagans do not even believe that Satan exists, and so they would never admit to worshipping him; even if they de facto were worshipping him by embracing doctrines from the dark side!

For example, a leading proponent of the NAM, says, “Lucifer came from the planet Venus 18.5 million years ago; he’s the director of our planetary evolution, he is the sacrificial lamb, and the prodigal son. Lucifer made an incredible sacrifice, a supreme sacrifice for our planet.” I guess he believes that Lucifer is “the Christ” of the NAM! Maybe so!

In Part 3 we will conclude with the NAM’s perspective on reincarnation, aliens, global religion, and the biblical perspective on the New Age Movement.