Preacher: Paul Washer

Sermon Title: A Sermon on Christ for Atheists

It is a great privilege for me to be here this evening with you. And in a way, it is a great blessing that you cannot see me, some of you. And it is for this reason: You do not need to see a man, nor do you need to see the movements of a man. You need to see Christ. And we need the power and the movement of the Holy Spirit. When we cannot see much of a man, that does not limit us. But without a vision of Jesus Christ, we are ruined. I’m not here tonight to talk about men, or to talk about church, or religion. For all those things have their failures and flaws. Every one of you can stand up and make accusations against these things. Men are weak and sinful. Religion is sometimes weak and failing. But Christ: there is no one like Christ. He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He’s the Son of God. He is infinite perfection. He is strong. He is mighty. He has never failed, and He has fulfilled every promise He has ever made. You have no argument against Him. For there is no one like Him. He and He alone is the Savior of the world and the Christ of God.

This evening you need Christ. You need a vision of Christ. If you’re here this evening and you consider yourself to be atheist, I know this: One small glimpse of Christ, and your atheism will be destroyed by His power. And if you are a believer here tonight, and you are struggling with sin, and you lack zeal and motivation, one glimpse of Jesus Christ will give you all that you need to live the Christian life. So it’s all about Christ. What do you think of Him? For that is the very basis of God’s judgment of men. While it is true that one day you will stand before God and be judged with regard to your sin, you must understand that the greatest question on that day will be this: What think ye of Jesus Christ? What have you done with Christ?

Now let’s open up our Bibles to the book of Colossians 1:16-22. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” Let’s pray.

Father, I come before You this evening with a great and a heavy burden. Lord, I know that I am taking upon myself a task that I cannot complete. It would be easier for me to count the stars in the heavens or to number these grains of sand on the seashore. But to describe the greatness and the glory and the power of Your Son goes beyond all human invention. No words can express Him. No intellect can grasp Him, whether they be human or angelic. That You have exalted the name of Your Son above all things, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. And it will be for Your good pleasure and Your glory.

Father, we are filled with religion. We are filled with knowledge, and we are filled with apathy and the lack of the fear of the Lord. But Father, one glimpse of Christ, one glimpse of His power and His glory, one glimpse of Your love and His face, will make our sleeping go away and fill us with joy unspeakable. Lord, we need Christ. We don’t need a man. We don’t need a preacher. We need Him. Lord I pray, let me stutter, let me speak as a mule, let me fall from this platform; but O God, that men might catch a glimpse of Jesus Christ. His power. His glory. That they might be humbled by that, and saved by that heavenly vision. O God, rend the heavens and come down. Speak to men. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now look in verse 16. “For by Him all things were created.” It doesn’t matter who you are tonight. You may claim to be atheist and agnostic. You may be a hater of all religion and even a hater of God. The very mention of Christ may set your blood to boiling. You may consider yourself an enemy of the cross. But know this: Jesus Christ created you. And in that, He has a claim upon you. He is your Maker; and by virtue of that, He is also your Possessor, your Owner. And not only does He take ownership, but He is also Lord. You say, “I do not see that. Where is His throne?” Know this, that God has appointed a day in which He will judge every man, through this One who was crucified by wicked men—Jesus Christ. His throne is coming. His judgment is near. And on that day when He judges, everyone will recognize His right to judge because He is judging the very thing He has made.

Do you also realize the absolute arrogance of seeking to live independently from Him? The Bible says He made you. And not only that, but He sustains you. It is the great truth of Christianity that God created the world. But He did not leave it to itself. He sustains the world. In the same way know this: God created you and He sustains you. The next breath you take comes from Christ. Your heart beats in the next few minutes only because of Jesus Christ. Can you see how insane it is to seek to live independently from Him? Imagine a man laying in a hospital. And he’s unconscious, and he is connected to a life support system – several tubes that keep him alive. And every once in a while, the man wakes up, and like a wild animal, he grabs at the tubes and he tries to pull them out of his arm. He tries to destroy the life support system. He must be laid down in the bed once more and tied down because in his fit of insane rage he is going to kill himself. That is the perfect description of man without Christ. Like a wild animal, like an insane man, you seek to live separately from the very One who is the source of life.

But the Bible says, “By Him all things were created.” But not only that, this prepositional phrase “by Him” can also be interpreted “in Him”. That all things were created in Christ. Now what does that mean? Reality is found in Christ alone. Everything outside of the person of Jesus Christ is false. It is wrong. It is without meaning. It has no reason. It is absurd and insane. So is the life lived outside of Christ. It has no meaning. It lives in an unreal world, a delusion. Look around at your world. Look what you see. Everything is a vain delusion. From business to advertising to the media, it is all a delusion. It will all pass away. Yesterday I was born, today I stand here, tomorrow I die. And the same can be said of you. And to chase after any thing except that which is eternal is absolutely insane. To give yourself for those things that will pass away is an absurdity. To live for anyone other than Christ is to set yourself outside of the will and good pleasure of God.

There’s something that you must understand about God the Father. His Son is everything to Him. Every thing the Father has ever done, He has done it for His Son. He created the world in His Son. He reveals Himself to the world through His Son. He redeems the world through His Son. And He judges the world through His Son. And He has done it all for the glory of His Son. God has a correct view of things. For you to consider unimportant what God considers most important, is absolutely insane. I said something the other night, and I will repeat it now. I can tell you who your God is by just asking you one question: What do you think about most? What fills your thoughts the most? Do you see how insane we are? We look in the mirror at our own image more than we look to Christ. We worry about things in this world more than we concern ourselves with Christ. And yet, I can assure you, Christ is foremost in every thought of God. And Christ is foremost in the thoughts of every being that finds its dwelling place in Heaven.

This is proved in the next phrase. It says, “For by Him all things were created, both in Heaven and on earth.” The world is important to God. Men are important to God. But be careful that your heart not be lifted up in arrogance because the world of men is not the only thing that God possesses. It is not even the greatest of His possessions. For all of Heaven belongs to God. And we know from Scripture that there are countless splendid created beings who exist in Heaven for only one purpose: the worship of God. Dr. Tozer, many years ago, said something very important, and we will do well to listen. “If all men on the earth were to suddenly become blind, it would not diminish the glory of the sun, or the moon, or the stars.” In the same way, if all men were to be atheist, it would not diminish the glory of God. If He lost the entire world, if every man turned away, if there was no redemptive plan in the heart of God, He would still be worshiped throughout eternity by an infinite number of created beings more splendid than ourselves.

“By Christ all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible.” In these two words we find one of our greatest problems. We trust our eyes, we trust our senses, more than we trust the Word of God. You live based on what you can see. You live based on what you can feel. And, most importantly, you live based upon what other men tell you. And you do not realize that the invisible world is more a reality than the one you can see. This is not the reality. The reality is that which is set before us in the Word of God. It is what Christ has said, because one day, all of this will pass away like a vapor, like a piece of cloth that will be rolled up and taken away. Like dry wood, it will be burned up. And on that day, you will know what is truly real, and the Word of God will be vindicated. And some of you will rejoice in that. But others of you will realize that you’ve lived for a wrong thing, and you have lost all things.

A Sermon On Christ For Atheists

Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 28:16

Walking with God requires knowing His ways. There is no way you can walk with God if you do not know His ways, this is because God is invisible and yet only walking with Him guarantees safety and prosperity. Another thing about walking in His ways is that His ways are more often not our ways: The Bible says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

In our Bible reading for today, God says that His people should remember all the ways in which He led them for forty years. One striking thing about this passage is the fact that man survives majority on the Word of God and not by bread alone. How did God show His people this truth? He gave them food and water on a daily basis without them labouring. Even their clothes and sandals did not wear out!

“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee….” Deuteronomy 8:3-4

The above passage shows that people of God should not disobey God because of what they will eat or drink. Many today are on their way to hell because of what they will eat, drink or put on. This was the truth that guided Jesus when the devil wanted to bring Him down with food in Luke 4:4. Jesus taught his disciples, re-assuring them that as long as they walk with God in His ways through His words, all their needs would be met. He said: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Matthew 6:25

Beloved, I encourage you to begin to walk with God by His Word from today, and you will experience His Almighty benevolence in Jesus’ name.

Father, please help me to always trust and take you by Your infallible Word in Jesus name.

by: Pastor E.A. Adeboye

Walking With God Ii

> ONLY GOD CAN DO THIS!!
NOBODY DIED!!! ALL OF US , 66 PASSENGERS CAME OUT ALIVE

I have come to give thanks to the GOD OF CHOSEN for what he did for us .
I was in the midst of those that had accident . I was right inside that bus. 
The Devil really came to Kill and Destroy but the GOD OF CHOSEN Proved to him that HE IS THE GOD OF THE CHOSEN.

These were the words of Bro Okechukwu otah, who was right inside the bus .

According to our brother, as they were on the way going, A TIPPER TRAILER WAS COMING ON A ONE WAY, WITH NO LIGHTS . 
The driver of their bus tried everything possible to avoid the tipper, unfortunately the tipper CRASHED into the CHOSEN BUS.

It was a FATAL Accident! But the Mystery of the whole thing that shook the people there was that nothing happened to the passengers.None of the 66 PASSENGERS in the CHOSEN died.

It is Unbelievably Unbelievable to all who witnessed what Happened.
The GOD of CHOSEN showed and did the Mysterious!!

ONLY GOD CAN DO THIS!! THIS NOT LUCK! THIS IS GOD . THIS IS THE GOD OF CHOSEN IN ACTION.

The devil came to kill and Destroy but THE GREAT GOD OF CHOSEN WHO HAS A COVENANT WITH HIS SERVANT that NO CHOSEN WILL A DAY BEFORE HIS/ HER DEATH FRUSTRATED, THWARTED AND SHAMBOLIZED THE MOVE AND PLANS OF THE DEVIL.

Many others have come out to testify to the Mysterious Miraculous Escape.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

THE GOD OF CHOSEN IS SO GREAT!!!

66 Passengers Of The CHOSEN Saved From Fatal Accident

Plateau Muslim Community Opposes Conversion Of Mosque In Mangu To Market

The Mangu Concerned Muslim Consultative Forum (MCMCF) in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State has expressed deep concern over the conversion of their demolished Juma’at Mosque in the Bungha Dawo area into a market.

It is a known fact that ethno-religious crisis had led to the destruction of mosques and churches in Mangu in January 2024.

The Muslim group, in a statement by its chairman, Mahmuda Jafaru, strongly condemned the act of the conversion of the mosque into a market and stated that they had informed the chairman of the LGA, Markus Artu, about the situation but have not seen any action taken yet.

Jafaru described the conversion of their mosque into a market as a severe violation of religious freedom.

He emphasised that such actions not only disrespect the sanctity of religious spaces but also disrupt the peaceful coexistence of the Muslim communities in the area.

The group contrasted this situation with the protection afforded to churches in Muslim-dominated areas, citing an incident where vandals at the Gangaran Kwata church were apprehended and handed over to security personnel.

Despite attempts to reach out to Markus Artu, the Chairman of the Mangu LGA, for comment on the complaint lodged with him, there has been no response.

Plateau Muslim Community Opposes Conversion Of Mosque In Mangu To Market

~~~Daily Spiritual Digest~~~

[24-04-2024]

Focus: What and Who to Magnify

The word for today
Whatever you magnify becomes big in your life. If you magnify your challenges and problems they become big; the more you lay emphasis on the battle of life the more your battle will be!
****************************************
Scriptural Reference
"And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." (Luke 1:46-47 NKJV).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In whatever situation you find yourself; try to always magnify the Lord. Your experience cannot change the personality of God. The Lord is great, powerful and wonderful. One of the most important strategies of staying strong in the battle of life is magnifying the Lord above all and rejoicing in His salvation. Standing on His promises without wavering.

The evil one is winning most of the battles over God's children because people know more of what the devil can do than what God can do. The intensity of the proclamation of the evil works of darkness by most men in our pulpits today makes people live in fear to the point of shouting the blood of Jesus over an ordinary cockroach going about its activities.

Sometimes when young people of our days look zealous and fervent in prayers; they mostly do so in fear and loss of courage in the presence of real battles of life. Our faith will always determine our experience. Let's not be an agent of darkness nor speak more of the potentials of the evil one. Rather, let's have faith in the word of God and walk in the reality of our victory in Christ Jesus.

Meditation: What and Who do you Magnify?

Dear Lord, You are bigger than all my trouble; My soul magnifies You and my spirit rejoices in my salvation in Jesus' name. Amen!

Emphasis: Magnify the Lord and you will see Him big in your life and situation!

Have an Outstanding Wednesday!

What And Who Do You Magnify

GENERATIONAL CURSES ARE EMPOWERED BY EVIL WORDS SPOKEN YOU REFUSE TO CANCEL. MATTHEW 15:13..

Until you break the generational curse in your family it will keep repeating itself it is only a matter of time. John the baptist came with the spirit of Elijah. Malachi 4:5. Remember the witch Jezebel threatened to cut off Elijah's head...1st King 19:2. John the Baptist was also threatened but he did nothing about it like Elijah did and that same word(backed up) with the spirit of witch craft came to pass. John the baptist head was eventually cut off in Matthew 14:8-11.

The evil word you refuse to speak against and reject will eventually manifest. Today in the name of Jesus Christ begin to cancel and reject every evil word causing mishaps and misfortunes in your life by the blood of Jesus.

Generational Curses Are Empowered By Evil Words Spoken You Refuse To Cancel

Preacher - Tim Conway

There is this very prevalent idea today that Jesus Christ is coming twice, or, that His one coming can be broken up into two: the secret coming where He raptures the church; and 7 years later, this open coming where He defeats the Antichrist. From the Scriptures examined in this sermon, there's nothing about a secret coming. This coming right here is open, it's apparent. Nothing about a two-part coming. There is one coming, very visible; precisely what John tells us. 

This sermon follows our Lord's teaching on His Second Coming from Luke 17. Our Lord is very clear that His coming is going to be public, spectacular and terrifying. Just as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

PDF & MP3: 

Series:

The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ

Sarah was Barren for Long ,She told Abraham to Lay with Hagar ,Hagar Bore Ishmael,What if Sarah Wasn't Barren at all and all the Biblical Drama of Angel coming to visit ,Being served Food BLA BLA BLA didn't Happen...

If Sarah Wasn't Barren and she just lay with Abraham and to they Had Isaac as First Child .

Probably There wouldn't have been all the Brouhahas we have today ..

Does it means all the dramas of One Using Arrows and bows in the desert Practitising the Religion of Peace/ Pieces and the other one Practicing Christianity Wouldn't have Come Up ? 
Genesis 11:30

What If Sarah Wasn't Barren At All ?

Be a disciple of Jesus

Thu, 25 Apr 2024

‘The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.’ Acts 11:26

Today is ANZAC Day. It’s a day to commemorate the sacrifices made by Australian and New Zealand troops in World War I in 1915 on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. The British led a campaign aimed to secure a sea route to Russia by capturing Constantinople, now known as Istanbul. However, the mission faced immense challenges, leading to heavy casualties on both sides. Sacrificing your life for a cause is incredibly honourable. When you think of the sacrifice Jesus made for us so we could have eternal life, would you not gladly lay down your sinful life to become His disciple? Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment; it happens when you place your trust in Christ. But becoming a disciple is the work of a lifetime; it calls for denying yourself and saying yes to the will of God every day of your life. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Three things:

1) To listen to Him and learn. That calls for reading, studying, memorising, verbalising, and applying the truths taught in the Scriptures to your life each day.

2) To follow Him wherever He leads. This may call for changing your plans, forfeiting some of your relationships, and giving Him access to things you would like to hold on to.

3) To be devoted to Him. One day, Jesus said to Peter, ‘…“Do you love Me more than these?”’ (John 21:15 NKJV). Note the word ‘more’. To be a disciple means to love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. And it’s the most fulfilling and rewarding life you can live!

Be A Disciple Of Jesus

Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide have eased the discipline for youth members after “serious wrongdoing”. The new guideline came within two weeks after the decision of the Oslo District Court in Norway to strip the Jehovahs of their official status as a registered faith community.

The faith community seems to be trying to get a better position in the appeal case in Norway. The community came under attack for its rigid rules regarding discipline to “baptised minors”.

Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is usual that children choose for baptism between 12 and 16 years. Religiously, they are seen as responsible members than, who can be disciplined. There have been cases of “disfellowship” after “serious wrongdoing”, resulting in “shunning”, isolation and contact bans. For individuals and families, this can be rigid and feel like psychological violence.

For the Norwegian state, this practice is controversial because those “baptised minors” are legally still kids. The state feels responsible for protecting the minors. After complaints of psychological violence, the authorities decided in 2021 to rip the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Norway from the legal status, which they had since 1985. According to experts, this is the first time a faith community lost its legal position in Norway.

This registration in Norway gives access to huge amounts of state subsidies. The monetary support is about NOK 16 million (1.3 million euros) every year. Over three years, together with interest, the JW demanded NOK 50 million (4.3 million euros).

With the de-registration, the Jehovah’s Witnesses also lost the right to perform civil marriages. Traditionally, marriages were performed by the Lutheran state church. Nowadays, all recognised faith communities (including the Humanist Society) can perform civil marriage.

The JW community in Norway –which consists of 12,000 members in 700 local congregations– went to court about the decision. The public sessions in court took two weeks in January.

Dozens of people involved came to testify how significant the damage of exclusion had been for them. Others came to tell of the fear of being excluded from the community in which they had lived and, therefore, remained within the community anyway. Some people told of years of pressure that led to lifelong emotional impact.

The conclusion was clear: disfellowship and shunning exist. 

However, legally, the central question was whether this is part of the community’s freedom of belief or whether it restricts the freedom of those (minors) involved. And could it be a ground for de-registration? This is a new field since this is the first group that has been ripped off registration.

On March 4th, the judges confirmed the state’s position. On March 28th, the Jehovah’s announced the appeal.

“Simple greeting”

Before the appeal was made known, another announcement came from JW: “Adjustments to handling serious wrongdoing in the congregation”.

The new rules published in a video mid-March include a softening of the contact ban. Members may use their “Bible-trained conscience” to decide on a “simple greeting” to a person removed from the congregation. It is no longer expected “to ignore him completely”.

According to a confidential document that leaked to the critical platform Jehovahs-Witness(dot)com, the discipline of baptised minors has been liberalised even further. From now on, only two elders meet with the person and his parents or guardians. Before, this was a committee. The elders “will exercise patience as they work with the parents to understand the minor’s attitude”. After this, they cooperate with the parents “to assist their child”.

Before, there was just one meeting, after which the committee decided within two hours whether to take steps to “disfellowship” or not.

The new measures have been introduced with unusual haste. Usually, there is more time and rest in the procedure. That is remarkable because the organisation defended the then-current practice of disfellowship as Biblical last December. A German lawyer who himself is part of the Jehovah’s Witnesses thinks it difficult not to see the connection with the Oslo court decision.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to have been active in Norway since the 1890s. In the early 1980s, they applied for registration. In those days, this was controversial within the community, since by doing that the Jehovahs would accept to be placed on the same level with other churches. However, the advantage was clear: the group would receive the same money as the state church and other groups.

Also, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have an official registration in other countries, like Germany and Italy. However, the conditions and profits differ from country to country.

In Norway, the court case has been characterised as the most important judicial procedure about religious freedom in decades. Spokesman Jørgen Pederson of the Jehovah’s Witnesses does not speak to the press but distributes a written statement after the decision. The decision by the judges about the “State’s offensive allegation” is “deeply disappointing”, Pederson writes. The state could “not provide a single verified example of a victimised child”. For him, this judgement confirms that Jehovah’s Witnesses are “often victims of disinformation”.

The case will continue in the appeal stages. Experts find it likely that the case might end in Strasbourg at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Reactions to the court’s decision were of two types. First, some welcomed the verdict. Freedom of religion can never be absolute, and the state must curtail long-term wrongdoings. They were not impressed by Pederson’s comment that there was “no single verified example” of abuse.

Several academics stated that the freedom of religion is not at stake here since the Witnesses can still hold fast to their interpretation of the Scriptures and teach this in their gatherings. The scope of disciplinary action is limited, but that is because the rights of others are at stake.

A second group of reactions is much more critical. They do not defend the practice of shunning but still think that this should be protected legally. The Baptist Standard, for instance, guessed that Norway might lose its reputation for human rights because of this intervention in the religious liberty.

Also, Willy Fautré, director of the Brussels-based organisation Human Rights Without Frontiers, is concerned. “We see that there are more and more attempts in Europe by state institutions to interfere and intrude into the teachings and practices of religious groups, which is forbidden by the European Convention.”

The editor of the Christian daily Dagen, Vebjørn Selbekk, wrote in January that this case does intervene in the free interpretation of Scripture, since the understanding of discipline is a theological issue.

He finds it cowardly to take on the Witnesses now. They have no friends or allies in the Norwegian society. And since they are not voting, there is no political risk in doing this either. “But precisely in such cases, when the great majority applauds and rejoices that a religious community loses its rights, there is a special reason to be vigilant”, Selbekk wrote. “That’s how they do it in countries we don’t usually like to be compared to.”

Female priests

The professor in the Study of Religion at the University of Oslo, Dr. Dag Øistein Endsjø, is critical too, he says in an interview with CNE.news. “The state must guarantee equality. Suppose the state recognises one community and not the other. In that case, there is differential treatment that must be justified. This goes about tax money as well. As far as I can see, the state has not proven that such unequal treatment is justified, and thus, this may be a case of discrimination in relation to religious freedom.”

For Endsjø, it is “hard to deduce from the material” that the religious groups violate the rights of children. “If, however, this really was proven, the state would, according to its duty to always protect the best interest of the child, have to do much more to stop this practice than just withdrawing the registration and letting the rest go.”

According to Endsjø, one must always have the human rights protection of the autonomy of the faith community in mind. General rules on various forms of equality do, for instance, not apply within the theological dealings of a church. “The state does not have the right to enforce its own vision upon a religious group. If that was the case, the Norwegian state could even have made the Roman Catholics accept female priests.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses Ease Shunning Rules After Blow In Oslo Court

Welcome to the Religion of Shintoism 

Shinto (Japanese: 神道, romanized: Shintō) is a religion originating from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners Shintoists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. 

There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners.

The torii gateway to the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, one of the most famous examples of torii in the country.[1] Torii mark the entrance to Shinto shrines and are recognizable symbols of the religion.

A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the kami (神). The kami are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. 

The kami are worshipped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as kannushi, who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined at that location. 

This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and kami and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the kagura dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the religion's adherents. 

Shinto places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship. 

Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami. 

The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine, and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms.

- wiki

Introduction To SHINTOISM

Sura 5:46 reads;

And We sent Jesus, the son of Mary, after those Prophets, confirming the truth of whatever there still remained of the Torah. And We gave him the Gospel, wherein is guidance and light, and which confirms the truth of whatever there still remained of the Torah,76 and a guidance and admonition for the God-fearing.

Notice the phrase, 'We Sent Jesus'. This implies that they were more than one. Otherwise, it should have read, 'I sent Jesus'.

My question is who is Allah referring to? Who are the 'We'.

The Quran says that Allah has no partner but Sura 5:46 says otherwise.

Please, I need an answer to this contradiction.

Who Is Allah's Partner In Sura 5:46?

"Wigglesworth boarded a train at Bradford to travel to London. He selected a corner seat. Eventually, five more people joined him in the compartment. As was his custom, he took out his Testament and began to read and pray silently. He never spoke a word to his fellow travelers. About thirty miles away from London he went to the rest room.

As he was making his way back to the compartment, the man who had been sitting next to him said, "I don't know what it was, but when I sat next to you, a terrible fear gripped me. I was afraid I was going to die. What was it?"

Wigglesworth said, "Come back into the compartment."

All the others there said they had experienced the same feeling. Wigglesworth explained to them about conviction and the way of salvation. They all knelt on the floor of the compartment and accepted the Lord.

Wigglesworth ministered this way on several occasions. He lived for opportunities such as these, seeing a potential in every person he met.”

Excerpt From, "Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret Of His Power" by Albert Hibbert. 
#alberthibbert 
#smithwigglesworth
#holyspirittv

Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret Of His Power

Make an impact

Wed, 24 Apr 2024

‘Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus ...’ Hebrews 12:1-2

The men and women who made the greatest impact on the world were those who were totally focused and sold out to their vision. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, once said, ‘If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.’

Jonathan Edwards, whose ministry sparked the Great Awakening in America, made this his life’s motto: ‘Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I will.’

C.T. Studd, one of England’s greatest athletes, shocked the world when he gave up fame and fortune to be a missionary to China. ‘If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him,’ he explained.

Missionary Jim Elliot, who died as a martyr in South America, said, ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.’ The day you were born, God had a track for you to run on. But to win, you must get rid of:

1) Anything that weighs you down, and

2) Anything that trips you up. ‘… let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV).

Make An Impact

One of the flimsy reasons why Jesus is called God today was because people pay homage to him as a Prophet and man of God!

Here are some of the verses:

Matthew 28:9
And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him (prosekynēsan). 

What does prosekynēsan mean in Greek that New Testament was translated from?
It means to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage.

Why was "Worshipped" used above?
To make Jesus God!

Matthew 14:33
And those in the boat worshiped him(prosekynēsan), saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Again what does prosekynēsan mean in Greek that New Testament was translated from?
It means to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage.

Why was "Worshipped" used above?
To make Jesus God!

Matthew 2:11
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him (prosekynēsan). Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Luke 24.52
And the disciples worshiped him (prosekynēsan) and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The man bowed (prosekynēsan) in front of Jesus and said, "I believe, Lord." John 9:38

What does prosekynēsan mean in Greek that New Testament was translated from?
It means to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage.

It seems the Bible translators had been toying with many brains for long!

Finally when Jesus worshipped the father in Matthew 26:39, they never used worshipped even it is clear he was earnestly praying to someone greater than him!

Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

They Made Jesus God For Christians!

I migrated to The North Last year and this was the best decision of my life. For the first time, i actually had a feel of life as a Nigerian.

Warri life had made me hardened and ruthless. Always aggressive and looking to stir trouble from minor misunderstanding, but the folks in the north are always meek and would even apologise even if i started the scuffle.

But there is one problem. A big problem. I need a woman. I don't mean sex mate, man can always get that one, i mean i need a woman to share life with. I have had flings with many northern girls and it was fine, but the one's i truly like would not like me for obvious reasons, "Religion". Their parents always object to them being my friends in the first place.

I take contacts daily but end up deleting them or not calling them. Some of these girls are very very different from Southern girls and they seem primitive. I even had one that burnt her pant just because she got wet from my touch. That girl was yeaning for sex love at the time but i got impatient and left her because of her always chanting "Allahu" something, whenever i get close to her.

To be honest, this is a big concern to me because i really need a real woman to start my life with. And i have already stopped talking to these northern girls.

I Stopped Talking To Muslim Girls Because Of This

The Bible is a book adored by Christians. It has been found to contain a lot of errors, lies and contradictions and thus not a reliable book. I made a thread about it here, in case ya'll wanna check it out and debate on the points there. Unfortunately for Christians, the gaffess were so many, and they could not come up with any defenses. 
But in this thread, I'm gonna concentrate on the creation story, cos a Christian challenged me to(Just like another christian challenged me to open a thread about the bible errors and in the end he never gave any defenses). The errors are so much that I have to take them in parts. So this is only Part 1

What are the factual errors in the Genesis creation account?
There are several errors, since it’s a creation myth based on the knowledge, superstitions and misconceptions of the people who wrote it, just like any other creation myth. Let’s consider just some of them:

1. Duration time for the creation. This is the first considerable problem. Genesis says that, from the early stages of the earth’s formation to the dawn of man, only six days passed, which is obviously wrong. We know this whole process took about 4 billion years. Many apologists try to solve this crude mistake by declaring that the word “day” has a more vague meaning, such as six general divisions of time. We don’t know this, however, and the whole context of the story seems closer to 24 hour days (for example, we constantly read “And the evening and the morning were the first day.”).

2. The order of creation days. The order in which the creation events happened in the bible and the true geological and biological evolution of the earth are completely different. Some examples follow:

a. In Genesis 1:7 it says God divided the waters above and under the firmament. The only logical way to interpret this “firmament” or “heavens”, is the atmosphere, where water in vapour form is stored and eventually falls as rain. If this was done in a subsequent stage of the earth’s formation (day two), we would expect that the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere should increase over time. We however know that the exact opposite happened, as carbon dioxide and water vapour were partly replaced by oxygen.

b. In Genesis 1:11 it suggests that plants were the first form of life to appear, what is obviously wrong. It also suggests that plants and animals appeared in different times, what we know not to be true. Last, if compared to Genesis 1:16–18, it indicates that plants came before the sun, which would be impossible since sunlight is a fundamental ingredient to the process of photosynthesis, which is how plants produce their food.

c. In Genesis 1:16–18, as discussed before, the sun comes only after the plants appeared on the planet, which is obviously absurd. Some apologists try to save this by alleging that the sun already existed but wasn’t visible until the fourth day, since the earth’s atmosphere was thicker. First of all, the atmosphere was already transparent enough to see the sun when the first plants appeared in the planet. Moreover, the organisms from which plants evolved had already “invented” the process of photosynthesis and hence needed a substantial amount of sunlight. Finally, there are several studies who show how a plant’s growth is deeply affected by an increased period of cloudy days, and so it’s absurd to suppose that big trees and others could have appeared in a time of thick atmosphere, where the portion of light entering the planet was so weak that the sun wasn’t even visible.

d. Genesis 1:20 and 24 suggests that flying animals came before land animals, which is just wrong due to the fossil and DNA knowledge we have.

3. Magical elements. Some apologists argue that the creation myth in Genesis has a special status, since it’s much more “sober” in terms of reality than the creation myths of other religions. First of all, what matters is the truth. To construct a fable with elements closer to reality doesn’t change the fact that it is a fable. Secondly, the fact that the Genesis account seems less mesmerizing than others is just because the israelites followed monotheism (or at least monolatrism), and hence their creation story was devoid of the many struggles between gods that commonly take place at the beginning of other myths. Finally, it’s important to remember that there are many magical elements surrounding the Genesis story: the book of Revelations talks about a war in heaven between a dragon and his hosts and an angel and his hosts; Genesis itself, just a few pages afterwards, talks about talking serpents, magic fruits and a universal flood that occured just because God was in a bad mood with humanity

Aemmyjah 

Elated177

The Christian Creation Story. Why Its An Old Wives Tale

Founder and General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Prof. Daniel Olukoya has lauded the transformation of the Church since its establishment in 1989.

According to him, “MFM has transformed into formidable presence worldwide”.

Olukoya’s reaction comes on the heels of the Church’s 35th anniversary slated for August.

In a Facebook post Thursday, the MFM GO appreciated God for His faithfulness over the Church.

“Starting as a humble assembly of fewer than 25 faithful members, including my brothers who now serve as the assistant General Overseer of MFM, the church of God has transformed into a formidable presence worldwide. 

“Like a sturdy oak tree, MFM has extended its reach across continents. As we celebrate this significant achievement, we recognize that our journey is far from over. 

“Through heartfelt praise and worship, we pay homage to the Sovereign Ruler of all, knowing that MFM’s legacy will endure. Long live MFM!”

MFM Has Transformed Into Formidable Presence Worldwide — Olukoya

Greetings beloved readers across and beyond, welcome to this article. Today I want to talk about a new movement coming up and out of the large number of religious believers and followerships here and there. I want to address a few things they do that needs clarity.
A new group of people have emerged recently from amidst the teeming crowd of Christians across the world.
In Nigeria, it's almost shocking to the dedicated religious folks how serious they are. This is because it's quite novel around here, in fact they've formed strong movements and they trend on social media a lot.
These Folks are called the freethinkers. 
Is their purpose of existing to check the excesses of only the Pastors and of various religious clerics, or can they spread the scope to corrupt politicians and the activities of the clerics of other religions such as Islam, African Traditional Religion, Bhuddism, etc? 
These group of individuals however only love to attack Christian Clergymen much more than they do to other religions.
The Christian Clergymen and women are punching bags of some sort for exhausting their anger and bitterness over issues or matters they won't disclose. 
You barely hear them attack the activities of other religious clerics, or politicians obviously out of fear of what repercussions they could get, but they attack Christian Clergyman freely and limitlessly because Christianity is a religion that preaches about forgiveness and about turning the other cheek.
If they turned these attacks on corrupt politicians as much as they attacked clergymen and women, maybe the intensity with which they sandblast their targets will cause the corrupt politicians to sit up and lead well. I want them to try that if their intentions are very genuine.
The way they generalize their attacks would make you think every Christian Clergyman or woman on his or her feet does all the wrong things they strain at.
Jesus Christ calls this act, the act of straining at the gnats.
Also the act of defamation,
some or most of these folks don't know when they step beyond boundaries. 
The question now is are these so called freethinkers free of their own sins and shortcomings while they exhaust all their coarse sandpapers on Christian clerics? 
I'm not saying that the things that are actually wrong which they're pointing out are to be ignored or amendments abandoned. No our various clergymen and women should try to apply some necessary amendments and adjustments.
However have it in mind that the best of man is still man.

Not all clergymen or women are as bad as these folks make them look.
Corruption, manipulation and all kinds of things that these freethinkers accuse us of are just out of the solar system.
And if you guys notice any similar corruption and manipulation amongst the Muslim clerics, and traditionalists, feel free to attack them publicly as well.
After all you are freethinkers.
Remain Blessed!

Freethinkers Need To Hear This: Apostle Constance Friday's View Of Free Thinking

Prayer is a very powerful tool given to us by God for regular communication with Him. As powerful as this tool is, it is rather unfortunate that many people don’t use it at all while some who do, fail to make the best of it.

The first thing that must be in place for you to pray effectively is focus; all distractions must be done away with. The devil knows that you need to be completely focused to get the best out of your prayer time, and this is why you usually remember some not-too-important things that can distract you during prayers. One of the reasons you see many men of God praying when everyone is asleep is that they don’t want to be distracted. In Mark 1:35, Jesus Christ woke up before daybreak to pray while others were asleep. He went to a secluded place to pray. You must try to remove distractions. Find a secluded place where you can always go to pray. That secluded place could be your closet or any other place without distractions.

Anyone who does not regularly go to a secluded place to pray will eventually grow cold spiritually; I am saying this from experience. Many years ago, God pointed my attention to the fact that I was growing cold. He asked me, “When last did you spend quality time in my presence? Do you remember when you used to worship me in your car so much that my presence will fill the car, and you will have to park by the roadside because tears would have filled your eyes?” I responded, “Yes Lord, I remember, but that was before I had a driver. If I worship you that much now and my driver sees tears in my eyes, he will think something is wrong.” He responded, “Oh, it is now my fault that I gave you a driver?” I quickly apologised. That night, I left the house when everyone had slept to pray in the auditorium. The moment I started worshipping, the tears came rolling down. I had been praying all the while, but the major difference was that I had not been going to a secluded place to pray, and that had made me grow cold. Now, I have made it a habit to pray in secluded places, and my fire has increased greatly as a result. 
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

When You Pray 1

A rare portrait of madam Hannah Afálà (Samuel Àjàyí Crowther's mother).

Aláàfin Abiodun Adegorolu succeeded Aláàfin Ajabo, a powerful monarch of his time. Aláàfin Abiọdun gave birth to a girl child named Oṣù, Oṣù grew up to become the mother of Olámínigbìn, who in turn became the husband of Omo-oga-egun, together they gave birth to Ibisomi Telerinmasa.

Telerinmasa was said to be possessed with a special dignity which was known among her people as "Afala" (the one who loves purity or the pure one) signifying the princess or priestess of the great god Obatala (the white cloth god). Ọbàtálá's province is believed to be a sphere of absolute and dazzling purity. 

Afala married a man whose name was also given as Ajayi from the Edu clan, his grandfather was the Baale of Awaiye-petu, who relocated to the Òyó empire from Ketou (now part of Benin Republic).

Afala parted with her lovely son, when he was just 12 after their town, Oshogun, near Isheyin, was invaded by Fulani slave traders in about 1821. As a passionate mother, she waited patiently for the day she will surely meet her son again. 

They finally reunited during Àjàyí's missionary sojourn in Abẹ́òkúta after slavery had separated them for decades.

Madam Afala was later baptized by her own son and was given the name Hannah on February 5, 1848 at Abeokuta. Madam Hannah and some other relatives moved in with the Bishop at Abeokuta where she lived to be over a hundred years old.

A Rare Portrait Of Madam Hannah, Bishop Samuel ÀJàyí Crowther's Mother-- Pic

Titus 2:1-8 says that elders should behave right in order to influence the younger ones to also behave right – this is how it should be. Beyond words, the younger generation learns more by observing. Besides hearing the things you say, they can also see the things you do. If you want them to behave rightly, let them see you do what you are asking them to do consistently first.

When you lie to get a favour for your child in school, and then turn around to tell that child not to lie to you, you are deceiving yourself. If they hardly see you pray and read your Bible, you can’t turn around and ask them to read their Bibles. You should be bold to say to the younger ones like Apostle Paul said:

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 
Philippians 4:9

Titus 2:7 says that you must show yourself as a pattern of good works.

Many elderly people usually say that in order to catch the youths, they need to dress like youths and use their slangs. What they don’t know is that when they start looking and talking like them, they are endorsing their lifestyle and some of their negative actions. They can’t change them that way, rather, they will only reinforce their negative behaviour. Instead, they should be a standard for the youths to follow. More often than not, the youths know the truth and when they do the wrong things, they actually expect the elders to correct them. Now, imagine their confusion when they see their elders doing the same things they want to be corrected about. In Yorubaland, where I come from, we call elderly people who behave childishly ‘agbaya’, meaning ‘shameless old fellow’.

Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Elder, Be A Good Example

If I Were Still An Atheist, This One Evidence Would Convince Me That God Exists by Aemmyjah(m): 9:37am On Apr 23

> LordReed:

We have no evidence for the conditions that preceded the formation of our universe so why should the formation of the universe convince me of a god? Why can't I be fine with accepting that the formation of the universe follows the pattern of all the other processes which we see all the time i.e. natural processes borne out of physical constraints?

It shouldnt convince you, for it is not like a man toastibg a woman or a job seeker trying to get a job. 

You are suppose to know that as far as we have seen and experienced, no thing comes out of nothing as shown by the "pattern of all the other processes" that we see and have seen. Which is why every normal person all over the world has said "no thing comes out of no thing!

Proof Of God! Even Reed Could Not Counter, That He Resorted To Lie!

"If I were still an atheist, this one line of evidence would convince me that God exists 

Virtually every scientist believes that the universe began at some point in the past
It is not eternal or always existed. Alexander Vilenkin, the head of cosmology, institute at Tufts University said, 'The Proof is now in place that the universe had a beginning'

That makes a strong argument for God because whatever begins to exist has a Cause
We now know the universe began to exist. Therefore, there must be a Cause behind the universe.
Well, then let me ask you a question
"What kind of a Cause would bring the universe into existence?"
1. It must be transcendent, because[b] it existed apart from the creation[/b]
2. It must be timeless or eternal because it existed before physical time came into being.
3. It must be immaterial or Spirit because it existed before the physical world was created 
4. Must be powerful, given the immensity of the creation event 
5. Must be smart given the precision of the creation event 
6. Must be caring because he created such a wonderful habitat for us to exist in
7. Must be personal because he has to make the decision to create 
8. And then the scientific principle of Occam's Razor tells us that there would be just one Creator 

... Transcendent, Spirit, Eternal, Powerful, Smart, loving, unique... That's the description of the God of the Bible 

I personally, anyway would come to the conclusion that there's a divine creator"

If I Were Still An Atheist, This One Evidence Would Convince Me That God Exists

Take time to wonder and worship

Fri, 26 Apr 2024

‘Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good …’ Genesis 1:31

Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle said, ‘Worship is transcendent wonder. Wonder for which there is no limit or measure; that is worship.’ It’s standing in amazement of the Creator and His creation. It’s translating the beauty of creation into worship of the Creator. It’s thanking God for splendid sunrises, dazzling stars and unique snowflakes. It’s giving credit where credit is due—to the Creator. The psalmist captured it in the words: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God …’ (Psalm 19:1 KJV).

Such wonder is also an act of worship. One pastor writes: ‘The sunrise is so consistent that we take it for granted, but few things are as miraculous as the celestial dance that takes place on a daily basis. The earth spins on its axis at a speed of 1,000 mph. And while it rotates 360 degrees on its axis every twenty-four hours, it is also hurtling through space at the unimaginable speed of 67,000 mph. You may not have any big plans for today, but you will travel 1.6 million miles in your annual lap around the sun. Quite an accomplishment!’ So, take time to wonder and worship God.

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