Justin L. Barret’s bookBorn Believersreveals some extraordinary facts about the ability and the capacity for very young children to believe and have faith. His work as a noted developmental psychologist and anthropologist at Oxford University, about the value of religious faith, has found that we are all predisposed to believe in God from birth. This is consistent with Scripture.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart… “ Ecclesiastes 3:11
Belief begins in the brain. Under the sway of powerful internal and external influences, children understand their environments by imagining at least one creative and intelligent agent, a grand creator and controller that brings order and purpose to the world. Further, these beliefs in unseen super beings help organize children’s intuitions about morality and surprising life events, making life meaningful.
Summarizing scientific experiments conducted with children across the globe, Professor Barrett illustrates the ways human beings have come to develop complex belief systems about God’s omniscience, the afterlife, and the immortality of deities. He shows how the science of childhood religiosity reveals, across humanity, a “natural religion,” the organization of those beliefs that humans gravitate to organically, and how it underlies all of the world’s major religions, uniting them under one common source.
For believers and nonbelievers alike, Barrett offers a compelling argument for the human instinct for religion, as he guides all parents in how to effectively encourage children in developing a healthy constellation of beliefs about the world around them.
Surely, this is compelling evidence for creation and that evolution is a failed theory.
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” Genesis 1″26a
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27
Shane Idleman is right, America has stage 4 spiritual cancer. There is no doubt about it.
Shane shares how God took him to Isaiah 57 and challenged him about righteousness and the need for fasting and radical Christianity. This is a very short message but it is powerful because it is about God challenging Shane Idelman and his confessing to his congregation that he needed to be broken before he was going to be of any value to God or his congregation. It was of course a challenge to each person in the congregation to look at their own life and their relationship with God.
It would be a good time for us all to do the same. When was the last time you fasted and prayed?
“But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought [the apostles] out.” Acts 5:19
When missionary John Paton and his wife were surrounded by hostile islanders, they prayed through the night for God’s help. The next morning, they discovered the would-be attackers had fled. A year later they learned why. As the people prepared to attack, they realized the mission compound was surrounded by hundreds of men in shining garments with swords drawn. Only then did Paton and his wife realize that God had dispatched His angels to protect them.
That is certainly consistent with the description of angels in Hebrews 1:14: “ministering spirits” sent to help God’s people, especially in times of danger. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, had that experience. When he and Mary escaped Herod’s wrath by fleeing to Egypt with their baby, it was an angel who appeared to Joseph when it was safe for them to return to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-20). Whether in person, in a dream or vision, or by way of circumstances, angels are ready to intervene on our behalf.
The angel that visited Mary has the name Gabrielle. He also delivers messages to Daniel and the priest Zechariah. From the book of Enoch and Jude we can conclude he was an Archangel of high rank.
When we declare our belief in the Christmas story, we are declaring our belief that angels are real, and that they play an important role in God’s work. An angel visited the shepherds, and Joseph as well. Wise men received messages from heaven; visions and dreams were also part of how God communicated to those who played a key role in the Nativity story.
When you are about your Heavenly Fathers business and you need help, be aware of angelic hands that may reach out to lead you through your difficulty.
“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:1
Pray for religious freedom so that we can love God and love our neighbour as we do ourselves. However, as the following Scripture makes clear, this does not necessarily mean loving people as they want to be treated. True love is leading people to the truth about God and His righteousness. This must be the ultimate purpose of our actions. People need to know the hard truths about God and themselves and particularly the need for repentance. Sadly, this is not what they want to hear. They want to hear we acknowledge and approve of their sinful behaviour. The result, they are the victims and we are the oppressors.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-7
What we are experiencing should not come as a surprise, Jesus tells us that people will hate us when we stand up for the truth about God and His righteousness.
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.Luke 6:22-23
This website Living Eternal Now is all about getting you into the scriptures that reveal the truth about God, this life and history of the world.
Are you born again with the Holy Spirit indwelling your spirit? Without Him you are not saved. Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to be our counsellor, comforter, teacher. He is the one that produces the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness and self control ) in our lives. He controls the sanctification process, He makes available the gifts of the Spirit for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Without Him you can do nothing that has eternal value.
Jesus told the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13) to reveal that half the church (people who believe they are Christians) in the “last days” do not have the Holy Spirit and He tells them to go ” I do not know you”.
Are you Holy Spirit empowered to Live Eternal Now?
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FORTHCOMING MISSION TRIP TO KISII REGION ON 14TH -18TH JULY, 2021
God opened the door for us in this region as a result of a previous trip by pastors, Charles, Maurice and Jacob. Two House churches were established: one in BUEMBU and the other in KARUNGU.
Maps showing Kisii in relation to Migori where Charles is based
A special invitation has been on our desk now for 2 months, wanting us to take our discipleship ministry back there. After repeated prayers seeking direction and leading from God, we feel led by the Holy spirit to visit this region on July 14th-18th, so that we may fulfil our Macedonian call “come over here and help us”
The need and request was received from five Christian brothers who live in the region, one of which is an ex Muslim. In our last meeting, we resolved to raise Kshs 67,000/ approx. Au$ 658. Until now, the leaders and KHC believers have raised a total of Kshs 37,000 which is not enough. Hence, the KHC movement and the board of elders is requesting our friends, LEN and partners in the work of ministry to help fund our trip with the remaining amount of money of Kshs 30,000/ approx. Au$ 380. Your support for KHC movement will be highly appreciated and will be for God’s glory! Yours, Leader & Founder KHC movement. Charles.
I have been blessed to be able to assist the KHC Movement for sometime now and will continue to do so. I am a pensioner now so am limited in what I can do. I would appreciate any LEN follower out there who feels led to join me in supporting the KHC Movement. You can do so by making a donation on the Donation link on the Home Page.
It is important to remember that persecution come with the territory for Christians doing what God has called us to do. You are a Kingdom warrior in a spiritual war so expect demonic attacks. Moreover, Jesus tells us we should rejoice and be glad for we are blessed and our reward will be great in heaven.
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:12
“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” 1 Peter 4:14
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12
Many times demons work through unbelievers to insult, attack, degrade and persecute believers. This should be expected and how we respond is of course key to our ability to influence them for God. We know that they cannot understand the word of God without the Spirit of God. All we can do is love them, pray for them and return good for evil
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14
“bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Luke 6:28
It is also important to remember that Satan is a created being under God’s control. He is limited by God as to what he can do to you. Read the story of Job again.
Demons do know your weaknesses, particularly long standing addictions and will challenge you again and again to exploit that weakness. The Holy Spirit will convict you and hopefully repentance is quick in response. Make sure you have a mentor with whom you are committed to confess your sins and will hold you accountable to the path of righteousness.
As we approach the last days before Jesus returns, He has told us that spiritual warfare intensifies. Satan knows his time is short. God uses the time of tribulation to purify His church. Many people who call themselves Christians will fall away and compromise with the world and its changing values.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13
But just as Satan intensifies his effort to deceive and destroy, God likewise intensifies His efforts in the natural and supernatural.Joel testifies to this “prior to the great day of the Lord comes”
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” Joel 2:28-29
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.Joel 2:30-32
The first is God’s judgement of the world with the worldwide flood of Noah’s day.
Uniformitarian geology introduced by Hutton and Lyell in the 19th century is coming under increasing criticism due to the prevalent evidence in the geological record of catastrophism. For example, uniformitarian scientists have several difficulties explaining passive margin uplift. This is especially the case with the Great Escarpment that rims southern Africa. The erosional profile of the Great Escarpment does not fit uniformitarian expectations. However, it fits very well the catastrophic erosion of the Sheet Flow phase of the Recessive stage of the Flood. As well, the best explanation for the billions of dead things all over the world including fossil fuels is the worldwide flood of Noah’s Day which represented the judgement of God on a wicked world.
Jesus tells us that prior to His second coming the world will be lawless just as it was in Noah’s day and that scoffers will not countenance God destroyed mankind with the worldwide flood of Noah’s day. This is exactly the situation we have in the world today. Further evidence we are living in the prophesied “last days” before Jesus return.
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” Luke 17:24
“you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.” 2 Peter 3:2-6
Noah’s Ark replica built to Biblical dimensions (510-foot-long,155-meter-long) at the Ark Encounter theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky
The second is God’s judgement of the post flood population at the Tower of Babel when He confused their language and created the nations that exist today.
The new attraction to be built at the Ark Encounter site, “The Tower of Babel” will “tackle the racism issue” by helping visitors “understand how genetics research and the Bible confirm the origin of all people groups around the world.
“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words... and they said to one another, … come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.” Genesis 11:1, 4-
On the fifth anniversary of the Ark Encounter, which features a 510-foot-long wooden Noah’s ark, founder Ken Ham has announced the expansion of the Bible-themed attraction in Kentucky by building a Tower of Babel attraction on the park’s grounds.
“Next year, we will start fundraising for a Tower of Babel attraction that we hope to open in three or four years, where among other things we will help people understand what genetics research and the Bible say about the origin of all the people groups around the world,” Ham, the CEO and founder of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, says on the website of the Answers in Genesis ministry.
The last seven years prior to Jesus return to earth as outlined in the Daniel 70 weeks prophecy.
There is a lot of controversy over what occurs to start this period and the events that occur during the seven years. Nelson does a great job of looking at the relevant Scriptures and you will be surprised at the outcome. His exegesis is thorough and I would suggest you watch this video several times with a notebook in hand.
What event begins The Tribulation or 70th Week of Daniel? Is it a peace treaty with the Antichrist, the Rapture, the revealing of Antichrist, the start of the twice daily sacrifice, or is it something else? It is crucial that we know because those days are almost here. Watch this Nelson Walters video to find out and why knowing will help prepare us for those times.
Who is the “Prince who is to come”? Is he the Antichrist or could he be Jesus? Could Jesus be is the one who commanded the destruction of Jerusalem and which covenant is confirmed for one week? Could it be Jesus is the one who strengthens His covenant with us by pouring out the Holy Spirit as prophesied by Joel in the last days? Jesus will strengthen believers to cope with the intense tribulation that occurs at this time when Satan is cast down to the earth.
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” Joel 2:28-29
Did you know that a whopping 31% of the Bible is God revealing how events will unfold before they happen? Our Heavenly Father wants His children to know what the future holds! Moreover, surely it is sufficient proof the Bible is the inspired word of God.
God’s prophetic Word has excited me and many other Christ centred ministries to alert the church to the events surrounding Jesus second coming. Lamb & Lion Ministries is one that has been faithful for over 40 years now. And they say, that excitement will never abate in the years ahead, for the Good News and hope-filled message about our Saviour’s return is what energizes their passion for evangelizing.
We want you to be invigorated by that same passion as well! And so, Todd Hampson of the Prophecy Prod podcast, and Lamb and Lion Ministries put a list together to share some of the reasons why we believe Bible prophecy exists. Many more reasons exist so I would appreciate your feedback in Comments,
God provides us with the true history of His world and our role in it from Creation to its prophesied end.
Bible prophecy has been given to us to show that God exists. God is God. He is the Creator! He is Sovereign. He exists outside of time. He knows everything. And so, whatever God says, you can take it as the truth. So the first reason that Bible prophecy has been given to us, is so we can live by that truth.
The second reason why God has given us Bible prophecy is to prove that the Bible is God’s word. The fact is that the Bible is the only book ever written that contains genuine, fulfilled prophecies. These prophecies were fulfilled to… the…”T”! Fulfilled Bible prophecy proves the Bible is truly God’s Word and so we can place our faith and trust in it and its Author.
A third reason is to show us that God is in complete control. He is sovereign. Sovereign means that God is ultimately in control of every single detail. Bible prophecy puts that fact on display like nothing else.
The fourth reason for God giving us Bible prophecy is to demonstrate that God loves us and that He has a plan for our lives. We are not just floating around on a big spinning orb out in outer space with no purpose and no meaning, as Atheists claim. God has crafted a purpose for every person He has ever made because He loves His children. God has also planned a destination for the faithful. He wants us to live with Him in Heaven and on the New Earth forever. And so, He gives us prophecy to show how world history will end with the faithful living forever with our loving Heavenly Father in the Eternal State.
The fifth reason , God provides us with many specific details about His plan for the ages. This plan shows how God is working to bring humanity back into a right relationship with Him so that one day we shall dwell in a blessed time of peace, righteousness, and fellowship with our Creator. Bible prophecy is very specific and very purposeful so we can be confident even through the prophesied times of persecution and tribulation that He is refining His church prior to its rapture and the wrath of God being poured out on an unrepentant world.
In the next post we will add another five reasons and any that I receive in Comments that add to the story.
This amazing article by Daniel Pipes (DanielPipes.org, @DanielPipes) President of the Middle East Forum appeared in Newsweek magazine Friday, July 9th 2021.
Something religiously astonishing is taking place in Iran, where an Islamist government has ruled since 1979: Christianity is flourishing. The implications are potentially profound.
Consider some testimonials:
David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries stated in 2018 that “Iranians have become the most open people to the gospel.”
The Christian Broadcast Network found, also in 2018, that “Christianity is growing faster in the Islamic Republic of Iran than in any other country.”
Shay Khatiri of Johns Hopkins University wrote last year about Iran that “Islam is the fastest shrinking religion there, while Christianity is growing the fastest.”
This trend results from the extreme form of Shi’ite Islam imposed by the theocratic regime. An Iranian church leader explained in 2019: “What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran? What if I told you no one follows Islam inside of Iran? …What if I told you the best evangelist for Jesus was the Ayatollah Khomeini[, the founder of the Islamic Republic]?” An evangelical pastor, formerly an Iranian Muslim, concurred as far back as 2008: “We find ourselves facing what is more than a conversion to the Christian faith. It’s a mass exodus from Islam.”
As a clandestine phenomenon, the practice of what are sometimes called Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) lacks clergy and church buildings, but instead consists of self-starting disciples and tiny house churches of four to five members each, with either hushed singing or none at all. Its lay leadership, in striking contrast to the mullahs who rule Iran, consists mainly of women.
In another contrast to the government, Iranian MBBs tend to be fervently pro-Israel. They are, explains a documentary, “bowing their knees to the Jewish Messiah—with kindled affection toward the Jewish people.” Converts have even expressed a hope to build a “resistance church” in Iran to counter regime threats to Israel.
Given the Iranian house church movement’s underground nature, estimates of its size are necessarily vague. Open Doors found 370,000 Muslim Background Believers in 2013 and 720,000 in 2020; Duane Alexander Miller approximates as many as 500,000, Hormoz Shariat at least one million and GAMAAN even more than that.
The mullahs have usually responded with predictable repression that includes prohibiting Christian missionaries and Gospel preaching. The U.S. State Department reported in 2012 that “government officials frequently confiscate Christian Bibles and pressure publishing houses printing Bibles…to cease operations.” Also, Christians “reported the presence of security cameras outside their churches.”
Iranian authorities routinely arrest and jail MBBs, often for extended periods; for example, the United Nations reported in 2013 on “more than 300 Christians” who were arrested in the prior three years, mostly for vague security-related offenses. An inquiry found that “those arrested have been subjected to intensive and often abusive interrogation.”
The punishment can be severe: In 1990, for example, the Rev. Hossein Soodmand was executed for apostasy. In 2008, the government advanced legislation to impose the death penalty on anyone born to Muslim parents who converts to another faith. Indeed, “as more Iranians convert,” Khatiri notes, “their situation is getting worse.”
“You’re creating problems in the country,” an Iranian convert reported being told during a 2018 police interrogation. In this spirit, Iran’s Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi in 2019 spoke of his ministry’s research into conversions to Christianity, its questioning of ordinary people to explain their motives and its efforts to “counter the advocates of Christianity.” Iran’s leading Islamic seminary sees the domestic fight against Christianity as one of its top priorities, and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly once vowed to “stop Christianity in this country.” The supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, blames house churches on “Zionists and other enemies.”
Indeed Lela Gilbert and Arielle Del Turco argue that the regime considers Christianity “an existential threat.” And it should, notes Reza Safa, the Iranian-born founder of Nejat TV (“ministering to Muslims living in Farsi-speaking nations”), who titled a bookThe Coming Fall of Islam in Iran. He sees Iran’s Christians as “an army of God” who are bringing Iran to “the brink of another revolution, this time orchestrated” by a Christian spirit.
If this analysis is even partially correct, the consequences are enormous. The collapse of Khomeini’s regime would not only fundamentally alter the balance of power in the Middle East; it would also likely terminate the region-wide Islamist surge that Iranian revolutionaries forwarded in 1978-79, ending the malign historical cycle that largely began in Iran.
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