‘Trespassing’ is Crossing a Line in the Wrong Direction: AWAY From God

Two Heads are Better Than One

Our pastor is preaching through the book of Ephesians right now. A couple of weeks ago, he talked about the difference between trespasses and sins. Trespassing is crossing a line…in the case of humanity, we’ve crossed a line that God drew, and it has separated us from Him.

I formed this picture in my mind, of God (as the hen gathering her chicks) with all of us huddled around Him, facing a line (some action or actions which would drive a wedge between us and make it impossible for us to go back). “Stay here,” He says. But our first ancestors, blinded by the lie–”You won’t really die…” (Genesis 3:4)–take the first fatal step in the wrong direction. And looking back they see a flaming sword barring their way.

View original post 372 more words

Disappearing Christians – Re-Blog Open Doors

Disappearing Christians – opendoorsusa.org
May 22nd 2013

Long before Christianity entered Europe, it was thriving in the Middle East and Asia, according to Baylor historian Philip Jenkins’ book The Lost History of Christianity. Jenkins traces the powerful Middle Eastern and Asian church from its peak in the sixth and seventh centuries to its near extinction today.

For two thousand years the idea has been unimaginable, but now it seems more likely that Christians will no longer have a home in the region that gave birth to their faith. From the beginning of the church to the turn of the 20th century, Christians were a powerful force from Africa through Palestine and into central Asia.

One word I use to describe attacks on Christianity, as well as other religious groups, is “religicide” – the “intentional, systematic, and institutionalized effort to eliminate a religious belief and its followers from a country or region.”

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reported “the flight of Christians out of the region (Middle East) is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” In our lifetime alone “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Egypt and Afghanistan.

Continue reading “Disappearing Christians – Re-Blog Open Doors” →

Traveling Tips

Thank you – we are all sojourners in a “land of my affliction” until Jesus comes again. Maranatha!

Stacy J. Edwards

We live in a fickle world. The one who praises you today may persecute you tomorrow. Partnerships dissolve. Friendships end. People forget.

Joseph experienced all of these things. He was betrayed by brothers, falsely imprisoned and forgotten by the cupbearer who promised to remember him. He found himself in a season that he referred to as the land of my affliction (Genesis 41:52 HCSB.)

Sometimes, it seems as if we are all alone in our land of affliction. People who were sympathetic in the beginning have moved on to other things. Often, people do not even recognize that we are in a place of trial. So, how do we maneuver through this place?

Tips for Traveling Through the Land of Affliction

We must remember that we are not traveling alone (Genesis 39:21.) The Lord was with Joseph on every step of his journey.
Do not view your current location as…

View original post 87 more words

St. Therese and the Canticle of Love

I must decrease, so that He may increase.

Ascension Day – Jesus’s ascension matters

Thursday, May 9, 2013 – Today is Ascension Day

agnus dei - english + romanian blog

Jesus_ascension_2

By Brian Tabb at DesiringGod.org

It is impossible to overstate the importance of Good Friday, when Jesus died for our sins, and Easter Sunday, when he was raised from the dead — but Jesus’s earthly ministry did not stop there.

After the resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples about God’s kingdom for forty days (Acts 1:3) and then he was “taken up” to heaven (Acts 1:2, 11). The cross and empty tomb are at the very heart of the gospel message proclaimed by Jesus’s followers throughout history (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). However, for many evangelical Christians and churches, Jesus’s ascension is simply an afterthought to Easter and Good Friday.

Here I want to highlight six aspects of Jesus’s ascension or exaltation, in hopes that this significant and climactic event in Jesus’s life will no longer be an afterthought for you.