Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

24.11.21

Discerning between ‘True’ vs. ‘False’ Prophets

This blog takes a quick look at the topic of ‘true’ versus ‘false’ prophets and their prophesies. It seems pertinent given the recent rise in the number of questionable religious leaders claiming to be prophets.

In Christianity, figures widely recognized as prophets chosen and called by God are mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The message that a prophet conveys is called a prophecy.

Although prophets and religious prophecies are most commonly associated with Judaism and Christianity, they are also found throughout many other modern and ancient religions of the world.

According to the Bible, God sent prophets throughout history to guide and warn His people, but as often happens, the people turned their backs on His ‘true’ prophets and didn’t follow the instructions and warnings sent from God. Instead, they turned to listen to one of the many ‘false’ prophets that constantly seem to crop up throughout history.

Old Testament ‘Major’ Prophets

Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel

Other Selected Old Testament Prophets

Elijah
Elisha
Nathan
Samuel

‘True’ vs. ‘False’ Prophets: It is generally understood that ‘true’ prophets are motivated by loyalty to God above all else, whereas ‘false’ prophets are motivated by self-interest and a desire to be ‘popular’ with powerful rulers and the people. No prophets in the Scriptures were noted for being rich. Further, predictions by ‘true’ prophets will occur as predicted, while ‘false’ prophets are usually exposed when their prophesies don’t happen.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns his followers about false prophets:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit.” (See Matthew 7:15–20)

For more detailed information on prophets, check out the following links on Wikipedia: Prophets, Prophets of Christianity, and False prophets

In addition, the following are selected articles about prophets that you might want to read. The emphasis of these articles is on recognizing ‘false’ prophets.

I personally believe in the existence of prophets who have brought prophesies from God to warn and guide us. However, I do pay close attention to the following scripture.

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

What about you? Do you believe in prophets? Do you test them to ensure you are not being misled by ‘false’ prophets.

Selected Videos

15.8.21

Christianity and the Spirit and Practice of Healing

Introduction

As shown in the following table, healing is one of the central themes of the gospels presented in the New Testament of the Bible. During his ministry, Jesus healed lepers, blind men, the lame, a hemorrhaging woman, the demon-possessed, and even raised the dead.

In the book of Acts, Jesus involved his disciples in the work of healing. That book contains a number of accounts of healing by Christ's followers. The epistles of Paul also discuss healing as a gift of the Holy Spirit.

New Testament Verses in the Gospels about Healing

Jesus Heals a Leper

Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

Jesus Heals a Roman Officer’s Servant

Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10

Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law

Matthew 8:14-15;

Jesus Heals the Many

Matthew 8:15-16; Luke 4:38-39

Jesus Heals Two Men

Matthew 8:28-32; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26

Jesus Heals a Woman Who Touched His Cloak

Matthew 9:20-22; Luke 8:43-48

Jesus Heals the Officials Daughter

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

Matthew 9:27-31

Jesus Heals a Dumb Man

Matthew 9:32-33

Jesus Heals Many People
Matthew 9:35

The Healing Mission
Matthew 10:7-8; Luke 9:1-6

Jesus Heals the Man with the Paralyzed Hand
Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

Jesus Heals a Crowd
Matthew 12:15-16

Jesus Heals a Blind and Dumb Man
Matthew 12:22; Luke 11:14

Jesus Heals a Woman’s Daughter
Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

Jesus Heals Large Crowds
Matthew 15:30-31

Jesus Heals an Epileptic Boy
Matthew 17:15-18; Luke 9:38-43

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men at Jericho
Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43

Background

During the early years of Christianity, physical healing was an integral component of Christian life and faith reflecting God's message of love, compassion, and care. In the 4th century, influenced primarily by Western theologians, Christians began to regard illness as a punishment from God. Over the centuries, spiritual versus physical health increasingly became separate or compartmentalized.

During the Dark Ages and subsequent centuries, an attitude toward faith as an intellectual rather than experiential exercise, further diminished the ministry of healing in the church. By the mid-19th century, people began to reaffirm the relationships between faith and healing. Today, a more holistic, integrated view of health has emerged and many of the faithful have become involved in the Christian ministry of healing. For more detail on the History of Christianity and Healing, go to Encyclopedia.com

Definitions

The term spiritual healing is often used to refer to healing solely through spiritual means, rather than through any physical or psychological methods. Spiritual healing often means reliance upon meditation instead of medication, aspiration rather than medication, turning to God and relying on the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer.
Modern medicine involves the application of the most effective treatment to diagnose, treat, and care for patients seeking medical help… based on the biomedical sciences, medical research, new surgical techniques, and a variety of other tested therapies, medical technologies, and pharmaceutical solutions.
Combine the two approaches to healing and amazing things can happen!

Conclusions & Recommendations

Christian spiritual healing is often seen as healing through faith, prayer, spiritual disciplines, and the dominance of spiritual values in one’s quest for wholeness. However, most Christians also understand that healing is not limited to spiritual methods alone. Spiritual methods often rely on the overlapping use of the physical and psychological methods of healing used in modern medicine.

Christians should absolutely continue to believe in spiritual healing, praying for those who are physically sick, but they should also take advantage of modern medicine and procedures... viewing them as gifts from God. Christians ought to not only avail ourselves of the best modern medicine has to offer, but we should simultaneously pray for the effectiveness of the latest medical treatments, while giving thanks for them.

I resurfaced this article I had previously written because it seems very appropriate as millions struggle today with the decision whether to get vaccinated against COVID-19 during these trying times. Feel free to add your constructive comments.

17.5.20

The Changing Online Church – Long After COVID-19 is History

The Church always keeps changing and adapting to the future. The message is the same, but our changing society and technology demands that we change how we do church – how we help spread God’s word.

“If you could do anything to help the church be more fruitful over the next 30 years, what would it be?” - Read The Great Opportunity: The American Church in 2050

We may be facing the largest missions opportunity ever in American history, and if we move quickly, we can help introduce tens of millions of young people to Jesus over the next 30 years. This holds true for pastors, ministry heads, lay people, funders, theologians, academics, missionaries... whether they be Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, African American, post-denominational Charismatics, or many others.

The numbers show that the American church needs to plant more than 200,000 churches in the next 30 years to maintain status quo and even grow its membership. However, does that mean 200,000 physical church buildings or…? The church will need to find new models for lowering the cost of planting the churches of the future.

More specifically, the church must transform its approach to youth discipleship. The models that served us for the last fifty years are becoming increasingly less effective in this 21^st Century ‘Information Age’. Strangely, the current COVID-19 crisis is helping to show us new ways to move forward using innovative technologies and online social networking.

If you are interested in this topic, go online and do some research on how Religion and Churches will Change by 2050.

3.4.20

More Americans Turning to Power of Prayer During COVID-19 Crisis

More and more Americans are turning to the power of prayer during the current COVID-19 crisis. While the new coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many churches closing their doors in the name of social distancing, that is not stopping tens of millions of Americans from increasingly turning to the power of prayer.

Many of the prayers by fellow Americans are very targeted – aimed at the many brave and dedicated health care workers and front line employees treating patients and keeping the flow of food, medicine, and other needed goods going. The following are some of the recent published articles on this topic:

There are many more stories emerging every day about people across America and around the world praying for health care workers, patients, frontline employees at grocery stores, pharmacies, and other businesses working to keep us all safe.

Share any other related stories about te power of prayers during the current VOVID-19 crisis with our readers.

9.5.17

Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) and Tools for Churches and Their Members

It's the 21^st century and their are many new ways to use technology to help share your faith and beliefs in the emerging 'Information Age'. The following are a collection of links to selected web sites offering free & open source software (FOSS) and tools for religious organizations and individuals. Check them out and share with others.

Bible App for Kids - A popular free and open source app for kids.
Bible Time - A free and open source Bible study program.
BibleGateway - A web site offering access to an online Bible search engine and other useful research tools and information resources.
Christian Clip Art - Links to free Christian clip art provided by the Atlantic Fish web site.
ChurchBiz Online - Offering a variety of free solutions for churches, e.g. software, eBooks, music, and much more.ChurchInfo - A free, open source database driven program to help churches track members, families, groups, pledges and payments.
CrossWire Bible Software - A variety of open source religious software products for use on Laptops, Desktops, and PDAs.
CyberSpace Ministries - A web site offering free software, Bible games, and other products and services.
GearDownload - A web site providing a list of numerous open source or shareware religious software.
Lectionary / Sermon Writer - A web site with free and low cost software, preaching and teaching tools for pastors, chaplains, and other clergy.
OpenLP -An open source lyrics/media projection application developed specifically for churches
OpenSong - A a free, open-source software application created to manage lyrics, chords, lead sheets, overheads, computer projection, and more.
SWORD Project - A Bible software development project that has created a range of related cross-platform open source tools.
TechMission Christian Software - A collection of freeware and open source software aimed at Christian organizations and individuals. They include church management software, ministry software, Bible study software, and more.
Ubuntu: Christian Edition - a free, open source operating system geared towards Christians. It is based on the popular Ubuntu Linux.
Xiphos - A popular open source Bible study software application.

There are many other links to available information and tools that have been posted on the COSI'Open' Religious Technology & Tools web site.

If you know of other free and 'open source' tools, send us the links so we can share them with our readers.

24.10.16

Whatever Happened to the 1st Century Apostles of Jesus

During the life and ministry of Jesus in the 1st Century A.D., the Apostles were his closest followers and became the primary teachers of the gospel message of Jesus. The word disciple is sometimes used interchangeably with apostle. The following are very brief glimpses into the life and death of the major apostles of Jesus.

Andrew was one of the original Twelve Apostles, a fisherman by trade, and the brother of Peter. After Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension, he went to the "land of the man-eaters," in what is now known as Russia. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and in Greece. He is said to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it."
Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was one of the original Twelve Apostles. He is noted for widespread missionary travels in Asia attributed to him by tradition. He is said to have traveled to India with Thomas, then to Armenia, Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel. It is said he was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip and then beheaded.
Barnabas, a Cypriot Jew, was one of the early group of ‘seventy disciples’ who followed Christ. He was not one of the original Twelve Apostles. He traveled extensively with Paul and successfully evangelized among the early ‘God-fearing’ Gentiles who attended synagogues in various in cities and towns within the Roman Empire. He traveled and preached throughout Italy and Cyprus. Christian tradition holds that Barnabas was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus, in AD 61. He is considered to be the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.
James the Lesser, 'brother' of Jesus and Jude, was one of the original Twelve Apostles. He became one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. He is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. He was first stoned and then thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club.
James the Greater, a son of Zebedee and brother of John, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. He is said to have preached the Gospel in Iberia. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded in Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.
John, a son of Zebedee and brother of James, is the only one of the company generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He is said to have faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome during Emperor Domitian's reign in the 90's. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. He was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament--the Revelation. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in the area of Ephesus. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. He is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home.
Jude, also known as Judas Thaddeus, was one of the original Twelve Apostles. He was a farmer and the 'brother' of Jesus and James. The Armenian Apostolic Church honors him as one of its patron saints. He was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. Various traditions say he preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia, Persia and elsewhere, before he was martyred
Luke was not one of the original Twelve Apostles, but is venerated as one of the Four Evangelists. Early church fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles. It is said he was martyred, hanged by idolatrous priests on an olive tree in Greece. Others say Luke died at the ripe old age of 84 in Boeotia, Greece.
Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the original Twelve Apostles and author of one of the Gospels. He was a tax collector in Capernaum. For many years after the Lord's Resurrection he remained with the other apostles to work among his own people, the Jews. He is also said to have ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death by sword in the region of Ethiopia.
Mark is the traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark. Mark is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria in Egypt. Today, both the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria claim to be successors to this original community. It is said he died in Alexandria after pagans dragged him by horses through the streets until he was dead.
Matthias was the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot, following the betrayal of Jesus. According to the Book of Acts, he had been with Jesus from the time of His baptism by John until the Ascension. Tradition sends him to Syria and along the coast of the Caspian Sea with Andrew. He has been variously said to have been stoned to death, beheaded, or sentenced to death by burning.
Peter, also known as Simon, was known as the ‘Apostle of the Apostles’. Originally a fisherman, he played a leadership role and was with Jesus during events witnessed by the inner circle of the original apostles. It is believed he was crucified in Rome, upside down on an X-shaped cross at his own request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age even though he was not one of the original Twelve Apostles. Paul founded several churches across Asia Minor and Europe. During his lengthy imprisonment, he wrote his many epistles to the early churches. These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament. He was subsequently tortured and then beheaded by the Emperor Nero in Rome in 67 A.D.
Philip was one of the original Twelve Apostles. He was from Bethsaida, a fisherman's village, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was supposedly married and had three daughters. He apparently had an evangelical ministry in North Africa, then Syria and Greece. Clement of Alexandria affirmed that Philip, like the apostles Matthew and Thomas, died a natural death. Numerous others, however, maintained that he died a martyr at the age of 87, crucified upside down in Hierapolis during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian.
Simon, one of the more obscure Apostles known as the Zealot, was related to Jude and James. He ministered in Persia, Syria, and Lebanon. He was supposedly killed around 65 A.D. in Persia, after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Thomas, one of the original Twelve Apostles, He is informally called doubting Thomas because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it. He was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the subcontinent in 72 A.D.

To conclude, most of our information about the deaths of the Apostles is derived from early church traditions. While tradition is often unreliable as to small details, it very seldom contains outright inventions. The Church historian Schumacher researched the lives of the apostles and recounted the history of their martyrdoms. See http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/martyrdom.html In addition, you might also want to check out http://www.catholic.org/ for more detail.

1.10.16

Proverbs About the Wise Use of Speech

There are so many disturbing words coming out of politicians, managers, reporters, social media and so many others nowadays. It seems appropriate to turn to the Bible for some guidance on more carefully watching what we say in public. So here goes - from the Book of Proverbs:

Proverbs

8:7    My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.
10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
10:19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
10:21 The lips of the righteous nourish many
10:31-32 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
11:12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.
12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
13:3    He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
15:1    A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
15:2   The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
15:28 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
16:13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.
17:20 A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
17:29 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
18:23 A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.
20:15 Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
21:6    A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.
23:9    Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
23:16 My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
29:20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
31:8-9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy

What other wisdom do you want to share about improving our speech and use of words?

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