Kamis, 27 November 2008

Where do I turn when the church reject



by The Lady Michaela
 This page was inspired by this letter sent in: Every "christian" church I have gone to has shunned me away.  A lady, today in a dress came up to me and my friends and handed us some flyers and said "here you go dears I think you need to bring Christ into your lives." I just wanted to scream:  I DO  HAVE CHRIST IN MY LIFE!   I love God with all of my heart and yet I'm being told I'm a satanist because I wear black..  Help please, help me understand this, what do I do, where do I turn?  
It's too bad there are some ignorant Christians in the world but there are far more wonderful loving Christians out there, and it's a shame because of the few ignorant ones that so many nice kids should get turned off to church.  I do know exactly how you feel...I too have been stared at and even prayed over by a visiting evangelist at a church I use to attend.  I think he thought I was a witch or something!  I really hope you all will be encouraged to continue looking for a good church because going to the "right" church is very important.  If you do not allow God to help you grow through this painful experience it will continue to hurt and stunt your growth as a Christian. Give the rejection and hurt to Him. Jesus promised that offenses would come and the best thing I can do for you, is to be honest and help you grow through this pain and rejection, otherwise I really wouldn't be operating in His love.  (Although it makes me quite upset when I receive stories like this.)  A lot of our brothers and sisters in the Lord are blinded by the fact that we all do not fit into the Christian Cookie Cutter Mold they believe we should fit into.  We are all individuals and the Lord uses those unique qualities in us to reach others like us.  Some suggestions I might want to offer you would be to perhaps mail a letter to the pastor (of the church that rejected you) and tell him LOVINGLY exactly what happened and then tell him that Jesus Christ is your Lord and savoir and that because of your attire, some in his church thought otherwise, and that is not right to judge on the outward appearance.  You could tell the pastor to visit ChristianGoth.com to better understand where you are coming from.  You could quote 1 Samuel 16:7 to folks who give you flyers suggesting you need the Lord.  "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7.....if memorization or nervousness is a problem, you could carry this scripture printed out on cards to hand to those rejecting and judging you (in Christian love.)  I have that scripture on a picture holder keychain on my coffin shaped purse for such an occasion!  When you ask "why is God putting you through this".....like I said earlier, Jesus did say offenses will come, even sometimes by our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  I also asked myself that very question when it happened to me.  The answer, I soon found out was: SO I WOULD KNOW WHAT IT FELT LIKE!  It was a painful lesson for me that I too needed to work through as you do now.  I can honestly with all my heart say, I understand, how you are feeling....I know the pain and hurt of that rejection....but, what you need to do (and it is not easy, you need to forgive those folks) God will deal with them....you need to rise above the situation, and be the best Christian you can possibly be.  That way you know that YOU KNOW you are right with the Lord and He is looking with eyes of approval on you.  Your walk with the Lord will eventually shut the judging mouths of those who hand you flyers or say nasty remarks.  Above all, to finally answer the question of where do I turn?  You go running straight into the arms of Jesus!!  You cry...you yell...you tell Him whatever is on your heart concerning this whole ordeal and then turn it over to Him.  Leave it there with Him at the cross...and if it happens again, do the same thing!  Run to Jesus, but NEVER, never run away from Him because of what others do to you.

Kamis, 13 November 2008

I Am A Christian


I am a Christian


When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I 'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

 
 By Maya Angelou
 

Kamis, 06 November 2008

SET MY DAUGHTERS FREE!


 "SET MY DAUGHTERS FREE! --WE NEED GODLY WOMEN TO EXPRESS HIS UNLIMITED PURPOSES"

by Robert Ricciardelli
Chains That Bind

The Lord has been speaking to me of the continuing need to bring revelation and truth globally regarding women. I believe we are seeing, and will begin seeing, even more women released with Kingdom mandates and impact like never before in history.

Women have been shut up, looked upon as second class, or having no class, and put into bondage in many parts of the world. This has become the expected in regions of the world that have rejected Biblical truth, and unfortunately at the same time, it has been the norm in some places that value Biblical truth. I am directing this message to those who are called the Church, God's people.

It's very hard being a woman. It has been that way throughout all of history. In many places of the world today, the culture looks upon women no different from thousands of years ago. In many ways, women have become the slaves of men; men who, in general, have little interest in womens' personal needs, very little interest in their feelings, their emotions, and their sufferings.

Throughout human history, men have used women for sexual fulfillment, to tend to the children, and for a variety of domestic duties. All over the world, women have been dominated and humiliated. And until modern times, men actually held the power of life and death over women, and still do in some tribal regions.

Male and Female Made in His Image

This harsh treatment of women, which is pretty much the general pattern of human history, was not the original design of God. Sin brought it in. And it, therefore, corrupted the original relationship between man and woman. It is very evident to me through God's word that He created man in His image both male and female. "He" is in God's image and "she" is in God's image, and both of them were called to co-labor in ruling over the earth with Him.

Genesis 1:26-28:

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'"

It is sin that broke this divine partnership of co-laboring the Lord had established from the very beginning.

Genesis 3:16:

"To the woman He said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.'"

But thank God for His son Jesus who came to break us free from the bondages of sin.

Our Minds Justify what Our Hearts have Chosen

Most of us in our life have been raised in families, doctrines, and cultures that have influenced our mindsets far from Biblical truth. Severe and hurtful consequences occur even when we slightly sway from the contextual truth of God's word. It is amazing what the doctrines of man have come up with through the centuries. We can pull out Scriptures to fit every mindset our heart has chosen. Our minds justify what our hearts have chosen and we misuse His word in self-gratifying justification.

If we believe that woman was born only to help men with man's agenda, we are in deception. Many men today still pull a Scripture out of context to enslave women to meet their needs. We cannot continue to create, maintain, or tolerate doctrines contrived by man to serve man. Sound doctrine from the Word of God is divine revelation and understanding from the context in which it was written, and the context to which it is to be applied.

Advancing Kingdom

I am not denying the unique differences of men and women. I am not endorsing secular feminism. I am not politicizing for more women in church leadership. And I am certainly not endorsing Christian women to ever revolt against male leadership. I also am not pretending to have all the answers, but I do know this:

"We need Godly women to be free in expressing His unlimited purposes for them in advancing His Kingdom."

Galatians 3:27-29:

"And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you."

In our Father's Kingdom, there is neither male nor female in regards to His promises, His authority, and His ability to bring His Heavenly will upon this earth through ALL who belong to Him. I have not always seen it this way and I certainly have behaved chauvinistically in my past. But I see with much more clarity now, and although I am not a theologian, freedom for women is the view from my porch.

Jezebel's Reprise

I believe the "Jezebel Spirit" has been played and overplayed regarding women. It seems to me these days, that many anointed women of God with a backbone have been labeled a Jezebel at one time or another. The truth is, we have seen this spirit manifest itself in both men and women, and often it is preceded by an Ahab spirit. If a strong-willed male or female is not walking in humility, there can be an opening for the Jezebel spirit.

We need to minimize our labeling of God's people and heighten our discernment levels. May the Lord have mercy on our judgment of those He chooses, and also on how He may choose to use them. Those who have wrongful motives or wrongful spirits need to step down, regardless if they are male or female. We all need to be obedient and walk humbly before our God

Get Out of His Way

My wife Joyce always says that we need to activate a universal ministry called, "Get Out Of His Way Ministries International." I am in agreement with her. We need to simply get out of the way in our opposition of what clearly is the work of His Spirit. We need to see beyond our mindsets that the Lord is mightily using women throughout the world in ways that contradict the traditions and doctrines of man. There is a divine order of things as He leads us. We must submit to His order and not the order of men.

I am not ashamed that I have learned from women. My Godly mother taught me well, not only in my youth, but I continued to see the works of the Lord throughout her life until her passing six years ago. I continue to learn from my wife Joyce, and many other daughters of the Living God. Men are being taught by woman in many jurisdictions, and we cannot deny this regardless of doctrine.

Women Want to be Heard

Most women are not seeking to rule the world. Women in general are not seeking to rule at all. Most women just want to be heard. They have a voice, and it is of tremendous Kingdom value. The Body of Christ will have greater impact in our nations, communities, and churches as we release their gifts throughout the world.

J. Lee Grady of Charisma, has become a precious friend. A friend of his, Natasha Shedrevaya, is a female apostle who has started more than 350 churches. Natasha spoke of a young woman in Russia who ran a drug rehab clinic and has led many to the Lord. This young Russian woman's denomination, which is led by men, did not know what to do with her as they do not ordain women.

The fruits of her labor of love for the Lord had reached far beyond many men in that organization. She felt led to ask to be ordained, although she was not motivated by any title. After much deliberation, they decided that since they had never ordained a woman, they would ordain her as a half-pastor. So this young Russian woman is a half-pastor, and she continues to rattle the gates of hell in advancing His Kingdom.

I have such an appreciation for the way the Lord is using all that hear His voice, both men and women. We are hearing incredible stories of transformation from many parts of the world. Almighty God is pouring His Spirit upon all flesh. Men, women, and children are being released as living examples of His Kingdom expressed through mankind. I am encouraged and give Him all the glory. For those who need a paradigm overhaul or further scriptural insight, I recommend the book Ten Lies the Church Tells Women, by my friend J. Lee Grady