Thursday 6 September 2007

Post Comments Here. It's easy and not cummbersome

Just click on the Comments below every post.

Type your comment in the “Leave your comments here” Box

Type the simple word in the “Word Verification” Box

If you have a Google Account, sign in with it. You can equally get one immediately. If you don’t want, don’t worry. Use any name you want or just click on Anonymous.

Click on “Publish Your Comments” and you are done.

Wednesday 5 September 2007

This video clip is inspirational

Take a few mins to watch this clip. This 5 mins could change your life forever.
And may God bless you as you do that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o35Az7XKpI

Tuesday 4 September 2007

Evidence for "young" Earth

A friend e-mailed this article to me. And I think some of their theories are quite persuasive.

Evolutionists would have us believe that the Earth is 4-5 billion years old. While they are busy preaching that everywhere, they will conveniently ignore data that do not support their theory. Here are some basic facts that you can use to challenge their "faith".

Source Evidences from space
The Sun:
Measurements of the sun's diameter over the past several hundred years indicate that it is shrinking at the rate of five feet per hour. Assuming that this rate has been constant in the past we can conclude that the earth would have been so hot only one million years ago that no life could have survived. And only 11,200,000 years ago the sun would have physically touched the earth. Also, if the sun were indeed billions of years old, then it does seem a bit odd for its magnetic field to have doubled in the past 100 years, but this is what the evidence suggests.

Short Period Comets:
Short period comets revolve round the sun once every hundred years or less.19 With each revolution they lose 1-2% of their mass. After several hundred revolutions they disintegrate. At present there are over 100 short period comets in our solar system, many of which have periods of less than 20 years.20 Comets are believed to have originated at the same time as the solar system.21 New comets are still being discovered. Whether these are new creations is uncertain. Evolutionists have come up with theories to explain the existence of comets, and how new ones are being added to the solar system. One is called the Oort Cloud theory, named after J. Oort. It is a hypothetical cloud that surrounds the solar system and which is said to extend past the orbit of Pluto. The other theory is called the Kuiper belt theory. It is directed at short period comets, as opposed to to Oort Cloud theory, which is directed at both long and short period ones. The existence of short period comets is a strong indication that our solar system is quite young (i.e. less than 10,000 years old) otherwise they would have burned out long ago.

Evidences from Earth:
Helium in the Atmosphere: Helium is a byproduct of the radioactive decay of uranium-238. As uranium decays, the helium produced escapes from the earth's surface and accumulates in the atmosphere. As time passes, the amount of helium in the atmosphere increases. Scientists have estimated the amount of uranium in the earth's crustal rocks. From this they estimate the amount of helium that should be produced, and from these they can calculate how much helium is being added to the atmosphere over a given amount of time. They also know how much helium is in the atmosphere. If we use the same assumptions that radiometric dating experts make (i.e.: no initial daughter/byproduct -- in this case helium -- in the earth's early atmosphere, a constant decay rate, and that nothing has occurred to add to or take away the helium), then the earth's atmosphere is at most 1.76 million years old.

Carbon-14 in the Atmosphere:
Carbon-14 is produced when radiation from the sun strikes Nitrogen-14 atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere. The earth's atmosphere is not yet saturated with C14. This means that the amount of C14 being produced is greater than the amount that is decaying back to N14. It is estimated that a state of equilibrium would be reached in as little as 30,000 years. Thus, it appears that the earth's atmosphere is less than 30,000 years old. In fact, the evidence suggests it is less than 10,000 years old. Some of these estimates place the atmosphere's age at 50,000 years, and others at 100,000 but they each pose serious problems for the standard evolution-based scenarios.

Evidences from biology Eve's Mitochondrial DNA:
Mitochondrial DNA is different from nucleus DNA in that it has "only 37 genes, compared to the estimated 100,000... in the cell's nucleus..." It is also different in that it is only passed on from the mother or at least, so it was once thought; however that is now very much in question, as is brought out in the Links below. In 1989 scientists said that they had compared the Mitochondrial DNA of various different races of people and concluded that they all came from a single woman (they called her Eve) who lived from 100,000-200,000 years ago. This story was widely reported in the press. A few years later scientists actually measured the rate of Mitochondrial mutations and discovered that they changed about 20 times faster than was earlier reported. This means that Eve did not live 100,000-200,000 years ago but rather only 5,000-10,000. This greatly revised date is very close to the Biblical account of (the literal) Adam and Eve. Unfortunately for those who want the whole truth, this didn't make the headlines. The Demise of Mitochondrial Eve

Population Growth:
Today the earth's population doubles every 50 years. If we assumed only half of the current growth rate and start with one couple, it would take less than 4,000 years to achieve today's population.

Direct Dating of Dragon Bones:
By evolutionary reasoning, dragon bones only occur in the so-called Cretaceous, Jurassic, or Triassic eras. According to the geological time chart such creatures (i.e. dinosaurs) died out between 65 and 220 million years ago. What is not well known about these eras is that they are based upon the theory of evolution -- which requires extremely long periods of time. When evolution-biased scientists say that they "know" such things, they not telling the truth. And while they may, in fact, believe such things; however, if they were honest they would admit that such "dates" assigned to these eras are highly questionable. So how can we date dragon bones? One piece to the puzzle is the fact that many dinosaur bones are not per mineralized (i.e. turned into stone). This means they can be directly dated by the Carbon-14 method, the exact same way a mammoth or Neanderthal bone is dated. This has also been done at least 30 times, by various laboratories in the United States and Europe, and the dates indicate that dinosaurs were alive from 9,800 -- 50,000 years ago. This author discussed this with Paul LeBlond, Professor of Oceanography at the University of British Columbia. Dr. LeBlond said that any C14 date over 5,000 years is highly questionable. Therefore, despite what popular publications may report, we can establish that all mammoths, Neanderthals, or other bones "dated" over 5,000 years by the C14 method are likewise "highly questionable." If we accept any, then we must accept them all (including the dinosaur dates) -- which are incompatible with evolution-based "ages" associated with the Geological Time Chart. However, the very fact that many thousands of dinosaur/dragon bones contain organic material at all is a strong indication that these creatures became extinct in the recent past.

Monday 3 September 2007

The Christian and His Health

Topic: The Christian and his health
Text: 3 John 2
Introduction
Oxford Advanced Dictionary defines health as “the state of being well and free from illness both in the body and in the mind”. Elder John in 3 Jn.2 stated, “I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers”. God is interested in both your physical and spiritual health. There must be a balance in the state of health of both, for you to fulfill God’s desire for you.
There are some factors which may affect your health as a Christian positively or negatively. This study will try to address some of them. The intent is that you take some practical steps to enhance and improve your state of health. When you are healthy, you save yourself, family and church of stress; physical, emotional trauma as well as financial expenses. This study recognizes that it is God who gives us good health. At the same time we have to partner with Him by observing basic health principles. The focus is more on our physical health.
Study Questions:
1. What is health?
2. a) What is the will of God concerning your health as a Christian?
b) What is your personal experience with reference to question 2a?
3. Discuss practically the roles the following play in determining a Christian’s health and the implications
i. Knowledge. Hosea 4: 6. Why do we eat? Are there some basic factors to be considered in making choice of what we eat and how eat them? Discuss.
ii. Food/Water. (Gen.1:29-30; 9:30; Ps.104:14; 2Kings 20:7)
iii. Environment. How should a Christian react to his environment?
iv. Heredity. There are traits we inherit from our parents. Can a Christian do anything to shield himself from health problems that run in his family? Discuss
v. Routine Medical Checkup. Should a Christian go for routine medical check up? Discuss.
vi. Exercises (P.E). Should a Christian spend his time doing sports or physical exercise? Discuss the benefits of exercise.
vii. Taking Food Supplements. Is it right for a Christian to take some food supplements?
viii. Rest and Relaxation. Do rest and relaxation play some roles in determining a Christian’s health? Do you have rest in your life program? Discuss some practical ways a Christian can achieve rest and relaxation in the midst of our crowded and busy schedules.
4. Discuss how the following affect the life of a Christian.
a) Ignorance
b) Poverty
c) Tight Schedules
d) Lack of self control
e) Presumed faith which violates basic medical principles
f) Taking advise from non-medical personnel
g) Lack of rest
5. a) Are there some practical steps I can take to improve and better my state of health as a person?
b) What practical steps can the Church take to improve and enhance the health of her members? Discuss.
Conclusions:
This study has tried to identify some factors which may affect your health positively or negatively. It has also discussed some practical steps that could be taken to enhance your health physically. Some of the steps may not be very easy to practice initially, but since health is wealth which everybody wants to acquire it worth it, as far as it is right and does not run contrary to the will of God. Begin today to take some practical measures to enhance your health and that of your family members, and you will latter on be happy you did.

The Lord will make a way for you.

This short piece was taught us by a sister. i hope it is going to be a blessing to you.

I know the Lord will make a way for me
I know the Lord will make a way for me
If I live a holy life, shun the wrong and do the right
I know the Lord will make a way for me

I know the Lord has laid His hands on me
I know the Lord has laid His hands on me
I can feel His mighty power, every moment every hour
I know the Lord has laid His hands on me

Challenges one faces in the days of Adversity.

Days of adversity are days of pain, days of loss and days of troubles. Oftentimes they are circumstances one never bargained for. Listed below are some of the challenges that accompany them.

Ø You suddenly seem irrelevant to people around you
Ø Men that used to celebrate you despise you
Ø Friends will suddenly find reasons to desert you. You may lose some of them eventually
Ø You seem to be alone and abandoned
Ø You lose respect
Ø Most of your genuine contributions are despised
Ø People who ordinarily should come to you or call will wait for you to come to them
Ø The vehicle of life seems to be moving leaving you behind
Ø People can easily misunderstand your life
Ø The little effort you make to exercise your faith is often termed pride
Ø You are seen as being faithless, lazy, and prayerless. People accuse you that you are not doing enough, even when you are struggling at your best.
Ø People easily pick offence at you, even what ordinarily they should ignore

I don’t know what you are going through right now, but bear this in mind: when you are on the brink of adversity, you are equally on the brink of a miracle.

“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all”
Ps 34:19 (NIV)

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.”
Rom 8:28 (TLB)

“No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”1Thes 5:18 (NLT)

Sunday 2 September 2007

JUSTIFICATION by FAITH

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law (Romans 3:21-31)

The word justify and justification occur some thirty times in Romans and are concentrated in 2:13-5:1. The word justification comes from the Greek word "righteous" and means "to declare righteous". This verdict includes: pardon from the guilt and penalty of sin, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer's account, which provides for the positive righteousness man needs to be accepted by God. God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ's righteousness. God imputed believer's sin to Christ account in His sacrifical death. The sinner receives this gift of God's grace by faith alone. Justification is a gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner, wholly apart from human merit or work.

Paul used the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man (John 8:39), and because it clearly showed that Judaism with its work-righteousness ave deviated from the faith of the Jew's patriarchial ancestors.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

As in the case of Abraham, Abraham did nothing to accumulate it; God simply credited it to him. God took His own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his. God did this because Abraham believed in Him. This is the heart of the doctrine of justification, whereby God declares the repentant sinner righteous the moment he places wholehearted faith in Christ and His sacrificial death. Christ made atonment by shedding his own Blood on the Cross. This provides forgiveness. And just as our sins were put to His account when He bore them on the Cross, so now His righteousness is reckoned as our own. His perfect righteousness thus becomes the ground on which we stand before God.

Friday 31 August 2007

The Lord is mightier than them all.

“The mighty oceans have roared, O Lord, The mighty oceans roar like thunder, The mighty oceans roar as they pound the shore. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers of the shore. The Lord above is mightier than these” Psalm 93: 3-4

In most of our mission fields and what we know African Traditional Religion (ATR) to be, people seem to ascribe spirituality and reverence to things that they cannot understand. Trees like the Iroko are worshipped as a wonder of the gods. In fact, issues of life are divided between the gods and humans. The roaring of the mighty oceans is one of the things that the ‘gods’ do, hence the worship of the gods/goddesses of the seas. This is because they cannot comprehensively understand the issue of the oceans.

However, a lot of these things are superstitious while demons have taken advantage of people’s ignorance to exploit them and receive worship from them.

The Lord above is mightier than them all.

God is eternal. He has no beginning and no end. He has always existed and dwells from eternity past. He created the universe and the host we know and the ones we don’t know, even the seas. The Lord above is mightier than them all.

He deserves our worship and reverence। In the arena called “time” where human beings live, we go through all kinds of troubles। The idea here is that even if your troubles are like the ‘violent raging of the seas’, the Lord above is mightier than them all and is able to bring you deliverance।
This morning i heard my wife singing the old Scripture Union Spiritual:
"No man can walk upon the sea"
"No man can walk upon the sea"
"No man can walk upon the sea"
"Only Jesus can walk upon the sea"
It's well with you.


Tuesday 21 August 2007

Joseph: His God-given Dreams

This is part of a series of studies we are doing on the life of Joseph. Joseph indeed is a challenge both to the young and the old today. He is a model to servants and those who are going through difficult times in their lives. We hope that it is going to be a blessing to you. Remember you are free to comment and/or write us.


Gen 37:19-20

“And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”
(KJV)

If you can, try and read the whole of that chapter in Genesis here. The brothers of Joseph hated him because of envy. Firstly, their father loved and favoured him. Secondly, he had dreams about his life which suggested that he would be greater than all of them sometime in the future. In fact, their hatred increased because of his dreams. Look at the list:

“…they hated him…” (Gen.37: 4)

“…they hated him all the more…” (vs 5)

“…and they hated him all the more because of his dream…” (vs 8)

“His brothers were jealous of him…” (vs 11)

The result of all these dreams was that in the course of doing his job and obeying his father, the brothers took him and would have killed him, but for the intervention of Reuben. They decided to sell him. Joseph was sold from one hand to another until he landed in the house of Potiphar in Egypt.

If you examine carefully, it seems to me as if Joseph was sold naked or semi naked. This is because, Vs 31-33 says that they took his robe and dipped it in blood and took to their father so as to deceive him that a wild animal killed him. Joseph was mourned by his father and forgotten. Let’s take of these:

Joseph lost the affection of his father, he lost the affection of his moderate brothers, he lost the company of all the people he was familiar with, he lost his freedom forever because he was sold as a slave. In Egypt, because of his fear of God, he ended up in prison and was disappointed and abandoned by pharaoh’s chief cupbearer. He had traumatic experiences. However, in spite of all these, there is one thing that Joseph did not lose – his relationship with God. A lot of people lose their relationship with God in the face of adversities.

You may have lost ‘all’ in your adversities – relationships, material things, loved one, tragedies and you are like forgotten and abandoned in life by those who used to celebrate you. You may actually have forgotten all the dreams God gave you about your life and all you care about now is just how to have a relief. Please, do not lose your relationship with God. That is what is going to bring to pass your God-given dreams.

The way Joseph took was the only way God had designed for his dreams to come to pass. He suffered but he was faithful in his relationship with God and in his service. At last, his God-given dreams came true.

Your God-given dreams will eventually come true! Only continue in your love relationship with God and in your faithfulness.

Friday 17 August 2007

SINGING & MAKING MELODY ON THE LORD

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever (Revelation 5:13).

According to this verse in Revelation, every creature – which includes you and me – will be singing to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “But I can’t sing,” we say. However, one day we not only can sing, but will sing.

Now that you know that in the future you will be singing, there is no reason to wait until then. You can sing now. You can sing today! All of us might not be able to make melodies and sing like King David, but we can all make joyful noise onto the Lord. So what are you waiting for….go ahead and bring the sacrifice of praise onto our Lord.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19).

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16)

Tuesday 14 August 2007

Joseph: A child of God can say no to sin

This is part of a series of studies we are doing on the life of Joseph. Joseph indeed is a challenge both to the young and the old today. He is a model to servants and those who are going through difficult times in their lives. We hope that it is going to be a blessing to you. Remember you are free to comment and write us.

Gen 39:6-9

“…Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused…How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"

(NIV)

Joseph was a very successful servant and was well favoured by his master, Potiphar. Also, he “was a very handsome and well-built young man” Vs 6. Soon his master’s wife began to desire him. She was bold and invited Joseph to bed with her, but Joseph said no.

Now imagine the favours he would probably have enjoyed from the madam of the house assuming he conceded to her request, though we know, just like any gain or pleasure of sin, it would have been short-lived. Off course saying no to the woman was a risk in itself and eventually landed him into trouble. However, if you love God and you are a responsible son, you should be able to say no to sin even when it seems ‘risky’. Better land into ‘trouble’ with man and be at peace with God rather than the other way round.

Most people are able to say no once but succumbs when under pressure. Potiphar’s wife “kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and kept out of her way as much as possible” Vs 10(NLT). Joseph devised ways of avoiding the woman. Why was he taking all the pains? He was determined in his refusal to sin against God.

Often times, opportunity comes for us to prove our decisions. I don’t call it opportunity to sin but opportunity to test our decisions. Joseph was alone in the house doing his house cores. The desperate woman grabbed him on his cloth begging him to sleep with her. Joseph left his clothes with her and ran. God has not asked us to stand and resist temptation. He asked us to resist the devil but urged us to “flee from every appearance of evil” (1 Thess.5: 22).

Temptation can come in several ways: in the course of discharging your duties in your workplace like Joseph, in your school, in house among neighbours, or even in the course of rendering service to God, like helping others etc.

But one thing is clear, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (I Jn 3:9 NIV). If you are born of God, you have the capability to say no to sin and live a victorious Christian life.

Monday 13 August 2007

Don’t Be Like A Horse Or A Mule

Today, there are a lot of people who are like horses and mules, wandering in and out of God’s will. Strong and zealous but cannot carry eternal secrets. Gullible Children who have refused to grow and cannot take responsibilities as sons. Read this piece and be blessed. Remember, we entertain questions as God helps us.




Ps 32:8-9

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”

(NIV)

The horse or mule has to be guided by bits and bridle in order to keep it under control. You beat it and charge it before it can respond to what you want it to do. There is no reasonable relationship between the rider and the horse. That is not the way God wants us to relate to Him.

God wants us to walk with Him in love and intimate relationship. He wants us to respond to Him in obedience willingly without Him applying force or coercion on us. He wants us to be responsible sons committed to Him as our Father and Lord. He wants us to learn to walk with Him and understand His ways – men and women He can trust and entrust responsibilities into their hands. He can say of them like He said of Abraham “I know him…” We come to some level of trust with Him where He can ‘confide’ in us and share His heart with us and use us.

You may be undergoing a ‘bit and bridle’ experience right now under God’s discipline. This is because God loves you and wants to keep you in His way. It is because He still has a plan for your life. He doesn’t want you to go far away before He starts looking for you. However, God wants you to grow and be trained in His ways so that you willingly follow and serve Him in His kingdom advance without ‘bits and bridle’. Children can be distracted by anything and cannot take responsibilities. Sons can.

God does not want men and women that will be like a ‘senseless horse and mule’ (NLT) who will stop following Him but divert into some ‘bypasses’ because of the lusts and the pride of this life. He looks behind only to discover that something else has distracted them and turned them away from following. God will ask, “where is my son/daughter?” He will be told that he has gone to “play”. What God will do is that He will look for him, bring him back and try to put ‘bits and bridle’ on him so as to keep him within focus until such a time when the child has grown and He can entrust him with eternal secrets. God wants partners.