InterFaith - The Devil's End Time Strategy

From Omega Times
"Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In the plainest language Jesus is saying that no-one can come to God, unless it be through the shed Blood of the Lamb of God, who died on Calvary, in whom man might be set free of sin and reconciled to the Father. That’s basic Gospel! Furthermore, this statement is either true or false. If true, and I wholeheartedly believe it is through overwhelming weight of evidence, then there is no compromise, or dialogue to be had with those in error, other than to evangelise them....
....Compromise is a disgusting thing, especially in a spiritual sense. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll put up with anything. This is a by-product of a Laodicean Church spirit, where lukewarmness allows the world to go by and enemies to arise against the Church, with no heart or strength to oppose it. Which reminds me – I haven’t heard Onward Christian Soldiers sung for years. I wonder why?"

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A misunderstood God

Darin Hufford has written a book with the title "A misunderstood God" and the subtitle "The lies religion tells about God".

Roman Kozak has written a revue of the book he writes:
"Throughout the book, it is obvious that Mr. Hufford comes from a cliché fire and brimstone “mega-churchy” and “individualist-baptistic” upbringing. He is right that this type of “You can do nothing because you are scum; just have faith with no substance” preaching is crippling to humans, but his answers are wrong. The Misunderstood God focuses solely on the famous New Testament verse from 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
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If you read Swedish or use Google Translation you can read my comment here.

/PB

From Brengle´s life

I have just re-read a biography about Samuel Logan Brengle, written by Alice R. Stiles.

Brengle is writing about his first impressions of The Salvation Army:
“Two or three things interested me when I first met the Army. One was their sacrificial spirit; another was their power. I shall never forget going down to the Number 1 Corps hall in Boston and seeing the officer-in-charge. The Major came in, blowing his trumpet, marching erect and with vigour. He preached sermons with fire and bite in them. These Salvationists were so different from the theological students who were so soft and easy, so powerless as compared with men like Gay.”
When Brengle saw this he thought: “This is my people.”

How did Brengle prepare his sermons?
“Asked by a busy officer how he would prepare if he had but ten minutes, he replied that he would spend the time in prayer. Brengle´s whole life had been a preparation for preaching. He explained how he prepared his sermons by preparing his own heart. For this he found prayer and Bible study the important factors. He felt that many folk made the mistake of spending more time preparing their addresses than in preparation of their own hearts, affections, emotions and faith. The result, he said, were beautiful words without warmth”

And preparing for retirement he writes:
“I will pray more for my comrades who are on the field and in the thick of the fight…meditate more…and read and ponder my Bible more, and try to interpret the life that surges all around me…then there are letters I can write to struggling officers on the fields…letters to missionary officers…letters to those who are  bereaved, to those…in pain and weariness and…loneliness.
I shall find plenty to do. If I can´t command a corps or a division, or take part in councils, or lead on great soul-saving campaigns I can talk to my grocer, and doctor, and letter-carrier, about Jesus crucified and glorified, and about the life that is everlasting. I can wear my uniform and go to my corps, and testify. I can still take an interest in the children and young people. In doing this, I shall hope to keep my own spirit young and sympathetic.”

Several years later he wrote:
“The snows of seventy winters are on my head, but the sunshine of seventy summers is in my heart. The fading and falling leaves of seventy summers sadden my soul, but the resurrection life upspringing in flower and tree, the returning song birds, the laughing brooks, the swelling rivers, and the soft sweet winds of seventy springtimes, gladden my spirit.”

These are many good words for those of you approaching retirement age, and for those of us still young.

/PB

World Wide prayer meeting

General Linda Bond invites you to take part in a World Wide Prayer Meeting.

For more information and for signing up please press here.

Headlines week 34

Defend Marriage: Moms and Dads Matter
The Witherspoon Institute - "Presidential candidates in the next election should uphold marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

Surprise poll: young Christians more concerned about abortion/euthanasia than older believers
LifeSiteNews - "An online survey carried out in July by the UK’s Premier Christian Media has surprisingly revealed that euthanasia and abortion are issues of greater importance to young Christians than to older believers, whereas older Christians are more concerned with youth related issues than their younger counterparts."

Salvation Army in Uganda Supplies Water and Food
TSA international web page - "The Salvation Army in Uganda is responding to the drought crisis that is developing in some parts of the country. As is being seen across the Horn of Africa, people are dying because of a lack of food and water."

 Idols in our hearts
Greg Laurie - "Idols in our hearts can cause God to refuse to listen to our prayers. An idol is anything (or anyone) that takes the place of God in our lives. Clearly it can be a sinful thing. But it also can be a seemingly good thing. For example, we can make an idol out of a career. There is nothing wrong with a career, but if it is more important than God, then it has become an idol. We can make an idol out of a relationship or out of a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend. If they are more important than God, then they have become idols. We can make an idol out of money. We can make an idol out of a possession. We can make an idol out of just about anything. And if we have idols in our hearts, then God will not hear us."

Signs of the Times: Ezekiel’s Prophecies Set to Unfold?

From Charisma news:

"Last year an international crisis exploded when Israel stopped a flotilla of ships from breaking its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The incident left Israel feeling more isolated, but some Jews saw the pages of Scripture coming alive through the crisis.
When Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish-owned flagship, Mavi Mamara, leading the flotilla, things quickly turned deadly. Pro-Palestinian activists attacked the soldiers, who then defended themselves. Nine activists died in the melee.
Israel acted to keep weapons out of Hamas-controlled Gaza, but that didn't stop an international rush to judgment.
The U.N. Security Council condemned Israel and called for an investigation.
Sweden, Ireland and other nations planned boycotts against the Jewish state.

Shifting Allegiance
 The incident also revealed Turkey as a major player in the Middle East, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shifting his allegiance from Israel to Iran, Syria and their axis of power.
"Turkey was a friend of Israel for much of the last six decades," author Joel Rosenberg told CBN News.
"It's a democracy, it's a moderate Muslim country, it's a NATO ally and a friend of the United States, a tourist destination spot for tens of thousands of Israelis, and yet all of that is changing right now," Rosenberg said.
This change represents a major realignment in the Middle East.
Turkey—once a close ally of Israel and the West—is now openly courting the likes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ultimately Russia's Vladmir Putin.

Gog and Magog Soon?
So what does this shift of power and increasing isolation of Israel mean? Some in Israel and around the world believe it reflects biblical prophecy.
"Given the fact that Ezekiel 36 and 37 have largely come true—the rebirth of Israel, Jews pouring into the Holy Land after centuries in exile, rebuilding the ancient ruins, isn't it remotely possible that Ezekiel 38 and 39—the war of Gog and Magog—couldn't that come true in our lifetime also?" Rosenberg reasoned."

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FORWARD! European Congress 2012

THE Salvation Army's Europe Congress, led by General Linda Bond, will be held in Prague from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 October 2012.

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