Deacon: That's a matter of opinion I would guess.  My opinion would be below average and the guy needs to do a lot more than he's doing...

Usher:  Wrong again!  The average church size in America is 51 - 300 people.   How much does the average pastor make with a church of 101 - 300 people?  (Answer: According to this survey, churches that draw 101 to 300 people each week pay senior pastors $72,664 per year, including benefits)

Given the fact that only 5% of adults tithe according to the Barna Group study, here's the brutal truth of tithing:

If 5% of the congregation of 300 people give and they average the median income of the United States of $48,200 US Census report  that means that 15 families of the church give 10% of their tithe.  Assuming they give on their gross incomes, 15 x $48,200 = $723,000. 

Summary:  15 families are supporting the pastor's full salary and benefits!  With this said, do you think they know this?  Of course not!  They simply put the money in their cute little envelope, tolerate his (in most cases) poorly-prepared sermons and come back next week to do it again. 

Deacon: Do you think if they knew, they might expect more accountability?

Usher: Uh.....yeah!  You go to McDonald's and 285 other families line up behind you and ask you to pay the bill!  I think I'd demand a little bit better explanation as to why the church isn't doing more with my God's money!

Deacon: So what's with all the megachurches and what exactly are they doing with all the extra?

Usher: Stay tuned, I've got a little more research to do, I'll write about that tomorrow.

19 Then Jesus' mother and His brothers came along toward Him, but they could not get to Him because of the crowd.   20 And it was told Him, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to have an interview with You. 21 But He answered them, My mother and My brothers are those who listen to the Word of God and do it! 

Our sound system is going to be incredible thanks to Don's Music City and their desire to be part of what God is doing through Awestruck.  Thank you Jim for believing in our vision.  Our signs should be done very soon, like maybe today.  We have found a great deal on a great projector...finally!  Starbucks has donated the coffee for our first sevice and we have the equipment to serve it up right.  The pipe and drape and backdrop for our stage will be finished by Sunday.  (Could be a long workday for the Awestruck crew.)  Our children's area is 99.999% complete thanks to our friends at Pine Ridge Church, my wife and Aubrey working so hard.  The videos for our service are going to be off the charts thanks to Evan.  I think he even impressed himself with these.  Layden is ready to flat bring it with our music!  I will warn you that if you are expecting the typical "follow the bouncing ball" type worship, then you might want to visit another church.  Those guys are going to rock out.  Steggy (our pastor of guest experiences) has it going on with our welcoming and greeting stuff.  I have been preparing my message for 10 months now, so it better be pretty good.  Most importantly, by lunch time today Awestruck will officially be able to call Eastern Middle School home!  It has been worth all the hassle and frustration to be able to meet in this incredible facility.  Thank you Mr. Ferrell for all your hard work and accommodation.  Like I said, this has been a busy week.  I know that I have forgotten about some folks and stuff, but you get the idea. I am amazed and gazing in wild wonder at all God is doing behind the scenes for Awestruck.    Get ready Eastern Guilford county, we are coming.

I never wanted to be the type of person that was considered a church hopper. But as I get older I know more of what I'm looking for, and I'm glad I hopped around until I found the right place to worship.

I have learned so much in just two church services because the pastor soberly preaches through the Bible, and doesn't skip over the more difficult passages like marriage and marital submission. I wish I had attended this church when I was growing up, my foundation would have been a lot stronger because I had a lot of questions that went unanswered.

At the end of his book he speaks of the loneliness of a minister, he says:

But the more I think about loneliness, the more I think that the wound of loneliness is like the Grand Canyon-a deep incision in the surface of our existence which has become an inexhaustible source of beauty and self-understanding.

Later he continues,

We get an idea of the kind of help a minister may offer.  A minister is not  doctor whose primary task is to take away pain.  Rather, he deepens the pain to a level where it can be shared.  When someone comes with his loneliness to the minister, he can only expect that his loneliness will be understood and felt, so that he no longer has to run away from it but can accept it as an expression of his basic human condition.

Most of the time with pastors in Bible Churches, there is the sense that you have to prove that you are really a Christian by the strength of your testimony. It has to have the right ingredients and you have to hit all of the right points in order for you to be considered "in". None of that tonight. We agreed to meet next week and he is going to "catch me up" so that I can join a group of newcomers that has already begun. I really appreciate the effort he is making on my behalf, and I know it takes extra time and work to do that for me. It is very kind.

The main thing I took away from our meeting, as I explained my "journey" and why I was there, was his reassurance that I am not crazy. I have always thought of myself as defective, because the ubber-obedient Christian life was never easy for me. Surely there must be something wrong with me, because everyone else seemed to be making it and I seemed to be failing most of the time. The "victorious Christian life" was not something that I was well acquainted with. Sure, I had my moments of victory from time to time, but nothing would ever last and soon I would be confessing the same sins again that I had repented of the week before.

As my knowledge of Christ increased, so did the awareness of my sin. When I compared myself to other Christians, I would always fall short. But through my own study of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit has led me to see that I was at the same time both sinner and saint, and that I would always need what Christ has done for me to solve the sin problem in my life on a daily basis. You see, that is the Christian message. It's not in the happy-clappy songs, or the perfect evangelical family smiles, or in the "what have you done for Jesus lately" pep-rally on Sunday morning.

Sinners know they are sinners, and Christians should know that they have been given the greatest gift of all time that can save sinners - faith in Jesus Christ. And Christians also know that while they are saved from the penalty of sin, that it is still a problem until they are physically redeemed. They know that only Jesus can save them from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin in this life, and eventually, from the presence of sin in the life to come. Jesus only. Not human effort. Not personal performance. Not appeasing God through some system of good works. Not one shred of human toil in any form for any reason can improve a persons standing before God. This is true of non-Christians, and it is also true of Christians. It's all about faith alone in Christ alone, throughout all of life.

So the reality for those who name the name of Jesus Christ is that they are both sinner and saint at the same time, and through faith in Jesus and what He has done on their behalf they live lives of daily repentance and contrition, resting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and out of the empty tomb, living the Gospel life. It's not about my effort, but about Jesus only. This is what I believe.

There are others who have been on the same journey as I, who have had the same feelings of failure, the same sense of inadequacy, the same desire to quit. People who have seen the religion of despair that is today's pop-evangelicalism. People who have come to the end of themselves, to the end of their striving, to the end of the rope and realized that the answer is in Christ alone, not in their effort to bend their lives around someones litmus test for membership into their club.

I am looking forward to the day when I understand the means of grace to the point where I can defend them in a clear and concise way, with a spirit of reverence and communicate the hope that dwells within. I am looking forward to the day when I can partake of the Lord's Supper in the fullness of fellowship with the Son of God, and receive the gift in the way He intended. And I am looking forward to the day when my wife joins me in worshiping God in spirit and in truth. That will be a very fine day indeed.

Until next time, I bid you find the peace of Christ.

D

#1. Isn't it amazing how God uses us in spite of our sin? He anoints us, He allows us, He forgives us and uses us. History proves this time and again. Flawed man = God's vessel. But keep in mind, we need to deal with our stuff and we need to seek help in order to fight for the freedom that Jesus fought for on the cross. So, there's nothing right about what Mike did, in fact, it's terrible in every way. The lying, the manipulation and the sin of it from top to bottom. Wrong. All wrong. [He is getting professional which is what is absolutely needed here, no question. Anyone else struggling in the same way should seek full and complete medical and psychological help.] Which leads me to my second point, and the most exciting of the two points:
#2. Mike's very powerful and anointed song is just as powerful and true today as it was when he wrote it, in fact - more so. Mike was being tormented by his sin, the lies, the deception, his personal hell he has been living in, addictions and all - without help! The song, although not about cancer for him (but for others, it was) was his confession that God is his Healer and the One who calms his 'raging seas'. He confesses that God walks with him through fire and heals all his disease. He continues, 'I trust in You, I trust in You. I believe You're my Healer, I believe You all all I need, I believe You're my portion, I believe You're more than enough for me, yes You are all I need, You're more than enough for me'.

Ok, so tell me what is wrong with this song. How is the 'song' deceptive? It's a cry from a broken soul to his Saving God. It's a perfect song from an imperfect man. Just like we are imperfect. I think this song is the perfect song for a sinner to sing. When I first learned the song, I sang it, not as a cancer-victim, but as one who has been broken and who continues to fight for freedom everyday. I sang it not from a hospital bed, nor with an oxygen tank, complete with tubes into the nose, but as a girl who is in need of a Savior, a redeemer - yes, in desperate need of a God who is more than enough!

This is a song about God, not about a man. The truths of the God who it is written about, is truth - regardless of who is singing it. If Madonna sang the song 'Here I am to worship' - is the song any less true because it's her singing it? An openly 'non-Christian' woman singing a song about God - if the theology is correct, the song's truth doesn't change because she's a sinner, any more than if I, myself a sinner also, sing it.

Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Mike wrote a song about his disease. The disease that he absolutely needs to get healing from and like all of us, must not hide any longer. He must seek the truth and freedom that only comes from an Almighty God and the beautiful gift of His son, Jesus. The cross is our only chance for healing, whatever the affliction it is that you are struggling with.

♥erin

01 - Makell Bird - Intro
02 - Nas - If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)(ft. Lauryn Hill)
03 - 2Pac - I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto (Hip-Hop Version)
04 - Kanye West - Jesus Walks
05 - Dead Prez - Hip - Hop
06 - Jay - Z - Minority Report (ft. Ne - Yo)
07 - Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
08 - Ludacris - Runaway Love (ft. Mary J. Blige)
09 - Rza - Rza Speaks
10 - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message
11 - Public Enemy - Fight The Power
12 - Pastor Troy - Move To Mars
13 - Outkast - Da Art Of Storytellin (remix)(ft. Slick Rick)
14 - Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day
15 - Makell Bird - Outro
Preview this mixtape @ makellbird.imeem.com and purchase it @ myspace.com/makellbird

Some people may think that that is unfair.  But I'd challenge those people to consider what the Bible says about leadership.  I think 1 Timothy 3:4-5 is particularly telling.  As Paul makes church life akin to family life by stating (often to the disbelief of modern day Christians):

He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way—for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?

I can't help but think from these verses (and the ones before - being a man of one wife) that Paul's view of church and family were closely connected.  What does the leadership of a family have to do with the leadership of a church?  The church has been thinking of pastors in terms of CEO's and chairmen of the board.  A CEO can be a crappy husband and father and still be a good CEO, maybe that's why this verse is so shocking.

Paul doesn't want church leadership to be like business leadership, he wants it to be like family leadership,  where the father is responsible for the childrens actions.  All of the sudden the high demand placed on the church in 1 Timothy seems reasonable.

I don't think that leaders should step down from positions just because someone they discipled made a mistake, but they should definitely stand up with the person and recognize that they may have failed the guilty party in some way.

As for partents, I wonder if Dan Guglielmucci has considered resigning his position?  I can't say for sure that he should, but the Bible would definitely indicate that it would be the right move.

What do you think?

Clearly the New testament says no, and no more now  than any Christian can have any sex outside of marriage now too,  and Like it or not, but why?

(1 Tim 5:14 KJV)  I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.15   For some are already turned aside after Satan.

1 Corinthians 7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.

Repentance is in order..

Matthew 5:28 “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

(1 Cor 10:8 KJV)  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

 Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,”

6:12 Hand Picked and chose by God for a specific purpose

6:13 Denial and Excuses, like Jeremiah, Moses, Jonah, Lui (that's me). Its ok to argue but God will always win

6:14 God clarifies the mission and clear instructions given

6:18 Mission accepted with conditions. Insecurity and fear of unknown. Thats normal

6:23 Gods blesses and commissions

6:25 Directions given

6:27 First dare. First test for the newly appointed leader

6:34 God continues to annoint and empower his man for the task

6:36 Gideon reminds God of His promise and puts God to the test

6:36 Gideon pursuing clarification of Gods call on his life.

7:2 Gideon gave clear Intructions: A must for every leader. Informing the people with a clear vision and plan. leader must follow Gods orders, even if the orders are unorthodox.

7:18 Gideons strategy. Every leader, every ministry must have a strategy. No strategy No Action. A lot of leader have good intention by fail to carry out because of no strategy.

8:2 Be prepared for this. You will have critics BIG TIME. Especially if vision, direction and strategy is not the norm.

8:5 Responsibility of the Leader: Feed and take care of his leaders and his team

8:11 Leaders make bold steps and bold announcements. It is called faith and guts

8:17 Leaders keep their word. Remember your bold statements and announcements.

8:22 Integrity in leadership. Be intergrated. Have the right perspective. Who are the real leaders here??

8:24 Leaders get tempted. WARNING! Don't let success subsitute God.

At my desk are the following...

1 ) Calvin's Commentaries (Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, James, II Peter, and Jude)
2 ) "Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians" by D.A. Carson
3 ) "Humility" by C.J. Mahaney
4 ) "Preaching the Cross" by Together for the Gospel
5 ) "Spurgeon Vs. Hyper-Calvinism" by Iain H. Murray
6 ) "The Great Good Place" by Ray Oldenburg
7 ) "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God" by J.I. Packer
8 ) "The Supremacy of God in Preaching" by John Piper
9 ) "Brothers we are not Professionals" by John Piper
10 ) "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern world" edited by Piper and Taylor
11 ) "Comeback Churches" by Ed Stetzer

Also I keep these survey books around so when I buy books, I'll look them up in these books.

"New Testament Commentary Survey" by D.A. Carson
"Commentary and Reference Survey" by John Glynn

We need 5-fold ministers to be MORE released and for their influence to broaden not lessen.  So how does a New Testament structure that does not depend on the 5-fold endlessly maintaining individual churches, actually better release the giftings of those "called into ministry"?

Here are three ways -

Way #1 - Apostolic Teams. Instead of the modern phenomenon of teaching churches, evangelistic churches, pastoral churches etc. that arises from one member of the 5-fold leading one church, all of these should be on a balanced team.  This team would plant and shepherd many works resulting in each of the 5-fold always working in their area of calling and gifting while providing the correct gift balance to each work they are assisting.  This also eliminates the isolation many ministers feel as they will always go out in teams of 2 or more to do their work.

Way #2 - The City Church (Training Centers). The real domain of the 5-fold is the city church (that does not exist today).  5-fold ministers need to establish the city church (like Paul did with the School of Tyrannus) and then equip the whole church in an entire region from there.  Not only does this better release their gift in breadth (they equip the whole city) but also in depth (they refine particular trainings that they can impart better than any other).  Many 5-fold have specific teachings that they do better than almost anyone else (because of the depth of their faith and understanding in that area) but, nevertheless, they preach sermon after sermon hopelessly diluting the impact of the specific messages God has given them to impart to many.

Way #3 - New Works. Any city of above 20,000 people that does not have a city church where an itinerant 5-fold minister can come in and train the Christians in that city NEEDS A NEW WORK.  A new work is the process through which we establish a city church in a new region (beginning with a training center for the city).  Look around and see how many places, both in America and throughout the world, need a new work.  The 5-fold cannot be fully released without the re-emergence of the city church.  Of course not all the Christians are going to recognize your training center as the city church but over time hundreds and then thousands will see the fruit, and be trained there as you bring the 5-fold of the city together to disciple the city as a whole.

So this New Testament way of releasing moves 5-fold from -

• Isolated Pastors to Apostolic Team Member
• Using a Portion of their Gifting to Ministering from the Center of Their Gifting
• Ministering to one fraction of God's church in the city to Ministering to the City Church

Yes, they can be BETTER released in a New Testament model than in our current model.

So we've asked and answered the top 3 objections to making this transition from paid positions to released callings.  Now we need to have the courage and determination to make this shift happen in our generation.

I received a package of pins from Beijing from a very dear friend, Pastor Dave last week. It was a surprise and hey, meet the mascots!!! NINI, HUAN HUAN, JINGJING, BEI BEI, YINGYING. haha.. I wonder what their names means.

Also in the box, there are 11 hardrock pins from around the world. Thanks again PD! Read PD's testimonies in Beijing Olympics... Its really encouraging. Click here!

 (Luke 19:45 KJV)  And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Ca sa incerc sa ma fac inteles, voi face apel la o ilustratie a regretatului pastor Richard Wurmbrand. Se spune ca, la un moment dat, unor orbi li s-a cerut sa descrie un elefant. Acestia au fost pusi in aceeasi incapere cu un pahiderm, l-au pipait, dupa care fiecare a descris modul in care "arata in realitate elefantul"...

- "Este ca un pom" - a spus primul, care ii pipaise piciorul.

- "Nu, este ca un sarpe subtirel, dar plin de forta" - a sarit al doilea, care ii pipaise coada.

- "Va inselati amandoi. Este, intr-adevar, ca un sarpe, dar nu este subtirel, ci robust si seamana putin cu un aspirator..." - a tinut sa ii corecteze cel de-al treilea, care pipaise trompa elefantului.

Intrebarea fireasca, aici, ar fi care dintre cei trei orbi au descris "realitatea-realitate", adevarul-adevarat, REALITATEA. Raspunsurile ar putea fi... fiecare, nici unul, toti trei... nu-i asa?

De fapt, nici unul nu a avut dreptate... pentru ca elefantul nu este nici ca un pom, nici ca un sarpe subtire, nici ca unul robust sau ca un aspirator... Sau... daca stam sa ne gandim bine, si analizam realitatea fiecaruia dintre ei, toti au avut dreptate, descriindu-si propria experienta, propriile trairi, propria realitate. Si totusi, chiar si punand cap la cap toate cele trei viziuni si experiente, nu reusesti sa capeti viziunea de ansamblu, "realitatea-realitate", imaginea reala a elefantului. Nu o poti face pentru simplul motiv ca cei trei au, intr-adevar, un simt tactil extrem de dezvoltat, dar le lipseste acuitatea vizuala. Daca li s-ar alatura celor trei cineva care poate oferi si o alta perspectiva, cu siguranta imaginea elefantului, descrisa de cei patru, ar fi una mai apropiata de realiate.

Ceea ce incerc sa spun este ca, prin natura noastra umana, suntem subiectivi. Oricat am incerca sa fim de obiectivi, toate informatiile pe care le culegem sunt trecute prin filtrul propriei noastre culturi, experiente, valori etc. De cele mai multe ori, lucrul acesta se intampla aproape inconstient. Cei care au colaborat in trecut au facut-o datorita fie datorita unor presiuni, fie datorita unor convingeri personale (care ar putea, la o adica, sa fie unele cat se poate de oneste si de nobile). La randul lor, cei care vor demascarea lor doresc lucrul acesta fie datorita unor convingeri personale (si aici pot fi invocate dorinta de a purifica Biserica, de a face dreptate, de a-i ajuta pe colaboratorii de ieri sa se impace cu Dumnezeu sau cu ei insisi etc.), fie din dorinta de razbunare (fie ea si doar la nivelul subconstientului, mascata bine sub te miri ce motivatii religioase), fie pentru ca au fost manipulati extrem de bine si de subtil de persoane care au diverse interese.

Oricare ar fi categoria din care faci parte, cert este un lucru: exista realitatea ta si realitatea lui. A ta, care ai colaborat, si a lui, a celui care vrea cu orice pret sa te demaste. A ta, a celui pornit sa deconspire "fostii sau actualii securisti", si a lui, a celui care a suferit tot greul si naduful zilei, care poate fi privit ca un colaborator, chiar daca, poate, le-a oferit autoritatilor de atunci tot felul de nimicuri, pentru a fi lasat in pace sa lucreze in locul in care a fost convins ca Dumnezeu l-a asezat sa lucreze. Oricat de greu ar fi pentru tine sa accepti acest lucru, esti subiectiv, la fel ca oricare alt muritor. REALITATEA, scrisa cu majuscule, din pacate, nu este nici realitatea ta, nici realitatea lui. Adevarul obiectiv este unul singur. Din pacate, pentru a capata o imagine cat mai apropiata de cea REALA, ADEVARATA, este nevoie de disponibilitatea de a asculta si opinia celuilalt, de a nu te mai bizui DOAR pe propriile tale experiente si convingeri, ci si pe ale CELUILALT. Chiar daca, poate, CELALALT este in tabara adversa, pe care o detesti. Daca te intereseaza intr-adevar REALITATEA, ADEVARUL, atunci vei fi dispus sa treci peste micile mizerii legate de PERSOANE, pentru a analiza cat mai obiectiv posibil FAPTELE. Alaturi de tine o va face si altul, chiar din daca va fi dintr-o alta perspectiva. Din mai multe piese de puzzle se poate obtine o imagine intreaga... Dintr-una singura... este aproape imposibil. Si sunt optimist cand spun "aproape"... Sau poate ca sunt doar politicos...

Acum, ca stiti ce vreau sa spun prin "realitatea colaboratorului" si "realitatea demascatorului", cred ca imi veti putea intelege (sau poate chiar impartasi) mai bine una din intrebari: oare sunt chiar atat de interesat de REALITATE, de ADEVAR, incat sa fiu dispus sa privesc, fara prejudecati (sau macar reducandu-le la minimum) si la "realitatea lui", chiar daca ea este intr-o vizibila opozitie cu "realitatea mea"?

Pe 6 August2008 , cu două zile înainte de începerea Jocurilor Olimpice, pastorul Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan, a fost arestat împreună cu soţia sa. Ca urmare a acestei arestări The Voice of the Martyrs şi China Aid Association au demarat o acţiune de strângere de semnături în vederea eliberării celor doi.
Pastorul Bike este o persoană "incomodă", ce s-a remarcat printr-o activitate de evanghelizare ce a avut un impact extraordinar. El este promotorul China Prayer Bands.

Pentru a semna petiţia în atenţia ambasadorului, Zhou Wenzhong, vă rugăm accesaţi aici şi completaţi

NEW DELHI, August 26 (Compass Direct News) – At least 18 people are confirmed dead in 92 incidents of violence against Christians since suspected Maoists murdered Hindu leader Swamiji Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others on Saturday (Aug. 23) in Orissa state.

With Hindu extremists inciting hatred by heated accusations that Christians killed Saraswati, the national newspaper Hindu reported today that nine people had been killed in Orissa violence, and a Compass source near the state capital of Bhubaneswar confirmed an additional nine people slain.

The death count by the Hindu included four people killed in the Barakhama area. News agencies had earlier confirmed three dead in Raikia and two others, including a woman, killed in Bargarh, where a missionary-run orphanage was set on fire yesterday. The figure of 92 incidents thus far comes from the Global Council of Indian Christians.

Additionally, the Compass source said that Hindu extremists today killed pastor Samuel Naik of the Bakingia Seventh-Day Adventist Church at Kandhamal, and Jacob Digal and Gopan Naik of Damba village were slain this morning. Also killed today was Golok Naik of Pidinanju village (under Mondakia police station), and yesterday pastor Mukunda Bardhan from Mukundapur, Gajapati was burned to death.

Three other people whose names have not yet been verified, said the source, were killed in Katingia village of G. Udaygiri, along with a pastor belonging to Operation Mobilization from the same area. In Badimunda, about 12 kilometers (seven miles) from G. Udaygiri, nearly 25 Christian homes were burned down.

There were many reports of Christians being pulled from their homes and killed or beaten, with many homes of Christians torched in Baliguda. According to reports by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), the East India office of Compassion International in Bhubaneswar was ransacked.

Saraswati and four others were killed by suspected Maoists in the swami’s ashram, or religious center, in the Jalespata area of Kandhamal district’s Tumudiband Block in Orissa state. A warning letter found at the Saraswati religious center and use of expensive arms suggested Maoists were behind the attack.

In a state with a strong Maoist presence, police reportedly said they have evidence to link the communist rebels to the murders of Saraswati and his four associates. One police theory is that Maoists would attack Hindu leaders in a misguided effort to gain support among area tribal people, many of whom have converted to Christianity.

On Sunday (Aug. 24) the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a partner in the state’s ruling coalition, and the Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP) called for 12-hour a shut-down in which inflammatory speeches were made accusing Christians of killing Saraswati.

Authorities in Denial

Orissa Police Chief Gopal Chandra Nanda downplayed the violence, telling Reuters that incidents were only “sporadic” and that “some prayer houses have been attacked and vehicles have been burnt.”

Likewise, local authorities and media have painted the shutdown as “peaceful,” denying that organized attacks took place. The state is ruled by a coalition of the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal party.

At the same time, Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) extremists have continued to incite hatred against Christians and criticized the local government. VHP Secretary General Pravin Tagodia accused the state government of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of acting like a “eunuch” and demanded his apology for the killing of Saraswati and his companions.

“Christians murdered Swamiji, but the government is lying and giving it a Maoist color,” Tagodia said. “Naveen as an individual and police, in particular, are responsible for this attack orchestrated by the church on Hindu dharma.’’

At the same time, a senior leader from Christian relief and development organization World Vision told Compass that a news report about the arrest of their staff members in connection with Saraswati’s killing was false. The police had merely kept two of their employees for protection, he said.

“No complaint had been lodged against them,” he said. “The employees have safely reached their homes.”

Widespread Violence

Sources from Kandhamal district said hundreds of Christians along with their families have fled to the nearby forests to save their lives in the rainy climate and are without shelter, food and clothing.

“Three adults and one child were reportedly killed in fresh violence in Barakhama, Kandhamal,” EFI News reported.

At least 14 Christians have been killed in Kandhamal, according to the news agency: Hacked to death by a rampaging mob of Hindu extremists were two Christians in Mutungia village, one in Petaponga village, one in Borimunda village, three in Katinga village, three in Tianga village, three in Adikuppa village and one in Bakingia village.

According to reports received from Kalahandi district, many incidents of violence and house burning have taken place even though it is more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the place where Saraswati was killed.

Christian sources said pastor Sikandar Singh of the Pentecostal Mission was beaten and his house was burned in Bhawanipatna. In Kharihar, three Christian shops were looted and burned. Pastor Alok Das was beaten at Kharihar, as was pastor I.M. Senapati. In Aampani, pastor David Diamond Pahar was beaten by more than 200 people. They chased him away from Aampani, and he is hiding in nearby villages.

Pastor Pravin Ship and two other area pastor identified only as Pradhan and Barik were beaten and chased away with their families. In Naktikani, an angry mob surrounded the village to attack Christians. The government sent forces to try to control the mob but without success.

Christian Pleas

A delegation of Christian leaders in New Delhi met with Home Minister Shivraj Patil to brief him of the situation and to register their concern. Patil assured the Christian delegation, including the Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, general secretary of EFI, and Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India of the central government’s support in curbing violence against Christians in the state.

Another delegation led by Orissa state Christian leaders met Gov. Rameshwar Thakur with the same objectives. The Rt. Rev. Samson Das and attorney Bibhu Dutta Das were also among those who met with the Orissa governor today.

In Kolkata, the All-India Minority Forum today condemned the attack on churches in Orissa and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Patnaik for his “failure” to protect religious minorities in his state.

“We condemn in unequivocal terms the incident of burning alive people who belong to the Christian community by Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists, and armed attacks on churches in Orissa,” Forum President Idris Ali said.

‘Kill Christians’

The violence has spread even though church leaders across the country condemned the Hindu priest’s killing and appealed for peace.

The VHP and its allies had called for a 12-hour shutdown to protest the killing of the swami, and Christian leaders expected Hindu mobs would use it to mobilize strikes at the Christian community.

“But what has taken place has even surpassed what we expected,” said one pastor who wished to remain anonymous.

Hindu extremists paraded the body of Saraswati throughout nearby villages, whipping up anger and mobilizing crowds against Christians, in uncontested defiance of a Kandhamal district administration prohibition against the gathering of four or more people. Among the slogans shouted was, “Kill Christians and destroy their institutions.”

In spite of an Orissa state-imposed curfew, crowds violated restrictions and proceeded to attack Christian communities throughout the state. Compass has received reports that the violence has spread to the districts of Gajapati, Phulbani, Nuaparha, Kalahandi, Rayagada and Koraput.

The Orissa Legislative Assembly was disturbed for the second consecutive day at the various calls for the resignation of Chief Minister Patnaik.

Christians make up 2.4 percent of Orissa’s population, or 897,861 of the total 36.7 million people.  

Report from Compass Direct News

NEW DELHI, August 25 (Compass Direct News) – The killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP) leader Swamiji Laxmanananda Saraswati and four associates by suspected Maoists on Saturday night (August 23) led to renewed anti-Christian attacks in Orissa state, with churches torched and two people burned alive.

Accusing local Christians of killing their leader, Hindu extremists set an orphanage on fire in Khuntapali village in Barhgarh district, burning a Catholic nun to death, according to the All India Christian Council. The attack on the orphanage in Khuntapali, 250 miles west of the state capital of Bhubaneswar, also left a priest at the orphanage hospitalized with severe burns.

Over the weekend, VHP extremists in Nuagon, Kandhamal district burned alive a man suffering from paralysis, whose identity and religious affiliation were still unknown at press time, and assaulted pastors.

The Indian Express reported that a mob torched a house in Nuagaon near Pasara outpost in Chakapada area last night. The paralytic man stranded inside the house reportedly burned to death.

The Hindu extremists also launched arson attacks on at least 10 churches, several prayer houses, shops and vehicles in various parts of the eastern state.

Numerous Christians have fled to jungles to save their lives, according to the AICC, which has written to the federal internal minister demanding security for the community.

Saraswati allegedly incited the attacks on Christians and their property in Kandhamal during last Christmas season. The violence lasted for more than a week beginning December 24, and killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches.

The attacks were allegedly carried out mainly by VHP extremists under the pretext of avenging an alleged attack on Saraswati by local Christians. Hundreds of Christians were displaced by the violence in Kandhamal, and they are still in various relief camps set up by the state government.

Maoists Suspected

At around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday (August 23), around 30 armed men carrying sophisticated rifles and AK-47s launched an attack on Saraswati’s ashram (religious center) in the Jalespata area in Kandhamal’s Tumudiband Block, killing five people, including Saraswati, reported CNN-IBN news channel.

A warning letter found at the Saraswati religious center and the use of expensive arms suggested Maoists were behind the attack. Christian groups, including the Global Council of Indian Christians, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the AICC, and the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) condemned the killing of Saraswati and his associates.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a partner in the state’s ruling coalition led by the Biju Janata Dal party, and the VHP called for 12-hour a strike in which inflammatory speeches were made accusing Christians of killing Saraswati.

“Swamiji [Saraswati] was opposed to religious conversion taking place in various parts of Orissa,” BJP state leader Suresh Pujari told Press Trust of India. “Those opposed to Swamiji’s anti-conversion activities killed him.”

On Sunday, the Kandhamal district administration imposed a curfew in all sensitive areas in Kandhamal and issued orders prohibiting the gathering of four or more people throughout the district.

All borders of the district were also sealed. Defying the orders, VHP extremists took Saraswati’s funeral procession from the Jalespata religious center to the main ashram in Chakapada, covering around 70 kilometers (44 miles), apparently to incite violence. According to media reports, they launched attacks on Christian institutions along the way.

“A large number of supporters of Laxmanananda entered the district headquarter town of Phulbani in violation of curfew restrictions on their way to Chakapada and targeted churches and houses,” Kandhamal District Collector (administrative head) Krishan Kumar told The Indian Express newspaper.

Numerous Attacks

The newspaper also reported that two police officers suffered injuries when they tried to prevent the mob from attacking churches, prayer halls, houses and vehicles on the route of the procession.

Eyewitnesses told the newspaper that a Baptist church and its parsonage, a Roman Catholic church, three houses and some vehicles were attacked by the extremists in Phulbani town, the district headquarters. Nine shops and two vehicles were also torched in Raikia, and two jeeps in Udayagiri.

In Nuagaon, Kandhamal district, Hindu extremists reportedly gang-raped a young Catholic nun of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar diocese working with the Jan Vikas Kendra social service center before destroying the building.

John Dayal of the AICC reported that less than a kilometer away from the social service center, a senior priest and nun were injured when Hindu extremists attacked the facility. Calling for their blood, Hindu extremists took the director of the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Kanjimendi, known only as Father Thomas, and a nun to a local police station, then set the center on fire.

The Pioneer newspaper reported that VHP extremists burned a small thatched prayer house on Saturday night in Tentulijhari area in Sundargarh district.

EFI reported that pastor Jeebaratna Lima of the Believer’s Church from Khurda district was attacked on Sunday while he was going to his church to conduct the prayer service. The mob almost set him on fire after spraying him with gas, but police arrived in time to save him.

Another Believer’s Church pastor, Bahumulya Paik, was attacked the same day in Bamunidei village in Ganjam district.

The violence continued today. The VHP and its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal, with the support of the BJP enforced a dawn-to-dusk closure across the state, organizing numerous protests and road and rail blockades and launching more attacks.

As a precautionary measure, the state government ordered closure of all schools and colleges. According to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), the protestors today attacked more than 10 churches and dozens of vehicles in different parts of the state and clashed with police in some places.

According to the EFI report, a Believers Church was also vandalized in Chandrasekharpur area in the state capital, Bhubaneswar.

“It was a spontaneous response of the people to the shutdown,” national coordinator of the Bajrang Dal, Subash Chauhan, claimed while speaking to IANS.

While the district administration has suspended the officer-in-charge of the Tumudiband police station, Orissa state chief minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a judicial probe into the incident and announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees (US$4,617) to the next of kin of the deceased.

The population of Kandhamal is 600,000, which includes around 150,000 Christians.

According to The Pioneer, police have arrested three Christians in connection with Saraswati’s murder, but at press time police had not confirmed the report.

Report from Compass Direct News

"Don Piper: False Prophet! By David J. Stewart http://onetruegod.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/don-piper-false-prophet/

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” —2nd Corinthians 11:3-4

  Don Piper (born 1950) is a Baptist minister, who on January 18, 1989 was involved in a tragic automobile wreck with a tractor-trailer. Paramedics on the scene pronounced Piper as being dead. Piper claims to have gone to Heaven, where he was reunited with loved ones, but did not claim to have met Jesus Christ there. Within an hour after the accident, another Baptist minister reportedly came to the scene, claiming he was prompted by God to pray for Piper. Ninety minutes after dying, Don came back to life, and he faced a long, grueling recovery involving 34 surgeries. After the ordeal, Piper decided to write 90 Minutes in Heaven, a book describing his Near-Death Experience, which has become a NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. The book has already sold over 1,600,000 copies.

 On his website, Don Piper introduces himself with these words: “Best–selling author, speaker, actor, syndicated columnist, former CBS & CBN Television network executive, former youth minister, education minister, senior adult minister, Baptist Student Ministry director, long-time single adult pastor and senior pastor…

 Piper is in great demand in pulpits across the United States and around the world as a conference leader on effective prayer ministry, the reality of Heaven, single adult issues and as an evangelist. He has led revival meetings and seminars all over North America and Europe. Don Piper is a dynamic speaker and the author of New York Times bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven - a True Story of Death and Life…
Now in its 35th printing, 90 Minutes in Heaven has sold more than 1.6 million copies in the United States. It also is enjoying worldwide success as a bestseller in Sweden, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom.”

 Although I certainly sympathize with Mr. Piper’s tragic accident and painful recovery period, I am compelled as a God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian to expose him for the false prophet that he is.

Hebrews 1:2 Teaches that God Speaks to us Through His Son

Hebrews 1:1-2 states: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…” It is through the Word of God which God speaks to us, for Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-3,14; Revelation 19:13). Jesus is the Living Word; the Bible is the Written Word. " ( This is only a partial truth now in itself too)

for next the same Jesus Teaches that God Speaks to us Through His Holy Spirit

(John 14:17 KJV)  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

(John 15:26 KJV)  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

(John 16:13 KJV)  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

(1 John 4:6 KJV)  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We all do still need to judge, everything we read and hear, no matter who the speaker, writer now still is as well.. and compare it to the Bible still too.

Now we are all entitled to our right of free speech..

It is true that instead of being “relevant,” most of our Christian churches and Preachers  have mostly become a mirror of the wordly  culture’s infatuation with power, prestige, position, possessions, and prominence, instead of being “servants of God ”   embodying a different way! A church  now also with all of the overboard revival police and the toothless, pretentious watch dogs trying to get their own glory, attention, 5 minutes of fame.

 Most preachers who sell the gospel for money tend to be still false themselves too.

It is also true that one can test the real spirituality of a preacher as to how he treats the salvation of the Jews and also the poor people now too!

http://witnessed.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/jews-and-their-own-need-of-salvation-by-jesus-christ-still-too/

http://witnessed.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/zionism-zionists/