Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Thursday, November 23, 2023
The awe and wonder of birthdays
I do not really enjoy most birthday
parties: people come together for food, give presents to whosoever’s birthday is
celebrated, and wish him or her a “Happy Birthday”. In Christian circles we
might add a short prayer, asking God to bless that person throughout the coming
year. Now, there is nothing wrong with good food, presents and prayers. But if
that is all there is, the occasion remains like a celebration of a rich harvest
without thanking the One who makes all things grow; it is like looking at
nature, marveling at the countless species of animals and plants without ever thinking
of the one who created them; like delighting in a symphony without honoring its
composer or like being impressed by a magnificent building without realizing that
there must be an architect who drew the plans. It sounds silly, but that is
exactly what we tend to do. We worship created things rather than the Creator!
David, the great king of Israel, had
a different perspective. He prayed:
“For you,
LORD, created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your
works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14
Every birthday should be a Thanksgiving Day, an opportunity to thank God for creating an absolutely perfect, miraculous
human being, made in his own image, so precious to him that he gave his own son
to die on a cross in order to redeem us from the powers of darkness, pride and
evil that try to keep us from everything our souls long for - from the moment we are conceived until we die.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, angels
appeared in the sky, gave glory to God and challenged the shepherds in the
field to do so as well. I think that every birth is surrounded by great awe
and wonder in heaven, no matter whether the newborn is male or female, whether
it is Asian or Caucasian, born in or out of wedlock, into poverty or riches and
no matter whether it is born to Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Atheist or Buddhist
parents, may they live in Gaza or in China, on the Red Sea or the Black one: A
new soul, a unique personality with needs, dreams and a deep longing to be
loved and to love has been born!
Therefore, instead of just wishing each
other a “Happy Birthday", let us celebrate our birthdays by thanking God and
by worshipping Him, our maker, for giving us a brother/sister, friend,
neighbor, … - a gift He and we can delight in.
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Hear, O Israel!
When the nation of Israel was founded 75 years ago, many people thought it would be the long desired safe haven for the Jewish people. However, on October 7th 2023, the world woke up to the reality that even the best, most powerful military equipment, paired with the best intelligence services in the world were not able to provide the hoped for, impenetrable shelter for its citizens. The Bible promises Israel only one safe haven, and that is not the "Iron Dome", but it is the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). If you really want to help Israel and if you want to see true peace come to the Middle East, you should pray for Israel to turn to the LORD:
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD alone! Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Fear the LORD your God, serve him only, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land"
(Deuteronomy 6:4.13-15).
The overwhelming majority of the worldwide about 14 million Jews, still reject the Messiah, the One whom the LORD sent to be the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. Remarkably, the rejection of Jesus is the one thing that Israel has in common with all Muslims. This hatred of Jesus will eventually somehow unite Jews and Muslims (and all other gentiles), but only when they turn to Jesus will Jews and Muslims be able to make true peace with one another. We, the church, are the only ones who can call both sides to turn to Jesus, and thus be reconciled with God. His love and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus are the only powers that can wipe away the hatred in the hearts of people. So let us not talk about Israel´s "right to defend itself" (it certainly has this right, but, as the Bible teaches, God´s people should not take revenge, but leave room for God´s wrath!), and neither let us speculate about "political solutions" for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - there is none. True peace is only found in Jesus Christ!
Friday, October 28, 2022
The Apotheosis of George Washington
Friday, August 5, 2022
Following Jesus?
If the Jesus whom you are following has not led you to the Father:
STOP FOLLOWING HIM!
Jesus said: "I am the way the truth and the life, nobody comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6). Jesus´ heart is to bring those whom he loves to get to know his Father. Many have gone out claiming that they are Jesus, the Christ who was to come to reconcile man to God. If your Jesus has not introduced you to the Father, he is not the real thing, but a demon masquerading as an angel of light, or a human construct, for the best. Satan will be content as long as you think that you are following Jesus. The real Jesus, however, will deliver what he promised: He will bring you to the Father - and you will KNOW that you know Him! So:
Stop following the wrong guy and the wrong people, no matter, whom they claim to be and how long they have been around, because they themselves do not know the Father!
We are told to test the spirits (1. John 4:1) - so you will not offend the real Jesus by testing him, but the fake one, posing as the real one, will have to show his real face to you. Just tell him to pack and leave, and determine to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, expecting him to bring you into the Father´s presence - that´s why he came and died on the cross for!
Monday, June 13, 2022
Abuse in the Catholic church
Germany: Study uncovers widespread sexual abuse in Münster diocese
A university study found at least 610 underage victims were abused by clergy in the western German diocese. With many cases going unreported, researchers estimate the actual number of victims could be 10 times as high. READ MORE
Praying for priests, kids and adult members of the Roman Catholic Church again today.
My heart
breaks about news like this, because I know how easy it is to be tempted and to
fall in this area. I know the father-heart of God for the victims, as well as the
mercy that´s available for those who fell. But I also know that there will be
severest judgment for all who do not repent and those who cover up these atrocities.
As for the
Catholic Church as a whole, each case like this is another step towards its
certain, prophesied complete destruction through the very God whom it claims to
represent. Within one hour it will be destroyed, so if you are still in it: come
out of her, or you will partake in her destruction!
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Putin, the Orthodox church and nationalism in Russia and elsewhere
You can also view the video and read the article at www.aljazeera.com
My comment:
As President of Russia and former KGB-agent in communist times, you would expect Vladimir Putin to be an atheist. This video from Aljazeera shows a different picture. It examines the relationship between the Russian Orthodox church and the Russian government, and takes a close look at a very nationalistic movement that aims to revive the Russian empire to former glory. Sounds familiar? Right - it sounds like "Make America great again", just under a different flag. It might just explain the disturbing Trump-Putin connection. It certainly does illustrate what happens if the church embraces the use of weapons and force for whatever reason: It can no longer be distinguished from any other secular stream in societies, and ultimately even leads to one part of the "church" fighting wars against another. It is a church without any spiritual power, striving for the things of this world, not compelling any onlooker to repent and turn to Christ, because Jesus is not in it whatsoever. All that´s left is a sense of moral superiority and a wrong sense of being the cure to the problems of the world, while nothing could be further from the truth!