JNM * Gods Work Ministry E-Mail
From: Dwayne Savaya [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gods Work Ministry Inspirational and Encouragement E-Mail Dear Friend, The Goodness of Almighty God is shown towards all humanity as He waits patiently for all persons to recognize they have fallen short of God's Glory and in need of His forgiveness and redemption. Deep in our hearts we know that we have broken God's Commandments. In our lifetime, we have all lied, stolen, blasphemed the name of God, committed adultery in our hearts and that is only Four of the Ten Commandments that God has given to mankind. The Bible says the person who breaks one of these laws is guilty of breaking them all. We are guilty of sin, but the good news is the Blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross of Calvary to redeem mankind will cleanse us from our unrighteousness and make us clean before God the Father. Jesus died for you when I and all we have to do to receive Eternal Life is repent of our sins and trust in and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God has made Salvation simple so let us trust and rest in His finished work. (Exodus 20:1-17) (Matthew 5:27-28) (2 Peter 3:9) (James 2:10-12) I hope today's message ministers to your heart to accept the free gift of Salvation for yourself and know that it is God's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. (Luke 12:31-32) THE SECRETS OF HEAVEN AND HELL The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation, he sat. Suddenly his peace was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell! At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second. You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell? replied the monk at last. You who are so unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell? The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders. That is hell, said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent. In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears. And that, said the monk, is heaven. By John W. Groff We are to recognize that we have sinned against a Holy God and in need of redemption. The Bible says that when sin is finished, it brings forth death. Without God's forgiveness, we are all guilty of breaking the laws of God and we will receive righteous judgment. The good news is God is willing to forgive and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. The Bible declares in Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Without God's forgiveness, there is no redemption and if there is no redemption then there is no salvation. (Psalm 51:1-4) (James 1:13-17) (Acts 2:38) I encourage you to acknowledge your sin and trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has done all the work for mankind to be saved from their sins. He died on the Cross taking the sins of humanity upon Himself so that we might be forgiven of our iniquities. The Bible declares in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We deserve death and hell, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift that is offered to all mankind, but you must receive it for yourself. (1 John 1:8-10) (John 19:30) (Ephesians 2:8-10) (Acts 4:12) Read and meditate on these scriptures: 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 5:8-10 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we
JNM * Will you get the mark ?; Christmas without Christ Can you kill ?
From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dear Beloved, WILL YOU GET THE MARK? 'Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.' As I listened, he said to the others, 'Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion' (Ezekiel 9:4-5, NIV). The people of Israel were rebellious, even after God did the unimaginable thing to them - sending them to exile. They rejected their God who chose them out of all the nations to be priestly nation for Him. They disobeyed Him in all the laws and commandments He gave them. They forsook the covenant they made with Him and followed the gods of other nations. Therefore, God decided to punish all these rebellious people by killing them. However, before He did this, He commanded that a man should put a mark on the forehead of every one that was still faithful to Him. As this man was marking them, He commanded other men to destroy all others that did not have the mark. This reminds me of the blood on the doorpost of the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when the destroying angel was killing the first-born children of the Egyptians. It also reminds me of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb, which is on every Christian. Nevertheless, those are not my emphasis here. In a world that is full of all atrocities in the name of civilization or globalization, can you be distinguished as somebody who grieves about these atrocities? Or are you one of those that are encouraging them? It is a pity that the bug of this so-called civilization has bitten most of the Christians, even, ministers of God! The world has crept into the church, and the church is becoming worldlier every day. If God visit churches today, will He mark you out as He marked Lot out in Sodom? Peter recorded about Lot as a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) (2 Peter 2:7-8, NIV). Will you get the mark? In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). == From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dear Beloved, CHRISTMAS WITHOUT CHRIST She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21, NIV). I was coming home from my working place that day when I saw a place full of celebration. A brewery company is organizing a Christmas show. Beer and all sorts of alcoholic drinks were free for every one that attended the show. The place was full of young men and women and even some elderly ones that came to enjoy the show. There was no place for Christ - the reason for Christmas - in the show for it was organized to promote the products of the brewery company. As I was passing by the place, I was thinking within me of all the funs that normally accompany the Christmas season. Why are we doing all these funs? Are they purposely for Jesus Christ? Have we not turned the season to a season to gratify our selfish desires? It is good that a period of the year is set aside to celebrate His birth. Do we really focus on Jesus Christ who is the reason for Christmas? Do not celebrate this Christmas without Jesus Christ. He has come to save us. Paul said, [Jesus Christ] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:14, NIV). Have you been saved by Him? As you celebrate this Christmas, think of how you will lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ so that they also will not be celebrating Christmas without Christ. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). === From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dear Beloved, CAN YOU KILL? Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. (Matthew 5:21-22a, KJV). Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him (1 John 3:15, NIV). We were having our supper that evening when my four-year-old son asked his mother: Mummy, can you kill? His mother quickly answered, No, I cannot kill, but I can bless people. I tried to help my son by modifying the question, Killing what? My son clarified himself by saying that he meant killing animals. My dear wife still corroborated her earlier answer that she cannot kill even a small rat! As I was reflecting on the dialogue, I realized that many people might not be able to kill even a small rat like my wife. However, such people have killed, and are still killing, many people by their hatred thoughts and actions. The Bible says, Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. (1
JNM * Siapa yang membuat agama The original Our Father
From: redemptus be hariana Temin-temin milis, nimbrung dikit.ya Apa itu agama? Secara harafiah, kata agama berasal dari bahasa Sansekerta dan berdasar analisis linguistik, ada dua jenis penjelasan: Menurut Kitab Samdarigama: agama berasal dari suku kata a-gam-a; a sebagai awalan berarti tidak, gam berarti pergi atau berjalan, sedang a sebagai akhiran menunjukkan sifat. Sehingga secara etimologis, agama menunjuk pada arti keadaan tidak pergi, tetap dan kekal Dengan demikian, agama dipahami sebagai pedoman menuju kekekalan Menurut Kitab Sunarigama: Kata agama terdiri dari suku kata a-ga-ma; a berarti hampa atau kosong, ga berarti tempat dan ma berarti terang, matahari. Walaupun paduan kata ini tidak jelas memberi arti, namun kemudian ditafsirkan sebagai pengajaran yang menguraikan tata cara yang semuanya penuh misteri karena Tuhan dianggap bersifat rahasia. Kemudian ensiklopedi Indonesia memberi enam buah pengertian dariu kata agama tersebut: a. hubungan manusia dengan kekuasaan di luar dirinya dan diluar pengalamannya b. kelompok kepercayaan yang berdasar pada wahyu Tuhan c. kebiasaan-kebiasaan, tradisi berdasarkan ajaran kitab suci. d. kepercayaan dan kesadaran manusia akan adanya Tuhan YME e. hukum dan juga jalan f. (menurut penafsiran umat Islam) agama adalah apa yang disyari'atkan Allah dengan perantaraan nabi-nabiNya. Sementara dalam Gereja (Barat), agama dinamai Religio, Religione, Religion, Goddienst; definisinya antara lain aga,a adalah suatu keutamaan yang membimbing manusia untuk mengunjukkan hormat bakti yang sepatutnya kepada-Nya. Secara umum, agama dimengerti sebagai hubungan antara manusia dengan suatu kekuasaan luar atau relasi manusia dengan sesuatu yang di luar pengalamannya. Kekuasaan itu bersifat suci dan menumbuhkan rasa takluk dalam diri manusia dan malah menarik manusia kepadanya. Dan dalamhidup manusia, sang kuasa itu menjadi tumpuan dan harapan, bukit batu, pokok kepercayaan, dan karenanya patut dihormati dan dicintai. Secara umum pula terdapat 4 ciri agama, yakni: a. manusia percaya kepada Yang Mahakuasa (iman) b. ada upacara suci (ritus) dengan terjalinnya hubungan Yang Ilahi (ibadat/liturgi) c. ada ajaran tentang Yang Ilahi itu (doktrin) d. ada sikap hidup dari para penganutnya (moral) Orang-orang atau manusia yag sepaham kemudian menjalin relasi dengan Sang Mahakuasa, Yang Ilahi dengan membentuk persekutuan atau kelompok dengan segala tatacara dan aturannya agar jalinan relasi dengan yang di luar diri itu tetap terjamin dan teratur. Dalam perkembangannya, manusia membeda-bedakakan agama atas; agama pewahyuan, agama alamiah, dan agama yang dihasilakan oleh pemikiran manusia. Agama pewahyuan, adalah relasi dengan Yang Mahakuasa yang terjalin, karena ada wahyu dari Yang Kuasa tadi (Yahudi, Kristen, Islam) Agama alamiah muncul karena dalam benda-benda alam dirasakan suatu kekuatan dahsyat (agama-agama purba, agama rakyat/tradisional) Agama hasil pemeikiran manusia aalah agama yang timbul karena kesadaran budi akan adanya kuasa istimewa yang melingkuni manusia, yang bisa memberi jawaban atas pertanyaan dan permasalahan manusia. (Sidharta Gautama) Kalau mas Handoko, mempertanyakan siapa yang membuat agama? kemudian dijawab adalah Tuhan. Mungkin pertanyaan lanjutannya adalah Siapakah Tuhan itu? manusiakah, mamonkah, bendakah? dan seterusnya Bagaimana dengan Agama Kristen. Dari catatan-catatan sewaktu mengikuti Kursus Katekis Paroki yang saya temukan, dikatakan sebagai berikut : bahwa Agama Kristen adalah agama pewahyuan, karena umat Kristen (termasuk saya dan semoga teman-temin milis pun) percaya bahwa Allah membuka komunikasi dengan umat manusia lewat kata dan perbuatanNya yang memuncak dalam diri Yesus Kristus, Putra-Nya. Kata dan perbuatan Allah ini dalam sejarah penyelamatan tertuang dalam Kitab Suci Orang Kristen. Trusapa kekhasannya Agama Kristen? Karl Rahner, mencoba mendata kekhasan itu sebagai berikut: a. Agama Kristen memandang dirinya sebagai agam universal, diperuntukkan bagi segenap umat manusia. Maka dapat dimengerti bahwa termasuk misi Orang Kristen adalah membawa berita keselamatan kepada seluruh lapisan masyarakat di seantero jagat raya ini hingga akhir zaman (bdk. Mat. 28:16-20) Agama Kristen berpegang teguh bahwa dalam dirinya terjalin relasi yang benar antara Allah (sang Mahakuasa dan Kudus) dengan manusia, sebab relasi itu dibangun oleh Allah sendiri. b. Agama Kristen adalah agama historis yang diwahyukan. Ini berarti hal-hal nyata yang disajikan dan kebenaran yang diwartakannya berada di dunia ini, terjadi dalam kurun waktu dan tempat yang secara konkret berkembang (merekah) dalam diri Yesus Kristus. c. Agama Kristen adalah agama dogmatis sebab memiliki ajaran kepercayaan yang dibakukan dalam bahasa manusia. Kebenaran-kebenaran yangtelah dirumuskan tidak berubah aatau lekang dalam perubahan-peubahan sejarah tetapi pengungkapannya bisa smakin diperjelas sesuai dengan kondisi dn
