This guy must be a joke;

Saw this on Brian Houston's blog. The popular American Hillsong Pastor. So i decided to share it with Nairaland. To know more of the truth in God's word and how abounding God Love is towards us all, regardless of us.


I love and care about people – from all walks of life; people with various beliefs, ethics, perspectives and lifestyles. I care that humanity and some within the Christian church can be so quick to alienate and ostracise others who are different than them; those who live differently, think differently, speak differently.

I also live by my own convictions, and hold to traditional Christian thought on gay lifestyles and gay marriage. I do believe God’s word is clear that marriage is between a man and a woman. The writings of the apostle Paul in scripture on the subject of homosexuality are also clear, as I have mentioned in previous public statements.

Hillsong Church welcomes ALL people but does not affirm all lifestyles. Put clearly, we do not affirm a gay lifestyle and because of this we do not knowingly have actively gay people in positions of leadership, either paid or unpaid. I recognise this one statement alone is upsetting to people on both sides of this discussion, which points to the complexity of the issue for churches all over the world.

I love and accept people on a personal level and if I lived next to a gay couple I would treat them with the same embrace I would any other neighbour because – surprise, surprise – not all my neighbours think like me. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness. I may totally disagree with you on what will bring people true happiness, and I will always teach and preach according to my personal convictions and the teachings of scripture, but I cannot make other people’s choices for them – and quite frankly, I don’t want to. That’s not my job. Even God created humanity with a free will.

The western world is seemingly moving quickly toward gay marriage being universally legalised, so how does that affect us as a church, and how does it affect the various individual members of Hillsong Church? I believe we can quite comfortably continue to function within that environment, presuming we are not forced through legislation to compromise our own convictions. Gay marriage is already legalised in many places where Hillsong Church exists, and we are functioning well and without impediment.

Everyone is welcome at Hillsong church except for known predators, those who are disruptive, or those who have adversarial agendas.

So if you are gay, are you welcome at Hillsong Church? Of course! You are welcome to attend, worship with us, and participate as a congregation member with the assurance that you are personally included and accepted within our community. But (this is where it gets vexing), can you take an active leadership role? No.

This won’t make everyone happy and to some, this stance may even be seen as hypocritical. We are a gay welcoming church but we are not a church that affirms a gay lifestyle.

I began this conversation with, “I love and care about people – from all walks of life; people with various beliefs, ethics, perspectives and lifestyles. I care that humanity and some within the Christian church can be so quick to alienate and ostracise others who are different than them; those who live differently, think differently, speak differently.” Bobbie and I were in an elevator today with a Saudi Arabian woman dressed in Muslim attire. We had a conversation in those few moments and her face lit up with the biggest, warmest smile. As she left we said to each other, ‘what a lovely lady’. Does that mean I now endorse her religion? No it doesn’t, but if she was my neighbour I would definitely invite her over for a cup of tea, or be there for her if she was in need.

I care about people and yes, I do have gay friends. Jesus had many friends that angered the religious and brought him condemnation from many. He endorsed a humble sinner and condemned a self-righteous Pharisee. He would be the same if His time on earth as a man was in our generation, confronted with the social issues we face and are forced to address today.

If God had wanted to condemn the world He would have sent a condemner. But He didn’t, He wanted to save the world so He sent a Saviour. John 3:17.

Love,

Brian



Source: http://hillsong.com/collected/blog/2015/08/do-i-love-gay-people/#.VdwWXfkYpdu

Very easy in Grace... You want to find out how?

delectablegyal:
Sincerely, I understand the pressure for sex that singles go through. There are many forces yelling and yearning for sex that come against singles;

1.Your hormone get hungry for sex because of the physiological changes your body go through from time to time. Its much even stronger when you are in your ovulation season. For those who don’t know, ovulation is when females produce eggs that are ready for fertilisation by the male spermatozoa and ovulation usually takes place between 7-12 days after the menstrual cycle if your monthly period is regular.

2.It is tough when you are ‘due’ for marriage but yet single. It is a different experience for those who have chosen to be eunuchs (celibate) for the rest of their lives. At least you would have counted the cost before deciding so. But not so for those who for no choice of theirs are waiting for when God will bring their partner their way and they can walk the aile with their God-given partner and subsequently get sexual satisfaction from their spouses.

3.It is tough when sex is the price you have to pay to sustain your sex-demanding fellow single partner. When your partner (or both of you don’t) does not even blush because you lack values and bereft of Christian virtues, anything goes.

4.It is tough when sex is the price you have to pay for promotion at your work place. If you happen to work in a perverse work environment where sex is part of the KPI (Key performance Index) considered for promotion, you got to be able to hold your head when others have lost theirs. I pray God set you free from bondage of such employers or bosses.

Also, if the following are your habit you will have a formidable pressure for sex to contend with;

A. Habit of watching porn– If you are in the habit of watching blue films (or porn films) you are sowing a very evil seed in your heart and in a short time the seeds you sow will germinate into hormonal charge for sex. What you watch will create an indelible picture in your heart and in no time you want to begin to practise what your eyes have captured. There is nothing bad with the internet or television, it is what we watch or do with them that matter.

B.Habit of dressing seductively-Your dress is a reflection of your person. Many female singles wear clothes that present them as sex objects in the name of fashion. You wear clothes that reveal your privates and you wonder why ‘’flies’’ follow you. One day a young lady told me; ‘’I can barely walk any where without all kinds of guys throwing passes at me for affairs’’. Well, I knew her well and I told her to change her clothes that often pop up her cleavages and see if that experience will continue. Ofcourse they stopped following her. The more attractive you present yourself, the more you are under the pressure of people demanding sex from you.

C.Habit of Touching each other– If you are in the habit of touching each other seductively, then you will have temptation for sex to contend with. Touching is the preliminaries to the main the main event (sex). Once you participate in preliminaries, it may not be easy to say no to the ‘main event’.

D.Habit of staying together for too long in a lonely place– Its good to spend time together with your fiancee or fiance but spend time together for the right reasons and not for the wrongest of reasons.
Haven highlighted some of the sources of pressure for sex that singles encounter, my focus in this piece is for those that fall in category 1-3 above. How do you say no when your hormones are demanding for sex and your Pastor kept drumming it in your ears that it is fornication, as the Bible calls it? Does your Pastor know what you are going through? Not sure if God also knows?

Friends, God knows what you are going through and that is why Apostle Paul says;
“But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them to remain even as I am;but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion’’
1 Corinthians 7 Vs 8-9

Ok, from above scripture, marriage seem to be the solution to burning with passion right? But how do you hold yourself before you marry is what is our subject. So, how do you say no?

HOW TO SAY NO
Let us look at practical things you can do that can help you to say no when your hormones say go;

1.Feed Your mind– The greatest battle man face in life begins from the mind. Our minds influence and inflame our thought and thought pattern. Subsequently thought becomes action and action become habits. The mind is 100% gabbage in gabbage out!

There two types of mind that operates in every human being;

1.The Carnal Mind– If you are yet to be regenerated, that is, you are yet to believe in the Lordship of Jesus, your mind will be carnal.
This is mind that is set on the things of the flesh. When you live according to the dictates of your flesh and hormones you have a carnal mind. And a carnal mind leads to only one place, DEATH- Romans 8 Vs

2.The Spiritual Mind– This is the mind available to those who live on the things of the Spirit. What are the things of the Spirit? Having a functional relationship with God will give one an insight into what God wants and how by His help we can fulfil God’s plans. God’s plans are written in His Word in the Bible. An understanding of what God wants and what Christ lived and died for will help fine tune ones spirit to focus on the things of the spirit. If you focus on the things of the Spirit you will have a spiritual mind and ultimately have life and peace- Romans 8 Vs 6-7

The Spiritual mind serve the law of God while the Carnal mind serve the law of sin- Romans 7 Vs 25
All kinds of conflict will be going round and round your mind if you have not given your life to Jesus and you have not matured through the Help of the Holy Spirit. So, you need to surrender your life to Jesus by accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour and then form the habit of feeding your mind with the Word of God as regularly as possible.

1.Feed Your spirit– After you have given your life to Jesus by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, you need to feed your spirit regularly with the Word of God and by constant fellowship. Oh dear, you got to stop this your Sunday Sunday reading of the Bible. You got to form the habit of reading your Bible as regularly as possible. Man (and woman) dies first spiritually before physical death. Physical death is when your heart stops pumping blood, spiritual death is when your spirit is no longer in sync over time with the Holy Spirit! While physical death can be sudden or gradual. Spiritual death is usually gradual!
‘’For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter’’Romans 7 Vs 5-6
‘’And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit’’Galatians 5 Vs 24-25
Everytime you are online and you go and read gossips and all kinds of websites or blogs that pollute your mind and spirit, you are not helping your Spiritual growth. That is why you think sex and indulge in sex even when some of you don’t want to!

1.Avoid staying too long together in a lonely place and at odd times-Yes you are in courtship. Yes your family know the two of you together. Yes everybody know the two of you together but the truth is that both of you are not yet couple. So, you cannot indulge in what God approved for couples. The more you avoid staying together in a lonely place and at odd times, the more you are able to avoid fornication!

2.Dress well– My dear, dress like a Christian that you profess to be. These your revealing tops often send a wrong message about your person and your intention. Stop visiting your fiance and wearing clothes that are seductive. Men (without self-control) are moved by what they see!

3.Keep your courtship short– It is common practise that some people in marriage intended relationship go through long courtship. This long courtship sometimes is self-imposed because you want to have a talk of the town wedding, you keep your courtship long while working out the wedding finance. It is not advisable that your courtship exceed 6 months for people who just knew each other and 3 months for those who have known each other over a considerable long time. The longer your courtship, the stronger the temptation for sex!

4.Deliberately Keep yourself Busy– The busier you are the less you think of sex. When better positive things occupy your mind, you have less time to consider the dictations of your hormones.
Friends, happy are you if you take to these golden advise in the above write-up. God did not forbid sex for mankind. It is who we do it with and when, that we should watch!

Source: http://adegboyegailori.com/singles-and-sex-how-do-i-say-no-when-my-hormones-say-go/


Lalasticlala, thank you.

musKeeto:
Better worship a god that loves crackers. Not the one that became his own Son and killed himself. For himself .

He died for you because He Loves you. To give you freedom from the powers of darkness. God loves you sooo much than you love yourself.

ifeness:


jesus the bastard?

God loves you still. His Love for you is unconditional.

You don't put smile on God's face by what you do or what you didn't do. He's always happy with us in CHRIST JESUS. God's Love for us is unconditional. If His Love for us is according to our deed, nobody will qualify including you because our human body is not perfect yet.

Nothing, I REPEAT, NOTHING can stop God from loving or smilling at us (Romams 8:32, 35). The only thing that can disqualify you is not embracing the death of JESUS CHRIST FOR US. So what you should say is;

The kind of people that put smiles on God's face always, are the people that ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR. Simple

Thanks

emusmith:
Really, it's not like parents love one child more than the other but sometimes they enjoy the presence of the former to the latter. 1 Chron. 28:4: God LIKED David to make him king. He loves the world but He LIKES some folks. May we do what will qualify us to be among His liked ones.


From Scriptures, the Bible mentioned several persons who did make God smile, so to speak. Yes, God does smile and laugh too.

It's paramount you know that as human, you might not necessarily meet up all of these but at least, you should be on the move to becoming some.

Before some attribute these to just "works", I should say that, the faith that leaves God and Grace to do all the job is an Irresponsible faith- Paul said, I laboured more than they all. Christianity is not a call onto laziness but to work (As Adam did in the garden)

Quickly:

10 Kinds Of Christians That Puts A Smile On God's Face.


1. The Believing Ones

Believing is Faith in action. Mike Murdock noted, "nothing excites God more than when we believe Him and nothing hurts him more than when we doubt Him". Hebrews 11:6, Without faith, we can't please God. Believing God is the Number One to putting a smile on Jesus.



2. The Merciful/ Forgiving Ones

You remember that unmerciful servant in the Bible? His master had mercy on him and forgave his debt but he couldn't reciprocate that to his neighbour. God had mercy on us and went out of His way by sending His Son- Jesus. He smiles when we get out of our cocoons to helping others.



3. The Grateful Ones

Being grateful is being thankful. When we are truly grateful, we give thanks to God. When only that blind man discovered he was healed and returned to give thanks to Jesus, he was made whole!


4. The Loving Ones

God is love. Whenever we show love to people, we resemble God in character. The truth is, I don't measure a Christian by how much he/she prays but how they love- their families, neighbours, friends etc.


5. The Cheerful Ones

Yipee! If you're truly saved, you'll be cheerful. These folks never go about with a "long face", they trust God to meet their needs and solve their problems. This is why they are always cheerful.


6. The Humble Ones

That is why God raises them (James 4:6-7). He loves them. They are not proud nor arrogant. They don't go about blowing their trumpet either. Remember Moses.


7. The Obedient Ones

They do not argue God's Word. Like Abraham, they are prompt to actually obeying God. Commands like Tithing don't bother them. They are well aware of the hazard of delayed obedience.


8. The "Soul Winning" Ones

Going about preaching the gospel is supposed to be the duty of every believer. Some now believe "displaying their body parts" can be used to "entice" and at the long run win the lost. Odikwa Risky! It's well o! Errm...that's not Soul winning sha o...That's "husband winning". Soul winning is God's business- when we do His business, He is happy.


9. The "Sincere" Ones

By "Sincere" I mean Open and Honest. Being sincere was why the Bible said, He that covers is sin shall not prosper. God is not Over Expecting from us. He knows us. Stop forming "Jackie Chan" for God. Tell Him your weaknesses because He already knows them however. This reason is why some do not confess their wrong doings. They feel asking for mercy is a sign of Babyhood. While that is kinda true, you need to know you're still a baby at least before God. When you lose your temper or lust after a girl or a guy, ask for mercy. Don't sweep it under the carpet. One can go to hell for such nonchalance and negligence. God loves those who see Him as Father/ Friend enough to be sincere to Him. He loves that.


10. The Generous Ones

This being no. 10 doesn't reduce its relevance. As a matter of truth, God loves the Cheerful giver. Every giver has a place in God's heart (Christian or not). Giving to the "needy" world makes you a man God needs. Remember Acts 10. Ananias was an unbeliever but was a giver. He gave alms frequently. God loved him so dearly and had to go draw him in to His body. That's why I know, Bill Gates and other billionaire philanthropists will soon get saved in no time. Well, you can start with your tithe and offerings.

From there, you will grow to bigger things like Seed sowing, giving to the poor, parents, prisons etc. Givers never lack because God (the owner of the blessings) makes sure they don't. Your "spirituality" isn't a substitute here! If you like, tie your ear, wear long skirt, speak in German tongues, fast for 100 days...if you're not a giver (of cash and other substances), you won't attract this kind of blessing from God.

So so so...we're not perfect, we are all getting there. May we arrive and keep improving IJN. Happy Sunday.

Chaaaiii, We have lot of kids on Nairaland. Someone is talking about equal right for you and I and most of you people are saying PDP or APC supporters. When we're suppose to have one voice to fight for equal right.

Enlightening..

The solution to that is LOVE of God... Everything will fails, but LOVE of God never fails.

Ire oooo

The outcome of the indoor meeting with Obasanjo.....Sharp people. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Can I take fruit in d morning, jump lunch nd drink pap b4 bed?

Oluwaragabomi

Imagine asking some that “what is 2day's day nd time evolution“ when it could av bn simply what's 2day's date?

Are U 18 yrs & above? Do you have a valid ID card? Can U speak English & any other language? Are U lookin for a 9am - 3pm Job with a Monthly Salary of N350,000 and a weekly allowance of N20,000? No work during weekends & u only have to work half-day on Fridays? If YOU're interested in this Job, Pls contact me with Ur full details SO THAT WE CAN LOOK FOR IT 2gda =)) =D . COS ME SEF NEED AM AS PARTIME JOB. X_X LOL

It all depend on y u wamt 2do it, but I feel it can add to ur dxperiences. Thank God u're comin 4rm uk,so u get 2choose where u'll btw Lagos nd Abuja, unlike we nigeria base, dat wil accept whereva u're posted to

Source is
http://www.naijaurban.com/principal-suspended-ogun-performing-test/

The Ogun State Government has suspended the Principal, Ajuwon Senior High School, Ajuwon, Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State, Olufunke Oladeojobi, for allegedly conducting virginity test on her pupils.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Odubela, told our correspondent on the phone on Wednesday that Principal Oladeojobi had been suspended.

Odubela said, “A five-man committee comprising officials of the Ministry of Education and the state Teaching Service Commission has been set up to investigate Oladeojobi.

“The committee has been mandated to report back to the government in 14 days. Right now, all I can tell you is that we have suspended her pending the conclusion of investigation.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that the government’s resolution came after Odubela and senior officials of the ministry quizzed the principal for over two hours on Wednesday.

A source told our correspondent that she was summoned to the ministry after the publication of the story by The PUNCH.

Our source said, “We were embarrassed when we read the story in The PUNCH on Wednesday. Immediately, relevant parastatals were asked to contact her and ensure that she appeared at the ministry.

“She was quizzed for over two hours and she denied carrying out the test. Rather, she said she only threatened the pupils.

“In view of this, we want to appeal to pupils and their parents to come forward whenever they are invited.”

Odubela, in a statement, added that the government was always concerned about the welfare and interest of students and therefore would not tolerate any act that would compromise their fundamental rights or jeopardise their future.

He said, “We equally believe in the need to maintain discipline in our schools and to follow due process in the handling of this particular case.

“We appeal to the parents of the students involved to be patient and allow us to handle the case as dictated by the law of the land and service rules.”

Oladeojobi, a reverend, was said to have on December 10 invited a nurse to the school to carry out virginity tests on a group of 10 students.

The principal, who the pupils described as a strict disciplinarian, did not seek the consent of the parents/guardians of the pupils before conducting the test.

During the test, it was alleged that the principal and the nurse whose name could not be ascertained dipped their fingers into the pupils’ private part.

But the matter got out of hand when one of the pupils started bleeding after she had been ‘tested.’

Parents of the pupils later stormed the school in protest resulting in the invitation of policemen from Ajuwon Division.

The Divisional Police Officer, Ajuwon Division, Mr. Waheed Yusuf, had on Tuesday confirmed that Oladeojobi was quizzed last week Thursday and Friday.

A police source said she confessed to carrying out the test, saying ‘she was trying to help them.’

When our correspondent contacted Oladeojobi on the telephone on Wednesday, she refused to speak on the matter.

“I don’t have time to give any explanation, please I have a meeting,” she said and hung up.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, said he had yet to be briefed on the incident.

Adejobi, who spoke with our correspondent on the phone on Wednesday, said, “All efforts to reach the DPO to brief me on the incident have proved abortive. So, I can’t give you any update but as soon as I am briefed, I will let you know.” Punch Newspaper

Nothing happens until you take the first step. Procastination is a disease.
I mean decide on what you want to do about the following link..................................................

https://twitter.com/Twinkleflaky/status/281722932848386049/photo/1

pls where can i get 1

u can my bro. I've a bro dat lives on dat wit his wife nd two children nd dey are comfortable. d children are super looking healthy. d secret is dat he has series of home student especially when u target d rich,u'll b paid well 4home lesson. Bros also no dat there is no job dat can give u a ful com4table life,because d more u earn d more expenses u've.d logic is cut ur cloth according 2 ur clothe.

uboma:

ur point is noted but the op has nothing to lose by reporting to the authorities concerned. However I'm stil of the opinion that the op confront the fraudster Ben and give him time to right the wrong himself. Failure on his part should then prompt the op to take the matter to the authorities

Confrontation could be very very dangerous. If 2weeks automatum is given, d guy might not want to let go, especially if the job is fetching high for him. I feel reporting to the HR of the your friend's coy could be adopted, then the HR dept will make necessary evaluation without tracing the informant to you, especially if u make it know to them you'll like to hide your identity.

That tells me the kind of working environment they are, because you cant go to companies like GLO or Bank and see things like this. This kind of things does not portray an excellent working environment.

Thanks everybody.... I really appreciate your time your gave me to advice.

I dont understand how some pple reason. Discipline begins like.

so wot are u guys advicing her 2do?

The business is SME with 20 permanent staffs and about 15 freelance staffs. The GM is kind of dubious and my friend presence wont allow him to do more and the ones he has done is always know to the CEO, thinking is my friend behind it, whereas some staff do right complain letter to the ceo too.

My collegue said he discussed it with her fiance (ceo) and he said that will be the last thing he expect of her. That He's not the time for to go, that right now he needs her in the business, but my friend is kind of running from issue going on with the superior. I also think the problem of the GM is that my friend presence is hindering him from doing some things he's not suppose to.

The ceo owns d coy, she's d admin manager but report 2d general manager, but usually have issues with wit d GM because GM felt some of his unfavourable is influenced by my collegue. From my own look of tins, d ceo is calm nd always fair with his judgment. So my collegue felt because of GM she'll resign.

Story deleted

Call ur wife and tell her the situation of things, be open to her. Let her know u're telling her cos u want a solution 2d issue.Because both of you need to work it out 2gether.

Both of u needs to go for counselling, there must be a trace 2d problem. It could be that the wife is constantly doing somthing that is putting him off. Let them go for counselling.

How does one have a swag?