₦airaland Forum

QUESTION -
Does "born again" claim make you a SUPERIOR Christian or a perfect human being? Does confessing, believing you are saved make you saved? Absolutely NOT!

By Fr David Olusi

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. They only change whenever they claim to be "BORN AGAIN" Why?

Catholics and Protestants agree that to be saved, you have to be born again. Jesus said so: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

When a Catholic says that he has been "born again," he refers to the transformation that God’s grace accomplished in him during baptism and reinforced weekly through the reception of the Eucharist . Evangelical Protestants typically mean something quite different when they talk about being "born again."

For an Evangelical, becoming "born again" often happens like this: He goes to a crusade or a revival where a minister delivers a sermon telling him of his need to be "born again... If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe he died for your sins, you’ll be born again!" says the preacher.

So the gentleman makes "a decision for Christ" and at the altar call goes forward to be led in "the sinner’s prayer" by the minister. Then the minister tells all who prayed the sinner’s prayer that they have been saved "born again."

But is the minister right? Not according to the Bible. Salvation is not a cup of tea! In fact Saint Paul tells us "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" Philippians 2:12.

THE THREE STAGES OF SALVATION :

We understand that to be saved we need to come to Jesus Christ, receive Him as Savior by faith, repent of our sin, and receive from Jesus forgiveness of sin and the free gift of eternal life. However, this is not the entire message of the Bible regarding salvation. There is more …

There are actually THREE STAGES OF SALVATION, and every person in the entire world has this threefold need for salvation. Why threefold? Why are there three stages? What are these three stages?

Firstly, we need to be saved in regard to YESTERDAY.

Secondly, we need to be saved in regard to TODAY. And,

thirdly, we need to be saved in regard to TOMORROW.

In other words, we need SALVATION PAST, SALVATION PRESENT and SALVATION FUTURE.

Salvation is a definite threefold process. It begins in JUSTIFICATION: The Bible says in Romans 5:1 that WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH, and because of THIS, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The word “JUSTIFICATION” is a LEGAL term, and means to declare NOT GUILTY.

This proceeds through SANCTIFICATION: Philippians 2:12-13 reads “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

This definately means that our good works saves us. It means that having received salvation through faith we are now to work it out "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,..." Mathew 25:35-40.

The sin of the past has been removed and we have been justified. However, the present is still here. We are still living and we face a world full of temptations and sin every day. This scripture says that we must CO-OPERATE WITH GOD in His WORK OF SANCTIFICATION to save us on a daily basis from sin.

Finally it ends in GLORIFICATION: Lastly we’ll briefly look at SALVATION FUTURE or GLORIFICATION. In Philippians 3:20-21 we read “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

Jesus died on the cross to save our souls from eternal death and granting us eternal life. He is coming back to complete our salvation by changing our bodies into immortal GLORIFIED BODIES to live with Him in the new, forever. Then our salvation is complete. SALVATION FUTURE, GLORIFICATION.

So we see that our SALVATION is a THREEFOLD PROCESS. It begins in JUSTIFICATION and deals with the PAST forever. It continues through SANCTIFICATION as WE DEAL WITH THE PRESENT, as we WALK DAILY WITH JESUS and ALLOW GOD TO WORK IN US. It ends in GLORIFICATION, that FUTURE day of our final salvation that we eagerly await.

My challenge to each and everyone, including myself, is to WALK THE ROAD OF SANCTIFICATION WITH JESUS, just as Paul did. To be saved and to have dealt with the past is good, but not good enough.

We need to deal with the present on a daily basis. We need to allow God daily to work in us for His purpose. We need to grow in holiness as we allow more of the Light of Jesus to come into our lives. We need to continuously put behind us the things that are revealed by the Holy Spirit as wrong. We need to have JESUS CHRIST AS PERSONAL LORD and not only as personal Savior.

We can say that WE ARE SAVED, WE ARE BEING SAVED and WE WILL BE SAVED. This is also how the Bible speaks of our salvation. This is the meaning of salvation for Catholics.
[but we cannot know that we are saved and saying that we are is the sin of presumption, for as Jesus says in Matt 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.] and that judgement is of Jesus

Me I know some that has two BVN.

But if you say NO na NO.

I no get energy for that

My brother it's possible but illegal

STAGES OF FAITH DEVELOPMENT:

The Christian tradition has recognized for a long time that there are different types or levels of spiritual awareness. In 1981 James Fowler, a professor of theology and human development at Emory University, identified seven "stages" or types of faith which tend, as a general rule, to emerge as individuals grow and mature.

Fowler explained his stages of faith in two books, Stages of Faith (1981) and Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian (1984). Other observers have also identified stages or types of faith, although most tend to explain faith development in broader categories or more generalized stages than Fowler.

It is important to remember that such developmental "stages" or types are descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, they attempt to describe the way faith generally develops, but do not prescribe how faith must or should develop in any individual.

The descriptions do not suggest that one stage or kind of faith is better than another, only that how individuals or communities understand faith may differ from each other.

Fowler's seven "stages" are not as distinct or self-contained as they appear. The transition from one to another often takes place gradually, and usually depends upon a variety of personal and social circumstances in addition to chronological age. It is possible -- in fact, likely -- that individuals may incorporate aspects of more than one type, particularly during periods when they are growing gradually from one stage to the next.

As a general rule, Fowler's stages are sequential and individuals move from one to the next along the continuum outlined by Fowler. However, in any given stage, circumstances may cause individuals to return to elements of previous stages. Personal images of God, which may seem to be quite distinct in each stage, in reality usually contain aspects or characteristics of two or more different types.

Despite these cautions, the concept of faith development remains useful. It tends to confirm the impression individuals have that their faith has grown and changed, that it continues to change, often in response to particular circumstances in their lives. The information presented here is a composite of key characteristics of the stages in faith development identified by Fowler and others.
-- Dave Cushing.
• • •
1. Primal Faith
[Dominant in Infants from Birth to Age 3]

This stage in a young child's faith formation sets the foundation for what will later develop as a conscious, intentional and personal faith. A very young child cannot be said to have any conscious faith at all, but he or she is unconsciously developing a basic attitude about reality -- a perception about whether the world and the people in it are basically friendly or dangerous, pleasant or painful, trustworthy or capricious.

• This stage establishes a fundamental but pre-conscious disposition which will eventually enable the child to believe that there is a God who loves and cares for them.
• • •

2. Imaginative Faith
[Dominant in Children Ages 4 to 8]

At this stage faith has a magical or imaginary quality, marked by the child's ability to believe almost anything. It is essentially intuitive, non-rational and non-conceptual. It is based on what the child feels rather than on what the child thinks or "knows." It is, in a sense, "borrowed" from adults whom the child trusts to be knowing and truthful. This stage sets the foundation for the child's eventual ability to believe in nonmaterial realities and sacred mysteries which cannot be seen or "proven." Imaginative faith is almost entirely non-critical or naive, in the sense that children for the most part lack the knowledge, experience and insight to evaluate or judge the content of faith against objective criteria.

• In this stage the child's image of God depends primarily on what parents do and say. If parents are loving, kind and forgiving, the child assumes that God, who is like a cosmic parent or grandparent, is also loving, kind and forgiving.
• • •

3. Literal Faith
[Dominant in Children Ages 6 to 12]

During this stage the child is gradually developing the ability to think for her or him self and beginning to ask questions about things which earlier they took for granted, including their parents' faith. At this stage, children develop an intense desire and need to know how things really are. They are fascinated by stories, rituals and traditions which show real people living out their faith in concrete ways. They depend on authority figures, rules and structure to assure them that reality is ordered and safe. Literal faith is the first step toward a less naive and more critical attitude toward faith, although the older child's ability to subject the content of faith to critical standards is still limited.

• In this stage, the child is like to imagine God as something like a divine superhero who uses his power and authority to create order and justice by rewarding good and punishing evil.
• • •

4. Conventional Faith
[Dominant in Young Adults and Adults Age 13 and Older]

During this stage faith is shaped by the individual's growing ability and desire to participate in the wider world beyond parents and family. There is developing need to belong and be accepted by peers and friends who share the individual's interests and values. Faith is highly inter-personal, institutional, and communal; like the older child, it is rooted in the group and is shaped by the conventions, traditions, rules and habits of the group or faith community to which he or she belongs. Conventional faith may incorporate critical and non-critical attitudes toward faith. Young and early adults develop the ability to evaluate faith-claims by more objective standards, but may suppress critical questions out of fear, or for the sake of the security and acceptance provided by the group.

• In this stage the older child, young adults and many adults image God as an authority figure who holds the group -- and the world -- together by enforcing order -- a kind of cosmic "Godfather" with whom one exchanges "favors," who rewards loyalty and punishes disloyalty. In this sense, God may be loving and merciful, but never at the expense of justice.
• • •

5. Personal Faith
[Dominant in Adults Age 20 and Older]

This stage is sometimes characterized as a period of rebellion or withdrawal, a kind of spiritual adolescence. In this stage individuals are rethinking the conventions and convictions of the group as they search for a personal faith, independent of the individuals and groups they relied upon as children and young adults. This stage may be marked by a certain amount of ambivalence and confusion -- both a desire to belong and a need to be independent. Personal faith represents the individual's transition from a primarily pre-critical to a post-critical faith. It is a highly critical stage in which individuals evaluate faith-claims against personal experience, "common sense," rational and scientific criteria.

• In this stage an individual's relationship to God may be very personal and private, but nonetheless real and intense. Some individuals in this stage express a desire to be "spiritual but not religious."
• • •

6. Conjunctive or Mystical Faith
[Possible in Adults in Their 30s or Older; Rarely Before Middle Age]

In this stage an individual adult become more aware of the presence of the Divine Mystery in all of life. This awareness produces a deep sense of sufficiency, wholeness and peace, which enables the individual to accept and believe what cannot be fully understood or explained. Faith now includes a sense of solidarity and compassion, which allows the individual to reconnect with the faith community and to live comfortably with contradictions and shortcomings within the self and the faith community. Mystical Faith is the first stage in a post-critical attitude about faith. Adults in this stage reject the literalism of early stages not because it is untrue, but because it is not true enough; they have discovered that there are truths (or mysteries) embedded in reality which do not conflict with, and can not be judged by, entirely rational or scientific standards.

• In this stage an individual experiences God's presence in the deepest levels of oneself, others and creation, transcending superficial differences. The human analogy would be to the deep interpersonal connection which spouses sometimes feel. This awareness of God as the Holy Spirit leads to an abiding conviction that all will be well because God wills it.
• • •

7. Universal Faith
[Rare in a Few Adults During or After Middle Age]

In this stage an individual's faith is shaped by an intense awareness of the unity of all living things and the oneness of God's creation. A vision of the Kingdom of God breaking into everyday reality frees the individual to be both radically detached from self and passionately committed to living a life of self-sacrificing love marked by transcendent values like truth, justice and love and devoted to overcoming division, oppression and violence of every kind. Universal faith is the ultimate stage in the development of a post-critical attitude toward faith. Adults in this stage realize that the truths embedded in faith are ultimately more important and helpful than those which emerge from rational or scientific inquiry.

• In this stage an individual's image of God defies words or images. The individual's life and faith center on an awareness of God's transforming presence. The rare individuals who reach this level live lives of totally self-less love, uncompromised by concerns for personal status, comfort or security.
• • •

Spiritual Exercise:

THE EXAMEN IN 5 STEPS:

Here is how I do the examen. It is only slightly modified from what St. Ignatius of Loyola suggests in the Exercises.

Before you begin, as in all prayer, remind yourself that you're in God's presence, and ask God to help you in your prayer.

STEP 1: GRATITUDE

Recall anything from the day for which you are especially grateful, and give thanks.

STEP 2: REVIEW

Recall the events of the day, from start to finish, noticing where you felt God's presence, and where you accepted or turned away from any invitation to grow in love.

STEP 3: SORROW

Recall any action for which you are sorry.

STEP 4: FORGIVENESS

Ask for God's forgiveness. Decide whether you want to reconcile with anyone you have hurt.

STEP 5: GRACE

Ask God for the grace you need for the next day and an ability to see God's presence more clearly.

FACTS ABOUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Today is the 1987th birthday of the Catholic Church

1. Catholicism has been a moving force in the development of Western culture. It continues to be influential in religious issues, social institutions, art, education, medicine, science, music, philosophy, literature, and politics.

2. The Catholic Church’s Vatican has diplomatic relations with almost every country in the world.

3. Pope John Paul II traveled to more than 129 different countries, logging more than 750,000 frequent flyer miles, which is about three times the distance to the moon.

4. The word “Catholic” was first used by Ignatius of Antioch around the year A.D. 110. It is from the Greek word katholikos, which means “toward the whole.” Ignatius was suggesting that the Church is a gift offered by Christ to all people.

5. The Catholic Church is the largest single Church in Christianity.

6. The “Devil’s Advocate” or Advocate Diaboli, is a real position within the Catholic Church.

7. Between John Paul II’s election to the papacy in 1978 and his death in 2004, more than 17 million people attended his weekly audiences in Rome.

8. The oldest institution in the Western world is the Catholic Church. It traces its history back almost 2,000 years.

9. There are more than 1 billion Catholics in the world, in all five continents. They are particularly concentrated in southern Europe, the U.S., the Philippines, and the countries of Central and South America. What binds them together is faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to the papacy.

10. Catholics believe that the pope, who is based in Rome, is the successor to Saint Peter, which Christ appointed as the first head of His church.

11. For almost 1,000 years, Catholicism was Christianity. But over time, schisms have disrupted the unity, including a schism in A.D. 144 with Marcionism, a schism in 318 A.D. with Arianism, a divide in 1054 A.D. with the East-West Schism, and yet another divide in 1517 during the Protestant Reformation.

12. The pope does not live in Italy; he lives in Vatican City, which is a county within Italy.

13. Women are not allowed to become Roman Catholic priests.

14. The Catholic Church is the body of churches that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, which includes the Roman Catholic Church and 22 Eastern Catholic Churches.

15. Brazil has more Catholics than any other country with close to 127 million, or 11.7% of the world’s Catholic population. It is followed by Mexico (96 million), the Philippines (76 million), the U.S. (75 million), Italy, (49 million), Columbia (38 million), France (38 million), Poland (35 million), Spain (35 million), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (31 million). These 10 countries account for 55.6% of the Catholic population globally.

16. Over the past 100 years, the number of Catholics around the world as tripled from 291 million in 1910 to 1.1 billion in 2010. Percentage wise, the population has remained relatively stable, constituting 17% of the world population in 1910 and 16% in 2010.

17. In 1910, 65% of Europe was Catholic. In 2010, only 24% was. While Catholics in Europe have declined, there has been rapid growth in the Catholic population in the Sub-Saharan African and Asia-Pacific regions.

18. During the High and Late Middle Ages, the Latin Roman Catholic Church sanctioned military campaigns called the Crusades. The impact of the Crusades was profound, and judgment ranged from praise to condemnation.

19. The first printed Bible was printed under the supervision of the Catholic Church. It was printed by the Catholic inventor of the printing press: Johannes Gutenberg.

20. The magical term “hocus pocus” comes from the most sacred moment in Catholic ritual: the consecration of the bread as the body of Christ by the priest speaking the words “This is my body,” which in Latin is Hoc est enim corpus meum.

21. It was the Catholic Church that added modern-day chapters and numbered verses to the Bible.

22. The first black person to be documented as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church was known as Saint Maurice (a.k.a. St. Mauritius or St. Moritz). He was a 3rd-century Roman soldier born in Egypt who was martyred when he refused to massacre Christians for the Roman Empire.

24. While there is no definitive “head count,” based on history, the Roman martyrology, and Orthodox sources, scholars estimate that there are over 10,000 saints and beati (“blesses ones”).

24. The Catholic tradition of honoring saints actually came from the Jews who had a long-standing tradition of honoring prophets and holy people with shrines.

25. Scholars note that Catholicism spread largely because of the work of Roman road-builders.

26. While the exact date of the beginning of the Roman Catholic Church is indeterminable, the Church can trace its origin to Jesus of Nazareth during the period of Roman occupation in early A.D. 33

27. The Big-Bang theory was proposed by a Catholic priest, Monsignor Georges Lemaitre.

28. The Vatican is the smallest sovereign state in the world.

29. Though Germanic tribes destroyed most of Roman civilization, the Catholic Church preserved much classical learning, especially in the monasteries during the Middle Ages.

30. The Catholic Church has been a plot device in several horror movies, particularly The Exorcist. The Church actually participated with the production. The technical advisor was Rev. William O’Malley, a Jesuit priest and teacher.

31. The Catholic Church spends more money than Apple brings in. Expenditures by the Catholic Church, largely on charity, exceeded $170 billion in 2012, according to The Economist magazine. In that same year, Apple took in $157 billion in revenue. It is believed that the Catholic Church is the largest provider of charity and Healthcare.

32. The Pope is protected by the Swiss Papal Guard. Wearing uniforms designed by Michelangelo and commonly armed with halberds, they are capable of using heavier weapons if needed. Each member is Catholic, male, and Swiss, and must complete military training in Switzerland. They must demonstrate good conduct and be at least five-foot-eight in height. In extreme circumstances, they are expected to guard the Holy Father with their lives. The Swiss Papal Guard is the oldest active military unit in continual existence since 1506.

From online sources

Jokerman:
Jesus did not establish the Catholic Church...

Lol... How can Catholic church be almost 2000 years old now... Lol

You can as well write your own history.
Since you Know so much.

It's a free world

HAPPY 1,987th BIRTHDAY CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE ONLY CHURCH THAT HAS APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION AND FOUNDED BY CHRIST

⚫️The Church founded by Christ was called CATHOLIC from early church TRADITION like,

The early Church father who wrote several writings even before Constantine was born were already mentioning the "Catholic Church".
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Polycarp:
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"When finally he concluded his prayer, after remembering all who had at any time come his way – small folk and great folk, distinguished and undistinguished, and the whole CATHOLIC CHURCH throughout the world – the time for departure came. (The Martyrdom of Polycarp 8 [A.D. 110]).
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Irenaeus:
.
The CATHOLIC CHURCH possesses one and the same faith throughout the whole world, as we have already said (Against Heresies 1:10 [A.D. 189]).
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Tertullian:
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"For it is evident that those men lived not so long ago – in the reign of Antoninus for the most part – and that they at first were believers in the doctrine of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, in the church of Rome under the episcopate of the blessed Eleutherus, until on account of their ever restless curiosity, with which they even infected the brethren, they were more than once expelled." (The Prescription Against Heretics 22, 30[A.D.200])
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Cyprian:
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" He who does not hold this unity, does not hold the law of God, does not hold the faith of the Father and the Son, does not hold life and salvation (On the Unity of the Catholic Church 6 [A.D. 251]).
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" While the CHURCH which is CATHOLIC and one, is not cut nor divided, but is indeed connected and bound together by the cement of priests who cohere with one another (Letters 66 [A.D. 253]).

⚫️The Church founded by Christ was Called CATHOLIC from history,

1. The New Book of Knowledge, Page 287:
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“Roman Catholic Church –the history of the Roman Catholic Church begun in an upper room in Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago. About 120 persons were gathered there. They were followers of Jesus Christ, and they were awaiting the coming of Holy Spirit he had promised to send them from heaven. The day on which the Holy Spirit came down is considered the birthday of the Church. The Church may be described as the society that Jesus founded, which is vitalized by the Spirit of God and organized to a structure which he establish. The history of Roman Catholic Church traces the destinies of that society from its beginning until now."
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2. The World Almanac and Book of Facts <Edition 2009> Page 688:
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“Roman Catholics – founded by Jesus Christ who named St. Peter the 1stvicar, developed in early Christian proselytizing, especially after the conversion of imperial Rome in the 4thcentury."
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3. The Old World and America, Page 100:
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“More than 1900 years ago, Jesus Christ Son of God, came upon earth to save mankind. After His atoning death on the cross He rose glorious and immortal. Before leaving this world to go to the Father, Our Lord founded the Catholic Church and gave to that Church the command to teach all nations.”
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4. International Encyclopedia, Volume 20, Page 520:
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“Roman Catholic Church - There are two equally valid definition of the Catholic Church, comparable to the twofold nature of Jesus Christ, its founder, who was both human and divine."
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5. Young Students Encyclopedia, Volume 17, Page 261:
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“Roman Catholicism - the largest of the Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic Church. As an institution it has existed since the 1st century AD. For the first 1,000 years all christians belongs to Catholic Church”
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6. Compton’s Encyclopedia & Fact-Index, Volume 20, Page 2024:
“Roman Catholic Church - For the first thousand years after the death of Jesus Christ, all Christians were members of one religion – Christianity. There were no separate sects, or branches, of Christianity as there are today. The word “catholic” means “universal,” and for those first thousand years, all Christians were members of the Catholic Church."
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7. Grollier Encyclopedia, Volume V, page 106:
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“Catholic Church - (Gr. Katholikos, universal, general). Term generally applied to the Divine society founded by Jesus Christ, and endowed by the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost".

and finally the bible Says this

But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Matthew:18:16

We have more than three evidences from tradition and history and it was supported by the Bible so we can ESTABLISH THE FACT

Protestant churches just pop up during reformation and after. That is why they only support the total apostasy teaching just to pretend that their church was the church emerged after the persecution of christian(catholic).

Many of them claiming as the other sheep mentioned in John10;16 but sorry to tell was referring to Gentiles who were converted to Catholic christians. They also attacking Catholics that the Catholic Church founded by Constantine without looking the history. Some of the history was twisted by their pastors.

No doubt the Catholic church founded by Christ
#PROUDCATHOLIC

FACTS ABOUT PENTECOST


THE JEWISH HISTORY OF PENTECOST

“Pentecost” is from Greek meaning “fiftieth.” The name Pentecost was originally given to the Jewish Feast of Weeks which fell on the fiftieth day after Passover. On this day, the first fruits of the grain harvest were offered to the Lord (Leviticus 23:15-21 and Deuteronomy 16:9-11). The second chapter of Acts begins by noting that the Feast of Weeks had just passed.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST IN ACTS

In Acts 2:1-41 the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. This occurred ten days after Jesus’ Ascension. Jesus had asked his Apostles to pray, and their nine days of prayer can be considered as the first novena.

MIRACLES THE APOSTLES EXPERIENCED

When the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, they preached the Good News of Jesus Christ. Miraculously, people of many different languages and nations could understand the Apostles in their own languages. This miracle reflected God’s desire for the Gospel to be preached to all, and for all the peoples of the earth to be united in faith. The Collect (opening prayer) of the Pentecost Mass prays:

Almighty ever-living God, who willed the Paschal Mystery to be encompassed as a sign in fifty days, grant that from out of the scattered nations the confusion of many tongues may be gathered by heavenly grace into one great confession of your name.

Another wonder surrounding Pentecost was that tongues of fire appeared and rested on the Apostles. God left no doubt that Pentecost was an important event in the history of the Church and that the Holy Spirit was truly present.

THE MOST IMPORTANT EFFECT OF PENTECOST

The miraculous tongues of fire, along with the Apostles’ ability to speak in different languages, may seem to be the most impressive signs of Pentecost. However, the most important and most lasting effect of Pentecost went deeper than that.

Peter, the leader of the Apostles, stood in front of the crowds and preached. He preached with boldness and conviction. Consider that up until this point the Apostles had not preached at all. Just 10 days before, the Apostles still thought that Jesus’ mission was to restore an earthly kingdom to Israel (cf. Acts 1:6). Now, however, Peter recognizes the mission of Jesus and boldly preaches instead of remaining hidden in a room.

PENTECOST : THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH

Pentecost is the birthday of the Church because from that point on the apostles carried the message of Christ to the whole world. The authority that Christ gave his Apostles through the Holy Spirit extends through the bishops today. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church. In fact, St. Augustine said that the Holy Spirit was the soul of the Church. Just as the soul gives life to the body, so also the Spirit gives life to the Church.

THE SPIRIT CONTINUES TO MAKE CHRIST PRESENT

Pentecost ushered in a new age of the Church through which Christ works in different means for our salvation.

In this age of the Church Christ now lives and acts in and with his Church, in a new way appropriate to the new age. He acts through the sacraments […]; this is the communication of the fruits of Christ’s Paschal mystery in the celebration of the Church’s ‘sacramental’ liturgy.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1076.

In other words, although since his Ascension Jesus is no longer physically present on earth, Jesus has not left us alone. Indeed, he is still present to us in other ways. Jesus has left us the sacraments through which the Holy Spirit conveys the grace of God in a physical and tangible way. Pentecost marks the beginning of this new, sacramental era in which we live today. It does so because the ministers of the sacraments (usually priests and deacons) have the power to perform the sacraments because the Holy Spirit acts through them. The Holy Spirit conforms the minister to Christ.

PENTECOST LITURGY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Today, we usually baptize catechumens at the Easter Vigil (the Mass the night before Easter). In the early Church, Pentecost was another popular day for baptism. This makes sense, because baptism is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit fills the baptized person with supernatural life.

The liturgical color for Pentecost is red. Red can signify martyrdom, but in this instance it represents the Holy Spirit. It does so because of the tongues of fire associated with Pentecost.

One unique thing that happens at Pentecost Mass is the Pentecost Sequence (Veni Sancte Spiritus–“Come Holy Spirit”). This is a prayer to the Holy Spirit that is either sung or said before the Alleluia and the Gospel. The Sequence invites the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts. It includes many descriptions of the Holy Spirit. These descriptions include “You, of comforters the best,” “In our labor rest most sweet,” as well as many others. The sequence is a beautiful part of Pentecost Mass.

“The Eucharist has given me life,” she said — and “my father would have shot me for what I have done.”

Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of the murderous dictator Joseph Stalin, renounced materialism and converted to Catholicism. Joseph would not have approved. In fact, Svetlana once reportedly told an editor of National Review that “my father would have shot me for what I have done.”

Joseph Stalin himself was raised in the Orthodox Church. His parents actually wanted him to be a priest. Unfortunately, his father abused the young Joseph mercilessly. Stalin once described his childhood as having been “raised in a poor priest-ridden household.” He came to renounce Christianity altogether, reportedly saying, "You know, they are fooling us, there is no God… all this talk about God is sheer nonsense."

While in power, Stalin did everything he could to crush Christianity, closing down thousands of churches and violently torturing, killing, and imprisoning Christians. This is the man who was reputed to have said, "One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic" so you can imagine the merciless persecution he mounted against Christianity.

Svetlana once wrote of her father, “Many people today find it easier to think of [Stalin] as a coarse physical monster. Actually, he was a moral and spiritual monster. This is far more terrifying. But it’s the truth.”

She was right. It is more terrifying.

Stalin established as the goal of the 'five-year plans of atheism' directed by the League of the Militant Godless eliminating all religious expression in the country. Reportedly, during just the purges of 1937 and 1938, well over 168,300 Russian Orthodox clergy were arrested, a majority of whom were shot. And that was just during two years.

But as the great singer Sting once pointed out, “The Russians love their children too,” and this was true of Stalin. Well, one of them anyway. Stalin adored Svetlana and was playful and affectionate with her. And she reciprocated. As a child she looked up to her father as a wise hero. When she was born in 1926 her father was already General Secretary of Central Committee of the Communist Party and anyone she came into contact with spoke of her father in strictly laudatory tones. She later came to understand that few dared to even whisper criticisms.

By comparison, Svetlana found her mother, Nadezhda Alliluyeva (“Nadya”) cold. Svetlana reportedly said that she couldn't remember her mother ever hugging her or even complimenting her. Then in 1932, when Svetlana was only six years old her mother killed herself. But her relationship with her father remained strong, at least for a while.

Doubts about her father would soon begin. In school, Svetlana would sometimes be handed notes by classmates whose mother or father had been “disappeared” by the state. They were begging her to pass them on to her father. It was an odd thing about the USSR that while so much pain and violence was inflicted on the people by the government many persisted in believing that Stalin was blameless and that if he knew about the abuses going on he surely would have stopped them. These children sending notes to Stalin through his daughter simply wanted to know where their loved ones were. The dictator coldly instructed his daughter not to act as a “post-office box.”

Later, Svetlana noticed that sometimes even her own relatives disappeared. Even then, Svetlana attributed it, as did so many Russians, as things which Stalin was either unaware of or unable to fix. But years later, her father would flatly tell his daughter that her relatives had been killed simply because “they knew too much. They babbled a lot,” he said, and it “played into the hands of our enemies.” You see, the official party line had been that Nadya had died of a burst appendix, not at her own hand.

When Svetlana found her first boyfriend her father considered him unacceptable and condemned him to a Gulag. Later, she attended Moscow University and received a marriage proposal from a young Jewish man. When she told her father about the proposal he coldly said, “To hell with you. Do as you like.” He told her that she could marry him but only on the condition that her husband never set foot in his house. The two had a son but their marriage broke up after a few short years. Shortly after, she married the son of a man who had been high up in the Kremlin. Joseph approved of this marriage but it too ended rather quickly.

In March 1953, Stalin died. “My father died a difficult and terrible death,” wrote Svetlana. She was there at his bedside for days, as doctors applied leeches.

Reportedly, he died raising his fist in anger. “The death agony was terrible. He literally choked to death as we watched,” Svetlana wrote. “At what seemed the very last moment he suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane or perhaps angry and full of fear of death. Then he suddenly lifted his left hand. The gesture was incomprehensible and full of menace.”

A few years after her father's death, Svetlana changed her name to her mother’s maiden name. She said the name Stalin “lacerated” her ears. She was now Svetlana Alliluyeva. Joseph Stalin had changed his last name to make it sound strong. “Stalin” means steel. The name “Alliluyeva” was a form of “Allelujah” which fit Svetlana better at that time because in 1962, she was baptized in the Orthodox Church. Svetlana rejected the materialism and violence of her father. Of her decision, she wrote, “The sacrament of baptism consists in rejecting evil, the lie. I believed in ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ I believed in truth without violence and bloodshed. I believed that the Supreme Mind, not vain man, governed the world. I believed that the Spirit of Truth was stronger than material values. And when all of this had entered my heart, the shreds of Marxism-Leninism taught me since childhood vanished like smoke.”

Svetlana was officially out of favor with the Kremlin. In fact, when she applied to the state for a marriage license to a man named Brajesh Singh she was promptly denied. Svetlana and Brajesh lived together for three years before he died in 1966. His wish had been to have his ashes spread on the Ganges. So she applied to the Kremlin for permission to travel to India. Much to her surprise, she was given permission to temporarily leave the USSR to go to India for one month.

While there, Svetlana stunned the world when on her trip she walked into the U.S. embassy and requested asylum. A stunned American on duty reportedly said to her, “So you say your father was Stalin? The Stalin?”

From there, she was flown to Rome and then on to Switzerland. She liked Switzerland but was told that could only remain there on the condition that she never speak publicly about politics. She would not agree to that. She could not. “To remain silent for another 40 years could have been achieved just as well in the U.S.S.R.,” she wrote.

In April of 1967, Svetlana Alliluyeva landed at Kennedy Airport in New York carrying a manuscript that never would have been published in the USSR. It was titled "Twenty Letters to a Friend" which was about her life in the Soviet Union. It was a huge success and a bestseller. And then, just two years later, she wrote another bestseller about her life since defecting titled “Only One Year.”

She was famous but her personal life was still a wreck. Switching from religion to religion and once again marrying, having a child, divorcing, and moving often, she found herself disenchanted with America and wanting to return home. In fact, she did return to the Soviet Union but almost instantly regretted it.

When she returned to America after over a year in the USSR she said, “I had to leave for a while to realize, ‘Oh, my God, how wonderful it is.’”

I don't know the exact year that Svetlana met Father Giovanni Garbolino, who lived in the United States but had done missionary work in Russia, but their relationship would change her life. Svetlana received a letter from Fr. Garbolino inviting her to make a pilgrimage to Fátima. Then later, he visited her in Princeton, New Jersey. The two were in frequent contact. Fr. Garbolino also gave Svetlana a cross that had been given to him by a Russian student whom he met during his missionary travels. Later, Fr. Garbolino had given that same cross to Col. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin for him to take to the moon with him.

Svetlana, with the guidance of Fr. Garbolino, read books by Catholic authors and on Dec. 13, 1982, she converted to the Catholic faith. Svetlana wrote about her conversion: “Only now I understand the wonderful grace that the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist produce, no matter what day of the year, and even on a daily basis. Before, I was unwilling to forgive and repent, and I was never able to love my enemies. But I feel very different from before, since I attend Mass every day.”

She added, “The Eucharist has given me life. The Sacrament of Penance with God whom… we abandon and betray each day, the sense of guilt and sadness that invades us then, all this makes it necessary to receive it frequently.”

This woman, who grew up essentially motherless, wrote, “I was taken into the arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary... Who else could be my advocate but the Mother of Jesus? She suddenly drew me close to her.”

She traveled to Europe and back to America often and then moved to be near one of her daughters in Oregon. In the end, she did not die raising her first in anger at the world as her father had done but peacefully in a Wisconsin nursing home in 2011 where she had enjoyed sewing and reading and surely praying.

THE PRIEST WHO STOLE Ksh 500 .

A couple invited a priest from their parish for dinner in their home. After the priest left, the woman said to her husband;
" I think the priest has stolen the 500 Shillings that I kept on the table of which I had the intention to give him".
Angrily her husband exclaimed; " if they are not pedophile, they are thieves.
There is no need to invite him again. We shall from henceforth be attending Mass in another parish".

Two months later, the woman met the priest in the street and was courageous enough to face him and said: " Good morning Father, you have surely realised that we no longer attend Mass in your parish. This is because we're very angry with you. The day you ate in our house, there was a 500 shillings note on the table. It disappeared while we were eating. You were the only person who visited our house at that time". The priest said to her, "yes, I took the money. I put it in the Bible to avoid spilling the sauce on it". The woman got so confused and asked the priest to forgive her.

Back in her house, she took up the Bible and found the 500 shillings note which had been there for two months.

For two months, she had not opened her Bible to reflect on the word of God,
For two months she and her husband falsely accused the priest,
For two months, the incident had tortured them.
Are you not at peace with yourself, for any reason whatsoever?, Is it because you have not opened your Bible for a long time?

Do you even have one �?
BE SAFE... MATTHEW 7:7...

HAS THE MODERN DAY BORN AGAIN, PENTECOSTAL, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY DAMAGED TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY?

Here is an African perspective.

By: Amarkine Amarteifio

In the 60s, at least when I was growing up, pastors only preached the gospel and did nothing else.In fact, they were not even called pastors in those days. We called them Reverend Ministers.

Then the late 70s and 80s came with a capitalist brand of American charismatic Pentecostalism— the born again movement – and then suddenly, we saw a band of ordinary men who now marketed and branded themselves as “men of God” – appointed and anointed, many of them without any theological training and with little secular education too.

With the Holy Ghost heavily upon them, they claimed access to spirit and spoke strange tongues and announced to the whole world that the prophecy of Joel 2:28 has been fulfilled in them.
They claimed that theirs was the generation that heralded the official end time preceding God’s judgement of the world. Indeed, we all needed to repent, for Jesus was coming soon!

These young men and women claimed to have direct lines to the Oga at the heavenly headquarters.
In fact so intimate was their relationship that sometimes during their usual breakfast with God, he would give messages to deliver to us poor earthlings!
It was not surprising that these so called “men of God” suddenly grew older and wiser than their own parents and elders in society.

Sometimes when you heard some of them speak, you got the impression that God was their younger brother!
They knew everything! In fact, there were even reports that it was upon the advice of one of them that the Lord above created the sun.
But for him, God’s creation would have lain in perpetual darkness!

These “men of God” became the new apostles of the end times, chosen to save a sinful world from imminent collapse and the wrath of a vengeful God!
The first stronghold they pulled down was the traditional orthodox churches which had baptized and nurtured them.

These orthodox churches, together with their trained ministers were considered and referred to as “Ichabod Churches” – i.e., churches and ministers from whom the glory of God had long departed.
They referenced the narrative in the First book of Samuel chapter 4.

Additionally, they imitated American ways of speaking and preaching.
This mesmerized the little minds among us.
Through the stylistic and linguistic influences of American televangelists like Oral Roberts, T. L. Osborn, Billy Graham, Morris Cerrullo, Kenneth Copeland and Keneth Hagin among others, God became “Gad” and Lord became “LoRRd” and noise and hysteria became a standard form of Christian worship!
Linguistic effusions of ancient Aramaic with inflections of Dagbani and code switches of Yoruba and Yiddish ushered in the age of sonorant glossolalia in the kingdom of God, Ghana branch.

Church services were both noisy and sometimes, admittedly exciting for both for the youth and the elderly.
Pastors preached and danced in skillful frenzy as if they were a cross between the Holy Ghost and Michael Jackson.
Music flourished and almost every sister become a songstress while many brothers became leaders and pastors.
These leaders and pastors went forth in the land and mounted their own pulpits any and everywhere–from school classrooms to buses and open air markets.
They taught we the people, the ignorant masses everything from sex to science, health and healing, marriage and relationships, business and money matters as well as politics and economics all the way to the eschatology of the end times!

I remember in one of several prophecies, the year 1992 was given as the deadline for the lifeline of this wonderful world.
God had had enough of our sins.
Students and the youth trooped like lemmings to their fellowships and churches and listened to them more than their parents.
Many wives admired, honored, revered and listened to their pastors more than the counsel of their own husbands or family elders.
Additionally, the “men of God” taught culture.
They even said that our Ga Homowo festival was fetish and called on their Ga followers not to partake!
Libation, which is our African way of praying was demonized!

They got God as their buddy and he was always on their side and in their churches ranting specific prophetic directions on how to live holy lives.
These pastors told us our ancestors were ignorant and worshiped idols.
The congregation even sang songs to these tunes and lyrics!
Many people were also made to believe their ancestors had placed curses on them and their future generations!
They did not realize that this was a religious product being packaged and marketed, and for which the cure was often extended all night deliverance sessions accompanied by the laying on of hands and or pushing and the sale of anointing oil.

To fall and roll was testimony of the power of the “man of God”. The “men of God” also became adept fundraisers for poor God.
Many times, when we the people questioned –“Who is this God you talk about, who created heaven and earth and all therein and is all powerful and can do all things and all miracles including raising the dead and dividing the Red Sea and walking on water and giving everlasting life to people and supplying all their needs but always in need of our money to run his kingdom?” —, they told us that giving to God was an honor and a test of our love and stewardship and the only way God could bless us with breakthroughs and prosperity.

Through these religious spectacles, the pastors literally held society emotionally and psychologically hostage just to make themselves relevant.
The very air we breathed was contaminated with demons.
Christians prayed and sanctified the chair they sat on in their offices, just in case their unbeliever colleagues would not jinx them with demonic power.
Poor grandmothers became witches and disagreeable aunties were considered agents of the devil.
Only the anointing upon the anointed man of God could break the yoke.
With such paranoid narratives, the men of God wedged themselves into the crevices of our hearts and took hold of our minds and world view.

We deferred to them on every matter. Individuals called them their “spiritual father”.
Politicians sought their blessings before and after elections.
So when couples had new babies, they brought in the pastor to officiate the naming and outdooring ceremony, when in the past it was the duty of the family elders to do this! When Ghana Airways was in full flight towards a financial nosedive, the man of God was brought in to pray for it not to die!

In fact, Christians prayed without ceasing for Ghana out of the conviction that it only needed a Christian leader to be a prosperous country!
All this while, unbeliever nations like China, Japan and our old 1950s Third World classmates like Korea and Malaysia were pursuing science and technology to develop.
The pastor, having successfully branded himself as an all-knowing man who heard God’s voice, used his goodwill to become the jack of all trade in the lives of the people!
The most beautiful sisters in the fellowship and churches preferred them as good marriage material.
At least they did not drink alcohol or got shamefully drunk.
They did not chase other women or smoked weed. Neither are they corrupt like those unbelievers in the world.

They are good stewards and feared God, kept their marital vows and are honest.
They had the Midas touch and were welcomed with great honor and respect to every sphere of life.
This goodwill explains why a pastor can easily and conveniently transition back and forth between the pulpit and the financial boardroom and make social capital out of both- a skill the Christ thought was impossible and incompatible in the service of God when he said “no man can serve God and money”.

So this is where we are now—-from the 1960s through the late 70s and early 80s to the 90s to date—-a chronicle of frightening faith transitions and traditions and the social creation of semi bishops and demigods out of mere men who now sit upon our brains and determine which way and how we must think about our world and our God and country.

The church tradition of having people go and listen to what the “man of God” says every day without questioning him has led to a generation of sheeple who get hysterical and offended when pastors are questioned!
Like lemmings, they descend on you using the blood of Jesus as weaponized invectives to expel the devil in you.
Christians became both intolerant and suspicious of “men who used their minds to think”.

To such men, they sermonized, the things of God are foolishness.
No wonder entire congregations will stand by their pastor even when everyone sees how ethically unfit and immoral that is!

Christianity indeed set out, albeit nobly, to save what it believed was a sinful world.
Now the world is scared of a sinful Christianity, one that so badly needs its own gospel to save itself and restore its social legitimacy.

sarrki:
Real madness the money contributed to convid would have used to cushion the people that will lost their jobs


What happened to the profits made in year in year out

The money in question can't pay 1 month salary for all staff.

I have been expecting this move since the merger with Diamond Bank. It was inevitable

Ross Barkley: “My Father is a Nigerian and I wish to meet him” as he narrates his story
By admin- April 29, 2020


Ross Barkley has expressed his desire on how badly he wants to meet his father who broke up with his mother when the going got though.

Ross Barkley who was born and raised in England worked his way through hard times, determination and finally made it to the England senior team (Three Lions). In an interview about his life and career with no doubt he said:

“There’s one thing he wish to do and that is meeting his father who is a Nigerian but left his mother when he was very young and hasn’t seen him since then.” Barkley is 25 years old.

Ross bears his mother’s maiden name Barkley instead of his real father’s name Effanga who was a construction worker with the railway in United Kingdom. Patrick Effanga left Ross when he was only one year old and hasn’t meet with him since then.

Ross Barkley who graduated from Everton Football Club academy made his debut to the Premier League side Everton when he was eighteen and now plays for the London side giants Chelsea also known as ‘The Blues’.

His past two seasons with Chelsea Football Club has not been fertile as he struggles through injuries and poor form and he barely make it to the starting XI before the global misfortune break in sports due to the virus. But no doubt he was making waves of stamping himself in the starting XI for Frank Lampards side who has shown to be more interested in English players.




http://chelsea247.com/ross-barkley-my-father-is-a-nigerian-and-i-wish-to-meet-him/

C

You might have heard of the Spanish flu of 1918 which killed about 50 million people globally and 500,000 in Nigeria — but did you know that Lagos at some point deployed herbal medicine in battling the pandemic?

It was months into the health crisis and the country’s health infrastructure at the time was far from adequate to cater to patients. About 50 to 80 percent of Nigeria’s population of 18 million citizens were infected and urgent measures were being sought to save lives.

Several months after the outbreak in Spain in May 1918, Nigeria recorded its first case of the disease in September of that year after three members of the crew on the SS Panayiotis ship were confirmed to have been infected at Iddo wharf.


The specific origins of the “Spanish flu” outbreak are unknown, but it is known to have been an H1N1 Influenza “with genes of avian origins.” As it is the case with COVID-19, doctors and scientists were unsure of a number of things about the disease, including its treatment.

In his autobiography entitled ‘Memoirs’, Hezekiah Davies, the late nationalist, recalled how bodies littered the streets of Lagos as authorities battled to save the lives of those infected.

The situation, he recalled in the book published in 1989, was so bad that the oba of Lagos invited traditional healers to intervene, on the request of one of the medical doctors managing the situation. The traditionalists prescribed some herbs, though there is no record of any success in their use.

Davies recounted: “Anyone who walked along the streets, in those days, could not help but observe dead bodies thrust into the front of many houses. The living were themselves down with influenza, and were not able to go to the cemetery to bury their dead.

“At this period, medical practitioners were few and far between. The few European and Nigerian doctors, who were trained in England, could not cope with the number of people afflicted. Dr. Ladapo Sapara, the medical officer in charge of the Massey street dispensary, requested the Oba of Lagos, Prince Eshugbayi Eleko, to invite some traditional healers to prescribe some herbal medicine that could cure such a dangerous, widespread malady.

“In response, the traditional healers prescribed a potion which was to be taken orally, three times a day, after meals. As usual, no dosage was given. The Oba’s announcers went around the town beating drums, shouting, “Kere o! Kere o”, telling the public that the Oba advised them to buy the following herbs and roots, which they were to boil to make the potion.

“The herbs were: Ewe-rere, Ewe-asofeyeje, Efirin-ajase, Egbo-eruwo, and if desired for taste, lemon grass.”

He also recalled that despite his young age, he was his grandfather’s chief emissary and was sent to the Elewe Omo (herbalists) market at Obun Eko to purchase the herbs and roots.



“On these frequent journeys to the market, I felt frightened seeing dead bodies openly placed outside many houses. My infant mind could not cope with such a horrifying scenario,” he added.

“Though I feared these lifeless bodies, I nevertheless drove my wheel and ran undaunted to and from the market. Thanks to God, the family passed through the crisis unhurt. We suffered no casualties whatsoever.”

Since the COVID-19 outbreak started in December 2019, no known drug or vaccine has been manufactured for the disease, though vaccine trials have begun in humans. While the search for a cure continues, the federal government said it will consider the option of traditional medicine.

Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, had said: “We will look into every assertion. Some people say they have herbs and some others say they have concoctions. Only for those that are serious, the department of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in the ministry of health will look into their claims and we will not throw away any suggestion.”

Who knows what would save the world from the COVID-19 — scientific drugs or herbal medicines?

There is no specific treatment for COVID-19, and the World Health Organisation warns against the use of unapproved drugs for the treatment of the disease.




https://www.thecable.ng/flashback-how-lagos-prescribed-herbal-medicine-for-spanish-flu-of-1918

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paxherbals

The company is in the forefront of Herbal drugs on Nigeria and has one of the biggest herbal research facility in Africa.

Just In: Nigerian Catholic priest develops drug for Covid-19 cure

by Nneka 30th April 2020

A Nigerian Catholic priest, Fr. Anselm Adodo, OSB has developed a herbal remedy”CVD PLUS” for the treatment of covid-19. Fr Anselm making presentation of pax herbal products to Gov. Obaseki Being the Director of Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories in Edo State, Fr. Anslem released a statement on the company’s page on Facebook, on Thursday, 29 April, 2020.

The Catholic priest noted that the drug was in response to Nigeria’s demand and high expectation from the renowned laboratory to come out with a drug to fight this pandemic. Fr. Anselm stated that plant-based drugs are supposedly the best approach for the Coronavirus disease considering that these drugs are easily produced, stored and distributed and can be handled by medical and non medical personnel as they pose low contamination risk. According to him, the ‘CVD PLUS’ drug is made up of antiviral and immunodulatory agents which help to stimulate antibody production against coronavirus related diseases.

Confirming the news to the Daily Times in a telephone interview, the Company’s spokesperson noted that the drug has been presented to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration Control (NAFDAC) and is still under investigations. The statement also noted that NAFDAC is also set to speed up the drug regulation, evaluation and approval process of CVD PLUS. Fr. Anslem expressed gratitude to the Head of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Professor Tunde Salako and the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Catherine Adeyeye for interest, support and encouragement in the course of the research.



https://dailytimes.ng/just-in-nigerian-catholic-priest-fr-anslem-develops-drug-for-covid-19-cure/

Jentle244:
[quote author=martooski post=88960986]It does not even interfere in the power of God.
She only has intercessory power



Jesus is the only intercessor

You know what you are also right.

Same way you can not pray for your family bcus only Jesus Christ can



Just before you say I don't understand


intercession
/ˌɪntəˈsɛʃ(ə)n/
Learn to pronounce
noun
the action of intervening on behalf of another.
"he only escaped ruin by the intercession of his peers with the king"
Similar:
mediation
intermediation
negotiation
arbitration
conciliation
intervention
interposition
involvement
action
pleading
petition
entreaty
supplication
good offices
agency
shuttle diplomacy
mediatorship
the action of saying a prayer on behalf of another.
"prayers of intercession"

EIGHT LESSONS FROM EMMAUS STORY (Luke 24)

Today, we saw the journey of the disciples, Cleopas and his friend to Emmaus, about seven miles away from Jerusalem. The journey to Emmaus is a journey of life. It is our journey because we are the pilgrim church. Each of us goes on that journey once in a while. Some follow that path more frequently than others. The nations of the world are going through Emmaus journey right now. It is not just a journey of darkness, helplessness, frustration, confusion, hopelessness, fear, sorrow and abandonment, but also a journey of humanity, solidarity, sharing, rediscovery, evaluation, awareness and above all, revelation. It is a journey of blessings that are lessons. There are eight lessons that this journey teaches.

1. Jesus walks always with us.

In the darkest moment of life, God is with us. The road will not always be filled with manner and bread. Sometimes it will be filled with thorns and pepper. Sometimes the road of life will be filled with unmet expectations, disappointments, disgrace, betrayal, darkness, frustrations, fears, suffering, pain and uncertainty. Yet, even in the ugliest moments of life, God walks with us. It is a promise he cannot break (Matt 28:20, Isa 43:1). Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am there with you (Psalms 23:4). Jesus walked with the disciples in the midst of their fears and disappointments. In this moment of trials, he is with us. He allowed what is happening for a purpose, to teach us something, and perfect us the more

2. Build your faith on truth and right expectations.

Please don’t build your faith on shaking foundations. This is a beautiful lesson from this journey. Don’t build your faith on the externals, on only what can be seen. Whatever is visible is transient. Don’t build your faith on wrong assumptions- on the assumptions that God will never permit you to suffer, on the expectation that everything will work out well for you, on the assumption that you will never experience pain and disappointment, on the expectation that dark days will never come your way, on the assumption that you have all the answers. The disciples on the Emmaus story built their assumption that Jesus would be the one to deliver Israel from their political enemies as a political messiah and they were disappointed (Luke 24:21). Don’t build your faith on religious leaders, they may disappoint you (Luke 24:20). Don’t build your faith on signs and wonders, healings and miracles, they will cease one day. Dear friends, build your faith on God who knows all the answers, has all the powers and still underwent suffering. If you don’t want to be disappointed, build your faith on the wounded messiah.

3. Practice love on the journey.

Work against every inclination that makes you become angry and antagonistic when you are sad or passing through crises. Control yourself in moment of sickness, loss, pain, betrayal, persecution or suffering. Don’t forget to practice the greatest of all gifts even when the road is tough and uncertain. LOVE is the greatest and it lasts forever (1 Cor. 13:13). The most difficult moment to show love is when life becomes hard and painful. But it is the moment one gets the highest reward. Regardless of the confusing and painful atmosphere, the two disciples were able to practice hospitality. As the stranger (Jesus) made as if to go on, they prevailed on him to stay with them for the night (Luke 24:29). They told him it was late to travel alone but did not stop at this security tip, they constrained him to stay. They showed that love knows no boundary. The show of hospitality was rewarded with God’s presence. Even in this moment of crisis and pain, show hospitality. Share what you have with the hungry. A little can make a difference. Practice love. Judgment is going to be based solely on love.

4. Learn to pause for awareness.

Learn to pause when you receive the signal in the spirit. No matter your disposition, pause for a while when you feel the promptings of the spirit. If you feel something so strong in your spirit, discern it, interpret it. Find out what the Lord is trying to communicate. The Lord communicates to us every moment. In moment of pain and struggle, he speaks even the more. Don’t dismiss what is going on within you. Share it with the right person. Pray over it. God is revealing something. It may be for a change of position. It may be for a change of direction. The disciples said to each other when the Lord vanished from their sight: "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32 RSV). Pay attention when your heart begins to burn within. It is not ordinary. It is a burning for awareness, for change. Listen! Pause! Silence! and Discern! Find out what God says to you every moment.

5. Hold firm to the essential.

Jesus was worried that the disciples he stayed with for years were busy talking about non essentials. They were talking about their expectations. They were talking about their political dream and economic emancipation. They were talking about his deeds of miracles and healings. They were talking about comforts and prosperity. They didn’t know why a great prophet and healer should be killed by ordinary men or why the religious leaders should persecute a man like Jesus, even to the extent of killing him. This is the populist kind of Christianity in our country. Christianity without the cross. Christianity where suffering and pain are classified as curses. Christianity where one is not expected to toil and work because God feeds his children while they slumber - fake, human friendly and chocolate Christianity. Jesus was almost harsh on Cleopas and his friend, “And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:25-26 RSV). Jesus directed them back to the essential, to a necessary path to glory- the Cross. The Cross is the way of all Christians. Jesus made it clear that unless you carry your cross, you cannot be a disciple of Christ (Luke 14:27). Go back to the Cross. You were redeemed through the Cross. Everyone is assigned a cross as a participation in the Cross of Christ. This is what Paul is saying in Colossians 1:24. Return to the essentials. Hold firm to the true teaching.

6. Do not look down on anyone.

Look down on no one. Everybody is important. Everybody is a mystery. Everybody is Godsent. Treat everyone with honour and dignity. The people you meet on your journey are there by grace. They may not appear very pleasant to you. They may not appear very civil. They may appear as burdens. They may not wear what you expect them to wear. They may not be as elegant as you thought. They may not appear intelligent or learned. They may not live where you expect them to be living. They may not have what you think they have. Cleopas and his friend were unbelievable. In the midst of their frustration, doubts, pain and sadness, they kept this heavenly ancient secret: everyone is made in the image of God (Gen 1:26). The person you looked down on today may be your revelation for tomorrow or your messiah in the future. The so called stranger who met the disciples on the journey and intruded in their conversation was actually Jesus, the messiah, their revelation, the bread of life (Luke 24:17-19). They had experienced it before. They knew that God can use what we consider insignificant to surprise us ( I Cor. 1:28). Like the two disciples narrated, the women in our group amazed us, they gave us cause to wonder, they said he has risen (in a crazy male dominated society), Luke 24:22. Hmmm, the one you are looking down on may actually be your messiah.

7. Always seek his presence.

His presence among us is the Eucharist, the true body and blood of Christ. It is the summit and source of faith. It is the highest height of God’s revelation. It is Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The sacrament of his presence. Where God opens our eyes to see God and ourselves as we are. Long for his presence. The disciples recognized him at the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:31). Every occasion is a manifestation of his presence. Wherever you are, constantly ask God to reveal himself to you in all things, in your works, stories, relationships, mistakes, environment and so on. He is there. He is everywhere. In his presence, there is fullness of joy. In his presence, there is fullness of revelation. In his presence, you know God as you should and yourself as you are.

8. Do not walk away from Jerusalem.

The two disciples left Jerusalem for Emmaus. Jerusalem is the symbol of the temple. It is the symbol of worship, the symbol of the faith, the symbol of God’s presence. But when the whole environment became tensed and almost unbearable, the two disciples took off to a different location. Please, do not leave Jerusalem because of the hardship, confusions and disruptions of the moment. Do not walk away from your faith because of the challenges which is still very much around us. Be patient. The STORM CALMER is with us in this whole journey of life, global recession and pandemic. We shall come out of it, wounded but stronger and wiser. It will pass away. If you have walked away from faith because some people tell you that God is absent or that he does not exist, please return. God is present. He only appeared to be absent (Luke 24:28). He will change the tide soonest. He will.

© 2020 Innocent Joshua Chiawa Igbokwe, OCD

Installation of Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke of The Catholic Diocese Ekwulobia holds on April 29... Events to be streamed online

The installation of Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke of the newly-created Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia by the Papal delegate and Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev Valerian Okeke will take place on Wednesday, 29th April, 2020.

Recall that Pope Francis announced the creation of the new Diocese out of the Catholic Diocese of Awka on March 5, 2020. Due to prohibition of large gatherings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will not be open to the general public. To ensure that the public has virtual presence at the event, the Chineto Ozigbo Foundation is sponsoring the LIVE Streaming of the event on the Social Media handles of the Diocese. This gesture is in addition to the foundation's sponsoring of the development of the Ekwulobia Diocese website

http://www.ekwulobiadiocese.org/.

The foundation has also launched the development of a groundbreaking Digitization Roadmap for the Diocese. Commenting on the gesture, the Founder of Chineto Ozigbo Foundation, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo said, “The Church is a strong pillar of our society. A stronger Diocese means a stronger community, stronger families, stronger youth. I count it a privilege to be able to support the Church in this way in her work to secure our future in our communities and with God.” A respected banker and business leader, Mr. Ozigbo is also the immediate past President and Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Plc. Individuals from any part of the world who wishes to watch the LIVE Streaming of the Installation of Bishop Okpaleke should follow all the Ekwulobia Diocese Social Media handles below.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EkwulobiaCatholicDiocese/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ekwulobiadiocese1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv3E4CLe3CjRBZSTINQ4Geg/

Diocesan Website: http://www.ekwulobiadiocese.org/

Jentle244:
That doesn't change the fact that Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the Life, no one comes to the father except by me"

It does not even interfere in the power of God.
She only has intercessory power

THE STORY OF A PROTESTANT CHILD WHO PRAYED THE HAIL MARY

A little six-year-old Protestant boy had often heard his Catholic companions reciting the prayer "Hail Mary." He liked it so much that he copied it, memorized it and would recite it every day. "Look, Mommy, what a beautiful prayer," he said to his mother one day.

"Never again say it," answered the mother. "It is a superstitious prayer of Catholics who adore idols and think Mary a goddess. After all, she is a woman like any other. Come on, take this Bible and read it. It contains everything that we are bound to do and have to do." From that day on the little boy discontinued his daily "Hail Mary" and gave himself more time to reading the Bible instead.

One day, while reading the Gospel, he came across the passage about the Annunciation of the Angel to Our Lady. Full of joy, the little boy ran to his mother and said: "Mommy, I have found the 'Hail Mary' in the Bible which says: 'Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women.' Why do you call it a superstitious prayer?"

On another occasion he found that beautiful Salutation of St. Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary and the wonderful canticle MAGNIFICAT in which Mary foretold that "all generations would call her blessed."

He said no more about it to his mother but started to recite the "Hail Mary" every day as before. He felt pleasure in addressing those charming words to the Mother of Jesus, our Savior.

When he was fourteen, he one day heard a discussion on Our Lady among the members of his family. Every one said that Mary was a common woman like any other woman. The boy, after listening to their erroneous reasoning could not bear it any longer, and full of indignation, he interrupted them, saying:

"Mary is not like any other children of Adam, stained with sin. No! The Angel called her FULL OF GRACE AND BLESSED AMONGST WOMEN. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ and consequently Mother of God. There is no higher dignity to which a creature can be raised. The Gospel says that the generations will proclaim her blessed and you are trying to despise her and look down on her. Your spirit is not the spirit of the Gospel or of the Bible which you proclaim to be the foundation of the Christian religion."

So deep was the impression which the boy's talk had made that his mother many times cried out sorrowfully: "Oh my God! I fear that this son of mine will one day join the Catholic religion, the religion of Popes!" And indeed, not very long afterwards, having made a serious study of both Protestantism and Catholicism, the boy found the latter to be the only true religion and embraced it and became one of its most ardent apostles.

Some time after his conversion, he met his married sister who rebuked him and said indignantly: "You little know how much I love my children. Should any one of them desire to become a Catholic, I would sooner pierce his heart with a dagger than allow him to embrace the religion of the Popes!"

Her anger and temper were as furious as those of St. Paul before his conversion. However, she would change her ways, just as St. Paul did on his way to Damascus. It so happened that one of her sons fell dangerously ill and the doctors gave up hope of recovery. Her brother then approached her and spoke to her affectionately, saying:

"My dear sister, you naturally wish to have your child cured. Very well, then, do what I ask you to do. Follow me, let us pray one 'Hail Mary' and promise God that, if your son recovers his health, you would seriously study the Catholic doctrine, and should you come to the conclusion that Catholicism is the only true religion, you would embrace it no matter what the sacrifices may be."

His sister was somewhat reluctant at the beginning, but as she wished for her son's recovery, she accepted her brother's proposal and recited the "Hail Mary" together with him.

The next day her son was completely cured. The mother fulfilled her promise and she studied the Catholic doctrine. After long preparation she received Baptism together with her whole family, thanking her brother for being an apostle to her.

The story was related during a sermon given by the Rev. Fr. Tuckwell. "Brethren," he went on and said, "the boy who became a Catholic and converted his sister to Catholicism dedicated his whole life to the service of God. He is the priest who is speaking to you now! What I am I owe to Our Lady."

"You, too, my dear brethren, be entirely dedicated also to Our Lady and never let a day pass without saying the beautiful prayer, 'Hail Mary', and your Rosary. Ask her to enlighten the minds of Protestants who are separated from the true Church of Christ founded on the Rock (Peter) and 'against whom the gates of hell shall never prevail.'"

THE 12 TRICKS OF THE ANTI-CHRIST TO STEAL SOULS

According to the Ven. Archbishop Fulton Sheen

In an amazing radio broadcast on January 26, 1947, he explained what he thought the 12 tricks of the Anti-Christ will be. The “Anti-Christ” is a figure talked about in the New Testament that will lead many people away from God.

First, Archbishop Sheen dispels myths about what the Anti-Christ will look like. “The Anti-Christ will not be so called, otherwise he would have no followers. He will wear no red tights, nor vomit sulphur, nor carry a spear nor wave an arrowed tail as Mephistopheles in Faust.”

“Rather,” Archbishop Sheen explains, “is he described as an angel fallen from heaven, as ‘the Prince of this world,’ whose business it is to tell us that there is no other world. His logic is simple: if there is no heaven there is no hell; if there is no hell, then there is no sin; if there is no sin, then there is no judge, and if there is no judgment then evil is good and good is evil.”

Here are the 12 tricks according to Archbishop Sheen:

1) He will come disguised as the Great Humanitarian; he will talk peace, prosperity, and plenty, not as means to lead us to God, but as ends in themselves.

2) He will write books on the new idea of God to suit the way people live.

3) He will induce faith in astrology so as to make not the will but the stars responsible for our sins.

4) He will explain guilt away psychologically as repressed sex, make men shrink in shame if their fellowmen say they are not broadminded and liberal.

5) He will identify tolerance with indifference to right and wrong.

6) He will foster more divorces under the disguise that another partner is “vital.”

7) He will increase love for love and decrease love for persons.

He will invoke religion to destroy religion.

9) He will even speak of Christ and say that he was the greatest man who ever lived.

10) His mission, he will say, will be to liberate men from the servitudes of superstition and Fascism, which he will never define.

11) In the midst of all his seeming love for humanity and his glib talk of freedom and equality, he will have one great secret which he will tell to no one; he will not believe in God. And because his religion will be brotherhood without the fatherhood of God, he will deceive even the elect.

12) He will set up a counter-Church, which will be the ape of the Church because, he the devil, is the ape of God. It will be the mystical body of the anti-Christ that will in all externals resemble the Church as the mystical body of Christ. In desperate need for God, he will induce modern man, in his loneliness and frustration, to hunger more and more for membership in his community that will give man enlargement of purpose, without any need of personal amendment and without the admission of personal guilt. These are days in which the devil has been given a particularly long rope.

By Church Pop

https://lm.?u=https%3A%2F%2Fchurchpop.com%2F2018%2F05%2F21%2Fthe-12-tricks-of-the-anti-christ-to-steal-souls-according-to-the-ven-archbishop-fulton-sheen%2F&h=AT3ZQqqVCKSnxl_EcjVxge0MNkPHG_I56qodNJNLPrGUyh5X9hFEXgxYsq8gW6_vZmum9Hl5XoxFzg01cpvS0nZMLOOew_DJDUdzqQGt-wyCaeDHYnmd9nGR_83akB2Tda4&s=1

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED

--Written by an African martyr , the night before he was murdered by his tribe for not denying Christ.

“I’m part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of Christ, and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, lavish wealth, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, live by prayer, and labor by the Holy Spirit’s power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is Heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.”

THE EFFORTS OF THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF LAGOS IN DEALING WITH THE ISSUES RAISED RECENTLY.

Our attention has been drawn to a trending article that alleged that the Church in the Archdiocese of Lagos has not shown any concern towards the plight of those who were affected by the explosion in Abule-Ado about a month ago. This piece is for no other reason than to put matters in due perspective and correct the error in the perception of one of the daughters of the Church.

On March 15, 2020 a loud explosion rocked the Abule-Ado area of Lagos, devastating several houses and offices, including the Bethlehem Girls College owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos. Many people died in the explosion including Rev Sister Henrietta Alokha, SSH who was the Administrator of the College and seven other members of staff. All thanks to God, none of our students died even though some sustained injuries.

As soon as the Archbishop ended the Mass that he was celebrating on that day, he came to the Military Hospital where some of those injured were being treated and he went to the St. Joseph Catholic Church thereafter where he was told about the fact that some of the faithful of the Parish also died with their properties lost. He went into the church, prayed with those who were present, offered words of consolation and admonished them to hold on to one another and support one another. Thereafter, he went to the College grounds to assess the situation and gave instructions that the medical bills of the staff and students should be taken up by the Directorate of Education. The Director of Education for the Archdiocese, Very Rev. Msgr. Jerome Oduntan, was given the responsibility of working with the Parents/Teachers Association and the Administrators of other schools to ensure that the psychological impact of the explosion on students and teachers were promptly addressed and also that the education of the students of the College was not compromised. As it is today, the ongoing arrangement is that the staff and the students of the College would be deployed to other Archdiocesan Schools according to capacity and needs.

The Archbishop also approved the appointment of the Director of Education of the Archdiocese in to the committee that the Lagos State Government set up to deal with issues regarding the explosion as it pertains to exploring the ways to support the victims of the unfortunate explosion. We are aware that corporate organisations and others have been making donations to help the victims of the tragic incident. Msgr. Oduntan has been taking active part in the discussions and we hope that the relief promised would be made available to the victims sooner than later.

As a Church, we operate through different groups and Associations. So, the Archbishop approved that the Catholic Men Organization (CMO) should raise funds to support the victims who are members of the parish and so far from the donations given by members, they have been offering palliative to its members that were affected by the explosion after a careful compilation of the varied degrees of persons that were affected by the incident. Some money has been paid to the members to assist them while awaiting the fulfilment of the support to be given by the government. Those who received the help duly acknowledged receipt. We are also aware that other Church Associations through which the Church operates are active in St. Joseph’s Parish doing their best to help. We are also aware that the Catholic Women Organization (CWO), is putting in place a similar effort to support members affected in the parish and beyond.

On the issue of providing foodstuffs for those in need during this COVID-19 Pandemic, the Archbishop of Lagos recently released about N10,000,000 million to 78 parishes for the purchase of foodstuffs to be distributed to the needy. This is in addition to his directive that Parish Priests of the over 180 parishes in the Archdiocese are to arrange with its relevant committees to purchase and distribute foodstuffs as palliative to needy parishioners. This is being carried out successfully with high evidence of compliance in all the parishes.

By its nature of operation, the Church does not blow her own trumpets. It only became necessary to correct the impression created in the article under reference that the Church in Lagos has not been responsive to the plight of her children. Indeed, the Church considers herself as being in partnership with Government in taking care of people and so she feels obliged to support government initiatives that are directed to the welfare of the Society. It is part of the tradition of the Church to make her own contributions to social welfare as she deems it fit and is able to. We urge Lagos State Government to ensure that it continues to review the process that she is using in providing assistance to the most vulnerable especially at this time of the lockdown due to COVID-19 in the state.

Government must put a machinery in place in order to monitor how those who are given the task of distributing the palliatives are doing it so that it does not become a party political affair or worse still that the items are not diverted for private purposes. The Catholic Church will continue to champion the course of the masses, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity. By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church will continue to proclaim the message of God's saving grace to all and sundry to the greater glory of God.

Signed
Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu,
Director of Social Communications,
Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos.


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2919138221502942&id=460913837325405

WHERE DID JESUS SAY, “I AM God, WORSHIP ME ”?
(Answering Islam)

When sharing the gospel with Muslims, it is not uncommon to hear the objection: “Where did Jesus say, ‘I am God; worship me’?” This is because many Muslims have been trained (by Muslim apologists) to ask this question of Christians and demand that the answer must be in those exact words. Of course, this is an inconsistent and irrational demand. As, if we applied the same criteria, then we could ask them to show us in the Qur’an where it says that to become a Muslim you have to use the exact words of the shahada (1st pillar of Islam): “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Although both statements in the shahada are in the Qur’an (Surah 37:35 and 48:29), they are not found in those exact words in that order as a formula for someone to become a Muslim. Nevertheless, often when Christians do show Muslims that Jesus claimed to be divine, their response is to argue that the Gospels have been corrupted and therefore we cannot trust what they say about Jesus.1 This is a strange claim since the Qur’an does not teach that the Gospels have been corrupted, but rather commands Christians and Muslims to judge by what is written in the Gospels:

And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient. (Surah 5:47)

The Qur’an also talks about the truthfulness of the Gospels (Surah 3:3–4). If the Gospels have been corrupted, then why would the Qur’an tell Christians to judge by them? Today, Muslim arguments against the reliability of the message of the Gospels are significantly more advanced than that of the Qur’an. If the Qur’an was written six hundred years after the writing of the Gospels, did Allah not know it was corrupted in 632 AD? How can Muslims living in the 21st century produce a better argument against the Gospels than the author of the Qur’an if the author of the Qur’an is believed to be Allah? This means that Muslims should not reject what the Gospels say about the identity of Jesus.2 Contrary to the claim of Muslims today, there are numerous reasons to believe that the Gospels are reliable and that what we are now reading in them is what the apostles wrote down:

The four canonical Gospels are the earliest we have and the only ones that can be dated to the first century.
The four canonical Gospels were written at a time when there were still eyewitnesses alive who had seen these things happen (written by the apostles or a companion who had access to the information – cf., Luke 1:1–4; John 21:24).
The canonical Gospels were recognized as authoritative Scripture (cf., 1 Timothy 5:18) within the first century, and the testimony of the patristic authors (e.g., Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria) bears this out.3

Muslims may object to these reasons by stating, “You no longer have the original manuscripts!” But even though we do not have the original manuscripts, we do have the original text of Scripture, which is important as it is the text that is inspired and not the ink on the parchment. The original text can exist without the original manuscripts it can be preserved and rendered from the multitude of manuscripts we do have (through the process of textual criticism).4 If you want to know about the historical Jesus, then the places to look are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. God has preserved the text of the Gospels in such a way that we can have confidence that what we are reading is what was written by the original authors.

Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

It is clear that the gospel writers and the authors of the epistles believed Jesus was God (Matthew 1:23, 28:20; Luke 1:32, 2:11; John 1:1–3, 18; 1 Corinthians 2:8, 8:6; Colossians 1:16, 2:9; Hebrews 1:1–3; James 2:1; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Peter 1:1, 11). The question that we need to ask, however, is this: Did Jesus claim to be divine? By this, we do not mean that Jesus went around Israel saying: “Hi, I am Jesus, and I am God.” The reason Jesus did not do this is that he came to reveal the Father (cf., Matthew 11:27; John 1:18, 14:9), and, in a monotheistic culture (Mark 12:29), he would not want people to think that he was saying he was the Father. Another question that needs to be asked is, “What would represent a claim to being divine?” For Jesus to view himself as divine would be to attribute to himself words, actions, names, offices, and functions from the Old Testament that would be blasphemous if he were not truly divine.

It is important to realise that often in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), early on in his ministry, Jesus chose to show who he is rather than proclaim who he is. In other words, Jesus does the things that only God can do, which are implicit claims to his divinity, such as forgive sins (Mark 2:5–12; cf. Psalm 32:1–5, 103:2–3), claim to be Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27–28), have authority over creation in stilling a storm (Mark 4:35–41; cf. Psalm 65:7, 106:9), take control of the temple (Mark 11:15–19, 27–32), claim his ability to give rest to people who are heavy laden (Matthew 11:28), or even place himself as the “Son” alongside the Father (Mark 13:32).5 A clear example of Jesus choosing to show who he is rather than proclaiming who he is comes after John the Baptist was put into prison and his disciples came to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3). The reason John’s disciples ask this question is that they, like many of their contemporary Jews, were expecting a royal, conquering Messiah and not someone who, in their eyes, had come to preach and work miracles. How did Jesus answer John’s disciples’ question? Did he just come out and say who he was? No, Jesus didn’t come out and give a simple answer to who he was, but he does it in an implicit way by telling John’s disciples that they would know who he is by the things that he was doing:

And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:4–6).

The things that Jesus mentioned should have been evident to the disciples of John that the Messianic era was underway (see Isaiah 35:5–6; cf. 26:19, 61:1). Jesus answered this way to show who he was rather than explicitly state it.

It is in the last week of Jesus’ life where we see him make what is probably the most explicit claim of his own divinity, using texts from the Old Testament to show this. The gospel of Mark is seen by some critical scholars as presenting Jesus as an “idealized human figure,”6 but interestingly it begins and ends with a charge of blasphemy by the religious leaders against Jesus’ own claim of divinity (cf. Mark 2:7). After Jesus’ betrayal and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, he is brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin for examination to face the high priest along with the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.7 The Jewish high priest asks Jesus the question, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61).8 The title “The Blessed One” was a common paraphrase for God.”9 It is Jesus’ reply to the high priest’s question that causes controversy:

“I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death (Mark 14:62–64).
Why did the high priest tear his garment and the Sanhedrin condemn Jesus to death over what he said? Jesus’ reference to himself as being “seated at the right hand of Power” is most likely a reference to Psalm 110:1 where King David speaks about the Messiah in an exalted fashion calling him “Lord”:

“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Jesus had argued previously, based on this Psalm, that the Messiah was greater than David (Mark 12:35–36). In order to appreciate the reaction of the Jewish leaders, we must keep in mind the court scene as the Sanhedrin believed it was their right to judge the claims of Jesus. However, to be seated at the right hand of the Lord was to take a position above David and wait while God justifies the one who has been wronged by his accusers. In other words, those who are judging Jesus will one day be judged by him. Other New Testament authors also take Psalm 110 to be speaking of Jesus who is not only greater than David but also than the angels (Acts 2:34; Hebrews 1:13). This shows that Jesus is not just a created being. Jesus’ claim to be “seated at the right hand of Power” is also an allusion to his resurrection from the dead. Jesus then quotes alongside Psalm 110 a text referring to “the Son of Man” who is “coming with the clouds of heaven.” There is no evidence at the time of Jesus that “the Son of Man” was used as a Messianic title.10 It seems Jesus “used the term publicly in reference to himself because it was sufficiently vague that he could fill it with his own meaning.”11 The title “the Son of Man” originates from Daniel’s night vision where he appears before the Ancient of Days:

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13–14).

It is clear here that “Son of Man” is an exalted human figure who has divine characteristics.12 Importantly, the “Son of Man” is given a kingdom and all peoples, nations, and languages come and serve him. The Hebrew term for serve פְּלַח (pĕlaḥ) is used elsewhere in Daniel in the context of worship (Daniel 3:28, 7:27). What is interesting is that the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), translates the Hebrew word pĕlaḥ in Daniel 7:14 as λατρεύουσα (from λατρεύω - latreuo), which refers to the highest form of religious worship (see Matthew 4:10; Luke 1:74; Acts 24:14; Revelation 7:15). Jesus is saying he is the glorious figure in Daniel’s vision who is worthy of eternal worship. The religious leaders understand exactly what Jesus is saying in his use of Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13–14, and that is why they cry “blasphemy”—because the claim to divinity brings with it the death penalty (see Leviticus 24:16). The irony of Jesus’ examination before the Jewish Sanhedrin is that the person whose testimony is responsible for his crucifixion is Jesus himself when he utters the words from Psalm 110 and Daniel 7. This contradicts another objection that Muslims have to Jesus being divine: “God would not allow himself to be beaten, mocked and die upon a cross.” The cross was not a surprise to Jesus as the Son of Man willingly came to give his life as a ransom for sinners (Mark 10:45).

After the deadly decision of the Sanhedrin, “some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, ‘Prophesy!’ And the guards received him with blows.” (Mark 14:65) Prophesy was seen as a gift given to the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2–4). It is ironic that Jesus being mocked, spat upon, as well as Peter denying him at that very moment were all evidence that his prophecies were already coming true (see Mark 10:33–34, cf. Mark 14:30, 66–72). The fact that Jesus’ prophecies came true is evidence that the prophecy of “the Son of Man . . . coming in the clouds of heaven” will also one day be fulfilled.

Muslims may ask the question, “How would people know that Jesus said these things since there were no disciples around at this examination before the Sanhedrin?” Well, there would have been witnesses present at the Jewish Sanhedrin, such as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (Mark 15:43; John 19:38–39, cf. 3:1) who were members of this council and part of the early church. Therefore, these men would provide the valid eyewitness testimonies that were necessary. It is clear that in Mark 14:62 Jesus’ own words are testimony that he claimed not only to be God but that he is worthy of worship.

Footnotes

1. Many Muslims today make this claim because they have familiarised themselves with the arguments of critical New Testament scholars, like Dr. Bart Ehrman.

2. The reason Muslims reject the divinity of Jesus is that, according to the Qur’an, Jesus was merely a prophet and not the Son of God (Surah 4:171). So, for Muslims to worship Jesus is to commit širk [shirk], which refers to the sin of practicing idolatry or polytheism, the deification or worship of anyone or anything other than the singular deity of Islam, Allah. Within Islam, shirk is an unforgivable crime if it remains unpardoned before death; Allah may forgive any sin if one dies in that state except for committing shirk (Surah 4:47–48).

3. See Michael J. Kruger, The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2013).

4. See Andreas Köstenberger and Michael J. Kruger, The Heresy of Orthodoxy (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2010), 203–231.

5. In Mark 13:32 Jesus states, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” New Testament scholar David Garland notes, “The ascending order of “no one,” “the angels in heaven,” “the Son,” and “the Father,” puts Jesus next to the Father in the divine hierarchy.” David E. Garland, A Theology of Mark’s Gospel: Biblical Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2015), 307. Muslims use this passage to argue that, since Jesus did not know all things, he cannot be God. Jesus’ teaching, however, shows that his not “knowing” the day or the hour was a conscious self-limitation. As the God-man, Jesus possessed divine attributes, or he would have ceased to be God, but he chose not always to employ them.

6. J.R. Daniel Kirk, A Man Attested by God: The Human Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels (Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016), 580–581.

7. This is not an official trial as the Jewish authorities did not have the authority to put Jesus to death, and so they are trying to gather evidence that will convict Jesus to take to Pilate.

8. Interestingly, the title used by the high priest “Son of the Blessed” was used of Jesus by the Father at his baptism and at the transfiguration (Mark 1:9–11, 9:7). It was even used by Jesus of himself in the parable of the tenants (Mark 12:6) and by the believing Roman centurion at the crucifixion (Mark 15:39).

9. Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 178.

10. Garland comments: “No evidence exists that there was a well-defined notion of the ‘Son of Man’ as a messianic figure or that the phrase was used as a messianic title. This assessment is supported by Mark’s narrative. The phrase appears only on the lips of Jesus. Neither human characters nor the narrator calls Jesus ‘the Son of Man.’ When Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ the phrase ‘the Son of Man’ is not one of the conjectures (8:27–30). The high priest also does not charge Jesus with claiming to be ‘the Son of Man’ at his trial. While ‘Son of Man’ was not an established title, the figure was known from Dan 7:13–14, which I believe provides the backdrop for Jesus’ usage and Mark’s understanding of the phrase.” Garland, A Theology of Mark’s Gospel, 252.

11. Ibid, 252.

12. The one like a Son of Man is seated on God’s throne, comes in the clouds, is a vehicle for God (Exodus 34:5), and boldly approaches the Ancient of Days (God the Father) but not in fear (see Isaiah 6:5).

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HOW TO CONTROL YOUR SEXUAL URGES AS A CHRISTIAN SINGLE...

Sometime ago, a sister approached me with concerns about her sexuality.

She wondered why although she is deliberate about her walk with God, she still has a strong urge for sex. When I smiled and told her I had sexual desires too and that these desires were God-given and normal, she was greatly relieved.

When you ask some Christian singles, ‘have you at any point felt like having sex?’ the look on their faces will make you wonder if you’ve just asked an abominable question.

Yes we have the standard ‘flee sexual immorality’ instruction.

There are lots of sexual purity campaigns, seminars on the demonic operations behind illicit sexual affairs, talk shows that tell stories on how destinies are destroyed via fornication.
Too many struggles have arisen out of sexual urges that looks impossible to be tamed.

But the question still remains in the heart of many Christian singles. Can sexual urges be controlled? What happens when my body just desires physical intimacy? How do I handle my raging emotions knowing that God demands sexual purity?

1. UNDERSTAND THAT SEXUAL DESIRES ARE PLACED INSIDE US BY GOD.

Our bodies came with this pleasure package. The longing for sex is normal.
Imagine that nothing moves you. No desire for intimacy.

The sight of that beautiful sister does not even make you feel anything or even when you are with the person you claim God wants you to marry, there is no fire or desire whatsoever. Your body is as stiff as wood. If you are like this, who knows, maybe you have been destined to be a eunuch for righteousness sake.

One thing I know is that for every normal human being, our bodies responds to this intimacy because while we were formed, this ‘button’ was strategically placed to provide the sweetness that comes with companionship upon matrimony.

An understanding of this helps us to look forward to marriage. As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.

When your thoughts are full of sensuality outside the marriage bed, your body will act in response to the signals from your mind.

This is where control starts from. Your thought process. A constant reminder of the place and purpose for which sex was designed will help.

For a person who says, ‘Abeg, no man can control his sexual urges before marriage!’ be sure that he’ll indulge in it as many times as possible.
For you as a believer who honours and fear God, the question will be, What does God say about sexual intimacy?

The answer should fill your thought life.

2. AS FAR AS SEXUAL TEMPTATION IS CONCERNED , IT IS A FIGHT WE MUST WIN.

I believe that sex is one of the greatest temptations Christian singles face.
The devil seeks to twist our innate desire for sex for his own purpose. He does this by implanting sensual thoughts that draws us towards the flesh.

There is a battle to fight. Almost everything in our environment awakens us to our sexuality. Our urges are at alert more now than ever. Every morning as we wake up, our minds are forced in the battle field surrounded by enemies. We constantly win with the sword of the Spirit and prayers. Our communion with God is how we maintain stability.

3. TRAIN YOUR MINDS TO DIFFUSE SEXUAL THOUGHTS.

I use the word train because there may be times when you find yourself indulging in the lustful pictures when you clearly know what the Word says. Even when that happens, never let that discourage you.

Whatever actions that may have resulted from such indulgence should not make you sit in guilt. You have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. There is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Get back into the Word as quickly as possible and learn to cast down every imagination that goes against the knowledge of Christ. Become a guru at pulling every thought to the obedience of Christ.
It comes with practice.

The more you practice this, the more sensitive you become when those thoughts attack your mind.

4. UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR EMOTIONS WORK.

It is foolish to see that your body quickly responds to touch or how you get easily emotionally attached and still allow your emotions to do as it wills.

Don’t ever compare your ability to control sexual temptations with someone else. You see how aroused you quickly become and yet you still visit that sister every time and talk with her far into the night.

You know that watching movies series, many of which now have sex scenes in strategic episodes, drives you faster into pornography and masturbation and yet you sit down with it because another believer says he is not easily affected by scenes like that.

Know how your body works. When you notice that the urges are repeatedly very strong at a particular time, take helpful steps.

A lady once told me that as a single, her ovulation period were the times her urges got to a peak. At those times, she was more sensitive with physical contact.

The more you expose yourself to the things that trigger our sensuality, the weaker we become in taking our stand. Take note of those triggers. It’ll save you from falling and rising every time.

5. SENSITIVITY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS IMPORTANT.

The Holy Spirit will teach you what to do each step of the way. We must learn to listen. He is our helper.

There were some mistakes we’d have averted if we had listened. Long before you fell flat into that sexual sin, you might have heard an alarm go off in your head, or heard God’s Word jump right at you.

The Holy Spirit clearly says, ‘No! Don’t go there.’ but then the flesh is also trying to win our attention.

Many times, when we easily yield to the flesh, it is because there is something wrong with our communion. There is too much of exposure from the outside while our inner man is starved of the bread of life.

6. NEVER HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH.

Here’s a sister in the fellowship who just became your friend. You begin to chat every day. As you chat, you can see fire and passion building inside of you gradually.

You sense in your spirit that you need to withdraw but then you think, ‘She is a believer. We pray and share scriptures together.

Nothing can happen.’
She keeps visiting and then one evening, you just finished discussing some scriptures when you are both rolling on the floor, handling each other like starved lions, clothes flung aside.
When you finish, you wonder how that happened even though you were reading scriptures few minutes ago.

Imagine a man at the height of passion and he is muttering, ‘Holy Spirit, help me.’ Which Holy Spirit biko?

7. BE ARMED WITH THE WORD.

Have you noticed the way sexual thoughts just descend on our minds at will? They don’t even fear that you are reading the Word. In the middle of reading a chapter, they creep in. In church, while the Pastor is preaching, your mind just suddenly wanders to a lady in your compound who came out of her flat that morning, half naked.
You must be armed with scriptures to dispel those thoughts. Romans 12:2 says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Spend time with the Word.

The psalmist said, God’s Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against the thee.

The Word washes out those nonsense pictures and images our mind have picked in the course of the day.

There are some images that we never called for.

They popped out on our phones or we see them as we go about our daily activities. It is as we come before the Word that our minds are cleansed and refilled with God’s thoughts again.

8. WHEN YOU FEEL A STRONG URGE TO HAVE SEX, DO SOMETHING THAT WILL DISTRACT YOU.

It is not at that time you turn on the TV or scroll endlessly on social media. If you do that, you’ll be fanning those desires and giving the flesh room to explore. Imagine pouring grains of sugar on the floor and asking ants not to pay a visit.

Do something spiritual. Listen to a song or sermon, read a Christian literature, pray with friends, check up on your parent or sibling and just laugh and talk. Those urges don’t last long. They will disappear once there is nothing to hold on to.

9. YOUR FAITH IS YOUR SHIELD.

If you are struggling with sexual temptation, whether sex itself, sex chat or pornography, one of the radical ways to handle it is to completely trust God for deliverance.
When it happens,(I’m not saying this for it to happen), don’t forget to remind yourself on your identity in Christ.
You are God’s Son. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. Nothing can separate you from God’s love.

Remind yourself that you are seated in heavenly places in Christ and your struggle has already been dealt with. Say it again and again until you completely shut the mouth of the accuser.
Don’t start condemning yourself. It’s the devil’s strategy to keep you going in the same circle.
Hold your shield of faith high and then when your head is so full of your position in Christ, you’ll find that there is peace in your heart and a confidence to hear the Holy Spirit show you what made you slip and how to stand firm.
You do not have any business listening to the devil. Whatever happened is between you and God.

God sees your motive and knows you sincerely want to live a life pleasing to him. He understands that you deeply want to please Him.

Your unflinching focus on Christ when you fall into sexual temptation proves that you trust the finished works of Christ. We are assured that we can rest on the integrity of God’s Word
It shows that you are confident in the new life that you have received. You faith and not your ceaseless cries is the victory that overcomes this corrupt world.
When you discard your assurance as a son, it’ll be difficult for you to receive help. So it is either you are listening to the devil or taking a stand in your profession of faith, believing that because you are a son, you have overcome.

10. IF GOD SAYS WAIT, WAIT.

.People will say all manner of things when you decide to wait for God to lead you to your spouse. They’ll make you feel you are wasting your time by staying celibate.
The Media will push at you the reasons why you should have sex as a single.

How penetration is difficult when you get to a certain age and why you need to try it out before that time. Some will even say it is by having sex that the sexual urges reduces.
You will be frustrated at times because of the absence of physical intimacy. At these times, remember that the word is our compass.
If the Word says we have self-control, then we trust the word. If God says, wait patiently for me and I’ll direct your path. We know for sure that it is ours. Every time, we put the Word before us.

Each victory will make you stronger. That desire may look like, if you don’t respond right now, you will faint. Na lie abeg. It will pass.

11. WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

The kind of friends you keep will either draw you towards sexual purity or plunge you deep into pre-marital sex. Ask God to send you friends who are passionate about Him. Friends who will constantly stir your heart towards spiritual things.

12. BE PATIENT WITH THOSE STRUGGLING WITH SEXUAL SIN.

We must not deceive ourselves. Pornography or sex chats is as much a sin as the real act of sex.

Don’t get on your high horse condemning those involved in sexual immorality while you continue to indulge in pornography or text. You are an hypocrite if you do that. You need help as much as they do.

Be compassionate with those who are struggling. Even if you are not struggling with any form of sexual temptation, remember your duty in the body of Christ to help others.

No true believer desires to indulge in premarital sex, some just don’t know the way out. It is our duty as ministers of the new testament to prayerfully strengthen their faith in Christ.

Let me say this as I conclude;
We can’t stop birds from flying over our heads but we can stop them from building a nest on our head.

Spend time in the Word and in prayers. Grow in your intimacy with God. This is how self control is continually birthed. !

This is how we maintain sanity in this corrupt world that seeks to fan our sexual desires outside of God’s plan. When we continually walk in the Spirit, we won’t give in to the desires of our flesh.

From an online source.