₦airaland Forum

OP, just before you denote the passage you must understand that it sounds funny because you saw it as it is. The true meaning of Ezekiel 23:19 goes thus:

"[Egypt] The kings of Judah played alternately Egypt against Babylon, and Babylon against Egypt. Jehoahaz was displaced by Necho for Jehoiakim, who turned to the Chaldaens, and afterward rebelling south aid from Egypt. So Zedekiah was continually meditating help from Egypt, against which Jeremiah and Ezekiel were continually protesting".

That you do not understand the Scripture does no mean that it is funny. The passage is clearly figurative. Invective is put to use there and it is not meant to be decoded if you hardly or do not study.


#Shalom!

Following...

Threads and Counter-threads

Well, the truth is both are not too different. This is very debatable though, but most people will disagree based on the use of language. When a guy 'admires' a lady, he solely does not admire the dress she puts on, her hairdo or her smile. When guys look at ladies, they tend to look beyond the outside, or the surface. For guys, they are fascinated by what they see, which could be interpreted into different things. This might not be the same for ladies, though.

mirob: This verse is confusing, I will bless who I want to bless and show mercy upon who I will show mercy. Also it is not he that runneth, it is God that showeth mercy. I don't understand it, does it mean that we should stop praying and stressing our selves because all efforts will be in vain if God does not decide to bless and show us mercy.

When God said He will bless those He wants to bless, He means His own; His beloved and those within His fold, likewise mercy.

By 'it is not he that runneth...' what He means is that hardwork does not guarantee success except He is involved, hence, such a person has obtained mercy from God. Please note that the word 'mercy' means 'Grace'. God gives Grace and from Him alone comes the fountain of Grace. When a rich man dies and people who have little or nothing gather, they say "It is not of Him that willeth or runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy". This implies that the Grace to live or to be alive is given by no other person than God Himself.

You should understand that some enjoy God's grace more than others. The Grace is not given to all equally. Such is the meaning of the Scriptures.


#Shalom!

Obalende: it sure does! Because Govt rolled out NUBAN, now another unique bank number exercise is in progress. It is simple. In future, they will say all your transactions must be thru this new National ID card via Mastercard. The end of the world is nigh. It did not start from US or Canada. It started from Nigeria - the most religious country on earth!! Why?

Second question, it was claimed in the bible God loves humanity as a whole. Is mark of the beast and the horrors of Revelation "love". It sure seems humanity is on its own.

all Nigerians hear this: this National ID card + Mastercard IS THE MARK OF THE BEAST. Later, all your transactions must be done thru this card i.e. you will have just this one consolidated card. Only a fool cannot see this. CBN is obeying Satanic orders.

What can we do about it?

OP, please stop being paranoid and stop reading meaning to things.

Seandeeds: I was at a church the other time, when a woman came out to give her testimony. She testified to the fact that her daughter got married despite all the family problems....African family wahala.

After it all, she said we should go check out one ranking like that. She said her daughter's wedding was ranked number one. She said the number one more than two times.

I was just wondering if that did not amount to boasting and pride.

I don't want to commit sin by concluding. I just felt I should ask the house.

Thanks a lot and happy Sunday.

Testimonies are available so that people will know what God has (been) doing/done. Hence, the woman you claimed mentioned number one might have boasted but it is not a sin in that stead. Testimonies only become a sin when we exaggerate.

This article is solely my opinion. Although I wrote this without proof-reading, please bear with me.


Okay I admit, maybe I exaggerated with my so-called one thousand reasons; they are not even close to a hundred, but they are issues worth eyeing.

We are in a world where entertainments, particularly movies, have come to play a pivotal role in our society. Irrespective of the fundamental role movies play in our society, thoughts of Nollywood movies cause drowsiness in me before the idea of seeing them comes to mind. Although, I spend a great deal of time at cinemas and sometimes, trying to download the latest Hollywood movies, yet, few minutes into a Nigerian movie and I’m off to Wonderland. I often wondered what was responsible for this until I believed that I have figured out the answers. A LOT is wrong with our Nollywood and as a movie enthusiast; I find the movies disappointing each time some few friends are around me and we decide to see one. Upon closer look, I believe there are some problems with the entertainment industry. Which are;

1. Our Movies are too predictable: Probably the most dominant in Nigerian movies; the producers, directors, characters and soundtracks are too predictable that one could tell what would happen in the next scene. It is also too predictable that viewers know how a movie will end before the characters themselves. Unfortunately, majority of Nigerian movies’ producers/directors lack the idea to create a spark between their characters and the viewers. The gap is way too huge (I guess this explains why I sleep off, barely few minutes into a movie).
Predictability on the director/producer’s part: After a successful movie campaign, producers/directors guise under their last success to create/direct a similar story, which is often annoying. True, this is also found in Hollywood movies but ours is so terrible that at the name of the director who, for instance, directed BLEEDING LOVE, must necessarily direct a new ‘blockbuster’ titled BLEEDING ANGEL. Quite funny that such a director/producer’s specialty is on nothing but love that comes with heart wrenching moments of the protagonists (who are likely Ramsey Noah and Ini Edo).

2. On the part of the Characters: Unfortunately, most viewers have come to accept this unconsciously. I could remember seeing the popular comedy sitcom ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ almost, if not a decade ago and not quite long, the lead character, Will Smith, played a flawless and emotional role in ‘In Pursuit of Happiness’. Then there was another; young Keke Palmer (Akeelah) who transited flawlessly from a ghetto spelling bee girl (in Akeelah and the Bee) to a churchy, troubling teenage girl (Joyful Noise) whose voice is so amazing that her mother, Queen Latifah, failed to notice she had blossomed into a stunning young lady. The list is limitless with Hollywood acts, compared to our sloppy, unrepentant and undynamic actors/actresses. Take for example; I find it quite easy to conclude most Nollywood movies upon seeing the characters that make them. This is what comes to my mind when characters like this are mentioned in movies:

 Aki & Pawpaw: They must play the role of two village scoundrels who do nothing but terrorize their father for marrying a new wife after the demise of their mother. They must play pranks and turn the community outside-in to prove a point to their father. Hence, this must be a movie with some unrealistic comedy.

 Mr Ibu: He must play the role of the village clown, who, at 40, is still living with his father and ever caring mother. He can hardly read or write and therefore, has loads of problem with understanding people and what they really mean. Hence, it must be some annoying comedy.

 Sanyeri: He must play the role of a typical Oyo man who tries to manoeuvre people and is often being outwitted by his best friend, who seems smarter than him. Hence, it must be a boring comedy.

 Jim Iyke: He must play the role of the hot-tempered dude who talks rudely to his girlfriend/wife and sometimes, end up battering her. Depending on the title as well, he must also play the role of prince charming that comes out of the blue to steal the heart of a dejected lady who has long given up on love.

3. On the part of wacky soundtracks: Do we even see foreign movies at all? Some might claim that we just being us; we do not want to fake or thread in the path of others. But what happens when an annoying song, in the middle of a movie, comes up with a dirge when two masked men walk around the fence of Kanayo O. Kanayo or Jide Kosoko? Geez! What happened to the element of surprise? Must we be told when we are actually watching?

4. We have no genre: Being a lover of movies, I find it easy to fall on any genre of movie, depending on my mood. Still, each time I leave a cinema after a movie, I feel pleased and look forward to seeing movies again. Unfortunately, the our movie industry and its people are terribly stereotyped into feeding us with unrealistic comedies and largely dramas which, in turn has given us nothing but predictable plots and resolutions, which I believe hurt more. I strongly believe that what makes a good movie is not the number of star characters but rather, how the plot systematically beat the imagination of viewers in the course of events. For crying out loud, there are genres such as Sci-Fi, horror, comedy, drama, thriller, fantasy, animations, action, mystery, adventure etc.

5. Too many stars in a movie: It is obvious that the saying “too many cooks spoil the broths” is not applicable to our movie producers. The last time I saw movies of many stars in Hollywood movies were in “The Expendables”, “Fast and Furious” and the crazy comedy, “This is the End”. What we hardly understand is that the Hollywood spends more money on a movie than we spend. The effects of crowding a movie with A-lister actors/actresses are often too huge that the movie suffers and the actors/actresses also suffer as some are being relegated to the background. As almighty and high as the Hollywood is, it suffered the same in “The Expendables”; Arnold Schwarzenegger was relegated while the likes of Jason Statham grabbed the bull by the horn. The best movies of the world today are not best because they are made up of too many stars. Movies such as “In Time, I Frankenstein, A Thousand Words, Hunger Games 1&2, Now You See me, Titanic, 47 Ronin” etc. are examples of what I mean. Our producers must break free from the mentality of gathering too many stars to make up their movies. Although there are few exceptions to this, Kunle Afolayan is someone I respect so much in this regard. Only few Nigerian movies have managed to adopt this ideology. “Phone Swap, Figurine, and The Meeting” are successful movies that I don’t get tired of seeing.

6. Props, Costumes and Effects: Our movies are backward in this aspect when we put Bollywood and Hollywood into consideration. We are one of the very few movie producing countries with wacky effects and props. In place of blood, we are forced to use Ribena and things such as Tasty Time. Maybe these things were bought decades ago by viewers who could not tell what it was. It is important our movie producers understand that blood itself is RED and not in some blackcurrant drink! And about our guns? Bollywood does better movies that arouse one’s conscious as to what just took place in a scene is indeed real or not. This is the 21st century for crying out loud. Last I checked movies are described as ‘’make believe’; sell what is unreal in a manner that is true.

7. Our Movies Kill time: Annoyingly, on a scale of 1-100, I’d say movies that have parts or concluding series are over 85%. I could remember years back when I devoted two straight to watching Lord of Rings 1, 2, and 3. Each part of the movie is well over 2 hours yet, I couldn’t get enough of the trilogy and so were most of friends. Our movies show unconnected scenes and dedicate several minutes on these scenes just because the greed to make more money comes to mind. Clichés of time killing scenes are often seen in an act, precisely club scenes. I feel it is irrelevant for a movie that is rarely up to two hours of normal time to be split into several parts simply because the producers want to make enough money. This is one of the reasons most Nigerians prefer pirated copies to the real deal.

8. Adverts within movies: Honestly I cannot remember the last time I saw this because I stopped seeing Nollywood movies a long time ago. Still, I believe this is one of the time killing machines within our movies. Imagine anticipating a movie and what you would see in the next fifteen minutes or more are nothing but trailers of impending movies and some herbal products’ adverts. Our producers must understand that it is high time they understood the importance of giving their audience what they truly deserve.

9. Video Quality: Most of our movies are produced with little video quality that you tend to question if the movies were shot a decade ago. Somehow, I accidentally previewed the movie ‘Battleship (2012)’ yesterday and I just could not help but marvel at the quality of the movie after two years. The Nigerian Entertainment industry must pay attention to this if they really want fans of the industry keep coming back.

It is futile if we keep producing and releasing tons of movies every Monday morning when we lack the qualities movies need to stand. Though the industry might have been politicised, I believe a better entertainment industry is need to uplift the image of the entertainment world of Nigeria and Africa, since we are perceived as the trail blazer in the entertainment world. We need good movies.

Bvsteph: Lol. ok. But it's ok to love my boyfriend so much that i get jealous if he looks at another right?

Sure, because that in itself, is a product of love.

LaChicabonita: Using POD's analysis of 'snog, marry or avoid?' I would totally MARRY your kind! I like a guy who can tell the truth and can appease his lady. Youse deserve utmost respect from us ladies :-)

Thanks Dearie...

Bvsteph: As Christians, we can be Jealous right? We can be Jealous about our brother getting a car and we have nothing, we can be Jealous when our family gives much more attention to one sibling than the whole lot, we can be Jealous when our bestfriend is focusing on another instead of us. Jealousy is a product of love...right?

Exodus 20: 5 and so many other passages tell us about God being Jealous. If God is a Jealous God, then who are we 'NOT' to be Jealous?

Pls continue after the cut


Lets break it down into bits

1. Is Jealousy a product of Love....Yes or No?

2. God is our ultimate model. The one we must follow, the one true, and perfect and holy being. If God can be Jealous, then we can too?... Is being Jealous Right or Wrong?

A. If it's right, then why do most people leave a relationship because their partners are "too Jealous"? Why can't we all see it as a good thing not a bad thing?

B. If it's wrong, then why is God a Jealous God? God whose footsteps we must follow, can be Jealous, and He says it boldly and shows it, yet we that are His own should not? If it's right with God then why is it wrong with man? Aren't we created in God's likeness and image?

Before you turn the Scriptures upside down,I must explain some things; yes, God is jealous and His is a product of love. He wants us to serve Him and Him alone and none other. Just like we get involved with our partners and want them to love us alone. Your kind of jealous is not a product of love, it revolves around material things. You must understand the two. Material things are vain and as such, being jealous over them will only cause us to hate those who are succeeding while evil and hatred grows in our heart.

Your jealous is not for a soul, rather, for material things. And do you know what we call them? COVETOUSNESS!


#Shalom!

I couldn't read your epistle but I must tell you what might not really go down well with you;

Some men never do it, and some use the “I’m sorry honey” at any occasion that might call for it

A gentleman and one who respects and loves his lady, as well as the peace in the relationship must learn to say sorry even when things seem awry. Truth is, some men allow ego get in the way and remain high and lofty in a place they think they belong. Saying sorry when things go wrong does not mean that the guy is a dunce or that he doesn't know his worth. Ignore the ego, let it die and be the gentleman that you are. A reasonable lady who truly knows that worth of having you around will not take your apologies for granted. Though some ladies may misbehave for being the peace-loving kind. But the gospel truth is that respect and putting your lady before you does not mean you are a dummy. Apologizing or saying 'sorry' at intervals does not mean one is weak.

Being ready and matured to handle one. It is also not a bad idea that you gave yourself a target. However, decent relationships are very costly to keep. It does not necessarily include money; vital things such as self respect, ability to cope with someone who likely has different views, and most importantly, the ability to look out for someone who is not you.
Just like someone mentioned above, it is indeed relative but I 'd recommend that you take you time.

The lineup and seedings are confirmed for the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, streamed live from the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, in the UEFA.com DrawCentre from 17.45CET on Thursday.

https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/General/01/66/65/75/1666575_w2.jpg
• UEFA.com's coverage will begin from Monaco at 12.00CET.

• The draw ceremony will include the vote for and presentation of the 2013/14 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for which Manuel Neuer, Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo are nominated.

• The 32 clubs, 22 of which qualified automatically and ten of whom won through from the play-offs, have been split into four seeding pots according to their coefficient.

• Each group will contain one team from each seeding pot. No club can play a side from their association among other restrictions: see the full draw procedure.

• The draw will also establish the groups for the second season of the UEFA Youth League.

How it works

The 32 qualifiers have been divided into four pots based on the Uefa coefficients, which are in turn decided by a mixture of the team's own performance in Europe over the past five seasons, as well as the strength of their country's league.

The Champions League group stage comprises eight pools of four teams: consequently, a team from each pot is drawn and placed into one of the eight groups available. This is done by pot and not "one at a time": that is to say, all the teams from pot one will be placed into a group, and then pot two, and so on down to the fourth and final pot.

There are some restrictions, though. Teams from the same national association cannot be drawn together, and even prior to that there will be two 'sets' of groups decided for the purpose of television rights. For example, the four teams from Spain cannot all be drawn in the same set.

Which Teams Have Qualified?
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Porto, Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Basel, Zenit, Manchester City, Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow, Ajax, Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon, Galatasaray, Anderlecht, Roma, APOEL, BATE Borisov, NK Maribor, Monaco, Arsenal, Athletic Bilbao, Bayer Leverkusen, Malmo, Ludogorets.

Sources:
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2015/draws/index.html
http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4074/champions-league/2014/08/28/5064651/champions-league-draw-arsenal-in-pot-1-roma-in-pot-4-as-real?ICID=HP_HN_1

itstpia1: yes, your questions do sound too spiritual although they need to be asked.

you should include other non- religious enquiries such as favorites book/s, game, music, etc, life experiences outside religion, etc. Which sites are they on, do they play video games, what type, etc.


someone answering all your questions by rote to your satisfaction, doesnt necessarily mean they are spiritual in the way you want them to be.

You are on point. I totally agree. Secular things also count. It is not about the 'Spirit' everytime.

panachuku: do not forget they were trained by the xtain USA and france in the syrian conflict

I can't believe this could come from someone. A thousand apologies to Zenopee for what I'm about unleashing. Did the USA train prophet Muhammed? Did they train Uthman Dan Fodio and all those who committed gruesome attrocities in the name of religion thousands of years ago? I respect every religion, both great and small, but putting the blame on a country is unacceptable.

Sehindemi: Honestly,It'z not gonna turn out well...
Nothing is new though!

Exactly my point. It won't turn out well. It is best if people of the same get married to each other.

It is not a necessity. However, it is advisable you choose from the same faith as you. Reasons for this are glaring and they could rob on you and your spouse later on. Often times, it results to clash of beliefs, ideology, church upbringing, level of faith, etc. I know of a church that does not believe there is God . They believe Jesus is all and there is no God. The church in question does not believe in the Trinity! The reasons for denominations are best know to the founders of such churches but if you look closely, you would discover that the doctrines are different and some are devilish, blinded, deceived and short of understanding of the scriptures, and worst of all, dangerous. I'll be blunt here and I'll give a real life example:

A man and a woman of two different faiths got married. The lady was from a modern day Pentecostal and the man, from Jehovah Witness. They got married and lived wonderfully until something happened. A year after their marriage, the woman became pregnant and on the day of her delivery, she birthed her child but lost too many blood. She strolled to the point of death and the doctor called on the man and explained the whole thing to him, and that they needed blood to save the life of the woman. The husband, who shares the same blood group as the wife, refused and rejected the idea of passing blood to his wife. According to him, blood is life and God considered the blood of any animal sacred because it is life (True). The man claimed a miracle would happen because he knows God will step into the picture, without passing blood to the wife.

This went on for a while until the parents of the lady showed up the next day at the hospital, to save their daughter while the husband insisted his fath does not permit it. To cut the long story short, one of the parents donated blood and the woman's life was spared. OP, you raised the question and now I ask you one; God forbid, if you were the wife, what would you do after leaving the hospital?

hushmail: d kingdom of God suffereth violence and only d violent take it by force

its time d whole christiandom unite n take military action against these barbarians killing innocents under d guise of religion of peace

there is nothing peaceful abt force conversion

I agree, there is nothing peaceful about force conversion. But about the military action? That would be a NO NO; what do you think Christ would do, take up arms or pray for them? They are our brothers, either we like it or not. They may have been blinded by rage, lust for blood and violence, still, they are still our brothers. We should all pray for them; that's what Christ would do.

maryini: Word! But then what would you advice as the christian way of assessing a suitor?

Above all things, we have been commanded on not being unequally yoked with unbelievers. For Christians, there are several ways for assessing a suitor. However, I believe conversing is the best way of assessing suitors. True some of them might pretend to be who they are not the understanding and maturity of such persons (spiritual and physical) come into play. Most suitors may claim to be too smart in responding 'perfectly' but a direct confrontation cum questioning is a way of knowing whom you are planning on committing to.

I'll suggest questions such as;

What are the evidences of your salvation?

What do you understand to be the role of baptism?

What do you understand to be God’s purposes/priorities for the church?

What do you see as the man’s role in the local church? Your own role?

What do you see as your wife’s role in local church ministry (if at all you as the woman has or intend having one)?

How would those who know you well describe your personal character?

What is your view of Christian liberty? How does this view affect your lifestyle?

What are your habits with regard to prayer and Bible study?

What would you say is/are your spiritual gift(s)?

What are your spiritual strengths?

What is your father’s understanding of Christianity? How would you describe your father’s personal character?

What is your mother’s understanding of Christianity? How would you describe your mother’s personal character?

Recognizing we are all imperfect, in what one or two areas do you think God wants you to improve the most?

Do you have a teachable spirit? Can you cite any examples?


My questions might be 'too' spiritual but I can assure you that it takes a suitor who is indeed 'worthy' or 'ready' and duly mature in Christ to respond to these questions the way you want. Most Christian sisters have paid terribly for judging suitors based on church attendance. This is not a good idea; the worst kind of people attend church the most.

That would be the end of the world!

hayoakins: Noted. Thanks

hayoakins: I was surely a chorister before i fall in love with the Media and drama Ministries and had to bounce.

I seriously got issues with a pre-arranged/rehearsed worship sessions. However, if it must be rehearsed, the worship leader should not be restricted to only songs rehearsed. You never can tell the next song, the spirit would request/require to ensure a member of the congregation connects to the heavenlies and be blessed.

Restricting a worship leader to only rehearsed songs got it cons and pros. I support Specialization, Natural worshippers should always lead worship session as anyone can lead a praise session but not everyone can truly worship in SPIRIT and in TRUTH

The requirements to be a true worshipper are enormous and only a few can pay the price.

You see, when we rehearse worship songs as choristers, it is not that we would sing them in an arranged sequence or pattern, just like the rehearsal. Rehearsing worship songs allow for a special kind of synergy between the lead and the back up singers. The sole purpose of rehearsing worship songs is largely because the songs to rehearse are somewhat new or not really pronounced in the church. When they are rehearsed before an event or a church service, a concert or a praise night, it gives the lead and his/her back up confidence just in case the spirit leads them into doing the rehearsed songs. In all my years of being a musician, I have never seen a church or a choir rehearsing worship songs and doing the worship songs exactly the way it was done at the rehearsal. Worship is naturally dynamic; there is no such thing as a natural worshipper. I understand what you mean there, but there is no such thing. Unlike worship, praise is not dynamic, it takes tons of charisma, creativity and huge confidence to get it right.


#Shalom!

hayoakins: Thank you for the response, however, in my penultimate response, i listed what i think worship is and streamlined this discussion to one of the methods of worship i.e. Singing

And I believe I responded to that as well. They can be rehearsed.

Normally, I wouldn't post on a thread like this but it got me thinking; why does this decree by the so-called prophet contradict their holy book? I honestly, don't get it. If the book truly dropped from heaven and was never printed, how come their only true prophet and demi-god say contrary? The answer, I believe, is not far fetched. He wrote the book, forgot what he wrote in the book and made another contradictory decree from the one in the book. This is shameful, totally shameful. The religion is a sham!

hayoakins: I am sold out to worshiping Him ie. GOD and God alone.

I would rather prefer an all night worship to praise as I believe that when we praise God, we enjoy ourselves but worshiping Him, we enjoy Him and His presence, hence; I am of the opinion that worship sessions shouldn't be rehearsed like praise sessions. Worship should flow per time from the heart.

Let's have your opinion.

OP, it seems you cannot tell the distinct feature if the two. Most people think worship sessions are largely those moments when the drummer plays a 4X4 beat count while the pianist strings the piano and the worship leader sing slow songs, while praise songs are the heavy, fast, rhythmic beats accompany fast and dance-able songs. Wrong!

It would be almost impossible to truly worship and praise if you don't understand the two:

WHAT WORSHIP REALLY IS
When we worship, we understand that there is a Deity, in our case, God, who is seen as the supreme being and most powerful. Worship must be viewed from two main angles – adoration and service. Worship speaks of the worthiness of a being to receive special honor. On one hand we can say worship speaks of pure adoration and reverence where the redeemed person (the believer) contemplates and praises God in his Holy perfection. On the other hand worship can be likened to service. In the bible, worshippers are described as slaves or hired servants and in the New Testament, the greek word “latreuo” is translated both as ‘to serve’ (Matt 4:10) and ‘to worship’ (Acts 24:14; 2nd Tim 1:3, Rev 22:3) was more appropriate. As such a true worshipper of God must not only adore and reverence God but must also show a willingness and desire to serve God. Our lives must be lived in honor of God.

WHAT PRAISE IS
When we praise, we GIVE THANKS for things GOD has done. Also known as Thanksgiving, singing praises is recognizing that God has done certain things that are worthy of appreciation. Unlike worship which requires reverence and fear of the One True God, praise allows for self expression of one's feelings (Psalm 150), we are expected to praise with every musical instrument available. When 1Thes 5:18, talks about giving thanks, it recognizes that God is expected to make everything green for His own and He expects us to show appreciation at all times.

And yes, worship and praise sessions, particularly within people I call the Levites, Choristers, should be rehearsed. I have been one for over 8 years and I must tell you that rehearsals of both praise and worship songs are germane. You might not understand this if you are a chorister; how do you think you arrive at the songs you sing? People, compose, rehearse and eventually arrive at these songs. Songs don't fall from the sky. Irrespective of the fact that you rehearsed worship sessions, the Holy Spirit still takes charge because by the time you sing these songs, you sing them from your soul, and not from your head. That is when worship best makes its meaning. The Holy Spirit is also known as the reminder who reminds us of what we have learnt, so how can you stand before tons of congregation in a church service and expect the Holy Spirit to remind you of those things you don't know?

John 14:26King James Version (KJV)

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance"


Culled from my forth coming book: "Music: Your ministry and You"



#Shalom!

OP, I have a problem with your thread, and although you paraphrased these verses, it would be better you link them to where they are taken from in the scriptures by providing their passages.



#Shalom!

This thread will be difficult to comprehend, particularly for people who have not witnessed the demise of a relative.

On the 2nd of Jan, 2013, I went to a morgue with an aunty of mine, to retrieve the body of her mother whom she lost to diabetes. I never had the courage to go into the morgue; I stayed out with a force and aura so strong that I felt my head was swelling. I discovered that the human body was and is nothing other than a casing as the OP had mentioned, when curiosity got the best of me while I summoned courage to go into the morgue.

Seeing lifeless bodies in the morgue and that of my aunty's mum which was being decorated in a coffin, made me realize that the life-force in man is what makes his body meaningful. I saw the vast emptiness and the mystery surround the human body; the day we die is the day vain and futile things come to end. We are not the body we think we are; rather a special spirit living encased in a body which we would forfeit someday. However, closing one's eyes in death and opening them in heaven in a translocated form, our true form, should be our goal. Death will come to all sooner or later.

ammyluv2002: Faith Clinic on Friday? Is your church The Redeemed Church of God?

was about asking the same thing. There are no Official services in the RCCG on Fridays, save for Holy Ghost Services at the Camp. Faith clinic are on Thursdays and not Fridays.

For times, I go to church 4 times a week.

1. Sunday Service.

2. Tuesdays (Digging Deep).

3. Thursdays (Faith Clinic).

4. Saturdays (Choir Rehearsals).

maryini: My thoughts exactly.

This leads to the idea of soul mates...there seems to be a correlation between fleecing and believing that there is only one partner for children of God. Ppl with this school of thought seek a sign to confirm that he or she is that one person they have to be with to fulfil their purpose here on earth.

You are right. And just to expatiate something you highlighted; there is no such thing as a soul mate. God, in a way, has placed several people in the world for us to pick or choose from among them.

Fleecing truly backs the idea of the soul mate theory, which ought not to be. The soul mate theory or syndrome is invented by poets and found in those who live in a world of fantasy and acclaimed perfection. God did not design His children with such mentality.

maryini: So fleecing in itself is not wrong? It seems to open up doors for us to interpret situations without hearing directly from God.
I am not disputing the fact that God sometimes speaks through signs.

Fleecing is very wrong. It gives the devil an avenue for him to manipulate us since we trust more in signs than God Himself. Take for instance, a brother says 'God, let the lady I want to marry wear a blue or a red gown, and let her sit beside, behind or in front of me OR Dear Lord, if a lady smiles at me in church today, I'll take her as a wife because I believe it is a sign from you.'

When we fleece, we unconsciously shove God aside and trust more in signs than what He intend or has in stock for us. God does speak through signs, but it is dangerous when we ask God to do so, rather than desire to hear that still small voice. The moment one starts to hear from God, signs play less roles in the interpretation of meanings, particularly when choosing a partner. Most singles tend to confuse their heart with God's guidance; thus, making it hard for them to thread on the path God has designed for them.