Tag Archives: jesus

CHRIST IS BORN!!

Christ Is BORN!

By Kami Klein

For Christians, Christmas represents the light of hope that we carry within us. The birth of Jesus and the tremendous acts of courage throughout the Christmas story, inspire us to have more faith, spread more love, forgive quickly and freely while making that extra effort to show compassion to others.    

The moment the song “Oh Holy Night” fills the air, that sweetness of faith wraps it’s arms around us and if we allow it,  no matter our differences, inspires us to show that light of Christ to the world.

The account of Jesus’ birth in the Bible shows the simple faith of shepherds in the field, willing to listen to an Angel!  They trusted what they heard from this Holy being and simply had faith.

The same is to be said for the Three Wise men who decided to blindly follow a star and listen when warned without falter.   It was Faith.

As we celebrate the birthday of our Savior, let us ask for the love of God to wash away any old resentments, fears and grudges.  Let us take that one simple act of faith and courage and live as Christ has asked us to and honor the man, the teacher, the Savior, the Son of God.

Christmas is not just a time for friends and family..Christmas is for ALL of humanity!

 

Luke 2:1-20 

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed. 2 This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.

4 So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And in the same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid. 10 But the angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,    and on earth peace, and good will toward men.”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they came hurrying and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made widely known the word which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

After alleged ban, “Jesus” reappears in Johnson Space Center newsletter

The name “Jesus” has reappeared in the Johnson Space Center newsletter, drawing celebration from a religious freedom advocacy group that claimed NASA banned the name from publication.

The First Liberty Institute made the announcement Tuesday, exactly one month after threatening the space agency with a federal lawsuit over what it claimed was “blatant religious discrimination” against Christian employees in a prayer club at the Johnson Space Center.

The issue stems from an announcement that ran in the JSC Today newsletter last May.

According to the First Liberty Institute, the newsletter is emailed to all employees who work at the Houston facility. The JSC Praise and Worship Club, like other groups, routinely submitted announcements to the newsletter as a way to spread the word about its upcoming gatherings.

On May 28, the newsletter published an club-written announcement that included the line “The theme for this session will be Jesus is our life!” and invited other JSC employees to attend.

The First Liberty Institute claims that attorneys from NASA subsequently contacted the club and told them that “Jesus” could not be used in any future announcements, as it could lead someone to believe that NASA was endorsing Christianity and therefore violating the Establishment Clause, which prevents government entities from promoting one religion over another.

The employees countered that their speech was private and NASA’s restrictions amounted to illegal censorship. The club stopped using “Jesus” in announcements as it sought legal advice.

On February 17, nine days after the First Liberty Institute contacted the space agency, the newsletter published a JSC Praise and Worship Club announcement that included the line “The theme for this session will be Jesus is our Victory!” showing the name did appear in the email.

NASA’s attorneys contacted the First Liberty Institute the following day, saying there is no ban.

“JSC does not prohibit the use of any specific religious names in employee newsletters or other internal communications,” Chief Counsel Bernard J. Roan wrote in a letter to the institute.

Roan added in his letter that some NASA employees had expressed concerns that the prayer club’s May 28 announcement “went beyond mere announcement of the time, place and general nature of an activity; was essentially proselytizing; and, and as such, was inappropriate.”

He said that attorneys reached out to the club to discuss those concerns, but did not mention what, exactly, those conversations entailed. He did note the newsletter has published several “religiously-oriented postings” from the prayer club and other groups in the past few months.

“It is clear from subsequent ‘JSC Today’ postings for the Club that JSC to this day continues to facilitate its employees’ right to freely exercise their religious beliefs,” Roan wrote.

First Liberty’s Senior Counsel, Jeremy Dys, welcomed the recent developments.

“Although NASA’s initial censorship of the name ‘Jesus’ gave the Praise & Worship Club cause for alarm, we are grateful NASA took subsequent corrective action, and now clarifies its policy permitting religious expression by its employees,” Dys said in a statement.

NASA accused of banning ‘Jesus’ from Johnson Space Center newsletter

NASA is being accused of discriminating against some of its Christian employees after allegedly telling a prayer club that it was no longer allowed to mention the name “Jesus” in a newsletter.

The Liberty Institute, a religious freedom advocacy group, is representing the employees and on Monday threatened to file a federal lawsuit if NASA does not remove the alleged restriction.

The employees are 16 members of the Praise and Worship Club at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, according to the institute, and submit meeting announcements to the center’s JSC Today email newsletter to invite other employees to attend the club’s upcoming gatherings.

Last May, the newsletter ran the group’s announcement saying the theme for its upcoming meeting would be “Jesus is our life!”

A NASA attorney allegedly told the employees they were not allowed to include “Jesus” in future advertisements because NASA would be violating the Establishment Clause, which prevents government entities from promoting one religion over another. The employees say their speech is private and their announcements do not represent NASA’s official stance, so NASA censoring them from saying “Jesus” in the newsletter is an illegal restriction of their religious freedoms.

The club has been meeting since 2001, according to the Liberty Institute, and members currently gather during their lunch hours to discuss their faith and sing Christian songs.

“We are shocked that NASA would censor the name of Jesus from our Praise and Worship Club’s announcement,” JSC Praise and Worship club spokesperson Sophia Smith said in a statement released by the Liberty Institute. “NASA has a long history of allowing the religious speech of its employees, so why would they ban ‘Jesus’ from our announcements?”

The Liberty Institute noted NASA astronauts have famously made high-profile religious comments in the past. Notably, Scott Carpenter said “Godspeed, John Glenn” when Glenn became the first American to orbit the planet in 1962 and Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman read from the Book of Genesis as they orbited the moon on Christmas Eve, 1968.

The institute argues the ban is discriminatory, claiming the newsletter still publishes other “generic religious references.” The Praise and Worship Club’s announcements are also still published, the institute claims, though the club stopped mentioning Jesus as it sought counsel.

“It is illegal for the government to censor the name of Jesus in employee emails,” Jeremy Dys, senior counsel for Liberty Institute, said in a statement. “Censoring a religious club’s announcement to specifically exclude the name ‘Jesus’ is blatant religious discrimination.”

Morningside Celebrates Community Birthday Party for Jesus

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as Morningside opened their hearts for the 4th annual Christmas Community Outreach Birthday Party for Jesus! Families from all over the community came to enjoy and celebrate together with the staff and volunteers of Morningside Church!

On Saturday December 5th, Jim and Lori Bakker, Marie Bakker, Zach Drew and Sasha Voltz welcomed hundreds of families to Grace Street to give back to the community. As Tammy Sue Bakker and the Morningside band joyfully brought Christmas to life with all of our Christmas favorites, the smell of pancakes and a full delicious breakfast wafted through the air. Families joined together to savor their meal and remember that Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus.

A multitude of gifts were raffled off for children as well as adults. The smiles of boys and girls as they picked out a new bike or toy, hugged Santa and danced to the music is what inspires Morningside and the Jim Bakker Show to put on this huge event together each year.

For families who are in need, the opportunity to provide gifts for their families and feel the presence and love of God, as they pick out items they could never have provided on their own brings a peace to their spirit that the volunteers and staff are grateful to share.

This ministry is incredibly blessed by our community and this small of way of giving back could never be enough to thank you.

Happy Birthday Jesus! And a Very Merry Christmas from Jim and Lori Bakker and everyone here at Morningside!

Radical Imam in Training Turns to Jesus

A man who was a devout Muslim and training to be a radical imam in the land of ISIS is now a Jesus fanatic who claims Christ came to him supernaturally in a dream.

“I was a…Muslim and often preached, but there was something missing. There was something empty about Allah and the Quran. Jesus appeared to me in a dream and open my eyes … what has missing was His love and peace,” said Iraqi Barazan Azeezi to The Christian Post.

Azeezi said that he was a “violent person” and was motivated by fear of Allah.   After the meeting with Christ in his dream, he not only renounced violence but says he experienced “love” for the “true God” and that he sees God’s truth.

Azeezi also faced persecution and anger from his Islamic family.

“In the beginning, my family thought I was joking and claimed that I was going mad,” he said. “After months of debates, they started to threaten to kill me. … It was God’s grace that helped me overcome the fear.”

Azeezi said that he is not the only person to come to Christ through supernatural experiences.  He shared the story of an ISIS terrorist who had been sent to destroy a church building.  When he entered the church, a bright light appeared on him.  A voice in the light said he was Jesus.  The fighter immediately dropped his items and accepted Christ as Lord.

Azeezi says that he believes satan is trying to keep those in the Middle East from seeing the truth of Christ.

“I believe Satan creates chaos in the Middle East to stop the gospel from reaching our people. This is one of his last strongholds in the world and he won’t back off easily,” he said.

Witch Comes To Christ Through Jesus Movie

The leaders of the Jesus film are celebrating the fact a witch has renounced their previous life and came to Christ because of the movie.

Alex Mbewe was showing the movie to a village in Zambia.  A witch came into the event, furious that they were showing the movie to the residents.  Witnesses say that she summoned a demon that flipped over the table holding the film equipment and terrified the audience.

Alex and his group wouldn’t be swayed by the witch.

“Lord, You own all the creation in heaven and on earth. Everything on earth belongs to You, and we believe this ground also belongs to You. We are very confident that the show tomorrow will be the source of salvation for many in this area,” Alex and his team prayed.

The group played the movie the next day.

The witch showed up.

And the witch was one of 600 people who accepted Christ as Lord.

The witch told the Jesus team that over the last few nights she had been taunted in her dreams but a beast that would drag her toward a pool of fire.  As the beast went to throw her in, he said she was going to hell because she didn’t respond to the message of truth in the village.

She joined a church with 83 members that was planted in the village.  She recently passed away so she accepted Christ before it was too late.

Judge Rules Commissioners Can’t Pray Only In Jesus’ Name

A federal judge has ruled that a group of county commissioners cannot present prayers in Jesus’ name even if all the commissioners are Christians.

The ACLU and the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation filed suit against the commissioners of Rowan County in March 2013 claiming that commissioners said during their opening invocations that “there is only one way to salvation, and that is Jesus Christ,” and thank the Lord for the “virgin birth,” the “cross at Calvary” and “the resurrection.”

A local resident who was against the Christian message in the public meeting explained why they helped bring the suit.

“I want my local government to be open and welcoming to people of all beliefs,” Nan Lund, a local resident who is among three plaintiffs named in the suit, stated in a news release announcing the legal challenge. “But when officials begin a public meeting with prayers that are specific to only one religious viewpoint, I feel unwelcome and excluded.”

Federal Judge James A. Beaty Jr., ruled in favor of Lund and the other plaintiffs, saying that the actions of the councilmen was unconstitutional.

“The practice fails to be nondiscriminatory, entangles government with religion, and over time, establishes a pattern of prayers that tends to advance the Christian faith of the elected commissioners at the expense of any religious affiliation unrepresented by the majority,” he wrote.

“While an all-comers policy is not necessarily required, a nondiscriminatory one is,” he said. “When all faiths but those of the five elected commissioners are excluded, the policy inherently discriminates and disfavors religious minorities.”

The county has not announced if they will appeal the ruling.

Tiny String of Faith

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

When you were a child did you ever fly a kite? There is something so magical about the bright colors dancing in a brilliant blue sky. I have never seen anyone flying a kite that did not have a smile on their face! There is joy holding on to that tiny string and seeing something so beautiful fly! Continue reading →

Biblical Expert: Claims Of Jesus’ Burial Place Baseless

A Biblical scholar says that the recent claims of an Israeli activist that Jesus’ burial place was discovered in 1980 is “sensationalist” and baseless.

“I have been to the Talpiot Tomb and interviewed one of the archaeologists who excavated it in 1980. There is no evidence that Jesus or his family members were buried there, certainly not his supposed wife and son. Those behind this latest announcement traffic in sensationalism, not archaeology,” Scott Stripling, the chair of the Humanities and Foreign Language Department at Wharton County Junior College, and adjunct professor at Belhaven University (biblical archaeology and English) and The Bible Seminary (church history), told The Christian Post in a statement on Wednesday.

Several western media outlets have been promoting the claims of Aryeh Shimron who says that the evidence “could not be stronger” that Jesus was buried in that tomb, thus proving Christianity to be false.  Shimron has been working with television producer Simcha Jacobovici to produce shows claiming Christianity is false.

Stripling said the alleged “discoveries” are actually irrelevant because no one has disputed the tombs that were discovered date to near the first century A.D.

“The argument set forth by producer Simcha Jacobovici that the names of Jesus’ family, including his supposed wife, were found on the 10, or in the Shimron/Jacobovici view 11, ossuaries does not hold up under scrutiny,” Stripling said.

“First, some of the names are open to interpretation. Second, virtually every family in the first century had members with the names Jesus, Joseph, James, and Mary. There is abundant evidence which supports the Church of the Holy Sepulchure as the actual site of the culmination of the Passion of Jesus.”

British Reverend Told Jesus Sticker Threatens Insurance Coverage

A 75-year-old minister has been told that her auto coverage could be voided because she placed Jesus-themed stickers on her vehicle.

Rev. Wena Parry of the Independent Congregational Church of South Wales drives around with inspirational messages such as “Christ is My Lord.”  Age UK Insurance claims that because she placed the stickers on the car it’s a modification that violated her policy.

“Every opportunity I have I want to tell people about Jesus. I reckon there must at least be a million people who have read the texts on my car and no one has had a problem with it before,” Parry said. “But, there might be somebody within that company that hates Christianity.”

The letter to Parry demands she explain within 10 days why she had not informed the insurance company she placed bumper stickers on her car and an additional cigarette lighter.

“The policy may be declared void,” the letter asserted. “These modifications do not fit our acceptance criteria for motor insurance and [coverage] would have been declined if we had been made aware of these at the time of purchasing your policy.”

The insurance company claims that the issue is not the content of the bumper stickers.

“Our insurers have concluded that our request to declare all modifications was not made clear enough to Rev. Parry and therefore she did not know which vehicle enhancements should have been declared,” the spokesman said.