First, we English and Americans both are ministering in a society that is increasingly unfaithful in spiritual and physical relationships. A young lad in my congregation had to choose between his loyalty to the faith and spending Sunday with Dad, now 40 miles away, fishing or playing soccer. Some choice for a lad of eleven: But they will inevitably look to fill that yawning gap in their spiritual lives, the experience of fatherhood that is derived from the true fatherhood of God.
Here they will find little comfort in the liberalizing churches that dominate the English scene and the mainline scene in the United States. Second, we are ministering in churches that accepted fatherlessness as a norm, and even an ideal. Emasculated Liturgy, gender-free Bibles, and a fatherless flock are increasingly on offer. To minister to a fatherless society, these churches, in their unwisdom, have produced their own single-parent family parish model in the woman priest.
The idea of this politically contrived iconic destruction and biblically disobedient initiative was that it would make the Church relevant to the society in which it ministered. Women priests would make women feel empowered and thereby drawn in. As more women signed up as publicly opposed to the innovation than ever were in favor, this argument was always a triumph of propaganda over reality.
Men would be attracted by the feminine and motherly aspect of the new ministry.
- If I Give My Heart To You.
- 2. They Invade Conversations!
- The Raven King (All for the Game Book 2).
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Year of Food Life.
Nor are these conclusions a matter of simple disagreement between warring parties in a divided church. The figures are in and will continue to come in. The churches are losing men and, if the Swiss figures are correct, are therefore losing children. You cannot feminize the church and keep the men, and you cannot keep the children if you do not keep the men. In the Church of England, the ratio of men to women in the pres was 45 percent to 55 percent.
We Believe
As these latter figures are percentages of a now much smaller total, an even more alarming picture emerges. According to reliable independent projections, it might actually have dropped down by two-thirds by the year Relevant statistics abruptly ceased being announced in , when the 50 percent drop was achieved.
And what have we seen in the societies to which the churches are supposed to be witnessing? In the secular world, a fatherless society, or significant rejection of traditional fatherhood, has produced rapid and dreadful results. The disintegration of the family follows hard upon the amorality and emotional anarchy that flow from the neutering, devaluing, or exclusion of the loving and protective authority of the father. Young men, whose basic biology does not lead them in the direction of civilization, emerge into a society that, in less than 40 years, has gone from certainty and encouragement about their maleness to a scarcely disguised contempt for and confusion about their role and vocation.
This is exhibited in everything from the educational system, which from the s onward has been used as a tool of social engineering, to the entertainment world, where the portrayal of decent honorable men turns up about as often as snow in summer. In the absence of fatherhood, it is scarcely surprising that there is an alarming rise in the feral male. This is most noticeable in street communities, where co-operatives of criminality seek to establish brutally and directly that respect, ritual, and pack order so essential to male identity. One might have hoped, with such an abundance of evidence at hand, that the churches would have been more confident in biblical teaching, which has always stood against the destructive forces of materialistic paganism which feminism represents.
Their collapse in the face of this well-organized and plausible heresy may be officially dated from the moment they approved the ordination of women— for the Church of England—but the preparation for it began much earlier. One does not need to go very far through the procedures by which the Church of England selects its clergy or through its theological training to realize that it offers little place for genuine masculinity.
The Water Gate speaks of the Word of God which cleanses the believer. In His prayer in John We are washed by the water of the Word. It is through this gate that we are trying to spread the Word. We all need to be water boys, helping to bring the water to those who are thirsty. The startling thing about the water gate is that it was not repaired. Apparently when the other gates and walls were torn down, the water gate remained intact. It did not need any repairs at all. Does that tell you anything? The Word of God, friend, does not need any repairs.
This seventh gate — perfect word of God, needed no repairs. The Horse Gate i ntroduces the idea of warfare. The horse was a symbol of warfare in the Bible. Now the horse was an animal ridden by a warrior. Behind him there were red horses, speckled, and white. The Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a little donkey.
He was not meek because He rode upon that animal; it was the animal ridden by kings. It was not considered a humble little animal in that day. Men only rode horses during a time of war. The horse was the symbol of war. There are battles in the Christian life to be fought. It is a spiritual battle. We are not fighting against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in this battle.
After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. Obviously, this gate was located on the east side of the city.
Praying in the Powerful Name of Jesus - Prayer Help
It was the first one that was opened in the morning. The east gate in modern Jerusalem is sealed. There are those who seem to think that it is the gate through which the Lord Jesus Christ will come when He returns to earth. He may do that, but Scripture does not say that He will. Scripture indicates that He will enter through the golden gate, which is not in the wall of the city but in the temple. Although the east gate is now sealed, it was the first gate opened each morning, because it was facing in the direction of the rising sun. But before the sun comes up, the Bright and Morning Star will appear.
This event is what we call the Rapture. When someone says that the Bible does not teach the Rapture, they are just arguing semantics. The Scripture says that He is going to take His own out of the world before the sun comes up. What is the gate of Miphkad? Now let me tell you why. When a stranger came to Jerusalem, he had to have a visa—not like those we have today, but he had to stop at this gate and register. It was also a gate of review. When the army had been out fighting a battle and returned, they passed through this gate. It was here that David reviewed his soldiers returning from battle.
When they passed through this arch, David was there to thank his battle-scarred men for their unselfish loyalty and daring. As we saw in 1 Thessalonians 4, at the time of the Rapture we are going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But did you know that after the Rapture we are going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ?
- Getting Busy: Procrastination Help Now.
- The Truth About Men & Church!
- Recently On Prayer.
- Editor's Picks?
- Edward, the Uncrowned King.
This is not the same judgment as that at the Great White Throne mentioned in Revelation Only believers will be present at the judgment seat of Christ, because this judgment does not concern salvation but reward. Believers will receive rewards for things done in the body. You will not be there if you are not saved. You will be rewarded according to what you have done, whether it be good or bad. That is the picture of the gate Miphkad. David knew his battle-scarred men and what they had done. We think of the preachers, the missionaries, the officers of the church, and the Sunday school teachers receiving great rewards, but I think that some of the greatest rewards will go to some of the unknown saints who live for God in this day.
Miphkad can be a wonderful gate for you and me to come to someday. The prospect of it should cause us to examine our lives a little more closely. We have been through ten gates, and now we are back at the sheep gate. We have been all of the way around the walls of Jerusalem, and we are right back where we started.
As you will recall, the sheep gate symbolizes the Cross of Christ. We began with the Cross of Christ and we end with the Cross of Christ. As we stand at the sheep gate, I would like to close with a story of the late Dr. MacKay, the great Scottish preacher who was holding meetings in London. MacKay, I would like to speak to you for a moment. It does not seem to get through. Take it and turn to Isaiah MacKay rushed down to get his train.
The young man stood there holding the Bible, a little puzzled. He moved over under a street light and turned to Isaiah Now what did he say to do? He continued to read the verse: Oh, yes, I am to stand up straight and come out. I see it now. I am to trust Christ. The Lord God has laid all of my sins on Jesus. Now I can stand up straight—He has forgiven me! The next evening Dr. MacKay arrived early and sat on the platform looking for the young man. The service started and he had not located him yet. He had his Bible and, after all, Dr.
MacKay, being Scottish, was not about to part with that Bible. Finally he saw the young man come in, and Dr. MacKay went to meet him and get his Bible. I read Isaiah My friend, we begin at the sheep gate, and we come out at the sheep gate. I think that throughout eternity we are going to talk about the sheep gate, where Jesus died nearly years ago for your sins and mine. Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?
We will always have our enemies, those who resist the will of God. The sad fact is that often our opposition comes from within our own ranks and not always from outside. Initially they mocked and despised the Jews and even lied about their true intentions claiming they were rebelling against King Artaxeres. Will you rebel against the king? Who were these characters with funny sounding names that stood in opposition to the reconstruction of the wall of Jerusalem?
Sanballet was governor of Samaria, and Tobiah was the leader of the Ammonites. How did Nehemiah and the people respond to this kind of criticism and opposition? First by praying, remember Nehemiah was a man of prayer. A prayer for vengeance called in the O. To his credit Nehemiah did not seek vengeance himself, but left vengeance to God. There are certain matters that we should turn over to the Lord and He will handle them. If we attempt to handle them, it means that we are not walking by faith. They refused to quit. In spite of opposition and obstacles, Nehemiah continued with the task God had given him to do.
Again, he first prayed. God must always be our first resource. However, prayer without vigilance is presumption. Watch what this verse tells us happened next. A legend tells of the auction at which the devil offered his tools for sale. Exhaustion and the enormity of the task remaining can pull one down into discouragement. Some believe these Jews to be alarmists or collaborators with the enemies. Others hold that these Jews were asking their brethren who had left their villages to labor on the wall to return to protect them and their families. Whatever the case, Nehemiah and the builders did not let discouragement stop the work.
This verse tells us Nehemiah took three actions to prepare for battle. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me. He organizes the men servants for possible attack.
He assigns the leaders the officers responsibilities as well. Our God will fight for us. Topic this evening , Unjust Practices, from Nehemiah 5: That section begins in your books on the bottom of page Remember, Nehemiah has been met by opposition in many forms. Again, the more things change, the more things remain the same. The devil never takes an off day. He does his work well. He is so subtle. First the enemy laughed at the Jews.
Then the enemy ridiculed them. Finally there was open opposition. It was so intense that Nehemiah had his builders put a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other hand while they worked on the wall. Nehemiah and his associates worked so hard that they did not take their clothes off except to bathe. Now we see opposition coming from within. This is where the Devil strikes his greatest blow. In the history of the church we have seen that when the Devil could not destroy the church by persecution, the next thing he did was to join it!
The Devil had already caused discouragement among the Jews, and now he goes a step farther and causes conflict within. So often the members of the church find themselves in opposition to one another and often fight against one another. We forget that the head of the body is to be Christ. He controls all other parts of the body that should function together in harmony for health and happiness.
In any event, look at Nehemiah 5: The first cry against unjust practices came from the poorer people, the common, ordinary, lay men and women of the Jewish community. What a tragedy that this was not so. These verses tell us of three problems faced by the Jews in Jerusalem during that day. First, a famine in the land had depleted their grain corn supplies. They had very little food. Inflation was out of sight. The law of supply and demand was just as true then as now.
The people simply had no or very little food, and even less money to afford what food was available to them. Second, because of their labor on the wall, and their fear of constant attack from neighboring enemies, they had been unable to work for money to buy the food needed for their families. Are you beginning to see the problem?
The King, the very King Artexeres who had provided the free materials for the rebuilding of the wall to Nehemiah and the Jews was also exacting high taxes and tariffs from the Jews at the same time. The poor Jews were forced to take loans or borrow money from their wealthier noblemen and officials of the city. In order to secure these loans they had to put up their lands and or their own children as collateral.
He did so privately at first. Only later after there was no apparent change did Nehemiah bring public his charges against the leaders. So I called a great assembly against them. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us? These verses give insight in handling what is a very difficult and uncomfortable issue in the church today, rebuking fellow church members of sin or inappropriate practice, behavior or lifestyle.
Sometimes this refers to church discipline. Nehemiah used great wisdom in dealing with this issue of internal conflict within the Jewish community. We can afford to do nothing less.
I have learned to do this when dealing with members and or staff within the church. Scriptures prescribe, we must bring sinning brethren before the church for the whole church to take action. Our motives must be pure. The motivation must always be love and concern for our sinning brethren with the goal to instruct and improve the individual and the church.
Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? When the officials could not defend their actions, Nehemiah cited a second reason why what they had done was not right. They had brought reproach on the Jewish community by creating division among them. Please, let us stop this usury! In verse 10, Nehemiah included himself as a part of the problem and the solution. He said, Please, let us stop this usury! Second, Nehemiah urged the people to follow the example of responsible compassion set by him, his brethren and his servants when lending to the poor.
They had loaned to their poor brethren but without interest. Third, Nehemiah urged both moneylenders and borrowers to take steps to comply with this example or responsible compassion. Nehemiah called the priests as a witness or an oath for what they promised to do. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.
Then the people did according to this promise. A promise or oath carries with it a curse for failure to fulfill its requirements. As conflict was restored, the whole congregation gave praise to God. In doing as they had promised, their unity was restored and the work of rebuilding the wall went forward. What He discovered and what we are going to see as well is that God provides His people all they need to accomplish the work He gives them to do.
God provided Nehemiah with strength to avoid distractions Nehemiah 6: Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you? It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together. And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in! Their evil strategy included stopping the work before it was finished by destroying Nehemiah as a leader.
Their plan called for killing Nehemiah either outside the city or inside the temple. Some have speculated that Tobiah would lead an attack against the city during that time. Paul challenged the members of the church at Corinth to remain passionate and faithful in this way. Lie 1 was that it was being noised abroad internationally that Nehemiah and the Jews were rebuilding the walls in order to rebel against the King. This rumor and lie had been told before and it is often successful. And 4th he did what we have seen him do many times before, he prayed.
He prayed for strength. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. I marvel at the beauty and craft of Navajo rugs. They reflect the connectedness and symmetry found in all things. Whenever I behold seekers of divine comfort drop to their knees in prayer, I am moved to a spiritual solidarity that makes this world a humbler place.
A young Christian woman looks back on her Easter celebration and the preceding season of Lent as an opportunity for new growth and reminders of Resurrection. I knew I needed a church community to help me mourn, to take this moment of fracture and nourish it into something new. What I found was a tradition that shared deep pain and profound joy. Many people these days are prepared to over share nearly every aspect of their lives, from what they eat for breakfast to who they go home with after dinner.
Yet for most millennials, being open to talking about the faith is not a part of this culture of oversharing. Interfaith friendship means finding common ground with others even when we differ in our beliefs. This requires clarity about our differences and charity across those differences. Is peace still possible? Is the marking of a Sabbath still relevant to our culture?
I go back to the first holy night that I encountered the Jewish tradition of Shabbat after a day spent in one of the most difficult places on earth — Auschwitz. Religion and faith have been part of the Olympic Games since ancient Greece. It is no wonder, then, that many athletes competing in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang find strength in faith. Learning to see by Jewish lights means absorbing the warmth of its wisdom against the pockets of darkness in the world.
What makes Ash Wednesday so powerful? Death will never stop hurting, but as Confucian ritual teaches us, that hurt can bring new meaning to a new life. Since birth I was exposed to two different, beautiful worlds — Catholicism and Islam. Likewise, my parents gave me two wonderfully distant cultures — Mexican and Syrian. My experience with two contrasting religions has enriched my spiritual li.
Fitness is not just limited to the physical benefits of working out and can expand into our being in unexpected ways. Decades after his death, the faith of Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is a core aspect of spirituality. The things we celebrate reveal a piece of who we are, a piece of what we value and believe in the most. It is often difficult as a Coptic Christian to navigate centuries old traditions with the modern world. A three hour long church service seems incompatible with busy lives but perhaps that is the point.
Maybe, setting aside that time is a blessing.
Here are 3 steps to help you find faith in the every day. God creates my life like a mosaic, each piece being a person or experience He places there in the perfect arrangement. One day I will get to see the finished product, but for now, I will live life one lesson at a time. What exactly happens during Hanukkah?
We went around New York City and asked the Jewish community why they celebrate Hanukkah and what it means to them. You can learn more about Hanukkah here. My God is a God who comforts the mourning, heals the sick, and lives among those who live on the margins. And my church, as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, acts the same way. Growing up, I was taught that when you become a member of a faith community, you promise to be there for those who are in need. The people in my new congregation made these truths real to me by living the promises that they had made.
Americans of every faith fund one and a half million services and constitute seven and a half million volunteers. In fact, forty percent of the largest charities in the U. Do you love your life? Believing that you can. There is one single daily practice that has added the biggest contribution to my happiness.
Religions around the world have been teaching us this practice for centuries. The practice is simply being grateful. Gratitude is a miraculous medicine! In rural Alabama, an unlikely story is unfolding. An Islamic free health clinic is helping those who need it most. This act of faith opened the door to the protestant reformation and changed the course of history. The Sabbath is a time for rest, renewal, and starting over.
Learning about Jubilee Year reminded me of those important principles. In a world full of planners, alarms, and calendars, we are always making plans. But something that life has taught me is as an imperfect person, my plan may not be the plan that I should be putting my faith in.
As a truth seeker, I find joy in whatever form truth arrives. Sometimes when our hearts lay broken in the face of tragedy, faith is the only thing that can help us stand back up, and stand together. Join people of faith around the world in response to the harrowing events in Las Vegas.
Now I know that fear motivates me to have faith and that makes all the difference. Leaving my faith was easy, and coming back was difficult. But greater happiness has come from the difficulty. Mother Teresa taught by word and deed that personal strength is found by faithfully giving your time From what my Sikh friends told me, the idea of a communal kitchen ties together the past and the present of their faith.
National Sibling Day has been around for a few decades in the United States, but siblings in India have been honoring the unique bond between brothers and sisters for centuries. Did you know that college homelessness is a problem across the United States? A group of friends in Los Angeles decided to do something about it and created a shelter at a local church. To see how you can help, visit Bruin's Shelter Imagine being strong enough to get As I was watching the recently released music video and listening to the song, the imagery and lyrics really spoke to my heart.
I was reminded of love for family, new life, purpose,. The Fourth of July is about more than fireworks.
A Morning Resolve
Learning about the Islamic month of fasting and prayer inspired me to evaluate my own spiritual health. Watch this discussion with a rabbi, Muslim and Bishop that is wonderfully London. Finsbury Mosque Muslims had Iftar with Rabbi last night pic. Sometimes the person that needs your forgiveness the most, is you.
We all love a good underdog story, but who in their right mind wants to BE an underdog? It will happen to us all sooner or later, so we might as well embrace it! Shavuot commemorates the revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai to the Jewish people and occurs on the 50th day after the 49 days of counting the Omer. Emily Hedrick spent a few weeks getting to know and learn about Muslim life in Morocco. In her experience there she learns more about what it is to be Muslim and meeting those who truly live their religion.
William Tyndale, the father of the English bible, left a powerful legacy we can pattern today for courageous and faith-filled living. They come in many shapes and sizes, but these hats have one thing in common: Faith, each a symbol of reverence and sacred tradition. Sikh men—and sometimes women—wear a dastaar or turban to cover unshorn hair.
The story of each refugee is different, yet each is weaved with common threads. The brightest color being their daily hope, their faith that life will get better. You can only trust in the words of experienced hikers who have already been down that path. The story of Easter is the story of hope for those touched by the finality of death. For believers of the Christian faith, Easter promises everlasting life through Jesus. Our thoughts and prayers for the victims of the london attack in Westminister PrayForLondon pic. Louis Zamperini was a person of faith, even though he lost his way at times.
And, like Zamperini, faith has played an important role in my sobriety, and my life. Through meditation, you can reap the benefits of better health, but did you know you can also improve your relationships? Check out the three benefits of improved mindfulness that can help you find relationship success! Looking for ways to overcome past burdens? Holi is a Hindu holiday that starts with a bonfire symbolizing the burning of the bad and the victory of good.
The next day, people drench each other in color to celebrate spring, harmony and fresh starts. Each year, Hindu villagers gather to worship, to give thanks, to visit with friends and family. For many, it takes days to arrive at the temple, and a lot of faith. Sacred stories help along the way. Abraham Lincoln is remembered as a man of honesty, courage, and kindness. Was he a man of faith too? Cultivating relationships requires faith in the value of connection, faith in the power of the process, and faith in constant sources.
Here are some lessons we can all learn on this holiday.