Key Steps For Christian Leadership

Every religion thrives on a system of leaders and followers. All the religions in the world; at least all the major ones, have always had leaders who have inspired and motivated others to become followers. This system is critical also to the proliferation and spread of a religion. Religious ideas need to be propagated; non-believers need to be converted into believers; the masses need to be informed and motivated, and enlightened about the basic tenets of the religion concerned. And all these can be perpetrated by a leader.

The same applies for Christianity too. However, with a visible reduction in our ecclesiastical activities, owing largely to the busy pace of modern life and a general growing number of distractions of all kinds, one might question the possibility of having such inspiring leadership around. To make matters worse, skeptics might also question the quality or availability of followership. The real question is, is there any appreciable number of people available to hear a leader speak, to get motivated, inspired or moved. The answer actually lies in our ability to look at the right places for such leaders.

The Internet has become an inseparable part of our lives today. Men and women in every part of the civilized world have started to spend more time online. The nature of modern work is such that it demands more time to be spent with computers. As such, it is leaving us with very little time for such activities as going to Church or attending religious seminars or conventions in our locality. However, the modern day Christian has managed to maintain a 'digital' touch with God by incorporating his religion into his work. Let me explain.

There is no dearth of Christian groups or communities, as they are often referred to as, on the various social media websites thronging the Internet today. These are regularly frequented by Christian from all over the world where they share their views on the subject, meet new like-minded people, hold discussions and do plenty more. To add to this, one would find many a Christian blog where one can exchange religious ideas in copious amounts. Indeed, there's a lot of Christian activity going on in the Internet today. And it is herein that one should look for leadership.

I webmaster of http://www.true2ourselves.com a Christian community website that features the Christian friends,Christian groups, Christian news, church jobs and group of ministers belonging to different faith that share their wisdom.

Christian Movie About Jesus and The Problems

Enter the Baekjeong

The Koreans say "1," that's baekjeong to us, or if you prefer, paekchong. Who are they, and why in the world am I writing about them? Good questions, and deserving of a good answer. Let me try.

Question one: "Member of the lowest class of old Korean society. Executioners (that's pretty low). Grave Diggers (lower still, but somebody's gotta do it). Butchers (no offense, butchers of the world, but in some societies meat-eating is not cool).Leather workers (same problem!). And there's another word I'm not free to print.

So there you have it. Now the answer to your second question becomes even more difficult. Why devote space to persons such as these?

Well, let's just say it's an old family tradition. Now, the oldest family on earth is God's. We can say 4,000 years old if we want to start with Abraham. And from the beginning, and all the way down to modern-day North Korea, (although "modern" and "North Korea" may not sound too well together), God has had this tradition of pulling up baekjeong from nowhere and bringing them somewhere. From nothing, making something.

Whoever said "Out of nothing, nothing comes," didn't know our God!

God loves these "members of the lowest class", these "untouchables", these unspeakables, these folks... well let's just say we might not invite them to dinner. But they're crowding around His table all the time. We might as well get into the flow. And what better place to begin than North Korea?

Look what God did with a bunch of southward-bound refugees on that peninsula! Back in the 40's and 50's, terrible tragedies pushed many of God's people and a whole lot of people that were not His into some new turf. For a long while South Korea hung in the balance. But Christ, at first Himself a baekjeong of Korea, lonely, unknown, has now become , as missionary Arch Campbell put it, "enshrined in the hearts of hundreds of thousands who know Him as an intimate friend... who love Him with a deep passion seldom found in the sophisticated West."

This Christ was preached and this Christ was accepted by these terribly poor and terribly unacceptable (by the world's standards). And now? Some of the biggest churches in the world grace that small but mighty Korean nation.

Just think what will happen when Christ is given His due place among the northern baekjeong. Oh my, do I want to see that!

Next in this series, a baekjeong story. Then you judge for yourself what God just might want to do...maybe through you?

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com - There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , ovber 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

Divine Power

Divine power is so great, Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus says in 2Corinthians 10:3, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. Now in many chapters of the Bible it says that Jesus is over everything, in Psalm 24:1 says, The earth is the Lords and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the sea and established it upon the waters.

I recommend reading Philippians 2:5, it says Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to deatheven death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Jesus Did Outline the Revelation

The Book of Revelation (or Revelation of Jesus Christ) is arguably the most complete future installment of God ever beheld by a man and subsequently addressed to the Church.

In this article, we will look at Chapter one, verse nineteen, and consider the instructions given by Jesus that virtually outlines the prophetic book.

It all began Sunday morning, 95 AD, somewhere on the small island in the Aegean Sea called Patmos. The Apostle John-having been banished to Patmos by Rome for his testimony of Jesus Christ-was in some remote corner of that island worshiping God. Then, as he knelt in prayer, he was confronted by Jesus Christ and instructed to record this Vision.

"Write the things which you have seen," Jesus told him, "and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this" (v. 19).

An earlier verse makes God's purpose clear: "the time is near" (v. 3). God wants us to know the prophecy because Jesus has completed the work of redemption on the cross, in turn starting the count down for what some refer to as "the sequel to the Cross", when Christ returns to gather His elect, vanquish His enemies, and redeem the planet.

Okay, now let's look at verse nineteen and see why it's the "key" to understanding the prophecy. Notice that John is instructed to write Revelation in three sections.

1. "Write the things which you have seen"
2. "Write the things which are"
3. "Write the things which will take place after this."

The phrase "the things which you have seen" is clearly in the past tense. John was instructed to write what he already witnessed. This concerns that which John had seen as he beheld Christ. Thus corresponding with John's eyewitness account of the risen and glorified Son of God as contained here in Chapter one.

The phrase "the things which are" is in the present tense. This concerns that which existed during the time of John, which is the Church. And as we will see, the next two chapters, Chapters two and three, surround the Church exclusively.

The phrase "the things which will take place after this" is in the future tense. This concerns the yet-future events shown to John beginning in Chapter four where he is taken in the "Spirit" to heaven and subsequently shown the future.

Study and contemplate this verse and consider these three parts. You'll discover that Revelation becomes more straightforward and your study of this great prophecy less chaotic.

About the Author

James Kobzeff has been a born again Christian and prophecy enthusiast for the past fifty years. He owes his biblical training to teachers such as Chuck Smith, Chuck Missler, J. Vernon McGee, and a host of biblical commentators. He maintains a blog titled Learn the Revelation simply to teach the Revelation. Why not start your study at => learntherevelation.blogspot.com

Tragedy in North Korea

Kim Ae-Sang was interviewed at a town that borders North Korea. This withered 32-year-old had been knocking on doors when she finally came to a Korean family that would talk with her. Her story was so typical but still so hard to grasp.

She had left her five- and seven-year-old with the grandfather in Hamhung, NK. She was desperate for food because since the factory where she worked shut down, no food rations were being given out. Her husband went to the countryside hoping to work for food. For some reason he never returned. So she stripped some copper from machinery at her old factory and headed for the border, hoping to sell the metal for food there.

It's 300 miles to the crossing point into China from Hamhung. People have to wait long hours for a train to take them there. Starving and cold, at least 20 of the prospective passengers die every night. When the old train finally took its heavy load of passengers slowly towards China, it took so long that eight of Ae-Sang's fellow travellers died.

She had no ticket. Not even a permit to travel. So the railway guards had beaten her. She got to the border, still hoping to sell her metal. But border guards caught her and confiscated the copper. Still she planned to cross the river, with nothing to take into China but herself and the clothes on her back. Her new plan was simply to beg for food.

After teaming up with a younger woman, she found a guide who offered to help cross the river. His plan was to sell both women upon arrival in China. Then the guide found out that Kim Ae-Sang was married. He took the other girl, and Ae-Sang ran away.

Now what to do? Stay in China where she might find work and survive, or go back and save her children somehow?

We who know Christ believe that humans ought not to be having to make choices like that. Dads should not have to leave homes because there is no food or money or work. Moms should not have to leave children. Men should not be preying on others' misfortunes. And governments should not create conditions whereby only a few have the right to "normalcy."

There are more tragic things, to be sure, like eternal damnation, souls without Christ. Put all those tragedies together and one has the country before us. If ever there has been a nation that collectively said, "Help us!Pray for us!" it is this one.

This story was told ten years ago by Jasper Becker in his classic account of North Korea.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

The Beginnings Of The End, According To Jesus

Jesus' words in Matthew 24, about the problems coming to Jerusalem, stirred the disciples into thoughts to which they had not often been drawn. All of this destroyed? How could that be? Would it mean the end of the world? The return of the Master? For, though they still had not fully believed He would die and rise again, as witnessed by the difficulty Jesus had in convincing them of such even after He was raised (Luke 24 et al), they had at least picked up the significance of His "long journey" parables (e.g. Matthew 21:33 ff). Somehow Jesus was going to leave them for awhile, then return. That much they knew.

Their question (24:3) showed they were concerned about "end time" matters. Jesus did not rebuke them for it, but went into significant detail explaining what is surely to come. They asked very clear questions, and Jesus answered them very clearly. Speculation has arisen as to whether they were asking several questions or one question with several parts. But the effect is the same, and Jesus' answer is the same. He tells them when not to look for Him, but also when to know that His coming, and Jerusalem's ultimate fall, and the end of the world, are all very near.

The Holy Spirit has seen to it that this discourse was recorded three times, to be sure we would not be unprepared when it was the time for its fulfillment. Let none of us say that these things don't matter. They do! And we can know when these things will be. We can know the very real sign that will point to the end of all things. We can therefore know also who will be ruling the earth when it is about to go under.

First, Jesus tells us what is not the sign of His coming, and the end of the age (vs. 4-14). Heed the list well, for every so often in your life and mine, someone is going to mention one or more of these signs to you, and glibly add: "Jesus must be coming soon!" No, these are the negatives. " See that you are not troubled...the end is not yet," (v.6) and "All these are the beginning of sorrow," (v. 8). The beginning is not the end.

Here is the list of things that prove nothing, but that will happen down through the years:

1. Many will come saying they are Christ.

2. There will be actual wars.

3. There will be talk about a war starting.

4. Nations and kingdoms will rise against each other.

5. There will be localized food shortages.

6. There will be localized spread of contagious diseases.

7. Earthquakes will multiply.

8. "You" (beginning with the 12 but on to our time in all of this list) will have trouble.

9. "You" will be killed.

10. "You" will be hated by all nations for the sake of Jesus.

11. "You" will be betrayed by members of the church family.

12. False prophets will arise.

13. A growing sense of lawlessness, immorality, will be so pervasive as to cause many believers to love Jesus less. (This trait will be the defining characteristic of Paul's "man of sin," a leader the world will deserve! II Thessalonians 2.)

14. This Gospel will have been preached all over the world

After this final item, the world is ready for the end. Although many see item 14 as the answer of Jesus to the disciples' original query, I suggest that the preaching of the Gospel everywhere is not as specific a sign as is needed to satisfy those disciples or the ones living in the last days, who want something they can see. They want a "no-doubter," something that says, "When you experience this, Jesus will be there very soon! These are not backslidden saints, by the way. These are people in love with Jesus, who want to see His face! And Jesus very kindly gives them an answer that satisfies their longings.

He calls it "the abomination of desolation.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.