I have been away for a while. I have been away learning to acknowledge my Lord Jesus in all that I do, namely, in the area of studying. By His strength I have been able to increasingly defeat the indolence in my flesh and serve him "academically". Hopefully this means that I will redirect mine attention to this site and have it and its departments serving better than ever. May the God of peace have mercy upon us all.
I was struck this morning by a thought as I listened eagerly on to a radio broadcast, and I jotted down few notes which I want to share. Philippians chapter 2, verses 6 and 7 take us back in time long before Christ was born in Bethlehem, to a slot of time in eternity past when our Lord was still with God (Remember John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God). Our passage in Philippians takes us to the times when God was devising our salvation. It goes like this: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made to the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The thought that struck me as Chuck Swindel spoke this morning was the following. Our Lord willingly emptied himself of his independent use of his nature as God and took upon himself the form of the human nature. He became man. That is why during his ministry on earth he was always a servant of the Father, always dependent on him, always praying to him, and doing nothing of his own will, but always communicating with the Father and asking him for his will. Isn't this amazing.
Just a few verses before that we are asked to emulate our Lord in humility in Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ. Then the passage talks about the Lord emptying himself for our sake. See. We were all born to live, but Jesus was born to die. And to him alone belongs the title of LORD.
The thought culminates with these two beautiful verses 10 and 11: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Peace of the Lord be with you all.
It has been quiet around here for some time, so I decided to break the ice with this thought that I recently heard, and if Rev. 2:17 so chooses, it can be moved later on to the Bible Studies Section.
Let me begin by saying that we are in a spiritual warfare. II Corin. 10:3 says that though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. This brings me to the subject of the strongholds of the enemy. What is a stronghold of the enemy anyway? I'll explain. A stronghold is a mind set filled with hopelessness that causes you to accept as unchangeable something that you know is contrary to the will of God. I'll elaborate. Through the power of deception,the enemy holds strongholds in our hearts causing us to believe that oh well nothing will change anyway. I am weak. I cannot do it. Nothing can change me, etc. Again a stronghold of the enemy is a mind set filled with hopeless that causes me to accept as unchangeable something that I know is contrary to the will of God. That is a lie from the pit of hell, and our life is full of such strongholds.
The enemy knows that if he can control your thoughts, then he can control your emotions and consequently control your actions. So, whoever fills your mind will control your thoughts, and your emotions and consequently your actions. Fill your mind the word of the God. Grab the truth about the Word of God. Take hold of his promises that he defeated the world. Never let go of the truth, and lear to REST in him. When God created man in the sixth day, immediately after that followed the seventh day, a day of rest. So before you begin anything, learn to rest in the Lord.
I am a paraplegic but Christ in me will help me to the top. Read Joshua 1:1-9 Be strong and of good courage... Only be thou strong and of good courage for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance.... This book of the law shall not depart out of they mouth, but thou shall meditate therein day and night.... observe to do according to all that is written, then shall thou have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord they God is with thee withersoever thou goest.
How do you defeat your enemy? See Joshua 5:13,14 and 15. You will never defeat your Jericho until you have taken off your shoes. Joshua 1:3 says every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses (this verse by way reminds me a lot of the late Pastor Sadaka Senior).
Eph. 6:10-18 Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, ... for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the ruler of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We have been informed that many christian students from the Beirut area regularly check the site and wholly support the ministry. That was a much needed boost, thank you Jesus. May they also contribute to the service of the saints and those who would be sanctified by the blood of the Lamb.
I have just arrived home from a christian concert, presented by a lebanese band named "Strongholds". This time around was certainly an improvement over last year's concert by the same very talented band. It is refreshing and releaving to see youth singing praises to the glory of the Lamb alone, inspired by the Bible. I have bought their newly released, first CD. All concert entries are free. Now that this group is more visible than ever, I worry for them much. I pray the Lord will keep them from the insiduous plans of satan;
that they might always give all the praise to Jesus,
that they might never sell out to the commercial market and start taking out the name of JESUS from their songs,
that they might never stop preaching the exclusivity of Jesus for salvation,
that pride might never consume them;
in sum and most importantly, to remember that God wants obedience before sacrifice.
So much has been going on lately here in Lebanon that most of us have been swamped with work. I write here as fleeting moments are found. I pray the Lord that He would bless this e-house for the glory of His name and the multiplication of His Word. May He give us a vision, for " where there is no vision, the people perish"
I have been studying hard, hopefully that will allow me to reconcentrate on this here project; but priority belongs to the lukewarm christian youth in the Beirut area. Please pray the Lord that we might all meet and establish a bible-based fellowship. The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few.
May the God of peace keep you
Fox's Book of Martyrs is a History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Deaths of the Early Christian and Protestant Martyrs. Here's one editorial about the book: A great Christian classic, this book describes the heroism and martyrdom of countless believers. It has been an unparalleled volume since its 16th-century origin.
From the Back Cover
This is a book which will never die--one of the greatest Christian classics. As interesting as fiction, it is written with both passion and tenderness, telling the dramatic story of some of the most thrilling periods in Christian history. Presented here in the most complete form, it brings to life the days when "a noble army, men and boys, the matron and the maid," "climbed the steep ascent of heaven, amid peril, toil, and pain."
Can't wait to receive my copy of the book which I ordered on line.
This past Sunday was the 48th anniversary of the 1st Baptist Bible Church in Beirut, Lebanon. Half a century, with all its global geo-political clashes, economic transformations, societal upheavels,,, but the gates of hell shall not prevail against the body of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many came and shared our joy the whole day long. Many also heard the Word of God. Some are coming back.
blessings in the name of Christ Jesus to all the recipients of the
e-mail concerning
"the assembling of ourselves together".
You can comment to this here post, on your interest (or lack thereof) in meeting and prefered setting. Please sign the comment that I might identify who is who.
may the God of true peace keep your steps.
Today, Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving. This is a time for family reunions around the traditional turkey dinner, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. For me, this is the most beloved time of the year, and tonight, some of my christian family members will come over. In addition to feasting we will share some of the good things that the Lord has wrought in our lives during the past year. We will give thanks, and sing and offer praises to our bountiful Saviour. A key reason why I love this feast is that it coincides with the Biblical Feast of the Tabernacles. A Bible student will understand that God gave his people only three feasts to celebrate. Those are (1) the passover (on 14 April); (2) the feast of the firstfruits which comes fifty days after the sacrifice of the lamb (June); (3) the feast of the tabernacles in October. These my friends are the official holidays given to us by our Father. I will venture and say that all others are man-made holidays. Prophetically speaking, the dates of these feasts are very significant. Passover coincided with the date when Jesus was offered as a Lamb and died on the cross for our sins. The feast of the Firstfruits, more commonly known as Pentecost dated fifty days from the offering of the Lamb and coincided with the time when the Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven on sons and daughters of men. (Jesus himself being the first to be resurrected from the dead and after forty days ascended into heaven). As for the fulfilment of that third feast prophetically, I wonder. Could it be that it will coincide with the rapture, when the Bride of Christ will leave her earthly home and be caught up in the air as we go out to tabernacle with the Saviour. Just a thought that intrigues me, and makes the date of the Thanksgiving Holiday so for special to me.
Seth, I met Piere yesterday and all went well. I will write you an email soon.
All is well with me, the academic year is duly on course and the church is lively.
Will be back on soon with more substantive posts.
Contributors, this is your webpage to spread the Gospel.
Make the most of it.
Think for a minute. Whoever said that the word of God does not have medicianl effect. Take a look at this verse for instance "....hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love" (colossians 2:2). Not only is there comfort on a human level when hearts are knit together in love, but there is also comfort for the weary soul when a person's heart is knit together in love with God the Father, and his son Jesus Christ.
Don't you just love that publicity cliche "Back by popular demand". I am therefore posting this popular demand for Rev.2:17 to come back and post on this blog. It is not fair that we should be kept anxiously waiting for those long promised updates.
Well, here I am, back in Lebanon.
Infested wounds are turned to scars through the virtues of fire. Yet the fire of God heals all things, cleanses the width and depth of the human soul, that it may glorify the Author of it's salvation, whose signature and banner above us is love.
Danny,(2Ns) I tried calling you on the last day, no one would pick up. AUB deja-vu hehe. As for making it down to D.C. I was told that it was virtually impossible to make it through the border during the Republican convention, especially since I would have been in New York on that now infamous date of 9/11. Believe me, I was disappointed. Thank you for the kind message. I love you much in the bowels of Christ, as I do also Seth, my dear brother. Seth, I received the package a few hours before departing for the airport. I Will deliver your spiritual fruit soon. If you could remind me of the name and address of the fellow, I will do it ASAP. Thank you also for the CD. I'm listening to it now.
Stay tuned for an update on the situation and spread of the Gospel of our Lord during this trip, for which many had lifted prayers.
It was a GOOD reunion for mother, son and daughter. The Lord blessed us with five full weeks of time together. As Rev.2:17 took to the skies yesterday afternoon, I could not help but praise the Lord for his goodness which enabled his handmaid to see her firstborn child, now a fine young man, on fire for the Lord, and steadfastly walking with Him. A few more days in Europe should be loads of fun for him and friends. And never mind the LOADS of books he is bringing along.
For those who aren't aware of it yet, there is a Forum in the weblog
"Ask about Jesus", which allows all and sundry to post in it.
A direct link to the Forum has been set up in the sidebar.
"Ask about Jesus" itself has been updated in that you can now access all departments (Pen of Iron, Bible Studies, Poetry, Prayer) from that webpage, just as you can from Pen of Iron here. Soon this should be the case also for each of the departments.
Moreover, that little envelope symbol you now see under every post allows you to e-mail that post as an item to anyone you want, instead of hauling them over to the webpage to read it.
Also, pictures will once again appear on the weblogs via the Hello\Picasa software interaction. It turns out it was only this author's computer-ignorance which stood in his own way...
We are still exploring the technical possibilities. Please Lord Jesus bless this work for the glory of Thine name alone.
Here are but a few titles of Jesus found in the Bible, who is God in the flesh 
simply click on the picture to enlarge
I write to implore anyone out there that bears the name of Christ, and lives according to His Word the Bible, to read the 2 following books
"Final Authority" by William P.Grady
and
"The "Errors" in the King James Version" by Peter S.Ruckman
These two constitute much more than a defence of the Authorized Version. Ruckman's style is certainly unpolished, and that's an understatement superlative, but as it is said, facts are stubborn little things.
Grady's book is of considerable spiritual insight, all revolving around the King James Version, and the revelations in those two books are ponderously convicting.
Read if only to consider yourself a well-armed person when it comes to which sword to yield, and there is only one blade that is double-edged.
But again, they do much more by opening one's eyes to the forces at work behind closed doors at undermining the innerant Word of God via many an avenue, whether politico-religious or culturo-religious...or falt out in the open...
To say the truth, I was reluctant to read them, not being a novice as far as the subject, but boy o boy was I unaware of the Nicolaitane doctrines that publishers have been able to push through the "version of the week club."
They are an emphatic must read Especially for those of you who are in positions of leadership.
God bless you
Niagara Falls is a wondrous sight to see. The Canadian side also known as the "horseshoe", in reference to the shape, as well as the American side which contains what is known as "the bridal veil" are a mighty display of God's wondrous creation. Tons of clear whitewater jump off the cliffs and continue their dance happily hopping down into the Niagara River as they make their way to the great lakes (Huron, Erie, etc) which account for 90% of the world's sweet water reserve. I hope you will all get to see them some day.
Last week end which is labour day weekend in North America, the Lord allowed us to spend it there, and in the meantime allowed us to fellowship and bellyship (eat) with the Najems. Although I am not exactly a Michael Shummacher, the Lord who drives the chariots of fire through the skies had a real presence in getting us safely from Montreal and back. Fifteen accidents, some mortal, were reported that same weekend, 2 of which we saw while heading back.
Back to the Falls. A most memorable moment for us was our walk behind the Falls. This is a tour inside a tunnel dug in the rocks just underneath and behind the Falls. As you stand there peering out from the portals, you are just few feet away from the actual water fall. Thankfully we wore our official "Walk behind the Falls" yellow raincoats which in essence are no other than sophisticated garbage bags with the "Walk behind the Falls" imprinted across the back, which Revelation 2:17 chose to keep.
I was talking about the memorable moment. That moment, as we stood behind the Falls, all I could think of was the Flood. Yes, you are right, Noah's flood. I wondered if it was like that when God opened the floodgates of the heavens, and the gates of the fountains of the deep, as he drowned the old world underneath the torrents of heavy rainfall. We stood there in awe admiring and contemplating God's greatness, and in a way we were transported back into history as we watched God's mighty arm in action. The walk ended, and we had to go back to allow more tourists to take a look. I wondered if people could see God's greatness in the mighty display as we did. We headed back to the village, and soon we were greeted with the human entertainment machines: casinos, gambling slot machines, fear and adventure spots, KingKong was there as well as statues of Frankinstein, and Dracula and other fearful witchcraft omens. I could not help but think sadly to myself;
what a contrast: God creates in beauty, and man immitates in filth. Niagara Falls themselves are so relaxing and awe inspiring, while the city hustles and bustles with people of all ages caught up in the dens of sin. It seems like man had to put his finger there and destroy the serenity and beauty of the place.
Isn't it great to know that our God will restore the serenity, and simplicity of life to the earth soon. Amen. Let it be Lord as the angels proclaimed. Peace on Earth and Good Will to man.
I wrote an essay for the last college class I took, two years ago, which Revelation 2:17 asked me to post here. The assignment was to talk about your "mission in life," so here it is. It remains unchanged, because the God I love and serve remains always the same. May God spare me from trial for trials' sake, and may He grant me the great joy of sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings as well as His resurrection.
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I have always been a relatively self-centered person. Most of my life I’ve focused on my own ambitions for success, for prestige and recognition, and for approval from my family and friends. Even my motivation for wanting to “make the world a better place” usually centered on the desire to feel good about myself, and to have others look up to me as noble and exemplary.
But in the last year, the radical, self-sacrificial love of Jesus has seduced me, captivated me, enveloped me, and fundamentally and irreversibly transformed my entire being. The fact that Jesus, “being in very nature God,” willingly sacrificed himself for the sake of all humanity, breaks my heart of all pride and attempts at self-justification and seeking my own glory, and instead frees me to live for the author of life alone, to love others as he loves me, and to give him the life which he first gave me.
“To live is Christ, to die is gain.” These words were penned by the apostle Paul while he was imprisoned for preaching the good news, awaiting a probable execution that he later met. This is a radically positive view of both death and life--that in death we are united with the Lord and Love of our lives, and that in life we live through him, in him and for him. He promised us that “neither death nor life...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.” Therefore we are free from our fears, free from our own self-interest, free to live for others as Christ lived for us.
I thank God that he has given me a passion for reconciliation between peoples, for peace and understanding to transform groups that once hated and killed each other. I believe that only the radical love of Jesus--who taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, and who showed that love for enemies of God like myself by dying on the cross--only this love can truly heal people, can truly bring forgiveness and reconciliation to situations so oppressed by violence and despair. I believe that God has given me ability to understand people, to learn languages, and to have compassion for suffering, all very necessary for this work. But for an upper-middle class American, who has experienced very little suffering in my life, the message that we should forgive those who kill our children or destroy our lives will likely fall on deaf ears. So my hope is that if God wants to use me in this way, he’ll put me through suffering--through imprisonment, hunger, torture, or even death--so that the words I say will have an impact, so that my life and my death will be a vehicle for others to come and know the Love that set me free.
To me, Jesus’ message of good news is one of love conquering fear, of life conquering death. But this was only done through the death of the very One through whom life was created. So if Jesus let himself be put to death and thereby transformed all of creation, I, who am of infinitely lower worth, have no reason to hold back any part of me, no reason to fear giving to him what he already gave me. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” I want to lose my life and find new Life in him, “to share in the fellowship of his sufferings,” so that I can be a small part of that beautiful transformation from suffering to joy, from hatred to love, from inescapable death to eternal life.
Danny! I need your e-mail and telephone number! lol
Quick update on the Church here,
which has not ceased to reach the public and individuals with the Gospel of Jesus.
So much ponderously revealing information has been acquired, from prophesy and spiritual insight. I can hardly wait to return to Lebanon and spread the fire.
Marana atha
Thanks to the Lord's provision and as heralded before, the Guest-Book is now officially upgraded.
New features include:
No more Ads or Pop-Ups!
Customizable HTML
5 times the possible entries (up to 10 000; not that we expect to even approach that number but it was mainly to take out the adds that we bought the option)
Please feel free to sign it and leave your precious comments. God bless you all
Need I share with you that I almost freaked out and could have called the police for a search and rescue mission when my son strayed from the group on Saturday night. When we finally found him, here's what he answered ".. How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business" (Luke 2:49).
A quote from his Master's own words, floored me. Now that I think of it, I believe this entry could almost fit under Prayer Requests. Pray for composure and calmness for me.
Friday: after the men's prayer meeting, a youth on fire for the Lord by the name of Mark and myself, at his suggestion (being led by the Holy Spirit), went witnessing publicly in Metro Cote Vertu, passing tracts and sometimes shouting out the only Gospel of Jesus Christ. There the Lord sent some reinforcements in the form of 2 Christian African-Canadians, who spontaneously decided to join in and help with the tracts. A beautiful multi-national testimony was thusly weaved up, to the glory of Jesus who came for every kindred, tongue, tribe and nation.
(One of them by the name of Junior, came to Church on Sunday, later that day descending upon the same battlefield of love along with ourselves.)
We received our share of insults but walked out joyous for the seeds of hope that were clearly planted in some.
Saturday: A group of 5 went down to do the same in Metro Guy-Concordia. That was also an evening filled with action as I somewhat foolishly strayed from the group being engaged in a conversation with a man of false religion. (Jesus sent out His disciples 2 by 2). I lost track of time and never alerted the rest of us as to my whereabouts. Mark was sent out in search of me, but soon found himself also witnessing to a couple that were drinking the words of Life. At the end of the night all worked out well, and some soil had definitely been churned.
Sunday: Back at Metro Cote-Vertu and with Junior again, though he soon had to leave. Again and as expected, some did not approve, but the day was fruitful, even as a young man lifted up a prayer with Mark in the metro's underground exit area.
Monday: Welcome Hall Mission. A place for the poor and homeless to rest and have a decent meal. Men and women of the Church presented 2 hymns and distributed tracts and talked to whomever wished as the crowd were taking and eating their meals. I was told of one Arabic speaking man, Iraqi-Turkish, with whom I sat and shared the Lord Jesus. Much bitterness doth he harbour, though mentally accepting Christ on the cross for his sins. He offered a peach from his meal and an Arabic Bible was given him in exchange. He promised to try coming to the Church.
Needless to say those are big prayer requests right there, not solely for the spiritually dead as we once were, but also for all the lukewarm believers who would shrink from sharing the Gospel when they are called to do so.
Junior wondered at the zeal he witnessed:
"does it come easy to you guys?" he asked.
His answer came as spontaneously and honestly as could come, something akin to :
" far from it, but by continuous, fervent prayer, one overcomes"
And later:
" Soon you do it not from duty, but from love and joy which consumes the innerman"
All glory to Jesus our God, who is the Rock of Ages believers stand upon
Allright, a little information on some events is due,
At the Beirut airport, I lost my passport briefly, then was told I needed the army papers in order to leave the country, which were a 2 hours drive back, while the plane would be taking off in an hour and thirty minutes, never mind the line and other minor delays that exacerbate such a critical situation.
I prayed to the Lord, as many I found out were doing. I prayed that His will be done, even if it meant my staying in Lebanon, but begged Him to have mercy on my mother and sister, and sure enough He had his servant find favor in the eyes of the airport lieutenant who eased things out allowing me to fly.
Sitting into the chair, 43H, I put mine Arabic Bible and a book called "God and Design" in the net of the seat before me. Enter a man, who sits next to me. He eyes the book and asks me about it. Ensues a pre-takeoff 2 and a half conversation wherein I preached the Gospel of Salvation. The many prayers lifted for opportunities to witness during my trip were paying off.
He is a man of Shi3a Islam, practicing, who has never read the Bible. Nothing seemed to pierce his heart as he repeated the same quotations over and over again, but lastly he said he wanted to read the Bible and we exchanged emails.
We found Bibles here of all the languages required for the foreign populace back in Lebanon, Tamil, Urdu, Sinhalese, Tagalog, some doubled with English. It's great, because they are hard to find in the Middle East. Praise the Lord.....more to come again
Blessings in the name of the great and mighty God, Jesus Christ,
I have been in Montreal, Canada, since Monday.
It took the incense of prayer for me to arrive, since many a bump in the road was met. But arrive I did, safe and sound by His good will.
The Church of Lebanon is often on my mind. I am attending an youthful Church here that is well founded in the Word and on fire for the Lord. We are going a fishing men on Saturday night. This Baptist Church has a missionary in China, who presented a slideshow on the mission before the Church. Let me tell you, I was swaying between pangs of shame and billows of fiery zeal that distented mine heart almost to the point of walking out the door and screaming the Gospel on rooftops.
Further on, we were blown away by an explanation of how the Chinese language, its pictographs, were based on Bibilical creation account truths, before the Bible was even put down in written word.
Maybe I can present it to you graphically soon.
There is much swirling in the mind at the moment. more soon...
This tuesday, we were joined by Brothers Maurice and George, also our Sister Sherinne came back, as well as Aimee, Ruth, and myself. As per recent habit Mr. Haddad checked in and out on us. It was great to be able to communicate the flame of the Word to others, who also brought their experience with the Lord along.
The Bible study centered around the end of Pilippians 1 and 2Samuel's Shammah, one of King David's heroes. See Bible Studies
Sadly, Dany Dedeyan could not be with us as he was on wings to Paris, then to Washington. We pray he will be a blessing to all those there, as he was here.
I myself, by the Lord's good will, will be departing at 3:15 a.m., monday.
The trip will include Canada, the United States (where hopefully I shall meet with Dany), and 6 of the circa 45 days divided between England and Scotland. Pray that it might be a salubrious trip, overflowing with love and forgiveness, as well as opportunities to spread the Gospel of Jesus-Christ.
Please see Prayers
As soon as I am finished with examinations, there shall posted be in the Bible Studies Department, the notes taken from all the Biblical teachings that were given during
The Middle-Eastern Congress On Biblical Christianity, which was held in Lebanon from the 24th to the 27th of May this year.
Look for some great spiritual food.
We thank the Lord Jesus that our brother Dany Dedeyan has safely returned from his trip to Turkey, though a day later than expected, which prompted a few prayers that were answered. He leaves Tuesday morning Beirut time, back to Washington.
Yesterday Brother Megerdich, Mohammad, Dany, Sister Aimee and Maritez and myself met at a small restaurant in Burj Hammoud for some fatteh. Sister Aimee witnessed to an Ethiopian and a Sudanese at the table next to us. The ethiopian immediately recognized Aimee as a Christian by her warmth, boldness, and godly conversation. They both left with Arabic tracts in their hands. May her boldness infect us.
Later we sat in my car by Megerdich's apartment (which shelters Dany) though he was no more with us at this point. We lifted prayers for each other but especially for the Lord to bless Dany in his service and protection along life's way, fashioning him into a strong man of God.
The new e-mail address of Revelation 2:17 is now the following:
Scriptura_Sola@hotmail.com
Latin for "Only the Scriptures" (as source of divine authority)
A new department entitled Testimonials/Praise Items might be a good place to share what the Lord has been doing in our life. What do you think? In the meantime, I am still waiting and looking forward to reading Andre's testimony "on line" (although I might meet him at a later stage). |
Dear LittleLight, on behalf of all here, welcome.
For those of you who dont know her, LittleLight is a truckdriver in the United States who's delicately fiesty and on fire for the Lord. She is a big little light, with a tender heart.
As you've noticed dear sister, this page caters to the Church in Lebanon and all those who have been involved with it. Please keep commenting, and you can post in the Forum under Ask About Jesus, though 'tis a nascent Forum.
God bless you
Yesterday night saw Brother Antoine Haddad (the elder who helped us secure the room), Sister Aimee and her Spiritual daughter Sister Ruth, Brother Dany, Brother Mohammad, Brother Andre (Yes!!! you read right, Brother Andre Najem) and myself gathered in the most precious name of the Lord.
Brother Dany shared with us Psalms 37 and 73 following a discussion he had had with a friend of his who decried the wicked running free on this here earth... as usual, the essence of the study will be displayed in Bible Studies
Everyone's highlight and some's surprise came with the announcement that Andre had received Jesus some 2 weeks ago,,, following hugs and exclamations of joyous surprise, Brother Andre shared with us his testimony, which Lord will, he shall soon be posting on this site,,,so stay tuned people! It can help many.
Later on that night, Brother Dany felt he needed to visit Turkey and return on saturday before leaving back for Washington from Lebanon on the coming Tuesday. We prayed to know if it was the Lord's will for him to proceed unto Antioch, and He cleared all potential obstacles (including a military checkpoint on which we were stopped) as I drove Dany to the bus terminal. We also prayed that he might have the opportuntiy to spread the Good News in that land. May our God bring him back safely.
All glory unto the name of Jesus
For the remainder of the summer, our gathering will only take place once a week, on Tuesdays.
This seems best for all involved, from NEST to ourselves. Meeting time is unchanged: 6:30 pm
Please make an effort at punctuality, that we might have a full 2 hours until closing time. Should we ever need to remain assembled for longer, as was the case last Thursday (due to unusual circumstances which required much listening, discernment and prayer) we will attempt to move to a bretheren's apartment.
In 2 weeks and by the Lord's good pleasure, I shall be in Canada. I will be out of Lebanon for a month and a half, spent unevenly in 4 countries. As well as reuniting with my long lost family I pray that the Lord might grant me opportunities to witness. I especially think of Mr. MacDonald in West England, who was my highschool teacher (here in Lebanon; Ashley thank you for pointing that out) and an exceptional man. More on him later.
As you can see, a counter has been installed. The number displayed reflects only the unique page viewers. You can click on the graphics icon by the counter to view further analysis.
The big news is that our member weblog "Ask about Jesus" now hosts a forum wherein anyone can post comments or questions and which can simply be accessed by clicking the icon at the top of the page. Our hope is that it would mainly serve to answer the questions of seeking non-Christians but also to serve Christians who want to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. With time, further customization of settings should allow greater flexbility and specificity of service. We are all still learning.
May the Lord build the house.
First things first,
I have just returned from fellowship with our bretheren: Aimee, William ( from a non-Christian background, and carries a powerfull testimony) Dany, Dipendra and myself. We spent 2 and a half hours together, praying and reading the Word. We tarried so, that we found ourselves locked inside the building.
Since Dany and I had been about the subject yesterday, I playfully but intently asked Him if the Lord would "provide a way out" of the building also. And sure enough He did.
The reading spanned half a dozen different books as brother William passionately ran over his favourite passages. As per recent habit, a "synopsis" will hopefully be posted in the Bible Studies.
Our joy would have been greater had some joined us. Unfortunately, the vissictitudes of life often prove vexing. We kept those brothers and sisters in our fervent prayers.
We now officially meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm. We usually wait each other out in the gate-yard before heading for the sixth floor. You can always get information from Abu Elias,,, if you can...
Now for the guestbook, and in reply to questions;
No one hacked into the webpage to insert a link to bravenet: thats just how a free system operates. As far as those commercials in the guestbook, hopefully we can have them out and other enhanced features for around 4.50$ a month. Will try doing that from Canada, third week of August.
May the Lord bless you all O so much
| I'd like to recommend the daily devotionals "My Utmost for his Highest" by Oswald Chambers (1874 -1917). A friend of mine gave me a copy back in April and little did I know what a treasure it was. The devotions are a compilation of little sermonettes scented with the frehsness of a new meaning to some very familiar verses. I suddenly discovered that the book is a classic best seller. I have since bought three more copies and distributed to family and friends. The KJV version of the book sells for CDN$ 7.95.
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No sir,
Jesus was NOT about spirituality, freedom, morals, justice, ethics, compassion, respect, equality, honour, virtue, values, temperance, patience, peace, art, social welfare and what have you...
Christians beware. Many will try to mitigate and mollify what Jesus truly was into a bland man of personal-civilizational enlightenment. All these definitions fall ignominously short of who He was. Know the cunning of the evil one.
Jesus Christ WAS God the Allmighty in the flesh. Jesus was God on the cross. GOD does not die on a tree, wear sin, and pass through hell to set a moral example. GOD dies on a tree that whosoever believes in Him, is through Him saved from the natural corruption of the soul, which sets us as enemies of the Lord and deserving of His eternal damnation and hiding of face.
Jesus was not a man of those virtues, Jesus was (and is) the definition of those virtues. And the Christian (ChristOne) lives them out as divine fruit,,, not as virtues of worldly veneer, but as fruits nourrished by the True Vine.
So then, exercise wisdom when preaching Christ, use the good some of the world might see in Him, but beware of falling into the trap of arresting at that unsaving note; that he was a wise, good and caring man. Pray that the truth might explode like the light of day, the Son of God on the cross, and the Son of God resurrected, all for our salvation.
You do not forgive humiliation, beating, spitting, flogging, blasphemy and crucifixion while you are the personification of innocence, because you are a moral member of society. You forgive because you are God, looking down at His creation
Welcome Redeemed.
Redeemed is Sarah Antonius, firstly my sister in the Lord, and secondly my sister in the flesh. We have not seen each other in 6 years, but Lord willing we shall be meeting on the 17th of August.
Her heart is Her Lord's possession, and I pray Jesus that He might strengthen her in all things and that His joy might be her victory.
Welcome to your family, Redeemed.
Indulge the war-room-like titles. We are engaged in a war afterall and prayer is our weapon. This second assembling was more spontaneously decided upon, so much so that I forgot to notify NEST about it. We entered the building thanks to the lovable Abu Elias but never the room. Aimee, Dany, Dipendra and myself huddled on the stairs of the 6th floor for a beautiful hour and a half. We can worship Him from anywhere, for all realms are His, and He lives not in man-made temples or exclusive mountains. Hear ye women of Samaria!
We shared the Word until the dwindling of sunlight, at which point we were joined by Muhammad, our brother in the Lord, and we all closed in prayer, also praying the Lord for the salvation of Muhammad's parents and that of one cultural relativist of mine acquiantance by the name of Omar.
The musk of the message will be displayed in Bible Studies
We had fellowship yesterday for the first time since we used to assemble at the Husnis'. Numerically, it was a far cry from what we once had, yet the Lord promised His presence with 2 0r 3, not starting at 20 or 30. There were 6 children of God present, starting by seniority (approximate): Aimee, Dany, Dipendra, Georges, Tandice and Sherinne. As we were waiting in the gate-yard for the count to be completed, we had the opportunity to say farewell to Gunnar and Petra.
Entering the building, what are now believed to have been flares riped the sky with their violent sonority. At first we all thought a car explosion had occured and there was a brief panic. Praise God all were safe.
Inside, we were reminded by sister Aimee of Psalm 127, that unless God builds the house, the workers labor in vain. The importance of destroying pride was also stressed. We lifted up prayers, standing up and holding hands, for the Lord to build this ministry, use it for His glory and insure continuation. We are all in desperate need of fellowship; we spend enough time with the world.
ATTENTION next meeting will be held this Thursday, August 22nd, same time, that is, 6:30 PM, same place. Lord bless us
Thank you Rev.2:17, that's too kind. It's great to be a part of something that would glorify our Lord, may His name be blessed forever.
I'd like to share this excerpt from a book I have:
Incomparable Carpenter
Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40 and Jesus for only 3 1/2 years. Yet the influence of Christ's ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined years of teaching from these greatest of philosophers.
Jesus painted no pictures, yet some of the finest artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him.
Jesus wrote no poetry, but Dante, Milton and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by Him.
Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the music they composed in His praise.
Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth.
AMEN!!!
A heartfelt welcome to Romans 12:18, also known as Dany Dedeyan, and the most recent addition to our team, Dolly.
Dany is a man on a mission; well, missionS: spiritual, academic, cultural...you name it. He is a most precious brother in Christ, and his heart yearns to be in it's Lord's will in all things. His presence has been a blessing in my life and that of others.
Dolly is one of those rare youths of Lebanon who desir and pray to live according to the Living Word. Joyful and exuberant, the talents she unquestionably has imparted upon her, we pray the Lord might use for the glory of His name. The presence of such a sister lightens the heart.
May we all, along the way discover each other, discover this family Jesus saw fit to knit together and grow in blessed fellowship.
Thank you Lord Jesus
Hello brothers and sisters,
I just joined the site and I hope it will be a blessing to many. It is exciting to have Christian news coming right out of Lebanon, a country amidst the Middle East conflict and a region of political turmoil. It's also a great opportunity to tell the world that in this small country are people whose hearts yearn for Jesus and would serve Him 'till the end. We need your prayers to help spread a revival starting in Lebanon and spreading all throughout the Middle East. With Jesus, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. God bless all!!
Lord will, we shall be meeting for the first time at NEST, tomorrow, that is, Tuesday, around 6:30 pm. Let's all wait for each other in the gateyard that we might enter smoothly and have the guard get used to us. Hopefully we can spend our time together building a foundation in a prayer because without it nothing can proceed. Grace be with your spirits.
Praise the Lord, we just received permission to use the room. (see Big News) A lot is left to our discretion also. May the Lord bless us to abide honourably by His Word before the world, and to grow in His grace and knowledge.
The meeting went smoothly. Now is time to spread the word and find a timeframe that would allow as many believers to assemble. We thank Jesus for your prayers. Please don't stop, for work just started.
Daniel and Andre as Mickey Mouse
that was on friday at camp. Andre attended the church service with me; after the dishes. He does a great job, dressed for it too. Daniel's smile is signature. Precious picture ain't it? I wonder why Disney hasn't sued me yet
Over around 3-4 months and until the end of may, we had been part of a blessed fellowship of international believers in Beirut. The Holy Spirit was at work, and some were saved. Hopefully through these posts you will get to better know your brothers and sisters in Christ as they come alive in these pages and through prayers. Came June and many travelled, including the Husnis' under whose God-provided roof we often assembled for worshiping Jesus and studying His Word. The roof, disappeared along with them, and since then, those of us remaining have been hard praying for the fellowship to continue and for the Lord to provide us with a meeting place. At one point, Mr. Antoine Haddad, an elder at whose house we students had been having Bible studies, presented the possibility that the Near Eastern School of Theology might be able to provide a location for such a function within its building, wherein we could independently carry on with our fellowship.
Yesterday, having finally overcome the vicisstitudes of life, a meeting was arranged between myself and Pastor Suheil who resides on the Church's floor of NEST's building, with Mr. Haddad also showing up. The very manner in which the meeting was made possible was Divine arrangement: NEST's gate being closed, the Lord had me return to find it open. I was knocking on Pastor Suheil's door precisely as he was on the phone with Mr. Haddad. Our written petition was presented, which was co-authored by my brother in Christ, Dany Dedeyan, who has already commented on this site and to whose Blog I should soon have a link. After battling to arrive at Beirut, Dany later joined me and Mr. Haddad at a nearby restaurant, where we discussed the events of the night.
In principle, (and after a brief outline of the practicalities and policies; which was to be expected), we were granted permission for use of a room; remains the School's approval, whose director we shall be meeting, Lord will, on Sunday. We were told in not so many words that it should be little more than a formality, but we still ask for your prayers.
The room is more than we expected, wide, its architecture and set up allow for the expedient formation of groups, whether single or small ones. Moreover a keyboard is therein installed which we were told we could use. A true double-blessing! Praise the Lord in any event, for all things work according to His sovereign will and for the good of those who love Him
...update on Sunday
A blessing in disguise is every opportunity to witness.
Daniel 12:3 - And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Its been 2 days now of driving back and forth to the camp in Nab3 el Safa. We alternate between traveling in my suv and Daniel's car. Our hectic schedule turns out to be a blessing in disguise from the Lord, for there are always those who would ascend and descend with us. the trip is long ("if you're the one driving",says Daniel) but enjoyable. Beautiful scenery.
Before all else, the location inspires one to prayer.
The 3 pillars of spiritual growth: Word, Prayer, Fellowship
I have adjusted the settings to Beirut time, which I was surprised to find in the list.
This friday: Philosophy quiz (logic in mathematical language, goes great with my computer science course.)
Geology quiz (earth energy)
A post on philosophy and philosophers is in the works. Lots to discharge.
Also more on camp, and pictures too...
I would now like to extend the warmest welcome to our brother Seth Wilson.
I know only to introduce him this way: a man of the Word, filled with the Holy Spirit. As such, he is on the black list of the roaring lion. Lets keep him in ardent prayer.
1st Baptist Bible Church's 6 day summer camp starts today. Am going up with Daniel my cousin to see how things will start. Hopefully we will see Andre Najem who has been at the camp for a week. I care for him like a brother.
The church, that is, an assortment of believers living in and around greater Beirut has been meeting in brother Benjamin's (an elder from Liberia) house, much like the olden days. There's the fire of the Holy Spirit working. Will try to be back on soon. Please see Prayer
have to run off to my computer science class, may the Lord be with you.
P.S. Consecrated, i saw your post, will comment soon
for those of you who would comment without being bloggers or registered users, and wish not to remain anonymous, a simple idea is to sign your name at the end of your comment.
on another note,I hope we soon will be able to have sections in the sidebar, such as prayer requests and poetry, or list of books, et cetera
any programming experts out there?
I would like to thank George Bellos, my friend who is now in the netherlands, for reviewing my last post. His help was three-fold, he advised me to divide sentences for clearer rendering of thoughts (theres a challenge) and he was also able to comment without being a registered blogger, so the new settings work; that means anyone can comment. so feel free everyone.
Thirdly, having graduated in Geology and now furthering his research, he pointed out that Lebanon is actually traversed by, not one, but 2 faultlines. One from Yammouneh,North, at 30 degree angle and the other from Room,,, the extension of which cuts through... you guessed it, the capital Beirut. Let's look at the etymology of Beirut:
(Beyrout, Beyrouth and Berytos and Berytus are simply variations as the name went through translators in different languages.)
Beirut [be’ rut]; The name Berytus [be-‘rit-es] probably comes from the name of a Phoenician fish goddess, Beruti, who in turn was related to the god of Byblos, possibly a derivative of Baal.
Judges 8:33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.
Jeremiah 2:23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways
I just had a conversation with my geology teacher (George you might know her) who informed me that a scientist came to AUB last year to alert his fellows that the Dead Sea fault system, long reckoned inactive, is actually alive and well... it is from this center that Lebanon's fissures stem
Deuteronomy 29 23-29 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?
Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:
For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book:
And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Isaiah 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Jeremiah 49:18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
yes, our cities are more neighbours than we suspect, neighbours in the underground, literally and spiritually
yesteray at 5:30 post meridiem, Beirut time, a small earthquake seemed to warn the country of impending doom. desks ratteled and some could feel tremors in the walls.
heres some vital information on Lebanon's "tectonic" condition ladies and gentlemen: our country is traversed vertically by a major faultline. now there are new theories on how earthquakes occur,,,but none of them have us safe,,, in fact the latest one, product of 2002, claims that earthquakes take place solely in the crust of the earth, and not through subduction of the mantle,,, which makes them that much more difficult to predict. some 5-6 years ago, pressure was relieved by stronger quake, but pressure continues to build up, daily. it seems timely that i should be taking a geology course while such an event takes place, consider also my first computer science course while i open this webpage. the Lord does things well doesn't He?
Let us keep in prayer,,, we expect the travails of creation,,, the world lives on arrogantly until the pangs of labor are come. some will discard such things as dumb geological events, others worship nature without Her creator. We ask our Father for undeserved mercy, towards us and the world.
God bless you all
Post-Scriptum: should have links soon
Dany, i hope all went well with Remi's awaying. il faut bientot allez a NEST. fait moi savoir quand tu seras libre au plus tot car il faut aussi coordiner le tout avec M. Haddad et il se peut que d'autres se joignent a nous,,, a savoir, Sherinne. i will contact you soon. que Dieu te benisse
dear church of God,
please pray that, if the Lord's will, this webpage may be used to coordinate our activites and meetings. let's use technology for the side of Light for once. soon enough a team should be created that would allow its members to also post here, not just comment (on a post).
one needs to be invited to join the team. if any of you are interested, please let me know through my email link... I believe its in my profile somewhere. more to come. Grace be with you
Post Scriptum: not sure on the possibility of commenting without having an account... will know shortly and post
