However, this does not mean that the other women from the other races are not attractive and seductive. The phenomenon is true because most of the heterosexual men across nation adores women breast. Therefore, as long as those women have breast, they will be keep attractive to men sexually, does not matter whether they are large breasted girls.

Related to breast, some people also do not find large breasted girls and women are attractive. Instead, they are attracted to cute women or girls who are called oriental babes, whose physical traits are consider tiny and cute for some people.

Therefore, people chose their preference in anything, and especially in sex. Although people commonly adore their sexual partner, women in this case, based on their environment, yet it will be possible for them to have another preference across nation and race, which is easily accessed from those porn sites above.

A company has invented cheap pcs so that people can enjoy the low power consumption at low price. Its just not about the low price as power consumption directly effect you electricity bills and helps energy saving.

Its not just about the power consumption, but they are also the cheapest found on market. If people are really concious about the energy and the money then, I suggest people surely should get a one. I have order a piece for myself, as every good things should be started from ownself.

Save energy, Save world – Go green.

These “castles” were a demonic deception for they were NOT really a place of safety; not the “sanctuary” they were thought to be. Today, too many perceive or expect these “pastoral kingdoms” (church buildings) to be places of holiness inhabited by the Lord where they will be accepted by all, loved unconditionally, and have their troubles cared for and needs met. Too often, these same individuals ultimately leave after failing to find what they thought they were looking for, i.e., their personal salvation. Sure, many will “get their ticket punched” and consider themselves “saved” or “born again” but, in time, they discover that these sanctuaries are mere buildings and that they were better off BEFORE they ever entered the doors. Many attest to feelings of having been judged, weighed, measured and found wanting and wind up turning their back on Christianity all together, some embracing false Christs and false religions. Church splits, poor leadership, boredom…it seems there’s always something to prune the trees.

Jesus said there’d be days like this.

A KINGDOM OF DENOMINATIONS?

In the early 1500s, a German monk named Martin Luther became so convicted of his sins that he spent up to six hours confessing them. As he studied the Scriptures he found that salvation didn’t come through anything he did, but simply through trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Notice: Salvation was the key. He listed the contradictions between what the Scriptures said and what his church taught on the matter, and nailed his “95 Theses” to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther became the first to “protest” against the established church, and thus has been called the father of the Protestant Church.

Since that time, there have been many MORE disagreements causing many MORE splits. How much water one should baptize with? Dunk or sprinkle? How to sing what and why? Who should govern whom, etc. These things and many others have caused thousands of Christian splinter groups. Many of these groups are convinced that they alone are right and that all others are wrong.

How can any one of them call themselves ‘the true Church” when the best any of them can truly be called is the first “true denomination”?

Religious division is not a new concept. When the kingdom of Israel split into the northern and southern segments, each chose a different style of worship. Jeroboam and his advisors wanted Bethel to be Israel’s chief religious center, intending to compete with Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:25-33). Though Jeroboam was a charismatic leader and organizer who had popular support, Bethel’s religion became idolatry leading to Israel’s eventual downfall. We can go all the way back to Cane and Abel and find division where the people’s service and love of God are concerned.

A denomination might hold fast to a man-made tradition that was handed down over centuries and ratified by the clergy. If the authorities believe that tradition is equal to the Scriptures, then the practice often becomes infallible. Divisions flourish when individuals are unable to differentiate between God’s ordinances and man-made practices.

When the church at Corinth was faced with many elements of division, Paul encouraged cooperation among members, both Jew and Gentile (1 Corinthians 12:12). Despite their differences, each believer had one thing in common; faith in Christ. This truth is where the Church found its unity. Paul wanted to reinforce the relationship between the Jew and Gentile in the early Church while discouraging competition. “May God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 15:5-6).

Despite all the confusion, Christian churches DO manage to subscribe to certain foundational beliefs such as the deity, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his,” (2 Timothy 2:19). So, despite all our manmade dogmas, doctrine and traditions, God knows who belongs to Him and whose hearts are far from Him. He is not fooled by false piety, self-righteousness and mere religion. Thomas Jefferson wrote about a preacher, Richard Mote, who “exclaimed aloud to his congregation that he did not believe there was a Quaker, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Baptist in Heaven, having paused to give his hearers time to stare and to wonder. He added that, in Heaven, God knew no distinctions.”

As Believers in Jesus, we all must share the same essentials of our Christian faith. God gives us unique personalities and abilities to worship, serve, and follow Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church; our King. “There is one body and one Spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” (Ephesians 4:4-6). As one retired Church of Christ minister said at a conference, “Don’t fool yourselves! Not every individual sitting in your pews believes the things you want them to believe. That being the case, we might as WELL encourage unity in the Body of Christ!” It’s true. I’ve spoken with scores of people who are not only unfamiliar with the basic tenets of their denomination, but have admitted to attending a particular church solely because of family pressure or for societal reasons.

GOD IS DOING A NEW THING

Proverbs 6:17-19 lists seven things that God hates. Solomon said, “These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him…” One of these hated “things” is referred to as “dissension among brothers.” Over the decades, I believe it’s the Gospel of Salvation that has caused the GREATEST dissension among brothers throughout the Body of Christ. Why? Because, when we peel back the onion skins, it seems each of Christianity’s 3,000 denominations has its own concept of what it means to be “saved” or ” born again.” Whether its our terminology, traditions, dogmas, doctrine or rituals, whether we utilize a Sinner’s Prayer, a Profession of Faith, or Water Baptism, it’s those things that serve to cause division between the brethren because our focus is so much upon the “thing” that we prescribe to and NOT on advancing the Kingdom of God and promotion of the Cause of Christ. Oddly, all adherents would agree that they are advancing the Kingdom. The sad fact is that we are, as a whole, advancing in the wrong direction.

We’re living in a day when God is introducing us to a “New Authority” that will alter the way scores of Believers across denominational lines will begin to view every aspect of their lives, their work, their relationships and the way they worship our God. I hate to break it to you, folks, but the authority of the Gospel of Salvation that we’ve all grown to know and love, is gone.

When John the Baptist came preaching his Baptism of Repentance, it was essentially a Baptism of Salvation and the Jews came running. Why? Because, for the first time, a sinner could have his sins forgiven through a Baptism of Repentance. This was a brand new message from the LORD GOD, never before heard of in all of human history! The children of Israel did not have a way to have their sins forgiven (without sacrifice of life) until the moment that John preached a Baptism of Repentance. Imagine how they must have been overjoyed! Peter preached to the Jews, “Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins!” Paul, on the other hand, preached, “If any man be in Christ, He is a NEW creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” When the world sees that we’ve REALLY been transformed and we show them something they WANT, they’ll come to us in droves for they’ve become jealous for what we say we’ve found in Christ. Right now, they couldn’t care less – a decision based upon observation.

The authority of that “Salvation” message was acceptable to the natural minds because it’s what was being sought after by the Jews. Even today, many Christianized Muslims will attest that, in Islam, one of their greatest frustrations was that there was no way to get rid of the guilt of sin. Mankind WANTS to be saved and has gleefully responded to a message and procedures that showed us HOW. From Water Baptism to Professions of Faith to recited prayers of salvation like the ABC’s of Salvation or Four Spiritual Laws, we have devised one method after another to show people how they can become “born again” or “saved” according to our manmade, non-Scriptural methods.

Interestingly, there are over 30 references to some variation of the phrase “follow Me” or “follow Him” and only ONE phrase that tells us “we must be born again.” Deep in our spirits, we knew that the Salvation message did not produce what we wanted it to produce; we found it wanting. But like the Jews who were forever longing for a means of personal redemption, too often, we aren’t being shown that there IS one. Surely, we’ve all seen that the results of most people’s “salvation” experiences were far from exemplary. In fact, multitudes have, themselves, realized that they were not saved or born again for they saw absolutely NO TRANSFORMATION had taken place in their own lives. Charles Finney, who single-handedly assisted 50,000 people in getting “saved” or “born again” later repented after having met so many people who personally testified that no perceivable changes had taken place after that initial emotional appeal and response. That’s why, even today, so many Christians find themselves STILL seeking after something else, even after they’ve supposedly “found Jesus.” It’s why we hear so many news reports of ministers engaged in sin and even wonder why, in our very own lives, a certain sin so easily besets us every time.

The one thing that has appealed to and attracted multitudes to Christianity throughout Christian history is no longer “packing them in”, i.e., the Gospel of Salvation. When we examine, with spiritual eyes, the mass exodus that’s taking place across the planet every week – people who are leaving organized Christianity at a rate of about 53,000 weekly while 3,800 American churches fold up annually, despite more and more referring to themselves as “born again Christians – we have to ask ourselves what the Spirit of God is up to.

So, one might ask, if it’s no longer the Gospel of Salvation, what is this NEW Authority – the NEW message? Simply put, it’s the Gospel of the Kingdom. You see, the Kingdom of God has only ONE authority, that’s our King, Jesus.

He wants His Church back.

And He’ll get it.

WHY PREACH THE KINGDOM MESSAGE?

As many are aware, the word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which means “the called out ones.” You may be surprised to discover that the word was never intended to describe anything of any religious significance. Actually, the word referred to a forum of privileged Roman men in any of the Empire’s conquered territories, the local government of a town. The ekklesia’s main function was to turn the local, conquered people into Roman Citizens. In other words, the people were to become assimilated into the ways of Rome through these men exposing them to Roman culture, art, science, literature, entertainment, government…everything.

When Christians eventually began using the term to describe themselves and the mission they were engaged in for Christ, it challenged the political autonomy of the Roman Empire. The very use of the term was seen as a challenge to the authority of the Emperor. Furthermore, the Christian ekklesia included women, children, slaves and other socially-excluded people who were not only included and belonged, but were given a voice. This actually appealed to the masses of oppressed people. In short, Rome saw in Christianity a counter-culture that drew upon the authority of God, contrasting the Roman political and social world. This subversive form of community spread like wildfire throughout the empire, and was perceived by Rome as a threat.

The Kingdom of GOD was at hand! It was fluid, local, accessible, approachable and crossed all societal, economical, national, political, racial, generational and gender boundaries, just as it should be doing today.

The Church is supposed to be the Divine Government of God among the nations. So that the people can become the people of God, the Church is supposed to impact society in such a way that the Kingdom is advanced.

The problem? Once we packed the pews as a result of our “salvation” message, the Church became introverted and turned in upon itself. Jesus said “I will build my church,” not “build a church upon Me.” Big difference, do you see it? Though the Scriptures instruct us to “GO” and tell, today’s churches are too often saying “Come and listen.” Society’s keen to it. Quite skeptical these days, in fact.

The Church STILL consists of “the called out one’s,” not from a religious standpoint but from a governmental position. It’s the government of the human heart that matters. We are Ambassadors of Christ, Paul said. An Ambassador represents a government and wherever we go, we represent God’s Divine Government, not merely the Christian religion or any particular flavor of denomination.

The King is in charge of this Kingdom. We represent the Divine Government of God and our basic mission is to tell people that the King loves them, forgives them and desires relationship with them.

THE CHURCH OF THE KING IS A CHURCH OF KINGS

Never fear! The Kingdom of God is ALREADY resident within you because the KING already resides within you. Remember, God’s not “up there” somewhere. He lives in YOU!

You are His priests.

Yes, YOU! Jesus is your High Priest.

See for yourself: God declared to Moses way back in Exodus 19:5-5, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” First Peter 2:9 reads, “You are a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, God’s own people, to proclaim the glorious deeds of God…” Revelation 5:10 reads, “And hast made us unto our God a kingdom of priests, and we shall reign on the Earth.”
When Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He was basically saying, “The invisible, invincible Kingdom of God is within your grasp – you can TOUCH it. You’re SO NEAR! It’s right here…I am IT!”

We have no concept of Kings and Kingdoms in the West. But wherever the King goes, so goes the Kingdom. Wherever His Ambassadors go, they represent the Kingdom as well and have all of its powers backing them. I heard of a missionary who was walking in Africa with a guide. Suddenly, the guide pulled the missionary low to the ground, forcing him to bow as he did the same. Just then, a runner ran by carrying a message with the King’s seal. The guide told the missionary that anyone with the King’s seal was as good as being the King and was to be treated as such.

That’s the concept. You ARE the righteousness of God in Christ. In other words, when God sees you, He sees Jesus. So does Satan. He’s very aware of the ultimate power that resides in God’s people and he trembles at the thought. Until we renew our minds to that fact, he continues to stimulate our imaginations and “mess with our heads” till we start to believe his deceptions. That’s why we must understand that the battle is for our minds. We are instructed to “cast down all vain imaginations and everything that exalts itself above the knowledge of God.” When these anti-Kingdom, anti-Christ, anti-Truth notions creep back in, speak to them aloud. “In the Name of Jesus, I come against you lying spirits. I am a child of the King, a servant of the Kingdom. I’m one of God’s priests upon the Earth and you have no right to me. Jesus is my Lord. He OWNS me. So, by the authority of His Name and by the power of the Holy Spirit who raised Him from the dead and now lives in me, I command you to GO!”

Something like that.

THE PROBLEM WITH UNITY

The World Council of Churches is generally perceived as a good thing. I’ve participated in many interdenominational gatherings myself and there was always a sweet atmosphere there with no one stepping on anyone else’s denominational toes. Where ecumenism is concerned, the first organization that springs to mind is the World Council of Churches (WCC). In my opinion, the only measuring stick regarding who is with Jesus – the King – and who is against Him, MUST be the Gospel of the Kingdom. The next question must certainly be, “Are you building Christ’s Kingdom or your own group’s?

The Bangkok conference of the WCC was opened by the president of the World Buddhist Society. In her prayer she called on “the gods of all religions” to save mankind. Sorry, lady, but King Jesus has already accomplished this. That’s not a Kingdom-minded person.

The Nairobi conference of the WCC expressed itself in favor of the more intimate unification of humanity. One of the sessions on spirituality was attended by Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Pentecostal Christians, as well as Hindus, Buddhists and an atheist. Atheists, too? No Kingdom people in that group.
At the 1983 WCC conference in Vancouver, Canada, explicit recognition was given to the traditional religion of the Red Indians. A totem pole was erected in honor of all their tribal spirits. Wrong king once again.

At the 1991 WCC conference at Canberra in Australia, recognition was again given to the traditional tribal religion of the host country. Witchdoctors of the Australian Aborigines made a ritual fire with wet gum-tree leaves, from which thick clouds of smoke arose. The 4000 representatives to the conference were requested to walk through the smoke in order to obtain the blessing of the ancestral spirits. Some of the representatives said that this was a very wonderful experience as the presence of the Holy Spirit could also be sensed in the smoke. There was a spirit present that’s true, but it wasn’t the Spirit of King Jesus.

At the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Council’s “Decree on Ecumenism” states that ecumenical activity cannot result in changing any aspect of the Catholic faith…

Please write team1min@aol.com for the remainder of this article.

About this Author

Michael’s mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since 1999, he has broadcast over six hundred inspirational articles and a dozen booklets on subjects that will interest the thinking Christian, all designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God’s people.

He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as “Your Town for Jesus” are reaching millions around the globe WEEKLY. Write team1min@aol.com if you’d like to SUBSCRIBE.

A licensed/ordained minister, a Certified Workplace Chaplain, and a Professional Member of NIBIC, he has ministered in Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, College and Cowboy churches. He is also a Speaker on the Christian Speaker Network and may be available to speak to your church or Christian group.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Tummillo

Renato d’Andria LinkedIn tells about Andria life. Rene d’Andria, president of the Foundation Gaetano Salvemini, is firmly convinced that the economic future will be prosperous. It is striving to create a society based on free thought and innovation, learning from history and offers young people opportunities to succeed. In 1995, as director of an industrial holding company, has given employment to nearly 3000 people, getting a turnover of over € 1.5 billion. After its entry into the business world, Rene d’Andria was elected representative of the regional offices of the Italian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Campania.

After having encouraged and successfully obtained the membership of 30,000 companies, was appointed as national vice president and pledged to maintain and improve the local economy. In the ’80s, d’Andria has founded several educational institutions for young entrepreneurs, helping launch the careers of dozens of managers and business success Italians. You can know everything about him in Renato d’Andria Facebook. It has many followers that learn from him. You also can know about his organization and learn by him.

The Matthew 16:18 states:

18And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.[c](Matthew 16:18, NIV)
However, by just examining the verse we will notice that it was not stated by Christ that He built the Roman Catholic Church, because what Christ built was His own Church not a Roman Church nor a Roman Catholic Church.
And if this Church is really the Roman Catholic Church in which its members are called Catholics, then Apostle Paul must say on his greetings in Roman 16:16, “All Catholics greet You”. But Apostle Paul didn’t say that instead he said, “The churches of Christ greet you”, that is because the members that he were referring to are members of the Church of Christ.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The[a] churches of Christ greet you. (Romans 16:16, NKJV)
Secondly, Catholic authorities claim that the Roman Catholic Church was built or founded by Christ on Peter as its foundation. Again, if we will examine the Holy Bible, we will learn that the true Church founded by Christ was not built on Peter but on Christ Himself.
When Christ said, “and on this rock I will build my church”, the rock mentioned by Christ here is not Peter but Christ Himself. That’s the reason why Apostle Paul adviced his brethren in the true Church of Christ, as it was stated on the Colossians 2:6-7.

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it[a] with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7, ibid)
Let us not forget that Christ is the cornerstone, not Peter.
20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:20)
It is true that Peter means stone, however he was not the foundation stone because it is Christ who is the foundation stone. And Peter is just one of the stones that stood on top of Christ.
Lastly, according to the Catholic authorities, Peter (and his successors, the Popes) was made by Christ the head of the Church. This teaching is clearly false based on the truth written on the Holy Bible, because the true Church of Christ is headed by Christ Himself.

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colosians 1:18, NIV)
Even if Christ is already in heaven and seated at the right hand of God (Colosians 3:1, NIV) however, he didn’t appoint anybody to replace Him being the head of the Church because according to Apostle Paul, “He continues forever”.
24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (Hebrews 7:24, NKJV)
Put it in your mind, Christ was the Head of His Church when He was still here on earth, and He is still the head of the Church now and forever, because according to Apostle Paul, “Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV)
Therefore, those claims and teachings of the Catholic Authorities are false claimsand teachings, because they are not supported by the truth written on the Holy Bible. Any churches that will claim to be the true Church of Christ, must show proofs from the Bible that will support their claims because the Holy Bible is the only document that witness the existence of the true Church founded by Christ on the first century. They should also bear witness from Christ Himself and even from the Apostles, and most of all from God.
About this Author

Sustines E. Laplana (SELaplana: http://www.selaplana.com) is the first Pinoy Blogger and EMarketer in Southern Leyte, Philippines who blogs on Technology, Society and Review/Promotions of products.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sustines_Laplana

There are many important factors to consider when building a church. Choices made early in the planning process have a great impact on success of the satisfaction of the church. Working with good church building designs, builders, and architects is a starting point to making sure that your final church building is accepted and appreciated by your congregation. Take the time and energy of assessing all of your ministry needs. Also, thoroughly research several companies that offer church building designs. Gather ideas, plans, and bids from several church building sources.

A key factor when church building is to determine the needs of your church now and to determine what the needs of your church will be. Church building designs should include plenty of room for future growth. Church building designs should include careful consideration of not only sanctuary space, but storage, and expansion potentials as well. Many churches choose church building designs based on their immediate need, looking for a quick fix, instead of taking the time to consider their future needs. Planning for growth should always be a consideration when selecting church building designs. Experts in the field suggest that it is best to look ahead two to four years when planning for the future of your ministries.

It is important to realize that building a church requires adequate planning. This planning starts with selecting a building committee of deacons and church members who are accustomed to dealing with building construction and construction financing. It is also important to keep your church congregation informed throughout the entire process of choosing church building designs and building the church. Building a church can be a rewarding process that brings a congregation together in unity as they plan for the growth of the church of Jesus Christ. A building time can prove to be a bonding time. The Internet can be a valuable tool in gathering information for building a church. The Internet can also be a source for church building designs. Get informed, get organized, and get your church members excited about building a church.

About this Author

For more information, visit:

http://www.christianet.com/articles/

http://www.christianet.com/

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Reading the Bible in its entirety, rather than pulling out a convenient verse here and there, produces the Creator’s intended effect – illumination of Truth.

At the age of 21 I began to read the Bible. Not the common casual perusal through a few Psalms or Proverbs, but a deliberate, systematic study of the 66 books that make up the Bible. Reading the Bible caused me to evaluate the things we Baptists believed and practiced.

After a careful study, I realized that there were a host of practices that we Baptists advocated that didn’t align with the Bible. But one Baptist doctrine stood out above all others – that John the Baptist founded the Baptist Church.

Did John the Baptist start the Baptist Church? Do you want to find it for yourself, or would you like to me share what I found? If you’re reading this sentence, I can assume that you want me to share what I found. Alright, here is knowledge from the Word of God. I hope you will verify it for yourself.

We find King Herod, in the 14th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, spending his birthday at his winter palace. He’d been able to seize and imprison John at his palace. Why did Herod want John in shackles? Because John had said that Herod shouldn’t be sleeping with his sister-in-law, Herodias; therefore, John was incarcerated for his incendiary statement. Actually, Herod wanted to execute John, but feared the reaction of the crowds because the populous believed John to be a prophet of God.

Then, during the celebration of Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter enticed Herod by dancing erotically before him. Evidently Herod was mesmerized by her seductive talents and promised to give her anything she wanted. She’d already been coached by her mother on what to request. “Give me John the Baptist’s head on a platter!” demanded Herodias’ daughter. Herod was now between a rock and the proverbial hard-spot. He didn’t want to incite the crowds, but he also had to demonstrate that he was a man of his word. Ultimately he chose to please Herodias’ daughter. Herod had John decapitated.

Why is this historical account of John’s death important? Because it uncovers the answer to the question, “Did John the Baptist start the Baptist Church?” How does it uncover the answer? John’s death at the hand of Herod was before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made the first prophecy that any church would be built. Jesus said that He would build a church – not John. Jesus said that it would be His church – not John’s. John the Baptist founded no church. His name “John the Baptist” was simply a descriptive term of his mission and actions. John was a baptizer of men unto the baptism of repentance.

In the 16th chapter of the gospel of Matthew we find Jesus questioning His disciples. “Who are the crowds saying that I am?” His disciples responded, “Some are saying that you are John the Baptist. Some are saying that you are a prophet, such as Elias or Jeremiah.” But Jesus wanted to know what His own disciples thought. “But who do you think I am?” Jesus questioned. Peter responded and said, “You are the Christ (the Messiah; Savior), the Son of the living God!” Jesus exclaimed that Peter was blessed because his knowledge was given by God and not by flesh. Then Jesus makes an incredible prophecy to Peter and to the rest of His disciples, “You are Peter, and upon this rock (the rock of belief that Jesus was the Son of God, or what we would call the confession of faith in Christ) I will build my church.”

It was Jesus, not John, who stated that He would build a church. We find that the Lord’s prophecy came true in the last part of Acts chapter 2. That section of Scripture reveals that all who were saved were added to the Lord’s church by God. God adds the saved to the Lord’s church. There was no earthly council, no associations, and no conventions that voted on potential church member candidates.

Furthermore, Christ’s church was a “blood-bought” institution, as stated in the 28th chapter of the book of Acts. It was to be an essential, divine, blood-bought institution that the saved of God would be added to by God.

Consider this truth: John didn’t prophecy that he would build any church. John didn’t give his blood for a church. John was simply the fore-runner for the Christ.

History records that the Baptist Church was founded by a man named John Smyth, an Anglican priest ordained by the Church of England in 1594. Smyth became a “Separatist,” and formed the first “Baptist” church in Holland somewhere between 1607 and 1609 – some 1570 years after Christ established His church. Smyth “re-baptized” himself by pouring water over his head. Then he baptized (poured) his followers. 1609 is the unofficial beginning of the Baptist Church.

Prior to his death, Smyth abandoned his Baptist views and began trying to proselytize his followers into the teachings Menno Simons, and the Mennonite Church.

Today’s Baptist Church members are a group of good, sincere, moral, and zealous people. However, they belong to a man-made organization. They belong to a church that wasn’t bought with Christ’s blood, hood-winked in believing that John the Baptist founded their organization. How is this possible? Baptist people have not taken the time to investigate their own heritage. They haven’t taken the time to diligently study the Scriptures of God. They “assume” that what they’ve been told is the truth.

Why would so many good people align themselves with an organization that was clearly founded by a man, instead of simply obeying the instructions of Peter found in the second chapter of Acts and being added to the church of Jesus Christ by God Himself? The answer is as plain as the nose on your face. They just don’t know. They are ignorant of these biblical and historical facts.

Every Baptist need to know that Jesus Christ founded His church and gave His blood for it. Paul told the church at Ephesus that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Paul also said that Christ is the Head of His church, and the Savior of His body, the church.

So we boil it down to this: do you want to be a member of the church that Jesus Christ established, or do you want to be a member of a church founded by John Smyth? My choice is Jesus. Give me the opportunity to obey the instructions for salvation found in Acts 2, and God will add me to the church of Christ, Acts 2.

About this Author

If you have the spiritual desire to be a “Christian ONLY,” and a willingness to find the one, true, New Testament church of the Bible, Michael challenges you to read the book Muscle and a Shovel. It’s not only a story that will grab you immediately and not let go, but it will challenge your existing beliefs beyond your imagination.

This book is not for the weak-minded, nor is it for those who have their sensibilities easily offended, but if you’ve got the guts – read it for yourself!

Muscle and a Shovel can be purchased through Books a Million at

http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=5242412760575&query=muscle+and+a+shovel&where=All&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Search

or directly from http://www.michaelshankministries.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Shank

It Nuh Pretty at all

Welcome to Man Short Church, the statistically average US congregation. This week:

• Man Short Church will draw an adult congregation that’s 61 percent female, 39 percent male.

• Almost 25 percent of the married women who attend Man Short will do so without their husbands.

• Man Short will attract a healthy number of single women, but few single men.

• About 90 percent of the boys who are raised in church abandon it during their teens and twenties. Most never return.

• This Sunday in America, six million married women will worship without their husbands. That’s one out of five.

• Most churchgoing guys are “lifers” who grew up in church. Men are the hardest group to reach.

• Less than 10 percent of churches can maintain a thriving men’s ministry. The majority of men who actually show up for Sunday worship are there in body only. Their hearts just aren’t in it. Few will do anything during the week to nurture their faith.

Man Short Church is the norm in Christianity – in the U.S., and around the world. Your church profile is probably similar. In today’s church, women are the participators, men, the spectators.

How did we get here? How did a faith founded by a man and his 12 male disciples become like a the worse curse to men? Why do Christian churches around the world experience a chronic shortage of males, when temples and mosques do not? Why are churchgoing men so hesitant to really live their faith, when men of other religions willingly die for theirs? In “The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity” Leon Poddles quotes from a man he spoke with on the streets: “Life is a football game, with the men fighting it out on the gridiron, while the minister is up in the grandstand, explaining it to the ladies.”

THE EFFECTS OF THE LACK OF MEN IN THE CHURCH

A lack of male participation is not only heartbreaking, it’s strongly associated with overall church decline. Over the long term, a lack of men will doom a congregation. The gender gap is associated with church decline, according to the latest studies. The denominations with the fewest men (per capita) are also those that have been losing members and shutting churches. On the other hand, churches with robust male participation are generally growing.

The problem of criminality and drug abuse among inner-city black men is a problem of the distortion of masculinity. The low numbers of men in means the church would be not be properly positioned to help black men attain the status they so desperately need for their own good and the good of black women and children: that of patriarchs, responsible fathers who rule their families in justice and love.

This has also helped to cause Christianity to be dismissed as irrelevant and unimportant. Other effects include

 Reduced evangelistic ability as far as males are concerned

 Perpetuation of the cycle of confusion as it relates to defining Biblical manhood.

 Reduces the mate selection pool for the females

 Reduces the credibility of Christianity

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT

Men are the world’s largest unreached people group. They have their own language, culture and unique needs. It’s clear that the church has ignored these needs far too long.

1. UNDERSTAND WHY MEN HATE GOING TO CHURCH

Look at it from a sociological perspective. What other behaviors do men avoid? What other venues make men uncomfortable?

The answer is obvious: in our society, men avoid any behavior (or venue) that might call their manhood into question. For example, men don’t go to baby showers, fabric stores or “chick flicks.” So it is with church: men believe, deep in their hearts, that church is a women’s thing. Men approach Christianity with the same apathy or discomfort they display when forced to watch a Meg Ryan film. It just doesn’t resonate with them. We need to Become students of men. The truth is many pastors have built their ministries on their ability to interact with women. Because men are so unneeded for church work, ministers have had little incentive to go after them. A good place to start: read John Eldredge’s bestseller, Wild at Heart.

John Eldredge says it best: men are wild at heart. Though men see the goodness of the Christian faith, they are not swept up in it because church life is so soft and sweet. The cautious, sensitive culture of today’s church fails to match the adventurous spirit found in most men.

2. Get rid of the symbols that suggest that the church building is feminine territory like the pictures of gentle Jesus meek and mild in a white dress. Stop sending Nick signals that church is for women. From the moment he walks into the sanctuary, Nick must sense that this is something for him, not just something for his grandma, his wife and his kids. Examine everything about your church: the décor, the vocabulary you use, the songs you sing, the behaviors you expect. Men will respond if you meet them halfway.

3. Present Jesus as the real hero role model that he is. For this to happen there should be more focus on the manliness of Jesus. The blue-eyed effeminate-looking wimpish white Jesus made famous in a painting by Michelangelo will not do (especially if He is seen holding that lamb). Here are my suggestions: the Jesus who cracks the whip at the moneychangers in the temple; the Jesus who embraced martyrdom to bring salvation; the Jesus who is a winner; who spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly; the Jesus who will rule the world with justice one day; the kingly Jesus who proclaims and demonstrates the Kingdom of God; the Jesus who spoke harshly to scribes and Pharisees calling them ‘white-washed sepulchers.’ [ http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20020421/relig/relig1.html ]

4. Plan worship experiences that are deliberately masculine focused. Women do masculine, but men DO NOT do feminine. This is why we need to tip the balance toward the masculine spirit in worship. That’s the format most likely to make everyone comfortable. Helping men worship. With men, it’s all about quality. Men appreciate good music from talented musicians, played in their vocal range. When possible, choose songs with masculine lyrics. Many of today’s praise songs feature lovey-dovey words set to a romantic tune. Nick may feel uncomfortable singing these words to Jesus, a man who lives today. Also, whenever possible, move men outside for worship. There’s nothing like a bonfire and a starry night to connect a man and his Maker.

5. Meet their deepest needs: Men need spiritual fathers and a band of brothers.

A spiritual father is simply a layman who takes responsibility for bringing other men to maturity in the faith. It’s based on the discipleship models of Jesus and Paul (1 Cor. 4:14-15). If you really want to bring men to life in Christ, spiritual fathering is how it’s done.

Second, every man needs a band of brothers. Jesus began his ministry by assembling a team. They trained together, worked together, and suffered together. Men cannot succeed as followers of Jesus without a team surrounding them. No matter how meaty the sermons, no matter how rich their quiet times men will not come to maturity to Christ without a band of brothers surrounding them, and a spiritual father to guide them. Most churches offer nothing in the way of men’s ministry or small groups. What a tragedy. Although it’s initially hard to engage men in a small group, once they do get involved, they’re usually hooked. Their faith deepens. Their lives change.

6. We need to understand the qualities of maleness and femaleness. Males and females are different and this is borne out by both Scripture and science. In his book, ‘The Masculine Journey”, Robert Hicks examines six Hebrew words that are used to define males. These six words, he argues, form the stages of a man’s life.

a. adam describes the CREATIONAL MALE

b. zakar describes the SEXUAL MALE

c. gibbor describes the MALE AS WARRIOR

d. enosh describes the WOUNDED MALE

e. ish describes the MATURE MALE

f. zaken describes the WISE MALE OR SAGE

Other than the first word ‘adam all these words are used distinctively to describe males alone.

7. We must understand the cultural context in which our youth males grow, develop and live. Cultural practices vary from place to place and thus the impact on persons will vary. Our cultural context can be described, in part by two simple phrases:

a) no father

b) nuff “mothers”

These two factors have created many wounds in both males and females (the father wound and the mother wound) and a crisis in understanding themselves. The impact varies from person to person and is somewhat different for males than it is for females.

8. We must also know how to relate to males as males.

Relating to males:

We live in a very homophobic culture where close relationships with other males are often suspect and where even when males try they find it difficult to relate to each other. We offer some simple guidelines:

a. understand that males relate around what they DO together

b. males prefer action to conversation

c. males find it uncomfortable to be vulnerable

d. effective relating to males requires you to learn to “flex”

e. you will have to meet a man on his turf before you can move or guide him to where you want him to be.

9. We must provide a context in which males can release and realize their essential nature without the criticism of females and where they can learn from responsible male models who can provide experiences and ceremonies that will nurture and mark their development.

10. For churches to attract and retain men, they need to intentionally develop masculine modes of doing evangelism and pastoral care. E.g. Sports Evangelism. The church must deliberately tailor its evangelistic efforts to win men. What obtains at present is that evangelistic meetings try to win everybody and invariably end up with a handful of men at best and a ton-load of women and children. That is perhaps where the church has gone wrong.

11. You must put a high priority on developing leaders, especially male ones. Men are not looking for theologians, teachers or facilitators. They are looking for men who will lead them to greatness.” Men need great leadership. Men are drawn by vision and purpose, by achievement and power. Churches that attract enthusiastic men do so by taking risks, dreaming big, and bringing a measure of adventure back to the Christian life.

12. Take risks and develop ministries that have a danger factor because men are adventurous and risk takers.

Other Considerations

Men love technology. “Information conveyed through the use of technology often has a higher degree of believability than does information coming directly out of the speaker’s mouth.”

Men love excellence and quality. “Men are turned off by mediocrity, amateurish music, worn-out facilities, and unkempt grounds.

Men love the outdoors. Plan activities to be held in the outdoors as much as is possible. Men feel closer to God when they are outdoors.

Men love adventure. Men are transformed more by what they experience and less by what they are told.

Helping men learn. Men’s brains are less verbal than women’s, so they require a different approach. Men have been trained to focus for 6 to 8 minutes (the length between TV commercials). The lengthy monologue sermon, so effective in the Victorian era, fails to reach today’s men. Rick Warren of the Purpose Driven Church may have an answer: he frequently breaks his sermons into 5 to 7 minute chunks, with a video, drama or song between each segment. And object lessons are essential: never take the pulpit without an object in hand. Jesus called these parables, and they survive to this day because men remembered them. Effective pastors and teachers draw metaphors and illustrations from the realms of sports, business, battle and survival.

Helping men serve. Roger from Ohio says, “If serving in the church was more about pounding nails and less about wiping runny noses, I’d probably be interested.” Men will gladly serve if we let them do what they’re good at. Why not work on cars? One Illinois church has an on-site auto repair facility, staffed by volunteers, that benefits single mothers and the working poor. Even a small church can offer free oil changes in the church parking lot. Our congregation started doing this twice a year; the event attracts more than fifty guys who give up a Saturday morning to serve God. What’s more remarkable, we almost always get a few nonreligious husbands of churchgoing wives.

A clear mission for every church. Most church mission statements are rambling and non-specific. Men are drawn to clarity and brevity. If they’re going to give up their weekend, they want to know why.

High moral standards. Family men are looking for a church that’s different from the world they see on TV. This is why conservative churches are growing and liberal ones are dying. Few men are drawn to squishy morals. They want a church built on a firm, time-tested bedrock.

Men need help and backup enforcing morals at home. Children today are bombarded with immoral messages. Men feel powerless against MTV, South Park and the Internet. Churches should train men how to deal with these situations – how to say no to sin in a loving way. www.churchformen.com/?p=203 Why Men Flock to Islam

Develop a culturally relevant, Biblically grounded, practical affirmation of a sexuality

The church and Christian radio have failed to support a married man’s need for regular sexual intimacy with his wife, which is an insult and a betrayal. We are men, not eunuchs.

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The local church entertains visitors Sunday by Sunday, depending on the evangelism and outreach conducted by the congregation within its local community. The church has a calling to go and make disciples, adhering to the parting words of the resurrected Jesus Christ. This is oftentimes referred as the Great Commission. This typically manifests in interactions between believers and unbelievers through collective and individual activities conducted within the community. Such evangelism efforts produce visitors.

Visitors come from all sorts of places. The church should pay careful attention to how it encounters its visitors, offering an environment that exudes with the love of Christ. The environment can make visitors feel right at home or ready to hit the door as soon as possible. The clergy and laity of the congregation may never become aware of what turned some people away from their church.

Visitors also come from all walks of life. There will be some who are familiar with the liturgy and protocol of church conduct based upon Christian experience, while others will come with no idea of what to expect out of a church’s worship service except for what may have been shared with them by others. The church needs to be in a ready position to receive a wide variety of people from all sorts of walks of life.

Once visitors arrive at the church, they present an open opportunity for the clergy and congregation to win them over. In the recent seeker-friendly movement among Christian churches, this has been summed up into how much a church can woo and wow its visitors with the bells and whistles of its worship services and programs. Unfortunately, the wow factor of a two-hour worship service may be a short-lived experience once the benediction has been given from the pulpit.

While visitors are in the church and at the worship service, the local church needs to include measures for visitors to offer immediate feedback. Some local churches incorporate registration cards for visitors upon entry into the church at a visitors station usually located in the vestibule, foyer or lobby of the church building. Others use a guest book for visitors to sign in and leave their information. Some progressive, forward-thinking churches even offer visitor registration at electronic kiosks. These mechanisms allow the church to capture visitor contact information such as name, address, telephone number and email address. Although other information may be captured by the church’s visitor registration, the aforementioned information is the most critical information for contact and follow-up actions.

Also, the local church can also survey visitors after the worship service. This may be conducted through a short survey with yes or no answers or a rating system. Make the questions short and clear, limiting each question to a single, straightforward question. Leave room for comments. These should be collected in the offering baskets or plates at the end of worship as the worship leader or pastor encourages visitors to fill out the response cards or surveys prior to leaving the church.

All visitor information should be collected and distributed to one point of contact within the church. It may be delegated to the deacons or elders of the church since these are usually those who handle the offering baskets, and then passed on to the assigned designee for data input into the church’s database by the Monday or Tuesday immediately following the worship service.

That should be the point where the real work on winning over local visitors should continue beyond the worship service.

Typically, the church needs to be in contact with its visitors within the week of the visitation. Some churches utilize a form letter to thank visitors for attending worship services. Others send an email through an email delivery service like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp. The visitor information collected by the church should also include who informed the visitor about the church if it had been by personal contact or how the visitor found out about the church such as Google search, social networks or localized community press advertisements. This information should assist the church’s leadership in determining which methods equating to reaching local visitors within the community.

Additionally, other churches incorporate volunteers from within the congregation who have the spiritual gift of hospitality to telephone visitors, thanking them for their visit and answer any questions that the visitor may have on their mind regarding the church, its belief and its programs. Based upon the visitor’s information on file, the volunteer can share particular programs and upcoming events that may be relevant to the visitor. The volunteer should also ask the direct question if the visitor would be interested in returning to the church in the future. These volunteers should have a script to guide these telephone calls as well as a sheet for recording responses and to maintain a running log of visitor responses to questions throughout the telephone call. This data should be passed on to the pastor or a staff member in charge of evangelism and outreach for future reference and further follow-up activities.

Further follow-up activities may include but are not limited to:

* Scheduling a church tour
* Setting up a home visitation
* Inviting the visitor to upcoming special events and programs
* Adding the visitor to local mailing list or email delivery list

In summary, local visitors present the church with local opportunities. By incorporating some of these suggested methods, the local church can capitalize on its efforts to reach its local visitors. Getting in touch is a noble thing, but staying in touch is a continual effort that can potentially enlarge and enhance the local church.

Bruce Jackson serves as both founder and lead consultant with Life Path Consulting Services, a division of Life Path Ministries & Services, servicing nonprofit, small business and churches with a variety of services from fund development and strategic planning to staff development and training. He is also a poetic presenter and author of books of inspirational poetry and multiple e-books on ministry, community service and other topics.

http://revbruce.wordpress.com/

http://ministrymechanic.blogspot.com/

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