Category Archives: Christianity

May 15, 2015 · 10:28 am

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, And How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 10)

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After finishing His sermon on the mount, Jesus walked among the crowds of people. A leper appeared from the crowd, bowed before Him, worshipped Him, and said, “If You’re willing, You can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out with His hand and touched the leper, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” The leper was healed.

Wait! What’s wrong with this story?

Jesus and the leper were both Jewish and followers of the Law. Thus, the leper should have been many, many yards away from everyone. His clothes should have been torn, his head bare, his robe should have been held up by one hand to cover his mouth and mustache, and he should have warned all by only saying, “Unclean! Unclean! Unclean!”

Also, Jesus should not have touched the leper because He then would be unclean until sundown or required to undergo a ceremonial washing.

But because Jesus cleansed the leper by healing him, Jesus did not break the Law.

Gays, lesbians, transgenders, and so forth are today’s lepers.

How many times did Jesus rebuke the leper for sinning against the Law? None. Did He refuse to honor the leper’s request because of the man’s sin? No. Did Jesus point out the man’s sin? No. Did Jesus mention He was offended or say something stupid like, “I love the sinner, but hate his sin?” No.

Then, why should we Christian business people act any different than our Lord did with the leper.

You see, we Christian business people need examples of how to win spiritual battles. Who’s better than Jesus?

The #2 Rule in Spiritual Warfare: run toward the battle with healing and compassion in your hearts.

(Continued in Part 11)

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May 14, 2015 · 8:48 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/14/2015)

All of us — believers or unbelievers — have a gigantic “I told you so” inside of us that wants to jump out when people, who we’ve warned ahead of time, go through tough struggles. It’s a part of our inner nature, maybe even embedded in our DNA, and desires to spew in their faces, “I told you so. Why didn’t you listen to me?”

Why are we like this?

Truthfully, we don’t love them that much because if we did, we would be crushed when they suffer trials. We would weep with them while they wept. We would not parade ourselves in front of them or boast about our wisdom beforehand. We would offer them the one thing that never fails: our love.

All of us need to deal with our “I told you so’s” now so that they don’t hinder the Lord’s work if bad things occur in America sometime in the future.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, give us Americans the same love that You gave the Apostle Paul which caused him to wish he were cut off from You if it would save his brothers according to the flesh. (Based on Romans 9:3)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 12, 2015 · 11:26 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (5/12/2015)

Each Tuesday, I pray and fast for the nations of Asia, where 4.4 billion people live.

Why Asia?

1. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

2. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

3. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

4. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

A long time ago, I learned that I’m not God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit, which means it’s not up to me to make my prayers for Asia work. It’s up to God to fulfill them. All I have to do is follow the instructions outlined in the Bible.

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)

This is one of those blank check prayer instructions, which depends on faith in God and forgiving people.

Are you with me so far?

Now, I want to couple the above prayer instructions with:

Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)

Okay, this is where you come into the picture, agree with me on my prayer for today.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that not one person in India or all of Asia will slip through the cracks of Eternity without first hearing Your name, and secondly, having a chance to say “yes” to Your salvation plan and Your kingdom purposes.

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 9, 2015 · 9:19 am

Honoring Ruth

My mom, Ruth Nevenhoven, died almost a year ago at ninety years of age. She was a graduate of the “old school” of motherhood right up to her last breath, in that her life revolved around her two children, five grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. Family always came first in Mom’s life.

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:2-3)

Okay, how can I honor my mother now?

I could place a bouquet of Mom’s favorite flowers on her grave for Mothers Day. This is a traditional way of honoring mothers here in America, letting everyone know how much I appreciated what she meant to me.

Yet, Carol and I decided not to follow the traditional paths for honoring Mom.

Instead, we chose to sponsor a Bridge of Hope child who was born on Mom’s birthday, January 9‎th. The little girl’s name is Stuti and she lives in Rajasthan, India. Like most Bridge of Hope children, her parents are poor and members of one of the “untouchable” castes.

It’s my belief that Mom walks around heaven, showing everyone pictures of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a little girl named Stuti. I can almost hear her say, “Stuti is the smartest, prettiest, best, little girl in all of South Asia. I love her and thinks she’s the cat’s meow.”

If this is something that you might consider for honoring your mother, you can check it out at Gospel For Asia’s Bridge of Hope, by clicking here.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 8, 2015 · 8:19 am

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 10)

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Twenty years ago, if you would have asked, “What will you say when your publishing company is successful?”

I would have quickly answered by singing a Toby Keith song: “How do you like me now? Now that I’m on my way. Do you still think I’m crazy, standing here today? I couldn’t make you love me, but I always dreamed about…How do you like me now?”

You see, when you’re walking through the wildernesses designed just for you by God, there’s not a lot of people who believe in you because of your mistakes and how unsuccessful you appear to them. If you bother to mention your dreams to others, you invite ridicule and the inevitable questions: “How?” and “When?”

And all you can do is shrug your shoulders at their queries.

But in all this, you have to hold onto the promises given to you by God. You can’t ever let go of them. Each day, you must thank the Lord for your publishing company and your promises being fulfilled, even if you’re sleeping in a car and eating out of dumpsters. Walking by faith is not an easy path for anyone.

So, for a major part of my journey through the wilderness, I kept going for one major reason: the desire to prove my worth to others. I wanted to show them that I heard God’s voice and that He honored me for my perseverance.

Today, if you asked me the same question, I would answer, “It was by His grace and I deserve no credit for any success.”

Somehow, in the wilderness, it no longer became about me and my quest, it became all about Him.

(Continued in Part 11)

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May 7, 2015 · 8:36 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/7/2015)

On Sunday (May 3, 2015), Pam Geller, founder and president of American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), held a Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest in Garfield, Texas.

Two Muslims wearing body armor and armed with assault rifles attempted to defend Muhammad’s honor by attacking the event in hopes of killing as many people as possible. One policeman was wounded and both Muslims were killed. ISIS has now taken credit for the attack.

Since Sunday, Christians have either applauded or criticized Geller’s event.

WWJD?

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that we American believers do not wage spiritual war as humans do, but rather, we use God’s mighty weapons to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments, and therefore, conquering evil by doing good. (Based on 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 and Romans 12:21)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 6, 2015 · 9:58 am

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, and How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 9)

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The Israelites had just destroyed and plundered the large city of Jericho. The next dot on the map to be conquered in the Promised Land was the small city of Ai. Israel’s leader, Joshua, wisely sent spies into the hill country to check out the area. They returned and advised Joshua, “Ai is small potatoes. Just send a small group of men up there to fight them.”

Joshua followed their advice and sent about three thousand men to fight Ai.

and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. (Joshua 7:5)

The agonizing defeat at Ai resembles today’s losses by Christian businesses who refuse to provide their goods and services for gay weddings and events. Yet, there is one big difference: our hearts have not melted as yet.

So, we keep going into battle over and over again against the gays, filled with righteous indignation and presumption that God is with us, but is He?

Maybe we should find out.

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? … What will You do for Your great name?” (Joshua 7:6, 7a, 8b)

We need to follow Joshua’s example and humble ourselves in fasting and prayer so that the Lord will reveal our hearts to us.

The #1 Rule in spiritual warfare: we can’t defeat the kingdom of darkness with darkness in our own hearts. We must repent.

(Continued in Part 1o)

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May 5, 2015 · 11:52 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (5/5/2015)

Each Tuesday, I pray and fast for the nations of Asia, where 4.4 billion people live.

Why Asia?

1. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

2. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

3. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

4. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

The death toll in Nepal from the 7.8 earthquake is now over 7,500. The suffering continues.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I cry out for mercy for the people of Nepal who are still suffering from the effects of the 7.8 earthquake. I pray that You remove any obstacles that may be holding up food, water, and medical supplies from reaching the people who are in desperate need of help right now.

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 3, 2015 · 2:36 pm

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, and How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 8)

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When a believer’s mind is renewed in the knowledge of God, it is a powerful kingdom of God tool. Yet, when it is not, it ends up being shaped and molded by the environment the believer lives in and is open to deception by the god of this world.

And guess what?

The god of this world (Satan) is able to disguise himself as an angel of light.

As of now, there are dozens of lawsuits against American Christian businesses who have refused to provide their services for gay weddings or gay events in their cities or regions. So far, these businesses have one thing in common: they will all lose.

How can this be, right?

All of these businesses have made covenant agreements with their states and other governments to follow the laws of their governments. But each believes it’s now okay to break their covenants because of their religious rights as stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution and their views on Christianity.

Yet these businesses still believe God is on their side.

I believe the god of this world has deceived these businesses into taking religious stands which they can never win.

Oh yes! They may have supporters who believe they are fighting the good fight, but the accuser of the brethren will point out their breaking of covenants to the Lord. This is not a good position to wage a spiritual battle from.

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)

Maybe the businesses should have counted the costs ahead of time and sold out or closed down before being confronted by gay activists. They would at least have avoided the ridicule being poured on them by the world system and its media outlets.

This is not how to win spiritual battles.

So, how can we win?

(Continued in Part 9)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 1, 2015 · 8:17 am

Even Though The Headlines Are Gone, Nepal Still Suffers

“God, is there any suffering beyond this point?” said a man who lost eight members of his family.

Gospel For Asia has already sent 250 missionaries and helpers to serve the poor and needy in Nepal. This is in addition to the 450 missionaries, churches, and twenty Bridge of Hope Schools in Nepal that are already there.

Information from the field:

1.4 million people effected by earthquake are in need of immediate food and clean water.
Death toll has surpassed 5,000, and it’s estimated to reach 10,000.
An estimated 8 million people have been effected by the earthquake.

Please pray for:

Comfort, strength and courage for all those suffering from the earthquake.
God would give wisdom to the officials involved.
God would give clear guidance to the Christian workers and leaders on the field.

If you are considering giving a donation to help the suffering people in Nepal, click here.

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