Some good news in an unexpected place

[michaelvpardo]

This evening I was reading through the latest issue of National Geographic that I'd received through my subscription to that magazine and read an interesting article about recent political developments in Yemen. That country has been a stronghold for militant Islam, and Alqueda has a strong presence there, but I was supprised to read in the midst of the article an unusual quote. A yemeni being interviewed stated that in what had been a predominantly muslim country (which is still largely under sharia law) that the followers of Jesus Christ there are now in the billions. I'm reasonably sure that this was an exaggeration, but just the same, the implication is that God is very active in the hearts and minds of that people and doing awesome works to bring many into His kingdom. I realize that the Jesus of the Koran is not described in the terms of the Christ of the gospels, but muslims generally would not be described as anything but followers of Mohammed or "the faithful."
I find this more than encouraging and a verification of stories that I'd heard from organizations like the Bible league, where God has been calling His own even through the power of dreams. How gracious is our Lord and how wondrous His works. Amen & Amen.

 

[Arnie Manitoba]

Christianity is growing at a very good rate in the world. Somewhere I have a good (factual) article with the details. I checked all my bookmarks and couldn't find it at the moment . Will keep looking.

I found it encouraging and surprising.

 

[revturmoil]

This evening I was reading through the latest issue of National Geographic that I'd received through my subscription to that magazine and read an interesting article about recent political developments in Yemen. That country has been a stronghold for militant Islam, and Alqueda has a strong presence there, but I was supprised to read in the midst of the article an unusual quote. A yemeni being interviewed stated that in what had been a predominantly muslim country (which is still largely under sharia law) that the followers of Jesus Christ there are now in the billions. I'm reasonably sure that this was an exaggeration, but just the same, the implication is that God is very active in the hearts and minds of that people and doing awesome works to bring many into His kingdom. I realize that the Jesus of the Koran is not described in the terms of the Christ of the gospels, but muslims generally would not be described as anything but followers of Mohammed or "the faithful."
I find this more than encouraging and a verification of stories that I'd heard from organizations like the Bible league, where God has been calling His own even through the power of dreams. How gracious is our Lord and how wondrous His works. Amen & Amen.

Well I certainly don't believe that. Yemen does have had an open religious policy with restrictions but most christians have migrated there.

There are few if none Yemenis Christians.

The gov. says...

There were approximately 3,000 Christians throughout the country, most of whom were refugees or temporary foreign residents. There were approximately 40 Hindus, who traced their origins to India, living in Aden. There were four churches in Aden, three Roman Catholic and one Anglican. Aden also had one Hindu temple. There were three known functioning synagogues in the north of the country.

http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2006/71436.htm

Christian persecution throughout the Arab world is coming and that part of the world is where the signs are.

Christianity is growing at a very good rate in the world. Somewhere I have a good (factual) article with the details. I checked all my bookmarks and couldn't find it at the moment . Will keep looking.

I found it encouraging and surprising.

Islam is growing faster because they migrate more (demographics), have more offspring, and believe in world domination.

 

[michaelvpardo]

Well I certainly don't believe that. Yemen does have had an open religious policy with restrictions but most christians have migrated there.

There are few if none Yemenis Christians.

The gov. says...

There were approximately 3,000 Christians throughout the country, most of whom were refugees or temporary foreign residents. There were approximately 40 Hindus, who traced their origins to India, living in Aden. There were four churches in Aden, three Roman Catholic and one Anglican. Aden also had one Hindu temple. There were three known functioning synagogues in the north of the country.

http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2006/71436.htm

Christian persecution throughout the Arab world is coming and that part of the world is where the signs are.



Islam is growing faster because they migrate more (demographics), have more offspring, and believe in world domination.

Hi Kaotic,I'm not sure what it is that you don't believe, that God is gracious, or that a Yemeni claims that there are billions of followers of Jesus Christ in Yemen. The very last thing I would believe is a federal government web site on demographics.There is something which you don't appear to understand. The growth of religion has nothing to do with birth rates. Being born to a Christian family never makes a person a Christian, and while a child may be raised as a Muslim, The Lord calls out His own from among all faiths, all tribes, all peoples. In Islamic nations governed by Sharia law it is a capital offense to defect from Islam, but that doesn't mean that everyone included in a demographic is actually what they are reported to be. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation and it is for anyone who the Lord chooses to receive it. I realize you have a fixation on Islam and perhaps the anti-Christ will actually be a Muslim, but being Muslim isn't the mark of the beast. There are many conversions among the Muslims through the hearing of the gospel, though I know that there are few that enter into the kingdom of God, even among the professing church. Have you been to Yemen? The Yemenis are not a single ethnic people, but certainly are predominantly Arabic and predominantly Muslim. Do you hate them? Hate is a bit of a problem for Christians. We are called to love and not to hate (except for sin which I would expect we all should hate). If you believe that the Muslims are your enemies, then I would suggest that Christ Himself has commanded that you love them, though admittedly it isn't an easy thing to do. Are you a Christian? Have you been born again? I don't write these things to embarrass or condemn you, but I have a sincere desire to understand where all this hate is coming from. I know where it doesn't come from and that is the problem we all have to deal with.

 

[revturmoil]

Hi Kaotic,I'm not sure what it is that you don't believe, that God is gracious, or that a Yemeni claims that there are billions of followers of Jesus Christ in Yemen. The very last thing I would believe is a federal government web site on demographics.There is something which you don't appear to understand. The growth of religion has nothing to do with birth rates. Being born to a Christian family never makes a person a Christian, and while a child may be raised as a Muslim, The Lord calls out His own from among all faiths, all tribes, all peoples. In Islamic nations governed by Sharia law it is a capital offense to defect from Islam, but that doesn't mean that everyone included in a demographic is actually what they are reported to be. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation and it is for anyone who the Lord chooses to receive it. I realize you have a fixation on Islam and perhaps the anti-Christ will actually be a Muslim, but being Muslim isn't the mark of the beast. There are many conversions among the Muslims through the hearing of the gospel, though I know that there are few that enter into the kingdom of God, even among the professing church. Have you been to Yemen? The Yemenis are not a single ethnic people, but certainly are predominantly Arabic and predominantly Muslim. Do you hate them? Hate is a bit of a problem for Christians. We are called to love and not to hate (except for sin which I would expect we all should hate). If you believe that the Muslims are your enemies, then I would suggest that Christ Himself has commanded that you love them, though admittedly it isn't an easy thing to do. Are you a Christian? Have you been born again? I don't write these things to embarrass or condemn you, but I have a sincere desire to understand where all this hate is coming from. I know where it doesn't come from and that is the problem we all have to deal with.

Don't fool yourself. There are not billions of followers in Yemen! There are only 25 million people in Yemen. You need to utilize a little common sense here!

And why would you ask if I hate Muslim's??? I'm more prone to ask you if you hate stupidity!

Muslim's are not the enemy. Islam is the enemy! Some Muslim's are evil and I don't love evil!

And why are you asking me if I'm a Christian???

You need help. And stop the presumptions!

Don't accuse me of hate. You are very presumptuous.

And you??? Do you hate Catholic's??? Do you hate the church??? Isn't it you who demonizes the church and attributes the origin of the 'pseudo Messiah" (anti-christ) to the church?

Get your facts right before you accuse me of the crap that you do!

 

[michaelvpardo]

Don't fool yourself. There are not billions of followers in Yemen! There are only 25 million people in Yemen. You need to utilize a little common sense here!

And why would you ask if I hate Muslim's??? I'm more prone to ask you if you hate stupidity!

Muslim's are not the enemy. Islam is the enemy! Some Muslim's are evil and I don't love evil!

And why are you asking me if I'm a Christian???

You need help. And stop the presumptions!

Don't accuse me of hate. You are very presumptuous.

And you??? Do you hate Catholic's??? Do you hate the church??? Isn't it you who demonizes the church and attributes the origin of the 'pseudo Messiah" (anti-christ) to the church?

Get your facts right before you accuse me of the crap that you do!

You're a touchy little fellow, aren't you. I didn't accuse you of a thing, I just asked some questions and you seem to have answered them without even trying.
First of all let me say this. Jesus loves you. He died for you, to pay the price of your sin. He doesn't re-sacirfice Himself every Sunday morning, He died once for sin and now lives forever to intercede for us. You have no need of any priest other than Jesus Christ and He is quite willing to recieve you to Himself. If you will confess that you have no hope of salvation other than His blood and ask for His Spirit, He will surely give it to you and you can know Christ and be known by Him. Come to Him and know the love of the Father. You can call me anything you want and accuse me of anything that you feel you need to: I forgive you and so will my Lord if you come to Him and confess your sin. Come to HIm and join the family of God. It's a difficult road, but He bears the load.
I pray that the Lord and creator of all things opens your eyes that you may see clearly. Amen & Amen.

 

[revturmoil]

You're a touchy little fellow, aren't you. I didn't accuse you of a thing, I just asked some questions and you seem to have answered them without even trying.
First of all let me say this. Jesus loves you. He died for you, to pay the price of your sin. He doesn't re-sacirfice Himself every Sunday morning, He died once for sin and now lives forever to intercede for us. You have no need of any priest other than Jesus Christ and He is quite willing to recieve you to Himself. If you will confess that you have no hope of salvation other than His blood and ask for His Spirit, He will surely give it to you and you can know Christ and be known by Him. Come to Him and know the love of the Father. You can call me anything you want and accuse me of anything that you feel you need to: I forgive you and so will my Lord if you come to Him and confess your sin. Come to HIm and join the family of God. It's a difficult road, but He bears the load.
I pray that the Lord and creator of all things opens your eyes that you may see clearly. Amen & Amen.

Listen buddy!

You're the one accusing me of things that I just don't like. Stop with the presumptions that I hate Muslim's and that I don't know Christ and grow up!

You are an accuser of the brethren!

Remember! You're the one who attributes the origin and evils of the man of sin to the church!

So stop with you're pius attitude, foolish presumptions, and accusations!

And by all means get the facts right. You aren't even close!

 

[michaelvpardo]

Listen buddy!

You're the one accusing me of things that I just don't like. Stop with the presumptions that I hate Muslim's and that I don't know Christ and grow up!

You are an accuser of the brethren!

Remember! You're the one who attributes the origin and evils of the man of sin to the church!

So stop with you're pius attitude, foolish presumptions, and accusations!

And by all means get the facts right. You aren't even close!

Hi again Kaotic,     I'm not at all sure of what facts you're talking about. Did you actually read my original post? I don't know whether or not you have a relationship with Christ, but I'm reasonably sure that vitriol isn't a fruit of the Spirit, nor do I find Christ teaching that we need to defend ourselves from the opinions of others. But here is something which He did teach: 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart[g] brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37     The brother of our Lord taught something similar:10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. James 3:10-13     I wrote a short and simple post about a magazine article that I'd just read in an attempt to encourage the brethren, but you appear to have taken those simple comments as some sort of attack against your own personal agenda. Exactly how did your post serve Christ and edify His body the Church? The Apostle Paul wrote: 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4: 8 These are relatively simple instructions, for those with an ear to hear. If you have one, then perhaps you can use it to teach your mouth (or your fingers) to respond in a right Spirit. It doesn't seem as though you know the way of peace, so prove me wrong, and we can all rejoice in it.

 

[revturmoil]

You mean to tell me you can't see your blunder? Yemen has a total population of about 25 million people. And you are telling me that there are billions of Christians there. See how you have distorted this?

 

[michaelvpardo]

You mean to tell me you can't see your blunder? Yemen has a total population of about 25 million people. And you are telling me that there are billions of Christians there. See how you have distorted this?

Try reading my original post again, very slowly. I never said such a thing, a Yemeni supposedly did. If this is only the impression of one muslim on the streets of Yemen, where did it come from and why was it expressed? I suppose you think that this Yemeni was trying to encourage the body of Christ with false hope. What planet are you from, really?

 

[revturmoil]

Try reading my original post again, very slowly. I never said such a thing, a Yemeni supposedly did. If this is only the impression of one muslim on the streets of Yemen, where did it come from and why was it expressed? I suppose you think that this Yemeni was trying to encourage the body of Christ with false hope. What planet are you from, really?

Well maybe you should question the stats of others.

 

[michaelvpardo]

Well maybe you should question the stats of others.

I think that is exactly what I've been doing.

 

[Shirley]

he said he was sure it was AN EXAGGERATION

Go Jesus!!!!!!