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5 American myths of successful churches and ministries
In studying the word of God over the past five decades, I have noticed a keen difference between the biblical measure of success and the way many American churches seem to measure success.
Many of the ways American churches measure success are, in fact, direct violations of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 23. In this passage, Jesus speaks against people loving titles, celebrity status, and desiring prominent places in public events.
The following are my opinions regarding five myths for success that have crept into the church from American culture.
1. The size of the church shows success
Some churches in the USA have grown by the thousands within the first few years of their existence. That may seem normal in certain parts of the world where the Spirit of the Lord is blowing upon a nation for true revival and evangelism (for example, Brazil, Africa, and Indonesia). Unfortunately, most of the time in America, churches that number in the thousands after only a year or two of existence usually grow large via “transfer growth” (people who are already saved jumping from one church to another). This usually happens in several ways: a celebrity church (an already established worldwide name brand) with a lot of money plants a church, a celebrity leader (well-known TV personality) with an extensive following and mailing list opens up a church or sometimes, a church without a prior name brand explodes in growth because of its talented worship team, great administrative ability, marketing schemes, or charismatic preacher. Often, some of these churches are planted in an area amid many small congregations that don’t offer the same level of excitement through their programs, marketing, and presentation.
I do not hold up these churches as models for church growth because they are not growing organically through converting the lost. Most likely, they are gathering an uncommitted crowd rather than a true church with members relating to one another as a family of families. (There is also a lot of turnover in these megachurches, with a different crowd every year.)
I am all for explosive church growth, which involves mostly new converts rather than transfer growth.
2. The amount of the budget shows success
Another way I have noticed people measure success in this nation is by how much money they have to support their programs. When I am in some citywide pastors meetings, besides asking how many people attend church on Sunday, the other question that is sometimes asked is how big is the church’s budget? (This is not a question asked by mature leaders unless it is necessary in a counseling or mentoring situation.)
Money may or may not be a sign of God’s blessing upon a congregation. Sometimes God will test a strong church with financial challenges and hardship, while at the same time, I have seen some questionable ministries raise millions of dollars! Large amounts of money may not always show God’s blessing because it can also come through fleshly manipulation!
3. The celebrity status of the leader shows success
Many leaders have huge audiences on television, radio, and online platforms. Their celebrity status has meant that these ministers are a success in the eyes of the typical American believer. However, I know many incredible preachers, teachers, and ministers who are not well known outside their communities and shun the media spotlight because they want to focus all their time and energy on the territory and the people God has called them to. Just because someone is well known doesn’t necessarily mean God’s favor and blessings are upon them. Unfortunately, we have also seen too many celebrity leaders living double lives. This means they started correctly and fell into sin, or they lifted themselves by smart marketing and not by God!
4. The title of the leader shows success
In the past 30-plus years of full-time ministry, I have seen many people call themselves apostles, bishops, chaplains, or reverends without the ministry, training, or fruit to back it up. Some people with small Sunday gatherings in their living rooms print business cards and call themselves bishops or apostles despite having no oversight of other pastors and congregations!
This is because many believers equate success with the status that comes with a title. This quick way of achieving status seduces those who come out of a background of low self-esteem and need to be called bishop, apostle, or pastor even though a legitimate spiritual leader has never ordained them. In their desire to feel good about themselves, they claim titles they never earned or were called to, thus mocking the faith and watering down these titles for authentic leaders who now shun them because so much overuse has cheapened their meaning.
5. The affluent lifestyle of the leader shows success
Although I truly believe that God financially blesses and provides for believers when they first seek His kingdom (Matthew 6:33), I also believe that Christians should pursue a life of simplicity rather than extravagance, especially in this day of financial scandal and abuse.
There is an unspoken assumption in certain segments of the church today that ministers are judged by the style and expense of the suits they wear and the cars they drive. They will think nothing of spending several thousand dollars on a custom-fit suit because it is necessary to maintain the appearance of God’s blessing and success.
Although I have no problem with leaders wearing nice designer suits or driving an expensive car, I believe it is wrong for a leader to feel pressured to go into debt to purchase suits or cars so they can “fit in.”
Truly God has given us the power to get wealth (Deut. 8:13) not so we can flaunt it or have an appearance of wealth but for the sake of spreading His covenant on the earth!
Sources:Christian Post
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Biblical Archaeology From the Holy Land Revealed: ‘You’re Almost Touching…History’
An Israeli entrepreneur on a mission to highlight biblical artifacts has brought his “treasures from the Holy Land” to America.
Oded Golan’s “Discovering the World of Jesus: Ancient Treasures From the Holy Land” experience opened Dec. 3 at Atlanta’s Pullman Yards, with hundreds of ancient artifacts surrounding the New Testament on display.
“We are bringing [a] once-in-a-lifetime experience to people to look at items that they will probably not have other opportunities to see,” Golan recently told CBN News. “The 350 items that are presented here, most of them are from the time of Christ. They were all found in the Holy Land in Israel, and they are telling the stories that are mentioned in the New Testament, but in first hand.”
He added, “You’re almost touching the history.”
Golan said some of the items are related to Jesus’ family or people living during his lifetime. These elements allow people to explore life during biblical times, seeing the behaviors and practices that unfolded during the New Testament era.
Already, audiences are loving the experience, Golan said, noting that giving a lens into the past illuminates knowledge and understanding.
“It doesn’t change faith, it doesn’t change belief, but it changed, somehow, how do you feel and how do you see the stories that are mentioned in the Bible — in the New Testament,” he said.
Golan’s story is a fascinating one, as he started collecting antiquities when he was just a child.
What started as a passion project grew into something much more — a collection he calls the “biggest and largest … in the world of biblical archaeology items.”
“When I was young, even, you know, until the age of 16, 17, I had in mind that I should be an archaeologist one day,” he said. “But … in life it was changed … but I kept archaeology as a hobby.”
And that hobby grew as he traveled all over the Holy Land and collected artifacts — relics he brings to audiences in “Discovering the World of Jesus: Ancient Treasures From the Holy Land.”
“In this exhibition, we present only items that came from a very short period of time,” Golan said. “We are talking about the early first century AD, the time of Jesus. A few items are from the 3rd, 4th, 5th century because this was the time when the first churches emerged — the cradle of Christianity.”
He believes audiences will be captivated regardless of their age or religious beliefs.
“It doesn’t matter what age you are, and what [religion] you are, and how strong [a] believer you are,” Golan said. “It’s fantastic.”
The entrepreneur also made international headlines in 2012 when he was on trial after being accused by the Israel Antiquities Authority of forging an inscription on the James ossuary, a stone relic believed to hold the bones of Jesus’ brother, James.
He was acquitted after a seven-year legal battle. The ossuary, which has been a source of contention, has an Aramaic line that reads, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Proponents argue that the inscription pointed to evidence of Christ’s brother, James.
Ultimately, Golan was absolved of the most serious charges surrounding manufacturing elements of this inscription, among other serious charges. Some have since defended the authenticity of the artifact’s inscription, which would be the earliest reference to Jesus. Read more about the history of the matter.
Golan referred to this case while explaining he was in the “later stage” of his life – over the age of 50 — when he read the New Testament for the first time and started to understand it. Wanting to better comprehend the ossuary in his collection, he turned to the text for understanding.
Speaking about the James ossuary, he heralded the importance of the find, which is included in “Discovering the World of Jesus: Ancient Treasures From the Holy Land.” He’s hoping the collection inspires visitors to think more deeply about the past.
“You’re touching the history — almost physically,” Golan reiterated. “And that makes … a big difference compared to any other kind of exhibition. And, as I mentioned, it’s not only the artifact exhibition. It has much more than that.”
After the Atlanta run, Golan hopes to bring “Discovering the World of Jesus: Ancient Treasures From the Holy Land” to other cities across America.
Sources:faithwire
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എച്ച്1ബി വീസയ്ക്കു പുതിയ നിയമങ്ങൾ
വാഷിങ്ടൻ : യുഎസിൽ വിദഗ്ധ തൊഴിൽ മേഖലകളിലെ വിദേശ ജോലിക്കാരുടെ നിയമനം എളുപ്പമാക്കാൻ എച്ച്1ബി വീസയ്ക്കു പുതിയ നിയമങ്ങളുമായി ബൈഡൻ ഭരണകൂടം ഉത്തരവിറക്കി. എഫ്1 വിദ്യാർഥിവീസയിലുള്ളവർക്ക് എച്ച്1ബി വീസയിലേക്കുള്ള മാറ്റവും എളുപ്പമാക്കി.
വീസാച്ചട്ടങ്ങളിൽ കടുത്ത നിലപാടുള്ള ഡോണൾഡ് ട്രംപ് അധികാരമേൽക്കാൻ ഒരു മാസം മാത്രം ശേഷിക്കെയാണു ബൈഡൻ സർക്കാരിന്റെ നടപടി. ഡിപ്പാർട്മെന്റ് ഓഫ് ഹോംലാൻഡ് സെക്യൂരിറ്റി (ഡിഎച്ച്എസ്) ആണ് പുതിയ ചട്ടങ്ങൾ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചത്. എഫ്1 വീസ, എച്ച്1 ബിയിലേക്കു മാറ്റാനുള്ള നടപടികൾ എളുപ്പമാക്കിയത് വിദ്യാർഥികളുടെ നിയമനങ്ങളിൽ അമേരിക്കൻ കമ്പനികൾ നേരിട്ടിരുന്ന തടസ്സങ്ങൾ ഒഴിവാക്കും.
നേരത്തേ എച്ച്1ബി വീസ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നവരുടെ പുതിയ അപേക്ഷയിലും നടപടികൾ വേഗത്തിലാക്കും.ഉയർന്ന വൈദഗ്ധ്യം ആവശ്യമായ തൊഴിൽ മേഖലകളിൽ ജോലി നേടാൻ ഇന്ത്യയടക്കം രാജ്യങ്ങളിൽനിന്നുള്ളവർ ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നതു പ്രധാനമായും എച്ച്1ബി വീസയാണ്. ആഗോള വിപണിക്കനുസരിച്ചു ചില പ്രത്യേക തസ്തികകളുടെ നിർവചനങ്ങളും നിയമന മാനദണ്ഡങ്ങളും പരിഷ്കരിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. സന്നദ്ധസംഘടനകൾക്കും സർക്കാർ ഗവേഷണസ്ഥാപനങ്ങൾക്കും കൂടുതൽ വിദേശനിയമനങ്ങൾ നടത്താനാകും.
Sources:globalindiannews
us news
German Archaeological Find Sheds New Light on Christianity’s Spread into Europe
Researchers in Germany have translated what they believe is the oldest evidence of the spread of Christianity into Europe. In 2018, archaeologists discovered what they’re calling the “Frankfurt silver inscription,” a rolled foil engraving inside a protective amulet, in the grave of a man in an area northwest of Frankfurt, Germany.
“Researchers have used CT scans to ‘digitally unroll’ the ‘wafer thin’ foil and read the inscription within for the first time since the 3rd century AD,” reports the Daily Mail. “Incredibly, the text represents the oldest known evidence of Christianity north of the Alps, dating back to between 230 and 270 AD, scientists say.”
While similar amulets from the 3rd through 5th centuries included mixtures of Jewish, Christian, and pagan texts (presumably because the wearer wanted to avoid missing out on the afterlife in any religion they knew of), the scientists behind this discovery refer to the inscription as “purely Christian.” The text is in Latin, which also surprised researchers, and refers to Jesus as well as St. Titus, an early church leader.
The trick to discovering what was on the inscription and translating it was that the delicate foil roll had been buried for 18 centuries. The staff at the Leibniz Center for Archaeology (LEIZA) in Mainz, Germany, and Frankfurt’s Goethe University spent the last six years working on it.
“The discovery of a Roman silver amulet is changing our knowledge of the early spread of Christianity: the 3.5 centimeter amulet from the 3rd century AD, discovered in the Roman city of Nida near Frankfurt, contains one of the oldest purely Christian inscriptions north of the Alps,” announced LEIZA in a press release (translated from German).
“The challenge in the analysis was that the silver sheet was rolled, but after around 1,800 years, it was of course also creased and pressed,” Ivan Calandra, an archaeologist at LEIZA, said. “Using CT, we were able to scan it at a very high resolution and create a 3D model.”
CT and X-ray technologies allowed scientists to scan the inscription and piece it together. Even though there were some gaps in the texts, scholars were able to translate them.
“I called in experts from the history of theology, among others, and we approached the text together, piece by piece, and finally deciphered it,” Prof. Markus Scholz of Goethe University said.
The amulet strongly suggests that the wearer was a devout Christian because it doesn’t include any references to Jewish theology or pagan practices. It’s also noteworthy that the inscription is in Latin because most similar inscriptions from this era were in Greek or Hebrew.
The inscription also contains a direct reference to Philippians 2:9-11, which reads, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”.
“The find offers unique insights into the early spread of Christianity and underlines the cultural importance of Nida as a central Roman settlement in Germania in late antiquity,” LEIZA said in the press release.
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Sources:BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
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