An article that is aimed at Christians and Non Believers alike. This article is of the short and sweet variety and I will let the two featured videos do the talking. This will look at the Topic of Love and ponder over the expression "Without Love We Are Nothing". The seeds for this article were sown by 5 young kids aged between 4 and 7 that offered to help me in what they saw as a major life crisis (it was a puncture on my bike) a couple of weeks ago (see video below for details). They showed genuine concern in what to me was a minor irritating predicament, that was easily solved in about 10 minutes. It was a case of one human being reaching out to another.
My Personal Views
Some of my views on Love and examples of acts of kindnesss I have experienced (one which saved my life) along with others filmed in Holland Park West London Stories about helping strangers and acts of kindness
This is what I call Love of your fellow human being. This is different from the Love of what you know, such as your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend, daughter/husband, sister/brother, cousin, parents/grand parents, grandchildren, pets, inanimate objects such as your car or mobile or laptop. What we are talking about here is the Love of the Unknown and Loving a Stranger, someone you do not know, that´s the true test of Love.
With increasing troubles in our world including our modern day society looking to be heading off a cliff you do wonder as the Black Eyed Peas said "Where is the love". With World leaders flexing their muscles and the threat of World War 3 (again) getting closer every day, you may ask yourself the question, "Is there any love left in this world?. Looking at the world headlines and on the World Stage you wouldn´t think there is any Love left, but it is still out there in some shape or form, you just have to look a bit harder and I would say more down at street level, that´s where it still is.
Non Believers
Many people do amazing things and many are not Christians, for free, expecting nothing in return and you realise that we not only live in a digitally connected world but also live in a human connected world. We do not live in isolation. We breathe the same air. Our actions affect others peoples actions and the same in reverse. We live in a world where we all rely on one another, whether we realise it or not. This video below gives 100 photo examples of humanity in action and showing that Love can take many forms including Help, Charity, Support, Comfort, Kindness and Forgiveness.
Christians
As Christians we are ambassadors for the Christian faith and we have to go above and beyond what a normal person may do say once a week, month or year. If you are a Christian your Love should be full time and you will do these things on a daily basis without a second thought. True we are not saved by "Works" (Ephesians 2:8-9) but also as mentioned by James, Faith without Works is dead!
James 2:14-17 14. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15. If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16. And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
A woman I follow on You Tube and one of the few I´ve come across that definitely has "The Holy Spirit".... no shadow of a doubt. She is not backwards in coming forwards with her views and is one of the few Christians that I have on my phone in video form. She hasn´t updated for a couple of years now, doesn´t have a website as far as I´m aware, but does write articles on behalf of other Christian websites. She has left her thoughts out there in video form and classes herself as a Christian Activist type who is into exposing the Institutional system and Prosperity Gospel preacher types. You could say she likes to shine her light into those dark corners and reveal those Wolves in Sheep´s clothing. A bit like me really! She had this to say in one of her videos about being a Christian and having the Holy Spirit and it was a finger point at herself.
"If we are not walking in the Fruits of the Spirit, then it doesn't matter how much we are talking, it really even doesn't matter what we are saying, if we are not walking in Love and walking in the Fruits of the Spirit........... we are nothing!"
My response. I agree entirely!
A Hermit Monks view on Love
A recent article about Monks, Anchorites and Hermits and Nuns featured one Hermit Monk on a featured video that had this to say about Love when asked what is one of the most important qualities of being a Christian?
You must love thy neighbour as yourself If one were to cut my hand it would hurt If one would cut my arm it would hurt In the same way my heart should hurt for you Because if this pain and love existed between one person and another There wouldn't be so much killing around in the world as there is today
Orthodox Monk Eastern Europe
Summary
Looking at the current World Headlines you would think especially with the ever increasing threat of World War 3, that there is nothing but hatred in this world. On the surface it appears you would be correct. Dig deeper and Love in the form of a fellow stranger/Human Being or even Animal is still alive and well. If 5 kids of 4-7 years of age can show Love for a complete stranger in a time of need, I think it is time for the leaders of this World to wake up and do exactly the same, show some maturity, set a proper example and give hope to this world.............instead of trying to destroy it. It doesn´t matter who you are and how much power you have, how many nuclear warheads, armies and aircraft and navy vessels you own ....................Without Love we are nothing!
Bible Quotes:
John:15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Hebrews 13:1-2
Let brotherly love continue: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Matthew 25:35
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
John:15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
1 John:4:8
He that loveth not... knoweth not God; for God is love.
Galatians:5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John:2:15
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1 John:3:14
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John:15:19
Muslims seeing Jesus and converting to Christianity
Increasingly in these bizarre times, I'm bumping into news headlines and videos that seem like the impossible claiming that Muslims (sometimes in quite large numbers) are converting to Christianity after seeing Jesus in one shape or form or dreaming about him. I was a bit sceptical at first as you would be, but after bumping into more of these headlines and at an increasing frequency and from respected sources, I thought I'd better take a closer look. Just for the record I'm not seeing this phenonenom in reverse, as in Christians converting to the Muslim faith in any large numbers. It does happen but not in the numbers that are being reported increasingly via various sources from Muslim to Christianity..
This is a shorter than normal article and is centred around 4 powerful videos showing individual cases why they converted from Islam to the Christian Faith. I let these videos do the talking as they are very strong and convincing cases.
I could go into great detail comparing the Muslim and Christian Faith, showing their similarities and differences. or to demonstrate that one religion is real and one is false or man made. I could say that the Muslim Faith came after Christinanity. But then you could say Christianity came after Judaism. Does that make one religion more valid or truer than the other because it is newer or older? I could say there are 2.2bn Christians on the Planet and 1.6bn Muslims....... and rest my case. I could say there are no extremist versions of Christianity whereas in Islam there is.......... and could rest my case again. Apostasy (as in leaving the faith) in the Christian faith is not punishable by death but in Islam it is? In Christianity women are more equal than they are in Islam? The list goes on, but fundamentally these things don't change anything. It is a human choice to either believe or not believe, to be religious or not, to follow one religion over another and follow whatever denomination within that religion in preference to another. That is something as a Christian I respect.
Video 1: THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS SEE JESUS IN DREAMS AND VISIONS?
This article is not against Muslims, doesn't aim to prove that the Christian Faith is the truth and the Muslim Faith is not, or is superior in any way, it's not even designed as a sales pitch or as a conversion platform. My attitude to faith in any shape or form is "you will come to it and then it will come to you"........ rather than the reverse of "It will come to you and then you will come to it" . Somebody banging on your door with a Bible preaching or from any other religion could be the gateway into the faith but a Bible quote sums up what I'm trying to say quite nicely.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you
As one person I used to work with who was in the Jewish faith and I showed a passing interest in his faith said to me
You come to us Frank........we don't come to you! Something that has stuck in my mind to this day.
That in no uncertain terms is how I came into the Chrisitan faith. I went looking for answers, I knocked and I found. Nobody came to me. See my Testimony
Video 2: A video below of an ISIS Extremist that converted to Christianity ..... on what for some is a heated debate!
Islam is set to become the worlds largest religion in 55 years time?
According to the Christian Today website they had this to say sourced from recent studies about the progression of the Islam and Christian faiths in number terms.
Islam will reportedly become the world's largest religion 55 years from now based on recent projections, but the barbarous practices of the Islamic State could undermine the growth of the world's Muslim population, experts said. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, Christianity and Islam will be near parity by 2050, with Christians expected to comprise 31.4 percent of the planet's population against 29.7 percent who follow Islam.
The study said Islam will grow more than twice as fast as any other major religion over the next half century because of a higher fertility rate in Muslim dominated countries. However, Muslims frightened by the inhumane acts by the ISIS, which the militants claim they are doing in the name of their god Allah, are now questioning their very own faith, and presumably considering to leave it, CBS News reported. This is backed by testimonies from missionaries working in the Islamic world who noted that more Muslims have converted to Christianity in the last 14 years since the devastating Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. The number of converts in the recent period, they said, is greater than during the entire 14 centuries of Islamic history.
More on that via the Isis seen undermining islamic faith as more muslims convert to christianity Via Christianity Today
Video 3: Why Nabeel Qureshi Questioned His Muslim Faith and Converted to Christianity
Does the "Thousands of Muslims converting to Christianity" story have any truth to it?
The Christianity.com website one of the leading lights on the web with regards to Christianity had this to say about this recent phenomenom sourced from somebody at ground level as in a Missionary.
Extraordinary stories about massive number of Muslims converting to Christ are appearing around the world. Recently at World Magazine, writer Warren Cole Smith interviewed 25-year missionary David Garrison who has documented his findings about the Muslim phenomenon. “There is a revival in the Muslim world,” Garrison says. He believes between 2 and 7 million former Muslims have converted to Christianity in the past two decades. His book, A Wind in the House of Islam, contains impressive research to back up his claim.
Why is this happening? Grab the rest of the article to find out why? at Christianity.com
On a final note, a powerful and true story of another Muslim to Christianity conversion. This one is the ultimate test of faith......I rest my case!
Video 4: Muslim Woman Gives Jesus One Week To Prove Himself Before Ending Her Life. Then This Happens!…
Further videos at The Twelve Gates You Tube Channel
Christian Life. You cannot Love the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkLTLh3JgC8
Twelve signs of the Holy Spirit. My personal experience. Part 2
Weeping Statues are they tears from heaven or a hoax? A look into the strange and wonderful world of weeping statues and weeping paintings, how they happen, and why, is it a real phenomenom, or is it fake, and also a look at if it is a valid way to come into the faith and form a basis of someone's faith?
There's been a lot of reports recently with regard to weeping statues or crying statues hence this article. This is one of those unexplained topics with a supernatural but Christian twist and is heavily Catholic in overtones and is similar to say "mysterious moving statues" and "Marian or Mary Apparitions" and "Mary Statue survival stories", that to this day defies any sort of rational explanation from Scientists and Vatican alike. They are very rarely officially confirmed or verified by the Roman Catholic Church who have a department that specialises in such things, for whatever the reason that is. But these Weeping Statues are nothing new and have resulted in mass pilgrimages of thousands of people to witness this occurrence. Sometimes miracles are associated with these sightings such as healing. I'm not a Catholic by the way, just a plain old Vanilla Church of England, but even the C of E does have some Catholic elements within it's services and teachings.
Statue of the Virgin Mary is Weeping in Fresno 2016
The main statues that hit the headlines tend to be in Catholic Churches or in the homes of heavily religious Catholics and tend to be either Mary or less so Jesus, but it mainly seems to be Mary, with Jesus being a rarer occurrence. The weeping or tears are either water based or oil based, can be scented and sometimes blood based or sometimes a mixture. This is where it gets interesting. Statues as we know are not human and are cold but many times the tears of blood or water have been reported as being warm and more to the point at exactly body temperature. The tears tend to come from the eyes but not always.
It's not limited to statues either. The Orthodox Christian or Orthodox Catholic churches are renowned for their Icons in the form of paintings and these have demonstrated similar occurrences in their Catholic Churches.
The question is, if they are real what do they signify. Are they a sign of impending doom or some catastrophic event on the horizon and are a form of warning, are they tears from heaven and a message from God?. Are they a blessing or a miracle from above? Do they happen on particular Holy Days in the Holy Calendar, or just on ordinary days. Is the whole weeping statue thing just a hoax, all engineered to create believers, or is it all real. This article will try to shed some light on the subject and try to answer the question "What do weeping statues signify?"
STATUE OF MARY WEEPS TEARS AND BLOOD IN IRAQ
History and cases of Weeping Statues. The last 10 years *mostly unverified"
March 2006 onwards Kerala, India tears of blood, appearance of oil, honey, milk — not verified
January 2006 till present Borġ in-Nadur, Birżebbuġa, Malta, tears of blood, appearance of oil, salt - unverified, self-published claims
November 2010 Windsor, Ontario, Canada appearance of oil, "smiles during the day" and excreted oil claimed to heal
July 2012 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA appearance of dripping blood from hairline
October 2012 Tanauan, Batangas, Philippines appearance of blood in face, and excretes oil in palm in the statue of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, the blood eventually revealed to be from a person of blood type O. It is also reported that several Marian images also weep blood in their home - Currently under investigation by the Archdiocese of Lipa GMA News
May 2015 Dunedin, NZ Appearance of dripping oil/sweat from brow.
May 2015 Barangay Liloan in Catarman, Camiguin, Philippines Traces of alleged blood were found near the eyes of an image of Mary inside the Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel in Barangay Liloan in Catarman, Camiguin Tuesday morning, local residents said. Residents were also surprised to see that the image's hands were unclasped.Church administrators have yet to determine whether the image really cried blood.
Which Weeping Statues have been verified by The Vatican.
A very small number of weeping statues have been recognized by the Catholic Church. One in Syracuse which demonstrated the shedding of tears from a statue in the house of a married couple on August 29, 1953 was recognized by the Catholic bishops of Sicily on December 13, 1953. Our Lady of Akita was declared as worthy of belief by the Holy Office in 1988, and remains the only weeping statue recognized by the Holy Office.
Weeping Paintings
Weeping paintings or icons are a related phenomenon, but to date not a single case of a weeping painting has been approved either by the Roman Catholic or Coptic churches and most instances have turned out to be hoaxes. However, in Eastern Orthodoxy, some cases such as a weeping St Michael icon in Rhodes have been taken as miraculous.
As with weeping statues, the tears exuded are often said to be of a substance which appears to be similar to blood. A painting of the Virgin Mary is said to have exuded moisture from the eyes and the fingers at St. Nicholas Albanian Orthodox Church in Chicago on December 6, 1986. The event gained international attention and drew many onlookers to the church. The moisture ceased in July 1987, but resumed a year later at which time 19 other icons were said to have also started weeping after being "anointed" with the painting's moisture. A painting of Mary on plywood was said to have wept on March 10, 1992 in Barberton, Ohio;
Are they on the increase recently in these troubled times.
They do seem to be appearing much more frequently but again the same problem seems to manifest itself and that's the difficulty of proving if these are real or not. An article from the Independent just recently goes into this with the headline "Science debunks miracle of weeping Madonna"
Are Weeping Statues real, investigations. The Hoax and Fake Scenarios
Authorities of the Catholic Church have been very careful in their approach and treatment of weeping statues, and generally set very high barriers for their acceptance. For instance when a statue of the popular Saint Padre Pio in Messina, Sicily was found to have tears of blood one day in 2002, Church officials quickly ordered tests that showed the blood belonged to a woman and then dismissed the case as a hoax. Even at the local level, Catholic priests have expelled people who claim weeping statues from their local Church.
TEARS FROM HEAVEN - Jesus Tears of Oil & Blood ACTUAL NEWSMEN FOOTAGE
Why do statues and Icons Weep?
An interesting article with an Orthodox Catholic bias is over at Antiochian.org Why Do Icons Weep
So are they real or a hoax?
A website called the Skepdic realises that apparently, weeping Mary Statues are her way of letting us know that she weeps for our sinfulness, or some such thing, and that some people's statues are more worthy than others of her presence. The author of this website however is not convinced and has come up with some good reasons why these weeping statues are a hoax and is not convinved. Further details at Skepdic
Conclusion
Weeping statues and other similar mysteries are certainly at the controversial end of the Religious spectrum and seem to be confined to mainly the Catholic denomination of the Christian faith due to the fact they are the one denomination that have numerous Icons/Statues in their places of worship as an integral part of their faith. Scientific investigation and also investigations by the Vatican don't seem to reveal or confirm the reality of these sightings that easily. Very few are confirmed as "real" for whatever that reason may be.
My attitude is Who knows if this is a hoax or a miracle? The logical mind says it must be a hoax. But in these End Times with all the struggles and misery around the world right now, and all the devastation from natural and man-made disasters in the past year, statues weeping tears of blood doesn't seem too so far fetched anymore.
Real or fake aside, the worrying thing is many people get converted to Christianity and probably Catholicism as a result of these sigtings and can form a pillar or cornerstone of their faith based on just that event alone. I personally don't think that is a good foundation for any faith. If that sighting was proven to be a fake, what happens to your faith, does it not throw it into question?
Virgin Mary Statue 'Crying a Single Tear of Blood' Prompts Mass Pilgrimage to Columbia
The Bible also mentions many times in many books about "Graven Images". The Almighty doesn't like them periotd. But what is a "Graven Image".
The Hebrew word translated “graven image” means literally “an idol.” A graven image is an image carved out of stone, wood, or metal. It could be a statue of a person or animal, or a relief carving in a wall or pole.
The second commandment of the ten commandments is quite clear on idols and "Graven Images" in Exodus 20 4-5
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Other mentions in the Bible which are numerous but here's just 3 of them
Leviticus 26:1
Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 5:8
Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Habakkuk 2:18
What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
Unexplained Mysteries The Virgin Mary Crying Blood
About statues in Roman Catholicism: An interesting article from ReligiousTolerance.org in defence of the Catholic faith and statues states this
Rev. Roger J. Smith, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Seattle, WA, writes: "Catholics do not worship paintings, or statues. They are just a way of conveying something about God, and are not God themselves. It is quite clear to any thinking person that stone or paint cannot be God, but can only represent, or tell something about, some small aspect of God.....saints are venerated in the sense of having profound respect for them. Icons and images are venerated only in the sense that we venerate, i.e. show respect for, the person depicted."
Further details at this link including information on how to make a weeping statue.
John Paul II and the statue that cried blood
Faith in my opinion should be based on a number of factors spread over a broader timespan and spectrum made up of a number of elements or pillars. These form a rock solid foundation for a long lasting faith. This can withstand anything that is thrown at it. In these End Times that statement is more relevant than ever.
Elements of a Rock Steady Faith
Prayer Are your prayers answered in some shape or form?
The Bible Do you read and believe it? More importantly do you understand it, agree with it and live your life by it? Is it shaping your life?
Fruit Is your faith and life bearing fruit? Are changes occurring in your life that are positive, deep rooted and Christian in nature. Are you affecting other peoples lives? Is your lifestyle different from the world or are you living the same as everybody else?
Light Are you carrying a light that the people and the world can see that shines brightly and causes the darkness to disappear?
If that weeping statue sighting {authentic or fake} has not brought about these changes as confirmation then it does raise questions.
Everybody has had an experience on how they came into the Christian faith or any other faith {Read my Testimonial} Some like mine are dramatic and powerful, others are more subtle,it doesn't matter......but the end result does.
Here's some routes into the Christian faith that people report. Just 6 of many.
1. Inherited The person that gained their faith came from a Religious family and upbringing
2. Introduction by a friend who may have been Religious
3. Had a religious experience such as a Weeping Statue sighting, a Saved or Born Again Experience, Near Death Experience or similar
4. Decided to start going to Church and came into the faith gradually and continue to do so for years or decades or the rest of your life.
5. Got converted by a Street Preacher, a leaflet handed to you or at a Mega Preacher Event or Travelling Roadshow or maybe via TV Evangelism or somebody on a website, You Tube Channel that you bumped into mysteriously on the internet. Maybe even a religious book.
6. Started reading the Bible
Number 3 is the most dramatic and controversial one, normally involves some sort of emotional experience and this is the group the church are not too keen on, they call them Heretics and sort of outside the Church. People who are in this category who got converted or Saved by this method have to accept that people will listen to what they have to say ........ but nobody will believe them........and your sanity will be up for question!
Statue of Virgin Mary Cries Tears of Oil. Fake or Real?
Bible Quote
A final word from the Bible. The Parable of the Sower from Jesus. Matthew 13 18~23.
18. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21. Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
This article is about the very special term "Born Again" delving deeper into what it actually is, how you receive it, what happens, what changes take place and more importantly how you do not receive it.
This is a heavy, heavy article that comes with a Warning that some of the videos featured here may have an emotional impact and are probably best viewed in private and not on say Public Transport, McDonalds or whilst in the queue at the local Supermarket. Don't say I didn't warn you!
The owner of this website talking about the journey he went on before he actually got "Saved" or "Born Again". It is a Spiritual Journey to put it mildly!
So what does this "Born" Again mean or what is often referred to as "Saved"?
Oxford Dictionary Definition
Of, pertaining to, or characterized by (an experience of) new birth in Christ or spiritual renewal; of a Christian: placing special emphasis on this experience as a basis for all one's actions, evangelical
Wikipedia
Born again is a phrase used by many Protestants to describe the phenomenon of gaining faith in Jesus Christ. It is an experience when everything they have been taught as Christians becomes real, and they develop a direct and personal relationship with God.
With the voluntaristic type, rebirth is expressed in a new alignment of the will, in the liberation of new capabilities and powers that were hitherto undeveloped in the person concerned. With the intellectual type, it leads to an activation of the capabilities for understanding, to the breakthrough of a "vision".
Posts
