No, There Are No Muslim Spies in Your Churches, Says ‘Ex-Muslim’ Pastor Naeem Fazal

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No, There Are No Muslim Spies in Your Churches, Says ‘Ex-Muslim’ Pastor Naeem Fazal

Naeem Fazal (Photo: Courtesy of Randy Baranosky/Mosaix 2013)

Christian Post Report – Naeem Fazal speaks at the Mosaix 2013 conference held at Grace Brethren Church in Long Beach, Calif., Nov. 6, 2013.

After outspoken Jewish Author Avi Lipkin told a prominent evangelical gathering last month that “all” churches have Muslim spies cataloging Christians for the day Jihad is called on America, one former Muslim who is now a Christian pastor says Lipkin’s claim is nothing more than a fear-driven “conspiracy theory.”

Lipkin, who is an Israeli citizen and frequent critic of Islam, tours American Christian churches and issues dire warnings about the jihadi threats the religion presents to the world. In mid-June, Lipkin, who has authored seven books, spoke at the the Skyline Wesleyan Church’s Future Conference in San Diego, hosted by the church’s pastor, Jim Garlow, where he explained that his wife works eight hours a day listening to Arabic hardline radio, internet and TV feeds for the Israeli government.

“My wife has picked up broadcasts that say all the churches in America have Muslim spies in them, including former Christians who converted to Islam,” Lipkin proclaimed on June 15. “When Muslims come to you and say, ‘Oh yes, we have accepted Christ and we are born-again,’ you gotta be real careful because lying in Arabic is not only permissible it is commanded. Lying is a virtue in Islam to defeat the enemy.”

In a follow up interview with The Christian Post, Lipkin did not back down from his claim that there are Muslim spies in churches, except to say that it is unlikely that Muslim spies have infiltrated small congregations located on “back-hill” countrysides.

“I am talking more about the megachurches and the big churches that the Muslims are interested in monitoring.” Lipkin explained. “That is where you are going to find Muslim spies.”

Naeem Fazal, the pastor of Mosaic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and author of the book Ex-Muslim, grew up in Kuwait as a Muslim but has been involved in the evangelical Christian community for over 20 years. Fazal told CP that he believes Lipkin’s “Muslim spies” claim is “not true at all.”

“Because I don’t know him, I don’t know where he is coming from but it seems to me that he is motivated either by fear or trying to create awareness in the Christian community with fear. It is a fear-based statement,” Fazal said. “I don’t see that to be true at all. The claims are pretty out there, in terms of the ideology that he is presenting that Muslims believe. It is hard to find that in the Quran itself.”

Fazal further explained that most churches tend to notice when individuals of different cultures attend their services.

“For so many churches, especially evangelical churches, they are so tuned in to who is coming in through the doors that if they see some semi-Muslim or a different culture, they are so excited,” Fazal said. “They are going to be in their lives and going to make sure that happens. So, I think people are aware. Now again, you have megachurches. Now, do they know all among the tens of thousands that come? I don’t know. But again, I think it is a conspiracy theory.”

Fazal explained that he was even once accused by a woman who attended his church of being a Muslim sleeper cell.

“She tells me that for six months she believed that I was a sleeper, exactly what [Lipkin said],” Fazal explained. “I wanted to laugh out loud. That was the first time that I had ever heard something like that, but I knew that she was very seriously convinced. I knew that she was repenting. I didn’t even know how to comfort her. I thought it was so absurd that I felt sorry for her.”

“How much fear do you have to live under, the amount of fear and anxiety in life you are carrying is counter to the message of Christianity,” Fazal continued. “You are supposed to be the most bold and courageous and faith-filled. That’s what the Christian message is, but instead you are here for six months carrying this burden that I am a sleeper cell guy.”

Although Fazal said it is “absurd” for the congregant to believe he was a sleeper cell or for Lipkin to boldly assert that churches have been infiltrated by Muslim spies, he knows that there are many Christians who actually believe such claims are true.

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Source : Christian Post

Imprisoned Christian Asia Bibi May Not Avoid Death Even If Acquitted by Pakistan’s High Court

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Imprisoned Christian Asia Bibi May Not Avoid Death Even If Acquitted by Pakistan’s High Court

Daughters of Asis Bibi (Photo: Adrees Latif/Reuters)

Christian Post Report – The daughters of Asia Bibi posed with an image of their mother outside their residence in Sheikhupura, located in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.

Pakistan’s first woman on death roll, Asia Bibi, whose struggle with the country’s highly criticized blasphemy laws, may not be able to truly escape the death sentence even if she’s acquitted of her “crime.”

Bibi’s husband, Ashiq Masih, recently told U.K.-based Daily Mail that his 50-year-old wife, who has been imprisoned for six years for allegedly blaspheming Islam by drinking out of a Muslim’s bowl, is on the local Muslim clerics’ hit list and a bounty has been placed on her head. Masih said his family is “broken” over what has happened to Bibi and believe she is framed.

“My children cry for their mother, they are broken. But I try to give them hope where I can,” said Masih to Daily Mail.

Masih plans to petition Pakistan’s Supreme Court to acquit Bibi of her alleged crime later this month but said even if she’s freed, the family will never return to their home for fear of violence against them from local Muslims.

“The Maulvis (clerics) want her dead,” said Masih. “They have announced a prize of Rs 10,000 to Rs 500,000 ($98 to $4915 USD) for anyone who kills Asia. They have even declared that if the court acquits her they will ensure the death sentence stands.”

Masih hopes that if Bibi is acquitted, the family can seek asylum in a country where they will be safe.

Recent reports indicate that Bibi’s health has greatly deteriorated while in prison. According to a report from The Global Dispatch, Bibi’s family was permitted to visit her in May and noticed that she is “so weak that she can hardly walk.”

She is reportedly suffering from intestinal bleeding and has been in dire need of medical attention. Her lawyers are working to ensure that these issues are addressed and are attempting to move her to a prison in Lahore, which is closer to her relatives, according to a family source.

“When vomiting there is also shown traces of blood. Asia has difficulty feeding properly, while constant pain in the chest,” The Global Dispatch quoted the unnamed family source as saying. “Therefore it is necessary that Asia Bibi be submitted as soon as possible [for] a full medical checkup, including blood work.”

Bibi’s imprisonment has even attracted the attention of Pope Francis.

The pontiff met with Bibi’s family at the Vatican in April, and was urged to speak to Pakistan’s government for her release. They met with the pope after his Wednesday General Audience.

“We are here in Italy to make sure we can be the voice of an innocent woman who has been suffering in jail for six years,” Catholic News Agency quoted Masih as saying after the brief meeting with the pontiff. “Since the day Asia Bibi was arrested, our family is totally destroyed. The children cannot survive without their mother. Asia Bibi misses her children, the children miss her.”

Christian groups such as the British Pakistani Christian Association have spoken out against the treatment of Bibi. The group’s president, Wilson Chowdhry, encouraged Christians in the West to contact their government officials and urge them to pressure the Pakistani government to either move up Bibi’s Supreme Court hearing or release her.

“If Asia Bibi is prevented her opportunity to exonerate her name, it will be viewed as a great travesty of justice and a blight on the reputation of the supposedly democratic nation of Pakistan,” said Chowdhry. “I urge people in the west to challenge their country’s leaders to intervene on behalf of Asia and directly email the Prime Minister President of Pakistan, calling for them to expedite her Supreme Court hearing and to ensure she gets adequate treatment for her current poor health.”

Bibi was imprisoned under Pakistan’s much-condemned blasphemy laws, which have been widely reported to be abused by Pakistani Muslims for personal revenge against local Christians. These laws have been protested by human rights groups around the world, which seek to have them abolished.

Pakistan’s former Governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer and former Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, the first and only Christian to hold a cabinet position in Pakistan, spoke out against the treatment of Bibi and called for reform of the blasphemy laws. However, sadly, both anti-blasphemy law activists were assassinated for defending Bibi and their advocacy for reform.

In recent months, the sectarian violence in Pakistan seems to be getting worse, with 100 Pakistani Christians in March arrested, tortured and beaten after they were blamed for allegedly lynching two Muslim men who they believed were involved in church bombings.

International Christian Concern, a leading Christian persecution watchdog and advocacy group, spoke out against the beatings at a press conference shortly after the mass arrests.

“They were telling us that they were beaten to a pulp,” said ICC President Jeff King to The Christian Post at the time. “A lot of times, what they are saying is that they get beaten to a pulp and get left on their doorstep in a bloody mess, and the whole point was to extract confessions.”

King also said the Christians who were arrested had nothing to do with the lynchings.

“We would seek for justice for those Muslim families but arbitrary arrests and detention are not the way to get justice,” said King. “They only serve further flames of injustice and hatred. Frankly, it is a mark of a Banana republic and an incompetent police force.”

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Plotting Attack on Christian Sites in Europe Using Female Jihadists Disguised as Tourists, Says Syrian Expert

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ISIS Plotting Attack on Christian Sites in Europe Using Female Jihadists Disguised as Tourists, Says Syrian Expert

ISIS (Photo: Reuters/Jesus Blasco de Avellaneda)

Christian Post Report – Masked Spanish police officers lead a detained woman in Melilla, December 16, 2014. Spanish and Moroccan police have arrested seven people in a ongoing joint swoop on suspected efforts to recruit women to go to Syria and Iraq to support Islamic State insurgents, the Spanish Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Terror group ISIS is planning to send members of an all-female police force to attack Christian holy sites in Europe, a Syrian military expert has said, identifying the Vatican as one possible target of the attacks.

Fahad Al-Masri, the president of the Centre for Strategy, Military and Security Studies in Syria, shared with the MailOnline on Monday that members of the infamous Al-Khansaa Brigade are planning to disguise themselves as tourists in Europe so that they can carry out the attacks.

“This is the first time women will be used in these operations. It will be a surprise for the European authorities who look for men. Women are not as difficult as men to sneak into countries and there are many European women in the Al-Khansaa Brigade — like French and British — which makes it easier for them to get in undetected,” Al-Masri said.

“We don’t think the women will be wearing a hijab or burka — so they do not stand out. They will be normal like everybody, as if they are tourists.”

The female police force is known for patrolling Syrian cities with AK47s, and punishing women who break the rules and regulations enforced by ISIS in the regions it has captured.

Al-Khansaa has carried out violent punishments, and in February reportedly poured acid on 15 Iraqi women who were caught without their faces being fully veiled. The women are now permanently disfigured.

“They have implemented this punishment so that other women in the city will never consider removing or not wearing the niqab,” said Saed Mamuzini, an official from the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Mosul.

The brigade is made up of a number of foreigners as well; at least 60 British women are believed to have joined the unit in Iraq and Syria.

Al-Masri, who has also served as a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army rebel group, which is battling both ISIS and the government of President Bashar Al-Assad, said that his sources on ISIS have told him the operations in Europe might target major sites like the Vatican.

“The next operations for ISIS in Europe will be against Christians. … In the Middle East, it’s mainly been Sunni against Shiite Muslims, but now ISIS wants to create a conflict between Christians and Muslims,” he added.

“That means ISIS will try and attack Christian symbols in Europe — like the Vatican, for example.”

The inspector general of the Vatican’s police force confirmed back in March that the Islamic militants have made threats against Pope Francis, but was not aware of a specific plan of attack.

“The threat exists. This is what has emerged from my conversations with Italian and foreign colleagues,” said Domenico Giani, inspector general of the Corpo della Gendarmeria, Vatican City’s state police force.

Source : Christian Post

Western Leaders and Iran Reach Historic Nuclear Deal; Obama Says Iran Will Not Obtain Nuclear Weapons

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Western Leaders and Iran Reach Historic Nuclear Deal; Obama Says Iran Will Not Obtain Nuclear Weapons

Iran nuclear deal (Photo: Reuters/Joe Klamar/Pool)

Christian Post Report – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammon, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (L to R) pose for a group picture at the United Nations building in Vienna, Austria, July 14, 2015. Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of on-off negotiations with an agreement that could potentially transform the Middle East, and which Israel called an “historic surrender.”

Several Western world leaders and the government of Iran have reached a historic deal which is set to limit Iranian nuclear activist in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani have both praised the deal, calling it a “new chapter.”

“Today after two years of negotiation the United States together with the international community has achieved something that decades of animosity has not: a comprehensive long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Obama said on Tuesday morning from the White House.

Obama added that “every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off” for Iran.

Rouhani also addressed Iranians in a live message on Tuesday, CNN reported, where he said:

“Negotiators have reached a good agreement and I announce to our people that our prayers have come true.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who attended the final negotiation session, described the deal as “a historic moment.”

  • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
    (Photo: Reuters/Leonhard Foeger)
    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attends a plenary session at the United Nations building in Vienna, Austria, July 14, 2015. Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of on-off negotiations with an agreement that could potentially transform the Middle East, and which Israel called an “historic surrender.”

“We are reaching an agreement that is not perfect for anybody, but it is what we could accomplish, and it is an important achievement for all of us. Today could have been the end of hope on this issue. But now we are starting a new chapter of hope,” Zarif said.

Western leaders have said that the deal is the best way to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, while Iran has been pressuring for years the intentional community to lift restrictive sanctions that have weighed on its economy.

Negotiations on a possible deal began back in 2006, BBC News noted, and involved the countries of Iran, US, UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany.

A number of previously agreed upon deadlines for the deal passed without a final agreement, the last one on June 30th.

Several persecution watchdog groups, such as the American Center for Law and Justice, had warned, however, that a deal should not be finalized until Iran proves that it is willing to improve its poor record on human rights, especially with its imprisonment of Christians.

On Tuesday Obama argued that the deal “makes the world safer and more secure,” adding that it provides for a rigorous verification regime.

“This deal is not built on trust – it is built on verification,” the American president said.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini added that deal was “a sign of hope for the entire world.”

“It is a decision that can open the way to a new chapter in international relations,” Mogherini said.

The specific details behind the deal have not yet been released to the public, but other world leaders, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have slammed the negotiations.

“From the initial reports we can already conclude that this agreement is a historic mistake for the world,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “Far-reaching concessions have been made in all areas that were supposed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability.”

Source : Christian Post

Jesus, Our Rock

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Jesus, Our Rock

Christian Post Report – Malachi 3:6

People will sometimes say, “The only constant is change.” Fortunately, this is not true. There is One who never changes: Jesus Christ always remains the same. What a comforting truth! But it’s hard to find refuge in someone we don’t know well. So let’s explore the Lord’s actions to learn more about His nature.

  • Dr. Charles F. Stanley
    (Photo: In Touch Ministries)
    Dr. Charles F. Stanley (File).

• Jesus forgave others. He showed mercy, not judgment, to those who recognized their sin. For example, Jesus had compassion on the woman caught in adultery and stopped her death penalty with a few wise words. Then, instead of pronouncing condemnation, He said that her sins were forgiven (John 8:1-11).

• Jesus comforted the hurting. He visited Mary and Martha, who were mourning the loss of their brother Lazarus (John 11:1-45).

• Jesus provided for needs. After spending three days healing all kinds of disabilities, He was concerned that the large crowd hadn’t eaten. He could have sent all 4,000 away to find their own food, but He provided more than enough to satisfy their hunger (Mark 8:1-9).

• Jesus interceded for His disciples. Just before He was crucified, He asked the Father to protect and sanctify His followers, which includes you and me (John 17:15, 17, 19-20).

• Jesus strengthened believers and gave them power to do God’s work. In Acts 1:8, the Lord sent His disciples out to share the gospel, assuring them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Jesus still forgives, still comforts, still provides, still intercedes, and still empowers. What a blessing that we can find refuge in our amazing Lord!

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Source : Christian Post

Don’t Avoid Your Gay Neighbors — Reach Out!

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Don’t Avoid Your Gay Neighbors — Reach Out!

Don't Avoid Your Gay Neighbors—Reach Out!

Christian Post Report – As I scan the societal landscape I see that acceptance of homosexual identity and behavior, and same-sex marriage has grown. I now find my biblical point of view is the minority perspective. If a well-known Christian says that homosexual lust and sexual activity is a sin, even if that person urges kindness and respect for all, words like “hater” and “bigot” are tossed around rather freely.

And then, in the midst of all this, Jesus calls me to love my neighbor, which includes those who identify as homosexuals. I can offhandedly note to myself and others that God’s accepting, forgiving grace is available to everyone, but it feels false somehow. Love the person who might like to silence me? Offer the message of Jesus’ unconditional sacrifice to people who could possibly take me to court because of my beliefs?

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-should-christians-treat-their-gay-neighbors-141349/

Source : Christian Post

Burger Pope?!

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Burger Pope?!

Burger Pope?!

Christian Post Report –  A manager at a Burger King in Bolivia, where Pope Francis changed prior to giving an outdoor mass on Thursday, called the pontiff’s brief visit “a blessing,” after seeing a boost in sales at the fast-food chain.

Christian Vaca, who’s the assistant manager of a Burger King in Bolivia, said Thursday that sales were up after the Argentine-born leader of the Roman Catholic church used their space as a sacristy and a location to store the chair he sat in during the mass, along with other items used during the service.

“Business has been hopping since he was here,” Vaca told ABC News. “It’s really a blessing.”

The pope prayed over his chasuble, vestments, personal chair and altar at the restaurant, which had been cleared out for his visit, before giving mass to hundreds of thousands at Christ the Redeemer Square in Santa Cruz. He was accompanied by his entourage, who reportedly reserved the spot three days in advance, and white curtains draped the windows to ensure privacy for the pontiff.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-burger-king-visit-a-blessing-says-manager-whos-seeing-boost-in-sales-after-pontiff-prayed-at-home-of-the-whopper-141419/

Source : Christian Post

Former Pro-Wrestler CM Punk Says Athletes Should ‘Thank Coaches, Not Jesus’

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Former Pro-Wrestler CM Punk Says Athletes Should ‘Thank Coaches, Not Jesus’

CM Punk (Photo: Screenshot/Youtube)

Christian Post Report – CM Punk answers questions at the UFC 181 media scrum.

Former professional wrestler CM Punk of World Wrestling Entertainment fame says God has better things to do than cheer on a fighter during an MMA cage match, and instead of thanking Jesus, athletes should be thanking their coaches who helped them win.

Punk, who’s training for his first mixed martial arts bout, explained his views on faith and sports last week to MMA HEAT’s Karyn Bryant.

During the interview, Bryant asked Punk, a professed atheist, his opinion about when MMA fighters thank God for having succeeded in a bout.

“I’m a free speech guy. I think anybody can say whatever they want, you know. That being said, if there is a God … I think he’s got better things to do than worry about what somebody’s doing for 15 minutes in a cage,” said Punk.

“I’d like to see people thank their coaches more than Jesus, you know what I mean? I think their coaches probably helped them win. I just think it’s a weird thing to do.”

Earlier this month, The Christian Post reported that UFC President Dana White told Cuban middleweight fighter Yoel Romero to keep religion and politics at home, after Romero thanked Jesus Christ following his win over Lyoto Machida in the UFC Fight Night 70 event in Hollywood, Florida.

“You just won the biggest fight of your career, America doesn’t want to hear your thoughts on Jesus. Keep that stuff at home; religion, politics, all that stuff. When you’re out there fighting and you’re being interviewed, they want to hear about the fight,” White said in an interview with MMA Fighting.

“It’s awesome you love Jesus; love Jesus all you want. You just don’t have to do it publicly.”

Punk added that he believes MMA fighters are “free to talk about it … just like I’m free to make fun of them for it they can make fun of me for being a phony pro-wrestler fighting in MMA now.”

A native of Chicago whose real name is Phil Brooks, Punk became a major figure in WWE, the nation’s largest pro-wrestling organization.

Among his accomplishments: holding the world heavyweight title for 434 days — one of the longest title reigns in WWE history.

In January 2014, CM Punk left the WWE, months before his contract was slated to expire, due to issues surrounding his health and the overall direction of the company.

Last December it was announced that Punk was going to have an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout with a yet-to-be-named opponent sometime in 2015.

Punk’s pending UFC bout has elicited a range of reactions, with some arguing that he’s woefully unprepared for the world of competitive fighting, and others coming to his defense.

In the same interview with Bryant, Punk also spoke about the training he was receiving for his yet-to-be- announced bout, referring to the experience as “super awesome.”

“I am a fan of knowledge, so every day for me is a good day because I’m always learning something,” said Punk, regarding his preparation for the UFC bout.

As to the specific date and opponent for the bout, Punk recently told ESPN in an interview that it will depend on his coach, Duke Roufus of Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Milwaukee.

“I don’t ask my coaches, ‘How did I do today? Am I ready?'” said Punk. “They say, ‘Come back at 7’ and I come back at 7. They tell me to mop, I mop. They tell me to sweep, I sweep. If they tell me to work the mitts or come in and work extra, I do it.”

Source : Christian Post

Ready to Pounce

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Ready to Pounce

Christian Post Report – Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
— 1 Peter 5:8

  • Greg Laurie
    (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)
    Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014.

A number of years ago I read an interesting book called Death in the Long Grass. Its author, a big-game hunter, recounts stories of not only hunting lions, but also of lions hunting people.

There was a certain group of lions that had a taste for human blood and would come into camps at night, step over people without even waking them, and find their intended prey. It was never determined why the lions chose whom they chose. But they would pick up their victims, kill them immediately, and drag them away without waking a single person. The author wrote about one large cat in particular that killed over one hundred people. The book also mentions that a charging lion can cover one hundred yards in just three seconds.

Lions are powerful and very frightening creatures. And they have the capability to take you out rapidly if they want to.

The Bible likens the Devil to a lion. First Peter 5:8 tells us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

And in Genesis, God gave this warning to Cain: “But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master” (4:7). God was saying, “Listen, you are flirting with disaster. You had better throw on the brakes, because sin is like a wild beast, and it is ready to pounce.” The Devil is always looking for trouble, pacing back and forth like a lion in his cage.

Sin was crouching at Cain’s door, and it is crouching at our door too. And for some, it is already across the threshold. So we must be careful.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Source : Christian Post

Jesus’ Baptism at Jordan River Named ‘World Heritage Site;’ but UNESCO Says Only on Jordanian Side, Not Israel

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Jesus’ Baptism at Jordan River Named ‘World Heritage Site;’ but UNESCO Says Only on Jordanian Side, Not Israel

Jordan River, Israel, Jordan (Photo: The Christian Post/Leonardo Blair)

Christian Post Report – Christians gather at the Jordan River for celebration and baptisms at the border of Israel and Jordan on May 23, 2015.

UNESCO has officially designated as a World Heritage site the location of the baptism of Jesus Christ on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Scholars have said it is not known whether the exact location falls on the Jordanian or Israeli side of the river, which has long stirred a tourism dispute between the two countries.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that although the U.N. cultural agency declared that most Christian churches believe the Jordanian side to be the location of Jesus’ baptism by John, as found in Matthew 3 and other passages, scholars say there is no way to be certain which side of the river was the precise location.

Jodi Magness, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that UNESCO’s decision “has nothing to do with archaeological reality.”

“We don’t have any sites with evidence or archaeological remains that were continuously venerated from the first century on,” he added.

Both Israel and Jordan compete for tourism on their side of the Jordan River, and could very well be affected by UNESCO’s decision.

The Wall Street Journal said in a report last week that Israel and the Palestinian territories have been enjoying strong religion-based tourism in the past few years despite the terror attacks across the Middle East and the surrounding region. Christians make up a significant number of tourists to the country, accounting for 56 percent of all tourism to Israel in 2014.

The Israeli site of the baptism draws larger crowds than the Jordanian counterpart, with Israeli officials reporting that half a million tourists visited its site last year, compared to tens of thousands in Jordan.

Jordan has also seen tourism numbers in general fall, down to 5.3 million in 2014 compared to 8.1 million in 2010.

The decision by UNESCO “drew cheers” from Jordan, AP noted, with Tourism Minister Nayef al-Fayez saying that the kingdom’s Hashemite rulers “who are the direct descendants of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad … are the same ones who are protecting one of the holiest sites of Christianity.”

Jordanian newspaper Al Rai suggested that UNESCO’s decision settled the matter.

“Since the site was discovered, Israel has not stopped trying to deal it and attribute it to the occupied side of the Jordan River,” the paper wrote. “This despite the religious and historical documents that prove that the baptism of Jesus, peace be unto Him, is on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River.”

The Jordanian side has received the backing of Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Lutherans, and three popes have visited it since 2000.

Some pilgrims, such as 47-year-old Johan Cornelius from South Africa, said that for him, the precise location of the baptism is not as important as recognizing the significance of the event.

“It doesn’t matter to me much whether it’s on this side of the river or the other side of the river,” Cornelius said. “The fact that it is the Jordan River and that Jesus has been here, he’s been baptized by John in this area, that’s of utmost importance to me.”

Source : Christian Post

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