Good news for Christ

Here is the article which is good news. I wanted to put this on here for the Love of Christ. God Bless You all!

Despite the hard-line Islamist regime in Iran the underground Church is growing. Evangelists are sharing their faith in towns and villages and planting new churches.

Iranian partners of Release International (RI), which supports the persecuted Church, report significant growth in the activities of the house churches - including outreach.

Release is supporting the underground church in Iran through leadership training seminars and by encouraging women's fellowships, Inspire Magazine reported.

Newly-trained house church leaders then pass on their training to others and Christian women are growing more confident in their faith in this repressive society. Observers say women's rights are being rolled back by Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Leaders in the underground Church have been active in evangelism in cities, towns and villages. Many have been working successfully to share their faith in remote areas away from the watchful eye of the authorities.

One young leader travelled out to a village to visit a family of six who had just become Christians and needed to be taught about the faith.

She found them living in a poor damp house with only a few old pieces of furniture. When they heard she was a Christian they gave her an excited welcome, and explained: "We were asking God to send someone to bring a Bible and teach us".

They continued: "Jesus has revealed himself to us. And we have realised the character of Jesus is different to the character of so many other prophets we know of. He is superior to all of them. He is exceptional".

"We believe that Jesus is alive today and we are so much in love with him," they told her.

The young Christian leader was touched by their stories and has been visiting them once a week to set up a church in their home and teach them from the Word of God.

Andy Dipper, Release International's CEO, says: "Despite the challenges the Church in Iran is facing, the number of Christians is increasing and they are growing in their faith".

Release has also set up a women's fellowship. RI arranged a seminar to help Christian women to understand their value and to learn how to be effective as Christians in Iran.

Women came from across the country from a network of underground churches. They were open and enthusiastic to learn from the Bible and were active participants in the sessions.

One told Release International: "I had no self-confidence in my ministry prior to this conference. Sometimes when I was asked by the church leaders to share a message I would feel impotent. But now I am encouraged. After I go back I want to be in the place God wants me to be.

http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_21951.shtml

Churches in Iran

St. Stepanous Cathedral in East Azarbaijan, Iran, is said to have been erected shortly after the ascension of Jesus Christ.


Qara Kelissa, West Azarbaijan. Believed by some to have been first built in 66 AD by Saint Jude. Local Armenians believe that he and Simon were both buried here. In 1329, the church was reconstructed to its present form after an earthquake destroyed the structure in 1319.


The Armenian orthodox Vank cathedral of Isfahan is a relic of the Safavid era.

Not Ashamed of Truth!

There are quite a few people who've asked me who I thought Yahushuah (Jesus) was. The first thing out of my mouth came this verse out of Romans 1:16.

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek".

After telling them the above verse, I explained that the Almighty Yhvh's Word came in the flesh as Yahushuah. Then told them to read the Book of John. I also pointed them to read Philippians 2:5-11 and Hebrews 1:1-14, 2:5-18.

It is plain and clear as to who Yahushuah really was. Yhvh(God) in the flesh! This is one thing I will never deny nor run away from. I pray you do the same. Do not hide your heart. Speak out without fear for the Lord always guides his sheep.

Philippians 2:15-16 KJV
That ye may be blameless and innocent, the children of Yhvh(God), without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding fast to the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboreed in vain.

We must not hide our beliefs from people. We must stand strong and proud to believe in our Messiah Yahushuah. I will never be afraid to tell someone my religious convictions. All people who believe in him shall never taste death. As he said in John 6:63 "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." I have seen people try to hide their beliefs as to not anger someone. I, on the other hand, do not care what other people think. I will flat out tell them what I believe whether it angers them or not. I AM NOT ASHAMED OF MY LORD AND SAVIOUR YAHUSHUAH HA MOSHIACH (JESUS THE CHRIST).

Philippians 2:1-16

Sometimes we forget about the words in Philippians chapter 2. These are just reminders to all who love Yahu'shuah (Hebrew Name).

1If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

2Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

4Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

14Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

My Sincere Apologies

I haven't been online in a few days because the computer crashed and I lost everything. Yes, that's right, EVERYTHING. All the work I've done regarding the Bible, Septuagint, Masoretic Texts, links to sites, etc... all is gone. Now I have to re-do everything again. The floppy's won't work either. Oh well! Guess you all can figure out what I'll be doing for a while! LOL

Things I remember

It's pretty sad when the younger generation tells you that: "You know you're getting old when the music you grew up with is turned into elevator music". I bit my tongue holding back my comments with a smurky smile on my face. Never saying a word. Yes, it's true that I will be 40 in August of this year. I remember the music I listened to as well. Music such as The Bee Gees, The Commodores (Brick House), Chic (Le Freak), Donna Summer, Diana Ross, The Emotions, Eddie Money, Hall & Oates, Linda Ronstadt, Loverboy, Marvin Gaye, etc... There were much more that I listened to when I was young.

So the next time a young person says that to you, tell them, they too will go through the same thing when they get older and know how we feel! MUWAAAAAA HAAAAAA HAAAAAA!

Jerry Falwell Dies At Age 73

LYNCHBURG, Va.(AP) The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73.

Ron Godwin, the university's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. "CPR efforts were unsuccessful," he said.

Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but he said Falwell "has a history of heart challenges."

"I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine, and they found him unresponsive."

Falwell had survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then was hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest. Later that year, doctors found a 70 percent blockage in an artery, which they opened with stents.

Falwell credited his Moral Majority with getting millions of conservative voters registered, electing Ronald Reagan and giving Republicans Senate control in 1980.

"I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved," Falwell said when he stepped down as Moral Majority president in 1987.

The fundamentalist church that Falwell started in an abandoned bottling plant in 1956 grew into a religious empire that includes the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the "Old Time Gospel Hour" carried on television stations around the country and 7,700-student Liberty University. He built Christian elementary schools, homes for unwed mothers and a home for alcoholics.

He also founded Liberty University in Lynchburg, which began as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971.

Psalms Scroll (Non-Canonical)

This is what is written in the Psalms Scroll which is not in our texts. I wonder why this was left out? Here is what the text says:

Column 19: Plea for Deliverance (A Noncanonical Psalm)

Surely a maggot cannot praise thee nor a grave worm recount thy loving-kindness.
But the living can praise thee, even those who stumble can laud thee.
In revealing thy kindness to them and by thy righteousness thou dost enlighten them.
For in thy hand is the soul of every living thing; the breath of all flesh hast thou given.
Deal with us, O LORD, according to thy goodness, according to thy great mercy, and according to thy many righteous deeds.
The LORD has heeded the voice of those who love his name and has not deprived them of his loving-kindness.
Blessed be the LORD, who executes righteous deeds, crowning his saints with loving-kindness and mercy.
My soul cries out to praise thy name, to sing high praises for thy loving deeds, to proclaim thy faithfulness--of praise of thee there is no end.
Near death was I for my sins, and my iniquities have sold me to the grave; but thou didst save me, O LORD, according to thy great mercy, and according to thy many righteous deeds.
Indeed have I loved thy name, and in thy protection have I found refuge.
When I remember thy might my heart is brave, and upon thy mercies do I lean.
Forgive my sin, O LORD, and purify me from my iniquity.
Vouchsafe me a spirit of faith and knowledge, and let me not be dishonored in ruin.
Let not Satan rule over me, nor an unclean spirit; neither let pain nor the evil inclination take possession of my bones.
For thou, O LORD, art my praise, and in thee do I hope all the day.
Let my brothers rejoice with me and the house of my father, who are astonished by the raciousness...
[ ] For e[ver] I will rejoice in thee.

Islam: A Threat or Challenge

Shorrosh is a member of the Oxford Society of Scholars, has traveled in 76 countries, and is a lecturer and producer of TV documentaries. ''Islam Revealed'' is a bestseller now in its eighth printing. His forthcoming 10th book, from which the 20-point plan is abridged, is titled ''Islam: A Threat or a Challenge.''

Islam: 20 point plan against America

1. Terminate America's freedom of speech by replacing it with statewide and nationwide hate-crime bills.

2. Wage a war of words using black leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jesse Jackson and other visible religious personalities who promote Islam as the religion of African-Americans while insisting Christianity is for whites only. What they fail to tell African-Americans is that it was Arab Muslims who captured them and sold them as slaves. In fact, the Arabic word for black and slave is the same, '''Abed.''

3. Engage the American public in dialogues, discussions, debates in colleges, universities, public libraries, radio, TV, churches and mosques on the virtues of Islam. Proclaim how it is historically another religion like Judaism and Christianity with the same monotheistic faith.

4. Nominate Muslim sympathizers to political office to bring about favorable legislation toward Islam and support potential sympathizers by block voting.

5. Take control of as much of Hollywood, the press, TV, radio and the Internet as possible by buying the related corporations or a controlling stock.

6. Yield to the fear of the imminent shut-off of the lifeblood of America – black gold. America’s economy depends on oil and 41 percent of it comes from the Middle East.

7. Yell ''foul, out-of-context, personal interpretation, hate crime, Zionist, un-American, inaccurate interpretation of the Quran'' anytime Islam is criticized or the Quran is analyzed in the public arena.

8. Encourage Muslims to penetrate the White House, specifically with Islamists who can articulate a marvelous and peaceful picture of Islam. Acquire government positions and get membership in local school boards. Train Muslims as medical doctors to dominate the medical field, research and pharmaceutical companies. (Ever notice how numerous Muslim doctors in America are, when their countries need them more desperately than America?) Take over the computer industry. Establish Middle Eastern restaurants throughout the U.S. to connect planners of Islamization in a discreet way.

9. Accelerate Islamic demographic growth via:Massive immigration (100,000 annually since 1961).Use no birth control whatsoever--every baby of Muslim parents is automatically a Muslim and cannot choose another religion later.Muslim men must marry American women and Islamize them (10,000 annually). Then divorce them and remarry every five years--since one can't legally marry four at one time. This is a legal solution in America.Convert angry, alienated black inmates and turn them into militants (so far 2,000 released inmates have joined al-Qaida worldwide). Only a few ''sleeper cells'' have been captured in Afghanistan and on American soil.

10. Reading, writing, arithmetic, and research through the American educational system, mosques and student centers (now 1,500) should be sprinkled with dislike of Jews, evangelical Christians, and democracy. There are currently 300 exclusively Muslim schools in the U.S. which teach loyalty to the Quran, not the U.S. Constitution. In January of 2002, Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Washington mailed 4,500 packets of the Quran and videos promoting Islam to America's high schools--free of charge. Saudi Arabia would not allow the U.S. to reciprocate.

11. Provide very sizable monetary Muslim grants to colleges and universities in America to establish ''Centers for Islamic studies'' with Muslim directors to promote Islam in higher-education institutions.

12. Let the entire world know through propaganda, speeches, seminars, local and national media that terrorists have hijacked Islam, when in truth, Islam hijacked the terrorists.

13. Appeal to the historically compassionate and sensitive Americans for sympathy and tolerance towards Muslims in America who are portrayed as mainly immigrants from oppressed countries.

14. Nullify America's sense of security by manipulating the intelligence community with misinformation. Periodically terrorize Americans concerning impending attacks on bridges, tunnels, water supplies, airports, apartment buildings, and malls.

15. Form riots and demonstrations in the prison system demanding Islamic Sharia as the way of life, not America's justice system.

16. Open numerous charities throughout the U.S., but use the funds to support Islamic terrorism with American dollars.

17. Raise interest in Islam on America's campuses by insisting freshman take at least one course on Islam.

18. Unify the numerous Muslim lobbies in Washington, mosques, Islamic student centers, educational organizations, magazines and papers by Internet and an annual convention to coordinate plans, propagate the faith, and engender news in the media.

19. Send intimidating messages and messengers to the outspoken individuals who are critical of Islam and seek to eliminate them by hook or crook.

20. Applaud Muslims as loyal citizens of the U.S. by spotlighting their voting record as the highest percentage of all minority and ethic groups in America.

Dead Sea Scrolls

I have been going over some of the "Dead Sea Scrolls" translations and found a great website to use. If you are interested in knowing what the actual translations are. I suggest this website for the Great Isaiah Scroll. www.ao.net/~fmoeller/qumdir.htm

For the Psalms scroll, I would suggest this site. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/StudTxts/4Q88!.html
This is very good as it seems our KJV Bibles do not have the 151-154 Psalms, but yet the septuagint has it and is written on the scrolls themselves.