All posts filed under: z91

Paga: Hitting the mark in intercession

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In my previous article on the Hebrew word “paga,” translated intercession in the Old Testament, I discussed one of its primary meanings which is “making contact” with God. This is what differentiates prayer and intercession. While prayer is one way communication — us talking to God, in intercession we make contact with God which leads to Him communicating with us. In the Old Testament, “paga” has many usages which give us different understandings of intercession. In this article, I want to look at the unusual way the word is used in Job 36:32. Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible and would certainly offer one of the earliest meanings of the word. This passage also suffers a horrid chapter break, as the discussion continues into chapter 37: 32 “He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike (paga) the mark … 2 “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. 3 “Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, And His lightning to the ends of the earth. 4 “After it, a …

Evangelical Christians under fire in Mexico for not contributing to a Catholic festival

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Christian Solidarity Worldwide USA (CSW) is reporting Evangelical Christians are being persecuted because of their refusal to fund a traditional Catholic festival in the village of Union Juarez in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Chiapas is Mexico’s southern-most state. CSW is calling on Mexican authorities to help the Evangelical Christians under pressure in the village. According to CSW, traditional Catholic villagers are demanding each member of the Mount Tabor Evangelical Church in the village give 500 pesos which works out to about $38 US. The members of the Evangelical church refused to pay.

Baptist pastor Oleksandr Turchynov now Ukraine’s acting President as country faces revolution

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The Ukraine is on the brink of civil war and separation as the country’s east and west face off. The man put in charge of holding the country together is Baptist pastor Oleksandr Turchynov, 49. He was recently elected interim president by the Ukraine government. His appointment came after the sudden departure of former President Viktor Yanukovych who was under increasing pressure from Ukrainian citizens opposed to the country’s growing ties with Russia.

How much do you worry about your appearance?

Why did she do it?

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She was 85-years-old, financially well off and healthy — both mentally and physically. So why did Oriella Cazzanello travel from her home in Arzignano, Italy to a right-to-die clinic in Basel, Switzerland in February 2014 where she committed suicide with the clinic’s help. Her family had no idea she was planning this. They only found out about her decision after they received her ashes and death certificate from the clinic.

Do camel bones really disprove the Bible?

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Claims that a study by an archaeologist from the University of Tel Aviv on camels disproves the Bible’s accuracy has certainly caught the media’s attention. Stories are appearing all over the web about the report. Professors Erez Ben-Yosef and Lidar Sapir-Hen were studying camel bones found in Israel that showed the animals had carried heavy loads indicating domestication. Carbon dating of the bones revealed the camels were from the 10th century B.C. The Bible on the other hand records Abraham using camels eight centuries earlier dating to around 2000 B.C. as recorded in the Book of Genesis. As a result, it is suggested someone tampered with the Genesis account adding camels at a later date believing they were used back then because camels were in common usage during that person’s time.

Did a snake charmer test God and lose?

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It’s a sad story. Pastor Jamie Coots who gained notoriety as a church snake handler on National Geographic’s reality show Snake Salvation died Saturday February 15, 2014 after being bitten by a snake in a church service. Coots practiced snake handling as part of the worship service at Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name based in Middlesboro, Kentucky. He along with Tennessee Pastor Andrew Hamblin were featured on the TV show. According to reports, the Middlesboro police received a call of someone being bitten by a snake at a church service on Saturday night. 

Will North America’s Great Lakes completely freeze over this year?

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Jay Austin believes they will. Austin is an associate professor at the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth, Minn. Many consider him an expert on Great Lakes’ freezing. In an interview with CNSNews.com, Austin says Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, will completely freeze over this winter due  to the “extraordinary cold weather.” At 31,700 square-miles in size, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and the slowest of the five lakes to ice over. The previous record freeze over for Lake Superior was set February 5, 1994 when ice coverage reached 91%.  As of February 10, 2014, ice coverage on Lake Superior was 87.1%. 

The Project of Life: Risky behavior

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Do you know much about the prosperity gospel? Prosperity teaching doesn’t allow for risks, or threats, or setbacks, and it influences most of us. Jim and Tammy Bakker were rumored to have an air conditioned dog house when they led a Christian ministry, but later Jim wrote a book “I was Wrong.” In Edmonton Alberta a real estate speculator was active for a few years named Kevyn Frederick, or Kevyn Sheldon Frederick, or Kevin Ronald Frederick, or possibly Portia Frederick. When he moved on, he left behind a ruined condo complex in Leduc (pictured), one of Edmonton’s premium hotels in receivership, and a large church without its land or building. Mr Frederick is rumored to be living in Las Vegas, or possibly Ethiopia. So how did this disaster happen to a large prosperous church? 

Was Justin Bieber looking to get water baptized?

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At times, Justin Bieber, 19, must feel his life is spiralling out of control as  he bounces from one conflict with police to another. There are hints Justin is becoming concerned and may be trying to change his life. A blog post on the New York Post’s Page Six reported Justin Bieber was recently looking to get water baptized. The unsuccessful attempt apparently took place on Saturday, February 1, 2014. 

Bizarre court case in England involving the Mormon church and accusations of fraudulent teaching

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There is a strange court case unfolding in England involving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly called the Mormon church. Two former Mormons using a rarely used legal maneuver have convinced a British judge to issue a summons for Thomas Monson — President of the Mormon church in Salt Lake City, Utah — to appear before London’s Magistrate Court for a hearing on March 14, 2014. The two men allege the Mormon church committed fraud by convincing them to give money to the organization based on false or fraudulent teaching. In the process, the two allege the organization broke England’s Fraud Act of 2006. That Act prohibits the use of false information to gain financial benefit. One suit alleges the Mormon church collected $257 million from members in England since 2007.