Europe Mega-Pastor Gives Tips for Revival of U.S. Christianity

Europe Mega-Pastor Gives Tips for Revival of U.S. Christianity | Christianpost.com:

I have never even heard of this man before.

"Sunday Adelaja, founding pastor to the 30,000-member God’s Embassy Church in Kiev, Ukraine, was the featured guest of a teleconference hosted by Strang Communications, the publisher of Charisma and Ministry Today magazines.

God’s Embassy Church boasts more than two million converts and 600 church plants worldwide.

During the Q&A, Adelaja emphasized how the Church should not be pulpit-focused, but rather concentrate on how to reveal Jesus Christ to people if they want to experience growth.

The Nigerian-born Christian leader used his own church as example, saying that his church first experienced massive growth after four fruitless years when he started to go out and fed the poor and took care of the drug addicts and alcoholics in Ukraine."

“You have to really keep on pushing them to believe in themselves that they can change the world for God.”

I am sure I don't have enough information to know for sure, but it certainly sounds like more of the same self-help, positive-think silliness dressed up in different clothes. Please correct me if I am wrong!

Are You Bored with Good Preaching?

A family came to GFC a few months ago and could not stop talking about how glad they were to "hear the Word again." I warned them, as I warn others in their situation, that they must guard their hearts from an over-zealous enthusiasm. Although it is great that they are being fed, even bland food feels like a feast to a malnutritioned man. What will they do when they have regained spiritual sustenance and find that the preaching is Biblical, yet quite average? If they train their senses to feel something is "good" only when they receive some kind of spiritual high, they could very well end up running from place to place looking for that high, not the Word.

There are still others that are so used to being well fed that when summer comes, or relatives visit or some other fancy strikes, they feel quite free to skip church to play.

Both these folks would do good to heed the careful wisdom of John Newton:

A Famine of the Word
Gladness was spread through Israel’s host
When first they Manna viewed;
They labored who should gather most,
And thought it pleasant food.
But when they had it long enjoyed
From day to day, the same;
Their hearts were by the plenty cloyed,
Although from heav’n it came.

Thus gospel bread at first is prized,
And makes a people glad;
But afterwards too much despised,
When easy to be had.
But should the Lord, displeased, withhold
The bread his mercy sends;
To have our houses filled with gold
Would make but poor amends.

How tedious would the week appear,
How dull the Sabbath prove?
Could we no longer meet to bear
The precious truths we love!
How would believing parents bear
To leave their heedless youth,
Exposed to every fatal snare,
Without the light of truth?

The gospel, and a praying few
Our bulwark long have proved;
But Olney sure the day will rue
When these shall be removed.
Then sin, in this once favored town,
Will triumph unrestrained;
And wrath and vengeance hasten down,
No more by prayer detained.

Preserve us from this judgment, Lord
For JESUS’ sake we plead;
A famine of the gospel word
Would be a stroke indeed!

Hymn 49 in Olney Hymns
John Newton

Reflections of the Times: 123 Days

Reflections of the Times: 123 Days

Carla has written a sober post detailing some of the things the Lord taught her through the death of her first husband.

None can describe suffering like those who have walked through it.

Gruesome experiment instrumental in defeat of Crown's case

Read the full Globe and Mail article here:

Robert Baltovich was charged with the murder of Elizabeth Bain. Yesterday he was set free. The defence argued that there was no way Mr. Baltovich could have moved Ms. Bain's body in the time frame established by police... and they used a gruesome experiment to prove it.

Two pigs were slaughtered and left in the same park in which Ms. Bain was murdered. After two days, they were placed in barrels (to simulate a car trunk) and taken out. This experiment "proved" that there would have been overpowering signs of decomposition left in Mr. Baltovich's car if he had done the same with a corpse.

"Sherah VanLaerhoven, the entomologist who conducted the experiment, concluded in her report that, 'it is highly probable that hundreds of maggots from the body would have fallen off into the car.

'My experiment demonstrates that thousands of relatively large maggots would have been present by the time Elizabeth Bain's body was moved to her car and driven away. These maggots would have been present when identification officers examined the car later in the afternoon.

'The absence of these maggots within the car suggests that the most likely scenario is that her body was moved with the car before insects could colonize her body.'"

I know nothing else about this case and feel a genuine sadness for Ms. Bain. That said, it was a sober reminder that just like Herod, all of us will part from this body and be "eaten by worms." This body does not last... are you ready to part from yours?

Why America Needs Canada - Stephen Altrogge Take Note!

See full report here:

"Canada is the United States' largest trading partner and Mexico ranks third. Trade between the three countries last year totaled $930 billion and is expected to reach $1 trillion by the end of this year.

Canada and Mexico are the largest sources of imported energy to the United States, and Canada is the largest supplier of foreign oil."

T4G 2008 #4

The ride home from T4G went great! It was a beautiful day to drive and take in some lovely American countryside and the fellowship in the van made the 12 hours feel like two.

The highlight of this conference in my eyes took place late Wednesday night. Tim Challies and I had the idea of gathering together all of the Canadian registrants for a few minutes of meeting each other and forging relationships. I was greatly encouraged when (by my rough count) 60 or so men from over 20 churches met us in the hardly visible Room 112... not to be confused with Room 110 where I had told a whole whack of guys to meet us.

I gave a few words of thanks and introduction, and then each person told us their name, church name and where in our country they had come from. All we had hoped to do next was gather some email addresses to further our communication down the road and leave a few minutes for fellowship. But the few minutes went on for over an hour.

I was thrilled to meet some guys I had only heard of before, and to watch as others (some who lived in the same neighbourhood) got connected. I was also glad to meet Francois Picard, the director of SEMBEQ, the seminary of the Fellowship Baptists in Quebec. The Lord had done some remarkable things in Quebec over the last 20 years and I have always wanted to pray more intelligently for that part of my country. Initiating a friendship with Francois is a great first step to that goal.

Much thanks to the T4G team for allowing us to use the room in the convention centre.

This morning I was met with the smiling faces of 3 of my 4 kids (one is on a school trip and gets back today, d.v.). We all sat around the bed while I told them about the conference. My son wanted to know if there were any sheriffs preaching! I think John Piper would be the most likely to be a sheriff if not a pastor... a good sense of justice and all that.

And now, a full day in the study, pre-marital counseling all of tomorrow morning, some time with the family in the afternoon and then our favorite day of the week with my favorite church in the world.

T4G 2008 #3

This is one of those conferences that gets better as it progresses. MacArthur, Dever and Sproul today and it seemed each one was drawing us closer to Jesus. I am praying that it only continues. challies.com has his regular summaries of the messages and my friend Darryl has been posting reflections at dashhouse.com.

Right now most of our guys have split into meetings, the book room, the deck or fellowship somewhere. I hate to miss fellowship, so this is all I choose to post now! (Sorry for the exclamation mark, David!!!!)

T4G 2008 - #2

Well, we are here! The 9 hour trip was closer to 12 hours... As far as I know, PMac should be getting close to Kentucky now!

The time in the vans was great. Somebody brought Brian Regan along and we laughed hard a few times. Lots of discussion about the state of evangelicalism in Canada and every guy got to tell how the Lord saved him.

Tomorrow the conference begins, but before that my roommate for the week has to speak at a conference for bloggers. The Band of Bloggers first met at T4G 2006 and will meet again this year. Tim is one of the main speakers.

I am glad to be here... but tired.

T4G 2008 - #1

Well, we are in Ohio. We should be in Louisville by now, but scattered swine on the 401, a snarly INS dude entering America, and PMac blowing an alternator have slowed things down a tad! So far, there has been great conversation in the car, although I cannot get these guys to throw a football. Very sad.
We are just grabbing dinner at Panera and then we are back on the road with 3 hours to go.
Great to see all these guys talking together and forging new friendships.

[Edit: And YES, we have the Challies!]

Together for the Gospel (in Canada!)

This is to remind any of you who will be at Together for the Gospel next week that we will have our brief Canadian meeting on the evening of April 16^th (the Wednesday of the conference). We will meet in room 112 of the convention centre at 9:30 PM (or immediately after the evening’s final session wraps up). This room is apparently immediately below the room where we will be for the main sessions. There will be no announcement during the session, so you’ll need to remember. We are excited to meet you face-to-face and to share even just a few minutes of fellowship with you.