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Showing posts from 2015

No God in Downton!

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I like British dramas. I like Downton Abbey. Not because its a fantastic sereie but I like it because its pretty slow, not so much violence and sex. I love some of the acting, some actors are fantastic. Its very popular here in Sweden and in USA and of cause in the UK. I'm not following it episode after episode but if i have a chance I Watch. The producers of the series has been doing Everything they can to make it as real as possible, but: I read a article the other day having the head line "No God in Downton"! I have watched the episodes when they celebrate Christmas in Downton and yes its not very Jesus centred, but in the article it also said that there are no table prayers etc at all in the series. During the time of Downton, Before every meal a table prayer should be prayed. Something the producers didn't want in the serie' Napkins would also been fold in the likeness of a Bishops mitra, something the producers didn't want to hav...

Humanitarian aid!

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The Swedish prime minister Stefan Löven said the other day that he is proud and happy about the work that churches all over Sweden are doing to help homeless people and all refugees coming to Sweden. To help them with shelter, food, cloths etc. I am also happy to see people in need getting help, but what I do know about this government is that as long as the church is doing humanitarian job it's ok but when we proclaim Jesus, when we promote life instead of promoting abortion, when we stick to what we know the Bible is telling us about marriage, the prime minister and his government are not for us, they are against us. We should help people in need, we have to show compassion, but we can't turn our churches in to just humanitarian institutions, we have to tell all people the truth. Jesus is the great "I AM"!

Whatchman

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Every night of the year, a long, muffled signal sounds over central Ystad Sweden. With a single note every fifteen minutes, blown to each of the four cardinal points, the Watchman in St:a Maria church declares ‘All’s well’, a living tradition that dates back many hundreds of years. It is a great tradition but I really hope Swedes would understand the real meaning with a watchman and the question: is it all well? I Hope that the watchman attitude would not only be in a church in the very south parts of Sweden and as an old tradition, I really hope we could have "real watchmen", warning us for whats to come...

Irritated

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The other day I was driving in a very busy area of the city centre. With parked cars along each side of the narrow road, I was trying to find a spot and people running across the streets making the situation even more stressful. The car in front of me was driving very slowly and I saw she too was searching for a place to park. When she saw a place she stopped. I was pretty close but managed turn the car to drive past her. She then started to reverse without looking around. I had to honk or she would have bumped in to my car, and when I did she started to wave her hands, yelling and pointing and gesturing with her hand at her head as if I was the most stupid driver in the world. Driving past I asked her why on earth she was so angry! She then continued to reverse her car and was very close to hit me in the side. I yelled at her to calm down, but she did not listen and shouted that she would by purpose hit me swearing at me all the time. When I finally parked my car a bit further ...

Kidnapping

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Very often through history we have seen groups "kidnapping" signs, logos and ideas and in a way make them their own. A good example of this is the Swastika, that the Nazis took and used as their own. The Swastika is a very old religious sign that we still today can see at many Buddhist temples all over Asia, both clockwise and anticlockwise crosses. Another symbol is the upside down christian cross, used by the Satanists as a symbol of their hatred for God, a God they don't believe in ( strange in a way). The origin of this symbol was a Christian symbol and represented the Apostle Peter. The tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside down since he didn't feel worthy of being crucified the same way as Jesus had been. Another symbol that we see so much these days is the rainbow, nowadays used by the Homosexual community. The sign of the rainbow (rainbows are a natural phenomenon) was a sign God gave to mankind that He would never again destroy all flesh ...

Revival Happening?

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Almost 60 years ago, Lewi Pethrus got a question "What does prevent a revival from happening in Sweden" This was his answer: "It is the regrettable apathy that characterizes many Christians. The believers need to wake up. It is the Christians themselves that prevent revival! When we boldly come out of our comfortable sofas to set about soul-winning work for individual and public level with our message turning to the masses, something will happen. We will meet the spiritual yearning that has been built up among the worldly people - then revival becomes a fact. But we retreat, we continue to sleep. If we continue doing this we can no longer bear the Christian name. " wow is it still relevant today? I think so...

Forgiving....

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Even though Jesus was in great physical pain on the cross, His hands and feet pierced with big nails, His back torn apart from whipping and a crown of thorns pressed on his forehead, No words of judgement came over His lips. He did not cursed the ones who did this to him or to the people doubting or mocking him. What he did say was: Please forgive them because they don't know what they are doing. Jesus died the same way he was living and teaching. Speaking words of affirmation and words of encouragement. To the thief beside him on the cross he said: Tomorrow you will be with me in paradise. How about you and me? When we are in trouble when we get hurt, when we are disgraced, do we judge or do we forgive?

Giving

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A rather well known Swedish actor said on national TV some days ago that during his many trips to Thailand he spend some time with a Buddhist Monk who said to him that " it is better to give than to receive". This actor thought it was so very nice to hear that and he never heard that before. Well he should have read the Bible! "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)

Unashamed

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I read in a book that I got from a friend the following sentences: A Zimbabwean young man wrote the following before he was martyred: I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit's power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of his. I wont look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still... I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all I know, and work till he stops me. And when he comes for his own, he will have no problem recognising me... my banner will be clear! My banner will be clear, I wont slow down. Powerful, but what stuck me most was the first sentence. "I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed". It is true, many Christians will and do admit personal sec...

conflicts

What we in the church usually preach is about Jesus and his "social work" here on earth. This is relevant and very important, but we often forget what is behind the conflicts in and outside the church. Let's be honest; If Jesus just went around healing the sick, caring for the poor he would not have been chased down and put on trial. If Jesus had been in the temple just agreeing with the priests he would have lived here on earth to be an old man. The Jews were expecting and waiting for the Messiah but not the one Jesus envisioned. Jesus did not fit who they expected the Messiah to be. In fact, most of what Jesus did ran contrary to their view of Messiah. Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, just as he would any other day. The Jews were offended by this and said that if Jesus really was the Messiah, he would not go against these religious laws, which they believed to be set up by God. Instead of condemning the prostitutes and thieves, Jesus spend time with them...