Tradition, Scripture and the Catholic Church --- How Old Is Your Church ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Old Is Your Church ?
If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.

If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.

If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.

If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.

If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1774.

If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1829.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1605.

If you are of the Dutch Reformed church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as founder, because he originated your religion in New York in 1628.

If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.

If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.

If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as 'Church of the Nazarene," "Pentecostal Gospel." "Holiness Church," "Pilgrim Holiness Church," "Jehovah's Witnesses," your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past fifty years.

If you are Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ the Son of God, and it is still the same Church.


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BUILD UP YOUR FAITH !

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Taking the shield of faith. Ephesians 6:16

A Roman soldier's shield protected him from head to toe. It was made of iron, upholstered in thick layers of fabric, and saturated in water when going to battle. Consequently the flaming arrows of the enemy fizzled on contact. Getting the idea? Paul writes, 'Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one' (NIV). Satan can't penetrate a heart that's pure, saturated in Scripture and fortified by faith. That's why Jesus told Peter, 'I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail' (Luke 22:32 NKJV). It's your faith that's under attack; it's your faith that needs to be fed and nurtured; it's your faith that sustains you in life's battles! Jesus said, 'Have faith in God' (Mark 11:22). Note, He didn't just say, 'Have faith in something bigger than yourself.' No, He said, 'Have faith in God.' If you're under attack today claim this promise: 'He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint' (Isaiah 40:29-31 NKJV). God gives each of us a 'measure of faith' (Romans 12:3 NKJV). But Jude says you must develop it by 'building yourselves up on your most holy faith' (Jude 20 NIV). Faith under attack is faith under construction. It's in the battles of life that you discover whether you have nurtured faith or neglected faith!

UCB Word For Today (14th Sept 09)







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MARY, OUR LADY OF SURPRISES, TAKE OVER !

WHEN THINGS DON'T GO WELL, TRY LETTING GO -- AND INVOKING 'OUR LADY OF SURPRISES'



There are a lot of names for the Blessed Mother, but how about "Our Lady of Surprises"? There's actually a prayer invoking her help under this title (see below), and why not? God often works most powerfully through surprises.

Haven't you experienced this? You want something and you want something and you want it -- you pray endlessly -- and nothing occurs. When you let go, a bunch of surprises fall upon you.

Look at the surprise of Jesus multiplying the loaves or cleansing men of disease or the surprise of the first disciples at Lake Gennesaret. After a hard night of fishing, Jesus was suddenly there out of the blue to tell them where they should cast their nets. (They listened to what He said -- leading to an astonishing catch.)

He does this with us all. He sheds grace when we least expect it. When we're faithful and don't complain and don't try to tell God the way everything in our lives should go, He often responds with a flurry of the unexpected!

In meteorology there's a phenomenon of lightning known as the "blue giant." This is when a bolt travels dozens of miles, often striking a place even when there doesn't seem to be a cloud in the sky. It's literally a bolt from the blue. God's gifts can be like that -- when we allow Him.

It's another of those spiritual laws, that letting go lets God. We can actually inhibit the answer to a prayer by wanting something too much. That can tend toward lust, and God doesn't respect that. Or, it can signal a lack of faith. When we pray and then watch everything that transpires with a microscope -- waiting and biting our nails, doubting it will come -- the prayer often goes unanswered (or at least is delayed). It's like watching for the water to boil. It takes forever.

Instead we're called to pray from the heart and then believe that the prayer will work if it's in God's greater plan for us. Be patient. When something isn't happening, let go of it. If it is not in God's Will, the yearning for it -- the obsession -- will soon fade, granting us peace. If it is in God's Will, He now has the room to operate.

A Christian author once said that in the afterlife we will see all the presents God had in store for us and how many never came because we didn't know how to ask for them!

The key word is "release." Release your desires to the Lord. Release all that is causing you anxiety. In prayer, go through everything that may be causing you angst -- and hand it over to Christ. Release your desire. Release all your fears. This is very powerful in communicating with the Almighty One. Invite God to surprise you every day and no day will bore you!

And remember the Blessed Mother:

"O Mary, my mother and Our Lady of Surprises, what a happy joy you caused the wedding guests, when you asked your Divine Son to work the miracle of water into wine. What a happy surprise for them since they thought the wine had run dry. I, too, Mary, love surprises and as your child, may I ask you to favour me with one today? I ask this only because you are my ever caring mother."

Try it. Say that one from the heart.

You may be amazed -- surprised -- at what she brings you.

from:- Spirit Daily - Daily spiritual news from around the world

I SAID, 'HERE AM I; SEND ME' - ISAIAH 6:8

Do you have what it takes?
I said, 'Here am I; send me ISAIAH 6:8
To lead and succeed in any area of life you must have: 1) Commitment. Real leaders don't quit; they couldn't even if they wanted to. One guy said to his pastor, 'It must be hard leading an exemplary life, handling all those pressures, people waiting for one sign of weakness so they can jump on you. How do you handle it?' Smiling, he quipped, 'I stay home a lot!' Only in God's strength will you be able to handle the demands of people, pressures and problems that come your way. 2) Creativity. Homer wrote, 'Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.' Problems unlock your creativity. The story's told of a chicken farmer whose land kept flooding and killing his chickens. In despair he told his wife, 'I've had it; I can't afford to buy another place and I can't sell this one. What can I do?' Calmly she replied, 'Buy ducks!' A wise leader prays, looks for a solution in every problem, thenand then acts on it. 3) Compassion. Bob Pearce said, 'Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.' Matthew records, 'When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion' (Matthew 9:36 NKJV). Pastor, what moves you? Building projects? Budgets? Big crowds? Be careful; it's possible to love crowds but not love people. People are demanding, they're difficult, they're draining. But as Madeline L'Engle said, 'If you're going to care about the fall of the sparrow, you can't pick and choose who's going to be the sparrow.' So before you say, 'Lord, send me,' ask yourself, 'Do I have what it takes?'
from - UCB WORD FOR TODAY - 28/Aug/09



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