Monday, December 21, 2009

Friday, December 18, 2009

Long live Azerbaijan-Finland friendship!


Zlata and Yan, serving in Azerbaijan

no blame, no gain?

What a strange satisfaction it brings to man’s soul when he
understands that everything is someone else’s fault.
Man’s complicated self-defense mechanism leads him to project
guilt from himself to someone else. Things get strangely
twisted and the truth gets buried under the stack of commonly
accepted excuses.
Some people leave the church like a little child who walks behind
the corner of his home and sits there until everybody thinks that
something terrible has happened to him. Ten minutes later,
those never ending minutes that felt like eternity,
the frustrated child gets out of his hiding place, angrier than ever.
Life seemingly goes on even without him.
Blaming others pops up everywhere, in marriages, working places,
governments, international politics, Save the Planet summits and
... churches.
We love Jesus. He did not blame the government. He didn’t
complain about his continuously failing disciples. In stead of
blaming the world he loved the world.
In stead of accusing those who were wrong he took the blame
on himself. He took the blame and the pain of it.
With his death on the cross he proclaimed, “It’s my fault.”
“Now then , we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were pleading through :
we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
II Cor.5:20-21

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

CHRISTMAS CAROLS
December 18/ 7 p.m. GEDIKPASHA CHURCH in Beyazit
December 19/ 7 p.m. SANTA MARIA CHURCH Istiklal St. 429
December 20/ 7 p.m. GREATER GRACE CHURCH Gümüşsuyu
Türk Doğan Iş Merkezi 5th fl / call 05372036055 for information

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

the joy of salvation

eternal seekers

The world claims to be full of seekers.
Many have made their seeking into a religion.
Finding the answer would ultimately kill their
religion. Eternal seekers have already chosen
the path of ignorance. They are not looking for
rational answers. Logical conclusions will always
be overpowered by their hippie mentality that considers
everything orderly and structured to be a threat to the
freedom of their soul.
Prophet Isaiah encouraged his listeners to “seek the Lord,
while he can be found.” Isaiah 55:6
Seeking without a desire to find is a great deception.
It’s like an endless demonstration on our streets.
One day people will be giving an account.
Jesus said, ”the Queen of Sheba will rise up in the judgment
with this generation and condemn it...” Matthew 12:42
Eternal seekers are either looking for a platform for their
narcissist shows or an excuse for their questionable life-style.
True seekers, such as the Queen of Sheba,
are humble enough to receive the answers when God
speaks to them.
Today man can find God.
Today he can hear God’s voice.
A time is coming to the earth when people will desperately
look for the words of God , but they will not find them.
Amos 8:11-12
Humility means simply to accept the fact that I did not
create this universe, therefore I need salvation.
Jesus Christ is God’s final Word to the world. John 1:1
He didn’t come to this world to seek himself.
He came to seek and to save you and me. Luke 19:10