Denver, Nord Carolina

” Our generation desire to be bold, vocal, driven & intentional about doing good in this world we live in and believe we can make a difference for the glory of Christ Jesus. Winterfest is an explosive conference that fuels, love, life, passion and leadership in all areas of our existence.”

Key Speakers: Dr. Tim Hill, Rev. Iosif Belea, Rev. Gary Croft and Rev. Iulian Costea

Location: United Methodist Family Life Center 3910 Highway 16 N, Denver, NC, 28037

“…Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…”

More info here: http://rowinterfest.com/

Source : OneNewsNow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLRue4nwJaA

Dar cine este John Piper?

“John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God’s call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. John is the author of more than 30 books and more than 25 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.”

Discutia despre existenta unei crize crestine in Romania imparte interlocutorii unui posibil dialog legat de acest subiect in mai multe categorii: unii care sunt de acord ca trecem printr-o criza, altii care nu sesizeaza a fi vreo problema, iar altii care intra in panica gasirii unor solutii, supralicitand dimensiunile unei astfel de crize. Insa fiecare din cele trei categorii are in fata provocarea prezentului caruia ii ofera solutii printr-un mod de gandire si o realitate crestina practica. Tocmai analiza acestor solutii, a mersului crestinatatii si a modului cum raspunde el provocarilor lumii actuale ne fac sa sesizam amploarea si dimensiunile crizei pe o scala larga: de la starea de autosuficienta sectara si idolatra a unora (persoane, comunitati, confesiuni), pana la avangardismul si activismul mediocru, descentrat si lipsit de actualitate al altora, de la lipsa unei pozitii critice asupra identitatii confesionale si locale, de la repetitia stereotipa a unei traditii mumifiate si pana la pozitiile sentimentale fragmentare, izolate si individualiste…” citeste tot articolul aici : http://www.scribd.com/full/26349350?access_key=key-2cud43waoz1zd391tqgf

Danut Jemna

Dear friend,

It’s been over a year since President Obama was inaugurated, yet he still has not appointed an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.

Sign a petition today to President Obama>>

With the recent release of the 2010 World Watch List, we have decided to launch this crucial advocacy campaign. As your eyes are opened to the breadth and severity of persecution worldwide exposed in the World Watch List, this petition is one huge way you can make a difference for persecuted Christians.

In leaving this important position unfilled while appointing multiple czars for various other issues, the president has demonstrated that religious freedom is not a high priority on his agenda. Yet, not appointing an ambassador is in contravention of U.S. law.

Please act today and sign our petition asking President Obama to appoint an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom immediately!

In 1998, a unique piece of legislation was passed and signed into law by President Bill Clinton called the International Religious Freedom Act. This bill created a special office, the Office of International Religious Freedom, within the State Department. This department researches and tracks the state of religious freedom in every country of the world except for the U.S., and produces annual reports on each country.

Each year, this department announces a list of the worst violators of religious freedom called Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). The government has a wide variety of options available to work with each country to improve religious freedom, including creating agreements or imposing sanctions on these CPCs.

The Ambassador at Large overseas this department, engages in diplomacy with countries that suppress religious freedom, helps negotiate within the U.S. government to determine which countries should be named as CPCs, and advises on U.S. policy towards each of these countries.

Considering the many religious conflicts around the world and the many Christians and people of other faiths who are persecuted for their beliefs, it is unconscionable that President Obama has failed to fill this position.

Please join with Open Doors and sign our petition to President Obama, urging that he not delay in appointing a qualified Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Vessey
Advocacy Director
Open Doors USA 

Cea de-a noua Conventie a Bisericilor Romane Penticostale

din Australia si Noua Zeelanda

Melbourne, 2010

Tema Conventiei 2010 a fost Facerea de ucenici: porunca mantuitorului, prioritatea bisericii si responsabilitatea fiecarui credincios, inspirata fiind din Marea Trimitere “Duceti-va si faceti ucenici din toate neamurile, botezandu-i in Numele Tatalui, a Fiului si a Sfantului Duh si invatati-i sa pazeasca tot ce v-am poruncit.” (Mt. 28:19-20) Misiunea respectiv mandatul pe care l-a lasat Domnul Christos urmasilor sai, respectiv bisericii sale este sa faca ucenici. Mandatul bisericii nu este limitat doar la evanghelizare - ea este importanta dar nu suficienta, ci mandatul bisericii este ucenicizarea celor ce devin urmasi ai Domnului Christos in urma evanghelizarii, respectiv formarea si echiparea acestora in scoala uceniciei, cu scopul maturizarii spirituale a acestora si apoi a implicarii lor in slujire, pentru ca fiecare credincios sa fie in stare sa faca la randul sau ucenici, ascultand astfel de porunca Mantuitorului. O biserica locala isi indeplineste menirea si misiunea incredintata ei de Christos Domnul - capul bisericii, doar in masura in care asculta de porunca Domnului nostru Isus Christos si face din ucenicie prioritatea existentei ei.

Tematica Conventiei a fost prezentata si dezvoltata atat in seminariile care au avut loc Sambata si Duminica dimineata cat si in serviciile de inchinare plenare de Vineri, Sambata si Duminica. Pastorii Luigi Mitoi din Chicago, SUA si Mihai Dumitrascu din Galati, Romania au prezentat atat in seminariile generale cat si cele pentru pastori si slujitori, tematica uceniciei aplicata atat la viata de familie si cea de fiecare zi cat si la nivelul viziunii si strategiei bisericii locale. Pastorii bisericilor penticostale romane din Australia impreuna cu alti lideri din bisericile locale, au avut oportunitatea sa invete atat aspecte teoretice cat si practice legate de ucenicie si conducerea bisericii fiind provocati la o slujire mai eficienta, la o viziune mai clara si la implementarea unei strategii de ucenicie coerenta in biserica locala.

In acelasi timp, peste 100 de tineri din toata Australia au participat la tabara nationala de tineret care a avut loc in perioada Conventiei. Gabriel Florut, profesor la Liceul Penticostal din Oradea a slujit tinerilor in camp, alaturi de pastorii Mitoi si Dumitrascu, care impreuna au slujit motivand tinerii la o viata caracteriza de “sfintenie, rugaciune si scop” (purity, prayer and purpose). In urma acestei slujiri, multi tineri si-au dedicate, respectiv rededicat vietile lor Domnului Isus Christos provocati fiind la o viata crestina autentica.

La serviciile plenare de seara, aproximativ 1000 romani din toata Australia, au stat in inchinare si partasie pentru aproximativ 4 ore in fiecare seara, timp in care a fost proclamat Cuvantul lui Dumnezeu, a fost laudat Dumnezeu prin cantarile prezentate de Corul Conventiei, Orchestra bisericii Philadelphia, grupurile de lauda si inchinare precum si de grupuri si solisti din bisericile locale din Australia si alte tari. In urma mesajelor transmise, zeci de persoane au raspuns invitatiei de-as dedica si rededica viata lor Domnului Chistos, de a deveni adevarati ucenici si urmasi a lui Christos, timp in care pastorii locali din Australia au slujit in rugaciune cu si pentru cei ce au raspuns chemarii iesind in fata pentru rugaciune. 

Alaturi de pastorii bisercilor romane din Australia, respectiv reprezentantii acestora in Consiliul Pastoral al Bisericilor Romane Penticostale din Australia si Noua Zeelanda, alaturi de pastorii si slujitorii invitati din Romania si SUA care au slujit in cadrul Conventiei, am fost onorati de prezenta domnului Mihai Stuparu, ambasadorul Romaniei in Australia si Noua Zeelanda care a adresat un cuvant participantilor la Conventie.

Ca si organizatori ai Conventiei 2010, ne-am propus ca acest eveniment sa aiba un impact spiritual major in viata romanilor din Australia. Ne-am dorit si ne-am rugat ca Domnul Isus Christos - capul bisericii, sa ne modeleze prin Cuvantul Scripturilor si prin Duhul lui Dumnezeu inspre a deveni adevarati ucenici ai Domnului Isus, ucenici maturi si responsabili si inspre a face la randul nostru ucenici ai Domnului Isus, conform poruncii sale.

Nadajduim ca in viitor, bisericile romane din Australia vor devini biserici ucenicizatoare, respectiv biserici in care in care oamenii se intorc la Dumnezeu si devin ucenici ai lui Christos, apoi intra in scoala uceniciei Domnului Isus, invatand de la El, modelandu-si viata dupa caracterul lui, iar apoi la randul lor, fac ucenici in viata de zi cu zi, in familie si in comunitate, rodind si multiplicandu-se. Nadajduim ca un nou suflu spiritual va cuprinde si va inflacara biserica Domnului din Australia, pentru a deveni o biserica mai puternica, mai matura si mai responsabila, care face ucenici din toate neamurile in ascultare de porunca Domnului si Mantuitorului nostru.

Gabi Pal,  

Pastor coordonator al Conventiei 2010 / Pastor coordonator al Bisericii Philadelphia, Melbourne

Presedintele Consiliului Pastoral al Bisericilor Romane Penticostale din Australia si Noua Zeelanda.

www.philadelphia.org.au

I’m very skeptical of anyone who claims right-standing with God but doesn’t attend church.  So although this apologetic for ‘going to church’ was stirred by a cultural need to defend and promote this discipline for the nonbelievers in our world, I also recognize that some people in the church genuinely struggle understanding the worth of gathering regularly for worship, instruction, fellowship etc.  Let’s admit it–sometimes sermons stink, people are curiously peculiar, and services are more boring than watching C-Span.  I’m not immune to feeling that sometimes I could have gained more from a personal Bible study at home or watching a Podcast from one of my favorite teachers.

With these realities in mind, I hope to shed light on why Christians should go to church.  This may serve as an apologetic both for believers and nonbelievers.

Let’s just ignore the fact that the Bible straightforwardly commands Christians to attend church (Heb. 10:25)!  Furthermore, it’s helpful to understand that the Bible hardly expounds on this practice because it was an assumed discipline and the early communities were keenly aware of why they were assembling together (something churches in free societies, where they do not suffer persecution, are less prone to).

The nature of my argument is a very pragmatic one.  I have traditionally taught that Christians should go to church for two simple reasons.  Though they are uncomplicated in theology, I don’t consider them lacking profundity.  Those who actively attend church and live out these two reasons will understand the strength of my argument.

God wants Christians in a church so that they can grow.

There are so many dimensions that we need to grow in as God’s people.   There’s worship (Col. 3:16), knowledge (Acts 2:42), character (Heb. 13:17) to name a few.  Local churches serve as the environment through which God wants you to experience this.  They provide relationships that will serve as an avenue for your spiritual growth.  Pastors, teachers, mentors, accountability partners cannot be found in solitude.  The cap to your personal growth will be your own experience if you attempt to grow spiritually on your own!  By joining a church, you humbly recognize that the Spirit has been working in his church (universal) long before you came upon the scene, and are given access to knowledge, understanding, and experiences that you can only gain from others…”

Andy Dragos

Read the full article here http://themourningdovecaws.com/2009/11/30/why-go-to-church/