Erling Thu

Month: January 2008

  • Retten til å gjera folk til disiplar

    For kristne menneske er misjonsarbeid og
    det å vinna menneske Jesus noko me alle saman har ansvar for og rett til.
    Retten til å utbreia trua og gjera folk til lære er så sjølvsagd for oss at me
    ofte ikkje tenkjer over kvifor. For oss er misjon ein menneskerett og ein
    naturleg del av utøving av trua vår, men for mange verdslege menneske er det
    ikkje like opplagt.

    (more…)

  • Når kristentrua møter motstand

    Motstand mot kristentrua er ikkje noko
    nytt, men noko kristne har levd med frå fyrste stund. Me kan lesa om motstand
    og forfylging av kristne i Apostelgjerningane og i heile kyrkjesoga opp til vår
    tid. Apostelen Paulus sa at alle som vil
    leva gudfryktig vil verta forfylgde (2.Tim.3,12). Kristne har opp gjennom
    historia opplevd sanninga i desse orda. Her i landet vårt har kristne stort
    sett vorte sparte for forfølging. Samanlikna med kva kristne i andre land har
    måtta gå gjennom må me seia at vanskane våre har vore lette. Likevel er det
    slik at det aldri har vore fleire kristne martyrar, som har gjeve livet sitt
    for trua på Jesus, enn det er i våre dagar.

    (more…)

  • Retten til å tru og ha eit offentleg livssyn

    Den vestlege verda er i vår tid
    kjenneteikna av rasjonalisme, materialisme og såkalla humanisme. Det inneber at
    det er berre det som kan forklarast logisk, forståast med forstanden og som set
    mennesket i sentrum som er politisk korrekt. Denne sekulære humanismen gjer seg
    ut for å vera fornuftig, menneskeleg og livssynsnøytral, medan dei framsteller
    alle som trur annleis for å vera sekteriske, inhumane, bakstreverske mørkemenn.
    Desse sekulære humanistane, som i praksis også er ateistar, dominerer kultur og
    media på ein skræmande måte. Dei vil nok gje folk rett til å tru kva dei vil,
    men dei vil seia at denne trua høyrer privatlivet til og bør ikkje blandast inn
    i politikk eller samfunnsliv.

    (more…)

  • To be somebody is to rewrite your life

    To be
    somebody is to rewrite your manuscript

    Because you
    are able to see the value

    Of the
    critique given by friends and professionals

    Who only
    want the best for you.

    In writing
    all anew you allow yourself to be buried

    Under the
    judgements of others

    To raise to
    new creativity and new expressions

    Of the
    message of your rejected work.

    To be
    somebody is to rewrite our life

    According
    to our dreams

    In spite of
    setbacks and disappointments

    To deepen
    and enlarge yourself

    And be
    somebody others will follow

    In changing
    their life to enrich others.

  • Personleg – men ikkje privat

    Å vera disippel av Jesus og tru på han,
    fylgja etter han og leva etter hans lære er å vera det me kallar ein personleg
    kristen. Det inneber at me har eit personleg forhold til Jesus Kristus. Difor
    seier me ofte at me har ikkje ein religion, me er ikkje religiøse, men me har
    vorte kjende med Jesus Kristus som er vår Herre og Frelsar. Den såkalla kristne
    religionen kan ikkje berga denne verda
    me lever i, men Jesus Kristus kan. Folk som kjenner Jesus og lever etter hans
    ord kan vera med på å forandra samfunnet og berga nasjonar frå undergang om dei
    forstår at trua er personleg, men ikkje privat.

    (more…)

  • Set apart for God

    Sunday night we had a wonderful time with my friend and prophet of God, Tony Ling, together with around sixty other people hungry for God. Tony Ling gave us some very exciting insight into the prophetic people we have been set apart to be through the new birth by the prophetic Spirit of God. I believe all of us who were present were encouraged and strengthened in our inner being. The prophet of God was able by the grace of God to show us how being prophetic is our nature as children of God, and how to increase and develop the indwelling anointing in us.

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  • How to come to a meeting

    This morning my friend Tony Ling spoke at the morning service on the story of the unknown man and Jesus at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-14). He brought out some very good points on the two different men at the center of this story. The unknown man had been ill for a long time. He had no friends to help him, and he was very frustrated by seeing others being healed while his suffering was still the same.

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  • A prophetic frame of reference

    Our frame of reference determines our
    perception of life. We need a prophetic understanding of the plan and purpose of God as our frame reference in life.
    Far too many people try to understand the new creation on the background of an
    old creation of failure and sinfulness. Often Christians have a redemption
    philosophy or salvation-world-view in which sin and the sinful world is the
    underlying principle from which we need to be redeemed from. Then the Fall is
    the underlying colour on the our canvas of life colouring our entire existence,
    and hinders us in fully enjoying the greatness and the glory of the New
    Creation in Christ, as God original intended us to enjoy.

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  • Teaching on the eternal plan and purpose of God

    Today I have had a wonderful time with the students at Bergen Bibelskole teaching on the eternal plan and purpose of God. I love this subject and I always start in the first chapter of the letter to the Ephesians and then I turn to Genesis chapter one. I had four session at the Bible School today and will have ten more next week. I find it a very important subject. Understanding the eternal purpose of God is one of the keys to understand the entire Bible and be able to live a meaningful life. Our destiny is found in our origin.

  • DAWN FORUM

    Today and tomorrow I am attending a DAWN FORUM gathering at Holmavatn conference centre near by Stavanger. More than fifty Christian leaders are gathered to share experience and insight concerning church planting in Norway. I find it very encouraging to hear reports from others and learn from their work in bringing people to Christ and multiply churches. Certainly we are living in exciting days. I thank God for all these zealous leaders I have met today! The Kingdom of God is advancing in Norway and I am so grateful to the Lord that I can serve his purpose in my generation. I was quite taken a back though when one of the leaders spoke of building the church without any reference to God the Father, Jesus or the Holy Spirit! He seemed to build a kind of business organisation and not a spiritual house!