Every year since 1995 the Evangelical Church La porte ouverte chrétienne has organized a week of fasting and prayer. After a break of a few years because of COVID, this event was organized again.
The Church had been accused in 2020 of having spread the virus when the information on this virus was vague and the instructions had not yet been given. See article from Le Monde for example
In this article there will just be a few thoughts, it will not be a complete article on the benefits of fasting or a description of the Church.
Every day 3 meetings are organized. 9:30, 12:30 and 7 p.m. A break in the afternoon between 2 and 7 p.m. to be free and rest.
Note that the 450-space parking lot is full 20 minutes before the start of the meetings. The 2500 seat room is full even in the morning. The title ‘week of fasting and prayer’ is not a very catchy title. It has not been changed since the creation of the event in 1995. However, the attraction to the event is real.
Conclusion people come to pray and not to be entertained. One might think that this church is a show church. Which may be true. It takes time to adapt at the beginning so as not to be distracted by the crowd and the cameras. But one can also focus on the important thing. Make oneself small and simply seek God and his will. The rest, the show, the miracles and the emotions then become secondary.
The last evening the thing that I can describe here is the vision of this crowd after having praised God, dancing and being joyful being on their knees trembling and in silence. We could then feel the presence of God. The text of the Bible came back to me when Jacob said It is certain God was present in this place. When Moses was aware that if the people touched the mountain they would die.
The conclusion of these few days spent in Mulhouse: We must continue and new things will come, do not redo what has been done in the past, do not hesitate to move forward and innovate. Productivity will come. Less effort will produce more results
Founder of Youth with a Mission (YWAM), Loren Cunningham, died in his sleep at his home in Kona, Hawaii, on Friday (2023 October 6)
Cunningham was the first known Christian missionary to reach every nation and country. He was well known for deregulating ministry by creating a platform through which young people could serve others globally within a short-term time period.
In addition to his global ministerial efforts, founding of YWAM, and University of the Nations, Cunningham was also a well-published author. His books included Is That Really You, God?, Making Jesus Lord, The Book that Transforms Nations—the Power of the Bible to Change Any Country, Why Not Women?, Winning God’s Way, and others. He also carried out a mission to end Bible poverty by translating the Bible into every language and making God’s Word accessible to all.
In 1956, again during prayer, he had a vision, what he called a “mental movie”: “Suddenly, I was looking at a map of the world, only the map was alive and moving! I could see all the continents, and waves were crashing onto their shores.
He obeyed simply because he believed it was the Lord and he persevered and went to the ends of the world.
Loren is often called the « de-regulator of missions » because he broke the 1960s missionary paradigm by creating opportunities for Youth to serve short-term, interdenominationally, globally and unsalaried. This
foresight opened the floodgates so that millions could come FROM everywhere and go TO everywhere as missionaries around the globe to proclaim the truth of God and display His love.
The ministry he founded, Youth With A Mission, an ever-expanding global missions movement born in 1960, has reached into every nation on earth through evangelism, training and mercy ministries (YWAM.org). Tens of thousands of full-time staff participate from 200+ countries and various denominations and Christian traditions, serving at over 2,000 YWAM locations in nearly 200
nations. Millions have served in YWAM programs as students, short-term volunteers and fulltime staff.
Many have credited YWAM as being among the world’s largest mission movements. But when presented with this claim, Loren always deflected the glory to Jesus, saying, « Well, however large it is, it’s not large enough because Jesus’ last commandment to reach the whole world with the Gospel has not been completed. » He was well-known for his call to build bridges of
unity within the body of Christ, always quick to recognize the scores of other missions and churches serving together in partnership
Switzerland Geneva Capital of so many international organisation like UNO UHCR red cross etc… City of reformation and freedom of religion. Today the autority do not allow baptism in the lake.
Two evangelical churches in the canton of Geneva have had their requests for authorization to celebrate baptisms on public beaches on Lake Geneva refused by the authorities. They have filed an appeal with the Administrative Chamber of the Geneva Court of Justice, the Swiss Evangelical Network (RES-SEA) said in a statement on July 8. The organization, and its cantonal section of the Geneva Evangelical Network, « express their solidarity with the two churches. [They are dismayed that Geneva, the capital of human rights, would adopt such a restrictive and exclusive approach to religious freedom.
The freedom to manifest one’s beliefs in common and in public
The issue of religious gatherings in public spaces has not been completely resolved in the canton. Here, the state is invoking the February 2019 Law on the Secularity of the State (LLE), which allows such events, but only exceptionally. However, the canton had said that the traditional baptisms at the lake would remain authorized, reports RES-SEA. In January of this year, the Federal Court ruled that the LLE in Geneva was « contrary to religious freedom ». In May, the authority confirmed this position in a ruling.
« Such a practice (this regulation) is […] contrary to international standards of religious freedom: indeed, the exercise of religious freedom, including the freedom to manifest one’s beliefs in common and in public, is a fundamental right », says the evangelical umbrella organization. A joint report by RES-SEA and the German Freikirchen.ch on religious freedom, including access to the public domain in the canton of Geneva, was sent on July 8 to the United Nations Human Rights Council. It should be examined during the Universal Periodic Review of Switzerland in 2023. The European and World Evangelical Alliances support this approach.
Today is already the 25th of December and it’s Christmas. A religious festival based on a payan festival still very popular in our country.
The origin of Christmas is not clearly established. But it is known that Christmas was born in ancient times, on the sidelines of the winter solstice. A pivotal period, during which were held, since antiquity, many celebrations dedicated to the worship of the god of sowing and fertility, Saturn. The « Saturnalia », which took place from December 17 to 24, seems to have an undeniable link with the « Nativity », which was born with Christianity. There is no certainty as to the exact day of Jesus’ birth. The date of December 25th was only decided in 354, by Pope Liberus…
In short, everyone understands that Christmas is a festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus.
We cannot understand the work of Jesus without a new birth (read John 3: 3) and a renewal of the intelligence. It is impossible to understand with a human intelligence. Jesus means savior. The deep concept is salvation. It means that there is a perdition. One cannot understand the basis of the Christian faith if one does not understand this concept of perdition or death. Death being the separation from God.
We are of course far from God. We don’t believe that God exists. And if he exists (maybe), it doesn’t change anything. We pray but it doesn’t work. Why not? Simply because there is a wall between us and God. So we invented religions thinking that maybe we can reach God. But it doesn’t work. The religion of the Bible (Judaism) is based on the law. If you do something against the law, there are consequences. It’s too difficult to apply. And we can’t do it. Other religions like Christianity, Islam or Buddhism etc… are not very useful. We are still far from God. We get closer to one meter while he is billions of billions of kilometers away.
In short, we cannot reach God, speak to him, hear him. We cannot enter into a relationship with him. This is perdition.
The only solution is Jesus. He paid for us to be able to find a relationship with God. If we want to. He leaves us free. God does not force us. Jesus is the only way to God. It is the only way to salvation. Jesus means Savior.
Obviously, human beings do not understand these concepts. We need a revelation. If in spite of everything you are curious. Look for yourself. Read the Bible. Jesus is the beginning and the end. The alpha and the omega. In the last verse of the bible you find the word Jesus. And what do you find in the first verse of the new testament? the name of Jesus. What do you find in the 1st verse of the Bible? The word ‘beginning’. Jesus is the beginning.
In short, Christmas is the birth of Jesus, the greatest of all Jews.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is the celebration of the beginning of Jesus as a man. Jesus is the beginning. I have deliberately replaced the word birth with beginning. Jesus was before. He IS. He is the I AM.
Whether you are a believer or not. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
My church introduced Covid pass in september and it was the reason why I was not able to join it. Covid pass discriminate poeple. And I felt rejected not accepted. The pastor was afraid to create a cluster like in Mulhouse in the Church Porte Ouverte in february 2020 then he is very zealous to apply restriction and the covid law.
And I decided to search for a church that could accept me. An internet search and I started to create a list of church that accept all people. Me included.
The first Church was Gospel Center.
This service take place in a bar in an activity area between company that rececycle trash and other company that sell solar panel.
My first impression when I arrive in this room was the music. The sound is very loud and it is only preparation. The mixage table is impressive with 4 screens.
It looks like a church show. But why not. I remember in the past I heard criticism about such church that do too much with emotion or show. But why not.
The perfect church does not exists and I have to focus on the positive part. Full of young people, life, worship and a preaching with basic teaching. The speakers talk about the potter and the jar with clay. We must be teachable and flexible. God is the potter and we are the pot.
Dare to believe in A true love that gave us A brand new beginning
Known for a king No celebration and no ceremony In that little town, nobody will think This is the story of the coming glory
Can you hear the prayers that people pray? Can you see the skies begin to break? When heaven and earth were face to face Oh, how the world forever changed
For God is with us God is with us
All in the moment All in an instant The body was broken It is finished
So let us bеgin The celebration and the ceremony There’s silence on earth but the heavens are roarin’ Tellin’ the story of the coming glory
Can you feel your heart begin to race? Can you see the tide begin to change? With all of our futures rearranged The world will never be the same
For God is with us God is with us
For God is with us Oh, can we sing, oh, can we sing God is with us Oh, can we hear, oh, can we hear For God is with us
Dare to imagine Dare to believe in A true love that gave us A reason for living
Can you feel the hope that’s rushin’ in? Can you hear the song that’s echoin’? Join with the choir as we sing This is where love truly begins
For God is with us God is with us
For God is with us Oh, can we sing, oh, can we sing God is with us Oh, can we hear, oh, can we hear For God is with us
Did you know that Justin Bieber has released an Album with only Christian songs? Did you know that he has turned to Christ in recent years, left his promiscuous lifestyle and got married? That he had a near-death experience with Lyme disease and drug abuse? That he was born to a 17-year-old mother who struggled with drug addiction and attempted suicide, but found Christ? That Justin was the subject of a prophecy just before his big breakthrough? That Justin regrets so much of what he did wrong? That he had everything going for him but felt alone and empty?
Born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario,4 Canada, Justin Drew Bieber was the only child of French-Canadian Patricia Lynn (born April 2, 1975)6 and Jeremy Jack Bieber (born June 4, 1975)-who became his parents when he was only 18 and never married. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and he was raised primarily by his mother, who worked one low-paying job after another, and his maternal grandparents, Diane and Bruce Mallette. At the time, his mother was struggling with substance abuse, depression and trauma from sexual abuse as a child and teenager. He has French Canadian, Irish, German, Scottish and English heritage.
In September 2019, Justin Bieber admitted to using numerous illicit substances from the time he was 18 until he was 20 years old.229 From the age of 13, he began using cannabis. Over the years, he developed a strong addiction to cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, alcohol, Sizzurp, antidepressants and ecstasy. He then reveals that his many addictions led him to make « bad choices, » as well as to have « abusive behavior towards his ex-girlfriends: » « I started using drugs and emotionally abusing others at the age of 18. I was resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry. I became distant with everyone who loved me, and then hid behind a shell. I felt like I could never be otherwise.
In January 2020, the singer says he wanted to change and get sober, the day he thought he was dying: « Every night, my bodyguards and my team would come and check my pulse […] People have no idea how crazy everything was at that time. My first instinct when I got up every morning was to take some medicine and smoke a joint. That’s how I started my day. It was scary. «
[Verse 1: Justin Bieber] I hear a lot about sinners Don’t think that I’ll be a saint But I might go down to the river ‘Cause the way that the sky opens up when we touch Yeah, it’s makin’ me say
[Chorus: Justin Bieber] That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy On God Runnin’ to the altar like a track star Can’t wait another second ‘Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me Feels so holy
[Verse 2: Justin Bieber] I don’t do well with the drama And, no, I can’t stand it being fake (No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no) I don’t believe in nirvana But the way that we love in the night gave me life Baby, I can’t explain
[Chorus: Justin Bieber] That the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy On God Runnin’ to the altar like a track star Can’t wait another second ‘Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me Feels so holy [Bridge: Justin Bieber & Chance the Rapper] They say we’re too young and The pimps and the players say, « Don’t go crushin' » Wise men say fools rush in But I don’t know (Ah-ah-ah-ah) They say we’re too young and The pimps and the players say, « Don’t go crushin' » Wise men say fools rush in But I don’t know (Chance the Rapper)
[Verse 3: Chance the Rapper] The first step pleases the Father Might be the hardest to take But when you come out of the water I’m a believer, my heart is fleshy Life is short with a temper like Joe Pesci They always come and sing your praises, your name is catchy But they don’t see you how I see you, Parlay and Desi Cross, Tween, Tween, Hesi’ hit the jet speed When they get messy, go lefty like Lionel Messi Let’s take a trip and get the Vespas or rent a Jet Ski I know the spots that got the best weed, we goin’ next week I wanna honor, wanna honor you, bride’s groom, I’m my father’s child I know when the son takes the first steps, the Father’s proud (Yes) If you make it to the water, He’ll part the clouds (Uh) I know He made you a snack like Oscar Proud (Mwah) Suffer it to be so now gotta clean it up (Ooh) Formalize the union in communion, He can trust (Woo) I know I ain’t leavin’ you like I know He ain’t leavin’ us (Ah) I know we believe in God, and I know God believes in us [Chorus: Justin Bieber] ‘Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me Feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy On God Runnin’ to the altar like a track star Can’t wait another second, on God Runnin’ to the altar like a track star Can’t wait another second, on God Runnin’ to the altar like a track star Can’t wait another second ‘Cause the way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me Feels so ho-ho-ho-holy
As introduction, I could say that I was talking on the Fediverse (my account is https://theres.life/@kris) about Gypsies.
Gypsies are nomadic people living in caravans. They move from place to place. Few have houses. This people is rejected because they are different of oxidental culture. Some say they don’t work, they don’t go to school, they steal etc… Sometimes this fact is exagerated sometimes it is true.
Then I discover Kendji Girac.
Is this man a christian as I saw him singing few christian songs on youtube.
Sure he grew up in a christian family. In France many Gypsies are christian. Personaly the first real christian I knew was Gypsie whis Mission Vie et Lumière. First time in my life I saw people talking about the Bible about Miracle and Jesus.
Looking for more information about his faith I notice that he is only a nominal christian. According to Libération he believe but is not baptized because he think that baptized people are not allowed to go to paries. I think he misunderstand christian life. Nevertheless he respect faith as he grew up in christian family and sometimes he sings christian songs.
This morning for the first time after the lockdown I have been in a #church service. It was in a traditional protestant church
This is maybe the first time in my life that I go in a sunday church service. I grow up in catholic church and I disliked that.
Goad Discovering Exploration and Curiosity
I describe how it was organised and how I felt.
-At the entrance we must tell our name and give our phone number. In case of problem it will be easy for tracking + desinfection of hands
we sit at a minimum distance of 2 m 20 to 30 people are in the Church
I had huge problem of concentration.
It remind me a streaming service more than a real service
We didn’t sing. This is the firsttime in my life that I am going in a church without siging. I realised how important is singing. Singing have different name according to social groups. Evangelical call it worship. But singing is only a form. hearing music without singing seems so special. Sometime is missing. As far as I remember all christian groups use song in every meetings. The only exception maybe is bible study.
Analyse the form was for me more important that analysing the content.
An other thought came in my mind during the service. Instead of hearing the content I was thinking. Swiss people are really the oposite of spontaneous. They need to organised all. Maybe it was a reason why I am not comforatable. I don’t like or don’t know how to organise things and I like spontaneity. Maybe spontaneity is the only way I can do.
I really love christian groups because spontaneity was free. We can pray like we speak. No need to prepare. We can worship Goas as we are.
