The Rhema News: 2017

Monday, November 6, 2017

Ota Trade Exhibition 2017 Debut in November

L-R: Fisayo Ajibola, Chief Executive Officer, Perfect Brands, HON. (Prince) Bashir Oladele Adeniji, Executive Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government and Abiodun Ogundele, project coordinator during the unveiling and public presentation of the Ota Trade Exhibition 2017 Application Forms and Prospetus on November 1, 2017

Organiser of the Ota Trade Exhibition 2017 (OTE), Perfect Brands has announced that this year’s fair scheduled to hold from Thursday 30^th November to Sunday 3rd December, 2017 at Ijamido town hall in Ota, Ogun state, is aimed at supporting Nigeria’s quest to achieve a virile industrialised economy by providing a platform for the nation’s short and medium scale entrepreneurs,SMEs.

According to Chief Executive Officer, Perfect Brands, Fisayo Ajibola, the theme of the fair “Providing Veritable Platform for Commerce and Industry Growth” is apt and timely in the face of the current economic realities which underscore the need for diversification and inter-sectoral synergy.

Ajibola, during the unveiling and public presentation of the OTE 2017 prospectus, called on all industry players to support the efforts of the local government in making Ota, the business hub of Ogun state a force to reckon with.

2017 Convention: Witnesses Educate Parents on Danger of Child Abuse

During this year’s convention, with the theme ‘’Don’t Give Up” held at the weekend, delegates were urged to be mindful of the danger of child abuse and the need for parents to take practical steps to protect their children.
Highlighting the topic, ‘’safeguard your children from what is evil’’, the speaker stated that sexual abuse ‘’is a frightening and unpleasant reality in today’s world’’.

The 2017 regional convention of Jehovah’s witnesses continues around the world, parents have been urged to take personal interest in their children and protect them against the danger of sexual abuse.
He noted that God has given parents the primary responsibility of protecting their children against any form of abuse warning that in most cases, child molesters are someone the child already knows and trust and not strangers.

I Fear For The pope – Vatican Auditor

The Vatican’s former auditor general, who resigned without explanation in June, said he was forced out after his investigations into possible illegal activity hit too close to home.

“Let me be clear: I did not voluntarily resign. I was threatened with arrest,” Libero Milone said in an interview conducted with four media outlets including Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily.

The auditing whizz, who spent much of his career with the audit firm Deloitte & Touche and was hired to much fanfare in 2015, said high-ranking figures in the Vatican wanted to scupper Pope Francis’s financial reform efforts. “I fear very sorry for the pope. I had a splendid, indescribable relationship with him, but over the last 18 months they stopped me seeing him. Obviously they didn’t want me telling him about some of the things I’d seen,” he said. While a non-disclosure agreement prevents him from giving details of the irregularities he uncovered, Milone suggested his troubles began when he hired an outside firm to check whether the computers of his team had been bugged. When he was hired Vatican officials said he would be “completely independent” and would have the power to look through the books of every department in the tiny city state, reporting only to the pope. But he was accused of using the outside firm to spy on Vatican officials, Milone said. “They accused me of having improperly looked for information on Vatican members. I found out they had been investigating me for seven months,” he added. “I was only doing my job”.

CAC Ends 27 Years Factional Crisis

The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide, has ended the factional crisis rocking the church for the past 27 years.

To this end, the church held a three-day peace and unity prayer on Ayodele Babalola megacity, Ikotun Ile, Kwara State to pray for Nigeria and to further solidify the existing peace in the church.

The church, in a statement praised the CAC President Worldwide, Pastor Abraham Akinosun and Prophet Gege Oju as well as another man of God, Pastor G.O. Lagunju for brokering peace between the factions.

“The church needs to give glory to God because we knew what we passed through when the factional crisis lasted. We need to pray for sustainable peace and unity not only in our church but Nigeria at large.

“The leaders thank God for allowing peace and unity to reign again in Church after 27 years of crisis

" We have to give glory to God that we are together again”, the church said.

Catholic Bishops Knock Buhari, others

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has knocked President Muhammadu Buhari over the deteriorating issues of security in especially the south eastern part of the country, saying Buhari’s position on being president for all Nigerians in his swearing-in speech has become doubtful.

The bishops, in a Communiqué issued at the End of its Second Plenary Meeting at St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Centre, Jalingo, Taraba State said the need to urgently address grievances of agitations, general sense of hopelessness and dissatisfaction, cases of selective application of the rule of law and unfair distribution of resources and amenities is expedient.

In the Communiqué signed by both the CBCN’s President who is equally the Archbishop of Jos Diocese, Most Revd Ignatius Ayau KAIGAMA and the Secretary who is also the Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Most Revd William A. AVENYA, the bishops also said that it is “the inequitable situation in the country” that has provided breeding ground for violent reactions, protests and agitations, which exploit the grievances of different segments of the country.” The bishops thus advised the Federal Government “ at all levels to urgently address these anomalies, remove everything that smacks of injustice, and give everybody and every part of our country a sense of belonging.”

As the Celestial Church of Christ marks its 70th birthday , a leading contender to the position of Supreme Head of the Church, Rt Rev. JKJ Owodunni, has sensationally revealed why the church has been battling to present an acceptable leader since its founder, Samuel Bilehou Joseph Oshoffa, died.

Oshoffa passed on in 1985.

Owodunni, now an Octogenarian, in a recent publication, said he was actually the man ordained by Oshoffa himself as a successor but that some forces within the church upturned the directive, blaming it as the major cause of disunity within the church.

Recalling events shortly after the passage of Oshoffa, Owodunni said, “We have already taken steps for unity many times, even right from inception when Papa Oshoffa passed away.

“I suggested to someone that we should not visit the issue of the selection of Pastor. Even though I knew I had been chosen as the successor, I was not in a hurry.

Voice of Faith Ministries, popularly known as Christ Chapel International

Churches (CCIC) has reeled out the programme of events for the 2017 edition of its annual Camp meeting with the theme: My Appointed Time.

In a statement made available to Rhema News by the office of the Senior and Founding Pastors of Christ Chapel, Reverend Dr Tunde and Reverend (Mrs) Ebun Joda, Camp meeting 2017 will commence on Tuesday October 17 and end on Sunday, October 22, 2017at the ministry’s International Headquarters

auditorium located at Raji Rasaki Estate, Amuwo, an outskirt of Lagos.

Obasanjo Preaches Jesus Is Coming, End of The World Near

Christians have been charged to be prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ as the end of the world is near.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo made at the charge weekend at Apostolic Faith Church during the 2017 Camp Meeting Concert by Apostolic Faith Church Choir and Orchestral at the Camp Ground Igbesa in Ogun.

He said that as a person, he would like to make it to heaven so as to sing with the angels.

“You have to be fully prepared for the second coming of our Lord, there is no compromise.

“I have a friend who will always say that when we get to heaven that we will be exhausted praising God and it will be like a prison and will be very boring.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor E A Adeboye sent worshipers at the grand finale of the church's 2017 Annual Holy Ghost Convention Service into tension mode at the weekend, when he brought out for the first time, his staff of office handed to him by the founder of the church, Pastor Josiah Akindayomi.
Events of the night was devoid of any panic until Pastor Adeboye mounted the Pulpit after the ministration of his Faith Tabernacle counterpart, Bishop David Oyedepo he brought out delicately handled wrapped object which later turned out to be his staff of office.

While unwrapping it, Adeboye told the congregation that while his predecessor held sway as the leader of the church, God instructed him to make a 100% wooden staff which he should pass on to his successor as staff of office.

According to him, he didnt have any reason to parade the staff in the public before that night because he was under strict instruction from God to produce it on request.

Anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria, Central African Republic shameful – Pope

Pope Francis has denounced “shameful” attacks on Christians in Nigeria and the Central African Republic, calling for an end to “all hate and violence”.

“I have been profoundly saddened by the massacre recently in Nigeria, inside a church, where innocent people were killed,” the pontiff said at the end of his weekly public audience at the Vatican.

“And sadly again we have news of violence in the Central African Republic against Christian communities.

“I hope all forms of hate and violence will cease and such shameful crimes in places of worship, where the faithful are gathered to pray, will not be repeated,” he added.

At least 11 worshippers were gunned down at a church in southeast Nigeria penultimate Sunday, with authorities suggesting the bloodshed was due to a local feud.

Attacks on churches are rare in southern Nigeria, where there is a predominantly Christian population.

COMPULSORY uniform outfit, popularly known as Aso ebi, has been outlawed in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

Petty lies, usually told at wedding engagement ceremony, have also been declared ungodly and banned forthwith.

Wife of the General Overseer of the church and Mother-in-Isreal, Pastor Folu Adeboye gave the ban order at the weekend's women’s meeting, which was part of the activities of the 65th annual convention of the church themed “Halleluyah”.

She stated at the meeting that compelling members of the church to participate in Aso ebi during special programmes in local assemblies was ungodly.

The news that some members of the church without financial power to buy such uniforms, were excluded from the programmes for which the uniforms were sown, was seriously repudiated by the church leadership.

Pastor Johnson Olawale Ajala has been anointed and ordained as Reverend of the Baptist Church.

A member of the Aiyeriyi's Compound in Iresi Town, Osun State, Ajala was ordained a Reverend at the ordination service of the Lagos West Baptist Conference held last week at New Covenant Baptist Church, Ijaye Ogba Housing Estate, Agege, Lagos state.

The Rhema News gathered that Ajala was ordained a Reverend following the completion of the about 4 years prerequisite training in the Baptist Bible College

At the event, Ajala expressed his families' profound gratitude to
God and to all those who "contributed in one way or the other towards the successful ordination service."

Appreciating their presence and support, Ajala thanked them for their presence, prayer and gifts, even as he prayed for God's mercy and favour for them.

Hillary Clinton's Pastor Compares Her Defeat by Trump to Death of Christ, Says She Now Wants to Preach

After Hillary Clinton suffered a devastating loss in the 2016 presidential race to Donald Trump, her longtime pastor — who compared her loss to the death of Christ — says she now has her eyes set on a higher calling. She wants to be a preacher and he thinks she'll be great at it.

On Aug. 15, the Rev. Dr. William S. Shillady, who currently serves as executive director of the United Methodist City Society in New York is set to release a book of the regular inspirational scriptures he sent Clinton during her failed campaign. The book is titled Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He revealed in a recent interview with CNN how Clinton leaned on her faith to overcome her defeat by Trump and how the loss has sparked a desire in her to work for the Lord from the pulpit.

The multi-campus Elevation Church in North Carolina pastored by Steven Furtick has responded to a controversy that arose Sunday after a church member posted a comment on social media saying she was told to leave during service because she was breastfeeding her baby in public.

On Sunday night, a mother from South Carolina who attends services at an Elevation Church campus in the Ballantyne neighborhood of Charlotte took to Facebook to air her grievances after she was told that she had to go to the ladies room to breastfeed her child rather than doing it in the sanctuary during service.

"I just got kicked out of church for breastfeeding with a cover on and directed to the bathroom. Shame on you Elevation," mother Amanda Zilliken wrote in her Facebook post, which included a photo of the church's bathroom.

According to local news station WSOC-TV, Zilliken drives about an hour to attend the church service every Sunday and never had a problem breastfeeding her child there before.

Reps Move Against Education Minister, Restores CRK As Independent Subject In School Curriculum

By a unanimous voice vote, members of the House of Representatives at plenary on Tuesday jettisoned the Buhari’s government policy which subsumed Christian Religious Knowledge, CRK in Civic Education as a compulsory subject in the Secondary School curriculum.

This followed a motion titled “Call to make Civic Education an optional instead of a compulsory subject for Senior Certificate Examination”, filed by Hon. Beni Lar from Plateau State. The members after an exhaustive debate on the motion agreed that the policy was incongruent with the spirit and letters of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on the provision of religious liberties.

The members agreed that students with the inputs of their parents at formative years should be taught the religious subjects of their choice in school. Essentially, the House while pointing out that the policy makers erred ab initio also agreed Islamic Studies and CRK should be taught independently and separately in the spirit of the constitution.

It will be recalled that the issue recently became a subject of controversy whereupon tempers flared.

"Christians Should Support Gospel Artists Even If Their Private Lives Are 'Questionable - Popular gospel singer Marvin Sapp

Popular gospel singer Marvin Sapp, who's also founder and senior pastor of Lighthouse Full Life Centre Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, stirred controversy online when he suggested that Christians should buy the music of gospel artistes even if their private lives are questionable.

Sapp's comment comes in the wake of the success of rapper Jay-Z's much publicized "4:44" digital-only album which was certified platinum, with sales of 1 million copies in the U.S., less than a week after its June 30 release.

"'Jay-Z's album went platinum and it hasn't even been released to the masses yet! It went certified platinum just on tidal! Coming to Apple and all other outlets next week! What is that saying?'" Sapp said he was asked in a post to his more than 2 million fans on Facebook .

A worldwide coalition of Reformed churches representing approximately 80 million Christians has signed onto an ecumenical statement with the Roman Catholic Church to "overcome divisions" from the time of the Protestant Reformation.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches signed, last week, a "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" with Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist leaders at a church in Wittenberg, Germany. According to a WCRC press release, "The declaration stated that mutual condemnations pronounced by the two sides during the Reformation do not apply to their current teaching on justification."

According to the agreement, which was originally signed by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on October 31, 1999, Catholics and Protestants "are now able to articulate a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ."

"It does not cover all that either church teaches about justification; it does encompass a consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification and shows that the remaining differences in its explication are no longer the occasion for doctrinal condemnations," states the Joint Declaration in part.

Kingdom Men Laments Christians Role In Agitation For Nigeria Break-up, Drags Prof Anya To Roundtable Talk

A Christian group, under the umbrella body of The Kingdom Men, has lamented the role of Christians and their active participation in what it called the increasing rise in the call for the separation of the country Nigeria as a nation.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday, group said it is particularly concerned that Christian men are actively joining in the ethnic card playing role; becoming ethnic champions on social and traditional media and even in private discussions.

Submitting that its concern stem from its status as God’s accountability officers, the group which has Ambsaasdor Chrsitopher Kolade as its Patron among other men said "even if it could be argued that armies are dominated by men, we forget that women and children are normally the majority of victims and casualties of wars that we cause! And we forget that it is our responsibility as family heads and leaders to protect them."

In the statement signed by Rev Remi Akanno, the Kingdom Men lamented that "Our nation, Nigeria’s continued existence as one indivisible entity is being threatened. Separatist agitations are on the rise.

Within three decades sexual intercourse will no longer be necessary to conceive a child. Instead, parents will choose from a range of embryos made with their DNA in a laboratory, a Stanford professor claims.

Hank Greely, who directs Stanford Law School's Center for Law and Biosciences, believes that although the reproductive technology already exists to create life outside of the womb, over time the process will become less expensive, as Quartz reported.

When many embryos are created couples will be able to choose which ones they want and screen out the embryos that carry potential for diseases, he said.

Greely also believes that parents will one day be able to select the hair and eye color for their children, and eventually even more complex traits like intelligence.

The late Bishop Frank Summerfield, founder of the Word of God Fellowship Church and Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Bishop Frank Summerfield, founder of the Word of God Fellowship Church and Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, has died. He was 67.

In a statement posted to the church's website, Word of God Fellowship said Summerfield died Sundaymorning but did not provide any details on his cause of death.

"Bishop Summerfield transitioned from labor to reward on Sunday Morning, July 2, 2017," the church said.

Titi Atiku, wife of former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku, told an Ikeja High Court that Akpan-Jacobs, the pastor who allegedly defrauded her of N918 million, was her “errand boy”.

Mrs. Atiku made this claim while being cross-examined on Wednesday by Amos Ibe, the defence counsel to Akpan-Jacobs.

“I paid N49 million for the land used as the premises of THA Shipping, my partner Fred Holmes never contributed to the buying of the land but he contributed to the building of the property.

“The N49 million was given to Akpan-Jacobs to purchase the land, but did not know who he bought the land from.

“He never contributed a dime, he was just like an errand boy,” Mrs. Atiku said.

Rejection of Ahiara Bishop ‘disgrace’ to Catholic Church — Priest

A Catholic priest, Philip Jamang, has described the rejection of Peter Okpalaeke by some members of Ahiara Diocese, Mbaise, in Imo, as a “disgrace” to the Catholic Church.

Mr. Jamang, parish priest of Church of Assumption, Chongo Pyel, Jos, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was particularly wrong for some priests to support those against a Bishop appointed by the Pope.

“Their action is strange; it is an insult never heard of in the Catholic Church,” he said on Monday in Jos.

Ahiara Catholic Diocese has remained without a Bishop, more than four years after the death of its pioneer Bishop, Victor Chikwe, a Rt. Rev., after the rejection of Mr. Okpalaeke, who was appointed and consecrated in 2012.

After 20 years of marriage, Kirk Franklin says being unfaithful to his wife would be comparable to cheating on God, and advises men not to cheat on their children and the Kingdom of God in search of something "newer."

"Men can be dumb at times, and want what's newer, fresher, or what our other 'head' thinks is better. But to fail Tammy is to fail God. To cheat on Tammy is to cheat on the Kingdom, my children, and even you. Those who trust me to chase Christ with everything I got," Franklin said, according to BET. "I'm not perfect, but I'm still in love with Tammy."

The 46-year-old gospel music recording artist, songwriter and producer revealed that the pair met when they were young. Although Tammy came from a good family, Kirk did not and was challenged to change by his future wife.

"She's a prime example of how a good woman can change a man without breaking him down. She didn't compromise her standard but helped me reach it," Franklin recalled. "Every song you've heard over the last 20 years, she wrote it. She was every lyric, every key change spelled her name."

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient seventh century church on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in the U.K., believed to be the site where monks began England's mass conversion from pagan traditions to Christianity.
"This latest discovery of a potential church building on the Heugh cements Holy Island as one of the most significant early medieval sites in Britain," said Conservation Manager Sara Rushton, according to an article in MailOnline on Tuesday.

"It is incredible to think that we have uncovered two very significant buildings associated with the early Christian foundation of the priory that provide tangible links to both St. Aidan and St. Cuthbert," she added, referring to the early Christian monks.

The church in question is believed to have been built in the same time period as a monastery in 635 A.D. The small rectangular building, where the church once stood, was apparently built just a few feet from a cliff edge.

Online Sermons Causing Low Church Attendance?

Skye Jethani.

Declining church attendance is partly because of basic economics and a Christian media-saturated world, which has unfortunately communicated that the time and place for worship does not really matter, according to author Skye Jethani.

In a Friday Signposts podcast interview with Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Skye Jethani, author of What's Wrong With Religion: 9 Things No One Taught You About Faith, explained why he believes that amid the many conversations among Christian leaders about declining church attendance, the economic factors are being ignored. Moore engaged the author having seen a string of tweets Jethani has posted outlining some of his thinking on the subject.

"Every time there has been an adjustment in communication technologies it has deeply affected the church," Jethani said, adding that another major adjustment is currently underway with digital communications and the plethora of podcasts and Internet resources tailored for Christians.

In what has been described as the beginning of a new phase in her flourishing musical career, inspirational singer , Busola Oke popularly known as Eleiyele, TRN has authoritatively gathered has commenced work on an all gospel album.

According to sources close to the singer, she commenced work on the All gospel work after wrapping up on a 12 tracker billed for release later in the year.

"Busola has come of age as far as this music thing is concerned and her priority now is to balance whatever she is doing musically with giving back to her source which is God and the Church.

"She is of the belief that she has been able to meet the needs of her fans generally over the years, she also feel strongly that an aspect of her career must be seeded to the source of her talent as a musician.

"She observed too that the worrisome daily global occurrences require that every instrument of the gospel should be alive to their responsibilities and spread the message of Salvation and Busola doesn't want to be found wanting in the end time crusade and the task to prepare the Saints for the coming of Jesus Christ."

On the 30th of December in the year 1992, I walked into the office of a young pastor of a predominantly youth ministry, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, agitated in my spirit. I had a few questions to ask him.

I was not sure he or anybody else would have the answers but it was time for me to speak out to someone. I feared that I would explode if I didn’t.

The turbulence within had become unbearable. The young lady at the church office reception (Miss Tolu Doherty) didn’t think it was such a good idea because the pastor was praying and preparing for an end-of-year all-night service for the following day.

Disappointed, I turned and walked towards the exit but just then, I heard the lady call out: “Pastor says you should come in." The experiences and circumstances leading up to that day are difficult to abridge, but here’s my effort.

Teens today face a host of challenges that were unimaginable to past generations, especially as the culture now even calls into question what it means to be male or female. But one Colorado evangelist is not deterred and is empowering tens of thousands of them with the Gospel.

"Henry David Thoreau said that 'for every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, one strikes at the root,'" Greg Stier, founder of Dare 2 Share, told The Christian Post. "What I tell people is that it really is a sin issue, and we need to attack that and the only thing that can attack that, just as in our lives, is the Gospel of Christ."

"And so if I meet somebody who is transgender, I share the Gospel. I don't deal with the transgender issue" right then, he said.

Stier believes Christians oftentimes "do it backwards" by dealing with and trying to fix the issues in trying to "win our culture back." But it can't be done through "polemic debate or through politics," he stressed.

Boko Haram Leader Resurfaces in Video, Says There Is No Room for Christians

Abubakar Shekau, leader of Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, has resurfaced in a new video, claiming responsibility for attacks on the army and declaring that there is no room for Christians to live with Muslims in the country as equals.

The terrorist group has been responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 people, including Muslims and Christians, since 2009 and has said in the past that it will seek to kill all Christians and blow up every church.

"My message is to Islamic clerics in Nigeria who despite their position are giving wrong interpretation to the Holy Koran; you are playing with hell fire. You have to be careful because Koran has divided mankind into three; some are believers, some are hypocrites and some are nonbelievers. There is no way we Muslims in mosques and Christians in churches and you think we can work together," Shekau says in his latest message, as reported by the Premium Times on Wednesday.

"This has never happened before even during the lifetime of all apostles of the prophet."

6 Reasons You Can't Ignore the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit authored the Scriptures.

Anything that we know about God and how to live with God comes from the Bible. We are thankful that the Holy Spirit authored the Scriptures through the pens of men!

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" – 2 Timothy 3:16

"...knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." – 2 Peter 1:20 – 21

2. The Holy Spirit exalts Jesus.

Any kind of work of the Spirit that puts more focus on "giftings," "expressions," and "fillings" than it does Jesus, you can be sure that work is not from the Holy Spirit. The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to exalt Jesus. The Spirit has come that we might be deeply impressed with the person of Jesus Christ and go away excited about His work.

"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." – John 15:26

(Photo: Facebook/End Times Disciples Ministries)Self-styled South African prophet Penuel Mnguni, 24 (l) feeds a snake to one of his congregants.

Controversial Pastor Penuel Mnguni of the End Times Disciples Ministries in South Africa reportedly admitted to Nigerian megachurch preacher T.B. Joshua that he misread the Bible in having his congregants eat live snakes back in 2015.

Mnguni claimed at the time that through the power of God true believers can eat anything. Photos emerged online showing the pastor feeding live snakes, rats, underwear and other things to congregants.

South Africa's Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities rose up against his practices, however, and he was arrested, before being released in 2016.

"A normal person cannot eat snakes — you must be spiritual. To show that God was with me, no one has died," he said at the time.

The Citizen reported on Sunday that Mnguni has asked T.B. Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations for deliverance, however, and explained how he came to misread the Bible.

The growth of the Christian faith in China continues its remarkable rise, with one pastor reporting as many as 100,000 new followers of Christ per year, despite the worsening human rights abuses and crackdown by communist authorities.

The Rev. Erik Burklin of China Partner, which trains Chinese Christian leaders, said that God is in the business of "changing lives" and "building His Church."

"Like Jesus said to Peter, 'On this rock I will build my church.' When He said that, He said, 'I will build my church.' Not, 'You Christians build my church,' but, 'I will,'" Burklin told Mission Network News.

He talked of surprising developments, such as a person with the central government donating close to $7.3 million for a new chapel at Union Theological Seminary in the city of Nanjing.

"I was just scratching my head, thinking to myself, 'How in the world is it possible that in China, where Communism still runs the country, a person in the Central Government would donate so that a local school — in this case, the national seminary in China — can finish constructing their chapel?' It's unbelievable," Burklin stated.

Two weeks after U.S. Soccer announced that both their men's and women's national teams will be wearing rainbow-colored jerseys in support of gay pride this month, Christian soccer player Jaelene Hinkle has withdrawn herself from the U.S. roster for two international friendlies billed for June., citing "personal reasons."

A release from U.S. Soccer said Hinkle, 24, who is a defender for the North Carolina Courage, was called into the national camp to play international friendlies against Sweden and Norway this month. She was not replaced on the roster after her withdrawal.

It is unclear if U.S. Soccer's celebration of gay pride this month is related to Hinkle's withdrawal but she wears her faith proudly on social media.

She proudly boasts Colossians 3:23 on Twitter which says: "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

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