Christianity
‘Michael Germi was born and raised in a Muslim family in Iran. He migrated to Australia in 2006 with a work and holiday visa. After three years living in Sydney, Michael was invited to church through his Christian friend. Michael didn’t accept his friend’s invitation as it would have been disrespectful to his own religion, but after his friend’s insistence, and a need for an Australian visa, he found excuses to attend a church.
When Michael walked in the church for the very first time in his life, he was so amazed and surprized to see how Christians worship with joy, singing and praising God. He was amazed to see the purity and integrity of Christians as contrasted with what he had heard about Christians back in his home country.
Michael was able to purchase a Bible and start reading it for the first time in his life. Reading the Bible, he realized that the Bible was not powerless and vain as other religious books. He acknowledged that there is the answer in it for life and it could change his life. The Bible was so precious to him that he read it for many hours each day. He was able to read through the Bible once in three weeks. The Bible was satisfying his soul and mind, but he was not sure how he could be sure of his eternal destiny, until he met Keith Piper, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in North Rocks who told Michael out of the Bible how he could be sure of going to heaven. Hearing the gospel, Michael acknowledged his sinfulness and realized that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of his sins. Michael received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour on the 29thAugust 2009 claiming Romans10:13 and John1:12 and everything changed in his life after that.
Michael surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus for ministry on the very first day of his salvation. The Lord started to lead and direct him and called him to study theology at SBBC (Sydney Bible Baptist College) to prepare for ministry. After four years studying hard, Michael was able to graduate from Bible College in 2014.
Currently, Michael serves at Liberty Baptist Church in North Rocks as a preacher and he ministers to Farsi speaking people in Sydney. During Pastor Piper’s Bible studies he interprets the lessons from English to Farsi so Farsi speaking people can understand and be edified. Michael has written two Christian books, “Learn Of Me” and “Sweeter Than Honey”. Michael’s vision is to preach the gospel to his own people and others in person as well as through media so that they can come to know Jesus as their Saviour and have eternal life.’ http://www.libertybaptistchurch.com.au/pastoral-team/michael-germi/
The Hope of the Christian is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the grave! This is One of the distinguishing factors that separates Christianity from all other religions.
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
‘The hope of the Christian is the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the rapture of living believers at His second coming. This is the primary theme of this epistle—especially verses 4:13–5:10. In fact, it is significant that this book, possibly the first of Paul’s epistles chronologically, is also the one with the largest number of specific references to Christ’s second coming.
If it were not for this hope, we would have no hope for the future. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ,” Paul said, “we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). When an unbeliever dies, he dies without hope. When a believer dies, he is simply “asleep,” as far as his body is concerned. At the same time, his soul and spirit go to be with the Lord until the resurrection day. Perhaps it is analogous to the state of dreaming, when the body is asleep in bed, while the person’s consciousness seems to be engaged in varied activities far from where the body is resting.
The Bible uses the term “sleep” to describe death only in the case of Christians—never for non-Christians (see John 11:11; etc.). There is genuine sorrow, of course, when a believer dies, but that sorrow is softened and sublimated by the “blessed hope” of Christ’s return (Titus 2:13). “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). The souls of those whose bodies are asleep have gone to be with the Lord and will return with the Lord when He returns. “The dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (vv. 16-17). HMM ‘ https://www.icr.org/article/11171
“The video of the arrest of street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi on Saturday 23rd February outside Southgate Tube station quickly went viral, causing outrage all over the world.
Oluowole was preaching on the streets as he often does. The police officers confront him and then arrest him for breaching the peace. However, it is clear from the video that there is no-one whose peace is being breached.” https://www.christianconcern.com/our-issues/freedom-of-speech/police-caught-out-by-street-preacher-evidence
