After going over facts given me concerning the authenticity of self proclaimed former Hezbollah soldier, Afshin Javid, I decided to do a follow up post on our fraudulent friend.
I learned from a source once close to Afshin, who also wrote his testimonial book, As Easy As Drinking Water, A Muslim Forgiven, that upon review of the allegations, Afshin Javid's testimonial documentary was removed from the the website "A Muslim Journey To Hope." If you're not familiar with the site, it features the testimonies of former Muslims and their conversions to Christ. This is where I first saw Afshin's testimony as many of you probably have as well.
Furthermore, the Truth Unlocked organization also featured Afshin's testimony in their DVD, only to have to go back and completely edit out several segments, discard their entire project stock and remake the DVDs.
Afshin's Pastoral credentials came from the Christian Ministers Association. This organization gives oversight to non-denominational churches. In a weak attempt to discipline Afshin when the scandal broke, the association requested Afshin remove his website and discontinue the sale of his book. When Afshin refused, they revoked his Pastoral credentials, but it's been reported, though not confirmed, that he's been reinstated as a Pastor at Vancouver Christian Fellowship Church.
Afshin is not only suspected and accused of inappropriate sexual behavior among his congregation, but also among his own children. Child and Family Services in Canada has been involved.
Despite the disgrace, blacklisting and more than 400 letters being sent around Canada to various congregations and Pastors warning them against Afshin, he continues to be invited and speak at various events all over the world. If adequately informed, the leaders of these congregations and those in charge of the venues will be held accountable for putting the Lord's flock in danger by inviting a wolf into the fold. This man is dangerous....a wolf in sheep's clothing. He has used a testimony to slip in among sheep to feed his own depraved appetite. As long as there are those willing to invite him in, he will not stop devouring the sheep for his own good and selfish pleasure.
God doesn't deal too kindly with those who prey on the weak. Afshin only needs to read the harsh and terrible example of the Amalekites.
Document links sent to me outlining the deception and lascivious allegations with apologies to the Church, the world and to Afshin himself from the co-founder of Afshin's ministry via Bene Diction Blogs
Afshin Javid has become famous for being a former Hezbollah member who converted to Christianity from Islam while in prison. If you're not familiar with his testimony you can watch it HERE.
I was contacted several months ago concerning Afshin about serious problems and allegations being leveled at him from co-founders of his Ministry I Am Thirsty, the ghost writer of his debut book "As Easy As Drinking Water", ministers and church leaders In Canada.
I, too, was enthralled with his testimony as millions have been. When we don't "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1) and just believe everything someone says, we can find ourselves in serious trouble, being stumbling blocks to others and leading many more into the mire as well.
Afshin has been accused of sexual and financial misconduct, severely twisting Scripture and lying about his testimony. He has yet to even respond to any of them. This is dangerous ground for Mr. Javid. If these accusations by Christians are not true, then it's paramount he come forward with proof and a defense. As of now, he's done neither.
As someone being in a sensitive position of reaching millions of Muslims for Christ; as someone whose testimony has gone around the world and is looked to as a leader, ignoring accusations like these will not do him any good, those he teaches any good and brings the way of Christ into disrepute, maligning His name .If he means to lead then he must either come out against these accusations or start repenting and come clean.
Do I want to believe these allegations? No. If they're true there will be chaos, devastation all around the world and implications concerning Islam and Christianity. The truth needs to be told, however for it's only in truth are we made free. If Afshin is a false teacher and prophet then he must be exposed to prevent further damage that could cost millions eternity. When we refuse to protect the flock, we're not only in deep sin, but accomplices to evil.
“First of all, I fully agree with the distribution
of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of
it, then I will appear before Jesus Christ and be with him for all
eternity.” In this statement, the prince demonstrates his awareness of
the fate in store for a martyr of the faith, according to Christian
doctrine. The television channel stated that Abdullah is a member of the royal family, and that he recently renounced his faith in Islam and became a Christian, without specifying which particular branch of Christianity he had chosen.
After stating his full name, the prince declared: “I will accept
whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me
towards the right path.”
Here's something that's not a secret: Islam is losing 6 million Muslims a year to Christianity. Islam is NOT the fastest growing religion. In fact, it's in serious decline. Christianity is sweeping through Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Am I surprised this supposedly secret book has been produced in light of the statistical facts that Muslims leaders and clerics are well aware of? Absolutely not.
Islam also claims the Bible, without this "secret Bible" predicts Muhammad's coming, which is embarrassing for those who claim this because it's glaringly obvious they pick and choose verses and run with it without taking them into context. As I've been saying for years, even while I was Muslim, the claims Islam makes about Scripture and Christianity is so stupid that I cringe and am embarrassed for them. This same Bible they claim predicts Muhammad they also claim is corrupt. This same Bible they claim to honor, they call corrupt. You can't honor, let alone believe, something that is "corrupt". They only honor it when it suits them or they think it backs their beliefs.
I can pull some Scriptures out as well and force them to back my own theories and ideals. That means absolutely nothing. But when taken as a whole, the Bible completely runs contrary to Islam and the Koran. This is why Muslims, who most don't even know the Koran because they don't speak or read Arabic, won't touch the Bible. They've been taught since birth that it's corrupt. When most Muslims do read the Bible, it's not the Bible they turn on, it's their own Koran and beliefs.
Whatever this "book" found is, they are dating it to be 1500 years old. If those dates are even correct, it's still not close to being old enough to challenge the earliest recorded manuscripts of the New Testament alone known to exist and securely dated to 2 AD. Some are believed to be older than that, but requires more testing.
This is how Islam had it's beginnings. "Secret" meetings between a single man in a cave between he and the angel Gabriel. Outside of Judaism and Christianity, every other religion, cult or sect has derived from a "secret" book being found, "secret" encounter between an individual and a spirit/angel or "secret" revelations/visions/voices and has led billions astray. Islam believes Jesus' second coming will be a secret and only a select few will know who He is and it will be up to them to announce Him. Another attempt to deceive the masses.
God can't do anything in the open anymore as He used to. No, He's resorted to doing everything in secret to a select, special few. That's a cult. That's deceit. That's not God.
Someone asked me once, after I converted: "How many people wrote the Koran?"
I said "One."
He then asked, "How many wrote the Bible?"
I replied "Many."
He said "Exactly."
I was dumbstruck and quite embarrassed for him. He truly believed that argument was valid and proved the Koran to be true. One witness as opposed to many? That wouldn't even stand in our own faulty courts let alone anywhere else. This is eternity we're talking about. This is no light matter. Should people believe one man who came out of a cave with "secret" revelations over a short period of time or 40 men over 1500 years who were not the only witnesses? Let's not forget the millions who witnessed God on the mountain with Moses and heard His voice (Exodus 19:16) or were led by the fiery cloud through the Red Sea. If one witnesses something, you take it with a grain of salt. If many, you believe what you're hearing to be true and accurate. Muhammad would, very well, be diagnosed as schizophrenic nowadays. Jesus cast demons out of people that exhibited the exact same symptoms as Muhammad.
Keep praying for the spread of the Gospel. God is doing a great work in Muslim nations.
But the Koran says there is no compulsion in religion...
"Nadarkhani was arrested in October 2009 and was tried and found guilty
of apostasy by a lower court in Gilan, a province in Rasht. He was then
given verbal notification of an impending death-by-hanging sentence."
"The court then gave Nadarkhani the opportunity to recant, as the law
requires a man to be given three chances to recant his beliefs and
return to Islam."
"His first option was to convert back to Islam. When he refused, he was
asked to declare Muhammad a prophet, and still he declined."
Pray for this Pastor and his family. His fate is ultimately up to God not a "prophet" (and I use that term loosely), government or religion. Whatever God so chooses will be meant for His glory and to bring about the salvation of many. Nadarkhani is standing strong because God keeps him standing. What Iran doesn't realize is Nadarkhani's already won because he loves not his life even to death for the sake of Christ (Revelations 12:11) and will lay it down for the Gospel. This act alone, whether he lives or dies, will bring about the spreading of the Gospel in Iran and beyond to a greater extent. It has always been this way and will continue to be. What this Pastor is doing now is an enormous part of what has always spread Christianity like wild fire. God bless him. The Lord will keep him strong for He is able to.
If you're unfamiliar with this new TLC reality show, camera crews follow five Muslim families around in Dearborn, MI as a means to show the American public Muslims are no different than the average American family. I beg to differ. Moving swiftly on! Sponsors now have pulled their money from the show following protests: Lowe's Home Improvement, Kayak.com, Bank of America Corp. and Sears Holdings Corp.
Youcef Nadarkhani, the Iranian Pastor facing execution in Iran, is standing firm and continues to refuse to renounce Christ and return to Islam while Iran's government continues to unabashedly contradict itself. In order to carry out an unjust execution against Nadarkhani, they came up with the lie that the Pastor was guilty of rape and zionism. Yet he's continually brought before the court and pressured to recant his Christianity and embrace Islam once again. Youcef Nadarkhani continually refuses...
The pastor of several home congregations in a small Christian community
called the Church of Iran, he has refused repeatedly to recant his
faith.
Last week, he spurned the court’s ultimatum to reject Christianity
during at least one of ritual three chances or face enforcement of his
penalty and restated his Christian beliefs instead.
His lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah is expecting a reversal of the sentence this Saturday from the Iranian Supreme Court. World leaders are calling for all charges and the December 2010 conviction of apostasy to be dropped against Youcef and that he be released from prison.
Keep praying for Youcef Nadarkhani! Pray also for his wife and kids. Remember all others who are also currently imprisoned for the Gospel. Prisoner Alert List
Pastor Tim Conway gives Biblical principals, advice and encouragement to Christians living in Muslim homes and offers help. From I'll Be Honest
Even in a nation like Saudi Arabia who boasts to not have any Christians, there is an underground church in Saudi Arabia. They, like so many other former Muslims in closed nations, are afraid to go public for fear of persecution, imprisonment or death. This video has sound advice to those believers where ever they are. If you're one of them, be encouraged. You're not alone. Stand firm, pray, and show the love of Christ even if it cost you your life. I, and so many others, are always praying for Christians in those nations and the underground church and we will continue to.
Iran's State Media (controlled by the government) is reporting that Youcef Nadarkhani isn't being executed for refusing to deny Christianity, but rather for rape. That's convenient. Right. And I'm the headless horseman. Yet the ACLJ found in Iranian Supreme Court documents...
"In a ruling from the Iranian Supreme Court, translated into English by
the ACLJ, Nadarkhani was sentenced to execution by hanging for, “turning
his back on Islam” and “converting Muslims to Christianity."
Please keep Youcef in your prayers. If God so chooses that he be put to death for the Gospel, then may God be with him and give him the strength and grace to glorify Christ until his last breath.
"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39
First, persecution is nothing new in Iran. Secondly, they can burn every single Bible in the middle east. It's not going to stop the spread of Christianity. They can monitor Internet usage, ban the internet and anything else they view as "western", but it won't stop it or slow it down even remotely.
Iranian officials should take a lesson from a long history of what Christian persecution does. God does the proselytizing Himself in closed nations. Christianity has always spread exponentially with persecution. "Strike the shepherd" and the sheep grow like Gremlins that have gotten wet. It's the only faith that ever has. Iranian officials are simply fanning the flames and everything they do will have the exact opposite effect. All this says is "God is doing some serious work in Iran".
Silly leaders. Thank you for shooting the Gospel like a cannon throughout your nation.
I fully agree the second coming is at hand and as we're instructed...
"stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:28
"A bootleg version from former Revolutionary Guards officer Reza Kahlili...a new film made by Ahmadinejad’s office that lays out the Iranian president’s scenario for how the end times will begin."
Ravi Zacharias is highly respected among Muslim scholars. He's one of the most sought after speakers not only in the West but even among Muslims in the Middle East.
Muslim conversion en mass is not western propaganda.
"Something is happening in the Middle East that the main stream media is not reporting, a Muslim conversion en mass to Christianity" Joel Rosenberg Fox News
From Al Jazeera...
Statistically 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity daily... almost 6 million every year throughout the Middle East and Africa. You can read more on this subject HERE
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" Matthew 24:14
Did you know that the underground church in Muslim countries is growing so rapidly that odds are (if you're a Muslim in the east) you know someone that you are convinced is a Muslim but is actually a Christian who's forced to hide it because of persecution? (In the pic is a small group of Iranian Christians who are former Muslims meeting secretly to study, encourage and pray for each other). Many governments and people of these closed nations have no idea the underground church even exists in its borders. Because Christianity is illegal and closed in these countries, God's doing the proselytizing Himself through dreams and visions which is responsible for many conversions.
Did you know that the underground church in China and North Korea is growing so rapidly that it's likely (if you're an atheist communist) that you know someone who you think is just like you but is really a Christian?
Did you know that the underground church is spreading so rapidly all over the Middle East and Africa that even people you work with may be the same people who spend their free time smuggling Bibles into the country. The same people you think you know and are sure are like you are the same ones copying the Bible in long hand a book at a time and giving it to others who also copy them and pass them along because Bibles are illegal.
Did you know in countries where "churches" are allowed (and a certain amount of Bibles are allowed but both are closely monitored and under the control of the government) most Christians don't even attend them? They have been forced underground because a vast majority have converted from Islam or Hinduism. This is especially true in countries like Iran, Iraq, India and Turkey. You may live in one of these countries and think "but we have churches here!" Ya and they face persecution all the time and most of those who attend have been raised Christian. But for those who are converting from Islam it's dangerous and they can't openly attend a church so they meet in homes or in remote areas like the desert, woods and even in caves.
Did you know persecution is on the rise in South America?
It's even true here in the States for Muslims. I attend services on Friday nights where the building is so packed with Muslims there's not even standing room. They freely come but they have to sneak away from their families and neighbors. It's interesting to see the reactions of some who run into their neighbors also attending. There's a tense silent agreement..."you don't tell on me and I won't tell on you." If you want a chair you gotta get there early. They come freely to hear the Gospel. Some bring pastries, tea and coffee from a local Middle Eastern bakery and everyone hangs out together afterwards for hours. Later they go home with their secret and return the next week.
"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." Matthew 24:9
"but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 24:13
Persecution does 2 things outwardly...it deepens the commitment of true Christians thus spreading it and forces the "religious Christians" to desert. It helps separate the wheat from the tares (weeds) and just like pulling weeds from a garden...the roots of the wheat now have room to spread their roots and the garden takes off.
This is happening all over the world. Persecution of Christians has picked up. Even in the States where we've been relatively free from serious persecution it's increasing and getting worse. Our own government is now calling Christians "terroritsts" and calling for a "Christian solution". Sound familiar? Ya they did that to the Jews in Germany.
Will we ever be tossed to lions in a stadium here? Who knows! Will they bring back burning Christians at the stake again? It's possible. Will we be thrown into prison for preaching, executed, raped, starved, beaten, beheaded, tortured etc? It's happening in many other countries so to think it'll never touch us in the States is unrealistic. It could. When I read and see news pictures of Christians being beheaded in Indonesia...Christians being raped, beaten, executed, imprisoned and tortured in the Middle East and Africa it's a sober reminder that though I'm in the States I'm not safe. The Bible gives very clear predictions how things will go from bad to worse for us everywhere even those who thought they were safe. During the last days it will become full blown and spread all over the world.
Historically Christians have been savagely persecuted by pagans, Catholics even Jews. Nowadays it's coming from the Muslims, Atheist Communists and Hindus. But we gotta remember Christianity is the only faith that has spread like wildfire under persecution. Persecution never stopped it. Like a fire spreads by wind so has Christianity under the severest opposition. When Christians are persecuted they don't cower and hide...they've always rejoiced in it and always picked up their witness under it. This has been a huge factor in it spreading. That is a huge testimony to God and His power and often times has led to the persecutors themselves repenting! Even today despite government efforts and persecution in China, North Korea, India, Indonesia, Eastern Europe, the entire Middle East and Africa, Christianity is spreading, the underground church is growing at a rapid rate and they can't stop it. When the underground church is growing under such conditions weeds don't take root.
If it hadn't been for severe persecution Christianity would have never spread throughout what is modern day Turkey thus pushing it to the West. We aren't to see it as a set back or be afraid of it...we're to be ready for it.When modern day theologians and prominent teachers were asked if we would ever see such harsh treatment here in the West...there basic answer was "Yes...it's coming". That's not their opinion...that's entirely biblical.
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
If we let our attitudes reflect our surroundings we're in sin and not doing what we're supposed to be doing. If we begin to lose virtue because of where we live then we need to pray that God will reverse it. We "counted the cost" (Luke 14:28) of being a Christian before coming one. We knew what we could face, what could happen and we knew it could cost us our lives. Never become complacentbut remain vigilant, self controlled and faithfuleven to death.
In the meantime, while we in the West are not facing persecution YET as harsh as those in the East we are to remember "those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Hebrews 13:3) pray for them daily, help them and their families where ever and however you can and take an example from them.
Video on Richard Wurmbrand founder of Voice of the Martyrs and writer of "Tortured for Christ" and former Jew who was severely tortured and beaten during his 14 years in solitary confinement in a Romanian prison after being convicted of preaching. He continued preaching in prison at every opportunity he got with the guards most of which were his torturers and many of them converted. His life and steadfastness in the faith in spite of continuous torture and beatings was the testimony that convinced some prison officials and led to their conversion. All of them also had to hide their faith. Once he was released he went right back to preaching on the streets where he was arrested again.
The video says "Armenia" that is a mistake. It was Romania...
Ravi Zacharias debates a Muslim. It's not a preplanned debate but something that happens on the spot. This is an amazing vid and something everyone should watch no matter what religion they follow. I gotta hand it to the Muslim...he wasn't afraid to debate someone like Ravi who is considered the greatest theologian and apologist of our time. He also wasn't afraid to hear the responses concerning Islam and Christianity he got from Ravi or to consider what was shown him. So many times Christians, Muslim, Jews whatever are afraid to hear the other side cuz whether they admit it or not they're actually afraid that their beliefs will be torn down or shaken. We can't be afraid of that! Someone told me that those people who went on to do amazing things in the world are those who had their beliefs and worldviews shaken violently
video fixed! I believe this debate took place at University of Michigan
Disclaimer: I do not condone the teaching of men by women nor am I trying to exercise authority over men by using this blog as a method of teaching men. All posts are for the edification of women. For more on what I believe concerning this issue please see:Women - No Dominion Over Men
"We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves". - David Platt
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