National Day of Prayer Outrage: Ravi Zacharias, Are You Ashamed of Jesus?

[billiefan2000]

National Day of Prayer Outrage: Ravi Zacharias, Are You Ashamed of Jesus?

I would encourage all of you who love and revere that Name above all names, Jesus Christ, to contact the National Day of Prayer headquarters in Colorado Springs.



Ask them why the 2008, honorary chairman of the National Day of Prayer



Dr. Ravi Zacharias


is refusing to pray in the dear name of our Savior?



Read Dr. Zacharias’ prayer here.



http://www.ndptf.org/story/Index.cfm?Entity=9&Department=9&Dept_Order=1&This_TopicOrder=19&This_SubtopicOrder=2#5



You can contact Dr. Zacharias’ ministry here to ask him where the name of Jesus is.




Either the Scriptures are correct, or they are a lie. There is no middle ground.





**Note** I just talked with a receptionist from the National Day of Prayer who told me that they did not include



the name of Jesus in that prayer so as not to offend the Jews who are involved in the event.




Contrast that betrayal of Jesus Christ with the attitude of the first martyr,



the Apostle Stephen


who died in a hail of stones for his fearless preaching to the Jews of Christ crucified.**

According to the truth of God’s Word, the entire counsel of God, we do not pray in “God’s Holy Name” to God the Father. We pray to God the Father in the name of His only Son, Jesus Christ, who alone provides us access to the Father.


It is an outrage that Dr. Zacharias is willing to capitulate to the un-Scriptural,



interfaith ecumenism of this politically correct event and discard the name of Jesus.


Shirley Dobson must give an answer to Christians around the world as to why the name of Jesus is absent from the prayer.


We are not here as Christians to appease those of false world religions.


We cannot come to God except through His Son’s righteous merits.

To pray as supposed “Christians” in any other way is both a farce and a mockery.


Others around the world are dying for that name.


In America, we don’t even want to breathe that name in public prayer because it might “offend” someone and ruin one’s celebrity evangelical career. Shame.





More on this shortly…

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

Dear Name, the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and Hiding Place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!

By Thee my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.

Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend,
O Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death!

–John Newton


http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=649

[billiefan2000]

http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=650


At the Name of Jesus…

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;


And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

–Philippians 2:10-11



http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=650

[Dave-BNBIH]

I have never had a 'right' perception of Zacharias and now I see why. It seems he has joined the club with Pat Robertson, Jack VanImpe, and others as being compromising.
Maranatha!

[billiefan2000]

If You Gain the Culture and Lose Your Soul…


Scripture

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

Luke 9:25-26


http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=651

[billiefan2000]

BTW like someone said on another site regarding this


Ravi, it is much smarter to heed Jesus' own following words from (Luke 9:26):

"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."

[Lynn]

thanks, Billiefan2000, for posting this. I have never been a big 'fan' of the National Day of Prayer for the simple fact that ecumenical events like this typically do water down truth, so what's the point in participating in something that isn't correct at the foundation to begin with? As Christians, we're supposed to pray without ceasing anyway, so why have a 'day' set aside for praying with a lot of unbelievers who don't have a true saving relationship with Jesus Christ? :scratch

[billiefan2000]

thanks, Billiefan2000, for posting this. I have never been a big 'fan' of the National Day of Prayer for the simple fact that ecumenical events like this typically do water down truth, so what's the point in participating in something that isn't correct at the foundation to begin with? As Christians, we're supposed to pray without ceasing anyway, so why have a 'day' set aside for praying with a lot of unbelievers who don't have a true saving relationship with Jesus Christ? :scratch

youre welcome Lynn

BTW

I too am not a big 'fan' of the National Day of Prayer for the same reasons

[kalanaka]

This bad feeling about him has been rising in my spirit for more than a year now. I used to very much enjoy listening to him, but lately he has said things that have made me cringe.

I have this gut feeling (it's only my opinion) that's headed down a path towards universalism. I pray that's not the case, but it would not surprise me in light of how many are starting to fall away.

It sadly appears to be a mass (no pun intended) exodus from Biblical teaching... :ohno

In Christ... :hat

[SumSam]

I think as believers we should email or call his ministry, and let him know what we think. The Bible tells us to admonish and build up each other in the right path, doesn't it? Perhaps Ravi may yet see the error of his ways and repent, if there is a strong clear message sent across.

I'm getting quite discouraged - keep hearing practically every month about a trusted pastor or teacher who turned out not quite sound.

[billiefan2000]

An Update

Calls and emails have been coming in today after I sent out this press release which I posted yesterday on Slice.


I want to summarize the issue and add some thoughts.



Dr. Ravi Zacharias is the 2008 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Committee.


That’s an official organization in Colorado Springs.


The National Day of Prayer was originally a Presidential proclamation calling on the people of the United States to pray for the nation.


The target of my press release was very specific.



The organization known as the National Day of Prayer Committee is headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of Dr. James Dobson


She is a Christian.



Christian leaders from around the country have routinely been a part of their promotion of the event.




So where’s the difficulty? Dr. Zacharias’ official prayer on the organization’s website, both in print and in audio form, carefully does not mention the name of Jesus Christ.



Instead, the phrase, “In God’s Holy Name, Amen” is substituted.



I learned that this was not an accidental slip, an oversight or a mistake.


I called the organization in Colorado Springs yesterday


and was told that the omission was deliberate so as not to offend Jewish participants at some of the events around the country.


Rather than limit their organizational thrust to strictly Christian observances of this particular day, the organization calls this a “Judeo-Christian” event.



Therein lies the crux of the controversy. In the last several years, Jewish groups have been complaining that the ‘religious right’ has hijacked the day and they claim they have been marginalized



I am not sure why these Jewish groups would not start their own National Day of Prayer organizations and observances,


but the net result is that Christians are becoming increasingly willing to participate in Jewish/Christian prayer services,


and now Dr. Zacharias is even willing to eliminate the name of the Savior to keep peace.




If Dobson and the National Day of Prayer leadership tries to go backwards now and only make this a Christian organization, fur will fly.


By not putting Christ first initially, they’ve created a real problem for themselves.




We simply cannot make Christ disposable to keep our political/financial platform firm.



My press release was not a wholesale attack on the idea of a day of prayer.



But the question must be asked, who are we praying to?



In a nation that is polytheistic, Christians shelving the name of their Savior to “not offend” is only adding to the spiritual confusion in our country.


Adding to the problem are decades of interfaith culture war activism that have created coalitions across religious lines.



While the thought of all social conservatives across religious lines working together to save America seemed like a good idea,


it is interesting to trace what has happened in the last 20 years of this kind of coalition building.


What has happened to the church and the Gospel, that is.




1.The evangelical church is openly accepting heresy that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.



For a man like Brian McLaren to be invited to and welcomed at a supposedly evangelical church like Willow Creek while denying hell,


the substitutionary atonement and the Second Coming of Christ is about as good of an example of this as exists.



The church is welcoming monstrous error into its midst and nobody seems to raise an eyebrow.




2. While there are claims of progress in holding back the radical homosexual political agenda in some states, and while some claim abortions are down,



ironically, moral corruption with the church itself makes headlines every week.


Pastors busted for porn, for child molestation, for abuse of every kind.


The ever worsening cultural filth in media pours into Christian homes today,




creating pastors and church members who are up to their necks in the world and the flesh and who have language that is so bad it would have been offensive to non-believers only a short time ago in our country.



Additionally, Christian schools have become repositories for the children from these same evangelical homes where the world has full sway.



Ask any Christian school principle or teacher what they have to deal with now that wouldn’t have been conceivable only a short while ago.





This is the church, folks.

So while Christian activists who care about America have admirably been out trying to damp down the eruptions of hell all over this country,



the church has been growing sicker by the moment, the resulting worthless, man-centered,



faux gospel has been substituted for the real thing, and our nation only continues downhill on greased skids. In other words, while evangelical leaders focused on electing the right

President and restoring Mayberry, USA, the enemy was walking boldly in the


door of our unprotected churches.



Ironically, the church is ending up looking as bad as the world as a result.




The bottom issue is that we can’t compromise the name and Gospel of Christ


so that we can still run interfaith political action committees to end temporal problems in this country.


I’m not against working against these evils and have, in fact, done so for many years in Christian information radio.



I also don’t believe in a doctrinal litmus test before you sign some guy’s petition against higher taxes or whatever.

We can work on public policy issues with those we don’t theologically agree with.


But we must never stop being outspoken representatives of Christ whatever we are doing.




If we work with Jewish people, Muslims, Mormons, etc. in the civil sphere,


we can’t allow that to impede our sharing the truth with them when given the opportunity.



We can’t put more value on their political influence than on their soul’s worth.


And we must not worship together or pray together with those who reject our Savior.


We must keep our Christian integrity.


We must be faithful.


Jesus must come first.


That is the point.



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