Rivals of Jesus Documentary

National Geographic showed a special on the Rivals of Jesus a few nights ago, a good documentary I thought on other 'teachers' and so-called Messiahs who existed during Jesus' time and shortly afterward. The similarities are SO close with a few of them that one could easily mistake the false Messiah for the true One! This was a great reminder that we as Christians need to absolutely know what the Bible says about the coming Messiah...or else we too will be deceived when the false Christ, or Antichrist, comes on the scene!

First on the scene was Appolonius, who lived in Jesus day. He was said to have a virgin birth also, and able to heal others. They said he even raised the dead. Though he had many followers, it did not exceed the number that Jesus had.

Simon the magician (Magus), who was mentioned in the bible, also had followers. People thought he had God's power working in him. He believed he was the messiah. He also mentioned a woman named Helena, a former harlot, whom he said shared in his messianic lordship, if I heard right. He tried to buy the spirit's power from the Apostles, as mentioned in the bible. They say that one day, in the midst of many people, he actually levitated. But while levitating, he fell and broke his leg, after which he was stoned to death. (They stated this act was in scripture, but I couldn't find it). People still worshiped him after his death. A statue was made of him, naming him the 'holy god'.

People also thought Augustus was divine because he created a great empire of peace & prosperity. People worshipped him and his political power. He was called god, son of god, lord and redeemer. Believers in Jesus were actually called 'atheists' during that time because they didn't call the emperor 'god'!

Simon Barcopa, who's name meant 'son of the star' was another. His 'campaign' was one of war, however, as he would always speak against Rome. He started to attack soldiers and was successful, he even defeated a whole legion of soldiers at one point and overcame them in Judea. He was seen as a 'better candidate' for the Messiah because of his 'victory' over Rome. He demanded that his followers deny Jesus! He called devout Jews to cut off their index finger to show their allegience to him! Coins were even made after him. But eventually, Rome overcame him and his followers, and also executed the Rabbis of Judea because of 'their' resistance against Rome.

Around 138AD Mythrus was being worshipped. He was said to have been born of a virgin on December 25, shared a last meal, resurrected and returned to earth. By 200AD, followers outnumbered Christians. Temples have been uncovered honoring him, usually depicting him riding a bull's back. Followers also took part in a 'communion' as well. Scholars say they are not sure which came first, the communion of Christians or that of Mythrus worship. They had an initiation in which they were blindfolded and hand-bound with rope. They cut the rope and unblinded the initiate, signifying freedom, gave him a crown to wear, which in turn he removed and said "my only allegiance is to Mythrus."
(It reminded me of when the elders would cast their crowns before God in Heaven.)

About 30 BCE came Isis, AKA queen of heaven, or mother of god who's roots were from an Egyptian god. This had no relation to Mary, at least in the beginning. In 200AD worship of Isis spread throughout the empire. It's followers wore white linen to signify purity, and even abstained from intercourse. Isis did NOT demand change of lifestyle in order to be a follower. Eventually, similarities from Mary and Isis began to take root and started to intertwine! Around 500AD, worship of Isis was banned, and it's temples were converted to Christian churches.

John the Baptist was actually considered a 'rival' as well, probably from the fact that he also baptized people apart from Jesus. From his followers came the Mandayans, a sect outside Christianity, that gained many members and deny Jesus as Lord. Information was suppressed about them for many years because it was considered destructive to the church.

Lastly, the Nag Hummadi Library revealed a rival version of Jesus in the Gnostic writings. A large minority followed this rival. It reveals a different version of who Jesus was: it said he laughed; he was more human; Mary was the most important follower of Jesus; in the 'book of Philip', it said Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene, and possibly married her. These scrolls were later burned cause they went against the church. The traditional version of the bible as we know it today eventually triumphed over Gnostics.

During the reign of Constantine, who had a vision to use the cross in his battles, he solidified the church as we know it. He determined which gospels were sacred, and made Christianity legal during that time. After him, Theodoseus made it mandatory to believe in Jesus. He outlawed all other religions. Eventually, all the other religious traditions are brought together as one, even Isis' date of birth (Dec. 25); The gnostic gospels were burned and most of it was lost, in favor of the gospels of Jesus.

Interviewed during the program: Kristi Barret Copeland, Tina Pippin, Marvin Meyer and others.

...

I know it was a very quick rundown but I think I got all of it down pretty well! I know that after reading something like this, our faith can be put to the test by wondering if our faith is sincerely true in the Jesus we believe in. Some might feel that Christianity was merely 'forced' over all other religious thought and simply won out! But we know that isn't true, especially in the day in which we live, where not Christianity, but beliefs such as Humanism, Relativism, and Darwinism is the 'religion' being forced upon us today!

Jesus Christ as we know in the Bible was unlike any of His rivals in that, his ministry was one of love and sacrifice, not resistance; he wasn't crucified because of his outright resistance against Rome; He did not perform miracles just for the sake of gain, nor for notoriety; we were told to NEVER make an image after him, even in the OT; He didn't 'rise in power' but took the form of a bondservant in submission to God; and the Spirit He gave when he left is great proof of our conversion, not merely an act of submission, but the Spirit creates real change in our lives, and empowers us to evangelize and stand against evil!

Hope Rivals in Jesus only deepens your faith in the true Messiah to come, Jesus Christ!

If anyone has anything to add/correct/comment on this article taken from the documentary, please feel free to chime in! Like I said, I think I got everything down fairly accurately but of course, I'm only human! =)

The 10 Effective Habits of Job Seekers

I found a great article from JOBS Magazine that I thought was worth posting for those who are not working at this time, like me! There really is alot we can do to maintain our job status as well as improve on our skills and knowledge in the meantime. ;)

10 Habits of Highly Effective Job Seekers in a Down Market
by Ford R. Myers President, Career Potential, LLC


1. Network, network, network! Continually increase your level of networking and keep expanding your contact database. Reach out to reestablish and nourish business and personal relationships. Stay connected and don’t isolate yourself! Being out of work doesn’t mean you have to be out of touch, so be sure to build and maintain your networking momentum.

2. Seek help. Get career support form a professional. Get help from either a qualified career coach, or take advantage of the support provided by government programs, nonprofit agencies, job search groups, college/alumni career centers, or faith-based missions for the unemployed.

3. Read career books and attend career seminars. Take advantage of learning opportunities to improve your job search and career mgmt skills. Stay plugged into the market and your field to ensure that you’ll be current, and to maintain your intellectual capital.

4. Leverage technology. Utilize web sites and online services to connect with your industry and to build greater visibility. Create a career web site, using tools like VisualCV and LinkedIn. Reach out through social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Learn how to use online tools like blogs, wikis, and virtual job fairs. Focus on optimizing your online identity.

5. Differentiate yourself. Position yourself as an expert by writing articles, giving presentations, or teaching a class. Get involved in professional organizations. Do something noteworthy in your community that will garner special recognition and build your positive reputation. Focus on what makes YOU special, and build your brand within your industry.

6. Use your time off wisely! Pursue professional development by participating in classes, seminars, certifications and industry conferences. Take advantage of free and low-cost programs to enhance your credentials. Do the important things that you never had time to do when your were working full-time!

7. Pursue a temporary, part-time, or contract position. Volunteer, provide pro bono work, take on a consulting contract, or complete an internship or apprenticeship. This tactic is especially useful for those who wish to pursue a career in a different industry. Keep yourself in the game so you won’t lose traction in your career growth.

8. Act with speed and urgency. Demonstrate your seriousness and determination by showing up earlier, arriving more prepared, and moving quickly and efficiently. Make an impression by being more responsive and assertive rather than passive.

9. Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise and get plenty of rest. You’ll need to be healthy and vital to maintain the pace of an active job search campaign. Stay in close touch with friends and family. Keep up with your interests, hobbies, activities and/or ministries. Maintain balance in your life, and don’t let the job search become all-consuming!

10. Be flexible and adaptable. Consider shifting industries and/or being geographically mobile to open-up more career possibilities, even if you would not ordinarily choose these options. Offer your skills to other industries rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity. Do whatever you need to do (within reason) to keep your career intact and earn a living. But NEVER lose sight of your career direction and long-term goals!

And allow me to just add one more step, if you will: Stay in constant prayer, asking for the Lord’s direction and guidance as you search for that open position. He is more than able to meet our needs and place us in the perfect position. Even in times of frustration, we can be assured that He is ‘working all things together for good, to those who trust in Him and are called according to His elect.’ But we’ve all been called to believe in Him, and He says when you do that, He will always look after you and provide for all your needs, in His timing and perfect knowledge! =)

Late night with the BreadRunners

Tonight was a nice, long night laying down some ideas for BreadRunners ministry, a logo I'm working on for a new ministry for CCV. It's actually my first design for CCV since I signed up so I'm pretty excited about this and looking forward to more! Sheesh, if I get anymore freelance work, I won't even have time for a real job! lol! Honestly, a few days ago I got another job for a few banner designs for one of my regular clients that I do side work for. And in a week or two, Mario of LivingStone Clothing wants me to do another Tee design, so I have plenty to keep me busy right now. For the time being, I have this logo and a few others on my plate. And for the first time in awhile actually, I feel like I have more focus with my design, thank God, I feel like I'm getting things more organized lately, which is good if I'm going to do this more.

So the logo above is just one of many ideas, I'd say about 10 in all. I'll probably post all my concepts on DeviantArt like usual when I have the final design done, cause when I post concepts, I like to point out the final design as well. I'll probably wrap this up early next week. I had alot of fun with this one! Hopefully Kristi and the rest of the staff critiquing it will find one they like!

The Branches Fellowship was wonderful as always! The Lord has really been speaking to my heart lately, esp. regarding what I'm going through. And everyone has been very supportive and I'm so thankful for their prayers and support! Manny told me that for next time, he wants me to either do the worship with him or lead worship, and I can't tell you how good that was to hear! I'm looking forward to that, as well as just getting together and fellowshipping with him as well. He's really made an impact on my life and encouraged me so much in the last few weeks. I've been learning just how important it is to stay in fellowship with others, as well as being a part of the body and using the gifts He's given us, so important to stay connected.

I'm gonna try to make at least one or two of the speakers tomorrow at the Prophecy Conference. It's literally all day long until night so there's plenty of time so we'll see! =)

Ready to be a Freelancer?

I came across this book at Barnes & Noble tonight while looking for a particular book which I did NOT find (Argg! It was a book I wanted to continue reading called Design Matters//LOGOS that I found a few nights ago. It's a book on logo designs, but it's actually so much more; it goes into how to prepare, plan, and the different types of logos for clients. It's a great book for the overall process that I want to buy this weekend.) Anyhow, I came across the above pictured book instead, which I thought might be great to read for myself, only because I've toyed with the thought of being a freelance designer many times. Well, after reading the first few pages, I realized that there are some things in my life that I need to work on improving, both in my personal life and design knowledge, in order for me to start truly freelancing, I mean Full-time.

But a few pages into the book, they have a great little self-evaluation which helps you understand yourself and your goals as a designer, but I wanted to post it here cause I thought, this would be a great self-evaluation for pretty much anyone wanting to evaluate where they are in life and get some focus! =)

From Freelance: Design in Practice

What is your picture of success?
Because so much is at stake, it’s crucial to take time to evaluate exactly what it is you want from your new life. Carefully answer the following questions. Use your answer to determine your short and long term life and business plans. Revisit them every six months to see if your work is keeping you on track toward your picture of success.

1. What are the five most important things in my life?
2. What are my greatest design strengths/skills?
3. What are my greatest business skills?
4. What are my greatest personal/people skills?
5. What talents do I have that are not being used now?
6. What specific things can I do with these skills to improve life for myself & others?
7. What sort of work has been the most satisfying for me in the past?
8. What sort of work has been the least satisfying?
9. How could I improve my skills?
10. How can I best allot my time to my friends, family, and myself?
11. If there were no restrictions on my time or finances, what would I do?
12. Which do I wish I had more of: time or money?
13. Are there things I really wish I were doing in my life?
14. What are the major roles I play in life?
15. Over the course of my lifetime, what are the most important goals for each of these roles?
16. How can I better match my personal values with my work?
17. Where do I want to be as a freelance designer in the next six months?
18. In two years?
19. In five years?
20. If I could change anything about my life, what would it be?

Hope this info might be valuable to someone other than myself! =)