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Pastor says it’s a spiritual war
Let’s do more than just talk Rave kare ka tuatua ua
Pastor says it’s a spiritual war
Fri
3 Feb
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Pastor Ngarima George.
10062815
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Pastor Ngarima George applauds Cook Islands National Youth Council president Nukutau Pokura’s intention to form a suicide task force, but believes it is vital that the panel include people who know the word of God.
The reason for that, he says, is we are “not fighting a physical war against suicide – it’s a spiritual war”.
He quoted Ephesians 6:10-18 (KJV), in which Paul wrote a letter to his church informing them to take up the armour of the Lord against the devil and his deception. George pointed to verse 12, which says that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
George is convinced that suicide is the culmination or end result of a battle with the devil.
He pointed out that John 10:10 says the devil comes to “steal, kill and destroy”.
“That’s his whole purpose – he comes to steal the best people. I believe God has a good plan for every life but Satan wants to steal that. He doesn’t want to see us succeed.
“His purpose is to steal good life.”
George says that those who are spiritually unstable are especially susceptible to the workings of the devil.
He says the only way to break the cycle – to end spiritual struggle and send away suicidal thoughts – is to pray and fast.
”The Bible says the only solution is to pray and fast to break that power. The battle is not physical.
“Only those who are spiritually filled can pray and discern the ruling spirit of a person, and break that power over that person in the name of Jesus.”
This, he says, is why it is important any suicide task force includes trained pastors and spiritual leaders.
George leaves today for Australia, where he will finish two more units of his Master’s in Theology – already he has a Bachelor of biblical studies, a Diploma in leadership and evangelism and the qualifications of a trained Christian counsellor – but says upon his return he is happy to be part of a suicide task force.
Let’s do more than just talk Rave kare ka tuatua ua
Fri
3 Feb
“But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves
Ei
aronga rave oki kotou i te tuatua nei, auraka ei aronga akarongo ua, i te
pikikaa ua anga ia kotou uaorai”–James/Iakobo 1:22
We are barely over our concern with crimes, road death tolls and domestic violence and now suicide is on the rise. Sure, it is nothing new but a deliberate precedence and foolishness that we have set for our own demise.
Are we not hearing, seeing and learning enough of what is going on in the world all around us? It’s the total and absolute denial and negligence of the Word of God – if we are to ‘nip any problem right in the bud’. That is the bottom line of it all.
Let’s not act dumb and pretend we do not know, or that it is not happening. The plain fact of the matter is, almost all nations who have thrown the All-Loving, All-Forgiving, All-Saving Christian God Jesus Christ out of the classrooms, out of the judiciary, out of any institution and nation is reaping what they have sown.
We are no exception in our little, tiny so-called paradise Cook Islands. As much as we love to rave, boast and profess that we are a religious and Christian country, are we really and truly that? Do we really think that God is smiling on us retailing alcohol in almost every little, tiny shop there is around the island? Is that not a problem?
Should our young people be blamed for their involvement in alcohol and drugs and other under-age activities?
As one of our senior JPs once asked in a court sitting involving alcohol and drug offences, “What about the suppliers?“
Do we really think that God would stoop down and call us wise at setting up bars in almost every sports club and entertaining area on this island in the name of sports? Who are the organisers involved? This was totally unheard, unseen and unknown of in the last 15 – 20 years.
Our fathers and mothers of old, some of whom are appointed patrons today, used to take their bush beer away from the sports and public entertaining areas. We are certainly not setting a good example for our outer islands sending young academics and potential sports youngsters to Rarotonga with the hope for them to excel.
If we as fellow Christians on Rarotonga in particular all believe in what the Word of God says: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34), how many of us would sincerely rise up to claim this righteousness of God and swear allegiance to this divine truth?
How many Christian shop owners selling alcohol would gladly care to surrender their licences for Jesus and our young generation’s sake? How many Christian sports clubs would stand up and remove bars from their venues for Jesus and our young rising stars’ sake? If all churchgoers of every church denomination in Rarotonga, church officers, government personnel and parents in particular would honestly come clean of alcohol to start off with, then there is certainly a glimmer of hope and success at reducing, avoiding if not totally eradicating the life-threatening crimes in our country. Finally, Job 28:28 declares, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil is understanding”. Fellow Christians, let’s remain as shining lights of Christ and not submarine Christians.
Bishop Tutai Pere
Apostolic Church
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