issue#1

Grace ‫النعمة‬ issue #1 - May ‘11

... the ultimate expression of God’s love.

Promises of a

Faithful God An encounter with

His Grace

‫و مقدمة عن‬

‫كتابه املقدس‬

The

Power

of Prayer

Welcome to the first issue of Grace Magazine! gracemagazine11@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/gracemagazine11

-

contents ‫محتويات‬ My Christianity ‫مسيحيتي‬ • ‫ رسالة املسيح‬.. ‫الخالص‬

Life with the Savior ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬

• Are you insecure?

• God Promises to answer prayers

6 8

Know your ‫إلهك‬God ‫اعرف‬

14

Know ‫كلمته‬ His Word ‫إعرف‬

18

• Grace

• ‫مقدمة عن الكتاب املقدس‬

God's people ‫شعب الله‬

22

Words of‫حكمة‬ Wisdom ‫كلمات‬

26

• Jonah: caught by the grace of God

• “and the Door was Shut.”

• ‫أيأخذ إنسان نارا ً يف حضنه وال تحرتق ثيابه؟‬

Beautiful Creation ‫خليقة جميلة‬

30

Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬

32

• Aurora

• Why Pray?

• Disappointment with God

Word of appreciation to all contributors...

Basma Bishay Bassem El Dabaa Carine Iskander Farah Hany Gihan Samir Hany Georges Jack Magdy Kareem Hatem Maggie Ashraf Zaki Mina Mourad Monica Adel Natalie Adel Sarah Wagdy Suzi Chawki Yasmine Alfred Youstina Daoud

Grace ‫النعمة‬ magazine

Dear Readers, By the precious grace of God, you are now holding in your hands the f irst issue of Grace Magazine. We are very grateful for having a chance to communicate God’s message to you and we truly hope that you enjoy reading this issue.

Grace Magazine seeks sending God’s message to all Christians. Our vision is to help you know God and catch a glimpse of His amazing, indescribable, and unfathomable grace. We are also very keen on evading any misconceptions about God. In the magazine, you will f ind articles on living with God, knowing His heart, understanding His word, and keeping company with Him. You will also f ind interesting facts about His creation and His people throughout history.

For any feedback, questions or recommendations, please contact us through our email or facebook page. We will be happy to hear from you and answer all your questions. Also, if you would like to join the editorial team, share with a story or even a prayer, contact us and we will feed you back. gracemagazine11@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/gracemagazine11

.. ‫القراء األعزاء‬ ً ‫بنعمة الرب انتم اآلن تقرأون أول عدد من مجلة النعمة ونحن سعداء جدا بهذه الفرصة لتوصيل‬ ‫ مجلة النعمة هدفها إرسال كلمة الله جلميع املسيحيني واملساعدة على‬.. ‫رسالة الله لكم‬ ً ‫أيضا حريصون‬ ً ‫جدا على تصحيح أي مفهوم خطأ‬ ‫ نحن‬..‫معرفة قلبه واختبار غنى نعمته الفائق‬ ‫ واحلفاظ‬،‫ فهم كلمته‬،‫ معرفة قلبه‬،‫ داخل املجلة مقاالت عن احلياة مع الله‬.‫عن شخص الله‬ ،‫ ألي مالحظات‬.. ‫ يوجد أيضا معلومات عن خليقته وشعبه على مر التاريخ‬.‫على الشركة معه‬ ‫ وسنكون سعداء أن نسمع‬.. ‫ يرجى مراسلتنا من خالل اإلمييل أو الفيسبوك‬،‫أسئلة أو اقتراحات‬ ً ‫أيضا اذا كنت ترغب في االنضمام إلى فريق التحرير أو‬.‫أسئلتكم‬ ‫منكم وجنيب على جميع‬ .‫ ارسل لنا و سوف نعلمك في أقرب وقت‬،‫املشاركة بقصتك أو حتى صالتك‬

Blessings from an amazing God, Grace Mag ‫مجلة النعمة‬

‫‪My Christianity‬‬ ‫مسيحيتي‬ ‫ملاذا نحتاج إلى اخلالص؟‬ ‫نحتاج إىل الخالص ألن العامل الذي نعيش فيه ملئ بالرش‪ ،‬وهذا الرش ليس فقط حولنا بل بداخلنا أيضاً ‪ ..‬فاإلنسان‬ ‫بطبيعته يخطئ ويأثم كل يوم ‪ ..‬وبسبب هذه الخطايا التي نفعلها نحن دامئاً نشعر بالذنب ونحس أننا نستحق‬ ‫دينونة وعقاب الله وليس نعمته وغفرانه‪ .‬ويف الحقيقة‪ ،‬لو كان الله ترك األمور عىل هذا لكان عادالً متاماً! ولكن‬ ‫هذا اإلله الذي نعبده من صفاته أيضاً الرحمة والنعمة‪ .‬وهذه الرحمة والنعمة هي التي منحت لنا الخالص ‪ ..‬فال‬ ‫نزال نستعبد للخطية أونشعر بالذنب تجاه أخطائنا ألن لنا خالص فيه‪.‬‬ ‫ما هي خطة اخلالص؟‬ ‫بدأت القصة بخطية آدم وحواء التي إنتقلت بحسب الطبيعة إىل سائر الجنس البرشي‪“ .. ‬من أجل ذلك كأمنا بإنسان‬ ‫واحد دخلت الخطية إىل العامل وبالخطية املوت وهكذا اجتاز املوت إىل جميع الناس إذ أخطأ الجميع‪ - ”.‬رومية ‪،12 :5‬‬ ‫وكانت النتيجة فساد طبيعة الجنس البرشي مبعرفته الخطية والرش وإنفصاله عن الله الذي هو ضد الخطية والرش ‪..‬‬ ‫وألن الله هو مصدر حياة اإلنسان‪ ،‬فـباالنفصال عن الله كان موت اإلنسان حتمياً ‪ ..‬لذلك نرى يف سفر التثنية تأكيد الله‬ ‫عىل أخذ تيس لذبيحة الخطية يف كل الذبائح التي كانت تُقدم ‪ ..‬ولكن بسبب محبة الله الفائقة لنا‪ ،‬مل يقبل انفصالنا‬ ‫وبعدنا عنه بل أرسل إبنه متجسدا ً إىل عاملنا ليعيش وميوت ويفدينا من الخطية (رومية ‪ .)٦:٦‬ومات يسوع بدالً ع ّنا‬ ‫واهباً لنا الخالص والحياة األبدية معه وبذلك الفداء بدأ عهدا ً جديدا ً مع خليقته‪.‬‬ ‫خالص يسوع ‪ ..‬النعمة التي لم يستحقها االنسان‬ ‫مبوت يسوع عىل الصليب أظهر الله قدر محبته لنا إذ أعطانا حب مل نكن نستحقه ‪ ..‬فبالصليب عرفنا معنى كلمة‬ ‫“النعمة”‪ ..‬النعمة التي تشفى جروحنا ومتحى آثامنا ‪ ..‬التي تسرت عيوبنا وتعدنا مبراحم وفرح مل نكن نحلم به أو‬ ‫نتمناه ‪ ..‬النعمة التي نحن فيها مقيمون‪ - .‬هذا ال يعني أننا أصبحنا معصومني من الخطية‪ ،‬فنحن ال نزال نخطئ‬ ‫ونضعف‪ ،‬ولكن بسبب الصليب نحن نؤمن بالغلبة عىل ضعفاتنا ‪ ..‬نؤمن بقبول الله لنا ‪ ..‬ونؤمن أنه إذ قدمنا توبة‬ ‫حقيقية وصادقة عن خطايانا فهو أمني وعادل حتى يغفر لنا خطايانا ويطهرنا من كل إثم (‪ 1‬يو ‪.)9: 1‬‬ ‫بإميانك تخلص ‪...‬‬ ‫الله ق ّدم لنا الخالص مبوت يسوع عىل الصليب‪ ،‬ولكن نحن ال نقبل الخالص إال عندما نؤمن بيسوع ابن الله‬ ‫الفادي واملخلص‪ .‬الله ال يريدنا أن نهلك بل يريدنا أن نتأكد من خالصنا‪ ،‬وال يريد لنا القلق أو الشك‪ ،‬فهو وضع‬ ‫خطة الخالص واضحة متاما يف الكتاب املقدس‪“ :‬آمن بالرب يسوع املسيح فتخلص” (أع ‪) 31 :16‬‬ ‫وبأعمالك تثبت إميانك‬ ‫اإلميان باملسيح عقيدة جوهرية لقبول الخالص‪ ،‬فكيف تنال الخالص وأنت ال تؤمن مبن قدمه؟!! وأيضاً كيف‬ ‫تؤمن مبن قدم الخالص وال تسلك بحسب ما أوصاك به ىف الكتاب املقدس؟!!‪ ‬فال يوجد إميان بدون إقتناع كامل‬ ‫مبا يقدمه هذا االميان من تعاليم ووصايا؛ فأعاملك هي االثبات إلميانك‪ .‬يقول الكتاب‪“ :‬أنت تؤمن أن الله واحد‪.‬‬ ‫حسنا تفعل‪ .‬والشياطني يؤمنون ويقشعرون!”(يع‪ .. )١٩ : ٢ ‬فهل بإميانها هذا تكون قد خلصت؟!‪ ‬‬ ‫“وليس بأحد غريه الخالص‪ .‬ألن ليس إسم آخر تحت السامء قد أعطي بني الناس به ينبغي أن نخلص‪ - ”.‬أع ‪١٢ : ٤‬‬ ‫‪6‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫اخلالص ‪..‬‬ ‫رسالة املسيح‬

‫الخالص هو االحساس بالحرية‪ ،‬هو التحرر‬ ‫من خطر أو موت أو معاناة ‪ ..‬وهو الهبة‬ ‫الغري مستحقة املنعم علينا بها من الله‪..‬‬ ‫“ألنكم بالنعمة مخلصون باالميان وذلك‬ ‫ليس منكم‪ .‬هو عطية الله‪ .‬ليس من أعامل‬ ‫يك ال يفتخر أحد ألننا نحن عمله مخلوقني‬ ‫يف املسيح يسوع ألعامل صالحة قد سبق‬ ‫الله فأعدها ليك نسلك فيها”‬ ‫ أفسس ‪10 - 8 :٢‬‬‫سوزي شوقي‬

‫أنواع اخلالص ‪ ..‬‬ ‫خالص جسدي‪ ،‬مثل تحرر بولس من السجن (يف‬ ‫‪.)١٩ : ١‬‬ ‫خالص روحي‪ ،‬مثلام أراد بولس أن يحرر السجان‬ ‫يف فيليبي مبعني إنقاذه لريبح الحياة األبدية‬ ‫(أعامل ‪.)٣٠ : ١٦‬‬ ‫من ماذا نخلص؟‬ ‫نحن املسيحيون لنا خالص من الغضب املستحق‬ ‫علينا من الخطية وهو املوت ‪( ..‬رومية ‪،8 : ٥‬‬ ‫‪ )٩‬و (‪١‬تس ‪ )٩ : ٥‬ألن أجرة الخطية هي موت‬ ‫ رومية ‪٢٣ : ٦‬‬‫من ُي َخ ِ ّلصنا؟‬ ‫الله وحده القادر أن ينزع الخطية ويخلصنا من‬ ‫عقابها (تيطس ‪.)٥ : ٣‬‬ ‫كيف ُي َخ ِ ّلص الله؟‬ ‫الله أنقذنا من خالل عمله عىل الصليب‪ ..‬أرسل‬ ‫إبنه لينجينا فامت عىل الصليب بدالً ع َّنا وقام‬ ‫واهباً لنا الخالص‪ ،‬ولكن نحن نخلص من خالل‬ ‫إمياننا بالرب يسوع املسيح (أع ‪.)١٢ : ٤‬‬ ‫كيف نقبل اخلالص؟‬ ‫أوالً‪ :‬باالميان بيسوع مبوته عىل الصليب وقيامته‬ ‫(يو ‪ )16 ،15: 3‬و (يو ‪.)25: 1١‬‬ ‫ثانياً‪ :‬املعمودية (مر ‪.)16 :16‬‬ ‫ثالثاً‪ :‬التوبة وتغيري الفكر من الخطية وتحويله‬ ‫للمسيح (أع ‪)١٩ : ٣‬‬

‫‪7‬‬

Life with the Savior ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬

Are you insecure?

What follows is not a sort of psychoanalysis; but merely a reflection on human behavior…

I admit; I have not seen a person who does not suffer insecurity one way or another. And by insecurity I do not mean fear, for fear is merely a natural reaction to threats on life or safety. Unlike fear, insecurity is not triggered by an external factor. It is rather this deep sensation that remains within the human heart from the day it starts beating. It is the constant need of hiding, changing, protecting oneself.

It is the permanent lack of more; love, attention, safety, approval, recognition. For so long I have felt and known this dreadful feeling of falling short.

by Farah Hany

8

This insecurity shows itself in different ways, so various and diverse that they are almost contradictory: a person too shy and a person too arrogant could not be more different still they both suffer from insecurity. Same applies for violence, drug use, abuse of others, workaholism and suicide: They are all trials in vain to fill the hole in the human soul crying from insecurity.

Sometimes insecurity seems to be completely justified: for those who lived in war times, revolutions, instability, earthquakes, etc... or those who were abandoned, abused, or orphaned by their parents: every one expects them to be insecure. But those who had a good childhood, a good job, good friends and remarkable success, are they secure? Are they exempted from this terrible feeling? Well, let’s see... If success, fame and money bring security or fill the emptiness of the heart, then how come we see movie stars doing drugs, how

come someone as glamorous as the French Italian singer Dalida would commit suicide leaving a note saying “life is unbearable”. I tell you, because of Insecurity. She fell short, she was empty, her life contained all what a woman could ever dream of and still she lacked…

Since the beginning of his existence, man has always tried to relate to something bigger and stronger than him. He depended on this “something” to grant him security and to assure him that his life on earth is not vain, is­­­­­ not meaningless or useless. That being that man has longed for, this unquestionable person who guarantees meaning to the very existence of man is God. And hence “Love (and longing) for the Creator is latent in all men”. 1 A true relation with God is the only way to overcome insecurity. The sincere knowledge of Him and his Grace enters the human heart and fills the holes of his being. Only God

1. MAUFROY Muriel, Rumi’s daughter, p. 23

9

Life with the Savior ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬ can satisfy the longings of your soul.

As a wise man once said, “In our lives there is a gap in God’s shape, no one but Him can fill it”. 2 That is why neither success nor human power nor anything from this world is big enough to fill the human soul and heal its insecurity.

Man is God made; he can only be secure, full and satisfied when related constantly to his maker. Just like a masterpiece that looses its meaning when disconnected from the artist that made it.

Feeling Insecure?

Like many others you can try to overcome this feeling by science, knowledge, success and power and try on your own in vain to fill your emptiness. Or, you could go to The One who said ” Whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water I will give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life giv3 ing water, and give him eternal life.” … He and only He can satisfy you and give you security.

2. ‫ رضا عديل‬.‫«يف حياة كل منا فراغ عيل صورة الله لن ميأله سواه» ق‬ 3. John4:14

10

John 15:1-11 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Promises of a Faithful

God

Jesus said, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorif ied in the Son.” - John 14:13

Zai Embare7 AMMIINN...

My Mom is an amazing woman; she used to FORCE me and my brother to pray with her every night. When we were young, she somehow convinced us that if we didn’t pray we won’t wake up the next morning; so seriously when I said she forced us I wasn’t exaggerating.

A Tradition...

Praying before bedtime became a tradition; I forgot its purpose and lost interest in it. I remember the second my mom would start praying I’d close my eyes and start counting sheep waiting for the glorious AMIN to incur. Years passed by and finally I got my own room. She had to pray 4

by Monica Adel days a week with my younger brother and the rest with me. In those four days I developed a way to say my own prayers; I knew if I didn’t pray I won’t wake up the next day... but still, I was too lazy to improvise fancy words every night. So I decided to pray only once every now and then,

11

Life with the Savior ‫املخلص‬ ‫احلياة مع‬ and for the rest of the days I would simply say: “Zai Embare7, Amin”. I would only change the prayer if I needed something badly, other than that it’s always “Zai embare7, Amin”. That routine was so efficient up until my mom heard me (Wa Kanat!). That’s when she decided to give me a reason for praying other than the fear of not seeing the light of the next day.

She mentioned one of God’s promises, and it goes like this: “When we persevere in prayer, God will answer our petitions (Luke 18:1-8)”, and I was like “pfff he knows what I need, it’s useless to pray for what I want”.

But then she made it all clear saying: God will not answer our prayers unless we ask Him (James 4:2). It is the asking that brings us the answer (Matt. 7:7-11). God does know all our needs (Matt. 6:8) but He has not promised to supply these needs based on His knowledge alone but based on our complete cooperation with Him by petitioning Him for our needs. “God’s giving is inseparably connected with our asking.” - Andrew Murray

that not one of the good promises the Lord my God gave me has failed.

Every promise has been fulfilled.

(Joshua 23:14). Yet, it took me a while to fully comprehend the power of prayer. Let’s say I had to be in need for a huge favor from the Man in the sky, and I had absolutely no other way but to keep asking and asking and asking and asking and asking and…

VOILA! My petition was answered. It worked once, coincidence? Maybe, but I decided to use this technique again to prove to myself that it’s actually working. So again I asked and asked and asked and asked and asked and… BOOM!! I loved this promise and I believed so much in the power of prayer; I believed that it’s stronger than any magical powers you can acquire in this life or any other life. Life was amazing; well up until my golden fish was flushed down the toilet but that was a very long time ago and I am over it, so… back to the power of prayer... One day I needed this other favor and I went and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed for FOUR long years, and…

SCORE!

The power of prayer I know with all my heart and soul

Some of you may wonder why should we pray? I say why SHOULDN’T we

12

pray? It’s a shame that we -the offspring- of the ALMIGHTY GOD would go ask a warm blooded being for help or prefer to express our desires to a mortal or complain about our miserable lives to another miserable creature. It doesn’t make any sense to have the magical lamp at the tips of your fingers and voluntarily choose NOT to rub it. Oh! And FYI our God grants you way way, WAY more than 3 wishes, tax free!!

What made me keep on praying and praying and praying for four years?

Well, I had this belief or better said, I had this positive outlook and faith that God has already answered my prayer the second I uttered it or even thought of it (Mark 11:24). Sometimes it may be a time when God must prepare the believer; the Bible teaches us that, “for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. 6:9).

God certainly has a proper season in which He will manifest the answer to certain prayers.

Why so important?

Why is this constant, persistent, sleepless, overcoming prayer so needful? BECAUSE THERE IS A DEVIL. He is cunning, he is mighty, he never

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

- Deuteronomy 7:9 rests, he is ever plotting the downfall of the child of God; and if the child of God relaxes in prayer, the devil will succeed in ensnaring him.

He is waiting for you to give up on God. Bottom line, Always pray with a Purpose. Remember! His Promises are real. Continuously develop a Petition. Believe in the Power of Prayer; it gives you magical powers. Be Positive and have faith that He listens to your wants and needs. Have Persistence and consistency; never give up on your heavenly Father, and last but definitely not least, Praise the Lord even if He didn’t grant you your earthly wishes, for no one knows his creation better than its Creator.

Oh and never tell your kids that they won’t wake up the next day if they didn’t pray, I was lucky things turned out right for me, but you don’t wanna know what happened with my brother.

13

Know your ‫إلهك‬God ‫اعرف‬

Grace “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

- Romans 8:38-39

14

There are some things that a human mind cannot grasp. Grace, I believe, is one of them! I cannot tell you how many times I’ve struggled with the idea of unconditional love. How can a person love another person completely, and without restriction? It just never sunk in. The def inition of grace has become so distorted in our world today, that it might as well be abolished from our vocabulary all together. The human being is, by definition, unable to accept God’s graceful perfection: that no matter what a person does, our God forgives, and He forgets.

by Basma Bishay I am a person who has been through many stages of ‘ungrace’if such a word even exists. I spent years and years of my life desperately trying to figure out how God can love me so much despite all the things that I do to hurt him. It wasn’t until very recently that my eyes were opened to the reason why. The human being is a being of sin. Think about it; you probably make tens and tens of mistakes every day, without even realizing that what you did was wrong.

People lie, cheat, curse, and hate; and these are just to name a few.

I personally admit to committing my fair share of sins that I just wish I could take back. But there came a point in my life when I just could not accept the Lord’s forgiveness. I

figured that if I couldn’t forgive myself, how could He- the most Holy of Holies- forgive me? The idea just wasn’t clear, and so I avoided it.

I remember when I was at school; there were a maximum number of detention slips that a student could receive, before he or she was completely expelled from the school.

You see, in our human world, a person is expected to earn everything that they receive. Detention slips and expulsions are just two examples of the punishments that humans give to humans. You grow up, and you can get fired from a job, or even banished from the country if you make a small, unintended mistake. I speak from experience, given that I was a troublemaker at

15

Know your ‫إلهك‬God ‫اعرف‬

school. You do good things, you’re awarded; you do bad things, you’re reprimanded. We were all therefore raised in a world where every action has a reaction. Right? Isn’t that what they taught us at school? Well I was surprised to be introduced to the term ‘grace’. Listen carefully as I give you my conclusion: We cannot earn God’s love; for if it were so, none of us would have had any hope at all! There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING that could separate us from the love of Christ Jesus our savior, “…

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. - Romans 5:8.

How much greater can His love for us be? “… Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” - Romans 5:9.

Now that, my friends, is what I call the beauty of grace. Thankfully, our God is not imperfect. His perfection can be experienced by each and every one of us, if we just gave him the chance. He loves us; that’s all there is to it. He died

16

“Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don’t deserve.”

to set us free, and this truth is all that we need to be set free. Grace is that the King of all the universe gave himself to the most wretched of creations that we, undeservedly, could be saved from the wrath of the day of judgment.

God’s grace is abundant and unfathomable to such limited minds as our own. But as we purify ourselves before him, we also have a duty towards our brothers and sisters all over the world. We, as small and tarnished as we are, have been appointed by God to introduce the word ‘grace’ to the whole of our ignorant world. By loving, forgiving, and forgetting, we must spread the hope. We must be so gracious to even our least desirable people, so “…that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven”. - Matthew 5:16. We are ambassadors! So lets get to work.

Se

eD...See D ev op

men

D F ct a

o

Se

e

ry

t

Plan

t y o

r

el

u

The Story of Love Bracelet / Key Chain Is an amazing tool that is always with you. It illustrates the whole bible story from the beginning to the end.

Carry it to remind yourself and others about the “Gospel Message” Twelve DISCIPLES

PAIN... CROSS... DEATH

Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, And I will make you fishers of men.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his own love toward us, In that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

RESURRECTION (STONE / HEAVEN)

Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

Mark 16:19 ... After he had spoken unto them, Was received up into heaven, And sat down at the right hand of God.

The MANGER

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, And laid him in a manger, Because there was no room for Them in the inn.

The STAR

THE

Matthew 2:9 ... And the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them Until it came and stopped over the place Where the child was

STORY OF

HOLY SPIRIT

JOSEPH obeying God

LOVE

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the spirit helps us in our Weaknesses We do not know what we ought To pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us With groans that words cannot express.

Matthew 1:24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, And did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, And took unto him his wife;

The ANGEL Came to MARY

Matthew 1:23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, And shall bring forth a son, And they shall Call his name Immanuel; Which is, being interpreted, God with us.

GOD’s LOVE

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever believes In him shall not perish but have eternal life

The THREE WISE MEN

Matthew 2:11 After they went into the house and saw the child With his mother Mary, they fell down and worshiped him.

Then they opened their treasure sacks and offered him gifts of Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

SEPARATION

EARTH was Created

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, And fall short of the glory of God;

SeeD Vision: “Serving others plant their SeeDs to see Development”

© SeeD Factory 2011

SeeD Other Services: * Full Branding Design * Ads Design * Website Design * Giveaways Place your order NOW Telephone: 02 2272 4765 Mobile: 018 55 99 591 Email: info@seedfactory-eg.com Address: 51 Moustafa el Nahaas, off Makram Ebeid - Nasr City - Cairo, Egypt

17

‫كلمته ‪Know‬‬ ‫‪His Word‬‬ ‫إعرف‬ ‫مالحظات‪:‬‬ ‫كانت رشيعة العهد القديم مخيفة ومرعبة استعفى‬ ‫الشعب أن تزاد لهم كلمة الثوراه (عربانيني ‪.. )12‬‬ ‫لكن العهد الجديد بدأ بكلمة طوىب ‪ -‬أي ياللسعادة‪.‬‬ ‫األسفار التاريخية‬ ‫العهد القدمي‬ ‫العهد القديم به ‪ 12‬سفر تاريخي يحتوون عىل تاريخ‬ ‫بني ارسائيل من وقت دخولهم أرض كنعان حتى‬ ‫السبي البابيل‪ ،‬مرورا ً بفرتات القضاة وامللوك وانقسام‬ ‫اململكة‪.‬‬ ‫وهذه االسفار هي‪ :‬يشوع‪ ،‬قضاة‪ ،‬راعوث‪ ،‬صموئيل‬ ‫أول‪،‬‬ ‫صموئيل ثاين‪ ،‬ملوك أول‪ ،‬ملوك ثاين‪ ،‬أخبار أيام أول‪،‬‬ ‫أخبار أيام ثاين‪ ،‬عزرا‪ ،‬نحميا‪ ،‬أستري‪.‬‬ ‫العهد اجلديد‬ ‫السفر التاريخي الوحيد املوجود بالعهد الجديد هو‬ ‫سفر أعامل الرسل الذي يحوي تاريخ بدأ الكنيسة‬ ‫من يوم صعود املسيح حتى وصول بولس الرسول اىل‬ ‫روما‪ .‬والشخصيات املحورية يف هذا السفر‪:‬‬ ‫ بطرس الرسول وكرازته للختان‬‫ بولس الرسول وكرازته لألمم ورحالته التبشريية‬‫لوقا الرسول كاتب انجيل لوقا و سفر أعامل الرسل‬ ‫ورفيق بولس الرسول يف رحلته األخرية‪.‬‬ ‫مالحظات‪:‬‬ ‫مل يختم سفر األعامل ختاماً عادياً كباقي األسفار بل‬ ‫بقى مفتوحاً إشارة أن عمل الرب يف الكنيسة ال يزال‬ ‫مستمرا ً إىل األبد‪.‬‬ ‫األسفار الشعرية والتعليمية‬ ‫العهد القدمي‬ ‫األسفار التعليمية “الحكمية” يف العهد القديم‬

‫صيغت شعرا ً ألن هذا كان اسلوب التعليم األمثل‬ ‫يف ذلك الوقت‪ .‬وهذه األسفار هي‪ :‬أيوب‪ ،‬مزامري‪،‬‬ ‫أمثال‪ ،‬جامعة‪ ،‬نشيد أنشاد‪.‬‬ ‫واشرتك يف كتابتها العديد من األنبياء وامللوك‬ ‫والحكامء مثل‪ :‬داود‪ ،‬سليامن‪ ،‬أيوب‪ ،‬أجور‪ ،‬الموئيل‪،‬‬ ‫آساف‪ ،‬هامان‪.‬‬ ‫وهي تحوي ملخص حياة االنسان وتجاربه الطويلة‬ ‫يف املعامالت مع الله والناس وتساؤالت حول قضايا‬ ‫األمل واملوت و حب الحكمة‪ ..‬وكيف نأخذ فائدة من‬ ‫كل ما نراه حولنا من أحداث‪.‬‬ ‫العهد اجلديد‬ ‫األسفار التعليمية للعهد الجديد هي الرسائل وكتبها‬ ‫بولس‪ ،‬بطرس‪ ،‬يهوذا‪ ،‬يعقوب‪ ،‬ويوحنا‪.‬‬ ‫وهذه الرسائل قد تكون إىل كنائس ليتابع مشاكل‬ ‫معينة مثل الرسالة إىل رومية ‪ -‬مشكلة التهود‪،‬‬ ‫الرسالة إىل كورنثوس ‪ -‬مشكلة التحزب والسلوك‬ ‫املعيب لبعض املؤمنني ومواهب الروح القدس‬ ‫‪ ..‬أو قد تكون ملدح إميان الكنيسة مثل رسالة‬ ‫أفسس‪ .‬كام يوجد بعض الرسائل موجهة ألشخاص‬ ‫مثل تيموثاوس‪ ،‬فليمون‪ ،‬تيطس‪ ،‬غايس‪ ،‬وكرييا‬ ‫وذلك لتدعيمهم يف الخدمة أو تزكية إميانهم أو‬ ‫لطلب يشء خاص ‪( ..‬مثل رسالة بولس إىل فليمون‬ ‫التي طلب فيها بولس من فليمون أن يصفح عن‬ ‫أنسيمس تلميذ بولس الذي كان عبدا ً لفليمون‬ ‫وهرب‪).‬‬ ‫مالحظات‪:‬‬ ‫لنستطيع أن نفهم األسفار التعليمية يجب أن نفرق‬ ‫األسلوب التي كتبت به‪ ،‬هل هو قصة قصرية شعرية‬ ‫أم كالم موجه إىل أشخاص أو كنائس‪ .‬كذلك أيضاً‬ ‫يجب فهم طرق املجتمع والحياة وقت كتابة الرسائل‬ ‫والعادات السائدة هناك‪.‬‬ ‫‪18‬‬

‫دراسة الكتاب املقدس‬

‫ليك نستطيع ان نفهم الكتاب املقدس سفرا ً سفرا ً بكل تفصيالته‪ ،‬نحتاج أوالً أن نراه رؤية شاملة‬ ‫عامة‪ .‬وهذا ما سنبدأ فيه من اآلن بعمل عرض رسيع ومقارنة ألسفار العهدين القديم والجديد‪.‬‬

‫هاين جورج‬

‫األساس‬ ‫العهد القدمي‬ ‫تأسس العهد القديم عىل أسفار موىس الخمسة وهي‬ ‫املعروفة بالثوراه‪ ،‬وهي‪ :‬تكوين‪ ،‬خروج‪ ،‬الويني‪ ،‬عدد‪،‬‬ ‫تثنية‪ .‬وهذه هي الرشيعة التي تسلمها موىس النبي‬ ‫من الله عىل جبل سيناء‪.‬‬

‫‪19‬‬

‫العهد اجلديد‬ ‫تأسس العهد الجديد عىل تعاليم الرب يسوع املسيح‬ ‫املوجودة يف البشائر األربعة‪ :‬متى‪ ،‬مرقس‪ ،‬لوقا‪،‬‬ ‫يوحنا‪ .‬وهي تحوي رشيعة العهد الجديد التي ألقاها‬ ‫يسوع يف املوعظة عىل الجبل‪.‬‬

‫كلمته ‪Know‬‬ ‫‪His Word‬‬ ‫إعرف‬ ‫أسفار األنبياء‬ ‫العهد القدمي‬ ‫كانت رسالة النبي يف العهد القديم هي دعوة‬ ‫الشعب للرجوع إىل الله بالتوبة وترك املظامل واآلثام‬ ‫ولفت أنظارهم اىل أن يأخذوا الدروس والعرب من‬ ‫األحداث املحيطة بهم من حروب أوبئة أو زالزل‪.‬‬ ‫ونستطيع أن نقسم أسفار األنبياء بعدة طرق‪:‬‬ ‫أ‪ .‬أنبياء كبار‪ :‬أشعياء‪ ،‬أرمياء‪ ،‬مرايث أرمياء‪ ،‬حزقيال‪،‬‬ ‫دانيال‬ ‫ب‪ .‬أنبياء صغار‪ :‬هوشع‪ ،‬يوئيل‪ ،‬عاموس‪ ،‬عوبيديا‪،‬‬ ‫يونان‪ ،‬ميخا‪ ،‬ناحوم‪ ،‬حبقوق‪ ،‬صفنيا‪ ،‬حجي‪ ،‬زكريا‪،‬‬ ‫مالخي‪.‬‬ ‫أ‪ .‬أنبياء ما قبل السبي‪ :‬معظم األنبياء‬ ‫ب‪ .‬أنبياء أثناء السبي‪ :‬حزقيال‪ ،‬دانيال‬ ‫ج‪ .‬أنبياء بعد السبي‪ :‬حجي‪ ،‬زكريا‪ ،‬مالخي‬ ‫أ‪ .‬أنبياء مملكة يهوذا‪ :‬أشعياء‪ ،‬أرمياء‪ ،‬يوئيل‪ ،‬عوبديا‪،‬‬ ‫ميخا‪ ،‬حبقوق‪ ،‬صفنيا‪ ،‬حجي‪ ،‬زكريا‪ ،‬مالخي‬ ‫ب‪ .‬أنبياء مملكة ارسائيل‪ :‬هوشع‪ ،‬عاموس‪ ،‬يونان‬ ‫العهد اجلديد‬ ‫السفر النبوي الوحيد يف العهد الجديد هو سفر رؤيا‬ ‫يوحنا الذي كتب أثناء نفيه إىل جزيرة بطمس‪ ،‬وفيه‬ ‫يستعرض كيف اضطهدت الكنيسة عىل مر العصور‬ ‫السابقة واملعارصة واملستقبلة لكنه يعطي رسالة‬ ‫رجاء وثقة تؤكد انتصار الخري وغلبة املسيح يف آخر‬ ‫األزمان‪.‬‬ ‫مالحظات‪:‬‬ ‫أحياناً تكون النبوة حلامً يراه النائم أو رؤيا‬ ‫يراها اإلنسان وهو مستيقظ أو تعليامً من خالل‬ ‫حادثة حصلت مثل وباء الجراد يف سفر يوئيل‬ ‫أو تكون حيلة النبي نفسه هي النبوة كحياة‬ ‫هوشع أو يونان النبي‪.‬‬

‫;‪• There are 66 books in the Bible‬‬ ‫‪39 in the old testament and 27 in‬‬ ‫‪the New Testament.‬‬ ‫‪• Shortest book in the Bible: 2 John‬‬ ‫‪• Longest book in the Bible: Psalms‬‬ ‫‪• There are 1189 chapters in the‬‬ ‫‪Bible 1189; 929 in the Old Testa‬‬‫‪ment and 260 in the New Testa‬‬‫‪ment.‬‬ ‫‪• Shortest chapter in the Bible:‬‬ ‫‪Psalm 117‬‬ ‫‪• Longest chapter in the Bible:‬‬ ‫‪Psalm 119‬‬ ‫‪• There are 31,173 verses in the‬‬ ‫‪Bible; 23,214 in the Old Testament‬‬ ‫‪and 7,959 in the New Testament.‬‬ ‫‪• Shortest verse in the Bible: John‬‬ ‫‪11:35‬‬ ‫‪• Longest verse in the Bible: Esther‬‬ ‫‪8:9‬‬ ‫‪• There are 773,692 words in the‬‬ ‫‪Bible; 592,439 in the Old Testa‬‬‫‪ment and 181,253 in the New Tes‬‬‫‪tament.‬‬ ‫‪• Number of times «God» is men‬‬‫‪tioned: 3,358‬‬ ‫‪• Number of times «Lord» is men‬‬‫‪tioned: 7,736‬‬ ‫‪• Longest Word in the Bible: «Ma‬‬‫‪hershalalhashbaz» in Isaiah 8:1‬‬

‫‪20‬‬

5 tips that will help you study your bible: 1. Meet the Author. Ever read a passage and did not understand a word?

Sounds familiar, huh? Well, you might need to ask the author for help! Open your heart to God and ask Him to give you understanding to His word. Let his Holy Spirit guide you while you read.

2. Interpret the word. Read the whole passage at first, then slow down and zoom in. Read verse by verse. Find the meaning behind the words. Underline the verses you find particularly meaningful to you. Circle repeated phrases.

Write cross section references. Search for the meanings of specific words and write them down.

3. Seek to know. Read Bible commentaries and background books that will help you understand the context of the passage. Ask your spiritual leader to help you. Always seek to understand and know more.

4. Recieve His message. Meditate on the word you read. Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are also very nice books for meditation along with the passage you’re reading. And after you have read the word, it’s time to stay quiet and wait for God to speak. Silence is the keyword here.

5. Record your insights. It is very useful to keep a journal along with your bible to write down your insights, thoughts and notes for future studying.

Include also your favorite verses, phrases and prayers. Your journal records your journey towards God and gathers strength that will help you through your daily spiritual life.

21

God's people ‫شعب الله‬

Jonah

caught by the grace of God.

Job a prophet from Galilee

Known for his story with the whale.

His story takes place from 780 B.C. to 760 B.C. Dominant nations at the time Assyria - Israel’s most dreaded enemy Famous quotes “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”

Key verses in his book “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” - Jonah 1:17 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.” - Jonah 3:10 Lessons learnt from his story Obedience, gratitude, compassion, God’s patience and grace, God’s accessibility to all people - regardless of their reputation or race.

by Yasmine Alfred

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The Story God calls Jonah to preach to the Ninevites about repenting their sins and turning to God, Jonah refuses to obey and tries to escape from God to Tarshish, Spain. On his way to Tarshish, a huge storm comes out and tosses the boat. The crew cast lots to determine who is the reason for the storm to happen and it falls on Jonah. The crew throws Jonah into the sea. A great fish swallows Jonah for three days.

Meanwhile, Jonah keeps praying and fasting, until the fish spits him out on a dry land. Jonah now obeys God and preaches to the Ninevites.

However, when the Ninevites repent, Jonah becomes displeased at the fact that God is so graceful and forgiving. God then uses a wind, a gourd and a worm to explain the lesson to Jonah.

Digging Deeper...

First of all, Jonah was a prophet and a prophet’s job is simply to send God’s messages to the people.

A prophet’s characteristics should include; wisdom, patience, obedience and love for God. Yet we still find the great prophet Jonah full

“Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. “ - Psalm 78:38

of fear, pride, anger and disobedience. Weird, huh?! And the fact that he thought when he escapes to another place God won’t reach him, is just strange! Like a child who closes his eyes thinking this way you can’t see him...

Are these the characteristics of a prophet? Do you think God only uses perfectly qualified people to His mission? Well, actually, “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.”

Second, God still forgave Jonah though he did not deserve forgiveness, but deserved to die in the sea. And this perfect, powerful and amazing God provided the great fish at just the right time to swallow Jonah, but kept him safe and sound in its guts... And just at the right time, this graceful God lets the fish spit Jonah out.

23

God's people ‫شعب الله‬ Our God is a GOD OF SECOND CHANCES. He is merciful, he is forgiving, he is graceful and he never gives up on a soul. Oh and Jonah wasn’t the only one who was forgiven here... Remember the Ninevites? After Jonah’s preaching, they fasted, prayed, and pleaded God for mercy. A great revival took place in this city, and God forgave their sins!

And last but not least, remember after Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh, when he built a shelter for himself outside the city? God prepared a gourd, and made it grow up over Jonah’s head, that it might be a shade to ease his grief and discomfort. But at the dawn of the next day God provided a worm to eat the plant until it withered. Then the sun beat upon Jonah’s head, that he fainted, and wished death for himself.

But the LORD answered him, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their

24

right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

What we sometimes cease to understand is that God’s mercy and salvation is for everyone, not just those we think deserve Him. We are not here to judge others, to say who deserves salvation and who does not.

We are here to send His message to the whole world. If God only accepts those who deserve him we’d be all going straight to hell, won’t we?

Our God is a graceful, loving God though we never deserve it. But as Paul said in Romans 5:20, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” No matter what you do, no matter how bad your sins are, no matter how much you disobeyed the mighty King of Kings, he’s got a whole bunch of blessings that He wants to shower you with. God never forgets that your name is carved on the palm of His hands.

You are so precious in His sight and He will never give up on your soul.

Ever.

Visit page 40 for a crossword on Jonah’s story!! and more...

since 1986

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25

25

Words of‫حكمة‬ Wisdom ‫كلمات‬

Parables of Jesus; The Ten Virgins

Jesus used this parable to explain what it means to await the King’s return with prudence.

Matthew 25:1-13 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

26

“And the Door was Shut.”

I was caught while reading this sentence in the parable of the ten virgins (the wise and foolish) “The Door was shut”. Ouch... This is serious. and scary... Could it be me, the one to whom the door gets shut?!

What did Jesus mean by telling this parable?!

by Sarah Wagdy While the ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom, they all slumbered and they all slept. The lamps that the wise carried were not any different than the lamps of the foolish and their willingness to enter the banquet of the bride and groom was just the same. What made the wise virgins advance over the foolish, was nothing but the jar of oil they had with them.

Symbols To start, let’s see what every item in this parable symbolises...

• The Bridegroom is Jesus Christ.

• The Banquet is His Kingdom in Heaven • The Ten Virgins refers to the church; the wise being true believers, the foolish untrue believers.

• The Lamp is often pictured in scripture as a symbol of the spirit of a person.

• The oil quite represents the Holy Spirit.

Point of Difference Now, what is it about “taking a jar of oil” that is so significant?

Why is the oil so important that those who did not have it were rejected by the bridegroom? I found trouble at first finding an answer to this question, and yet it is the most important; for it is the reason why the wise virgins were welcomed into the banquet, isn’t it?

The wise virgins had extra oil with them, but it was not in their lamps; it was in a separate jar. The extra oil came from an external source. They did not own it, they received it.

Ephesians 1:13 says that the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us that we receive upon Salvation. Now, if the oil is God’s gift to the virgins (i.e. it is free, and available), why didn’t the foolish enter the banquet? Exactly, because they were too lazy and careless. Philippians 2:12 says that we have to work out our salvation.

27

Words of‫حكمة‬ Wisdom ‫كلمات‬ “Work out” means bringing our salvation into a practical expression (i.e. accepting and taking that jar of oil along with our lamps). Oh, and by the way, this is something that you have to do on your own. – For clearly, you can’t go and buy your oil from anywhere else as the foolish tried to do.

Hardships?

We all live together in this world, it doesn’t matter the shape or color of our lamps, what matters is who has the oil inside of it, and who is getting prepared to meet the groom. Yes, there will be hardships. And all of us will face them; they all fell asleep, whether they were wise or foolish, didn’t they?

All of the bride’s virgins came to a time when their lamps were burning low. Burnout happens to all of us as we reach low points and times of crisis in our lives. There is nothing wrong with that. But it is how we respond to these challenges of our lives that seems to be the issue.

It is how we are prepared for them, whether we let them affect us and fade our light, or be sure that no matter what, we will rise above any wind that may come our way be-

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cause we are prepared to face it.

Those who were wise had seen the darkness coming. They had made previous preparation. They didn’t depend on the lamps “of their own spirit” but they made sure to obtain a spiritual supply outside of themselves... From an external source!

Practical Implication Now, practically speaking, how do I take that jar of oil along with my lamp? Simple. Very Simple. Know the groom. Be prepared to meet Him. Talk to Him. His Spirit is already available to you, INSIDE you. Just seek Him and you’ll find Him right there.

God gave each of us our own lamp, our own gift of life, and has blessed us by giving us His Holy Spirit. He wants us to join him in the end of times, and He warns us that the hour is coming in which the door will be closed. Jesus says that all we need to do is to give him priority and be prepared for this hour. He knows that the light might reach burning out, yet all He wants is for us to have that extra vessel of oil ready, the one we get from an external source... and we all know that this external source .. IS HIM :)

‫أيأخذ إنسان ً‬ ‫نارا‬ ‫في حضنه وال حتترق ثيابه؟‬ ‫يف أوقات كثريه عندما كانت تختلط يب األمور وأري نفيس يف حرية من أمري بسبب خطيه ال أستطيع أن أرفضها‬ ‫‪ ..‬أصيل كثريا لله يك يرفع عني هذه التجربه ‪ ..‬وأجد هذه اآليه امامي‪ :‬أيأخذ إنسان نارا ً يف حضنه وال تحرتق‬ ‫ثيابه؟ نعم‪ ،‬فأنا مسئوله إىل حد كبري عام وصلت إليه من تعلق بهذه الخطيه‪ ،‬لو كانت عن عمد أو عن جهل‪.‬‬ ‫‪I.N.‬‬ ‫يف الكتاب املقدس قصتان إلثنني من أوالد الله‪،‬‬ ‫أحدهم أدرك خطر الخطية واختار أن يهرب منها‪،‬‬ ‫واآلخر برغم قربه من قلب الله إال أنه ضعف مثلام‬ ‫نضعف نحن كثريا ً‪ .‬يوسف هرب بدالً من أن يحزن‬ ‫قلب خالقه قائالً‪“ :‬كيف أصنع هذا الرش العظيم‬ ‫وأخطئ إِىل الله؟” (تك ‪ .. )9:39‬أما داود فاستسلم‬ ‫للخطية وأخذ نار بثشبع يف حضنه ومل يقاوم شهوته‪.‬‬ ‫ولكن هل تتذكر ماذا كانت النتيجة؟ إحرتق هو‬ ‫وبثشبع وأوريا وكل شعب الله‪ 2( .‬صم ‪ .. )11‬فكَّر‬ ‫قليالً ‪ ..‬هل احتضانك للنار يحرق آخرين معك؟‬

‫وهذا هو املفهوم البسيط للجهاد أن أضع إراديت بني‬ ‫يدي إلهي الحنون ‪ ..‬وهو يرى دامئاً حبنا له ويسند‬ ‫ضعفنا بنعمته‪2( .‬كو ‪)12:9‬‬

‫نحن نعلم كمؤمنني أن النعمه تنقذنا وتحملنا يف‬ ‫أوقات كثرية نحو رفض الخطية ونخترب كثريا ً سلطان‬ ‫الله عليها‪ ،‬ولكن رسالته لنا كأوالده الذين يفهمون‬ ‫تحذيراته‪ ،‬أنه بالرغم من أن الخطية لن تسودنا‪،‬‬ ‫ألننا لسنا تحت الناموس بل تحت النعمة (رو‪،)14:6‬‬ ‫يجب علينا أن نأخذ القرار بأنفسنا برفض الخطية‬ ‫وقبول سلطان الله عليها ‪ ..‬فاذ نحن خليقة الله‬ ‫الكامله املتميزه باإلرادة كيف يتدخل الله يف إرادتنا؟‬

‫إلهي انت تعلم ضعفي وجهيل كم يكون ‪ ..‬فأنا يف‬ ‫أحيان كثرية أضع النريان يف حضني وال أعلم أنها نار‬ ‫إال عندما أشعر باحرتاقي وأملي وتعبي ‪ ..‬ولكنني‬ ‫اآلن أطلب معونتك يك تخلع عني هذه الثياب‬ ‫املحرتقه وتلبسني ثياب برك يامن مت من أجيل‬ ‫وألبستني ثياب خالصك ‪ ..‬و ليك تفتح عيني ألرى‬ ‫نار الخطيه وأفهم عواقبها ‪ ..‬عقِّلني ‪ ..‬فانت وحدك‬ ‫خالقي وتفهم فكري من بعيد ‪ ..‬أحبك يارب ياقويت‪.‬‬

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‫يف اوقات كثريه تسمعه عندما تجاهد ضد خطيه‬ ‫ما يقول‪ :‬ال استطيع حبيبي أن أقيم لعازر إال إذا‬ ‫دحرجت انت الحجر أوالً ‪ ..‬فارغب أوالً أن تبتعد‬ ‫عن النار ليك استطيع أن أمد يدي وأشفيك‪ .‬ولهذا يف‬ ‫أوقات كثرية كان يسأل رب املجد املريض‪ :‬هل تريد‬ ‫ان تربأ؟ (يو ‪)6 : 5‬‬

Beautiful Creation ‫خليقة جميلة‬

Aurora What amazes people all around the world are the things that are not yet fully discovered. That’s why it amazes people, because if you know everything about a certain phenomenon it won’t be amazing anymore. That’s what struck me when I f irst thought about Aurora.

When studying environmental history, you discover many phenomena that could keep your eyes wide open and keep you awake all night just thinking about how... and what... and then how again! This is the beauty of our cosmos.

by Kareem Hatem Aurora… a beautiful striking of light shown in the Northern and Southern skies near the earth’s magnetic fields. They are most visible in the Antarctica or in the North Pole.

Aurora happens as a result of the sun’s exploded gases drifting in

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thousands of kilometers per hour that it takes about 2 days to reach Earth. This massive speed creates a comet like figure of the gas cloud ejected from the sun, that scientists call “Coronal Mass Ejection”. The Coronal Mass Ejection collides with the Earths outer atmosphere, the

“... He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.” Isaiah 42:5

Ionosphere. The strike with the gas cloud ejected by the sun’s exploding activity then produces complex changes to the magnetic field around the Earth. These changes generate currents of charged particles, which then flow along lines of magnetic force into the Polar Regions. These particles are boosted in energy in the Earth’s Ionosphere, collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, and produce the dazzling Aurora light.

In northern latitudes, the phenomenon is called aurora borealis, named by the French scientist Gassendi in the 17th century, after the Roman

goddess of Dawn “Aurora” and the greek name of the northern wind “Boreas”. In southern latitudes, however, it is called aurora australis which is latin for “of the South”.

Aurora still amazes scientists as they do not fully understand the mechanism of the cosmos or the solar system. Carl Sagan, american astronomer and cosmologist, describes this ignorance of the cosmos as the brilliance of nature and the beauty of the universe.

Question to think about: For what reason do you think God created such astounding creation?

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Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬

Keep Company with God,

Pray!

Prayer is the deepest longing of our human hearts. Something inside us always wants to express joy and give thanks when a beautiful thing happens, or ask for help in times of trouble. We strive to seek this invisible world of power and either be grateful or in need of help.

We, Christians, know that our good gracious Father, has given us the privilege to communicate with Him whenever we want. We can talk to Him about anything that concerns us, express our desires and passions, ask Him for strength, forgiveness, love, wisdom, or prosperity. He showers us with blessings unceasingly. And so we thank Him, praise Him, glorify Him, and love Him. He delights in every moment we spend in His presence.

God knocks so gently on our hearts and whenever we wish to open the door, and let Him come in, He promises to give us all the desires of our hearts. (1John 5:14-15) He longs so much for us, just as our souls ”Ask and it will be given to you; long for Him, sometimes without seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. us even realizing. C.S. Lewis said, For everyone who asks receives; “If we f ind ourselves with a desire he who seeks finds; and to him that nothing in this world can satwho knocks, the door will be isfy, the most probable explanaopened. Which of you, if his son tion is that we were made for anasks for bread, will give him a other world.” If you f ind yourself stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will seeking joy in earthly pleasures, give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to and none of them can fully satgive good gifts to your children, isfy you, it is because you were how much more will your Father made for God. And only Him can in heaven give good gifts to those f ill your heart with true, everlastwho ask him!” ing joy. (John 15:11) - Matthew 7:7-11 32

“Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.“ - Malachi 3:10

Why pray?

Why pray?! Other than the fact that you were made for God and by praying you are simply fulf illing the purpose of your life - prayer is the only way you will get to know Him who created you. Prayer clarif ies your perspectives and delivers you from temptation. Prayer is your only source of strength and victory... because you are praying to Him, the almighty powerful God, who holds the whole world in the palm of His hands, who rebukes a storming wind and it becomes calm.

Through prayer, you communicate with God, you involve Him in what you do or how you feel... He listens even to the deep sighs of your soul, and responds to every single word you utter to Him. Our God is an amazing God! He is the One who puts the stars in place and teaches the sun how to shine! He is the God who created the Heavens and the Earth and all that comes out of it. And He calls you by name, to come have a decent conversation with Him. Will you reject Him? 33

Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬

Disappointment with God There comes these moments in life where we feel absolutely alone, no one is beside us. And we usually tend to do things that we really do not want, just to see if anyone cares to respond. Then things get so complicated, and we realise we are not as happy as we thought we would be and we start to regret what we have done.

After that, the famous list of doubts and blames to God starts showering down on our scarred, shameful heart.

by Maggie Ashraf Zaki Too many questions We just get so disappointed from God. How could He let all this happen?

Isn’t He good, like all the time? Why is there hatred, diseases, deaths, persecution and with all the things happening nowadays in Egypt and people just get away with the horrible things they do unpunished and left loose?

Why doesn’t God feel what we are going through? Why does He not give us some sort of signs that guide us if what we are about to do will be in our favour or not? Why isn’t He here? We just keep wondering, for so long, if He’s there in these trials we are going through. We often ask Him to show us His plan, because our eyes are just tired of crying and our hearts are just fed up from doubting.

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“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.” - Romans 8:26-28 (The Message)

We always listen people saying this verse that we memorised ever since we were little and people just keep saying on and on .. "And we know that in all things God works for the Good of those who love Him”, Romans 8:28. But we just cannot see that, can we? So we ask God to help us, meanwhile we keep trying to fix things on our own, we keep fighting until the last blood drop we have. Until this moment comes where we are tired of everything and just give it all up to God, and that is exactly where God steps in to save the days we have let pass with no good use.

An Answer?

We usually ask for strength, wisdom, prosperity, courage, love and favours from God. Yet, God’s ways of answering can be a little different of what we have planned ahead. He gives us difficulties to make us strong, problems to solve and get wiser, brain and energy everyday to reach prosperity, dangers to overcome our fears to get more courageous, troubled people to know how to love unconditionally, and opportunities instead of favours. At the end of the day we realise that we received absolutely nothing that we wanted, but we have received exactly everything that we needed.‬‬ God never changes...

Remember when the people of Egypt wanted to escape from the pharaoh’s injustice? They kept running, until they reached the sea. They had one of two choices, surrender or die. Then God did the unexpected, He made a way THROUGH the sea to save them, only to keep His promise. It is true, from our darkest trials, come our best blessings from God. God loves us, trust the LORD, because we know that in all things God works for the Good of those who love Him.‬‬‬

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Keeping Company ‫العالقة مع الله‬ O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. - Psalm 139:1-6

d I ask You to take an ..

Dear God, s. ed ne t es ep y You my de I come to You in your powerful, almighty hands. Onlknow away my pain withod. Only You search my heart and when know my truth, G my hurt. Only You know me even when every detail about ho I am, and Only you believe in meYou can I’m not sure of w bts me. My God, I believe that only of Your everyone else dou pieces of my life together... A touch Touch put all the broken ings new, and ugly things beautiful. precious hands makes old th Protect me. Keep me safe in Your elter. I me, LORD. Hold me. You are my father and my only sh I miss arms. Hold me, for like a little child in my father’s arms. ing! miss being carried miss not having to worry about a th nd it still being pampered. I as my job to take care of things! A ory Because it never w mind me ya rab because my mem ur isn’t... It’s yours! Reou, because nothing ever changes yoecious fails me. I thank Y will ever separate me from Your pr heart. and nothing precious love.

Yours truly, Me.

36

‫كتير أوي يارب بتوه عنك و أتعامل علي‬ ‫انك مش موجود‪ ،‬و بتعب اوي علشان‬ ‫ببص لدراعي علي انه هو اللي هيخرجني‬ ‫من اللي انا فيه و امشي وراه و هو اللي‬ ‫بيتعبني اكتر‬ ‫و اسأل‪ :‬هو ايه العمل؟؟!! و اسرح و‬ ‫ادور علي حاجه غير اني ارجعلك و اطلب‬ ‫منك ‪ ،‬علشان مطلعش غلطان في‬ ‫اختياري األول‪.‬‬ ‫بس لألسف انا اللي غلطان ملا بعتمد علي‬ ‫نفسي و علي دراعي‬ ‫و حتي ملا بنجح في مرة‪ :‬ما هو انت اللي‬ ‫خلقتني و اديتني عقلي و دراعي‬ ‫يبقي انت بردة اللي حليتها املره دي‪.‬‬ ‫يارب ‪ ،‬ثبتني فيك و خليني داميا ابص‬ ‫عليك داميا مش علي نفسي او اي حد‬ ‫تاني‪.‬‬ ‫انت ضابط الكل و اللي في ايدك‬ ‫مفاتيح كل حاجه‪ ،‬حتي لو انا فاكر إنها‬ ‫معايا‪.‬‬

‫الله خالق الطبيعة‬ ‫يا‬ ‫اجلبال واألشجار‬ ‫البحار والشعب‬ ‫ليها شكل مختلف‬ ‫ل حاجة في خلقتك‬ ‫ك‬ ‫شجرتني ذي بعض‪،‬‬ ‫مفيش‬ ‫مكتني ذي بعض‪،‬‬ ‫مفيش س‬ ‫كمان مفيش زيي‪.‬‬ ‫أنا‬ ‫كتر واحد عرفني‪.‬‬ ‫بس إنت أ‬ ‫ارف أنا بشتغل ازاي‬ ‫وع‬ ‫ي يا رب أعيش ازاي‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ول‬ ‫ق‬ ‫على كالمك لي‪.‬‬ ‫ي يا رب اني أمشي‬ ‫وساعدن‬

‫‪Lord, grant that I may seek‬‬ ‫‪rather to comfort than to be‬‬ ‫‪comforted; to understand than‬‬ ‫;‪to be understood‬‬ ‫;‪to love than to be loved‬‬ ‫‪ for it is by forgetting self that‬‬ ‫‪one f inds; it is by forgiving that‬‬ ‫;‪one is forgiven‬‬ ‫‪it is by dying that one awakens‬‬ ‫‪to eternal life.‬‬ ‫‪Amen.‬‬ ‫‪- St. Francis of Assisi‬‬ ‫‪“Prayer does not fit us for the greater‬‬ ‫”‪work; prayer is the greater work.‬‬ ‫‪- Oswald Chambers‬‬

‫‪37‬‬

Book Review Quo Vadis is a historical fiction novel set in the first century Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Nero. It revolves around the love story of a Christian hostage Lygia who wins the affection of the Roman patrician Marcus Vinicius during the time of intense Christian persecution. Through the pursuit of Lygia, Marcus comes to reject his former worldly lusts and violence and to accept the love of Christ in his life. The couple faces many dangers but they are helped by the Christian community led by St. Paul and St. Peter in Rome, who endure many trials under Nero’s persecution.

This is a wonderful story showing how Christian love can transform even the most hardened individuals. It is set against a rich, historically accurate background that contrasts Christian purity and kindness with the world’s extravagance and licentiousness, as well as telling inpirational accounts of martyrdom.

by Carine Iskander

What’s on your playlist?

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Wedding & event planner We CREATE the day, so you can CELEBRATE every moment

Sandra

012 350 1976 - sandra.assaad@gmail.com

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Across: 1. Regret 2. Ate my food 3. Rage 4. Son of Amittai 5. The Fruit 6. Jesus on the Cross 7. The Escape

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Brain Teasers • A girl, a boy, and a dog start walking down a road. They start at the same time, from the same point, in the same direction. The boy walks at 5 km/h, the girl at 6 km/h. The dog runs from boy to girl and back again with a constant speed of 10 km/h. The dog does not slow down on the turn.

How far does the dog travel in 1 hour?

• You need to boil eggs for exactly 9 minutes, or else the visiting Duchess will complain, and you will lose your job as head chef. But you have only 2 Hourglasses, one measures 7-minutes, and the other measures 4-minutes.

How can you correctly measure 9 minutes?

• 10 km • Put the eggs on to boil and start both hourglasses running. When the 4-minute one runs out, turn it over immediately so it starts counting 4-minutes again. When the 7-minute one runs out, turn it over so it starts counting again.

The moment the 4-minute one runs out for the second time, turn the 7-minute hourglass over - it will have only been running exactly one minute. Let the sand run back again (1 minute more) and then take the eggs off straight away, because they will have boiled for 9 minutes.

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Sudoku; easy, medium, hard

Giant Sudoku

send your answers at: gracemagazine11@gmail.com

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‫!‪and more‬‬

‫?‪Did you know‬‬

‫‪• All the blinking in one day equates to having your eyes closed‬‬ ‫‪for 30 minutes.‬‬ ‫‪• Your tongue is the fastest healing part of your body.‬‬ ‫‪• Over 1,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.‬‬ ‫‪• Dolphins sleep with one eye open.‬‬ ‫‪• Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to watch TV for‬‬ ‫‪three hours.‬‬ ‫‪• A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue.‬‬ ‫‪• Apples are more effective at waking you up in the morning than coffee.‬‬ ‫‪• Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.‬‬

‫‪Recipe‬‬

‫‪Crème brûlée‬‬

‫الكرمي بروليه‬ ‫‪ 1‬بيضة‬ ‫‪ 1‬صفار بيضة‬ ‫‪ 3‬ملعقة كبرية سكر‬ ‫‪ 2‬باكو فانيليا‬ ‫‪ 1 2/1‬كوب كرمية مخفوقة‬ ‫ •‬ ‫ •‬ ‫ •‬ ‫ •‬

‫يف إناء متوسط‪ ،‬اخفقي البيض وصفار البيض والسكر‬ ‫والفانيليا بإستخدام املرضب الكهريب ‪ ..‬استمري يف‬ ‫الخفق حتى تحصلني عىل خليط كرميي كثيف القوام‪.‬‬ ‫يف إناء آخر‪ ،‬سخني الكرمية الفريش عىل نار متوسطة‬ ‫حتى تظهر فقاقيع صغرية عىل جوانب اإلناء ‪ ..‬ارفعي‬ ‫اإلناء من عىل النار‪ ،‬ال ترتكيها تصل إىل الغليان‪.‬‬ ‫أضيفي الكرمية الساخنة ببطء إىل خليط البيض مع‬ ‫اإلستمرار يف الخفق ‪ ..‬أزييل أي رغاوي تظهر عىل‬ ‫السطح‪.‬‬ ‫وزعي الخليط عىل قوالب بورسلني متوسطة الحجم‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫ريص القوالب يف صينية بها ماء مغيل‪.‬‬

‫ •‬ ‫ •‬ ‫ •‬

‫ •‬

‫ادخيل الصينية الفرن عىل درجة حرارة ‪ 180‬ملدة من‬ ‫‪ 25‬إىل ‪ 30‬دقيقة أو حتى يتامسك الكريم بروليه‪.‬‬ ‫اخرجي الصينية من الفرن‪ ..‬اتركيها جانباً تربد قليالً‪ ،‬ثم‬ ‫غطي القوالب بأكياس بالستيك‪ ،‬وادخليها الثالجة ملدة‬ ‫ساعة عىل األقل‪.‬‬ ‫قبل التقديم‪ ،‬سخنى شواية الفرن ‪ ..‬انرثي طبقة رقيقة‬ ‫من السكر عىل وجه قوالب الكريم بروليه‪ ،‬ثم ضعيها‬ ‫يف صينية وادخليها الفرن ملدة من ‪ 2‬إىل ‪ 3‬دقائق أو‬ ‫حتى يتحول السكر إىل كراميل‪.‬‬ ‫اخرجي قوالب الكريم بروليه من الفرن ‪ ..‬اتركيها جانباً‬ ‫تربد متاماً‪ ،‬ثم قدميها‪.‬‬

‫‪42‬‬

1st The

Egyptian monthly magazine

FINE

specialized in the art and science of culinary ‌

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Ephesians 2:7