He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.
(1 John 2:4)
Article Excerpts
Understandably, there is confusion regarding just what blasphemy is and what punishment it carries. There are biblical passages that speak of the blasphemer being put to death, others speak of his forgiveness. There are also the scriptures that speak of the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost which constitutes the unpardonable sin. Its not only imperative to understand how to avoid committing the unforgivable, but also to understand exactly why there is forgiveness for blasphemy against Jesus, but not against the Holy Spirit. Misunderstanding of this truth, sadly, has been used to give credence to the false teaching that Jesus is not God since blasphemy against Him is pardonable. What Is The Blasphemy Of The Holy Ghost And The Unpardonable Sin?
Heavenly Manna is a very small team whose members receive neither a salary nor a stipend for their work. The principal team members are Hannah Henderson, Javier Reyes, and Vanessa Winters.
Visitors to our site have expressed a desire for information/profiles on those "behind" the site. Below are their testimonies and information on how they contribute to the ministry.
Ms. Henderson, along with her brothers, was raised to attend a Protestant church regularly. She joined the youth choir, attended Sunday school, listened to the sermons that the pastor gave, periodically read her Bible, and fasted along with the adults of the congregation. Nevertheless, her relationship with the Lord was superficial.
Influenced by one of her brother's participation in the martial arts, she took an interest in the study of Chinese Gung-Fu and talked to her mother about her desire. The pastor of the church was consulted for advice. Unfortunately, that advice was not based on any understanding of what is involved with the practice of the martial arts, especially when the training comes as close to its authentic form as did that of Ms. Henderson. The pastor advised according to what seemed rational and not according to scripture which he did not understand how to apply to the situation. He gave his approval and Ms. Henderson began her practice of the martial arts. Please note that although Christian leaders are often consulted, it's an individual's responsibility to seek God for direction. She was approximately twelve years old at the time she began her studies and her dangerous involvement with the occult influence of the martial arts which caused spiritual blindness. By the age of 14 she was engrossed in her training and had slowly been losing interest in her weakened walk with God until finally deciding she would no longer seek to serve him. Her fall away from God would last for the next thirteen years in spite of the continual prayers her mother would lift for her return to God.
As the years passed, hostility towards the gospel began to grow, along with an intolerance to hear of her need to return to God. This caused other Christians to cease witnessing to her. Along with an avoidance of the things of God came an intense interest in the occult. She began to learn all she could about psychic powers in order to develop them. She purchased books and sought out information on the magical powers of pyramids, mirrors, lucid dreaming, and other teachings and philosophies of the New Age movement. As she practiced what she learned, her interests became more bizarre and bordered on a deeper realm in the occult.
One day, her mother mentioned that she was going to buy a new book that she had seen while shopping. The book tackled the subject of curses and was one of a number of books written on various spiritual topics by the same author. It was this author's second book which her mother ordered and with which Ms. Henderson came into contact. When it arrived, she was the first to take a look at it, curious about its content from the graphical cover. It depicted the rescue of a figure in captivity, surrounded by items associated with the occult.
The first time Ms. Henderson picked up the book, she opened to one of the first pages with print where she read a brief explanation of the content. In summary, it spoke of the difficulty the reader might have in reading the book which put forth the gospel message in a way she had never heard--but it was still was the Gospel of Christ that she had rejected for years.
She put the book down with no intention of picking it up again and walked away from it. However, she couldn't take her mind off of it and minutes later picked it up again, intending to read only a little. She opened directly to where the author shed light on the darkness of her martial art training and of any involvement with the occult. The book unveiled the deception in the words and phrases used in the martial arts and New Age terminology. Ms. Henderson again closed the book and tried to forget what she had just learned. But, she couldn't resist and opened the book over and over again throughout the rest of that day, reading and rereading it the rest of that week.
During the following two weeks, she ceased to go to her training and stopped all other activity and practices she had taken up in her interest in the New Age. However, it was as though she couldn't imagine giving up the martial arts or returning to God. Those two weeks were a time during which she didn't rest well, was afraid to be alone, and pondered the truths she had learned. She wanted to forget them and for life to go back to how it was before she learned those things. However, she knew there was no such thing as simply forgetting what God had taught her. She tried to ignore what she had learned, but realized that her rejection of truth would only distance her even further away from God.
Finally, after much thought and a struggle, she came to repentance, knelt and prayed, receiving Christ as Lord. Occult books, videos, and paraphernalia were destroyed. All ties with the martial art school were broken and equipment discarded.
Approximately three weeks before her unexpected return to Christ, Ms. Henderson "foresaw" her salvation in a dream but didn't realize it at the time. She saw herself forbidden to marry because she was already married. In the dream, she knew that long ago her mother had introduced her to the first husband whom she had left and forgotten. However, he had not forgotten and had become angry. This invisible first husband had the authority not only to forbid the marriage but also to require her return to him.
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you (Jeremiah 3:14).
Ms. Henderson, realizing that it was an understanding of God's word that opened her eyes, giving her the opportunity to accept it and experience the inexplicable joy of the Lord. She immediately began intense Bible study on her own, desirous of more understanding of what it means to truly walk with Christ. Years of study produced many articles and led to many discussion and encounters with people of diverse backgrounds, including a politician and a nationally recognized scientist.
Today, Ms Henderson is a second year student majoring in web development and employing her skill to build and maintain this website single-handed. She was recently ordained into the non-denominational church and is the principal writer for Heavenly Manna. She is also the back-up translator.
Javier Reyes is this ministry's primary translator. His zeal to see Heavenly Manna's life-changing Christian articles available in the Spanish language, prompted his offer to do the translations free of charge. (Testimony to come)
Vanessa Winters is a retired youth counselor who is Heavenly Manna's primary author of short Christian fiction based on real-life events. These events illustrate biblical truths in action to facilitate comprehension. She continues to volunteer as a youth worker in the community of her town of residence. (Testimony to come)
Heavenly Manna's Christian articles and Bible studies are always made freely available to the overseas pastors with which a partnership is maintained. Presently, the pastors are in India. They are poor in finances but rich in faith, often pastoring several congregations that welcome the widow, the orphan, and the leper. Quality Christian teaching materials are very difficult to obtain in India. These pastors often use this ministry's studies in their own ministries.
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