Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Atheists Couldn't Stop This Flash Mob of Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" flash mob in Michigan (Screengrab)
When one lady asked for volunteers to join her at a Rivertown Mall in Grandville, Michigan, to sing "Amazing Grace," 250 people responded with RSVPs, and over 1,000 showed up at the mall.
What makes this different from other "flash mobs" is that the lyrics were given out in a high-quality gospel tract form (so that anyone could join in with the singing).
"Fortunately the singing at the Rivertown Mall was video-taped, and it brought tears to my eyes," says Ray Comfort, who came up with the idea. "In the clip you can see people holding the tracts as they sing, and at the beginning security guards are walking through the crowd not knowing who to stop.
"I believe that the average American loves the original message of Christmas, and they're tired of whining atheists threatening to sue those who display nativity scenes, etc., in public places. So here is one way they can proclaim their faith and no one can stop them. These song bursts are taking place throughout the nation. May someone do this on Capitol Hill and state properties all over the country and bring a bit of joy to the nation."
Billy Graham's 1955 Message Was More Prophetic Than We Knew
In this message from August 1955, Billy Graham describes problems that seem hauntingly similar to those of today. And the answer to every one of those problems is still the same—Jesus Christ. (BillyGraham.org)
In this message from August 1955, Billy Graham describes problems that seem hauntingly similar to those of today. And the answer to every one of those problems is still the same—Jesus Christ.
Many Christian parents are becoming fearful that they cannot properly train their children in this lawless and wicked age. We have received scores of letters in our office asking, "What is the answer? What can I do with my son? My daughter?"
We are beginning to reap what has been sown for the past generation. We have taught the philosophy of the devil, who says, "Do as you please." Behaviorism has been the moral philosophy of much of our education in the past few years. Psychiatrists have told parents to let their children do as they please, lest in restraining them they may warp the children's personalities.
We have taken God out of our educational systems and thought we could get away with it. We have sown the wind, and we are now reaping the whirlwind. We have laughed at God, religion and the Bible.
Many of our educational leaders sneer at the old-fashioned idea of God and a moral code. Movies feature sex, sin, crime and alcohol. Teenagers see these things portrayed alluringly on the screen and decide to go and try them. Newspapers have played up crime and sex until they seem glamorous to our young people.
Instead of publicizing the good and constructive things that teenagers do, we have played up the sensational lawbreaker. We have taught our young people that morals are relative and not absolute.
At the heart of the problem is the failure of parents in the home. Evangelist Billy Sunday once said, "If you want to lick the devil, hit him over the head with a cradle." Parents today are not interested, apparently, in defeating the devil in the home. There seems to be little parental responsibility for discipline. Children are allowed to go wild.
One parent said, "I pay for my boy's clothes, I feed him. I give him an allowance; what more do you expect of me?" Many parents do not realize that they are responsible for their children's mental and spiritual growth and character building, as well as for feeding and clothing them. If parents fail, God is going to hold them responsible.
I want to give a few suggestions to Christian parents. First, take time with your children. Your children not only require a great deal of your time, but they long and hunger for it. Perhaps they do not express it, but the hunger and longing are there just the same. Love them; spend hours with them. Cut out some of your so-called "important social engagements" and make your home the center of your social life. God will honor you, and your children will grow up to call you blessed (see Proverbs 31:28).
Second, give your children ideals for living. Teach them moral and spiritual principles of life. Show them that only the morally and spiritually right attain genuine satisfaction in life.
Third, set your children a good example. A well-known story illustrates this point. It was the usual custom for a lawyer who walked to his office every morning to stop at the corner tavern for a drink. One morning when the snow had fallen, he heard a sound behind him. Turning, he saw his 7-year-old son stepping as far as he could in his father's tracks in the new-fallen snow.
The father turned around and said, "Son, what are you doing?" The son replied, "I'm stepping in your tracks." The father sent his son back home, but that morning he couldn't go to the tavern; all he could think of was a boy stepping in his father's tracks.
When he was studying for his law case that day the boy's words kept returning, "I'm stepping in your tracks." About noon the father got down on his knees and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and said, "From now on I want my son to step in the tracks of a Christian father."
Fourth, plan activities for your children. Plan things together as a family. Make the home so interesting and delightful that your children will want to stay home; then they will never miss the things that so many young people are engaged in for thrills.
Fifth, discipline your children. The devil's philosophy is: "Do as you please." Children are going to be in society what they are in the home. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, teaches that parents ought to lovingly discipline their children.
Ephesians 6:4 says, "You, fathers ... bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." In Proverbs 13:24 the Bible says, "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." And in Proverbs 19:18, "Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction."
If you fail to discipline your children, you are breaking the laws, commandments and statutes of God. You are guilty not only of injuring the moral, spiritual and physical lives of your children, but of sinning against God. The Bible says that if you fail to discipline your children, you actually hate them.
The best way to influence your children is to set an example before them. Remember, the majority of children acquire the characteristics and habits of their parents.
The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Now, some parents carry discipline too far, continually harassing their children. The Bible also says, "Do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). Parents should never give unreasonable commands. Nor should they ever give a command that they do not mean to be carried out.
Sixth, teach your children to know God, and bring them up in the church. Very seldom do parents have trouble with children when the Bible is read regularly in the home, grace is said at the table and family prayers take place daily. Most trouble with teenagers comes from children reared in homes where prayer is neglected, the Bible is never opened and church attendance is spasmodic. Christ gives the moral stability, understanding, wisdom and patience needed to rear children.
Many parents are not Christians. They have never received Christ as their Lord and Savior. Church attendance, if any, has been no more than a duty and a ritual. Their children have seen the insincerity in the lives of their parents. They have watched their parents go to church on a Sunday and live like the devil during the week. So the children have rebelled against religion as a whole; they have turned away from moral restraint. Many parents are only reaping what they have sown.
Christ is the answer to teenage delinquency. Christ in the home, in the lives of the parents, is the only permanent solution to the menacing teenage social problems in America.
If you are a parent, Christ can help you to rear your children in the fear and nurture and admonition of the Lord. If I were not a Christian, I would despair of my children in the moral climate in which we have to rear them.
Get the Scripture and its principles ingrained into their souls—"precept upon precept; line upon line;" teach them "here a little, and there a little" from the Word of God (Isaiah 28:13). Get them into the habit of going to church every Sunday, of praying daily and of saying grace at the table.
That will solve 90 percent of the problems you have with your children.
If you are a young person seeking thrills, happiness and joy in some of these questionable avenues of pleasure, I beg you to come to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ can give you the greatest happiness, the greatest adventure and the greatest thrills that you have ever known.
If you will take Jesus Christ into your heart, He will put a spring in your step, joy in your soul and a thrill in your heart. Come to Christ! Jesus Christ is the one who can be joy and happiness and peace to all of you young people. I beg of you to surrender your life to Christ.
But there are many of you who will say, "I would like to give my life to Christ, but I cannot live the Christian life. I have tried before but have failed." Ah, yes, but when you receive Christ, He comes into your heart. He gives you supernatural power to live the Christian life.
Billy Graham: 4 Ways Christians Should Respond to the Spirit of the World
When Rome was at the height of her glory and power, there appeared a disturbing sect called Christians. Because of a fire that burned within them, these people dared to be different.
In an era when immorality, lavishness and luxury were stylish, Christians refused to be defiled by the sensual practices of a disintegrating civilization. In a period when human life was cheap, they put a high value upon human beings, their souls and their destinies.
These Christians refused to be absorbed into the godless society of Rome. They had not heard of the rule that we hear today: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." The Roman high tribunal initiated a drive to stamp out Christianity as a disturber of pagan unity.
The Romans had a false notion that a person's conscience could be controlled by law, so they made it illegal to be different. All had to bow to Caesar. All had to conform to pagan custom. All had to behave like true Romans.
Nonconformists were threatened with death, and many chose death rather than to conform to Rome and to compromise their consciences.
A Roman Christian named Paul took up his pen and wrote a word for all Christians of all times: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:2).
Times have changed, but human nature hasn't. The pagan world is still trying to put its stamp of conformity on every follower of Jesus Christ. Every possible pressure is being brought to bear upon Christians to make them conform to the standards of the world.
The Apostle Paul urges Christians everywhere in all ages to be nonconformists as far as the world system is concerned. A true Christian, living an obedient life, is a constant rebuke to those who accept the moral standards of this world.
In our desire to make Christ known and to increase the influence of the church, we are prone to think that Christians and the church can be made popular with the unbelieving world. This is a grave mistake. Christ crucified is anathema to Satan, and the message of the Gospel is still a stumbling block and foolishness to the world. Our Lord warned His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). The Apostle John writes, "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you" (1 John 3:13).
Christians may be shown a grudging respect at times, but if we are faithful to Christ, we will surely incur the wrath of the world. "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution," says the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:12).
The Scripture teaches that popularity with the world means death. Satan's most effective tools are conformity and compromise. He is aware that one man standing in the midst of a pagan people declaring, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16), can move more people in the direction of God than thousands of insipid professors of religion.
We often ask ourselves, "How could the early disciples turn the world upside down when millions of Christians can't even keep it right side up today?" The answer is simple. They didn't conform their faith to the world. They had the truth, and they refused to water it down. They held a faith that would not compromise.
Because they dared to buck the tide of public opinion and be different, because they dared to believe when other people doubted, because they were willing to risk their lives for what they stood for, because they chose death rather than to live an empty life, the world took notice of what motivated these men and women. In due time, they turned the philosophical and religious world upside down.
The words of Paul, "Do not be conformed to this world," have tremendous significance and meaning for us today. These words cut like a sharp sword across our way of life. They are not comfortable words. They have the tone of the battle call in them. They separate the weak from the strong. But they are words of inspiration, and we need to hear them today.
First, we must not be conformed to this world mentally. The world—by its advertisements, its conversation and its philosophy—is engaged in a gigantic brainwashing task. Much entertainment is slanted to those who feed on violence, sex and lawlessness. It seems that some diabolic mastermind is running the affairs of this world and that his chief objective is to brainwash Christians and to get them to conform to this world. The world's sewage system threatens to contaminate the Christian's thought. Satan will contest every hour you spend in Bible reading or prayer.
However, above the din we can hear the voice of Scripture: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). And: "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).
Second, we must not conform to the world physically. These bodies of ours are intended to be temples of the Spirit of God. We are not to prostrate them before the temples of Baal. We are to present them wholly to God as a "living sacrifice." Our dress, our posture and our actions should all be for the honor and glory of Christ.
Third, we must not conform to the world socially. The world attempts to absorb us into its secular society and to conform us to its earthly image, but Christ urges us not to conform. Clearly He says of those who believe in Him, "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:16).
Jesus dined with publicans and sinners, but He did not allow the social group to conform Him to its ways. He seized every opportunity to present a spiritual truth and to lead souls from death to life. Our social contacts should not only be pleasant, they should be opportunities to share our faith with those who do not yet know Christ.
Fourth, we must not conform to the world spiritually. We are not to be conformed to the world's definition of what it means to be religious, but we are to make sure we have met God's requirements for discipleship.
No nation was ever more religious than Israel in the Prophet Isaiah's day. The Temple was filled. The altar ran red with the blood of sacrifice. The religious festivals were strictly observed, and the voice of prayer was heard in the house of God. But there was a lack of true devotion in Israel's worship. The nation was deteriorating morally. Speaking as God commanded, Isaiah said, "Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting" (Isaiah 1:13).
Then Isaiah told them how they could be cleansed from their sin. He said: "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil. ... 'Come now, and let us reason together,' Says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool'" (Isaiah 1:16, 18).
There are thousands of people who do not give themselves to Jesus Christ, because they have conformed to the world. They are afraid of being called fanatic, pious, puritanical or religious. A true Christian is a nonconformist.
I'm asking Christians everywhere to become committed followers of Jesus Christ—not conformed to the world, but conformed daily to the image of Jesus Christ. Why don't you, right now, give your life over completely to Jesus Christ?
Click here to read the original article at BillyGraham.org.
Best-selling author Dutch Sheets announced Wednesday he will be leaving Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI), where he returned to his alma mater in 2012 to serve as executive director. His resignation becomes effective at the end of May as the school’s spring term concludes.
During his tenure at CFNI, Sheets continued to minister and speak around the nation most weekends, as well as write books—including his latest, The Power of Hope, which released Tuesday.
He told students and staff Wednesday that the demand on his time did not allow him to give himself fully to leading the school in a way he’d like, adding that this was “a difficult decision.”
Dutch Sheets Resigns From Christ for the Nations, Cites Limited Window for Change in US
“The No. 1 passion of my life is seeing America experience a third great awakening. This has been my primary calling from God for over 20 years,” he said to CFNI staff today. “When I accepted this assignment at CFNI, I knew that calling to America would not change—that I would have to add this responsibility to what I was already doing.”
Sheets said upon arriving at CFNI he was also aware his assignment might not be long-term—though he hoped it would be longer—and called his work with students “one of the greatest joys.” He believes, however, that the Lord has given him a new assignment for America leading up to national elections in two years.
“I believe there is a two- to three-year window for us as a nation to see certain things change,” he said. “I feel a great responsibility and stirring in my spirit to be a part of leading in this. It has to do with prayer and, of course, the revival that I know is coming.”
CFNI President Dennis Lindsay publicly thanked Sheets for his leadership and joined staff in praying a blessing over him during a service this morning. He also wrote a letter to Sheets, which he shared with Charisma News.
“It is obvious to me that God has put in your heart a plan to touch America’s spiritual spine,” Lindsay wrote. “Though we would love for you to accomplish this divine plan as executive director of the CFN Insititute, I am convinced that the structure of this ministry could impede the vision God has placed in your heart, as well as the burden upon you to be an agent of change over the next two years.”
Sheets and his wife, Ceci, graduated from CFNI in the late 1970s, and Sheets taught at the Gordon Lindsay-founded school throughout the ’80s. A former pastor, Sheets is best known for his book Intercessory Prayer, which has sold nearly 1 million copies worldwide.
Many young people are leaving Evangelical churches. Statistics vary, but there is general consensus that large numbers of post-high school age Evangelical youth shed the faith of their fathers and mothers upon beginning their college years.
The reasons given are multiple. They include such things as over-identification of older Evangelicals as angry Right-wingers who disdain homosexuals and are skeptical of global warming; a subculture that is unwelcoming to the young and secular; Christianity's claim of exclusivity as to truth and salvation; and the general superficiality of the preaching and teaching.
Summing up much of this line of thinking, Carol Howard Merritt writes, "There are three major reasons that a younger generation is leaving Evangelicalism: pernicious sexism, religious intolerance, and conservative politics"
Yet this analysis, so neat and damning (and, for critics of Evangelicalism, rewardingly severe), seems woefully incomplete.
First, the idea that younger Evangelicals are jettisoning their youthful faith could well be overstated. University of Connecticut sociologist Bradley Wright, author of Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You've Been Told, challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the young and Evangelical Protestantism:
Evangelicalism increased among all age groups from 1972 through the early 1990s, and it has decreased in all groups since then. The differences exist in rates of change, namely it's dropped among young people faster than older people. It's worth noting, however that the biggest drop of faith in young people happened in the 1990s, and that current levels are about the same as the early 1970s.
Still, this doesn't alleviate the fact that a noticeable number of younger Evangelicals are departing from the pews in which they were raised. Let's also agree that the verbal and political excesses of some Evangelical conservative leaders have been off-putting and that personal friendships with gay men and lesbians make younger believers alert to real and perceived insults by believers of homosexuals.
But is the (supposed) ecclesiastical exodus of collegiate and post-collegiate Evangelicals really as simple as disgust with the excesses of political conservatism, discomfort with Christianity's claim of exclusivity regarding the path to salvation, a desire to "live green," and simply get along in an adverse society?
I propose several other reasons why some young people are leaving their Evangelical heritage. They are these:
1. Evangelical churches try so hard to be palatable and relevant that we become distasteful and irrelevant.
Desperate contemporaneity has become the coin of the age as Evangelicals make gasping efforts to draw in the disaffected. We preach on methods of achieving various kinds of success (with one or two Bible verses thrown in) instead of the books and themes of Scripture. We have become what Michael Patton calls "the entertainment driven church." After awhile, manic superficiality in the name of "relevance" induces cynicism, and rightfully so. As described by Alan Jamieson, "the institutional church" has become "irrelevant or unhelpful ... for so many reflective and intelligent believers today" (quoted in Julia Duin, Quitting Church, p. 175).
"We've taken a historic, 2,000 year old faith, dressed it in plaid and skinny jeans and tried to sell it as 'cool' to our kids," writes Marc Yoder. "It's not cool. It's not modern. What we're packaging is a cheap knockoff of the world we're called to evangelize."
This plunge into irrelevance through "relevance at any cost" is the fruit of a tepid theology and only further weakens the orthodox spine. This theological weakness is augmented by something we find decidedly uncomfortable raising: the sin of Eden, also known as pride. As an anonymous contributor to "Juicy Ecumenism" has written caustically:
A lot of people come up to me at conferences, to which, as a very successful hipster-progressive post-evangelical blogger, I have been invited to speak, asking me how they, too, can make a name for themselves as a voice for the disaffected semi-faithful ... The trick of post-evangelical blogging is to take the issue du jour, be it gay marriage, birth control, gun control, abortion, or assisted suicide, and re-interpret it as a fundamental and authentic challenge to the assumptions of the suburban evangelicalism which for you represents the sum total of Christian belief and experience.
As King's College President Gregory Alan Thornbury writes, "If we cannot reconcile our theology with the sturdy basis for biblical Christianity that framed evangelicalism and once made it great, we will find ourselves and our children cut loose from our tradition" (Recovering Classic Evangelicalism, p. 208). This result must be unacceptable to those born of the Spirit.
World Vision, a Christian relief organization, is now recognizing same-sex marriage as part of its new employee policies. The organization stressed that it is not offering a blanket endorsement of same-sex marriage and spent several years praying about and discussing the issue with pastors, a seminary president and a professor of theology.
Here is the text of the letter to employees, some of which is shocking for conservative Christians, especially considering that World Vision appears to be acknowledging that practicing homosexuals can call themselves Christians:
"Because of your valuable role in our ministry, I want to communicate the reasons for a recent change that the World Vision U.S. board made to our employee conduct policy. Before I explain in detail, I want to reassure you that World Vision’s core values and ministry have not and will not change.
"By way of background, our board of directors is recognized as one of the leaders among Christian organizations in the U.S. It includes deeply spiritual and wise believers, among them several pastors, a seminary president, and a professor of theology. Since this policy change involves the sensitive issue of human sexuality, the board spent several years praying about and discussing this issue.
"The board affirmed that World Vision U.S. will continue to expect abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage for all staff. The board will also continue to require that every employee agree to the doctrinal issues enshrined in the Apostles’ Creed and/or World Vision’s own Statement of Faith.
"But since World Vision is a multi-denominational organization that welcomes employees from more than 50 denominations, and since a number of these denominations in recent years have sanctioned same-sex marriage for Christians, the board—in keeping with our practice of deferring to church authority in the lives of our staff, and desiring to treat all of our employees equally—chose to adjust our policy. Thus, the board has modified our Employee Standards of Conduct to allow a Christian in a legal same-sex marriage to be employed at World Vision.
"I want to be clear that we have not endorsed same sex marriage, but we have chosen to defer to the authority of local churches on this issue. We have chosen not to exclude someone from employment at World Vision U.S. on this issue alone. Let me explain the thinking behind our board’s decision. Over the past decade perhaps the single 'stormiest' issue within the church has been the debate over same-sex marriage—the question of whether churches should sanction the decision of two Christian individuals with a same-sex orientation to make a lifelong commitment of fidelity to each other in a legal marriage. We have watched as this conflict has torn apart whole denominations, individual congregations, Christian colleges, and even individual Christian families. The net effect of this conflict has been devastating—tearing apart the Body of Christ. It is heartbreaking to watch.
"The board and I wanted to prevent this divisive issue from tearing World Vision apart and potentially crippling our ability to accomplish our vital kingdom mission of loving and serving the poorest of the poor in the name of Christ.
"Through our many discussions and much prayer, we began to discern some clarity around this issue.
"You see, World Vision’s mission is not the same as that of our local churches; nor are we a body of theologians whose responsibility is to render biblical advice and interpretations of theological matters.
"We are, as our mission statement so clearly expresses, 'an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice, and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.' And it is this mission that unites us—Baptist, Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Orthodox, nondenominational, etc.—more than 50 different expressions of the Christian faith represented within WVUS alone. In fact, for 60 years the Christian mission of World Vision has been a platform uniting followers of Christ around the world.
"As World Vision employees, we are first and foremost united in our response to Jesus’ call to follow Him and to serve the poor. This unity gives us space to acknowledge a range of views on issues among the Christian churches we attend and the denominations we represent. Those issues include methods of baptism, divorce and remarriage, views on evolution, the role of women in church leadership, and whether birth control is acceptable. At World Vision we hold a strong view of the authority of Scripture in the life of the church and in the lives of each of us as followers of Christ, but we intentionally choose not to require specific beliefs or practice in any of these debated issues as conditions of employment at World Vision U.S.
"In other words, we don’t have a list of issues on which we mandate agreement as a litmus test for hiring. Instead, we leave these areas under the authority of the various church bodies to which each of us belongs and to the freedom of all of our employees to discern for themselves, fully understanding that there is a range of views within and among our churches.
"World Vision requires that everyone we hire, without exception, must affirm that they are a sincere follower of Christ—that’s our non-negotiable condition of employment. Every World Vision U.S. employee must affirm our Statement of Faith and/or the Apostles’ Creed, acknowledging the deity of Christ, Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and His atonement for our sins. And we choose to unite around these foundational Christian beliefs and our Christ-given mission, putting other differences aside.
"I want to reassure you that we are not sliding down some slippery slope of compromise, nor are we diminishing the authority of Scripture in our work. We have always affirmed traditional marriage as a God-ordained institution. Nothing in our work around the world with children and families will change.
"We are the same World Vision you have always believed in.
"Each of us has his or her own views on a wide range of potentially divisive issues, and the board and I are not asking anyone to change their personal views. We are asking, rather, that you not let your differences on this issue or others distract us from our work. We are asking you to unite around our sacred and urgent mission in the world and to treat those who don’t share your exact views with respect. If we cannot love one another, how will we show Christ’s love to the world? Jesus prayed for just this when He asked that His followers 'may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me' (John 17:23).
"I urge each one of you to respect the heartfelt wisdom of our board and to fix your eyes on Jesus. In His eyes you will see His deep love for the poor—and His deep love for you and each one of your co-workers."
Divergent may have been the No. 1 movie at the box office this past weekend, but the movie everyone is talking about is the independent faith-based movie God's Not Dead.
Pulling in $8.5 million on the first weekend and amassing an impressive $10,979 per-screen average, the movie stands as further proof of the desire to see faith-affirming movies on the big screen.
God's Not Dead is a movie about Josh Wheaton, a freshman college student who is forced to defend his Christian faith against an angry philosophy professor. Starring Kevin Sorbo as the atheist professor, David A.R. White as a priest who encourages Josh and guest appearances by Duck Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson, the movie also ends with a performance from the Newsboys as they perform their song "God’s Not Dead."
Freestyle Releasing co-president Mark Borde, who distributed the Pure Flix Entertainment movie, states, “While this huge opening may be a surprise to the industry, it is not so much to us. The in-house tracking, the legitimate 1 million Facebook fans, the very high trending on Twitter and Fandango among many other platforms, and the huge positive reaction from the hundreds of screenings over the many past months, gave us hope for a significant opening.”
With Son of God already pulling in $55 million domestically and several other-faith based films slated for the next month, including Noah and Heaven Is for Real, it seems quite clear that more than ever, God is working in the hearts and minds of Americans through the medium of movies.
Click here to read Movieguide's review of God's Not Dead.
David Yonggi Cho, pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, has been a personal friend of our family for more than 40 years. He has stayed in our home, and my father and I have served on his church growth board for a combined 38 years. Presently, I serve as president of Church Growth International of the Americas.
Because of the slant of some of the media reports, it is important certain details of the situation be made known. Not only was I present in Seoul during much of the trial, but there was also information disclosed during closed-door meetings which has not yet been made public. I want to share some of this as follows.
First, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho, 78, to a three-year prison term suspended for five years. He had been indicted for allegedly causing financial losses worth more than $12 million. He was also fined $5 million. He will not have to serve prison time, but he is on probation.
Second, Cho’s son, Cho Hee-Jun, 49, was indicted for the same charges. Because he was considered a flight risk, he was immediately taken into custody following a court order after being sentenced to three years in prison.
Cho has three sons. The second and third sons are very productive and work in church-related ministries. His eldest son has been the prodigal. He has been married four times and has been involved in sexual scandals with national personalities. In addition, he has served prison time for investment scams and embezzlement. His scandalized life has been an embarrassment to his family and the church.
Twelve years ago, this son purposely defrauded the church in excess of $12 million in a stock-related scheme. Cho testified that he trusted his elders and son and didn’t check and read the thousands of pages of paperwork, which was prepared for him to sign. Because Cho relied upon the direction of his choice elders and son, he signed the papers. He never received any monies from the transaction.
Third, the presiding judge said, “The court considered that even though Pastor Cho had the final say in the church, he never took the lead in any of the crimes, including tax evasion, committed on the suggestion of the accounting firm.”
The court also considered Cho’s life journey as a religious leader and his long-term contribution to social welfare as mitigating circumstances on his behalf. The court ruled that his son, Cho Hee-Jun, was the instigator of the crime related to the purchase of the shares of 1-Service stock.
Even though Cho established the world’s largest church, with more than 1 million members, he lives a simple life in a 1,000-square-foot church apartment. Neither does he own a car. Cho has raised and given personally to the church more than $170 million.
Dr. Bob Rodgers Sr.is pastor of Evangel World Prayer Center in Louisville, Ky.
Love For His People Editor's Note: I have always held high respect for Pastor David Yonggi Cho. I do not waver in that respect, and know the Lord has His hand on Dr. Cho. Righteousness will prevail, even though at the time the devil looks like he has won this battle. He has not. We must stand in support of the Lord's servants. Steve Martin, Founder/President
Mike Bickle, Bill Johnson Join Spiritual Leaders in Honoring the Late Prophet Bob Jones
Mike Bickle
Bob Jones has gone home to be with the Lord after more than four decades of prophetic ministry. Spiritual leaders from various camps in the body of Christ are mourning his loss and praying for his family. Here are a few of the early reactions to Jones' passing:
"I am deeply indebted to Bob Jones for how the Lord used him in my early ministry. I loved him more than he ever knew and often told my friends stories about him," says Mike Bickle, director of International House of Prayer in Kansas City. "I am very sad for Bonnie and his son, Wayne, and for so many of us to hear of his departure, but I am so happy for him. I remember Bob as a man who loved people deeply and served them tirelessly for so many years. Bob was well-known for his remarkable love for Jesus and His Word—he devoured the Bible for 40 years."
"Bob passed away at 6:22 this morning, peacefully and smiling," says Rick Joyner, founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries. "Bob was known around the world for his prophetic gift, but he was also the greatest lover of God and people that I ever knew. It seems fitting that he would pass on a day that celebrates love."
“Our wonderful friend and prophet Bob Jones went home to be with Jesus today, his first love, on Valentines a Day,” tweeted Bill Johnson, founder of Bethel Church.
'Bob Jones said, ‘I don't see anything prophetically after 94'. So either Jesus is returning then or I'm going home then.’ Rest in Peace Bob,” tweeted Robby Dawkins of Vineyard Church of Aurora, Ill.
“Just heard that the prophetic voice of Bob Jones is for heavens ears only. That man prophesied to me in my 20's that I would sing,” tweeted singer Rita Springer.
“Just heard that Bob Jones passed into glory today. He was a grandfather prophet to me, the movement and many. He will be missed,” said Matt Lockett, director of Bound4LIFE.
Click here to read more about the life and legacy of Bob Jones.
