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.
The latest target of politically correct bullying against Bible-believing Christians is Atlanta's former fire chief Kelvin Cochran. That's right, I said "former." Cochran was fired Tuesday because of a small passage—less than half a page—in a book he wrote for his church's Bible study group.
The book on biblical morality simply restates God's position put forth in His Word, the Bible. From Cochran's book: "Uncleanness—whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, pederasty, bestiality, all other forms of sexual perversion."
I personally know Chief Cochran. He served as chairman of my Crusade in Shreveport in 2005. He is a fearless man of great faith.
Because Cochran expressed his biblical belief on sexual purity in general—not only on homosexuality—an openly gay city council member went on a rampage to discredit this upstanding servant of the community. Cochran didn't discriminate against anyone, he didn't persecute anyone for homosexuality or create a hostile work environment. Instead he was persecuted and denied his career because of his privately held religious beliefs. This is true discrimination.
The LGBT community wants us to be afraid of expressing our Christian beliefs. They want us to cower in the face of their threats to the livelihoods of believers. But we shouldn't back down! Cochran said, "I'm not discouraged and I'm not downtrodden," he said. "This is a God thing and He's going to do great things and He will vindicate me publicly."
The greatest gauge for a believer's success in life is obedience to the revealed will of God. (Matt Gruber/creationswap.com)
It is evident there are many in the body of Christ who attempt to integrate their Christian faith with the pursuit of happiness. Some have even gone so far as to have a theology of happiness, in which they obey or disobey Scripture based on what gives them the most happiness. Several years ago a prominent pastor in New York City divorced his wife and married someone else in his church because, he said, "God wants me happy!"
Ultimately, If God's highest purpose for us is our personal happiness then He wouldn't have put us on the earth since Jesus said we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33).
As believers, our value system should not be based on a temporal paradigm (view) of materialism and earthly significance but on an eternal paradigm based on faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Many in the church succumb to the temporal view because it takes a walk of faith to continually surrender our desires to a God we can't see, feel, or touch physically.
In examining this subject I believe one reason believers focus so much on happiness is because of a confusion of the concepts of joy and happiness.
Joy is an inward sense of peace, contentment and even ecstasy due to our righteous standing in Christ and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Joy should be present in all believers in spite of the circumstances or challenges one might be facing. Joy is a supernatural experience that cannot be explained outside of a supernatural act of God. As the song writer said, "The world didn't give us joy so the world can't take it away!"
Jesus told His disciples that He spoke His words to them so that His joy would be in them and their joy would be full (John 15:11). It was for this reason that Paul told us to "rejoice always" (1 Thess. 5:16); even in his sorrow he was able to rejoice (2 Cor. 6:10). Also, Nehemiah 8:10 teaches us that "the joy of the Lord is our strength."
On the other hand, happiness is based on what "happens" to us. Thus, happiness is merely an emotionally good feeling when things go according to our desires. The fact that many Christians live their lives based on the pursuit of happiness–instead of cultivating the joy of the Lord in obedience to God and through faith in the blood of Christ—is an indictment of the shallow theology in our midst. This shallow theology has succumbed to the worldly ideal that equates success with material prosperity, comfort, and the ability to live a life of ease.
As a minister for over 30 years I can't count how many so-called disciples of Christ have uprooted their families from our church and moved to another state merely for economic leverage or to escape the winter season—all without hearing from God or first researching where their families could find a good church. Obviously, they were more led by a belief system based on the pursuit of happiness rather than pursuing the mind of Christ for their God-given purpose. (Of course, it goes without saying that most of these people either fell away or never maximized their purpose in Christ.)
As a follower of Christ for over 30 years, I would say more than half of the things I am called to do are very difficult—things that don't make me happy. Things like paying close attention to details, endless meetings, conflict resolution between leaders, dealing with tragedies in families, financial challenges, persevering in the ministry in spite of discouragement, and, hardest of all, the continuing challenge of dying to self and putting on the Lord Jesus Christ instead of choosing immediate pleasure and taking the easy roads presented in life.
I often tell believers, if you want to always be happy, don't get married, don't have children, don't get involved in the ministry , don't work and don't have important responsibilities –because, you will continually deal with adverse relational situations that will intrude upon your happy thoughts!
When Jesus told His disciples that He must suffer many things and spoke of His pending death and resurrection, Peter began to rebuke Him. (Perhaps Peter equated God's will with happiness at this stage of his development in Christ.) Jesus' response was so sharply opposed to Peter's perspective that He called him Satan (Mark 8:31-33)! Jesus then used this interface with Peter to teach His disciples that following God involves taking up their crosses. Following God sometimes involves suffering, not just happiness—and sometimes happiness, not just suffering.
Those who use happiness as the greatest gauge to tell if they are in the will of God have totally missed it! The greatest gauge for a believer's success in life is obedience to the revealed will of God, not fleeting emotional sensations that accompany happiness.
Finally, Paul the apostle said he was delivered from the "mouth of the lion" (Satan) when he stood defending the faith before Caesar. He then said he knew the Lord would deliver him from every evil attack, in spite of noting in this same passage his imminent martyrdom for the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-18). How could Paul, in the same sentence, say that both God would deliver him from every evil attack (verse 18) and yet also that his life would soon be taken (verse 6)? Because he knew that all of the evil satanic attacks against him were meant to stop him from obeying the Lord; it had nothing to do with happiness or living a long, comfort-filled life without conflict or pain.
May God deliver us from the false notion pervading the church that happiness is equal to godliness!
Joseph Matterais overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church, Christ Covenant Coalition, in Brooklyn, N.Y.Visit him at josephmattera.org.
ERBIL, Iraq -- While the Obama administration tries to figure out if targeting terrorists is worthwhile, thousands of refugees are suffering across northern Iraq.
Talk to anyone who has fled the Islamic State and they'll share their story of tragedy and suffering.
This boy was traumatized when he witnessed Islamic State fighters armed with machine guns open fire on fleeing Christians near Mosul.
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Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians now live in tents, schools, and abandoned buildings. War weary and despondent, most now say they want to leave Iraq.
"Go to America, Christians go to America. No, stay in Iraq!" one refugee woman said of the enormous decision to leave the land of their ancestors.
When Islamic State fighters seized his city, this former police officer took his family, including his newborn daughter, to safety in Erbil.
"If we return to our village, they will kill us," he said.
With passports in hand, these Iraqi Christians hope Congress will soon grant them immediate religious asylum status so they can live in the United States.
Ten families from this church, Ankawa Evangelical, have already left Iraqsince the crisis began last June. That troubled Pastor Ghassan Yalda, who urged them to stay.
"This is hurting a lot because the faith that we have is that the Christians are the salt of this land and the light of this land," he said.
"If everybody leaves this country, who is going to be speaking the truth to the people who need it and who is going to be keeping this area from the wrath of the Lord because the sin is everywhere and people are killing each other?" he asked.
Those still here are reaching out to help. Here in the Kurdistan capital city of Erbil is a Christian neighborhood known as Ankawa.
It usually has a population of about 22,000 people. But with the massive influx of refugees from around the country fleeing the fighting with ISIS, the population has swelled to over 100,000 -- five times above normal.
And that is overwhelming the churches and the community here.
CBN Disaster Relief has partnered with Ankawa Evangelical to relieve some of the pressure and to bring help to Yazidis and basic food and toiletries for Christians.
"Today we're giving out clothing to the Yazidis who fled to northern Iraq," CBN Disaster Relief's Brian Scott said.
"We did this because they have very little, no money to purchase anything and they don't have anything but the clothes on their back," he said.
CBN is also providing episodes of the animated Bible series "Superbook," shown to the refugee children in their own Arabic language.
"Through the comfort of the Gospel... to show them that Christians truly love them, to be blessed and receive relief," Scott said.
The help is giving Iraqi refugees a break from their misery, providing them with some of life's basic necessities and with spiritual encouragement to last a lifetime.
LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- Imagine being ordered to go against your religious beliefs, and if you refuse, you could be arrested, fined, or sued.
That happened to the Christian owner of a Colorado bakery who now must make wedding cakes for gay couples.
However, the owner is standing his ground and his action is inspiring people around the world.
Discriminating Accusation
The sign on the door reads "Celebrating 20 Years of Great Cakes!" For two decades, Masterpiece Cakeshop has created art in the form of baked goods that keeps customers coming back.
From cookies and cupcakes to signature cakes, Jack Phillips and his daughter Lisa have transformed their bakery into a studio. Phillips said it's all inspired and motivated by his faith in Jesus Christ.
"It's the most important thing that I think about throughout the day. When I wake up, when I go to work, I want to know that what I'm doing is pleasing to Him, that I honor Him and His Word because that's the most important thing," Phillips said.
But Phillips' Christian faith landed him in trouble with the law. His crime: adhering to his biblical belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
In 2012, a homosexual couple sued the baker after he declined to make a cake to celebrate their marriage. An administrative law judge ruled against him, and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission agreed.
The commission stated Phillips' refusal went against the state's public accommodation law. It requires businesses to serve customers regardless of their sexual orientation.
In a public statement, one member of the Civil Rights Commission said, "I can believe anything I want, but if I'm going to do business here, I'd ought to not discriminate against people."
"I didn't discriminate against anybody," Phillips countered. "Like Nicolle (his attorney) said, I've chosen not to make cakes for same-sex weddings. I told David and Charlie when they came in that I would sell them cookies and brownies and birthday cakes and shower cakes. I just don't do the same-sex wedding cake. So I did not discriminate against them, just that event I've chosen not to participate in."
His attorney Nicolle Martin said the Commission violated his First Amendment rights. She's taken the case to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
He must also re-educate his staff about Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act. Under that law, artists must endorse all views.
The order also requires him to put in place new policies to comply with the Commission's order.
In addition, he will submit quarterly "compliance" reports to the government for two years.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom, the reports must include the number of customers declined a wedding cake or any other product. They must also include why it was declined "so to ensure he has fully eliminated his religious beliefs from his business."
"The government has chosen which message it favors in this case; I think the state has made it very clear," Martin said.
"Jack's First Amendment rights, Jack's freedom to express himself or more importantly, not express himself, must bow to the complainants' message," she said. "And all I can say is what that looks like to me is something very frightening, and that's nothing more than diversity through conformity, and that's not diversity at all," she added.
First Amendment Disappearing?
Phillips' case is one of a handful in which complainants sued private businesses for refusing to accommodate gay couples getting married.
It also helped lead to controversial proposals in several states allowing businesses to decline service based on the religious beliefs of owners.
"This case is not about and it has never been about the young men that came in here almost two years ago asking Jack to design and create their cake," Martin said. "This case has always been about the message that that cake expresses, what that cake communicates."
"It's surprising," Phillips said. "This is not what they taught us in civics class... they could do this to you. They do this in other countries, not here."
"So Jack stands on the First Amendment. In this case, we're going to learn whether the First Amendment has a future in America," Martin said.
In a country founded on freedom of religion and speech, that's a future important to all Americans.
Peyton Manning, the Quietly Christian Quarterback,
& Russell Wilson
(The Christian Post)
Peyton Manning
(Photo: Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi)
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (C) passes against the New England Patriots during the second half of their NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts October 7, 2012.
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning doesn't publicly discuss his faith as frequently as some other Christian athletes, but he has said that he wants his actions to speak louder than his words.
Manning led his team to a Super Bowl berth by throwing for 400 yards and two touchdowns in last Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, which the Broncos won by a score of 26-16. The four-time league MVP has been stellar throughout the season, setting NFL regular season records in both passing yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55).
But while many people focus primarily on Manning's performance on the field, the part of his life that he has said is most important – his Christian faith – is rarely discussed.
In Manning, the book published in 2001 that he co-wrote with his father, the quarterback shares how he came to faith in Christ in a New Orleans church as a 13-year-old boy, according to an excerpt of the book posted to the Young Conservatives website. His priorities in life, he wrote, have been faith, family, friends and football – in that order.
"Some players get more vocal about it – the Reggie Whites, for example – and some point to Heaven after scoring a touchdown and praise God after games," wrote Manning. "I have no problem with that. But I don't do it, and don't think it makes me any less a Christian. I just want my actions to speak louder, and I don't want to be more of a target for criticism than I already am."
Off the field, one of the ways Manning is working to help others is through the PeyBack Foundation. Manning and his wife, Ashley, started the Indianapolis-based organization as a way to support programs that benefit disadvantaged youth, though the foundation has also funded and operated several programs of its own. Since it was founded in 1999, the PeyBack Foundation has donated more than $6.5 million to youth organizations in Louisiana, Tennessee, Indiana and Colorado, according to the organization's website.
In his book, Manning says he is blessed to be able to ask God for guidance. He also says he is forgiven, but not perfect.
"I pray every night, sometimes long prayers about a lot of things and a lot of people, but I don't talk about it or brag about it because that's between God and me, and I'm no better than anybody else in God's sight," he wrote.
When it comes to football, the quarterback says he does not "pray for victory," but rather for the safety of the players on both sides of the ball. He also shared wisdom given to him by his father, former NFL quarterback Archie Manning.
"Dad says it can take twenty years to make a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it," he wrote. "I want my reputation to be able to make it through whatever five-minute crises I run into. And I'm a lot more comfortable knowing where my help is."
Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback who will be facing off with Manning in the Super Bowl, is also a Christian. Wilson and several of his teammates recently sat down with Mark Driscoll, the preaching and vision pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, to discuss their faith in an interview that was posted to the Resurgence website.
Russell Wilson
"Jesus is love," Wilson said in the interview. "At the end of the day, we are all looking for someone to comfort us, somebody to be there for us at all times. When we are at the worst times of our lives, when we are battling with something, or struggles, whatever it may be, when we are at our highest point as well, when things are going really well, we want somebody to comfort us and be there for us and to say, 'Well done.' That's Jesus. Jesus has always been there. He'll never leave you, never forsake you."
Super Bowl XLVIII will be Manning's third appearance in the big game and Wilson's first. The event will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sunday, Feb. 2.
Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church, spoke with Larry King on his online show, Larry King Now, Monday. Watch him talk about why his ministry attracts Muslims and atheists, how he differs from Billy Graham and why he doesn't preach on homosexuality.
This week on Jerusalem Dateline: We take a special look at Rome, the world's second Holy City.
Take a tour of some of the most important sites in the Christian faith and the connections with Jerusalem, beginning with the Apostles nearly 2,000 years ago.
Also, spiritual warfare in Rome rages as the Catholic church fights the spread of satanic cults.
Plus, the story of a small band of Jewish believers who brought Christianity to Rome and the emperor who helped make it a global faith.
Obama Administration Betrays Imprisoned Pastor With Iranian Deal
Pastor Saeed Abedini
The Obama administration betrayed American pastor Saeed Abedini by reaching a deal with Iran that includes easing sanctions and providing humanitarian relief—a deal that leaves a U.S. citizen behind, imprisoned because of his faith, according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is working to secure his release.
“President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry turned their backs on a U.S. citizen by refusing to secure his freedom before reaching an agreement with Iran,” says Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. “It is outrageous and a betrayal of American pastor Saeed Abedini, who has spent more than a year in an Iranian prison simply because of his Christian faith. The Obama administration has left Pastor Saeed behind. And by failing to secure his release as a precondition to any negotiations, the Obama administration sends a troubling message to the Iranian government that Americans are expendable.”
The ACLJ sent a letter to Secretary Kerry, urging him to act and noting that “the failure to secure the release and return of Mr. Abedini and the other Americans would be reprehensible.”
Imprisoned for more than a year simply because of his Christian faith, Abedini faces life-threatening conditions in one of Iran’s most dangerous prisons.
Last week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution calling for the release of this U.S. citizen, and key members of the European parliament wrote a letter raising Pastor Saeed’s case.
And just days ago, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved H. Res. 147, calling for the release of Abedini, allowing it to proceed on to a full vote of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The ACLJ has launched a significant online social media campaign on behalf of Pastor Saeed at BeHeardProject.com.
Abedini is serving an eight-year prison sentence simply because of his Christian beliefs. He has been imprisoned now for more than one year. The ACLJ represents his wife, Naghmeh, and their two children, who live in Idaho.
That every Christian can be and should be filled with the Holy Spirit would hardly seem to be a matter for debate among Christians. ... I want here boldly to assert that it is my happy belief that every Christian can have a copious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a measure far beyond that received at conversion, and I might also say, far beyond that enjoyed by the rank and file of orthodox believers today.
It is important that we get this straight, for until doubts are removed, faith is impossible. God will not surprise a doubting heart with an effusion of theHoly Spirit, nor will He fill anyone who has doctrinal questions about the possibility of being filled.
In light of this, it will be seen how empty and meaningless is the average church service today. All the means are in evidence; the one ominous weakness is the absence of the Spirit’s power. ... The power from on high is neither known nor desired by pastor or people. This is nothing less than tragic, and all the more so because it falls within the field of religion, where the eternal destinies of men are involved.
Fundamentalism has stood aloof from the liberal in self-conscious superiority and has on its own part fallen into error, the error of textualism, which is simply orthodoxy without the Holy Ghost. Everywhere among conservatives we find persons who are Bible-taught but not Spirit-taught. They conceive truth to be something which they can grasp with the mind.
If a man holds to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, he is thought to possess divine truth. But it does not follow. There is no truth apart from the Spirit. The most brilliant intellect may be imbecilic when confronted with the mysteries of God. For a man to understand revealed truth requires an act of God equal to the original act which inspired the text. ... "Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things which are freely given us of God.”
For the textualism of our times is based upon the same premise as the old line rationalism, that is, the belief that the human mind is the supreme authority in the judgment of truth. Or otherwise stated, it is confidence in the ability of the human mind to do that which the Bible declares it was never created to do and consequently is wholly incapable of doing.Philosophical rationalism is honest enough to reject the Bible flatly. Theological rationalism rejects it while pretending to accept it and in so doing puts out its own eyes.
Few there are who without restraint will open their whole heart to the blessed Comforter. He has been and is so widely misunderstood that the very mention of His name in some circles is enough to frighten many people into resistance.
A.W. Tozer
It is no use to deny that Christ was crucified by persons who would today be called fundamentalists. This should prove to be disquieting if not downright distressing to us who pride ourselves on our orthodoxy. An unblessed soul filled with the letter of truth may actually be worse off than a pagan kneeling before a fetish. We are saved only when our intellects are indwelt by the loving fire that came atPentecost. For the Holy Spirit is not a luxury, not something added now and again to produce a deluxe type of Christian once in a generation. No. He is for every child of God a vital necessity, and that He fill and indwell His people is more than a languid hope. It is rather an inescapable imperative.
Now the Bible teaches that there is something in God which is like emotion. ... God has said certain things about Himself, and these furnish all the grounds we require. “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:17). This is but one verse among thousands which serve to form our rational picture of what God is like, and tell us plainly that God feels something like our love, like our joy, and what He feels makes Him act very much as we would in a similar situation; He rejoices over His loved ones with joy and singing.
Here is emotion on as high a plain as it can ever be seen, emotion flowing out of the heart of God Himself. Feeling, then, is not the degenerate son of unbelief that is often painted by some of our Bible teachers. Our ability to feel is one of the marks of our divine origin. We need not be ashamed of either tears or laughter. The Christian stoic who has crushed his feelings is only two-thirds of a man; an important third part has been repudiated. Holy feeling had an important place in the life of our Lord. “For the joy that was set before Him” He endured the cross and despised its shame. He pictured Himself crying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
The work of the Holy Spirit is, among other things, to rescue the redeemed man’s emotions, to restring his harp and open again the wells of sacred joy which have been stopped up by sin.
Aiden Wilson Tozer(April 21, 1897–May 12, 1963) was an American Christian pastor, preacher, author, magazine editor and spiritual mentor. This article is an excerpt from The Divine Conquest.
