Hope - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Hope

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you…(Colossians 1:3-6, NASU)

While growing up in the Midwest state of Iowa, and being raised a Roman Catholic, I enjoyed reading biographies of several martyrs. Given the name of Steve, and the surname of Martin, I would read of St. Stephen, the first martyr in Acts, and Saint Martin de Pores of Lima, Peru. There was also Saint Martin of Tours, a bishop in France, who is said to have become “one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints, sometimes venerated as a military saint. He was born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary, spent much of his childhood in Pavia, Italy, and lived most of his adult life in France. He is considered a spiritual bridge across Europe.” (Wikipedia)

Desiring to then become a missionary doctor (for if I would have chosen to be a missionary priest I couldn’t have gotten married!), I read many books on David Livingstone and his adventures and trials in Africa, “the Scottish Christian Congregationalist, pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of the late-19th-century in the Victorian era.” (Wikipedia)

Inspiration came from men like Eric Liddell, the Scottish Christian whose story is depicted in the movie Chariots of Fire - the famous Olympian who observed the Lord’s Sabbath Day and would not run on that day, but went on and won the gold medal in a later event - who then took his solid rock convictions of trust and hope to the people of China, to share the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus.

Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the 1972 beautiful motion picture of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, implanted the purpose of leaving the riches of this life behind, in order to pursue the One who has eternal treasures and homes stored up in heaven for us who believe.

These men of God inspired me, along with my teachers at St. Patrick Elementary School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, several of whom were nuns, wonderful women of God.

Given the hope they had in eternal life, and wanting to share that committed belief in the Savior Jesus Christ, they endured, whatever came their way, with the grace and encouragement of the Living God. They held strong when it was hope against hope, darkness against light, attacks of the enemies coming at them in their spirit, soul and body. They held on until the end.

Our hope can be founded on nothing less. The Solid Rock on which we stand, Who alone can and will enable us to stand, when all that surrounds us falls apart, has proven Himself over and over again as the Faithful One, the Guardian of Israel, the Eternal Son whose death, burial and resurrection gives us the historical foundation which cannot be shaken, when all else is being shaken.

“So don't turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn't get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time - he's told us this quite plainly - he'll also rock the heavens: "One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern." The phrase "one last shaking" means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.

Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (Hebrews 12:25-29, THE MESSAGE)

  

Hope in the Lord Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, will bring you through the shakings that have come, and those that have been prophesied in the Bible, which are yet to come. Put your trust in Him. Keep it there. And keep looking up when it seems that all else is going down.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Secure, conveniently contributions can be done online now through our website using the DONATE buttons on either side column of our blog.

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc. 

P.O. Box 414   

Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.) 

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Now Think On This - in the Year of our Lord 09.04.17 - #312 – “Hope” – Monday, 8:30 am

Watching Turkey (Day 2) - Joel Richardson on the Jim Bakker Show

Watch here: Watching Turkey (Day 2) - Joel Richardson on the Jim Bakker Show

Joel Richardson
Jim Bakker Show 2016 | Show# 3049 | Aired on August 4, 2016


Jim Bakker Show © 2016 • Morningside Studios

When It’s All Been Said and Done - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

When It’s All Been Said and Done

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:5-7 NASU)

When it’s all been said and done, when the times of the end have been completed, there will be One Who sits on the throne, having accomplished His Father’s will, fully established and in good order.

The Lamb of God, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Alpha and the Omega, Him who has risen from the dead – Jesus the Christ, Yeshua HaMahsiach - will rule and reign in His glory, power and majesty.

The One who gave all, who left heaven to become flesh and dwell amongst us, who walked with man for those years on this planet before His cruel, sacrificial death on the cross and His mighty resurrection – He will have received His Bride, dined at the Marriage Supper, and begun the celebration with the biggest party ever put together. With joy, peace and awesome love for all eternity, Jesus will have received His long awaited reward.

The King of kings and the Lord of lords – our Almighty God, is even now seated on His righteous throne. The royal crown sits gloriously on His head, as He rules and reigns forever.

With all those redeemed by His blood, who have given their lives for Him, from the times of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Peter and Paul; through the centuries with all the prophets, patriarchs, matriarchs, saints of God saved from all the nations, they too will receive their crowns and experience the eternal life that has awaited them in heaven. They too will rule with righteousness and honor.

In this heavenly realm, abiding in this New Jerusalem, there will no longer be any sickness or death. The persecuted and once heavy burdened will have been given new spiritual bodies, never again to experience lack, need or suffer through ridicule and being bullied.

Those martyred during the Great Tribulation, slain for standing for truth, believing in their Living Redeemer even as the sword fell down upon their head; who kept looking up to the One who gave courage and strength during their time of life, and then through their appointed time of death, will too join the heavenly ranks. They also will be clothed with white robes, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, and then seated with crowns on their restored heads.

Whatever we are going to go through in these times, the end of days, it will all have been worth it. The promises promised will have been kept.

When it’s all been said and done, our eternal reward will be to have our Lord and Savior Jesus (Yeshua) share His majestic home with us. What a glorious time that will be.

And it will never end.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

P.S. We sure could use your help to bless the families we do in Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the hurting ones here in the USA. Please give out of the abundance you have been given.

In May, 2016, my wife Laurie and I will be traveling to Israel to spend time with our friends. We support them in word and deed.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  

martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Blogs: Love For His People,   Now Think On This

Full website: Love For His People

YouTube: Love For His People Inc.

Now Think On This #200 “When It’s All Been Said and Done” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (10.31.15) Saturday at 7:00 am in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

Christians in Deep Danger: 'We Dare Not Be Silent'

By Gary Lane

CBN News Sr. International Correspondent

Friday, June 26, 2015

From Egypt, to Syria and Iraq, ancient Christian communities --among the world's oldest -- are under threat of extinction.

"Christians and other minorities are in deep danger and we dare not be silent. The time to speak is now," said Katrina Lantos Swett, chairman of the United States Commission on International Freedom.

Swett delivered that message at the recent 6th Annual Coptic Solidarity Conference in Washington, D.C., on persecution in the Middle East.

So, why should Americans, or other Westerners, get involved? Swett says religious extremism crosses oceans and continents.

"When Coptic Christians in Egypt are jailed for blasphemy or attacked by extremists for supposedly violating such laws and we are silent, we should not be surprised when attacks commence in the streets of Paris or elsewhere," she said.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said," America is in a place to stop the persecution of Christians in numbers never before seen in the world. God has allowed us to be at that place."

But before America and other nations can respond effectively, they must face the truth about what is happening and why.

Middle East analyst and author Raymond Ibrahim blames the media.

"We know about this ISIS thing because ISIS wants you to know and the media if anything has responded by giving us a plethora of editorials trying to convince us that what ISIS is doing is not Islamic," he explained.

Ibrahim says American leaders must speak the truth about the atrocities -- like the beheading of Coptic Christians in Libya.

"According to the White House, it was just 21 Egyptians who were randomly killed, not because they're Christians, not because of their faith and so forth," Ibrahim said.

U.S. Religious Freedom Ambassador at Large Rabbi David Saperstein is urgently concerned about Iraqi and Syrian Christians. Their numbers have dwindled to a fraction of what they were just 20 years ago.

"Now, if we're going to preserve those communities, we know what needs to be done," Saperstein said. "First, until ISIL is pushed out, those displaced communities need to be able to live with a quality of life that will be an incentive for them to remain."

And that means providing security and stability for them, along with better health care and schools for their children.

Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., says people of the United States need to act.

"We cannot stand by and watch this," Black said. "We have a moral obligation to act in defense of our brothers and sisters abroad."

So, Christian activists in Washington are once again speaking loudly, reminding President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress that something needs to be done quickly to protect these ancient Christian communities from annihilation. And they say they'll keep speaking until something is done -- and they start listening.

After Murdering Christians ISIS Fighter Has Vision of Jesus

 6/10/2015 JESSILYN JUSTICE  charisma news

Islamic State fighters preparing to behead Coptic Christians. (YouTube)

The Islamic State militants are partially responsible for the deadliest era of Christian persecution the world has ever seen.

But could that also mean they're exposed to a form of evangelism like no other? These martyrs are not dying silently, and the Lord is apparently working through them. 

"One of our YWAM workers in the Middle East was contacted by a friend earlier this year and they met up and he was introduced to an ISIS fighter who had killed many Christians already. I mean that's a horrible situation, and admittedly, he was probably on guard," Gina Fadely, director of Youth With A Mission Frontier Missions.

"He told this YWAM leader that he had begun having dreams of this man in white who came to him and said, 'You are killing My people.' And he started to feel really sick and uneasy about what he was doing," Fadely continued. "The fighter said just before he killed one Christian, the man said, 'I know you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible.' The Christian was killed and this ISIS fighter actually took the Bible and began to read it. In another dream, Jesus asked him to follow Him and he was now asking to become a follower of Christ and to be discipled."

It seems crazy, but our God can work miracles! Take a listen to hear the rest of the story. 

Martyrdom - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Martyrdom

- Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” (Rev. 12:11-12 NASU)

Fear, especially of death, can grip a person, a city and a nation. It can keep you from doing the right thing, or speaking the truth when it is your time to stand for truth. Fear keeps us from love, and from walking in righteousness and justice.

Do you know who is the one who is the most fearful of all? It is the devil. The master of fear is the one who is the most afraid of all, for he fears the Almighty One Who will end his reign of terror on the earth. Out of this eternal fear and hatred, he continually seeks to kill, destroy and martyr the saints of God who have taken the Name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

During this short time of hellish destruction, while he yet been given time on the earth, men, women and children will give up their lives by the edge of the sword, rather than give up their souls to eternal hell. Because they are called Christians, these believers of Jesus will die by the hands of hateful “followers of God”, or more accurately, believers of Allah. These evil ones have masked themselves as the conquerors, when in fact their soon coming end will result in eternal damnation, along with Satan himself.

While it is gruesome to see our brothers and sisters blood flow from beheadings and ruthless torture, we need not fear that which may come to us too. We have a promise we can stand on.

“…they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Rev. 12:11) Our temporary life on earth is nothing compared to the eternal life in heaven with our Lord. Therefore we can stand without fear when faced with death. For this reason, heaven rejoices at the death of a godly one.

"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."

(Rev. 17:14, NASU)

Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Africa, China and more, are with the Lord, and He with them, for they have been called and chosen. They will be faithful even to the end, as they face the edge of the sword. The lord of Lords and King of kings’ strength and love will empower them to give their lives for the greater glory, to later join Him in heaven when others will be judged and condemned to the eternal lake of fire for their murderous actions.

We need not fear our coming time of martyrdom, should that also be the end of this temporal life for us. I for one do fully expect that at some point I too will be called upon to proclaim my faith in Jesus, and be killed as a result of my conviction and belief. By His compassionate grace, I will look into His eyes of love, rather than the eyes of the evil doers.

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

"And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book." (Rev. 22:1-7 NASU)

A glorious time awaits those who give their lives for the One Who gave His life for us. These are the faithful and true words that we can believe, now and forever.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Go here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 

Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  

martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople 

Blogs: Love For His People,   Now Think On This

Full website: Love For His People

YouTube: Love For His People Inc.

Now Think On This #168 “Martyrdom” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (02.27.15) Friday at 8:00 am in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

How to Pray When Terrorists Are Beheading Christians - J. Lee Grady

How to Pray When Terrorists Are Beheading Christians

 2/18/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

A total of 21 Egyptian Christians were brutally murdered by ISIS this past week in the name of Islam.

Last Sunday in Libya, masked militants linked to the ISIS terrorist group led 21 Egyptian Christian men to the Mediterranean shore and made them kneel. Then the Islamic jihadis took out knives and cut each man's head off.

As blood mixed with salt water to create a grisly red tide, one of the militants issued a threat to all Westerners: "We will fight you all together. The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama Bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood."

A recent wave of Islamic beheadings—videotaped and posted online—has reminded the world that ISIS and other ultra-violent Muslim groups are not going away. In 2014 ISIS warriors beheaded Syrian and Lebanese soldiers, American journalists, Japanese Christian journalist Kenji Goto, humanitarian aid workers and even children of Christian families. And now their terror has spread far beyond Syria.

The terrorists claim to be carrying out the will of Allah, and they cite a passage in the Quran (47:4) to justify their brutality: "Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers [in fight], smite at their necks." More peaceful Muslims have condemned the extreme behavior of ISIS, but this has not convinced the West that we aren't in danger of worse violence.

The stream of blood we saw in 2014 may become a river this year. And Christians in the Middle East are the most vulnerable.

So what can we do? Military action will likely become necessary, especially if the terror hits our shores. But before suicide bombers attack Dallas or people are beheaded in the streets of Pittsburgh, the Christian community must wake up to the need for emergency prayer. Here are six biblical ways you can pray:

1. Pray for a bold witness of the gospel in the midst of persecution. Persecution was a reality in the New Testament church, but it did not stop the early disciples from spreading the gospel. After Peter and John were arrested and told to stop preaching, they announced: "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). Pray that persecuted Christians will not be intimidated or silenced by acts of terror.

2. Pray for supernatural miracles to confirm the gospel. When the early church faced opposition, they prayed not only for boldness but also for a display of God's power. They prayed in unity in Acts 4:29-30: "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that your bond-servants may speak your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus." Pray that God will bare His arm and show the world that He is real, especially to militant Muslims who don't know the Savior.

3. Pray that the seed of the martyrs will produce a harvest of converts. When an angry crowd stoned Stephen, the first martyr of the early church, he cried out on his knees: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60). His death was tragic, but it was not in vain. A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit followed his martyrdom. When a born-again Christian gives his or her life for Jesus, God takes note and responds. This could be the greatest hour of spiritual awakening in the Middle East.

4. Pray for heavy conviction to fall on those who persecute the church. Saul was bent on arresting and killing the early disciples, and he watched as Stephen was martyred. Yet shortly after Saul launched his terror campaign, he fell on his face on the Damascus road and was dramatically converted (see Acts 9:3-4). This same miracle can happen today to leaders of ISIS. Don't limit God's power—and don't pray vindictive prayers of judgment on these people. Pray that the most militant persecutors of the church will have a head-on collision with the Son of God.

5. Pray for angelic protection and intervention. During one wave of persecution against the New Testament church, an angel appeared in Peter's prison cell, woke him up and caused his chains to fall off (see Acts 12:7). Later, after King Herod refused to stop his rule of terror, an angel struck him dead (see 12:23). The Bible does not say the church prayed for Herod's death; we should never pray with a vengeful spirit, but we should leave room for the wrath of God when mercy runs out.

6. Pray that the global Christian community will work for peace and justice in the Middle East. We cannot just sit back and watch our brothers and sisters being beheaded for their faith while we enjoy our First World comforts. We must be in solidarity with them, not only in prayer but also in action. We should actively support government and church leaders who are working behind the scenes for reconciliation, humanitarian aid and protection for the victims of injustice.

Our response to this wave of terror cannot be fear—or hatred. Don't just curse the darkness. Be proactive by praying fervently. Ask God to unleash in the Middle East a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will not only bring peace-loving Muslims to Christ, but also bloodthirsty Islamic militants who are sharpening their knives for the next attack.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter@leegrady. He is the author of several books including his latest, The Truth Sets Women Free (Charisma House.) You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.

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Pause to Say Goodbye: Christians Who Died in 2014 - J. Lee Grady

Pause to Say Goodbye: Christians Who Died in 2014

12/30/2014 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

Some well-known Christians died this year—along with many nameless believers who were martyred. (J. Lee Grady)

At the close of every year I always look back to see which members of our Christian family passed away. I don't have room to include everyone, but here are some believers who left behind a special legacy.

1. Louis Zamperini. I'll start my list with this army hero, since his amazing story of courage was immortalized this year in the movie Unbroken. During World War II the Olympic runner-turned-soldier survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific, then endured two horrific years in a Japanese prison camp. Unfortunately he died (at age 97) five months before the movie hit theaters. An Italian immigrant, he came home after the war and embraced faith in Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade in 1949—and this led him to seek out his Japanese captors so he could forgive them. (A documentary about Zamperini's faith, Louis Zamperini: Captured by Grace, will air Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 on Fox.)

2. S. Truett Cathy. He was not your typical billionaire. The Southern Baptist entrepreneur, who grew up poor, began his Chick-fil-A restaurant chain with one odd-shaped diner in Atlanta called the Dwarf House. Today the company's tasty boneless chicken sandwiches are sold in 1,800 locations—with $5 billion in annual sales. Cathy's Christian faith not only shaped his store policies (always closed on Sundays) but also his giving: He donated millions to build foster homes for kids and launched a scholarship program to provide career opportunities to underprivileged youth. Cathy was 93.

3. Ann Kiemel Anderson. With her hippie hairdo, maxi dresses and chirpy, high-pitched voice, Ann Kiemel was an unlikely evangelist in the 1970s. But she personified the simplicity of the Jesus Movement when she took to stages all over the United States and challenged young people to serve Jesus. "I am just one young woman ... but one plus a giant of a God can do anything," she said. Her 18 books, including I'm Out to Change My World, sold 28 million copies. Later in life she developed a drug dependency because of medical problems, but she talked openly about her weakness and always pointed people to Christ. She died of cancer at 69. (You can see her speaking at a youth rally here.)

4. Steve Hill. Pentecostals knew him as the voice of the Pensacola Revival, a marathon series of meetings hosted by the Brownsville Assembly of God from 1995 to 2000. A former drug addict who was discipled through the Teen Challenge rehab ministry, Brown brought a folksy Alabama drawl to his famous pulpit in Florida. But he aimed for the jugular vein when he gave altar calls. Never afraid to confront sin, he spoke several times a week in Pensacola and saw hundreds of thousands of decisions for Christ in meetings that attracted more than 4 million people over the course of five years. He and his wife, Jeri, later moved to Dallas to plant Heartland World Ministries Church. He battled cancer for years and died in March at age 60. The Dallas ministry is now raising funds to create a digital library of Hill's sermons.

5. Myles Munroe. The world-famous Caribbean faith preacher died with his wife, Ruth, and seven other members of their church when their ministry plane crashed in severe weather in November. Munroe became a hero to many Christians in the developing world because he rose from poverty in his native Bahamas to attend Oral Roberts University. He later planted a thriving church, Bahamas Faith Ministries, in Nassau and began authoring motivational books such as Releasing Your Potential. The prime minister of the Bahamas, Perry G. Christie, told reporters that Munroe "was indisputably one of the most globally recognizable religious figures our nation has ever produced." Munroe was only 60. Dave Burrows, a Bahamian who also graduated from ORU, will reportedly replace Munroe as pastor.

6. Stanley M. Horton. Some people make a big splash in life. Others spread their impact more quietly over decades. That was true of Horton, a Harvard graduate who became the most respected Pentecostal theologian of our lifetime. Author of What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit and many other books, he served as professor of Bible at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, from 1978-1991. He then continued to travel and speak until he was 92. An expert in Greek, he most recently worked on the Modern English Version of the Bible, which was released this year by Charisma House. He died at age 98.

7. Ann B. Davis. The world knew this ditzy actress as the housekeeper Alice Nelson on ABC's 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch. Few knew that she was also a charismatic Episcopalian who shared her testimony wherever she went. When she retired from show business she fully dedicated her life to ministry at a time when many Episcopalians were being baptized in the Holy Spirit. She told People magazine: "I'm convinced we all have a God-shaped space in us, and until we fill that space with God, we'll never know what it is to be whole." In her later years she led a Bible study at her home church in Texas. Unlike the maid she played on TV, she did not enjoy childcare or cooking. She died after a fall at age 88.

8. Richard Dobbins. He was both a Pentecostal and a psychologist—terms that do not often go together. But Dobbins, an Assemblies of God pastor and prolific author, believed that Pentecostals should do a better job addressing mental health challenges. He started a nonprofit Christian counseling ministry, Emerge, in 1973 after he realized there were few counselors who integrated faith and psychology. Also a local church pastor in Akron, Ohio, he broke new ground by offering counseling resources to ministers—who are often expected to have no emotional problems of their own. Dobbins was 86.

9. Maria Von Trapp. The last survivor of the seven Von Trapp children portrayed in The Sound of Music, Maria was called Louisa in the film to avoid confusion with her famous stepmother. When she contracted scarlet fever as a child, her father, Georg, decided to employ a governess, Maria, who was played by Julie Andrews in the film. The musical family fled the Nazis in Austria and came to the United States in 1938, where they purchased a lodge in Vermont and made it their base. Like her famous stepmother, Maria was influenced by the Catholic charismatic renewal movement of the 1970s and spent 30 years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea. She was 99.

10. The martyrs of 2014. Perhaps the most "famous" people on this list are the ones we forget. In November, Sajjad and Saima Massih, a Christian couple in Pakistan, were beaten and then thrown alive into a brick kiln near the city of Lahore. They were falsely accused of blaspheming Islam—and incinerated. Hundreds of thousands of people like the Massihs were killed for their Christian faith in 2014 in places such as Nigeria, Syria and Iraq—where 40,000 have reportedly died at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Mark Arabo, a spokesman for Iraqi Christians, told CNN in August that Islamic militants were beheading children of Christian parents. "The world hasn't seen an evil like this for a generation. There's actually a park in Mosul that they've actually beheaded children and put their heads on a stick," Arabo said.

All of these people made a mark on the world because of their faith. I pray you will do the same in 2015. Happy New Year.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter atleegrady. His newest book is The Truth Sets Women Free (Charisma House). You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.