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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.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
"You are today like the stars of heaven in abundance." Deut. 1:9 (Israel365)
God's Work in Shattered Dreams by Sue Birdseye (Identity Network)
God's Work in Shattered Dreams by Sue Birdseye
Identity Network
I’m trying to get papers filed. “Trying” being the optimum word. One of my best friends says, “The difference between trying and doing is actually getting something done.” I don’t think I quoted that exactly, but you get the idea.
I’ve gotten a lot done, but sometimes I feel like I just shuffle things around. Usually when I’m organizing, I feel like I’m just moving things from one floor or room of my house to another. I’m working on it, though. I really am.
So, I decided I was going to go through a bunch of boxes and get some order back. And I found a plastic box full of pages I’d ripped out of magazines — mostly Country Living. Pictures of rooms, furniture arrangements and anything else I loved. I think I’d planned on making a binder of my favorite things because I found page protectors in the box as well. (Sounds like a good project for one of my creative kids!)
Imagining a Future of Wonderful Things
Looking at all the pictures brought a smile to my face. I enjoy dreaming about, looking forward to and planning for the future, imagining wonderful things.
Recently I was sharing with a friend how when I found out about my husband’s affair and knew the potential of him leaving, I imagined what our life would be like if we reconciled. I thought about how our relationship could be better than ever, how our love could be stronger, and how we could have a vital ministry to others who were struggling. When reconciliation didn’t happen, God refined my vision.
Now I look forward to what God is going to do in my life in a different way. I look forward to what God is going to do in the lives of my children. I have great hopes and dreams for us all!
“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” — William Carey
I think it is part of the forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead.
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14, ESV).
What does God have for us? Whatever it is, God uses some interesting words to describe our journey to get it: pressing and straining.
Pressing
During my brief running career a few years ago, I recall at the beginning of my “training” (it is in quotes because I didn’t really train well; hence the brevity of my running career) I would run increasingly longer distances, but always the first mile or so was absolute torture and the final half-mile would seem like slogging through mud. During both of those times I’d have to keep my focus ahead and press with my whole body to move forward. It was a pressing of feet on pavement, a pressing of body into the momentum forward, a pressing of breath in and out, a pressing onward.
Straining
That one isn’t difficult to imagine — especially with my running analogy. There was always an element of straining — and panting, plodding, trudging and wooziness. I’m not a good runner (especially with the broken foot!).
In thinking about pressing and straining in my walking (or running) out my faith, I believe having a vision is helpful. When I have something to strive for, I do better. Although with running I don’t need a stop sign or a set tree to run to — in fact, I’d prefer not to have a visual because sometimes I just feel like I’ll never get there. But if I have a vision of the end, then I enjoy running more. I imagine how I’ll feel at the end, the sense of accomplishment, the joy of being done.
I think I might be a little bit like that in my spiritual life as well. I don’t need to actually see where I’m going. Hey! That sounds a little like faith!
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
What does God have for Us?
I think what I need is a very clear vision of what I have to look forward to — and that gets me back to the question, “What does God have for us?”
“Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Heb. 9:15).
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
"Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:1-3).
"And this is the promise that he made to us — eternal life" (1 John 2:25).
Thinking about eternal life is all well and good. But does eternal life necessarily mean good life? I say yes — a wholehearted yes!
I believe eternal life is all things wonderful! John describes it like this:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:3-4).
The Most Important Part of Heaven
I don’t imagine heaven is a place of clouds, harps and wings. I believe heaven is very much like what we are familiar with in terms of earth — He does refer to it as the new heaven and the new earth. I tell my kids we will get to enjoy all the wonderful things this earth has to offer but it will be perfect! No fear, no worries, no violence, no pain. What’s not to like about that?
Recognizing what I have to look forward to helps me press on through sorrow, pain, trouble, challenges and even things that are pretty good by this world’s standards to strive to live a life of peace, joy and service here.
“When the Bible speaks of the new heaven and the new earth, it is not speaking of an alternative to this world; it is speaking of the healing and restoration of this world. This gives Christians a reason to participate in restoring this fallen world. Furthermore, because Christians know that there is a perfect world coming, they don’t put all their hope in the current world. Christians can sacrificially serve others because they value the things of the coming world more than the things of this world.” —Tim Keller
And the most important part of heaven is Jesus.
Oh my goodness — epiphany! The vision, the goal, the hope, the joy, the thing to look forward to is Jesus!
“There will be little else we shall want of heaven besides Jesus Christ. He will be our bread, our food, our beauty, and our glorious dress. The atmosphere of heaven will be Christ; everything in heaven will be Christ-like: yes, Christ is the heaven of His people." —C.H. Spurgeon
I guess there is something — I mean Someone — I want to keep as my focus, my focal point as I run this faith race.
“A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.” —C.S. Lewis
I pray as we all run this race we will keep our eyes on the prize, on Jesus.
Sue Birdseye
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Sharing Love From Sweden - WE NEED EACH OTHER by Eva Haglund
March 26, 2014
Shalom Steve!
Many greetings from Stockholm!
Thank you for serving God with "Love For His People"! Thank you for all good things you write and also for your support for Israel and the Jewish people!
Just now I have read what Rick Joyner wrote about that we need each other. I totally agree with him! I have been thinking and share some of my thoughts about the subject:
WE NEED EACH OTHER
Sometimes Christians are so stressed and do not think they need each other. Some will just seek the Lord and some just want to evangelize without friendship. We need seek the Lord and we need intercession in a world who really need intercession but we also need each other. God is not impersonal and want us not to just do things for Him but to have a relation with Him - to have Him as your friend. Our heavenly Daddy and Jesus have much fellowship. In John.21 we can see for instance that Jesus had fellowship with the disciples. We as Christians need each other, too.
The church is not a building as many people think.
The church is the Body of Christ with Jesus as head, not any strong leader but Jesus.
As usual, our body needs each other's part ,1 Cor.12, so we need sisters and brothers not just in a church building but much in friendship. Even if you cannot know all, still how love and have some contact with people you also cannot know well.
It is not good for us to stand alone. We need each other. We need each other in friendship to pray together. For instance, you can worship together but also do other things. Take a walk and look at the nature with friends.
We also need meetings together. It can be in a house as Mary had meetings in hers, as in Acts, or in a building. If three friends meet in a home seeking God - that can also be a meeting. We need more of house of prayers today. We need to pray together and worship.
We do not need clubs but fellowship. In the Bible it talks about hospitality and in Acts 2:46 they broke bread from house to house and had fellowship. Jesus also prayed in John.17:21 that love will be a testimony to the world.
He tells us to love one another in John. 15:12-13. He does not just mean to see each other in a church building but to have real fellowship among Christians. When Jesus tells us to wash each other`s feet I also think He talks about to take care about each other - show care to our sisters and brothers. I also believe in forgiveness - not to be bitter to anyone.
However I believe it is good to have mature leader/leaders in a local church who care for people and do not have a hard heart but has been touched by the heart of the Father. I think all in the Body has the same value but with different gifts. We need to be one in Christ Gal.3:28. I think it is a new time when also God wants to work, to do more things in teams and that it is a new time when He wants to restore more of the love in Body of Christ.The enemy has stolen much of it among us.
The enemy wants us to be bitter to each other, so he can bring more division to the Body. But we need forgiveness and love among each other. I believe also that when guided by God, Christian friends can live close to each other as in Ps.133. It is written about blessings with it. Sometimes Christians live so far away from each. I think that it is not good. If we live so far from each other, it is hard to be together. It is easier to pray together, have a meeting and other things together also in friendship if we do not live so far away from each other.
Jesus is the head as the body. He is a real Friend. We need Him first. This Friend gave His life for us in love. Friendship with God ought to go hand in hand with friendship with each other.
If you do not have friendships now - He want us to get them back!
TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER
Wash the feet - showing care.
Like a servant - giving out...
Like a servant - giving out...
Love is to give... Wash the feet -
"ask anybody how it is - how are you" ?
Giving bread to a friend who do not have
...Write that letter...
Call that person who is alone...
Invite anybody for a dinner...
Wash your friends dishes...
We are cleansed by your water,
but reaching out is
showing love.
Wash each others feet.
Eva Haglund.
We need to come together!
Blessings!
Whose building are you building? Steve Martin
I am surrounded by those whose pride is in buildings they raise, which may last maybe 70 years, if that. I am humbled by the fact that my building will last for eternity. I have learned where to focus my efforts, and Whose building I am to be building.
What we build now will be what we have when we go on from here. If it is still standing.
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People
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Whose building are you building?
Matthew 7:24-27
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
World Vision Officially Recognizes Workers’ Same-Sex Marriages
World Vision President Richard Stearns
World Vision Officially Recognizes
Workers’ Same-Sex Marriages
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."
The Apostasy of World Vision - Michael Brown, Charisma News
Michael Brown
The Apostasy of World Vision
Shortly after I broke the news on my radio broadcast and on social media, Christianity Today confirmed the report: World Vision has decided to embrace homosexual “marriage” among its employees and to recognize practicing homosexual employees who profess faith in Jesus as true Christians.
This is a betrayal of the gospel, a betrayal of the Lord, a betrayal of the family and a betrayal of the countless thousands of Christians who have put their trust in World Vision as a legitimate Christian organization.
In no way does it contribute to “building a better world for children”—one of the fundamental goals of World Vision. In fact, it does the opposite.
Last June, World Vision U.S President Richard Stearns stated, “No one ever died of gay marriage,” thereby trivializing the importance of the issue, as if it contrasted with the organization’s mission of providing tangible relief to suffering humanity.
Today, he went much further, claiming that this radical, unbiblical move is actually a “very narrow policy change” that should be viewed as “symbolic not of compromise but of [Christian] unity.”
What? World Vision redefines the nature of marriage—the most fundamental institution of society, ordained by God in Genesis 2 as the lifelong union of a man and a woman and reaffirmed by Jesus as such in Matthew 19—and ignores the explicit and repeated condemnation of homosexual practice throughout the Scriptures and then claims it is a “very narrow policy change”?
What? World Vision mocks the sentiments, convictions and sensibilities of countless thousands of its Christian constituents, rejects the historic testimony of virtually all branches of Christianity, decides to take a terribly controversial stand on the most socially divisive issue of the day, and then claims that this is “symbolic not of compromise but of [Christian] unity”?
With all respect to the massive amount of good that Richard Stearns and World Vision have done in helping the poor and needy for many years now, his words strain Christian credulity.
Stearns states, “We’re not caving to some kind of pressure. We’re not on some slippery slope. There is no lawsuit threatening us. There is no employee group lobbying us. This is not us compromising. It is us deferring to the authority of churches and denominations on theological issues. We’re an operational arm of the global church, we’re not a theological arm of the church.”
No slippery slope? No compromise? By sanctioning homosexual relationships, World Vision is “deferring to the authority of churches and denominations on theological issues”?
Worst of all, World Vision did not make this decision under duress or pressure, making their decision all the more inexcusable.
Stearns says, “It’s been heartbreaking to watch this issue rip through the church. It’s tearing churches apart, tearing denominations apart, tearing Christian colleges apart, and even tearing families apart. Our board felt we cannot jump into the fight on one side or another on this issue. We’ve got to focus on our mission. We are determined to find unity in our diversity.”
Is this not the height of self-deception? Does World Vision not realize that they have just exponentially increased that “tearing apart” of believers? Do they actually think that this divisive, destructive policy change will unite Christians around serving the poor? Does their board, which overwhelmingly approved the policy, actually feel that they have not “jump[ed] into the fight on one side or another on this issue”? It would be like saying, “Because politics can be so divisive and we don’t want to get into the fight, we’ll just vote for the Democrats.”
Anonymous sources informed me about this coming change two weeks ago, telling me how the convictions of committed Christians within World Vision were scorned when the new policy was announced. This is the way to find “unity in our diversity”? (One family activist suggested to me that the organization be renamed World DiVision.)
The fact is that World Vision claims to be a Christian organization, with phrases like this on its website: “World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization. ... Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ ... ” As Stearns reiterates, “World Vision is committed to our Christian identity. We are absolutely resolute about every employee being followers of Jesus Christ. We are not wavering on that.”
Well, if claiming that two men can marry and their sexual acts be holy in God’s sight is not wavering, then words have no meaning.
That’s why listeners to my radio show who supported World Vision called in today to express their shock, feeling deeply betrayed.
One caller said that he and his wife recently decided to sponsor a child through World Vision after being introduced to them at a Christian concert in New York City that featured Casting Crowns. Now he was flabbergasted to hear that they were recognizing “gay Christianity” and same-sex marriage among their employees.
According to the World Vision website, their first core value is “We Are Christian,” even stating, “We proclaim together, ‘Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Jesus is Lord.’ We desire him to be central in our individual and corporate life.”
Let it be stated plainly to the leadership and board of directors of World Vision U.S.: The Lord Jesus is no longer central in the corporate life of your organization. You have denied His lordship by your actions.
Remarkably, Stearns claims that World Vision’s moral standards have not changed, explaining that they still require “abstinence outside of marriage, and fidelity within marriage” for their employees. So, just redefine your terms, and poof! Sin disappears.
This would be similar to saying that World Vision still requires sexual purity, except that fornication is now considered pure, or that they still require marital fidelity, except that adultery is now considered fidelity.
The fact is that no matter how much two men or two women love each other, their union is not marriage in God’s sight—nor will it ever be—and their sexual relations, even if totally monogamous, remain sinful in his eyes.
Now is the time for every church that works with World Vision, every Christian musician and artist that partners with World Vision, and every believer that supports World Vision to inform them that they have made a terrible choice and that they will no longer have your support.
And then, without missing a beat, partner together with other fine Christian, humanitarian organizations like Samaritan’s Purse or Food for the Hungry, and continue your compassionate giving.
And for every child who will fall through the cracks because of World Vision’s betrayal of its Christian principles, I say to Richard Stearns and those who made this decision together: You will have to answer to God.
Michael Brown is author of Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message and host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience. Follow him at AskDrBrown on Facebook or at @drmichaellbrown on Twitter.
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