Billy Graham's Son Urges Christians to Support Israel

Thursday, June 05, 2014 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Franklin Graham, son of legendary Christian evangelist Billy Graham, urged fellow Christians last week to support the State of Israel, on both moral and religious grounds.

Speaking at a solidarity event at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, the younger Graham, himself an accomplished minister and evangelist, said the Bible makes clear that modern Israel should be an important issue for Christians.

“I support Israel not only because I worship a Jew, but because of what the Bible says about Israel and the future of Israel,” he said.

Graham’s remarks come at a time when more and more Evangelical Christians are abandoning support of Israel in favor of a new theology of social justice that serves Palestinian nationalist aspirations.

One of the talking points of this new theology is that modern Israel can not and must not be directly associated with the Israel of the Bible, that today’s Jewish state is not, as people like Franklin Graham preach, a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

[Hat tip: [Rosh Pina Project1]

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Israel Angered by US Support for Hamas-Backed Government

Thursday, June 05, 2014 |  Ryan Jones  ISRAEL TODAY

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Israeli officials were angered this week after the Obama Administration found the loophole it needed to justify support for the new Palestinian Authority unity government, despite the involvement of the Hamas terrorist organization.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week warned that a Palestinian government including Hamas would mean an end to the peace process, and Washington initially appeared to back up that assessment.

But then US Secretary of State John Kerry did an apparent about-face while in Lebanon this week, telling reporters that his government would work with the new Palestinian regime. Kerry argued that doing so would not provide any legitimacy to Hamas, as none of the ministers in the new Palestinian government are directly affiliated with the terror group.

“Based on what we know now about the composition of this technocratic government, which has no minister affiliated to Hamas and is committed to the principles that I describe, we will work with it as we need to, as appropriate,” said Kerry.

Earlier, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insisted that in America’s eyes, “it is not a government backed by Hamas” because “there are no members of Hamas in the government.”

That position seemed to conveniently ignore that the Palestinian unity government was only made possible by the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction, meaning Hamas has substantial influence.

Nor did Kerry or Harf bother to acknowledge the fact that the Palestinian government announced this week is a transitional regime, and that when new elections are held later this year, Hamas may very well win a commanding presence at the ballot box, as it did in 2006.

Whatever Washington’s motivation for joining the European Union and the UN in welcoming the new Palestinian government, Netanyahu was none too impressed.

“I’m deeply troubled by the announcement that the United States will work with the Palestinian government backed by Hamas,” the Israeli leader told The Associated Press. “All those who genuinely seek peace must reject President Abbas’ embrace of Hamas, and most especially, I think the United States must make it absolutely clear to the Palestinian president that his pact with Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks Israel’s liquidation, is simply unacceptable.”

Determined not to allow the international community to alter the status quo regarding Hamas, Israel began imposing threatened sanctions and punitive measures as a result of Abbas’ unity government announcement.

Palestinian media reported that Israel had revoked the VIP cards held by high-ranking Palestinian Authority officials, was withholding tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinians, and had barred movement between Gaza and the “West Bank.”

Israel also published tenders for 1,500 new apartments in Judea, Samaria and on the eastern side of Jerusalem, all areas claimed by the Palestinians. Housing Minister Uri Ariel confirmed that the housing units were a direct response to the Hamas-backed Palestinian unity government.

The new apartments are “an appropriate Zionist response to the Palestinian terror government,” Ariel insisted in a statement released to the press.

The Obama Administration didn’t see things that way. While it was willing to find an excuse to embrace the new Palestinian government, Washington flatly rejected and condemned Israel’s renewed “settlement activity.”

“We oppose settlement construction in the West Bank as well as announcements regarding such construction,” American Ambassador Dan Shapiro told Army Radio. “We would do so with or without this disputed case of a new Palestinian transitional government.”

The new Palestinian government responded by saying it hoped the Obama Administration would take its own punitive steps toward Israel.

“It is time for the American administration to take serious steps against what the government of Israel is doing,” PA presidential advisor Nimr Hammad told the AFP. “We strongly condemn this decision [to build 1,500 new Jewish apartments] which affirms that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a liar and is not interested in the two-state solution.”

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Don’t Hide the Holy Spirit in a Seeker-Friendly Box - J. Lee Grady

Don't limit the Holy Spirit in your worship service. Let the power flow. (J. Lee Grady)

Don’t Hide the Holy Spirit in a Seeker-Friendly Box

6/4/2014 J. LEE GRADY  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Pentecost Sunday is this weekend. Some pastors may preach a sermon on the Holy Spirit's ministry; others might read Acts 2; others may hang a red and orange banner over the stage to remind people of the Spirit's fire. Some might even allow a livelier-than-usual song to be performed since, after all, it's Pentecost!

The sermons, Bible verses, banners and music are all great. But I'm looking beyond this Sunday. I'd like to know if we're willing to allow the Holy Spirit to get out of the box we've put Him in.

Everywhere I go I hear pastors asking the same question: How can we encourage the freedom of Pentecost in a church culture that has become increasingly scripted, scheduled and controlled right down to the nanosecond. The essence of Pentecost, which came "suddenly" (Acts 2:2), was its unpredictability. But there seems to be no room for God's sudden surprises when we already have our sermons planned out for the next six months.

Here are eight practical things we can do to encourage the freedom of Pentecost in our churches:

1. Teach about the Holy Spirit often. The Holy Spirit was rarely mentioned in the church I grew up in, so we never expected Him to do anything. Yet He is described in the second verse of the Bible as "moving" upon the surface of the newly created world (Gen. 1:2) and He has one of the last messages in the Bible (see Rev. 22:17). He moves and He speaks throughout the Scriptures! But we must invite Him to move and speak in our churches by giving Him the place He deserves.

2. Leave room for altar calls and personal ministry. A church without altar ministry is like a hospital without a maternity ward. New life begins at the altar—whether it is salvation, healing, prophetic ministry or the impartation of a fresh anointing. Today many churches that offer multiple services often skimp on ministry time because they are focused on herding the 10 a.m group out of the sanctuary to get ready for the 11:30 a.m. crowd. Multiple services are fine, but we are crowding the Spirit out of the church if we don't schedule time for people to respond to the message.

3. Have small groups where people can use the Holy Spirit's gifts. It's not practical for everyone to prophesy or exercise other spiritual gifts in a large congregation. But if people are plugged into small groups or Bible classes there will be opportunities for believers to encourage one another in supernatural ways. And people are more comfortable stepping out in faith in front of 10 people than they are in front of 3,000.

4. Train people in prophecy, healing and Spirit-led ministry. Many pastors clamp down on the operation of spiritual gifts because a few fanatics with inflated egos like to pull the church into weirdness with their visions, dreams or strange teachings. But in our effort to protect the sheep from deception let's not pull the pendulum to the other extreme by forbidding the gifts of the Spirit. The genuine power of God will flow if we teach people the difference between authentic anointing and strange fire.

5. Offer "teaching moments" to explain the gifts of the Spirit. I've been in churches where Brother Herschel or Sister Agnes prophesied in such a harsh, condemning tone that everyone in the church let out a collective groan. Their "words from God" had the same effect on the congregation as fingernails on a chalkboard. We cannot just ignore these moments and move on. When the Corinthians mishandled speaking in tongues and prophecy in the first century, the apostle Paul used their mistakes as an opportunity to teach about how to use gifts properly. In the same way, a leader must address spiritual abuse from the pulpit by teaching that prophetic messages should be delivered in love and in God's tone of voice.

6. Expose your church to healthy ministries that flow in the anointing. There are some charlatans selling the Holy Spirit's gifts today—on television and in churches. But not every traveling minister is a fake. God has raised up thousands of prophets who have not bowed their knees to the Baals of exploitation, greed and gimmicks. We need life-giving traveling ministries because God sends them to win new converts, heal the sick, unleash prophetic power, train leaders and impart new vision in congregations. We should not be afraid to expose our churches to men and women of character who are called to minister in the supernatural.

7. Give time for testimonies of God's supernatural power. Nothing raises the faith level of a congregation like someone's raw experience with God. If a man was healed this week in your church, let him shout it from the housetops. If an infertile couple got pregnant, let them tell about the goodness of God. Stories of supernatural intervention trigger a holy expectation in everyone—and God gets the glory for His miracles.

8. Preach about holiness. Let's never forget that the Holy Spirit is holy. When people are filled with the Spirit, the Spirit burns up their sinful habits (see Matt. 3:11-12). The Spirit is quenched by immorality, carnality and pride, and He does not manifest His power when God's people are steeped in sin and compromise. Many churches today have stopped warning God's people about the dangers of sin, so we don't confront anymore. We've figured out that people will pack the house if we give them sugary-sweet motivational pep talks that never step on toes. By avoiding the tough topics, we've essentially told the Holy Ghost to take a hike.

As we celebrate Pentecost, let's fling open the doors and allow the Spirit to have His way. Instead of being afraid of what He might disrupt, or who He might offend, let's rather fear what our churches would be like without Him.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.

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The Winners Are In: Casting Crowns, 'Oceans' and Jamie Grace on 7UP Can Win Big at K-Love Awards

     The K-LOVE Fan Awards (K-Love)

Casting Crowns, 'Oceans' 

and Jamie Grace on 7UP Can 

Win Big at K-Love Awards

6/4/2014 CHRISTINE D. JOHNSON   CHRISTIAN LIFE NEWS

Winners were announced Sunday evening at the 2nd Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. The event was hosted by Dancing With the Stars finalist Candace Cameron Bure and award-winning artist Matthew West.

Broadcast live on the K-LOVE radio network, the fan-voted show "celebrated and promoted artists, athletes, authors and entertainers who, with excellence, engage and impact popular culture for Jesus Christ."

With Casting Crowns receiving the evening's biggest honor of Artist of the Year, other winners were announced in the following categories: Male Artist of the Year: Chris Tomlin; Female Artist of the Year: Mandisa; Group/Duo of the Year: Newsboys; Song of the Year: Mandisa, "Overcomer"; Worship Song of the Year: Hillsong United, "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"; Best Live Show: TobyMac; First Christian Artist to Appear on 7UP Can: Jamie Grace; Sports Impact: Carolina Panthers Linebacker Thomas Davis; Movie Impact: God's Not Dead; and Book Impact: Max Lucado, You'll Get Through This.

This year's K-LOVE Fan Awards partnered with World Hope to aid in the revival of the people of Detroit. With every half-million votes cast, World Hope committed to unlock a newly remodeled home for a family in need in the city. With over 2 million votes tallied, four homes will be provided to Detroit-area families.

Additionally, last week World Hope released the new single, "Hope Can Change Everything" featuring Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard of MercyMe, Matt Maher, Francesca Battistelli, Jamie Grace and Dave Frey of Sidewalk Prophets on iTunes. The song shot up the iTunes Christian and Gospel Songs Chart, peaking at No. 2. Proceeds will go toward the Revival of Detroit efforts (revivalofdetroit.com). Click here to download "Hope Can Change Everything." 

The evening showcased performances and appearances from the worlds of music, sports, film and books, including MercyMe, Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, New York Times best-selling author Ann Voskamp, K-LOVE NASCAR driver Michael McDowell, Michael W. Smith and Scott Stapp.

This year, fans could interact with Christian music artists at the K-LOVE Fan Awards Weekend. Starting May 30, the weekend began with the official Weekend Kickoff Concert, and all weekend, fans participated in the first ever K-LOVE Fan Zone, which featured a variety of fan-focused events, including tours of Jeremy Camp's bus, celebrity basketball games and autograph sessions.

"Once again, the K-LOVE Fan Awards turned out to be far more than 'awards,' " says Mike Novak, K-LOVE president and CEO. "We heard stories of God using music, movies, the printed word and the world of sports to touch His people and change lives forever. It's an honor and very humbling to be one of the ways He reaches His people."

The 3rd Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards is slated for June 1, 2015. For more information, visit KLOVEFanAwards.com

Israel's History - a Picture a Day - The Shavuot Holiday in the Holy Land

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

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The Shavuot Holiday in the Holy Land Posted: 04 Jun 2014  Shavuot celebration in Tel Aviv (1935, Israel Government Press Office, HT: Gina) "And it shall be when you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance and you possess it and dwell therein.  You shall take the first of all the fruit of the ground from the land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and you shall go to the place which the Lord your God shall choose to dwell in." [Deuteronomy XXVI:1-2] During the days of the Temple in Jerusalem Jews were commanded to bring their first fruits to the sanctuary during the Shavuot (Pentecost) pilgrimage festival.  It was a joyous thanksgiving holiday.  Poster for Shavuot (1940, Israel Government Press Office) Children's procession in Kibbutz Ein Harod (1938, Israel Government Press Office) A Shavuot gathering?  Original caption: The Keren Hayesod. Agricultural Colonies on Plain of Esdraelon  "The Emek [Jezre'el]." Zionist children at play. A spring group. Children picking wild flowers [Library of Congress, circa 1920-1933] In the early 20th century, the collective Kibbutz and Moshav agricultural movements adopted the holiday to exhibit their produce and farm equipment. The new "tradition" continues to this day. Reader Josh Korn of Canada provided us with this picture and a request: Kibbutz Naan, Shavuot 1932 (Courtesy Josh Korn) This photo is from Kibbutz Naan, dated from Shavuot 1932. I know only one of the people in the photo: the guy wearing glasses on the left is my dad. I'd love to find out who the others are.

Celebrating Shavuot - Receiving the Torah

Celebrating Shavuot "Also on the day of the first fruits, when you present a new grain offering to the Lord in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work." Numbers 28:26 The Jewish holiday of Shavuot was celebrated yesterday. According to Jewish tradition Shavuot is the day the Children of Israel received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. According to the Talmud God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews on the sixth night of the Hebrew month of Sivan. Shavuot always falls 50 days after the second night of Passover. Read More... Yes, I would like to take part in reviving the Israeli desert and enjoy its fruits!!

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