| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
"...in thy seed shall all the nations of the world be blessed." - ISRAEL365
It’s Election Day in America. What are two things every Christian should do? - Joel Rosenberg
It’s Election Day in America. What are two things every Christian should do? (excerpts from “Implosion”)by joelcrosenberg |
It's Election Day in the United States. Enormous, daunting challenges face the American people when it comes to the economy, national security, defending marriage and the sanctity of human life, protecting our religious freedom, our relationship with Israel, and many other issues with moral and spiritual dimensions. Indeed, when it comes to the type of people who will govern state and federal government, the stakes could not be higher. So, what are two things every Christian should do?
Here are excepts from my 2012 book, Implosion.
- Christians need to pray faithfully and consistently for wisdom and direction for our national leaders.
We may not always be happy with what our leaders are doing and saying, but we need to pray for them anyway. Failing to do so is disobedience to God.
- As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy and the church he pastored in Ephesus,“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
- Paul told the church in Rome to “render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor (Romans 13:7).
- The apostle Peter reinforced this message. "Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king." (1 Peter 2:12-17, NLT)
The Christians who founded this great country certainly were men and women of prayer. Indeed, because of the First Great Awakening, many of our nation’s early leaders had become deeply faithful in praying and fasting. They most definitely prayed for God to protect and guide those in authority. But they also prayed that God would remove tyrants and unfit men from leadership and replace them with new leaders who had great wisdom and sound judgment to govern the struggling nation. Should we do any less today?
- Christians need to exercise their right to vote and mobilize others to vote as well.
Americans are not slaves of an empire. By God’s grace, we are free people and citizens of the greatest democratic republic in the history of mankind. Very few people in history have had a say in who got elected in their countries and what values and policies those leaders would defend and advance, but we have that very privilege. How dare we ignore and squander it? We should take this right seriously. As Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Luke 12:48).
Over the past four decades, the number of Americans of voting age who describe themselves as born-again Christians has risen from 50 million to more than 80 million. While such Christians do not have the numbers to dominate American politics, we can play a decisive role. But we cannot have any influence on the direction of our country if we don’t get involved. So if we want to help our government fundamentally change direction—if we’re committed to doing everything possible to avoid an economic and cultural implosion—we need to be serious, focused, and involved in the political process.
What does this mean for you if you’re a Christian?
- At the very least you should register to vote and then go to the polls to vote your conscience.
- Encourage others to register to vote too.
- Become informed on the issues, and help educate your friends.
- Pay close attention to what the candidates are saying and what their records are.
- Study all candidates carefully. Don’t make any rash decisions. Weigh all the elements—a candidate’s character, history, marriage, experience, voting record, views on the issues, speeches, statements, articles, ads, advisors, and allies.
- Don’t expect candidates to be perfect. Remember that campaigns are about choices. You will be presented with flawed candidates. That’s a given. So you must carefully choose the least flawed, most principled, most experienced, and most effective candidates during primaries and during general elections.
- Don’t ignore a candidate’s moral failures.
- Don’t ignore unorthodox religious views.
- Don’t ignore that uneasy feeling you have in your gut that you can’t explain but that you sense is trouble.
- Study hard, and weigh everything carefully.
- Patiently ask God for wisdom. And don’t simply pray; fast as well.
When you find a candidate you like and can trust, ask the Lord whether he would have you help that candidate with your time, your talent, or your treasure. The Lord doesn’t call every believer to get actively involved in a campaign beyond voting, but some he does. Do only what the Lord tells you to do, no more but no less. And when the time comes, vote—and mobilize others to vote—and then trust the Lord with the results. As the prophet Daniel told us, ultimately it is the Lord who “removes kings and establishes kings” (Daniel 2:21). So don’t let yourself become depressed if your candidate loses. God is still in control. And don’t gloat if your candidate wins. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Not all Christians are going to agree on every issue or every candidate, of course. But consider how much impact Christians could make in reshaping the fundamental direction of the White House, the Congress, the federal courts, and the Supreme Court (as well as local and state government) if we unified behind leaders who share and represent our values. Consider a few facts:
- In 1976, 35 percent of voting-age Americans (about 50 million people) described themselves as “born again,” according to a Gallup poll.[i]
- That same year, fully 50 percent of self-described born-again Christians voted for Democrat Jimmy Carter, playing a critical role in helping Carter win the presidency over the Republican incumbent Gerald Ford.[ii]
- By 1980, the number of self-described born-again Christians in America had increased to 39 percent, according to Gallup.[iii]
- That same year, born-again Christians broke against Carter, voting almost two-to-one (61 percent to 34 percent) for Republican candidate Ronald Reagan and playing a key factor in Reagan’s victory.[iv]
- In 1984, Reagan won 78 percent of the Christian vote in his landslide victory over Democrat Walter Mondale, who received only 22 percent.[v]
- Republican George H. W. Bush won a stunning 81 percent of the evangelical vote in 1988 as part of his lopsided victory over Democrat Michael Dukakis, who received only 18 percent.[vi]
- However, when born-again Christian support for George H. W. Bush declined significantly in 1992—he secured only 59 percent of this critical voter bloc—Bush ended up losing the presidency to Democrat Bill Clinton, who received 21 percent (Independent Ross Perot siphoned off the remainder of born-again Christian voters).[vii]
- In 1996, Bill Clinton increased his share of the evangelical vote to 43 percent, which helped him defeat Bob Dole, who secured only 49 percent—the lowest percentage for any Republican in two decades.[viii]
- By 2000, the number of voting-age Americans who described themselves as born again had increased to 45 percent (about 87 million people).[ix]
- That same year, Republican George W. Bush, a devout and outspoken evangelical Christian, won 57 percent of the born-again Christian vote (which was far more than Dole but actually less than his father, George H. W. Bush) and only very narrowly defeated Democrat Al Gore, who received 42 percent.[x]
- In 2004, George W. Bush specifically and heavily courted Christians and won 62 percent of the self-described born-again Christian vote and defeated Democrat John Kerry, who secured only 38 percent.[xi]
- In 2008, Republican candidate John McCain was faring poorly among Christians for much of the election cycle. His numbers improved after he named Sarah Palin, a devout and outspoken evangelical, to the ticket, but not enough to defeat Democrat Barack Obama. In the end, McCain won 57 percent of the born-again vote, while Obama won 41 percent.[xii]
- In 2010, a stunning 77 percent of self-described born-again Christians voted for Republican candidates running for the House of Representatives, while only 19 percent voted for Democrat candidates, resulting in a landslide victory for the GOP in which they picked up sixty-three congressional seats and won back control of the House.[xiii]
How will the American government be shaped in the future? Christians could play a key role in answering this question.
But one thing is certain: disunity will destroy us. Jesus said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand” (Mark 3:25). If in coming elections Christians are divided between candidates who share our biblical principles and constitutional convictions, who practice what they preach, and on the other hand candidates who are opposed to our principles or who flip-flop on them or cannot be trusted for other reasons, then elections will be won by candidates who do not share our values. In turn, we will lose the opportunity to turn this ship of state around.
But if Christians register to vote en masse and unite behind serious, substantive, pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-growth, pro-defense candidates who truly use the Constitution as their guide, then we have a real chance to put solid candidates in office and empower them to make the reforms we so desperately need to rescue our country from the abyss.
-------------------------
[i] This number is cited here to describe a political reality, not a spiritual one. The number does not necessarily reflect how many Americans in 1976 truly understood the biblical meaning of the term born again found in John 3, believed every element of orthodox Christian teaching in the New Testament, and were fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ who had a personal relationship with him. Rather, it simply reflects a pollster asking a voter, “Do you consider yourself a born-again Christian?” and the voter saying yes. Also, it should be noted that these numbers (and those that follow in this section of the book) specifically refer to white born-again Christians, as this is the group the Gallup poll was tracking. See Albert L. Winseman, “‘Born-Agains’ Wield Political, Economic Influence,” Gallup commentary, April 13, 2004, http://www.gallup.com/poll/
[ii] See Doug Wead, “The History of the Evangelical Vote in Presidential Elections,” column on Wead’s blog, September 11, 2008. Wead was a political advisor to Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush on evangelical political matters. He analyzed the numbers from numerous public and private exit polls, leaning most heavily on Gallup data. See http://dougwead.wordpress.com/
[iii] The 39 percent figure comes from a December 7-10, 1979, poll. See Table 1, Gallup Poll Evangelical Questions, Conrad Hackett and D. Michael Lindsay, “Measuring Evangelicalism: Consequences of Different Operationalization Strategies,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 47, Issue 3, August 28, 2008, p. 502.
[iv] See Sara Diamond, Not by Politics Alone: The Enduring Influence of the Christian Right, (New York: Guilford Press, 1998) p. 62; see also Doug Wead,http://dougwead.wordpress.com/
[v] Wead.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Ibid. The Ross Perot numbers come from the New York Times exit polls. Seehttp://elections.nytimes.com/
[viii] Ibid.
[ix] Winseman.
[x] Wead.
[xi] Ibid.
[xii] In March 2008, polls showed Senator McCain was losing the Christian vote to an unnamed Democratic nominee (Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were still battling for the nomination), 36 percent to 45 percent, with 19 percent of Christian voters undecided. Among Protestants, McCain pulled even with the Democrats at 40 percent. But the Democrats had a strong 32-point lead over McCain among Catholics. Among white evangelical Protestants, McCain was doing better (51 percent to 28 percent) but had certainly not rallied born-again voters behind him at that point. For an analysis of Senator McCain’s challenges among born-again Christians earlier in the campaign year, see Joel C. Rosenberg, “McCain’s Evangelical Problem,” National Review Online, March 26, 2008, http://www.nationalreview.com/
[xiii] See CNN’s national exit polls for the 2010 midterm congressional elections, posted online at http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/
US Backs Suppression of Religious Freedom on Temple Mount
US Backs Suppression of Religious Freedom on Temple Mount
Tuesday, November 04, 2014 | Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY
In the wake of the attempted assassination of Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a prominent advocate of allowing Jews to worship atop the Temple Mount, the Obama Administration confirmed that it supports the suppression of full religious freedom at the Jerusalem holy site.
During a press conference last Friday, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked to articulate the White House’s reaction to the shooting of Glick, a US citizen, by a Palestinian Muslim terrorist.
In her bumbling and somewhat evasive response, Psaki said that while the Obama Administration condemn’s the shooting, it continues to oppose Glick’s efforts to open the Temple Mount to Jewish and Christian worshippers.
“We support the long-standing practices regarding non-Muslim visitors to the site, to Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount,” said Psaki. “And consistent with our respect for the status quo, we would like to see it returned to that.”
Those “long-standing practices” have been to deny Jewish and Christians visitors the right to worship, pray or carry Bibles atop the Muslim-controlled Temple Mount, despite the fact that it is for all Jews and many Christians the most holy site on earth.
Many Jews and Christians have been detained even for mouthing silent prayers while visiting the Temple Mount.
To clarify that it is, indeed, this denial of freedom of worship that the Obama Administration supports, a reporter pressed Psaki: “You condemn the shooting of an American citizen who had advocated for non-Muslim worshippers to be able to go. But you don’t support [his cause?]”
She responded in the affirmative: “Our position hasn’t changed on this issue. That’s true. …It doesn’t mean we don’t condemn, of course, the shooting.”
Seizing the opportunity provided by Washington, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday released a statement rejecting the very presence of Jews atop the Temple Mount.
“Break-ins by the settlers and Jewish extremists” to the Temple Mount are an affront to “Muslim sensitivities,” read the statement.
A day earlier, Israel Police Chief Yohanan Danino told a Knesset hearing that security forces would do everything in their power ensure Jews and Christians were able to continue ascending the Temple Mount, but insisted the aforementioned “status quo” would be maintained at the holy site.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates from ISRAEL TODAY.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Thousands Stand with Pastors Targeted by Houston Mayor
Thousands Stand with Pastors Targeted by Houston Mayor
Monday, November 03, 2014
WASHINGTON - Thousands gathered in a Houston church Sunday evening and many more watched online to defend the right of pastors to be free of government intimidation.
The gathering came after Houston Mayor Annise Parker, a lesbian, and fellow officials subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors.
Host Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, told the crowd at Houston's Grace Community Church that more than 700 churches and 3,000 home groups had signed up to take part in the "I Stand Sunday" event via the webcast.
"I stand here today with you that I may speak, preach and teach on the issues that deal with society, the issues that the Bible speaks about," Pastor Hernan Castano of Iglesia Rios de Aceite, one of the "Houston Five" -- as the pastors have become known -- said.
Mayor Parker became upset with church-organized opposition to a pro-gay, pro-transgender city ordinance. In a legal move, she had called for local pastors' sermons to be subpoenaed.
Erik Stanley, a senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, has been representing the pastors.
"These subpoenas are just one front in a rapidly developing conflict. And the philosophy underlying this conflict is that sexual liberty trumps everything, including religious liberty," Stanley said.
Another of the pastors' lawyers, Andy Taylor, told participants it's sad how far Houston officials have strayed from the spirit of the First Amendment.
"'I may not like what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,' and that is what the First Amendment is based on, ladies and gentlemen," Taylor said, quoting Voltaire.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee pointed out an important truth about the Bill of Rights.
"It never, ever, ever told you, as a citizen, what you cannot do. Every one of the Bill of Rights tells the government what it can't do," Huckabee explained. "And it tells the government it cannot encroach on what your pastor says or what you believe."
After the outcry, Mayor Parker withdrew the subpoenas, but the pastors and their allies suspect the battle's far from over.
Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson knows about facing pressure while standing up for his beliefs. He admonished the Texans involved in this struggle to embrace the fight.
"It's been granted to you, Texas, to not only believe in Jesus, but also to suffer for Him," Robertson said. "Praise God for suffering for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let's get it on."
Dr. Rick Scarborough, with Vision America asked, "Isn't it just like God to give us Texans a chance to show the world what Texas pastors are made of?"
Dr. Ronnie Floyd, head of the Southern Baptist Convention, said the church has to shake off apathy and take the lead in getting the nation right with God.
"I say this to all of Houston and I say it to the church of America tonight: It is time for us to wake up from our slumber," he said.
Then Floyd asked people to get on their knees as he led them in a prayer of repentance.
Huckabee suggested one of the things Christians must repent of is political apathy.
"We have not just the right to vote. But if we love God, we have a responsibility to vote and to be the salt and light of our nation. And we have failed," Huckabee said.
"There are 80 million self-proclaimed evangelicals in America," the former governor explained. "Of the 80 million evangelicals, only half of them are even registered to vote. Of the half that are registered to vote, only half of them voted in the presidential election."
"And of those, only half of them will vote in an off-year election," he continued. "And we wonder why it is that we're seeing the kinds of things we're seeing in cities like Houston, Texas."
Another of the "Houston Five," Senior Pastor Steve Riggle of Grace Community Church, asked people to come to Houston City Hall at 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 5, to ask Mayor Parker to allow a vote of the city's citizens on the pro-gay, pro-transgender ordinance that led to this confrontation in the first place.
Todd Starnes, host of FOX News Radio, writes frequently about attacks on religious liberty in America. He suggested Houston pastors and parishioners need to be as strong as some of the students standing up for their religious rights in school.
Starnes cited Roy Costner of Liberty, South Carolina, who slated to give the valedictorian speech at his high school graduation. When he submitted his speech, school officials began blacking out large sections.
"And Roy Costner was told that he was not allowed to say anything about Jesus, and they marked that out of his speech," Starnes recounted. "They said 'Roy, you're not allowed to say anything about the Bible,' so they marked that out of his speech. And then they said, 'Roy, you can't say anything about Christianity in the speech.' And Roy told me the speech looked like an NSA document that had been redacted."
When graduation day came, school officials wouldn't let Roy carry anything to the podium and what awaited him there was the speech they'd approved.
"Roy Costner stood before that large crowd and he took that government-approved speech in his hands and he tore it in half and he asked the audience to rise to their feet and he said, 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.' Roy Costner, 18 years old, took a stand," Starnes said.
Perkins ended the evening with a command from Ephesians 6.
"In the end it simply comes down to one thing -- standing. 'Having done all, stand," Perkins said.
Watch CBN video: Houston Pastors
"Supernatural Doors - An Invitation to Heavenly Realms" by Kathie Walters
"Supernatural Doors - An Invitation to Heavenly Realms"
Kathie Walters, Macon, GA
The Elijah List
Supernatural Doors At the Airport
The first supernatural door was at the airport in Sydney, Australia. And the second one, well, I want to show you a picture of a door where something supernatural happened just recently.
Two years ago, I arrived at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport. I fly in and out of Sydney quite often, so I know the airport well – like I know Atlanta. I had three large cases, two of them with books and CDs for my conference. When you bring books and CDs into another country, it sometimes takes 20 minutes (after standing in the line for 40 minutes) to explain what the books are for and that you are not part of a weird cult.
As I had flown all the way from Atlanta, I felt tired and didn't feel like getting in the long line or trying to give an explanation to the customs guy.
I was at the baggage claim area, and I had just gotten my three cases onto my cart, and I grumbled a bit to God, "Can't You get me out of here without all the lines?" A security lady then walked up to me. "Let me see your customs declaration," she said. I handed her the white customs form and she looked it over. She made a huge red line right across it, and I thought she was mad. "Go through the door in the corner over there," she pointed to the right hand corner of the baggage claim area. (Photo via Flickr)
As I said, I know the airport well, and I had never noticed a door there before. I thought, "They are waiting for me, and they are going to give me a hard time because I have three cases." I walked with my cart over to the corner and through the door expecting to see some stern-faced man waiting there.
To my surprise, I was suddenly in the main terminal. I totally bypassed all the security! "Thank You, Lord!" I said. I was so happy!
Again... Another Airport Door Appears
I had meetings that week and the following week; I went to New Zealand as I always do. I had a great time in New Zealand, and returned to Sydney a couple of weeks later. I flew into the same international terminal and baggage claim. I was feeling happy, because although I had three cases (someone in New Zealand makes CDs for me), I knew which door to head for. Easy.
I went through the initial customs where they check your passport and then went to the baggage claim and gathered my three cases.
I wheeled my cart toward the corner to go through the door I had been through two weeks before. When I got to the corner, to my dismay, there was NO DOOR THERE at all.
I had no choice but to go and get at the end of a very long line of people going through the security, but I was not a happy camper at all. I complained to the Lord about it. "I don't know about that, making doors and then taking them away again. Now I have to get in this big, long line."
I stood there because I didn't have a choice. After about five minutes, a security man walked up to me; "You and you (he pointed to the lady next to me whom I didn't know), go through that door there." He pointed to a door straight ahead of us. We looked at each other and both walked through this door. We found ourselves in the main terminal. (Photo via Pixabay)
Afterwards I said to the Lord, "Why did You take away the first door and then make another door?" He didn't give me any great theological answer, "I am the door, I can do what I like," is all He said.
But I thought about it afterwards: He can do what He likes and what He desires – He is the door, He is the key, He is the beginning and the end...He can make a way where there is no way, and make a door where there is no door! Simple really. Just need a bit of faith, which we have already been given. "To every man [is given] the measure of [God's] faith" (Romans 12:3).
It's a Heavenly Door and Invitation
I had just returned from Wales and England. We had a great time. I take a group to Ireland and Scotland every April, and Wales and England every October.
So, I just returned from the October tour. While we were visiting Bedford area, we went to the church where John Newton (author of the famous hymn "Amazing Grace") preached and is now buried – Olney Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, was imprisoned in Bedford for preaching without being "ordained." The famous politician and slave trade abolitionist, William Wilberforce, went to rest often at Moggerhanger estate in Bedford, too. Quite a grace history in Bedford.
While we were at the Olney Church, we had sung "Amazing Grace" around John Newton's grave. I walked back to the front gate, and I passed a side door into the church. The door was a muddy brown color and surrounded by the grey stone arch design around the door. I stopped and took a picture of the door because I noticed a pattern on the door, but the door was not very attractive really. We got back on the little bus and went on with Michele Grandfield to the next place. Michele has a great ministry in Bedford called "His Fragrance Ministries."
On the bus I opened the picture app on my phone to check my pictures.
I was totally amazed when I saw the brown painted door. It was an amazing blue color (right), and the grey stone around it was now pretty hues.
I did not do anything to the picture in the way of color or anything like that. None of the other pictures I took had color apart from the actual color they were at the time. It was a cloudy day, so none of the pictures were bright. It's a heavenly door, and I believe it's an invitation to the heavenly realms – and a reminder that Jesus is supernatural, and the supernatural realm of the Holy Spirit is our inheritance. (Photo by Kathie Walters)
Come on in through the Heavenly Door (Jesus), and remember that He can make a door where there seems to be no door to go through, and He is the Way and the Truth and Life, nothing is too hard for Him. He loves you.
Kathie Walters
Good News Ministries
Good News Ministries
Kathie Walters is an international speaker who brings freedom to those who feel they have to "qualify." She also ministers in the supernatural and believes that the supernatural realm is for everyone.
To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)