Saturday, December 12, 2015

Restoration of a Relationship - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Restoration of a Relationship

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

(Acts 3:18-22, NASU)

The Lord Jesus is all about restoration – restoring those things that have been broken, that have been torn apart. His everlasting plan is for harmony among people, for us to get along, to accomplish His originally initiated purpose in each of our lives. He wants to see all things made new.

As the Scriptures declare, there is coming a time when He will restore all things. Times of refreshing are coming, when we are in the presence of the Lord. There is hope in Him.

He especially loves restoring relationships between people. There are many stories of just that in the Bible. Joseph was restored to his father and brothers. Jacob and Esau’s relationship became restored after many, many years apart. During that time, Jacob had feared for his life, but in the end, the two brothers were family again.

Our Father’s heart is for good, as He says in Jeremiah 29:11-14, 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.' (NASU)

We can see Him fulfilling that promise for the Jews, of restoring them to their land, as they come back to their promised land of Israel. Because of that happening right before our eyes, it is another reason we can trust Him to fulfill the rest of His promises. Even in our lives.

Each of us has a relationship or more that has been broken. A marriage that went bad after many years of clinging on; a father and his son, who no longer speak to one another; a mother and her now adult daughter, who live miles apart, wondering if the phone call or text will ever come from the other.

Even one-time good friends from church have experienced broken relationships. Whatever happened to them we wonder, as we recall that day they left out of dismay, or even anger. We expect that we will never see them again, or so it would seem.

It hurts. We feel that pain of not having those family and friends around anymore. We know the rejection that each one experienced, and yet we are not sure how to get it back together again. Do we even attempt to try? Do we really want to? What if we are only rejected again? Will it only increase the loss and heart’s pain we already have?

We are especially conscious of lost relationships during holiday seasons, or annual dates like a birthday, anniversary, or vacation times we used to celebrate and have together. Those once great memories of fun and happiness have now been replaced with loneliness, empty feelings, and thoughts of “Why?”

Can a relationship be restored? I believe they can. But it will take faith and courage on your part to begin the journey back. You may have to be the one to make the first move.

When in a prayer time recently, early one morning, the Lord brought back to memory a situation where I walked out, in haste, and a bit annoyed, from a relationship I had with another. I used the excuse of blaming it on a miscommunication with that good friend. So rather than get together and discuss the issue, I wrote an email to terminate my involvement with their ministry. I figured that that time in my life was up anyway. Besides, I had other things I wanted to accomplish.

But I was wrong in how I handled it.

So in repentance, and obedience to the Lord after He spoke to me during that prayer time, I sent an email to them, not sure how they would respond, if even they did. I wrote of my fault, and asked them to reconsider what we once had.

Thankfully they responded, and shared how they too had missed our friendship. The ice had been broken. Restoration was beginning.

Maybe the one you’d like to get back together with won’t initiate getting on the pathway back to where it was. Maybe they too are thinking as you are right now, it won’t happen. So maybe you are the one to make the first move anyway?

Ask the Lord to walk before you as you do make the attempt at restoration. His heart in the matter is right there for you. What a joy it will be when that relationship is restored.

It won’t be simple. They may totally ignore you. It may not happen overnight, and many attempts might just be needed. But what if you don’t try?

It is something to think about. I hope you do, and make that move back to restoration.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Love For His People, Inc.

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

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. We have our plane tickets in hand. We love Israel.

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.

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

Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com

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Now Think On This - In the year of our Lord 12.12.15 - #218 –“Restoration of A Relationship” – 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

Again, 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

New Evidence Suggests C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Agent - TROY ANDERSON CHARISMA NEWS

C.S. Lewis (YouTube)

New Evidence Suggests C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Agent

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Long before James Bond, the popular Christian apologist C.S. Lewis undertook a wartime mission for MI6 to help the British defeat the Nazis during World War II, a professor at Union University in Tennessee says.

During the war, Lewis undertook a secret mission for the British spy agency to record a message to "win the hearts of the Icelandic people" prior to a surprise invasion of Iceland.

"In the Battle of the Atlantic, Iceland could have provided Germany with a strategic naval and air base," wrote Hal Poe, the Charles Colson professor of Faith and Culture at Union University, in an article in Christianity Today. "Instead, thanks to the British invasion, Iceland provided the ideal base for seaplanes to search for the German naval vessels that prowled the Atlantic sinking the merchant fleet with its crucial supplies."

As it turns out, the best-selling author of Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narniaand The Screwtape Letters was recruited by MI6's Joint Broadcasting Committee to broadcast to people in occupied territory during the war, Poe wrote.

"Perhaps one of his former pupils at Oxford recommended him for his mission," Poe wrote. "It was an unusual mission for which few people were suited. J.R.R. Tolkien had the knowledge base for the job, even beyond that of Lewis, but Tolkien lacked other skills that Lewis possessed. ... In the 1930s, Lewis was the best show in town. Somehow Lewis had developed the skill to speak to an audience and hold them in rapt attention, in spite of his academic training rather than because of it."

At the time, those working for the Joint Broadcasting Committee were a "fledgling group of amateurs desperately working to save their island home from disaster," Poe wrote.

"The Joint Broadcasting Committee recruited C. S. Lewis to record a message to the people of Iceland to be broadcast by radio within Iceland," Poe wrote. "Lewis made no record of his assignment, nor does he appear to have mentioned it to anyone. Without disclosing his involvement with military intelligence, however, Lewis did make an indiscreet disclosure to his friend Arthur Greeves in a letter dated May 25, 1941. Lewis remarked that three weeks earlier he had made a gramophone record which he heard played afterwards."

During the broadcast, Lewis spoke on "The Norse Spirit in English Literature," providing a "touchstone between the Norse people and the English."

In a blog entry titled, "Holy Screwtape! Young C.S. Lewis secretly worked with MI6," Terry Mattingly wrote he has an entire room in his house dedicated to the Oxford don's books, but was completely surprised by Poe's "news scoop."

"It argues that, while no one is claiming Lewis ever ran around with a gun and a decoder ring, the young Oxford don appears to have done some work for MI6, as in Her Majesty's Secret Service," Mattingly wrote. "Yes, you read that right. This kind of adds a new layer of meaning to discussions of an 'Inner Ring' and talk about devilish high-ranking agents working with case officers to snare souls."

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

#ExMuslimBecause Twitter Campaign Exposes Exodus From Islam - TROY ANDERSON CHARISMA NEWS

Twitter campaign lends support to Muslims leaving Islam. (Flickr)

#ExMuslimBecause Twitter Campaign Exposes Exodus From Islam

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

A Twitter campaign called #ExMuslimBecause is offering encouragement and moral support to those leaving the faith in the wake of a series of shocking Islamic terrorist attacks in France, California and elsewhere.

At the same time, though, many Muslims are "taking issue, saying that the hashtag is 'hateful,' and is being used as an excuse for Muslim-bashing at a time of increasing fear of Islamophobia," the BBC reported.

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain started the campaign recently, arguing it wanted to defend people's right to leave the faith and criticize it without fear or intimidation.

"If you are an ex-Muslim or thinking of leaving Islam, join our global solidarity campaign by sending your photo with #ExMuslimBecause telling us your reason for leaving Islam," the council said in a statement. "You can also send us a 1 minute video and Tweets.

"If you have safety concerns and are unable to show your face and identity, please feel free to hide your face and use a pseudonym. We will additionally 'cartoonize' your photo with Photoshop effect to ensure you remain anonymous."

On the Twitter page of #ExMuslimBecause, several people offered reasons why they left the Islamic faith.

"I learned the truth about Islam," one man wrote.

"Why can't women have 4 husbands? What is up with the constant inequality?" a woman tweeted.

"Ex-Muslim because: My dad ... said: 'There's no such thing as rape in marriage, in Islam, you're a liar,' when I asked him to tell the man he'd married me off to at 17 to stop raping me," a woman wrote.

"Brave Muslims are supporting #ExMuslimBecause campaign," a man wrote.

"I'm a Muslim & support #ExMuslimBecause no one should be subject to threats violence & death because of their ...," another person wrote.

On The Huffington Post, Ali A. Rizvi wrote he wasn't surprised by how the campaign has quickly gained support following the recent terrorist attacks.

"In Muslim-majority countries, they are often being lashed and imprisoned for blogging, hacked to death in open daylight, or sentenced to death for writing poetry," Rizvi wrote. "Here in the West, they are often being disowned from their families, ostracized from their communities, and even murdered by their own families in 'honor killings.'"

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

"God of the Impossible in 2016" Robert Hotchkin - The Elijah List

"God of the Impossible in 2016"

Robert Hotchkin, Maricopa, AZ

The Elijah List

He is "El Shaddai" – God Almighty, God All Sufficient, God All We Need

Here we are on the threshold of 2016, and I want you to know that the Lord is setting us up for some incredible breakthroughs, increases, and transformations.

A couple months ago when I began to pray into the New Year, I heard the Lord say that He wanted to re-introduce Himself to His people as "El Shaddai." I knew that this was one of His names, and that it could be translated as "God Almighty" or "The All-Sufficient One"; but after hearing from the Lord, I was intrigued and I wanted to dig deeper. Why did He want to re-acquaint us with Himself as El Shaddai? What was He up to? What does this mean for the new season we're entering?

When I did a word study on "El Shaddai," I discovered that there were many times when the Lord announced to His people that He was "God" or that He was "All Mighty," but there were only a few times when He declared that He was "El Shaddai – God Almighty, the All Sufficient One!" What was most intriguing to me was that the handful of times that He did this, profound things happened: Seemingly impossible things that had been severely hindered, delayed, or even abandoned, suddenly were renewed, revived, and released.

The first mention of "El Shaddai" in the Bible is in Genesis 17:1, when the Lord appears to Abram to remind Him of the promise He has made to give him an heir and a line of descendants who will inherit all God has blessed him with. What's really interesting is the context in which this happens. (Photo via Pixabay)

This promise of the Lord goes back to Genesis 15 when He first told Abram He would give him a son (15:4). Abram heard the word of the Lord and believed (15:6). This was a big step of faith for Abram as he and his wife, Sarai, had not been able to conceive up to that point. God told Abram that this was a "covenant" deal (15:18) – affirming that no matter how difficult or improbable, Abram could count on the promise because he could count on God. Amen!

But as time passed and God did not move according to the schedule Abram and Sarai were expecting, doubt and impatience began to creep in. Can anyone relate?

In Genesis 16, Sarai and Abram decide to hatch their own scheme to bring forth the promise of God (16:1-3). Never a good idea. What results is years of headaches, heartaches, and hassles in their household, their lives, and beyond (see Genesis 16:4 – Genesis 17:1). Abram's and Sarai's scheming took a situation that was difficult and improbable and turned it into a complete mess that was seemingly impossible. This is the context in which God shows up and declares that He is "El Shaddai" – God Almighty, God All Sufficient, God All We Need. In other words – God of the Impossible!

The end result of this announcement is that the promise of God is back on track, and Abram is forever changed. He goes from being "Abram, Exalted Father" to "Abraham, Father of Multitudes." Do you see it? When God announces that He is El Shaddai, increase and transformation break forth!Messes become messages. Tests become testimonies. The impossible becomes possible. This is who El Shaddai is. This is what El Shaddai does. He is not limited by the past, by our mistakes, or by our insufficiencies, and He wants us to know that when we walk with Him, neither are we!

The Lord Did Not Show Up to Chastise, But to Invite

The Lord did not show up in Genesis 17 to punish Abram, to chastise him, or to announce that his blunders had disqualified him from the promise of God. No! He showed up to declare that He was "El Shaddai," and to invite Abram to walk with Him.

In the realization that He is God Almighty, God All Sufficient, God All We Need (17:1), He showed up to declare to Abram that He was God of the Impossible, and that He was well able to deal with the situation as it was (17:2). He showed up to invite Abram to rest in Him, trust in Him, and to rely completely, utterly, and totally upon Him (17:4). Abram got the revelation of El Shaddai (17:3). He let go of trying to bring about the promises of God in his own strength and by his own means. He let go of the "flesh" and grabbed hold of God afresh (Genesis 17:11-12) – and he was increased and transformed because of it!

Do you have a mess in your life? Are there promises of God that seem like they are just never going to happen? Do you sometimes fear that your inadequacies or mistakes have disqualified you? Are you wanting to give up? Don't! (Photo via Freeimages)

We are entering an hour when God desires to reveal Himself to you as "El Shaddai" – God Almighty. God All Sufficient, God All You Need – God of the Impossible! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Lord, and He does not change (Malachi 3:6).

What He did for Abram, He can do for you. Begin to welcome and worship Him as El Shaddai, and watch as He shows up and does the impossible for you!

Prayer Directives

Let's pray and declare that:

1. Jesus Christ is El Shaddai – God Almighty, God All Sufficient, God All We Need!

2. What is impossible with man is possible with God (Luke 18:27).

3. The Lord will show up in notable and remarkable ways for His people in this new year, bringing breakthrough, increase, and transformation. Messes will become messages, and tests will become testimonies!

4. A new level of faith will be released to the Church. We will not be moved by what we do or don't see, or what we do or don't feel. We will stand firm on the promises of God, knowing that He is well able to bring them about in His perfect timing!

5. We will trust in the Lord, and rest in His goodness and glory!

6. We will not fear, but only believe! (Mark 5:36)

Robert Hotchkin
XP Ministries
Email: robert@xpministries.com
Website: xpmedia.com/channel/rhotchkin

Robert Hotchkin ministers with Patricia King and XP Ministries. He fervently believes every Christian is a miracle-working explosion of the Kingdom waiting to happen. His preaching, teaching, and ministry inspires Believers to grab hold of their restored relationship with the Father through the finished work of the Cross and walk the earth as Jesus did – destroying every work of darkness everywhere they go! Rob is a passionate lover of Jesus Christ, and that passion is truly contagious!

He ministers with strong faith, releasing revelation, prophetic decrees, healings, miracles, and the love of God. He is a true carrier of the glory and revival. People have been healed, refreshed, set free, and empowered through his life. He believes for Heaven to impact lives and regions everywhere he goes.

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

From the City of Lights to the Festival of Lights (French Jews making aliyah) - CBN NEWS Chris Mitchell

From the City of Lights to the Festival of Lights

12-11-2015

CBN NEWS Chris Mitchell

BEN GURION AIRPORT, Israel – This year more French Jews immigrated to Israel than ever before. Many believe it could be just the beginning of an even greater wave of French immigration.

In this latest round, nearly 50 French Jews arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. These new arrivals are just the tip of the iceberg, with many more French Jews considering immigrating to Israel.

"We'll only be seeing a few dozen immigrants tonight, but throughout 2015 we have had the pleasure to welcome in Israel 8,000 immigrants from France," Jewish Agency spokesman Yigal Palmor told CBN News. "Last year, 2014, there were 7,200. There's a mass immigration to Israel from France."

Terror attacks in Paris this year –- especially the attack on a Kosher delicatessen -– along with rising anti-Semitism, spurred Jews in France to act.

"Speaking last week to two young French olim (new immigrants) who had just come, they said to us that there isn't a person in France -– Jew in France -– that isn't talking about coming to live in Israel to some extent," Sharon Handler with the Jewish Agency told CBN News.

Newly arrived French immigrant Dan Ammar told CBN News, "Right now, we can't live Judaism the way we would like to."

"We are careful not to wear our kippa (skullcap) in the streets. We continue living; you don't stop living, like in Israel they don't stop living with all the terror attacks. In Israel we will be able to live our Judaism the way we want."

Alexandra Schneider said fear is not the only reason for coming.

"The French Jews, yes, the French Jews are afraid, (but) it's not the only reason they want to come to Israel," Schneider told CBN News. "It's also about conviction because we think that for the Jews in France and for young people, Israel is the future."

Ammar led the lighting of the Hanukkah candles for the group that came from the City of Lights, Paris, to the Festival of Lights.

The new Israeli citizens also enjoyed sufganeot, a traditional donut served during the holiday. The immigrants –- from toddlers to senior citizens –- now start their new life in the land of Israel.

"Tonight we got to see the unfolding of the faithfulness of the God of Israel to His people as was promised to the prophet Isaiah," Nicole Yoder with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem told CBN News. "He's going to bring His people back to Israel from the north, the south, the east and the west. And tonight we got to welcome people from the West."

"This is it. This is where the Jews belong," Handler said. "The Bible, this is where we're supposed to be. There's no question about it. This is the land of the Jews."

Watch the video here: French Jews Making Aliyah

Friday, December 11, 2015

Hanukkah Lights & More At Our Home - Night 6

Happy Hanukkah - 6th night.

From our home to yours!

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People

We believe in His Word.

Jordan Smith Could Be 'The Voice' but Faith Is First - CBN News Charlene Aaron

Jordan Smith Could Be 'The Voice' but Faith Is First

12-11-2015 CBN News Charlene Aaron

NBC's "The Voice" hasn't crowned a new winner this season, but many agree that contestant Jordan Smith is already a star.

The 21-year-old college student from the small town of Harlan, Kentucky, managed to knock Adele from the top spot on iTunes after singing Queen's "Somebody to Love," during the semi-finals Wednesday night.

Jordan Smith's rendition of "Somebody to Love" on NBC's "The Voice" knocked Adele off the top of the iTunes charts. Watch his performance here.

In an article for People Magazine, Smith's coach Adam Levine said, "I don't need to say anything at all because that's one of the best things I've ever seen in my entire life."

When Smith sang the Christian hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" on the show a few weeks ago, it also topped the charts on Billboard and iTunes.

Click here to see Jordan Smith sing the hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" on NBC's "The Voice."

Smith said church is where his love for singing began. His parents are both musicians and raised him in the church choir from a young age in the congregation of House of Mercy in the town of Wallins Creek, Kentucky.

"I love to lead worship and my parents really encouraged me to sing in church," said Smith. "My faith is who I am and I wanted to share that with the world," he said in a recent online interview with djchuang/"Spinning Up Disruptive Ideas."

Smith, a senior at Lee University, is also a member of the Lee University Campus Choir which points to the role faith plays in his life. Lee is a Church of God school in Cleveland, Tennesee.

He said he chose the college because of its Christian focus.

"My faith is the thing that gives me strength and that I find joy in. At the end of the day with my problems and concerns, I can turn to God and I can have peace in my situation. That's been the main thing that's carried me through this. My relationship with God has kept me grounded and has been my foundation through all of it."

Regardless of how "The Voice" turns out for him, Smith said he's not worried about the future.

"This platform has opened so many doors for me and has allowed me so many opportunities to make music in lots of different ways," he said.

"At this time, I'm just waiting prayerfully and doing my best. Whatever happens, I know I will continue to make music and lead worship wherever I go. While my future is unsure at this moment, I know who holds the future, and I will continue to move and trust in God's plan for me."

Thank you letter from the Jim Bakker Show for "End of Days" book received.

I am grateful for this letter that came yesterday - a thank you note from the Jim Bakker Show for the End of Days book received.

I watch their show daily and also add the link, with photos, on our blog Love For His People.

Steve Martin

Lover For His People

I hope you get one too! Amazon - End of Days book - printed & Kindle version

Israel held in high esteem on The Jim Bakker Show

Jim & Lori Bakker love and appreciate Israel. They display the Israeli flag on their daily show.

MorningSide Studios in Branson, MO.

Israel held in high esteem on The Jim Bakker Show

Watch the program here: The Jim Bakker Show - Faith, family & Fellowship

Thanks Maricela for the nice letter!

Steve Martin

For Persecuted Mideast Christians, Obama Admin Tongue-Tied on Genocide - By JNS BIN

For Persecuted Mideast Christians, Obama Admin Tongue-Tied on Genocide

Displaced Christians in cramped living conditions in Erbil, the largest city in Iraqi Kurdistan. (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)

For Persecuted Mideast Christians, Obama Admin Tongue-Tied on Genocide

By JNS December 11, 2015 BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

By Shalle’ McDonald

While Christians in Iraq and Syria face the threat of extinction at the hands of the Islamic State terror group, the U.S. State Department remains silent on the prospect of publicly designating the atrocities against Christians and other Mideast religious minorities as “genocide.”

According to a recent investigative piece by journalist Michael Isikoff for Yahoo! News, the State Department is in the midst of internal discussions to officially recognize the Yazidi people as genocide victims. But a lingering question remains: Will other religious minorities be included in the Obama administration’s designation?

“Scholars and experts are in consensus regarding the term ‘genocide’ being applied to both Christians and Yazidis alike…We need to ensure that all groups being persecuted by Islamic extremism are being treated equally under Article 2 of the United Nations’ Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” Mark Arabo, an American spokesman for the Middle East’s Chaldean Catholic community and a human rights activist, told JNS.org.

In particular, human rights activists argue that Christians and other religious minorities should definitely be included in a genocide designation due to the ongoing systematic murder, rape, enslavement, forced conversion, and displacement of their communities in Iraq and Syria.

Villages that have had Christian presence for centuries have virtually become ghost towns as a majority of Mideast Christians have been forced to flee, convert, or be murdered. Even Christian families who chose the option of paying the jizya—an Islamic tax on non-Muslims—had to hand their wives over to the Islamic State terrorists.

Charles Hayes, an expert on religious freedom and vice president of the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC, told JNS.org that the designation of genocide for Christians is “long overdue.”

“If the State Department issues a genocide designation for Yazidis, that would be a step forward—but it is not enough. Invoking genocide is a serious action and should only be done when conditions are most dire. That’s where we are now in Iraq and Syria. It is time to call what is happening to Yazidis, Christians, and others what it is: genocide,” Hayes said.

David Brog, a board member of Christians United for Israel, called the persecution of Mideast Christians “the great human rights tragedy of our time.”

“This [Obama] administration has a disturbing record of downplaying and even ignoring this tragedy. This is just one more sign that the administration is deaf to the cries of our Christian brethren,” Brog told JNS.org.

The State Department’s reluctance to label Islamic State atrocities against Mideast Christians as genocide is evident by the department’s own statements.

A State Department source told JNS.org—without specifically mentioning Christians—that alongside the atrocities against the Yazidi people, Islamic State has victimized a “wide range” of communities in Iraq and Syria, but that the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad regime is the actor most responsible for the mass murders of civilians in the region.

Obama administration officials told Yahoo! News that Islamic State attacks against Christians and other Middle East religious minorities may not warrant the genocide label because Islamic State may not have the intention to actually eradicate those minority populations. Asked specifically whether Christians and other religious minorities will be included in the genocide designation, a State Department official said, “At this time we ourselves have not made a formal finding of genocide. We are not going to comment on internal discussions.”

An Obama administration official further told JNS.org, “Our policy and objective is to degrade and defeat ISIL (Islamic State) and hold perpetrators accountable. The protection of members of groups under attack and the provision of humanitarian assistance to members of displaced groups are vitally important and will continue to be a key priority for the U.S. government. To that end, we will continue to support the victims of these atrocities, work with responsible governments and other international partners to hold those responsible for these crimes fully accountable, and strive to prevent the commission of such atrocities in the future.”

The Bridge Builder: The Life and Continuing Legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein - Read Now!

Yet Ambassador Anne Patterson, assistant secretary of the State Department’s Near East Bureau, hinted at a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last month that a genocide designation might be in the works. Asked by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) whether Islamic State’s atrocities are considered genocide, Patterson said she could not say yes or no, but that she believes “there will be some announcements on that very shortly.”

Earlier this year, Fortenberry introduced a bipartisan resolution denouncing the genocide against Christians as well as other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

“The international community must confront the scandalous silence about their plight. Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities have every right to remain in their ancestral homelands,” the resolution stated.

Pressure on the Obama administration to publicly use the genocide label is mounting, coming from various spheres of influence. Scholars, religious leaders, and NGOs represented by the International Religious Freedom Roundtable recently sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to “formally declare the systematic destruction of these ancient communities a genocide.”

This past March, the U.N. human rights office strongly suggested that Islamic State may be committing genocide. Yet Adama Dieng, the U.N.’s special advisor on the prevention of genocide, conveyed that it is not a simple move to make the designation.

“Only a judicial body with an appropriate mandate can make a legal determination,” Dieng said in a statement.

Dieng warned that “the international community cannot afford to wait until such a determination is made. We must take action to protect populations earlier, before situations deteriorate to the point where the window of opportunity closes and the options for action are fewer and more costly.”

Brett McGurk, America’s special presidential envoy to the Global Coalition To Counter ISIL, recently told reporters, “We’re going to destroy this terrorist organization, and in two ways: We’re going to suffocate the core, which is in Iraq and Syria; and we’re going to suffocate the global networks.”

The 65-member coalition’s plan is “taking back major ground and territory, of finding out about the financial networks, the economic structures, how they’re actually financing themselves, and then trying to root that out,” said McGurk.

Yet apart from America’s military goals for dealing with Islamic State, the Obama administration’s humanitarian efforts to prevent genocide remain a mystery. Last year, Obama stated in reference to the Yazidis that “the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye. We can act, carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide.”

Arabo—who lobbies on behalf of Chaldeans from the Middle East, particularly from Iraq, who are seeking asylum in the U.S.—believes that indeed, genocide is exactly what is being committed against Christians in the Middle East.

“We need to be upfront and honest when dealing with the culture of intolerance and persecution against religious minorities like Christians. We cannot turn a blind eye to the reality of death and genocide occurring against the Middle East Christian minorities,” Arabo told JNS.org.

Without the genocide designation, added Arabo, “We would be facing the end of Christianity in the Middle East. There is little hope, there is little chance, and there are no longer any viable options. The cradle with which Christianity was born will forever be altered by the evil that is ISIS.”