Is your defense, your works? You know Jesus but, Does Jesus know You? Turn away from trusting in your own good deeds, and cast your whole self upon Christ. Brethren,You have to listen to this video of Paul Washer, this is problem we all face today, many ask why won’t God just allow people into Heaven when they die, after all they were good Christians while on earth, one cannot be tired of explaining this to people especially new Christians… maybe with this would change that line of thought…I found it resoundingly refreshing to hear again.
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — Yes, more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:5, 6).
What does it mean to wait for the Lord?
To wait means to be alert to something expected or anticipated. To wait for a bus means that we have decided not to walk, but to use public transportation. We must wait, because the bus has not yet arrived. We wait patiently because we have looked at the timetable and believe that the bus will come. We also know that when the bus does arrive, we must be waiting at the right stop.
Sometimes we become impatient. We think, “That bus is not coming!” So we leave the bus stop and start walking. Suddenly the bus zooms by. It does not stop, of course, because there is no bus stop there. Through impatience, we missed our chance.
To wait for the Lord means to continually look to Him for assistance and salvation, to be satisfied that God will work everything out.
If you were lost in a forest at night, you would be waiting, even longing for the morning light. Our souls should be waiting and longing for the help that only God can give.
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning — Yes, more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:5, 6).
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1, 2).
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4).
We wait for God continually: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:1-5).
We have courage to face the difficulties of live because we look to God for the help He has promised: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13, 14).
“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You” (Psalm 33:20-22).
Because we wait on God for justice and judgment, we do not allow ourselves to become excessively agitated about evil people: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret — it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:7-9).
“Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil’; wait for the Lord, and He will save you” (Proverbs 20:22).
“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it” (Psalm 37:34).
Even in the greatest of difficulties, we may wait for God’s help: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps” (Psalm 40:1, 2).
Here David is probably speaking of difficulties resulting from sin. For our salvation we wait for God. Who else can help us? “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved” (Psalm 62:5,6).
We wait on God for salvation from death: “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:8, 9).
If we are not waiting for God, then He is waiting for us! He is waiting for use to repent so we can wait for Him: “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).
Do not keep God waiting! If you are not yet a Christian, repent, turn to God, believe in His Son Jesus Christ, whom God sent as Savior. Confess your faith and be baptized into His body, the church, that your sins can be forgiven. If you are a Christian who does not sufficiently wait for the Lord, and that applies to us all, look to Him for sustenance and salvation from day to day and forever.
“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).
If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means
than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this
century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half,
there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-
synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man
who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions,
nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the
Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried
and found wanting.
Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be
of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and
has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray
God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction
to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will
contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn
the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.
Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, Read the rest of this entry »
Life Changing Sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles, SO YOU ARE OUT OF GOD’S WILL by Pastor Jack Hyles (Chapter 27 from Dr. Hyle’s excellent book, Blue Denim and Lace)
“There came then His brethren and His mother, and standing without, sent unto Him, calling Him.” (Mark 3:31) “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) Most Christians at one time or another find themselves at least a bit out of the will of God. As someone has said, “It is not a sin for a bird to land on your head, but it is a sin for you to allow him to build a nest there.” It is easy to get out of the will of God. It is hard to get back in the will of God. The following thoughts are given to those who have slipped out of God’s will:
1. If the door is still open, go back through it. If a pastor has left a church and he should not have left, and if the church is still pastorless, he may go back. If the job is still open, the one who left may return. If one has gone to the wrong school, he may go to the right school. If one has entered the wrong profession, he may rectify that by entering the right profession. If one is engaged to the wrong girl or boy, he can break the engagement. In other words, if one does not perform wrong by doing so, he should re-enter the door through which he left the will of God. Read the rest of this entry »
“For by grace you have been saved by faith,” we recite.
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!” we sing.
“We live under grace,” we claim.
Grace is part of the basic vocabulary in the Christianese language we speak. Unfortunately, many Christians today are abusing God’s amazing gift of grace. They have perverted God’s underserved gift of forgiveness and promise of eternal life into a license for immorality, self-indulgence, and uninvolvement in God’s kingdom. And in the process they are robbing themselves of Read the rest of this entry »
This is a great Easter Message, Who is this King of Glory!!!
This is a message for the body and Soul, Listen to this and be blessed. For what better time to listen to this message than at a time as this when we take into account the Price our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ paid for us on the cross of Calvary.
Psalms 24:7-10
7Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
It was reported recently that two of the world’s superpowers, Russia and China, have called for a new global currency. I believe they’re doing this because they know that the U.S. is printing huge amounts of dollars right now to pay on its own massive debts – debts that other countries, like China, have been financing for years by purchasing U.S. Treasury Bonds. They understand something that most Americans do not – that the more paper money you print, the less it’s worth – and right now, we’re printing it as fast as we can.
We owe China alone over a trillion dollars. And, that’s just one of many countries that we owe money to – countries that have also been buying our bonds.
You see, when you buy a bond, you’re loaning money and charging interest to the issuer of that bond to be paid upon maturity. If you buy a U. S. Treasury bond, you’re loaning the U.S. government money for them to spend as they see fit.
When you think of bonds, think of bondage.
Well, for years now, other countries have been buying our bonds so we could in turn buy all of their made-overseas stuff. They were essentially loaning their biggest customer the money we needed to buy from them.
That put us in financial bondage to them.
But, now that we’re not buying nearly as much from anyone anymore, resulting in millions of workers being laid off overseas as foreign factories close down, those countries are not buying as many of our Treasury bonds anymore either. In other words, they’re not loaning us near as much money as they once did.
So now, to get America’s bills paid, The Federal Reserve is purchasing those U.S. Treasury bonds other countries used to buy – and to do that, a lot more dollars have to be printed to buy them – and I mean a lot more, because, as most everyone knows by now, our debts are quite extraordinary and growing fast.
Well, who controls the printing of money?
You guessed it – the same folks who are loaning it to us by purchasing our bonds – a very secret and very private institution called The Federal Reserve. I’ll bet you thought they belonged to Uncle Sam, didn’t you? Nope, Uncle Sam belongs to them because, as the bible teaches, “the borrower is servant to the lender” and the lender here is The Federal Reserve.
For those who have a hard time understanding how all this affects the average person, let me put it as simply as I know how: It means that the price of everything you and I buy is going to start going up and up as The Federal Reserve has more and more money printed over the coming months and years until even the basic necessities of life here become unaffordable – or until the U.S. government steps in and starts initiating price controls, which frankly, is just more socialism.
When prices go up, it’s called “inflation.” And, if prices go up really high and really fast, it’s called “hyperinflation.” I prefer to call it what it really is: the deflation of the dollar. In other words, the goods and services we purchase day-to-day are not really increasing in value as much as the dollars we use to buy them with are decreasing in value.
They’re decreasing in value because The Federal Reserve has entirely too many of them printed up to loan out. Again, the more there is of something, including money, the less it’s worth.
This sleight-of-hand system, used by The Federal Reserve for decades, makes consumers blame producers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers for rising prices, when they should be blaming those who print all of that paper money for Congress to waste (I mean spend) – money that is not given to the U.S. government by the Federal Reserve, you understand, but is in fact loaned.
And guess who makes the payments on those loans from The Federal Reserve and pays all of the interest on those piles of paper money created out of nothing?
That’s right – you and I do – in the form of new and higher taxes.
So, every time a new “stimulus” package is announced, recognize it for what it really is: another huge loan to the American taxpayer to benefit somebody else with payments and interest you and I and our children and grandchildren after us (as taxpayers) will be responsible for paying back to that little private bank called The Federal Reserve.
Would you say the name is a little deceiving?
Over time, the American taxpayer gradually goes broke, even with money in the bank, and becomes the slave of a financial system built upon debt that he or she has absolutely no control over and can never repay.
You see, the loan can never be repaid in full because only the principal is created and loaned out by The Fed. You and I, the taxpayer, have to somehow come up with the interest. The Fed doesn’t print interest – only the principal – which means the taxpayer has to keep borrowing principal to repay interest that was never created to begin with.
Breathtaking, is it?
Now, Russia and China are calling for a new global currency because they know what’s coming: The dollar’s collapse into absolute worthlessness. Good grief, it’s barely worth 4 cents now compared to what it was when The Federal Reserve Act was passed back in 1913. So, frankly, it doesn’t have that far to fall; but fall it will, because The Federal Reserve is now mass-producing dollars to loan the U.S. government to pay its bills – which will all have to be paid back with interest (that was never created) to the very same people who made the money out of nothing but ink and paper and then loaned it to us.
Brilliant, huh?
Now, it’s becoming painfully clear to other countries, who have been footing our bills via U.S. Treasury bonds, that some other currency needs to be created ASAP to replace the dollar they’ve been forced to use (as the world’s reserve currency) before it collapses completely and leaves everyone around the world scrambling.
How this will actually play out over the next few years is anyone’s guess. Some believe regional currencies will emerge, like the controversial “Amero” which would purportedly serve the needs of Mexico, Canada and the U.S. in preparation for a world currency later, while others suggest the accelerating global financial crisis will compel the issuance of a world currency straightaway.
In the meantime, here are some questions for you to consider as all this unfolds in the coming days:
1. What’s going to happen to the dollars you have in the bank?
2. Will those dollars be exchangeable for the new currency, whatever it is?
3. If they are exchangeable, will they be worth what the new currency is worth or a lot less?
This is the fiscal future we face, my friends – a future of financial uncertainty.
In spite of these disturbing events, let’s remember that ultimately, our fate is not in the hands of corrupt politicians and greedy bankers who are only men themselves, but rather in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ who Himself was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and hung on a cross 2000 years ago to pay an enormous debt that you and I could not, so that we might enjoy the eternal treasures of a kingdom not of this world.
But, even if we lose it all here, by trusting Him as both Lord and Savior, we stand to gain so much more hereafter.
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” – Matthew 6:19-20.
I thank God Almighty and our Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour for the miracle he performed in my life from mid February till date.
I fell ill and after being treated of Malaria, I travelled home to my hometown for my mothers’ memorial service. On getting home I became very sick, begged God for strength to attend the service which He answered.
After the memorial, I became very sick and was taken to a clinic in Port-Harcourt after visiting my younger sister’s church where their Bishop prayed for me before going for admission. I went for admission twice in a space of one week, the treatment was not working so I discharged myself and told the Bishop that I was going back to Lagos to undergo further test/treatments.
My veins/blood vessels collapsed, my womb collapsed, My Bladder and all organs were falling me for they were no longer functioning as they should and I was in a lot of pain for I was mostly unconscious of where I was during the 2 weeks in and out of hospital, my Children where Praying and crying for me to return home alive . . . and God answered them!
By the grace of God, in Lagos, the test revealed otherwise, that I was suffering from low-blood sugar instead of what the Doctor in Port-Harcourt record/treated.(it was abnormally low even the Nurses were surprised for they haven’t seen that type of low sugar before now) I have being treated accordingly and I am strong now. God saved me and didn’t let me to go into shock for I was almost dead but God healed me am I am healed by the stripes of Jesus and the words of my testimonies. I shall not die but live to declare the words of the Lord.
My testimony is huge but I give all praise, honor, adoration, thanks to God Almighty. Amen.
Friend you would not believe this website offers subscriptions for one to be prayed for by a computer program, This is totally wrong and unscriptural. This is Idolatry!!! Am sure you will find the site scary to say the least, Do you want to pray for luck? Do you want A nice, short prayer, that has all the basic essentials important in a daily prayer? Am afraid this tells of what we should expect in the future in our world where the doctrines of the new agers and the one World religion promulgators will be shoved down our throats and only then will the elect of God stand and defend their faith in Christ. my dear friend Fishhawk of the blog Asthecrackerheadcrumbles drew my attention to the site for he said he knew I would be interested in this and I am but, it is really sad that many Christians and other well meaning human beings will fall for this demonic scheme, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other" (Matt. 6:24). for I wonder which God they are Praying to ? for my God is one God! Halleluyah.
NOTE TO CHRISTIANS: DO NOT PAY FOR PRAYERS; NO MATTER WHAT, IT IS NOT THE WAY OF OUR GOD WHO SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON TO DIE FOR US EVEN WHILE WE WERE YET IN SIN!!!
MATTHEW 10: 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
About Information Age Prayer
Information Age Prayer is a subscription service utilizing a computer with text-to-speech capability to incant your prayers each day. It gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your prayers will always be said even if you wake up late, or forget.
We use state of the art text to speech synthesizers to voice each prayer at a volume and speed equivalent to typical person praying. Each prayer is voiced individually, with the name of the subscriber displayed on screen.
At Information Age Prayer we think our service should be used like a prayer supplement, to extend and strengthen a subscriber’s connection with God. Traditional prayer is an integral part of this connection and should never be forgone, even after signing up.
You can subscribe for yourself, or you can purchase a subscription as a gift to friends or family.
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The Bible talks about the Great Apostasy
1 timothy 4:1,1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons
2 Thessalonian2:3 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Nehemiah 9:6 "Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth, and all things that are therein"
My dear friend Jerry pointed out to me that I left out, an important part of this post: He said, !For the kind of prayer that He delights in hearing comes from our hearts, and involves us just wanting to talk to Him. This is something that cannot be planned”.
Of course Prayer is our way of communicating with our God and no machine can do that for us. So in a way, I see that not only is it sinful to subscribe to this types of Prayer services but, I think it is also a covert way for the devil to make people (Christians) prayerless or worse of make them feel there is no need to communicate with God …. which is why He created us in the first place i.e. to fellowship and worship Him in the beauty of His Splendor and Holiness
NOTE: anyone who is willing to visit such sites and request for Prayers should please drop a Prayer request on this site or any other site that offers the Prayer Request form for free and you shall surely be Prayed for, in the spirit of fellowship but, that does not in any way take away the quality time you should have with your God and Maker.
All I Ask is for God to forgive this young man and bring him to repentance in Jesus Mighty Name, What he did is …. am short of words. God forgive us I Pray in your infinite Mercy Amen.
Naked man threatens to jump from church cross,
The Associated Press, Posted: 03/01/2009 05:51:05 PM PST
LOS ANGELES—A seven-hour standoff between authorities and a naked man who perched atop a church’s cross has ended peacefully, despite the man’s threats to jump.
Los Angeles firefighters spokeswoman d’Lisa Davies says firefighters and police were called to the West Central Presbyterian Church in the Miracle Mile neighborhood around 8:05 a.m. on Sunday
Once there, Davies says authorities found an unidentified naked man perched on a cross atop the two-story building. The man ranted and, at one point, spread his feces on the cross.
An air cushion was set up, but the man climbed down and was taken into custody around 3 p.m.
Davies says the unidentified man will be held in a 72-hour psychiatric hold, and his motive is unknown
A naked man climbed onto a cross above a church on La Brea and West 9th St today. He stayed on the perch high above the street for about 7 hours before finally climbing down and being taken into custody. He was arrested on a vandalism charge, for spreading his feces on the cross. Reports are that he will likely be held at a psychiatric hospital for 72 hours. No doubt one of the more bizarre scenes I’ve c
One of the nation’s most prominent dictionary companies has resolved the argument over whether the term "marriage" should apply to same-sex duos or be reserved for the institution that has held families together for millennia: by simply writing a new definition.
"I was shocked to see that Merriam-Webster changed their definition of the word ‘marriage,’ a word which has referred exclusively to a contract between a man and a woman for centuries. It has now added same sex," YouTube user Eric B. noted to WND.
The 1992 Webster’s Dictionary does not mention same sex at all," he wrote.
The new definition references "marriage" as the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife. But the definition also includes "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage."
One commenter on the YouTube site said it’s just part of the campaign by homosexual activists to take control of the definition of the word and make it align with their goals.
"The word ‘marriage’ has never been synonymous with same sex relationships," said the forum participant. "What is happening is the meaning is being changed to trigger it becoming synonymous, not the other way round."
This excerpt is from a 1992 dictionary
A dictionary version from 1913 that has been posted online not only didn’t mention same-sex "marriage," it supplemented its definition of traditional marriage with references from the Bible.
"Marriage," it said, is "the act of marrying, or the state of being married; legal union of a man and a woman for life, as husband and wife … Marriage is honorable in all. Heb. xiii.4."
It also references a quote from "Matt. xxii. 2," "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son."
Webster declined to respond to a WND request for a comment, but to a WND reader, the company denied an agenda.
"We often hear from people who believe that we are promoting – or perhaps failing to promote – a particular social or political agenda when we make choices about what words to include in the dictionary and how those words should be defined," associate editor Kory Stamper wrote in response.
"We hear such criticism from all parts of the political spectrum. We’re genuinely sorry when an entry in – or an omission from – one of our dictionaries is found to be offensive or upsetting, but we can’t allow such considerations to deflect us from our primary job as lexicographers."
Stamper justified the redefinition, too.
"In recent years, this new sense of ‘marriage’ has appeared frequently and consistently throughout a broad spectrum of carefully edited publications, and is often used in phrases such as ’same-sex marriage’ and ‘gay marriage’ by proponents and opponents alike. Its inclusion was a simple matter of providing our readers with accurate information about all of the word’s current uses," Stamper wrote.
LONDON, UK ANS — A London-based Christian minister and TV show host has been attacked by Muslims in what police are calling a “faith hate” crime.
Pakistan-born Rev. Noble Samuel, 48, was recently driving to the studio for his Asian Gospel Show in North London, when another car pulled over in front of him. A man got out of the car and asked him for directions in Urdu.
Boyd said that the London Daily Mail reported that according to Rev. Noble, the man then “put his hand into my window, which was half open, and grabbed my hair and opened the door. He started slapping my face and punching my neck. He was trying to smash my head on the steering wheel. Then he grabbed my cross and pulled it off and it fell on the floor. He was swearing. The other two men came from the car and took my laptop and Bible.”
Boyd said, “Following the attack, Rev. Samuel, went on to present his show as usual. The Muslim owner of the TV station came on air during the show to condemn the attack.”
During the last few weeks, Rev. Samuel noted that a number of Muslims had been calling in on his show to oppose his views.
“They were having an argument with me,” he said. “They were very aggressive in saying they did not agree with me. I said those are you views and these are my views.”
Boyd concluded by saying that the police have given panic alarms to his family in the event of similar troubles. The minister said he was afraid for the safety of his wife and 19-year-old son. “I am frightened and depressed … My show is not confrontational.”
Despite the attack and threats, the Rev. Noble Samuel still insisted on carrying on with the hour long live show that is broadcast on the Venus satellite channel and made at studios located in Wembley, North London
This is what being a Christian and having the mind of Christ is all about , Oh what a woman! my heart goes out to the whole family.I Pray that the Lord gives us the heart to forgive those who hurt us and may we not be tempted beyond what we can handle in Jesus Mighty Name Amen. This woman is truly a blessing she makes me feel terrible about things I take seriously each day, Like what happened to me today, one of many life’s struggles I face but with God on our side we shall surely overcome Amen. Once again I want to say a big God bless you to this wonderful woman for God will surely show mercy on her even as she ha shown mercy to another.
(CBS) Last Sunday, a gunman walked into the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill., near St. Louis, and opened fire, killing pastor Fred Winters. Two congregants were injured as they wrestled him to the ground. The alleged gunman, Terry Sedlacek, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Now, the pastor’s wife says she’s praying for Sedlacek. In an exclusive interview with Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen from inside the church Monday, Cindy Winters said she doesn’t even hold any "hard feelings" against Sedlacek. "I do not have any hatred, or even hard feelings towards him," she told Chen. "We have been praying for him. One of the first things that my daughter said to me after this happened was, ‘You know, I hope that he comes to learn to love Jesus through all of this.’ We are not angry at all, and we really firmly believe that he can find hope and forgiveness and peace through this, by coming to know Jesus. And we hope that that happens for him." Asked what she hopes the criminal justice system does with Sedlacek, Winters replied, "I don’t have any speculation or any idea about that. But I do hope that he finds peace with God. I hope that he comes to understand that God loves him in spite of his sins and that he can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."
By Jennifer Riley Christian Post Reporter Tue, Mar. 10 2009 12:19 PM EDT
Less than one percent of the youngest adult generation in America has a biblical worldview, found a new study examining the changes in worldview among Christians and the overall U.S. population.
The Mosaic generation, those between the ages of 18 and 23, “rarely” have a biblical worldview as defined by The Barna Group. The research data found that less than one-half of one percent of Mosaics have a biblical worldview.
A biblical worldview, as defined by the Barna study, is believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
Only if someone held all the above beliefs did the research consider the person as having a biblical worldview.
George Barna, who directed the research, commented on the “troubling” generational pattern that suggests “parents are not focused on guiding their children to have a biblical worldview.”
“One of the challenges for parents, though, is that you cannot give what you do not have, and most parents do not possess such a perspective on life,” he noted.
The research shows that only nine percent of all American adults have a biblical worldview, which although significantly higher than that of the Mosaic generation is still a small proportion of the total population.
Among “born again Christians,” the study found that they are twice as likely as the average adult to have a biblical worldview. However, that still amounted to no more than about one out of five (19 percent) born again Christians, a small minority, the study pointed out.
A born again Christian is defined by Barna as those who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are sure they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior.
Some of the problems American adults and born again Christians have with the biblical worldview definition include believing that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances.
Only one third of all adults (34 percent) hold this worldview, and while more born again adults believe in absolute moral truth, still less than the majority possess this outlook (46 percent).
Another belief that American adults struggle with is the view that Satan is a real force. Only slightly more than a quarter of adults (27 percent) believe Satan is real, and less than half of born again adults (40 percent) have this worldview.
Also, 28 percent of all adults and 47 percent of born again Christians believe it is impossible for someone to earn their way to Heaven through good behavior.
The general American public and the born again population differ greatly when it comes to the belief that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life while He was on earth. Forty percent of adults hold this belief, while 62 percent of born again Christians are convinced that Jesus was sinless.
George Barna commented, “There are a several troubling patterns to take notice. First, although most Americans consider themselves to be Christian and say they know the content of the Bible, less than one out of ten Americans demonstrate such knowledge through their action.” Continue >>
Yes Christians Todd Bentley has finally said I do to his former live in nanny /Mistress (Jessa). But am not going to go into the nitty-gritty of what Todd has done , for I know that He and his Pastor/Prophets sure know what the word of God says about these things. This is truly a sad story, every Christian out there should continue Praying for Todd Bentleys first wife (Shonnah) who has had to endure these recent embarrassing situations she found herself in and, remember the Children (my heart breaks for them) and neither should we forget Todd and the New wife both who have given in to the lusts of the flesh we ought to hope that they truly repent and find their way to God. For what I can see and read so far shows of people with hardened hearts, those who have chosen their own way instead of Gods way. so sad indeed(sigh)
Read the full story for yourself from Todd Bentleys Chief apologist Rick Joyner (I call him that for he keeps on making excuses for Todd)
Todd Bentley Begins Restoration Process By Rick Joyner
Todd Bentley was used to spark the Lakeland Outpouring, which raised the faith level of much of the body of Christ. Testimonies of healings and miracles from it are now virtually all over the world. When Todd’s marriage failed, he abruptly stopped all ministry and virtually disappeared for almost nine months. In the meantime, his divorce was finalized and he has recently remarried. Todd has taken full responsibility for the failure of his marriage. He and Jessa also admit that their relationship was premature and should not have happened the way it did. Both are adamant that it was not the cause for the failure of his first marriage, nor did they begin their relationship until Todd was convinced that his marriage was over. They have both expressed that it was wrong and premature. They do not want to try and cover this up even though they know many will never accept them for it. Even so, they are married now and are resolved to make the most of their marriage, their lives, and to continue to serve the Lord in the best way that they can. My position all along has been that I will do my best to comply with Galatians 6:1, “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV). To obey this Word, I have always felt that it did not matter what one had done, and that it was my responsibility to help them find the grace of God to return to the place from which they had fallen. I confess that with Todd, I am not just doing this as a duty. From the time I first met him nearly ten years ago, I knew that he had an extraordinary purpose and a gift of faith for the miraculous that would be desperately needed in these times. I consider helping any of God’s children an honor, and helping Todd is a privilege. I also confess to some selfish ambition in wanting to do this. I had a dream two decades ago in which one of my children had fallen into a sewage ditch and could not get up. My child was being scorned and no one would help him. A man came along who helped my child get up and then cleaned up. In that dream, I felt as if I would give everything that I owned to this man who helped my child. Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Jim Bakker is My child. Will you help him?” Since that time, I have been devoted to helping any of God’s children that I could who have committed any trespass, because I knew there were few other things that would bring the Father’s favor. I consider this willingness to at least try to help others this way a major reason for the extraordinary favor that our ministry, my family, and I have received. I love Todd and am glad to help him, but I also know by doing this, I will be doing something that means a great deal to our Father. When we release someone to minister in the body of Christ, we are releasing him or her to minister to God’s own children, and I personally do not do that with anyone who I would not allow to minister to my own family. For all that was done through Todd, and especially at Lakeland, which touched and helped countless thousands, many were also left confused and hurt by the way it ended. I think Todd is even more sensitive to this than I am. Although in some ways he greatly misses being in ministry and praying for people, he wants to be sure that when he comes back that his life and his ministry are on the most solid ground possible so that he does not cause these kinds of problems again. Jack Deere and Bill Johnson have agreed to be a part of Todd’s restoration process. I asked them to be a part because I know they will probably see things I don’t, but also because both Todd and I trust them and know they would not sign off on something they did not really believe in. However, both of them are going to be involved in this at a distance, and therefore, I will be the main person responsible.
Being a believer in body ministry, I expect our whole leadership team, and to some degree, our whole local church, to be involved in helping Todd and Jessa. Our staff and all from the church that I have discussed this with are very happy about them being here and want to help them in any way that they can. In future Bulletins, we will go into more detail about what we’re doing and why, as well as what we think was a cause of some of the failures Todd experienced. We will only do this for the sake of helping others avoid the same traps. We know that trust has to be earned and that Todd will have to earn the trust of the body of Christ for future ministry, which will not be easy, nor should it be. Todd, more than most, does not want to jump back into ministry prematurely, even as much as he misses it in some ways.
I for one have been very encouraged by the expressions of grace and genuine concern so many have expressed toward Todd in this situation. It gives me great hope. As we have been constantly reminded, the Lord had great patience with sinners, but He had none for the self-righteous. We’re all here because He had mercy on us, and we know we still need it. However, we also know that true repentance and restoration can only come if we refuse to compromise the clear biblical standards for morality and integrity. Todd wanted to personally say the following: It has been a long while since I have spoken publicly and openly. I am sorry for the hurt and confusion that my decisions have caused the body of Christ. It has been a true season of brokenness, hiddenness, and a long process of grieving. As many of you now know, my previous marriage has endured years of unresolved conflicts. I apologize that it has ended in divorce, and I take full responsibility for my part for the ending of the marriage. I realize that my silence and decisions have caused many of you to feel hurt, confused, and offended. The reason for the silence was for my need of healing, creating a restoration process under a team of qualified leaders, much needed rest after the Lakeland Outpouring, repentance, and the divorce process. I have now relocated to Fort Mill, South Carolina and have entered into my restoration and healing process under Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson. I am confident of this one thing—that God is faithful to His promise and my hope is to be fully restored, strengthened, healed, and to learn from all the mistakes I have made along the way. Thank you friends and partners for your continued prayers, encouragement, and love. I am committed to the work of the Holy Spirit and confident that the good men around me will help me be restored first as a man, as a husband, and ultimately to fulfill God’s call on my life.
Those of you who were touched by the Lakeland Outpouring do not lose your encouragement. What happened there was from God, and Todd is a true servant of God. He has made some mistakes, and he is trying to get his life back in order, and you can be confident that he will. Throughout the Bible, many of the greatest heroes in it also made some of the worst mistakes. King David, possibly the greatest hero in the Bible after Jesus, made one of the most horrible mistakes, not only committing adultery, but murdering the husband of the woman he committed it with. God knew that was going to happen with David when He called him, and He loved David before, during, and afterward. One of the remarkable events in the Bible is that the Lord then used Bathsheba to bring forth the heir to the throne, Solomon, and she is part of the genealogy of Jesus. It still stretches me, but we need stretching in the grace of God. At the same time, we must balance it with how God hates divorce, and it is one of the scourges of our times that is tragically hurting many, many people. Marriage is under such an assault now because it is so important. However, legalism will not overcome lawlessness. This situation and similar ones that almost every church and family are now being faced with is one that we need answers for. We cannot run from Him, but must run to Him with our need. Many of Todd’s friends and former partners have asked if and how they might help to rebuild and establish Fresh Fire USA, which has recently relocated from Abbotsford, BC Canada and is now based at Heritage International Ministries in Fort Mill, SC. Donations can now be made to Fresh Fire USA at the following address:
Fresh Fire USA
C/O MorningStar Fellowship Church
375 Star Light Dr.
Fort Mill, SC 29715
Make checks out to Fresh Fire USA, or if you would like to donate by credit card to help in rebuilding Fresh Fire USA, call 1-800-542-0278, and tell the operator that you want to make a donation to Fresh Fire USA.
I Appreciate your Prayer Requests,(Thanks to God for all who have been sending already) Keep them coming in Please, I love Praying for you... Lets Trust Jesus Together! HALLELUYAH!!! Thank you Holy Spirit
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