Well-known Bible teacher and bestselling author Francis Chan says “strong believers” in Hong Kong are sharing the Gospel amid the coronavirus outbreak. And yet, he says, too many Christians are isolating themselves out of fear.

The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender President Preston Sprinkle tweeted an update he says he received from Chan, who moved to Hong Kong with his family in February.

“So many people here in HK are terrified and paranoid,” Sprinkle reports Chan as saying. “It’s so sad to see but a great opportunity for the Gospel- as long as the believers show themselves to be different, fearless. The strong believers are walking around with the poor and handing out masks while sharing the gospel. Meanwhile too many Christians are isolating themselves. It’s a test of our faith- not to be foolish but to show that we fear nothing, especially not death. And we are anxious about nothing. Btw- two days in and we love it here. Miss you guys but there is so much opportunity here.”

SOURCE: Charisma News

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It’s the question I’ve heard now for many years, specifically from evangelical Christians. “Since the world is only getting worse, why bother fighting the culture wars? What’s the use? What’s the point? Isn’t it better for us simply to share our faith and prepare for the return of Jesus?”

To be sure, if I knew for a fact that Jesus was coming back in a week, I would not spend that week writing articles about transgender activism. Or trying to change hearts about abortion.

In fact, I would not spend that week teaching a class in our ministry school. Or sharpening my Arabic or Babylonian reading skills. Or even hanging out with other believers.

Instead, I would spend every last moment reaching out to friends and relatives who were not in right relationship with God, urging them to repent and believe. And I would prepare my own heart to meet the King.

The fact is, though, that we don’t know if Jesus is coming back in a week. Or a year. Or a decade. Or a century.

What we do know is that we have one life to live. One life to serve. One life to make an impact. And then we die, and the baton is handed over to the next generation. And then the next.

That has been the cycle of life for millennia, and it will continue until the end of this age.

Unfortunately, many Christians are so focused on the world to come that they lose sight of the importance of living fruitful lives in the here and now. And many others are so focused on the return of Jesus that they fail to live with long-term vision. They fail to ask what kind of world they are leaving to their children and grandchildren.

There’s an interesting quote attributed to Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai (c. 30-90 AD): “If you have a sapling in your hand, and someone says to you that the Messiah has come, stay and finish the planting, and then go to greet the Messiah” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 31b).

In other words, continue to live your life in a normal, productive way. Be faithful to your current responsibilities. Don’t get caught up with end-time speculation. Planting a tree means you’re thinking of tomorrow.

Similarly, it is recorded that evangelist D. L. Moody (1837-1899) was asked, “What would you do today if you knew Jesus Christ was coming tomorrow?”

He answered, “I would plant a tree.”

Knowing that Moody was a great soulwinner, it’s hard to imagine that, if he really knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, he would plant that tree.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Brown

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Theologian John Piper has offered Christians four ways they can biblically understand the coronavirus, which has infected about 87,000 so far and killed more than 3,000 people.

The family of viruses known as coronaviruses infects mostly bats, pigs and small mammals, but they mutate easily and can jump from animals to humans, and from one human to another, as The Wall Street Journal explained recently, adding that the mortality rate has ranged between 2 percent and about 3.4 percent as of now.

More than 50 countries have reported cases of coronavirus and the World Health Organization has upgraded the global risk of the outbreak to “very high.” Amid the outbreak, Piper said in his “Ask Pastor John” podcast that the coronavirus, which originated in China last year, is not stronger than Jesus.

“Jesus has all knowledge and all authority over the natural and supernatural forces of this world. He knows exactly where the virus started, and where it’s going next. He has complete power to restrain it or not,” he said.

He shared four biblical realities that could be used as building blocks in developing an understanding and making sense of it.

1. Sin subjected the world to futility

Quoting Romans 8:20–23, Piper pointed out that when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, “God ordained that the created order, including our physical bodies, as persons created in His image, would experience corruption and futility, and that all living things would die.”

However, Christians, who trust Christ, do not experience this corruption as condemnation, as their “pain for us is purifying, not punitive.”

“We die of disease like all men, not necessarily because of any particular sin … We die of disease like all people because of the fall,” he explained.

2. Sometimes sickness is God’s mercy

Some Christians can die of illnesses “so that we may not be condemned along with the world,” Piper said.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Anugrah Kumar

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Early in my marriage, I was reading the 2nd chapter of Genesis. It describes Adam and Even in the Garden. I had read it many times, but this time God helped me understand it in the context of marriage. He used it to bring my marriage back from the brink of divorce.

In Genesis 2:24-25, God speaks His first words about marriage. I call these the “four laws of love.” They are guidelines God gives about marriage. When we follow them, the success of this relationship at the center of civilization is all but guaranteed.

The very first law in this passage is what I call the Law of Priority. It’s one that trips up many of the thousands of couples I’ve counseled over the years. We see the prominence of priority in the first part of Genesis 2:25 — “a man shall leave his father and mother.”

Before marriage, the highest commitment and devotion in a person’s life is to their parents. This changes at the altar. God designed marriage to operate as the most important human relationship in our lives, second in priority only to our relationship with Him.

Look at any problem that may exist in your own marriage and it won’t take long to see that those issues stem from misplaced priorities. If we prioritize any other human relationship or interest above our spouse, our marriage will struggle.

To see how it happens, think back to the beginning of your relationship. When a couple starts dating or begins to fall in love, they pay close attention to the relationship. They spend time with each other regularly. They sacrifice to meet each other’s needs. They defend the relationship against competing demands.

Once engaged, this continues up to the wedding. They spend time together and focus attention on each other. The honeymoon is wonderful. After tying the knot, the excitement of a new living situation keeps things going — especially for a younger couple. If problems arise, the husband and wife work together to communicate and find solutions.

Within a few years, though, a couple of different things happen. One or both spouses gain more responsibilities at work. Their careers progress. And within a few years, the couple begins to have children. According to research, the shift from childless newlyweds to parenthood is when the satisfaction level of a marriage begins to drop significantly.

At this stage, early problems may be ignored or masked. It’s easy to let those things slide because both parents are busy at work — or because both are focused on a baby. These problems aren’t solved. They are simply pushed aside. Unaddressed, they begin to magnify. Dissatisfaction or frustration start to fester.

Even if both parents work, the differences between men and women at this stage are very real. Women are instinctively nurturing. A new mother will pour her attention into caring for the child. Men instinctively want to be providers, and a husband will give more attention into his career.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jimmy Evans

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Pastor Ken Peters was faithfully leading his small church in Spokane, Washington, when a guest preacher’s Sunday sermon grabbed his heart and prompted an unexpected response. That providential moment led to the creation of “The Church at Planned Parenthood” (TCAPP), a monthly gathering of Christians from various churches to worship God, boldly preach the gospel message and spend time in corporate prayer repenting for our nation and for the church’s silence on abortion—while standing together outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic.

We spoke with Pastor Ken to learn more about TCAPP and to understand the impact that this church plant is having nationwide. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation.

Tell me about the pivotal moment that started TCAPP.

Ken Peters: Reverend Rusty Thomas of Operation Save America came to our church to stir us up about the murder of the unborn in our nation. He was preaching on when Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” He said, “If you have any worship leaders, have them go out to Planned Parenthood with a guitar and start worshipping. If you have any intercessors, get them out there praying. If you have any preachers, get them out there preaching.”

I thought, That sounds like church: preaching, worship, and prayer. I felt like the Lord spoke to me and said, “Don’t you dare plant another regular church until your next church campus is the church at Planned Parenthood, an outdoor church.” I got up after the sermon and announced to the congregation that our next church was going to be a church at Planned Parenthood!

My guess is there was surprise and even concern after your passionate proclamation. Describe the reaction.

Ken Peters: My wife looked at me like I was crazy! And Reverend Thomas literally bent over. He said he had never heard of such an idea. It was so simple, yet so profound because he had just proclaimed that the church will win against the gates of hell. Quite frankly, after I made the announcement, I began to doubt. I was afraid. My church was supportive but they waited to see if I would follow through on my promise.

Two months later, in October 2018, you held the first service of the new church plant. What happened?

Ken Peters: I was expecting my wife and maybe 20 people to show up—maybe a couple of elders and deacons from the church because they felt obligated. But 175 people came for the first service! The church was so gracious—they followed their crazy leader and responded.

SOURCE: Charisma News

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Does the book of Revelation predict the coronavirus? Is it one of the prophesied, end-time plagues? If so, does that mean that this is just a harbinger of much worse things to come?

There is no denying the seriousness of the virus.

As Bill Gates noted in the New England Journal of Medicine on Feb. 28, “In the past week, Covid-19 has started behaving a lot like the once-in-a-century pathogen we’ve been worried about.” And even at this early stage, “Covid-19 has already caused 10 times as many cases as SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] in a quarter of the time.”

And evangelical commentator Michael Snyder included the coronavirus in his “list of 10 plagues that are hitting our planet simultaneously.”

The “plagues” were: 1) armies of locusts; 2) extremely bizarre weather patterns; 3) unprecedented flooding; 4) major earthquakes; 5) unusual volcanic eruptions; 6) the coronavirus; 7) the African swine fever; 8) the H1N1 swine flu; 9) the H5N1 bird flu; 10) the H5N8 bird flu.

Does that suggest, then, that COVID-19 is one the end-time judgments described in Revelation?

Al Mohler noted that, “We are also reminded of Revelation 6:7-8 in which we read, ‘When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked and behold a pale horse, and the name of him who sat on it was Death and Hades followed with him.’ That fourth horseman has often been associated with plague, with illness, with a violent death by means of this kind of disease, which we now identify primarily with deadly viruses spreading across the human population.”

But neither Mohler nor Snyder is suggesting that the virus is one of the final plagues of Revelation. And Gates is certainly not thinking in these terms.

SOURCE: Charisma News

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A school district in North Carolina announced that it will investigate how a controversial survey got distributed to kids asking them about their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston told local media outlet WSOC Channel 9 that the school district was looking into who was responsible for the survey.

“I am very concerned with the timing and the way in which I was informed about the actual survey,” said Winston to WSOC.

“It did not occur to the expectation that I have. I have expressed that to staff, and it is an active human resources matter.”

The questions on sexual orientation and gender identity were part of a Title IX survey and were pulled following outcry from several parents, according to WSOC.

When asking for gender identity, the options included “Male,” “Female,” “Non-Binary,” and “Gender-Fluid.” The sexual orientation question included options like “Pansexual,” “Asexual,” and “Questioning my sexual orientation.”

“We want to be fully transparent about this process,” added Winston. “We are going to work as hard as we can to avoid a similar occurrence from happening in the future.”

“We have an obligation to our families, to our students. We have an obligation to our staff and to our schools to communicate effectively to our families when dealing with sensitive matters such as these.”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, saw this as proof that parents needed to “pay attention and stay involved.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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More than thirty years ago, Christian author, W. Phillip Keller, in his book, Predators in our Pulpits, wrote an indictment of most preachers today. He declared:

“Pastors, ministers, evangelists, and teachers are so eager to be liked by their congregation, so keen to be popular with their parishioners, so determined to be accepted by their society that they refuse to cry out against its evils as did the prophets of old. They live in abject fear of being despised or rejected of men as was the Master. They will go instead to great lengths to insinuate themselves into society in order to be ‘one of the good old boys,’ hail, well-met, and having achieved a rapport with the world around them.”

Then there are those faithful few who understand their calling, who know as Vance Havner said, “A true servant of God is best measured not by how many bouquets have been pinned on him, but how many bricks have been hurled at him.” These clergies are keenly aware that when they appear before the Almighty, he’ll not look for medals but scars.

Just such a preacher stood before the Kansas State Senate in 1996 and gave the opening prayer – a prayer that caused a furor – a prayer that departed from the usual spiritual pleasantries – a prayer that caused several legislators to walk out in protest. On that fateful day, Pastor Joe Wright, filled with the Spirit of God, courageously stood before those who governed and prayed:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess:

“We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.

“We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

“We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

“We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

“We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

“We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

“We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

“We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

“We have abused power and called it politics.

“We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

“We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

“We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

“Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

“Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Amen.”

Wright’s prayer wasn’t heard merely in the Kansas Senate Chamber that day, but around the country. And it’s been more than thirty years since we’ve heard anything quite like it since.

That is, until a couple of weeks ago, when another good soldier of the Cross stood before the Virginia legislature, and like his predecessor, Joe Wright, better still like the prophets of old, called out that body.

With the very unction of God, Rev. Robert M. Grant, Jr, prayed:

“I pray that both sides [Democrat and Republican] will put down their own selfish ambitions and need for importance and do their job and stand for what is right in the sight of God… These are crucial times that we are living in.  The average citizen of our great state wants our elected officials to look beyond their personal ambitions and create bills and laws that are sensible, equitable, and sustainable. Real common-sense laws.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Rev. Mark H. Creech

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