Charisma News reports – It seems like almost every day we read about ISIS parading people in cages, beheading Christians or kidnapping dozens of believers and making threats against shopping malls. No wonder Jesus warned that in the last days we would see “men fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth” (Luke 21:16).

Chris Mitchell, Middle East Bureau Chief for CBN News, isn’t surprised by any of it. In his recently released Destination Jerusalem: ISIS, Convert or Die, Christian Persecution and the Coming Days Ahead, Mitchell discusses the rising evil of Islam. In part three of this exclusive interview, Mitchell shared his thoughts on the ISIS ripple effect.

You can still read part one: “When Christians Come Face to Face With ISIS” and part two: “Are We Seeing the New World Order Rising?”

Charisma News: How do the events taking place in the Middle East reverberate to the shores of America?

Mitchell: America is now in the midst of a national debate on how to deal with ISIS. The outcome of that national debate will affect our future, our economy and our way of life.

It will have a direct impact on our service men and women in the armed forces, our sons and daughters. It will likely influence the price of oil and certainly have an impact on our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel.

Suddenly it’s not just “over there”; it’s “over here.” What these Islamic terrorists are doing is sowing fear just as the Quran encourages them to do. We need to resist this fear. We’re facing a dangerous future when fear will be prevalent.

In Destination Jerusalem, I suggest a number of ways to prepare for the days ahead. We need to as Jesus said, “Watch and pray.”

We need to draw close to the Lord, our families and our church family. We need to be informed about the world and, like the Sons of Issachar in the Bible, “understood the times.” The book also includes the gospel, so it’s also a book someone can give to a loved one who doesn’t yet know the Lord.

Click here to check out Mitchell’s book on Amazon.com or visit him online at destinationjerusalembook.com.

Source : Charisma News

Todd Starnes report – Barronelle Stutzman, a Washington State florist who declined to provide flowers for a gay wedding, has rejected a deal by the attorney general’s office that would’ve forced her to betray her religious beliefs—much like Judas betrayed Jesus.

“You are asking me to walk in the way of a well-known betrayer, one who sold something of infinite worth for 30 pieces of silver,” Stutzman wrote in a letter to state Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “That is something I will not do.”

Ferguson had offered to settle the case if she paid a $2,000 penalty for violating the Consumer Protection Act, a $1 payment for costs and fees, and agreed not to discriminate in the future.

“My primary goal has always been to bring about an end to the defendant’s unlawful conduct and to make clear that I will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” Ferguson said in a prepared statement.

On Feb. 18 a judge ruled Stutzman had violated the law by refusing to provide flowers for the same-sex wedding of a longtime customer. The state had not only gone after the flower shop but also Stutzman personally.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the religious liberty law firm representing Stutzman, said legal bills could be as high as seven figures.

“He’s using the full power of his office to personally and professionally destroy her,” ADF attorney Kristen Waggoner told me.

But the 70-year-old Southern Baptist grandmother said she will not violate her religious beliefs—no matter what. If that means losing her house—so be it.

“I certainly don’t relish the idea of losing my business, my homes and everything else that your lawsuit threatens to take from my family, but my freedom to honor God in doing what I do best is more important,” Stutzman wrote in a letter to the attorney general. (You can read my earlier story on Stutzman’s case here.)

She said the attorney general simply does not understand her or what the conflict is all about.

“It’s about freedom, not money,” she said. “You chose to attack my faith and pursue this not simply as a matter of law, but to threaten my very means of working, eating and having a home.”

Stutzman’s attorneys said they plan to appeal the judge’s decision—meaning she won’t have to fork over any money just yet to Washington State.

In the meantime, she said she would continue to gladly serve the customer who filed the lawsuit.

“I truly want the best for my friend,” she wrote. “I’ve also employed and served many members of the LGBT community and I will continue to do so regardless of what happens with this case.”

Stutzman said she never imagined the day when what she loved to do would become illegal. And that in the state of Washington using your God-given talents and abilities would be against the law.

The Seattle Times reported that Judge Ekstrom determined that “while religious beliefs are protected by the First Amendment, actions based on those beliefs aren’t necessarily protected.”

In other words—it’s OK to believe in God—so long as you don’t follow the tenets of your faith.

“Our state would be a better place if we respected each other’s differences, and our leaders protected the freedom to have those differences,” she wrote. “Because I follow the Bible’s teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, I am no longer free to act on my beliefs.”

This is one granny that you don’t want to dig in the dirt with.

Todd Starnes is host of “Fox News & Commentary,” heard on hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter. His latest book is God Less America.

Disciple Guide writes – In a previous post, I wrote about “monster churches” in reference to congregations that chew up and spit out pastors on a regular basis. Monster churches are highly dysfunctional and rarely fruitful.

The congregation, however, is not always the problem. Just as monster churches are a factory of discord, monster pastors take trouble with them wherever they go.

Nicknames for monster pastors include: dictator, authoritarian and control freak.

Biblically speaking, they may be false teachers, greedy for selfish gain, deceitful workmen and ravenous wolves. They specialize in hijacking congregations and then abusing their power.

Monster pastors have little regard for the sheep (or the Chief Shepherd for that matter). Instead, their first priority is self, masked by other agendas. Such pastors may use pressure tactics, political maneuvering, and/or persuasive speech in order to manipulate a congregation into acting on their behalf.

When they don’t get their way, monster pastors usually 1) move on to another church, 2) cause a stir in their current church and/or 3) blame the congregation for not following their lead. Simply put, monster pastors are building their own kingdom rather than Christ’s kingdom.

As a general rule, monster pastors:

1. Are always right and never wrong.

2. Cannot accept criticism without becoming defensive.

3. Are not willing to share the pulpit.

4. Do not support other ministries.

5. Overly use the personal pronoun, “I.”

6. Resist accountability.

7. Feels threatened by former pastors.

8. Surround themselves with “yes men” rather than edifying leaders.

9. Do not entrust ministry to other leaders.

10. Undermine programs that they cannot control.

11. Insist that everything in the church run through them.

Rarely do you see a monster church matched with a monster pastor. Why? I think they can sniff each other out. Just like a bully rarely picks on another bully, choosing instead to prey upon the weak. Many times, monster pastors leave behind congregations with empty bank accounts, warring factions and a tarnished reputation.

Like a codependent spouse, abused churches typically continue to hire abusive pastors. The best thing that these churches can do is to stop and evaluate their situation before hiring another pastor (read this post to learn more).

If your church is in this predicament, consider bringing in a trusted interim pastor with a strong track record of long, peaceful pastorates. Ask the interim to help the congregation address problems and patterns that have wrecked havoc in the past. Spend time creating a plan to move forward and a strategy for selecting a new pastor.

Consider investigating candidates before interviewing them. Look for red flags such as a pattern of short-lived pastorates and a history of conflict. Take seriously the qualifications for a pastor found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

The ministry in which I serve, DiscipleGuide, has a heart for helping struggling churches. Our church solutions ministry provides personal assessment, coaching, and consulting services. If we can be of help to your congregation, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

After serving in campus ministry at the University of Central Arkansas and coordinating student conferences for the Department of Church Ministries from 2000-2005, Scott Attebery pastored Wyatt Baptist Church in El Dorado, Arkansas. After seven years of pastoring, Scott was selected as the Executive Director ofDiscipleGuide Church Reources, a department of the Baptist Missionary Association of America. You can read his blog at scottattebery.com.

For the original aticle, visit pastors.com.