Ed Stetzer: Today I am glad to welcome Nik Ripken to The Exchange. Nik is arguably one of the leading experts on Christian persecution in Muslim contexts. He is author of the new book The Insanity of Sacrifice.

Ed: What prompted you to write this devotional?

Nik: The center for worship and witness in our world is in homes. This book was written to assist families and singles as they center worship in their homes. The number one request that Ruth and I receive is to develop resources to help parents center worship in family settings. We wrote this book, praying that families will share truths from the Bible and Christ’s stories around the table as they share meals with family, friends, and their neighbors.

Ed: What has most surprised you about how God has worked your latest book?

Nik: After listening and learning from believers undergoing persecution, we knew that we had to write The Insanity of God in order to give believers in persecution their voice back. They needed to become our teachers and mentors.

Often, the persecutors will say, “Your story will die with you in this prison cell, or in this room where you are under house arrest, or in this insane asylum where we have chained you.”

More than that, we knew that believers in persecution have earned the right to be our teachers, reminding us that resurrection follows crucifixion.

Yet what has surprised us the most is the number of people who, through reading The Insanity of God, allowed the Holy Spirit to bring them to salvation through Christ’s story found in the stories of believers in persecution. It has led, often, to a greater witness. One 93-year-old man told Ruth and me that after reading the book, he vowed to God that he would share Christ with at least one person a day. He has kept that promise. The international impact of this book has been a great surprise and encouragement.

Ed: How do you hope readers grow from using it for 90 days?

Nik: Our prayer is two-fold: One, it will drive people to a life of devotion centered in Bible study and prayer and they will begin and end their day in the presence of Almighty God. They will model for their children, where appropriate, how time with the Father is the center of all time.

Two, we pray that Christianity in the West will be reminded that sacrifice is not a cross to bear but a joy to accept. Sacrifice in the Western context is negative; instead, it should be one of positive joy, a place of honor and our acceptable offering to God. Hopefully this book will lead people to sacrifice their time, because they love Jesus, and therefore cross the street and cross the oceans with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Ed: What have you learned about sacrifice through your years on the mission field and in your research on the persecuted church? What does the church in the West need to learn about sacrifice?

Nik: Believers in persecution often say to us, “Never have we felt so close to Jesus as when our faith was costing us something.” Running from sacrifice is running from Jesus. Avoiding the crucifixions that life brings is to miss the resurrection that follows.

According to many, what Ruth, our sons, and I have experienced on the mission field is something to honor but not to emulate. They applaud our service, but their body language begs God not to ask the same of them!

Source: Christianity Today

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Scot McKnight is an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, and author who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity and Christian living. He is currently Professor of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, IL. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

I have been reading the novel of Eugene Vodolatzkin, called Laurus, where a pious charismatic healer is on a 15th Century but timeless journey of redemption as he ministers the graces of God to those in need of healing. Along with Vodolazkin’s wondrous novel, I have seen the news that Marilynne Robinson’s got a new one coming, called Jack, and that got me to think about Gilead and the two pastors musing about pastoring in Gilead. [#ad]

What has me pondering is the role the church plays in these novels. A role of centrality, of pious strength, and of moral direction.

Visit most any city in Europe and you will see a church, often domed and large, in the middle of the city plan. The big cities in the USA, too, often have large historic churches in the center of the city.

Why? Because the church was central. As these cities grew more churches were built because these historic cities grew with historic churches. People walked to church so there were churches in each neighborhood.

Even more, authentic spirituality was not only respected but valued. Authentic spirituality at the heart of these churches formed into Christian virtue being embodied in the church, its leaders, and its communitiy life.

This isn’t nostalgia, and we aren’t pretending to some kind of pristine America.

What I want to point to is the centrality of church in the cities of America.

No longer.

We could ask Why?

I ponder Why? because of this last Fall’s report from Pew.

The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.

Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009. Members of non-Christian religions also have grown modestly as a share of the adult population. …

The data shows that just like rates of religious affiliation, rates of religious attendance are declining. Over the last decade, the share of Americans who say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month dropped by 7 percentage points, while the share who say they attend religious services less often (if at all) has risen by the same degree. In 2009, regular worship attenders (those who attend religious services at least once or twice a month) outnumbered those who attend services only occasionally or not at all by a 52%-to-47% margin. Today those figures are reversed; more Americans now say they attend religious services a few times a year or less (54%) than say they attend at least monthly (45%).

Some think – Greeley and Houk – much of church decline in the mainline can be explained by decline in the number of children church goers have. The same trend is now being seen among evangelicals. For instance, Liuan Huska at CT:

Lily Jones Howard grew up in a church in southern California with a burgeoning children’s and youth ministry. The church held afternoon and evening AWANA clubs and ran separate junior high and high school youth groups. She compares that to the church she and her husband and two children attend now. The median age of members, she guesses, is about 65 or 70. “The pastor has said explicitly that children are the lifeblood of the church,” Howard said. The congregation makes an effort to welcome young families like hers.

Source: Christianity Today

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After three years of anticipation—and dread—President Trump announced the launch of his “Deal of the Century” to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, he outlined details for a proposal that would recognize a Palestinian state following extensive land swaps and security arrangements.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was not present, having broken off communication with the White House following several US decisions deemed biased toward Israel.

Abbas immediately rejected the plan, which Palestinians had long declared “dead on arrival.”

But Netanyahu’s acceptance was enthusiastic, declaring himself willing to begin negotiations with the Palestinians on such terms. A day earlier, Netanyahu’s challenger Benny Gantz also signaled his party’s agreement with Trump’s proposal.

With three Arab states lacking a peace treaty with Israel in attendance—Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—Trump hopes there will be a regional push to implement his plan.

And with $50 billion promised as investment for the nascent Palestinian state, the president believes all the necessary pieces are in place.

“All previous generations from Lyndon Johnson tried and bitterly failed,” Trump said. “But I was not elected to do small things, or shy away from big problems.”

It only required he approach peace in a “fundamentally different” manner.

No Arab or Israeli would be uprooted from their home. This guarantees the preservation of all existing Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

Jerusalem would remain the undivided capital of Israel. At the same time, on the other side of the separation wall, eastern Jerusalem would become the capital of the Palestinian state, receiving a US embassy.

Palestinian residents in Jerusalem on the other side of the wall would be given the option to become Palestinian citizens, Israeli citizens, or remain as permanent residents.

Israel would exercise security over Jerusalem’s holy sites, while Jordan would maintain its status quo authority over the Temple Mount and al-Aqsa Mosque. Muslim pilgrims would be guaranteed access.

Palestinian refugees would be barred from Israel but processed in limited numbers into the new state of Palestine. Pending approval, the rest would be given the option of naturalizing into their nations of residence or relocating elsewhere. Funds would be set up to facilitate.

Israel would receive land in the Jordan Valley to address security concerns. Palestine would receive land in the Negev Desert for industrial development. All international access would be controlled by Israel, with corridors created for ease of domestic transportation to non-contiguous territory.

For the first time, a conceptual map of Israel’s borders was released.

Israel would guarantee a four-year freeze on all settlements outside the scope of this plan, while Palestinian leadership studies the proposal and moves to implement it.

To do so, it must demilitarize Gaza and stop payments to the families of terrorists. Domestic laws must reflect human rights and freedom of religion.

“It is time for the Muslim world to correct the mistake it made in 1948, when it attacked rather than recognized Israel,” Trump said. “If you choose the path to peace, we will be there to help every step of the way.”

Netanyahu also referenced 1948, the year of Israel’s independence, in comparing Trump to then-US President Harry Truman. History would look back on this day similarly, he said, as Trump extended Israel’s sovereignty over “Judea and Samaria,” his favored term for the West Bank.

“You have been the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” he said. “There have been others, but it’s not even close.”

Joel Rosenberg, co-founder of the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, was impressed.

“It was an excellent rollout ceremony,” he said, “dramatic, surprising—and controversial.”

Withholding full judgment until he reads the full 181-page plan, the bestselling author of End Times-inspired political fiction said that Trump’s plan gave Israel almost everything they wanted, but was also “generous” to the Palestinians.

On that count, it may complicate domestic politics for Trump and Netanyahu alike. Though some Christian Zionists oppose a two-state solution, Rosenberg believes many evangelicals will be “enthusiastic.”

But Israel’s settler community “wants everything,” Rosenberg said.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements scattered across the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Their main political body has rejected the deal, as have a few Netanyahu allies who have called for immediate annexation.

“They are very angry, and Bibi could have a problem on his right,” he said. “He might now surprisingly have to make a deal in the center, with Gantz.”

Trump’s plan, previously delayed due to repeated Israeli elections that failed to secure a ruling majority coalition, now heads to its third re-run on March 2.

But Rosenberg believes the Deal of the Century had two primary goals, anticipating Palestinian rejection. One, to be a creative, credible, compassionate approach to peace—just in case.

And two, to appeal to Arab regional leaders who wish to make peace with Israel but are tied by the Palestinian issue. If Abbas rejects a good plan, they may proceed without him.

“Seeing three Arab Gulf leaders at the ceremony,” Rosenberg said, “he just might have succeeded in threading the needle.”

Perhaps Palestinians will see the promise of a state and economic development and reject their rejectionist leadership, he wonders. Their situation is sad, and perhaps divinely so.

“Palestinian leaders will huff and puff, but they look ridiculous and their people are suffering,” Rosenberg, an evangelical of Jewish descent, said.

“But as I read in the book of Exodus, I can’t help but wonder if God has just hardened Abbas’s heart.”

Not at all, according to Salim Munayer, head of the Jerusalem-based Musalaha reconciliation ministry. This past year, he has held many sessions discussing peace between Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

“From our discussions, the issues are clear: Israelis want security, and Palestinians want justice,” Munayer said. “No Palestinian leader can accept this deal, because it doesn’t meet our basic needs.”

East Jerusalem should be their capital, he said, but left unsettled is the question of Jewish settlers moving into Arab neighborhoods. Refugees deserve the right of return, but are left out of this proposal. And the Jordan Valley is essential for Palestinian population expansion, agricultural development, and vital water supply.

Israel already controls security along the border, it does not need to appropriate the land, Munayer said.

But beyond the details, the “Deal of the Century” lacks the moral framework to win Palestinian support. In successive steps over the past years to move the embassy to Jerusalem, cut humanitarian funding, and no longer consider settlements as occupied territory, the US has lost all trust as a moderator, he said.

“If one side humiliates the other, there can be no agreement,” Munayer said. “Israel is eating the pizza, while saying to the Palestinians, ‘Let’s negotiate slices.’”

This fits also into Israel’s domestic context, he said. The plan was released on the same day Netanyahu was indicted on corruption charges.

Real peace must come through grassroots reconciliation, and not be imposed from the top, Munayer said. But worse, Trump’s plan comes wholly from the outside.

Overall, he had little emotional response to the proposal—that came months earlier, when the US cut funding to Palestinian hospitals.

“I didn’t have a lot of expectations, it was no surprise,” Munayer said. “It used to be one-sided before, but never this extreme.”

Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and secretary of the Jordan Evangelical Council in Amman, read the plan in full and said its contents and its rollout “sounded more like a surrender dictate than a peace plan.”

“The fact that of 13 million Palestinians, the Americans couldn’t find a single one to attend [the rollout] spoke volumes in its one-sidedness,” he told CT.

Kuttab most approves of the plan’s Gaza-West Bank tunnel, which would end Israel’s separation of the two territories. He most opposes its lack of autonomous borders. “Despite using the words Palestinian state, the plan gives Palestine no real independence and allows Israel control over borders, over the air and sea, and [Israeli security forces] can enter Palestine at any time they choose.”

“It is a surrender document that will lay the grounds for Palestinians to continue to live under Israeli discrimination,” he said. “It is a death to the two-state solution, and will do nothing to help the peace process. This is a formula for further violence and unrest.”

Hanna Massad, a Palestinian pastor who led Gaza Baptist Church for 12 years and returns regularly, said the plan is “unfair” and fails to meet either Palestinian “ambitions” or UN resolutions. It contains “no justice,” which for him means Jerusalem for a capital and a return to 1967 borders.

Massad still has the documents showing the land his family lost in Israel. “We keep it safe, so that at least one day we might receive compensation.”

“It breaks your heart to see the poverty and suffering of the people in Gaza,” he told CT. “As Palestinians, we have also done bad things against the Israelis. But because we are the weaker party, we suffer more.”

“My father told me he wished to see peace in his lifetime,” Massad said. “Now, I wonder if my children will see it.”

“We hope for fairness and justice for all sides,” he said. “But we hope only in the Lord.”

Gerald McDermott, Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School who recently wroteThe New Christian Zionism: Fresh Perspectives on Israel and the Land, said the plan is “a realistic opportunity for a two-state solution,” given its offer of “huge economic help and a Jerusalem capital.”

He is not surprised by Abbas’s rejection, but instead is struck by regional reaction. “For the first time, there is considerable Arab support for an American-initiated deal,” he said, naming the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt. “All of these states are tired of Palestinian rejectionism.”

“Like any political compromise, it will cause pain on all sides,” McDermott told CT. “Netanyahu, for example, is suffering major criticism from the Israeli right.”

However, he said, “There is no theological reason why Israel cannot compromise with Arabs. Both Abraham and Isaac did.”

Yohanna Katanacho, a Palestinian pastor and academic dean at Nazareth Evangelical College, said it doesn’t take a “prophet” to know Trump’s plan is “destined to failure.”

“Trump is trying to address a difficult problem but he is not addressing it from the perspective of humility,” he wrote for Come and See, a Nazareth-based Christian website. “Such humility does not ignore UN resolutions, Palestinian input, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and justice.”

Source: Christianity Today

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Amid a heated back-and-forth over Paige Patterson’s invitation to speak at a Florida church, the former Southern Baptist Convention leader’s supporters and opponents seem to agree on at least one thing: The #MeToo movement is changing the way some Baptists evaluate who is eligible for public ministry.

After Patterson was announced last month as a speaker at Fellowship Church’s Great Commission Weekend, fellow Southern Baptists and survivor advocates urged leaders to take him off the lineup in light of his 2018 termination from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and allegations he mishandled students’ sexual abuse reports at multiple SBC seminaries. Last week, SBC president J. D. Greear waded into the discussion, urging churches to consider Patterson’s past before inviting him to speak.

Yet, Paige Patterson and his wife, Dorothy, remain top-billed for next weekend’s event. Timothy Pigg, pastor of Fellowship Church, told CT the church has received dozens of emails and phone calls about Patterson. The congregation’s social media traffic has increased approximately tenfold since announcing Patterson as a conference speaker, and its local newspaper, the Naples Daily News, reported on criticism of the church.

Two leaders with the Florida Baptist Convention were scheduled to speak at the conference but have withdrawn. Approximately 150–200 people are expected to attend. Sexual abuse victims’ advocate Susan Codone tweeted a request that people contact the church and ask it to withdraw Patterson’s invitation because “the #SBC and the many harmed by the Pattersons deserve better.”

Among Southern Baptists, adultery and divorce used to be the only sins thought to disqualify a person from public ministry, said Barry Hankins, a Baylor University historian who has written extensively on the SBC. But now, mishandling abuse may be joining the list.

“Things have changed so quickly across American culture with the #MeToo movement, whether you’re talking about Hollywood on one end or the Southern Baptist Convention on the other,” Hankins told Christianity Today. He said that Americans moved from thinking, “Let’s not make a big deal out of” sexual abuse, to thinking, “It’s a big deal, and anyone who doesn’t make a big deal out of it needs to be singled out.”

On Friday, president Greear cautioned churches to think twice before hosting Patterson, when asked by the Houston Chronicle about this weekend’s conference.

“Trustees terminated Paige Patterson for cause, publicly disclosing that his conduct was ‘antithetical to the core values of our faith.’ I advise any Southern Baptist church to consider this severe action before having Dr. Patterson preach or speak and to contact trustee officers if additional information is necessary,” said Greear, who himself studied under Patterson as his doctoral advisor and long saw him as a model and mentor in ministry.

Now, many Patterson supporters seem to agree with his concern, but some critics claim Greear’s statement violates the biblical principle of local church autonomy by attempting to govern a congregation from the outside—pushback that has followed every effort by the denomination to strengthen its response to abuse. The critics also say Patterson is not guilty of mishandling abuse.

Patterson told CT, “President Greear has every right to hold any opinion of my life and ministry that he wishes. While I read his persuasion with great sorrow, he has a right to publish his views as far as he wishes. If he is accurate, I deserve it. If false, I leave the matter in the hands of God confident that God will excel in mercy and justice at all times.”

Patterson was removed from his presidential role at Southwestern in 2018 and terminated a week later. Trustees cited information regarding Patterson’s “handling of an allegation of sexual abuse” at “another institution” (presumably Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he was president from 1992–2003). Patterson also is being sued for allegedly mishandling a student’s claim of being sexually assaulted at Southwestern. Patterson has denied any wrongdoing at either seminary.

Over the past year, he has continued to preach at multiple Southern Baptist churches, including Victory Baptist Church in Rowlett, Texas, where he was recently given a “Defender of the Faith Award.”

Source: Christianity Today

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Harry Plantinga is professor of computer science at Calvin University, where he also serves as director of Hymnary.org (where a version of this article first appeared) and the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Hymnary.org is supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

What is the future of congregational singing, especially in North America over the next 10 years? How is it changing? How can and should technology play a role? These questions are of first importance to me as director of Hymnary.org. In some circles, retuned hymns are growing. In others, singing the psalms is making a comeback. Some churches offer a high-tech multimedia presentation while a few are eliminating technology entirely. At times, the congregation is being largely removed from singing, with worship teams presenting a concert-like experience.

In singing together, a congregation “prays in unison” (Augustine). We express our belief and our hope to each other in an attractive, affective form. We build the communion of the saints. Singing together is a fundamental part of corporate worship, so changes are vitally important and potentially problematic. But not every aspect of the way we sing is essential. We should hold onto the essence: singing as corporate prayer.

One thing seems apparent: The future of congregational song 10 years from now is unlikely to be a boom in newly published hymnals. Hymnary.org indexes nearly 6,000 hymnals that have been published in the United States and Canada. It’s not a complete index, but it’s a decent proxy for the actual number of hymnals published. And the number of hymnals indexed is 17 in the 1780s, growing to a peak of nearly 600 in the 1910s. From there it has been declining steadily, and in the 2010s it may be the lowest since the late 1700s.

Of course, other kinds of print publishing are contracting, and new media such as the internet could be a factor—but they can’t account for a decline starting in the 1920s. It may be that the cost of publishing a new hymnal has risen high enough that the number of different hymnals is declining while the total number of copies printed is not. It also appears that there is less communal singing outside of places of worship. Yet the trend of the last couple of decades toward projection also seems to be having a significant impact.

Congregational singing is as ancient as the psalms, and no doubt it will continue into the future. But even as fads and fashions of congregational singing lead to change and evolution, so does the technology we use. And just as we saw a shift from printed hymnals to projection, from an approved collection of songs to a top-100 chart on the web, from congregational singing to performance by leaders, we may be about to see the arrival of another new technology for congregational song that supplements print and projection.

We expected Hymnary.org to be useful for research and planning. But to our surprise, we found that the weekly peak of usage of our site is at the 10 a.m. hour on Sunday mornings. We have heard of three primary reasons for people to use Hymnary.org in worship services: to look up a hymn number, to view songs with larger print, and to see music notation when only the words are projected (or to see four-part notation when only the melody is projected). The latter two reflect special individual needs or preferences.

Mobile devices excel at providing access to information, including text and musical notation, in a way that accommodates user needs and preferences—hiding or showing different parts of music notation, adjusting print size, showing only the verses being sung, adding Spanish to the English, and more. A mobile app could automatically load a liturgy or order of worship with customized songs when a congregant enters the church—using large print, showing just the bass line of the music, or showing a lead sheet or trumpet score for musicians. Different people could see different forms of the music as needed, all synchronized.

A current drawback of mobile devices for this purpose is that screens are usually smaller than printed hymnals. Congregations could use printed hymns or project songs as well, leaving the choice to use a mobile device with congregants. And technology evolves to improve usability. Smartphones with folding touchscreens are just now coming on the market. Or churches could lend tablets with bigger screens to visitors and those who need large print. This may sound expensive, but inexpensive tablets can be purchased for $35, at which price they are already cheaper than some printed hymnals.

At one time I believed cellphones and other mobile devices were too distracting to use in worship services. When my cellphone is visible, I feel an urge to check my email, social media, or my calendar. However, I now believe that as we become more used to the constant availability of mobile devices, we will learn to adapt and use them appropriately. Someday the technology of mobile devices may be no more distracting than the technology of print is today. Either way, people are already using these devices in worship. Perhaps we can take advantage of the strengths of mobile technology and minimize the drawbacks.

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Ed Stetzer is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, serves as a dean at Wheaton College, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group. The Exchange team helped with this article. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of BCNN1.

Interestingly enough, when I sat down to write this column, I had just received the Lausanne Movement’s latest info graphic—this time on Integral Mission, which lays out the biblical mandate of holistic mission, showing (by deed) and sharing (by word).

This is not new. God’s people have always been called to hold these in tension and it has only been in recent generations that we have created a false dichotomy. (See Acts 2 and onward for the biblical model of the people of God.)

I have written before that I call myself an “integral prioritist,” meaning that I believe in integral mission but I understand that today we tend to lose the “word” part of the equation if we aren’t careful.

We have an entire institute at the Billy Graham Center focused on helping pastors see their churches grow through conversion. Yes, this involves deed. But it can never be done without word, and when we measure our personal evangelism temperature (Are we white hot on fire for sharing Jesus with others? Or are we lukewarm and find we are poor models of evangelism?), where do we each fall on the spectrum?

A vision for mission everywhere, at all times, in all ways is one that understands that there is no moment in our day when we aren’t on mission. There’s isn’t a place we aren’t called to be witnesses. There aren’t a limited number of ways to show and share the love of Jesus.

God is on a mission to redeem people and eventually to redeem all of creation that has been tainted by sin and make it into something new. God’s mission is to see a world renewed and changed for our good and his glory.

But we live in a world which pulls us off that mission. We have a thousand reasons for not faithfully taking part in God’s mission—we are busy, we are tired, we haven’t been trained, we don’t feel equipped. On and on the list goes. But what if we were to begin to see all of life as mission?

Indeed, the creativity of the Body of Christ is limitless when it comes to reaching our world with the love of Christ. I need only look at my little community of Wheaton, IL, to see the incredible variety of callings being implemented:

Source: Christianity Today

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Filipino Senator Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his WBA title twice last year, defeating Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman and proving his prowess in the boxing ring even at the age of 41. But to Pacquiao, there is a greater passion than being an iconic boxing champ, and that is spreading the Word of God.

Pacquiao attributes his success in the ring to God and hard work, and he’s always been vocal about his Christian faith.

As a member of the Philippine Senate, Manny Pacquiao authored the law declaring the last Monday of January as the National Bible Day in the Philippines. People from all pillars of society – the government, entertainment, business, and the church – unite on this day to celebrate the Holy Bible as the cradle of the Christian faith. And 100,000 Bibles were printed for this event to be given away to the different sectors of society.

At the National Bible Day event this week, Pacquiao shared his testimony and reminded everyone of the power of the Word of God. He also challenged them to share the Bible as often as they can, especially at this time of so many calamities in the Philippines and around the world.

World-renowned apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias says the time is right to preach the gospel.

“Natural calamities are causing us to realize how fragile we are. God brings a person to a time when they need to realize that I can’t do that, God does that,” Dr. Zacharias said.

Bishop Efraim Tendero, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, says they have also marked 2020 as the Year of the Bible, urging 600 million Christians worldwide to spread the Word of God.

He said, “We want to have that recognition of the role of the Bible in the community life, family life, and national life.”

Pacquiao addressed the audience saying, “The Bible is the only book we need to discover the foundational truth of how to know and walk with God.”

Pacquiao was saddened with the sudden death of friend, Kobe Bryant. He hopes reports that Bryant received Christ are true. “Life is too short in this world. So make sure you have a personal relationship to God. You have a strong relationship and you obey God,” he said.

Again, he emphasized the importance of reading God’s Word, “Read the Bible because it will lead you to all truth. The Bible is the manual to life.”

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