Open Heaven 28 November 2018 – When You Need Help

Open Heaven 28 November 2018 Wednesday Daily Devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – When You Need Help

Topic: When You Need Help (Open Heaven 28 November 2018)

Memorise: “And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:”- Deuteronomy 26:7

Read: Deuteronomy 26:6-9 (KJV)

6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 33, John 4:31-54

Open Heaven 28 November 2018 Wednesday MESSAGE:

Without question, every man or woman born into this world needs help at one point or the other. Knowing what to do when the need for help arises is a factor that differentiates victors from defeated people. A fellow ends up being defeated and frustrated simply because he or she could not access the help needed to overcome the challenges of life at the appropriate time. I pray that help will come to you speedily this season in Jesus’ Name. Another factor that causes defeat is that some people don’t even know when they need help. This is a serious situation. They move in circles on the same spot, thinking that they are making progress. You need to continually examine whether you need help so that you don’t end up wasting precious time struggling alone. The great work the Lord committed into my hands as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has taught me this vital lesson. When I became the General Overseer, I suddenly realised that I could not do the work by my strength and resources alone. So, the first thing I did was to make the original Owner of the work, the Holy Trinity, my Senior Partner and Ally. The next thing I did was to raise ministry helpers so that the work could be done as quickly as possible. If God is ministering to you to be a ministry helper, don’t hesitate to obey Him.

Another thing you need to do when you suddenly realise that you need help is to know where the help will come from. In today’s Bible reading, while under affliction and oppression, the Israelites correctly identified the LORD God of their fathers as the sure source of their help. After you have identified the unfailing source of help, the next thing you must do to secure your needed help is to connect yourself to that source and abide by the principles of that source. For example, if you have identified God as your surest Source of help, Deuteronomy 28:1-14 should be your guiding principle. You should not allow anything to derail you – not even the world with its technological advancements and ‘modern’ way of doing things, because many civilizations have come and gone, but God and His principles remain unchanged (Hebrews 13:8). In John 15:4, Jesus Christ told His disciples:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Moreover, you must look up to God in prayer for the fulfilment of His promises like Daniel did in Daniel 9:1-3. When you do this, you, you can be sure that the testimony in Psalm 34:5 will become a reality in your life. It says:

“They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”

Open Heaven 28 November 2018 Wednesday Action Point:

Go to God in prayer, asking for His help in whatever area you need help. Do not hesitate to reach out to those God ministers to your heart as channels of help to meet your needs.

Also Read: Open Heaven 27 November 2018 – Before the Gate Shuts

Open Heaven 28 November 2018 Wednesday Hymn 11: O God, Our Help In Ages Past

1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of Thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same

4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

5. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away:
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

6. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

Open Heaven 28 November 2018 Wednesday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 28 November 2018 Wednesday Daily Devotional.

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Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

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Four Finnish Tourists Arrested in Malaysia for Distributing Christian Material

Four Finnish Tourists Arrested in Malaysia for Distributing Christian Material



Four tourists in Malaysia have been arrested for distributing Christian materials at a resort island.


Two women and two men, all from Finland, were taken into custody last week after police received complaints about the group.


During the arrests, the police seized 47 pens with Bible verses and 336 notebooks that had Bible texts.


The tourists will be investigated for allegedly “causing disharmony and violating their visa status.”


According to the Associated Press, the group will be deported and they will be barred from returning to Malaysia.


Langkawi police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim said the attorney general’s office in Malaysia will also send a letter to Finland’s embassy condemning the group’s actions.


The tourists have not been identified, but their ages range from 27 to 60. One of the couples is married.


Trying to convert Muslims to other religions is against the law in Malaysia. Muslims make up about two-thirds of the country’s 31 million people.


Photo courtesy: Izuddin Helmi Adnan/Unsplash

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Church blesses community with envelopes containing $1,000

The Sandy Valley Baptist Church men’s group independently raised $12,000 and decided to bless members of the church.

They had just one rule for them to receive the cash.

 

“Take it home and open it with your family and talk about the ways you can bless someone,” CJ Holmes, who headed Project Multiply, told Fox News.

“One family bought a bunch of blankets and gloves and some fast food gift cards and gave them to homeless people with information on the shelters in town.”

Another member tipped their waitress $500.

Many families decided to match the amount they had received before giving it to someone in the community.

A church member going through chemotherapy was gifted with enough money to cover their medical bills after one group joined the money they had received together.

80 families in total received the money at church on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

“We’ve been individually blessed and wanted to lead them in a project to allow us to bless many other people,” Holmes added.

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Parents Outraged after Sexually Charged Video Shown to Students

Parents Outraged after Sexually Charged Video Shown to Students



Parents of students at a Florida high school are questioning why they weren’t warned about a sexually charged video that shows a man groping a woman and gay couples kissing.


The Planned Parenthood video was shown to students this month in an English Literature Class at Pine View School in Osprey, Fla., with the goal of teaching teenagers about consent, according to Fox 13 in Tampa. 


“We are getting a flood of emails, phone calls and Facebooks,” Sarasota County school board member Eric Robinson told the television station. 


Robinson added, “As an adult it can be hard to watch without being uncomfortable. I can imagine how a teenager would watch. The giggles and the gasps.” 


The video begins with a male narrator asking viewers, “How do you know for sure if somebody really wants to have sex with you?” He then says, “Asking for consent doesn’t have to be awkward. Asking for consent can be kind of sexy.” 


The video shows images of a male and female couple, a male gay couple, and a lesbian couple kissing. It also shows a man grabbing a woman’s clothed breast. 


The video was used by the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center but never cleared by administrators, Robinson said. The group issued an apology.


“We sincerely apologize for the incident last Wednesday at Pine View,” the apology read. “The staff member did not follow established protocol…

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Churches urged to discuss mental health as poll finds 1 in 3 teens have considered self-harm

Drug and alcohol charity Addaction’s research also found a third of schoolgirls with mental health problems have hurt themselves or attempted suicide.

Abbie Robson is a Christian and author of the book ‘Insight Into Self Harm’.

 

Explaining how the Church can help young people, Robson told Premier: “I think it’s really important that churches talk about mental health and talk about mental illness and what it means – not just for young people but for adults as well because it affects people of all ages.

“We need to have sermons about it; we need to be talking about it in our Sunday schools.”

Creative Commons

 

The researchers spoke with more than 8,500 pupils aged 13 to 17 at schools in Cornwall, Kent and Lancashire.

They also found that 28 per cent of the teens had felt down or depressed on at least six days in the last month.

Meanwhile, 22 per cent felt overwhelmed or worried often or all of the time.

Robson said she wasn’t surprised by the results of the poll.

She added: “I think pressure is really, really high for teenagers and most of what they’re being taught in schools is much more academic than how to manage their own emotions and how to manage that pressure.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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‘Atheist Nativity Scene’ Placed on Courthouse Lawn

‘Atheist Nativity Scene’ Placed on Courthouse Lawn



An atheist group has placed a secular nativity scene honoring the “baby Bill of Rights” on an Illinois courthouse lawn to counter the traditional Jesus-centered nativity scene.


The secular scene, sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), shows cutouts depicting Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington “gazing adoringly” at the “baby” Bill of Rights in a manger, according to a news release from the organization. The Statue of Liberty is part of the display, too.  

A sign accompanying the display reads, “Happy Winter Solstice. At this Season of the Winter Solstice, we honor reason and the Bill of Rights (adopted Dec. 15, 1791).” The bottom of the sign reads, “Keep State & Church Separate.”


The sign was placed on the Grundy County Courthouse lawn by FFRF members, three years after the county made the space available to other religions and non-religions. FFRF sent a letter to the county in 2013, threatening a lawsuit if the traditional nativity — with the baby Jesus — either wasn’t removed or was paired with other displays. The nativity is owned by the Morris Ministerial Association, according to the Morris Herald News. The secular scene was placed on the lawn in past years, too.


“The display exemplifies the take-charge spirit of members of the freethought organization, who often assemble such installations in their hometowns to…

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Cathedral denies banning vicar from preaching at carol service

Rev Melvin Tinker, vicar of St John Newland in Hull, accepted an invitation by students at the CU but was later informed that the invitation had to be withdrawn as bosses at the cathedral would not permit him to speak.

He says he’s not heard anything from the cathedral itself and has only been informed via the CU.

 

Speaking to Premier, Rev Tinker, said: “I guess the implication was that I was going to say something rather dodgy or bring the cathedral into disrepute, but I think they’ve done a good job of that themselves, with some of the films they’ve been showing over the summer, which are rather dubious, and blocking me an Anglican priest in the church of England”

When asked what the cathedral might have taken issue with, Rev Tinker told Premier: “To be honest it’s very difficult not to cause upset in the Church of England now if one holds an orthodox line, just on the basic beliefs and basic Christian behaviour and discipleship.”

“It seems that basically the progressive agenda is one that is being bought into, and if you don’t buy into that, then by default you are excluded….I’m saddened and not surprised, because this is part of a bigger trend.

“With all the talk of radical inclusion in the Church of England by two Archbishops, it seems increasingly the only people not being included are orthodox or particularly evangelicals.”

Rev Tinker went on to say that the…

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Rejection of assisted dying case at Supreme Court welcomed by Christian campaigner

Dr Peter Saunders, who is the campaigns director of Care Not Killing, said the country’s highest court was correct on Tuesday to deny Noel Conway the right to take his legal battle further.

Explaining his opposition to allowing assisted dying, Dr Saunders told Premier: “It would inevitably lead to pressure being placed on vulnerable people – especially those who are elderly, sick, disabled or depressed – to end their lives so as not to be a burden to others; that is why the blanket ban is there.”

 

Mr Conway (pictured in May 2018), who has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, wants to be able to receive medical assistance to die when he has less than six months to leave and still have mental capacity.

The 68-year-old retired lecturer from Shrewsbury lost a Court of Appeal bid in June 2018 to challenge a decision by the High Court to reject his argument that a ban on assisted dying infringes upon his human rights.

Aaron Chown/PA Wire

 

He said: “All I want is the option to die peacefully, with dignity, on my own terms, and I know that the majority of the public are behind me.

“It is downright cruel to continue to deny me and other terminally-ill people this right.

Explaining their decision, the justices said only Parliament could alter the law on assisted dying. Mr Conway said supporters of legal assisted dying would campaign at…

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Comedian Samantha Bee Shows I.C.E. Agents Raiding a Nativity Scene in Christmas Special Promotion

Comedian Samantha Bee Shows I.C.E. Agents Raiding a Nativity Scene in Christmas Special Promotion



Comedian Samantha Bee is preparing for her Christmas special by emphasizing the current border crisis in America. 


The promotional video for the “Full Frontal” stars “Christmas on I.C.E.” special starts out by mocking Melania Trump’s debut of the White House Christmas decorations. To cheerful holiday music, Bee is first seen hanging a New York Times ornament that reads, “DETENTION OF MIGRANT CHILDREN AT HIGHEST LEVELS EVER,” on a snow-covered pine tree branch. 


The TBS star moves on from the tree and breaks the fourth wall by talking directly to the audience saying, “Oh, hi there. I’m just getting ready for my holiday special.” 


Suddenly, the music distorts as she continues saying, “Christmas is a time for families, even those families that we’ve separated.” 


Bee goes on to share that money raised from the special will go to immigrant families to help bring them back together. 


“Our special will raise money to help bring immigrant families back together, and we’ll have all the traditions you’ve come to expect — joy, the border wall, special guests, the birth of the Christ child,” she said.


As Bee is mentioning the birth of Jesus, action figures of I.C.E. agents are seen dropping in on the nativity scene as she yells, “Don’t answer the door!” 


According to The Christian Post, Bee’s public…

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Trends in the Number of Weekends a Pastor Preaches Each Year – Rainer on Leadership #488

Podcast Episode #488

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Preaching trends are changing in churches. Today, we look at why many preachers are preaching less every year and why that’s a good thing.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • Not only are pastors preaching fewer weeks per year, but they’re preaching fewer times per week as well.
  • Having a plurality of preachers in a church allows you the opportunity to raise up more people for pastoral ministry.
  • A plurality of preachers in a church diminishes the likelihood of a church becoming centered around the personality of one person.
  • Newer churches are building a plurality of preachers into their DNA and many more established churches are moving that way as well.

The five trends we discuss are:

  1. Traditional model of 48 to 50 weeks a year is diminishing.
  2. The multiple times a week model is diminishing as well.
  3. The 40X model is increasing.
  4. The plurality of preaching/teaching model is increasing.
  5. As a rule, the younger the age of the church, the greater the likelihood for trends three and four to be in place.

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast


Episode Sponsors

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