Tim Keller on Evangelicals and Politics, Social Justice, How Churches Should Treat Non-Christians

(Photo: The Christian Post/Leonardo Blair)Timothy Keller, senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, speaks at Movement Day Global Cities at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on Thursday, October 27, 2016.

Timothy Keller spoke about media perceptions of evangelicals and politics, the debate over whether Christians should support social justice, and what the book of Jonah teaches the Church today about how to treat non-Christians. 

In The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy, which was released Oct. 2, Keller, author and founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, examines Jonah’s moral messages, especially in regards to how believers should treat those who are of a different race and religion.

“God wants us to treat people of different races and faiths in a way that is respectful, loving, generous, and just,” wrote Keller in the newly released book.

In an Oct. 29 interview with The Christian Post, Keller explained that as a pastor, he has preached on Jonah multiple times over the years, with the application of the message changing from time to time.

For example, when he preached about it while serving a church in Virginia decades back, he applied the book to race relations; in 2001 at the Manhattan-based Redeemer…

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Italy offers Asia Bibi refuge

Rome said it would grant asylum to Asia Bibi following a request for assistance from her husband, Ashiq Masih.

Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said: “I want women and children whose lives are at risk to be able to have a secure future, in our country or in other Western countries.

 

“So, I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee that [for Ms Bibi].”

Mr Masih had previously urged the UK, US and Canada to give his wife refuge.

It is yet to be confirmed where Asia Bibi will travel to once she is released.

AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad

 

A decision by Supreme Court judges in Islamabad to free the 47 year old from a charge of blasphemy prompted protests in major cities last week.

Hardline Islamists held banners demanding her public execution and threatened to continue blocking major roads until the ruling was reviewed.

 

A deal struck by the government of prime minister Imran Khan to avert further disruption saw an agreement to initiate exit-control list proceedings against Asia Bibi, meaning she could be stopped from leaving the country.

Prior to her acquittal, Asia Bibi had been on death row for eight years after being convicted of insulting Islam’s prophet Mohammad. She always denied any wrongdoing.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our…

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10 Quotes by and about Billy Graham on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth

10 Quotes by and about Billy Graham on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth



(RNS) — Famed evangelist Billy Graham, who died Feb. 21, would have celebrated the centennial of his birth on Wednesday (Nov. 7).


Here are 10 quotes from the preacher and people who knew and admired him over his 99 years of life:


“I have often said that the first thing I am going to do when I get to Heaven is to ask, ‘Why me, Lord? Why did You choose a farmboy from North Carolina to preach to so many people, to have such a wonderful team of associates, and to have a part in what You were doing in the latter half of the twentieth century — and beyond?”


— Billy Graham in the 10th anniversary edition of his 1997 autobiography “Just As I Am”


“That’s not true. Because I’ve lived to be my age and met so many people around the world, that just becomes second nature.”


— Billy Graham in an interview with Religion News Service in 1994 about how he is bothered “a little bit” by people who called him a name-dropper


“My parents have been an example to me all of my life. I watched my father, for instance, and saw no inconsistencies between his private and public life. That made an impact on me. … The Billy Graham that the world has seen in public is the same Billy Graham that I saw at home.”


— Franklin Graham in his 2002 book “The Name”


“Billy Graham names two reasons why ‘Just As I Am’ was chosen to be used after his…

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Five Reasons Some Long-term Pastorates Fail

Please hear me clearly: I am a strong proponent of longer-term pastorates. I love hearing about pastors passing tenure thresholds of five, ten, and fifteen years. All other things being equal, I would much rather see a pastor have long tenure in a given church than not.

But recently a member of this community challenged me. He is a longer-term pastor himself, and he candidly and transparently shared some of his struggles of serving so many years at one church. I took his admonition to heart and reviewed several long-term pastorates that did not turn out well. I saw five common themes in their struggles:

  1. The pastor can coast. Because longer-term pastors have earned the trust of members over many years, it can be tempting for them to go through the motions of ministry and leadership. They may also be weary of the ministry and, thus, have little desire or energy to lead the church to a new level.
  2. There can be too much familiarity among the staff. It is not unusual for longer-term pastors to have longer-term staff. It is possible this staff becomes too comfortable with the pastor and the pastor’s leadership. Simply stated, they no longer look at the pastor as their leader as much as they view the pastor as their friend.
  3. The pastor can stay for the wrong reasons. In some cases, the longer-term pastor hangs on for financial security or fear of finding another place of ministry. The call to ministry thus becomes a defensive call rather than a proactive vision-laden call.
  4. Church members can get too…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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My response to the midterm election

The midterm election results are not yet finalized, but it is clear that Republicans increased their control of the Senate, while Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives.

At least 101 women were elected to the House, a new record. Two Muslim women and two Native American women are projected to win seats in Congress. The percentage of minority voters was the largest ever for a midterm election, reflecting the increasing diversity of the American population.

With yesterday’s vote, the US is returning to a divided government. Whether you are discouraged or encouraged with the results, one fact is clear: America’s democratic experiment worked yet again.

If a building could speak

The House of Representatives and Senate began meeting in the building we know as the US Capitol in 1800. The structure was expanded in 1850; some of the construction labor was supplied by slaves. The dome was enlarged and crowned with the “Statue of Freedom” in 1863.

Since the House and Senate first met in the Capitol on November 17, 1800, the building has seen the War of 1812 (in which it was partially burned), the Civil War, two World Wars, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and ongoing conflicts with global terrorism. Legislators met there during the Great Depression and the Great Recession.

The Capitol has witnessed presidential administrations from Thomas Jefferson to Donald Trump. It has survived fifty-four midterm elections and significant political turmoil. Over the past twenty-one midterm elections, the president’s party has lost an average of thirty seats in the House and four seats in the Senate.

Like its Capitol building, the United States of America has faced and overcome enormous challenges to our survival.

What explains our success?

We have the advantage of geography, with no national enemies on our borders. No foreign nation has successfully occupied the United States. By contrast, Israel has been occupied by at least…

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Injured bell-ringer suing church after 20ft fall

Steven Tomsett, 18, broke both ankles in the incident at St Helen’s Church, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in January.

The trainee engineer also damaged his right leg and injured his lower back when he was sent flying into the air after the wooden stay which keeps the bell upright was broken.

 

Mr Tomsett, who was 17 at the time of the accident, said: “I was pulled quickly up into the air and just remember looking down and seeing everybody’s faces looking up at me. It was terrifying and was one of those moments when you think you are going to die. I thought is this really happening to me?

“At about 20ft up I let go and came crashing down and then heard somebody shouting for me to let go.

“The pain I felt was just indescribable. I was in absolute agony. It’s fair to say I was using language that shouldn’t probably be used in church.”

The teenager was rescued from the church tower by the fire service who winched him to the floor, as a stretcher could not be taken along the spiral staircase to the bell ringing room.

Hodge Jones & Allen/PA Wire

 

Mr Tomsett, who is being represented by law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, is making a personal injury claim against the church and says the incident has left him in “constant pain”.

He said: “I’m taking action against the church as this whole thing was avoidable if the bells had been maintained properly.

“I’m the only one who has suffered. I lost my job, I’m in…

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Joyce Meyer Devotional 7 November 2018 — Praying a “Right Now” Prayer

Topic: Praying a “Right Now” Prayer [Joyce Meyer Devotional 7 November 2018]

We often hear about a prayer need or think about a situation and say to ourselves, I need to pray about that later when I pray.

That thought is a stall tactic of the enemy. Why not pray right that minute? Procrastination is one of the major things that Satan uses to keep us from ever doing the right thing. Never put off until later what you can do right now!

Prayer would be easy if we just followed our hearts, but Satan wants us to procrastinate because he is hoping that we will forget the matter entirely.

A grateful heart is already focused on the Lord and ready to pray at any moment. Praying as we sense the desire or need to pray is easy to do, and it is the way we can pray continually and stay connected to God in every situation throughout the day.

Prayer Starter: Father, I thank You for the power of prayer. When there is a prayer need that comes to my attention, I’m going to talk to You about it immediately. Thank You that You are always ready to hear my prayer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional HERE’’

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

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MFM Daily Devotional 7 November 2018 – No More Embargoes

MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional 7 November 2018 By Dr. D.K Olukoya – No More Embargoes

TOPIC: No More Embargoes (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 7 November 2018)

FIRE SCRIPTURE: Psalm 124:1-8

MEMORY VERSE: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” –Isaiah 10:27

The MESSAGE:

Placing a barrier or limitation on somebody or something is an embargo. Not going beyond a particular location or stage in life is also caused by an embargo. There are powers that place people under an embargo. They could declare that over their “dead bodies” would a success be achieved. But despite the enemy’s rage, there is a power that can deliver from destructive embargoes. In Psalm 124:7 the Psalmist declared, “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken, and we are escaped.” That is, the embargo has been broken.

There are self-made embargoes, inherited embargoes, embargo by force and embargo that occur as a result of ignorance. No matter how it comes into your life or how long it has been there, the greatest power that can break any type of embargo is the power of God and it is available. It is the power that warned Pharoah seven times through Moses with the instruction, “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:2; 7:16; 8:1; 8:20; 9:1; 9:3 and 10:3).

The symptoms of an embargo include: poverty, sickness and diseases, barreness, shame and disgrace, stagnancy and slavery, lack of good things in life (such as marriage), failure in business, career and academics. The story was told of how the body of a young man who tested positive to HIV/AIDS began to deteriorate. One day, he made up his mind and ran to Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) after losing his job. He knew that if he did not act fast and break the embargo, he would die. At MFM, he was a very committed servant of God.

On days when he had no money, he would trek to church just to make sure he was in the service to pray and key into any prophesy, be it for expectant mothers, business success, marital breakthrough and others. He was always in every prayer meeting in the church. Miraculously, he encountered the Lord and the embargo over his HIV/AIDS was broken. Today, he is one of the senior pastors and is also happily married and blessed with children. Hallelujah! Are you being limited in any area of your life? By the sufficient grace of God, you are coming out of “Egypt”, out of slavery and God Himself is ready to redeem you by His great power.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE:
EVERY PROBLEM IN THE LIFE OF A DEVOTED CHRISTIAN IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISPLAY GOD’S ALMIGHTINESS.

PROPHETIC WORD:
Since God cannot be limited, you shall not be limited and restricted again.

PRAYER POINTS:

MORNING
1. Every power behind satanic embargo upon my life, die, in Jesus’ name.
2. Covenant of foundational impossibility attached to my life, break by fire, in Jesus’ name.
3. Every cage of embargo, constructed for me by the enemy, release me by fire, in Jesus’ name.

EVENING
4. Wisdom of witchcraft of my father’s house, that has placed me under embargo, I destroy your hold over my life and render you powerless, in the name of Jesus.
5. Power of God, be released upon my life and break every embargo in every area of my life, in the name of Jesus.
6. Power to recover all that I have lost due to satanic embargo, I recover you now by the power in the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.
7. As from today, I declare “NO MORE EMBARGO” in my life, in the name of Jesus.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional HERE

MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

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.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

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TREM Devotional 7 November 2018 – Let Others Be Encouraged By Your Scars

Topic: Let Others Be Encouraged By Your Scars [TREM Devotional 7 November 2018]

“Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;” 2 Corinthians 11:25 (NKJV)

There are people who tell you that ever since they have been married they have never exchanged words with their spouses and they never get angry with each other. That is not true. If you really want me to learn from you don’t just tell me the stories of victories. Tell me also some of the defeats you encountered, the challenges you passed through, the difficulties you encountered and survived so that I can learn from you and also survive.

That is why Paul is different. Paul will tell you I suffered shipwreck, I was abandoned, I was mocked and I was hungry but the grace of God sustained me. I have heard some people say they want to build a tower and all the money needed is already there. That is not the Bible! The last time I read the bible, it says: “The just shall live by faith”. In other words, I had to believe God for the building. So, for you to tell me the project was smooth, then that vision is not from God. If it is, it will be bigger than your money; so that you can fall back on God and say Lord help me.

When you tell people the truth, you are simply empowering them. And that is what sets people free. But when you tell them you have never been tempted, you’ve never passed through difficulties or challenges, then you are lying. There will be opportunities to fall into immorality, opportunity to fall into stealing money or arrogance, but you will teach people this is how you survived. These are the things you did. So, many times you see people presenting themselves as larger than life. Be careful, such a person is not telling the whole truth. Even Jesus opened His body; He said these are the scars. It is not easy.

Further reading: 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; 12:5-11

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Jeremiah 40-42; Evening- Hebrews 4

“If you missed yesterday devotional click HERE to read TREM Daily Devotional by Dr. Mike Okonkwo’’

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

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Connecting to the Grinding Power of God by Pastor D.K Olukoya

MOUNTAIN OF FIRE AND MIRACLES MINISTRIES
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
4TH-NOVEMBER-2018
Ministering: Dr. D.K Olukoya (G.O, MFM Worldwide)

Topic: Connecting to the Grinding Power of God

Anchored Scriptures: Matthew 21: 42 & 44

MESSAGE:
When you’re a true child of God, you have surrendered your life to God. You have surrendered all like that song writer says; any power opposing you are running against an immovable stone. If they strike that stone, they will end up sustaining injuries. If they sufficiently provoke a stone, and the stone decide to move against them, it will grind them to powder.
So two ways: it’s either you fall upon that stone, or this stone falls upon you. Confronting a true child of God will reduce the confronter to dust that it may be scattered to winds. To engage the children of the stone, is to write a courier letter to irredeemable destruction.

Earlier this morning we sang that song:
That rock that never fails,
I hide in you (2ce),
In you there is power.
It says behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling block, if anyone falls on that rock, it shall be broken into pieces.
The problem now comes, who are the children of the stones, because they are the ones we must not mess up with.

G.O narrates a real life incident:
In 1994 when MFM started here, all the native doctors here gathered together and held meetings for days, they were calling my name (it was one of them that came to confess). When they kept on calling, a stone appeared before them, they spoke to the stone, and it didn’t move. They closed for the day, the next day, they still called my name and saw the stone. They spoke incantations, the stone didn’t move. In day three, an elderly man in their midst summoned them and told them that this man of God you called, and stone appeared yesterday and today, if you call again the third time and it appear, they will all be gone out of this world. So they closed the case and their agenda.

You must have heard me sharing this, I (the GO) need to share it again.
This woman will get pregnant and at certain month of pregnancy, in her dream, a wild cow will appear before her in the dream and use his horn to move towards her forcefully and puncture her stomach, the next day, the baby is dead. Someone brought her to this meeting, then PMCH has not started then. She heard me saying a scripture in Matthew 22:44. I taught them one prayer point that: power attacking my life, collide with the rock of ages in the name of Jesus! She was pregnant then. That night, she had a dream again and the cow made the attempt he regularly makes, when it remain a slightest flint to hit her, a stone appeared and it collided with the stone. The next day, her chief bride when she wedded, who have always come to sympathize with her anytime she lose the baby; she died a violent death, with all her skulls broken.

Also Read: When God Uses The Enemy By Dr D.K Olukoya

Why will the rock of ages will observe trouble and will not act, two problems arises:

1. Problem number 1 is what we find in psalm 78:41-51. This is everything God has done, but they limited God. It is a very sad situation, they turned God into a limited liability company which could fall into debt and closure. They forgot that God is a man of war. The same people God saved began to accuse God, and God always get angry when men put a limit on Him. The sin of limiting God is a common sin among Christians. Unbelief is an insult to the power of God. There was a man called Winston Churchill. He was an intellectual block head. He was mocked and was given an award for the positions of dons and idiots. This same man was made a prime ministers and he was head over those who mocked him then. Every tongue that has limited your destiny is dried up now in the name of Jesus! Any satanic arrow that has determined to be part of your life, I kill it now in the name of Jesus. Do you know why some of us have problems? It is because we engage the devil in discussions. All those why in your life are all questions from the devil. Satan has always asked questions but he doesn’t ask any honest question. After a service so powerful, he will come and ask you do you think that prophesy upon your life will come to pass? If you don’t keep off from that question, very soon he will begin to suggest his own prescriptions to that your problem. Abram meant exalted father, God changed his name to Abraham which meant father of many nations. So as God removed abram from his (Abraham) life, God will remove every abram in your business, life and career in the name of Jesus!

2. Problem number 2 is that A lot of people are being invited to connect to the rock of ages but then, there are certain rough edges God need to remove from their lives. Many of us are suffering from what is called spiritual immaturity. Many Christians give very little time to devote to the study of the word of God but they devote a greater attention to their career studies. Woe to God that our priorities change as believers, that’s why the New Testament lament to your commitment to the word of God.

Bottomline: For the grinding stone to work for you, you must not limit God, you must be a man of God, His word must dwell richly in you.
Bow down your head and pray this prayer: Anything in my life that will prevent the rock of ages from fighting for me, no matter how I love it, take it away from my life.

Prayer Rain:
Before Hymn Ministration prayers by Daddy D.K Olukoya:
1. Raise up your hand to the heaven-lies: In this month, whether the enemy likes it or not, I shall prosper by fire in the name of Jesus.

2. Thou power of opportunity wasters, I’m not your candidate, die in the name of Jesus.

3. Anywhere I appear this month, darkness shall disappear in the name of Jesus.

Before Men Choir Ministration: Prayers by Daddy D.K Olukoya
The following prayers are prayers to confront the ember months:

4. All my breakthroughs in captivity, be delivered in the name of Jesus.

5. In whatever I’m passing through now, oh God: answer your name in my life in the name of Jesus.

6. Oh God arise and scatter the decisions of my enemies in the name of Jesus.

7. Sources of my battles, what are you waiting for? Die in the name of Jesus.

8. Every evil hand upon my life assigned to scatter my progress, die in the name of Jesus.

Beginning from now on, wear your cap of glory now and shout this mercilessly:
9. Any power that wants suffering to be my signature, oh God arise, scatter them in the name of Jesus.

10. Powers rising up early to curse me, oh God arise, tear them to pieces in the name of Jesus.

11. Satanic lions assigned to tear my destiny, oh God arise, tear them to pieces in the name of Jesus.

12. Oh God arise (shout it three times), make me unstoppable in the name of Jesus.

13. Wicked prophets, wicked witch doctors assigned to mock my destiny, oh God arise, tear them to pieces in the name of Jesus.

14. Every problem left in this year shall not rest on my shoulders in the name of Jesus.

15. Whenever I knock a door, oh Heavens, open seven doors unto me in the name of Jesus.

16. Powers assigned to kill my destiny in the room of battle, what are you waiting for? Die in the name of Jesus.

17. Any power feeding a tree against me, die with your tree in the name of Jesus.

During Sermon ministration Prayers: by Daddy DK Olukoya:

18. Close your eyes and think about the warfare projected into your dream life and shout this: warfare in my dream, stone of fire, kill them now in the name of Jesus.

19. Powers contesting for my joy, collide with the rock of ages in the name of Jesus.

20. Say I connect my life to the grinding power of the rock of ages (3 hot times) in the name of Jesus.

After Sermon ministration Prayers: by Daddy D.K Olukoya
Pray these prayers with fire and power:

21. Powers consulting sand to fight against me, rock of ages, grind them to powder in the name of Jesus.

22. Any power saying my battle will not end, die in the name of Jesus.

23. Every agent of bad luck, carry your load in the name of Jesus.

Very Special announcement by the General Overseer (Dr. D.K Olukoya), MFM Worldwide:

All the men in this service please listen carefully, all the wives in this service; pass this information to your husbands whether born again or not: Next Sunday @ the international headquarters, we shall anoint all the hands of all the men in the service. This will be a continuous process in the next three sunday services. There are men who have giant breakthroughs in their hands and the enemy makes it slip out of their hands mysteriously.

Please click HERE to read other inspirational MESSAGES by Pastor Olukoya

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

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.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

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