The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

As political and ideological divisions in our nation become more polarized, it seems religious intolerance has become a tool of choice for many waging war on traditional American values. 

Why? Because faith brings values, principles and morals. None of these comport with hedonism, socialism or narcissism.

The first task for the Founding Fathers was to codify the roles and responsibilities of all branches of government, state and federal, in the U.S. Constitution. After ratifying the document in 1788, some Founders were concerned there was not quite enough law to ensure the heavy hand of government would not encroach on individual liberty. James Madison then drafted the Bill of Rights and it was ratified in 1791.

It was no accident that religious freedom was in the first amendment. The Founders sought to protect people from government limiting faith. What they never saw coming was religious oppression from one group of “We the People” to another.

Technology and media have lifted the veil on cultural declinists who depend on the removal of God from the public square. Public figures embrace hypocrisy, and the entertainment industry mocks values and celebrates immorality as recently demonstrated in the Super Bowl halftime show.

The Trump Administration has made religious freedom a central issue. President Trump has issued strong statements embracing religious liberty, released guidance protecting prayer, and made a powerful United Nations speech calling for global religious freedom.

It is, ironically, possible that this embrace of existing religious freedom by the President and by newly-emboldened Americans of every faith is further inciting morally rudderless relativists and secularists to push their oppressive anti-faith agenda. Freedom, Godliness and the rule of law is the natural enemy of progressive values.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Ken Blackwell

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Ninety believers opened their hymnals. The pianist began the familiar chords of “It Is Well with My Soul.” Everyone in the room opened their mouths and sang with deep wells of emotion on their faces. But they sang softly, remaining seated and hesitant to let their voices ring.

Why? The pastor explained: “If we sing too loudly, the other tenants of this building will call the police on us. The authorities will close down our meeting, take me in for questioning, and possibly worse.”

This scene took place in an unregistered church in a nation that forbids Christians from assembling together. The congregation loves to sing. But they are longing for a better country, a heavenly worship gathering where they will be able to raise their voices without fear.

All of this raises the question: how are churches in the West, where we have considerably more freedom, doing at congregational singing? In contexts where we can praise Christ as enthusiastically as we’d like, is our singing as strong as it could be?

God himself sings over his people (Zeph 3:17), and he has created us in his image. We are compelled to sing by the glory and majesty of God. Scripture commands us to fulfill the delightful privilege of singing together when the local church gathers (Col 3:16). Christ has redeemed us, causing praise and gratitude to well up in our hearts. All of this means singing should be as natural to us as breathing. And yet, this side of eternity, no church sings perfectly. We’ve all got room to grow. And the decisions pastors and musicians make will either help or hinder their flocks in this vital aspect of the church’s life.

With all of that in mind, we’d like to offer four suggestions for how churches can improve their congregational singing, along with four pitfalls to avoid.

Suggestion #1: Begin with the pastor.

God’s Word calls pastors to set an example for the flock (1 Pet 5:3). If a pastor walks into the service late, reads over his sermon notes during the singing, and looks disengaged, it conveys to the congregation that singing doesn’t matter. On the other hand, when a pastor delights to praise Christ in song, his joy transfers to the whole church. No matter who may lead the singing, the pastor himself is also a “worship leader.” What a delightful privilege!

Corporate worship is a feast on the Word of God. Paul tells us that we let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly through the songs we sing (Col 3:16). That means that pastors should see the church’s songs as an extension of their teaching ministry. You’re placing words on the lips of the congregation, and they’re likely to remember these words longer than they remember your sermon! The congregation sits at the banquet table of the King; don’t serve them junk food.

Pitfall #1: Don’t abdicate; collaborate.

We fear that the ministry of song and sermon are functionally separate in too many church services today. It’s easy to let the musical folks plan the worship through singing, while the pastor prepares his message. But this drives a wedge through the service, separating what God intends for us to keep together. Every moment of the church’s gathering is both an expression of worship to God and a ministry from God to us through his Word. Singing the Word, praying the Word, reading the Word, preaching the Word, seeing the Word summarized in baptism and the Lord’s Supper—all of it is doxology.

This means that pastors should collaborate with their musical staff and volunteers rather than abdicate their responsibility. Pastors (those who are “able to teach,” according to 1 Tim 3:2) ought to exercise some form of oversight over the whole gathering, since every aspect of the service teaches and shapes the congregation. But don’t do this alone. Include and involve the musical staff and/or volunteers with which the Lord has blessed you. There are a thousand ways that pastors, worship leaders, and musicians can work together.

So, pastors, steward your relationship well with those who give leadership to music. Empower and equip them. Let them know that they have your support and trust. Don’t lord it over them, but listen to their input.

Likewise, worship leaders and musical volunteers, foster a thriving relationship with your pastor. Pray for him. Be patient if he doesn’t understand music well. Seek to learn from him about theology even while you try to teach him about music.

Suggestion #2: Sing great songs.

If congregational singing is a holy act, and if we are what we sing, then we can’t be lazy in selecting hymns. We must choose great songs—songs that artfully exult Christ with deeply meaningful lyrics and melodies we can’t wait to sing. Better to have a small repertoire of excellent songs you sing well than an ever-growing list of the “latest and greatest” material that the congregation barely knows. Our folks can only internalize a limited number of songs deep down in their hearts. Like a museum curator who selects only the best works of art to display, we must take care to pick songs of the highest quality.

Strive for songs that aren’t just theologically true, but that declare the truth in soul-stirring poetry. Choose melodies that aren’t just singable for your church, but that enhance the meaning of the words through their compelling beauty. Just as a master chef selects ingredients that are at the same time nutritious, aromatic, and flavorful, we should prioritize songs of substance that seem to get richer the more deeply you plumb their meaning.

Great songs have stood the test of time. Our ancestors have entrusted us with them, and we should pass them along to our children. Assemble any Christian group, and practically everyone can join you in singing “Amazing Grace” confidently and passionately. We’re drawn to sing great music, much like we’re drawn to stand in awe of a beautiful painting.

There are great new songs too. They breathe fresh air into our singing and help connect age-old truth with modern sounds. These are appropriate, too, though harder to find.

Pitfall #2: Don’t settle for a song simply because it checks a box.

Sometimes churches select songs that herald robust theology but are too difficult to sing. This can discourage church members, making them feel that they need to be “musical” in order to participate, when Scripture commands the whole church to join in.

On the other hand, some songs have melodies that sing incredibly well, but their words are vague spiritual clichés. Again, hymns like this will ironically discourage a singing culture in your church, because over time the lyrics will not dig deep roots into believers’ hearts.

The connection between song selection and your church’s culture of singing usually takes years to develop. It’s not the type of thing you can change in a week or a month. But with patience, prayer, and perseverance, careful pruning of your song list can engender real growth in the congregation’s joy in song.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Keith and Kristyn Getty

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Evangelist Franklin Graham has said in a media interview that he’s surprised to see all the confirmed venues in the United Kingdom pulling out due to his views on homosexuality, even as his supporters have started an online petition calling it “bullying” and a “hate crime.”

“I have been surprised… I’m not coming to speak against anybody and I don’t name any groups of people,” Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, told Christian Today, based in the U.K., in an interview. “I’m coming to tell people how they can have a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.”

Graham plans to tour the U.K. with eight stops starting in May, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which he heads, says more than 1,800 churches across the United Kingdom are cooperating with it “to share the Gospel in multiple cities this spring.”

Currently, he and his team are searching for other venues after all the original locations canceled despite having signed contracts and received deposits.

What he’s most concerned about is the stifling of free speech for churches.

“… If we don’t stand up for the right to free speech and freedom of religion, there are lots of churches in this country that meet in public who are at risk,” he told Christian Today. “They could be kicked out, they could be forced to go somewhere else, just because of their faith.

“We haven’t broken any laws and I think it’s important for the church that we resolve this matter so that it protects them,” he said of possibly pursuing legal action.

This isn’t the first time the evangelist met opposition from LGBT groups. In 2018, bus ads for his 2018 evangelistic festival were pulled following outcry from LGBT groups.

Graham believes that the need for preaching the Gospel in the U.K. is “greater than ever.”

He wants people “to know that we are all sinners and our sins separate us from God.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Anugrah Kumar

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

This is Daniel Whyte III with The Scripture & The Sense Podcast #408, where I read the Word of God and give the sense of it based on an authoritative commentary source such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary. This podcast is based upon Nehemiah 8:8 where it says Ezra and the Levites “read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” The aim of this podcast is that through the simple reading of the Word of God and the giving of the sense of it, the church would be revived and the world would be awakened.

Today we are reading Amos 1:4-5.

4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad.

5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord.

________

That was Amos 1:4-5. Now here is the sense of it.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary reads:

In the judgment on each of the first seven nations God is pictured as a suzerain Lord who has brought his armies to punish a vassal city for its revolt. The attack begins in each case with a fire that would eventually consume the walls and/or fortresses of the city and leave it a smoldering ruin. In punishing Damascus God declared He would smash the bar of the city gate and break down the gate, stripping the city of its defenses. He would destroy the rebel king who reigned over the wicked and proud nations. Valley of Aven and Beth Eden may refer to other regions of Aram, Baal-bek and Bit-A-di-ni. More likely, they are derogatory references to the area and palace of Damascus, meaning “Valley of Wickedness” and “House of Pleasure.” The house (dynasty) of Haz-a-el would be terminated, and the A-ra-me-ans would be exiled back to their place of origin, a Mesopotamian site called Kir. In essence, this punishment would be a complete reversal of Aram’s proud history. God, who had originally brought them out of Kir ), would send them back, after obliterating all they had achieved. This judgment was carried out by the Assyrians under Tig-lath-Pi-le-ser III in 732 b.c.

____________

Thank you for listening to the Scripture & The Sense Podcast. Remember to read the Word of God each and every day and pray without ceasing to God for wisdom to understand it and apply it to your life. Most importantly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Please stay tuned for a complete presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can get your soul saved from Hell to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Many reports on Mission Network News describe how God is moving in the Muslim world. Today, a Deaf believer describes how God’s Spirit is stirring Deaf Muslim hearts.

A believer we’ll call “Zed” was born Deaf to Muslim parents in Central Asia. Through an interpreter, Zed describes how coming to Christ created both friction and Gospel opportunity in his Deaf community at college.

“The Deaf world, as you might know, is so small,” he begins. “Word got around rather quickly that I was saved. So, many of these Deaf Muslims were coming to me and [asking], ‘Why did you convert to Christianity?’”

Read Zed’s full testimony here.

When Zed became a believer, he shared his testimony with members of his Deaf community and patiently answered their questions. Unfortunately, many people returned Zed’s kindness with evasion; some even turned hostile, he says.

“One of my friends… he straight up told me he wanted to kill me.”

When Zed learned of his friend’s anger, he extended forgiveness and love. “My friend was like, ‘No, you have this seething rage towards me. You have to have it’,” Zed says.

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Katey Hearth

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

Iran is reeling. Violence and anger spreads like a blanket over the nation’s citizens and leaders, and every headline seems to add fuel to political fires. And according to Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs USA, Christians get caught in the flames.

As of late, most headlines focus on growing U.S.–Iran tensions. January brought news of the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Then, not long after protestors turned their anger against the U.S., an Iranian missile downed a Ukranian passenger jet, and protest immediately turned back toward Iranian leadership.

But discontent started much earlier than either of these episodes. Iran is “a country that is facing hyperinflation [and] high unemployment rate,” Nettleton says. “Basic food items have grown too expensive for the average person, and so many people are just eating bread and cheese.”

As if things weren’t bad enough, Iranian officials raised gas prices in December.

Actually, they tripled them overnight.

“Literally you wake up the next door day and they say, ‘Oh, hey, by the way, gas just tripled in price today, and also you can only buy a certain number of gallons. There’s a ration system in place,’” Nettleton says.

This decision affects many Iranian citizens, but Christians were especially wounded by this move. According to Nettleton, “what our Christian brothers and sisters are saying is, ‘Hey, the part of our ministry is getting in a car and driving to places to meet with believers, but also to evangelize, to share the Gospel, not just driving across our city or across town, but literally driving around the country, driving to other cities where we have outreach events and where we have other churches that we’re coordinating with.’”

That means that by tripling the cost of gas, authorities have effectively tripled the cost of ministry for the Iranian Church.

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Alex Anhalt

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

There are spiritual lessons for every Christian believer in the life of godly Enoch, seventh generation from Adam through Adam’s third son, Seth. We are impressed that he could resist the devil and find fellowship with his Creator-God, for he lived in a worldly society headed for destruction. Enoch’s daily walk was a walk of faith, a walk of fellowship with God. The Scriptures are trying to assure us that if Enoch could live and walk with God by faith in the midst of his sinful generation, we likewise should be able to follow his example because the human race is the same and God is the same! Beyond that, Enoch reminds us that the quality and boldness of our faith will be the measure of our preparation for the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. We walk by faith as Enoch did, and although it is now 20 centuries after Christ’s sojourn on earth, we hold firmly to the New Testament promise that our risen Lord will return to earth again!

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source

As the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) marks its annual Racial Reconciliation Sunday on February 9, the denomination faces continued controversy surrounding critical race theory and intersectionality. The observance, now in its 56^th year, highlights SBC efforts to eradicate racism, promote healing and unity, and encourage diversity within congregations. Formerly called Race Relations Sunday, the name was changed in the year 2000.

Arguments against Racial Reconciliation Sunday have resurfaced largely due to “Resolution 9: On Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality,” which passed at last year’s SBC convention. The denomination’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which provides resources for Racial Reconciliation Sunday, is trying to clarify what it calls “misinformation” about the observance.

For this year’s Racial Reconciliation Sunday, the ERLC is providing a bulletin insert with an excerpt of Pastor Jamaal Williams’ article “Intentionally Cultivating Multicultural Churches.” Williams, lead pastor at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky, credits Jesus with originating the concept of diversity but admits that pursuing it can be challenging.

“The process is painful for pastors and congregations alike,” he writes. “Not only does it challenge heart-level issues of prejudice, but it challenges lifelong preferences regarding music, expressiveness in services, preaching style and more.” Williams advises congregations to strive for Christian maturity, build bridges, “continuously sow seeds” to expand God’s kingdom, listen to one another, and extend grace and forgiveness.

As non-Hispanic whites are projected to become a minority in America, Williams says, churches must start seeking diversity immediately or risk becoming obsolete “monocultural silos.” By contrast, he writes, when earthly congregations reflect “the portrait of heaven we’re given in Revelation 7:9,” they have the power to “transform the mores of society.”

SBC President J.D. Greear has spoken repeatedly about the sin of racism and the common humanity of all people. In 2018 he wrote: “If we want the SBC to be a homogeneous, conservative, white Anglo-Saxon movement, then cultural hegemony is fine. But if we want to reach the diverse communities throughout the U.S., then we better get ready to change our cultural and leadership structures.”

Intersectionality refers to the different ways that various forms of discrimination or marginalization overlap and interact. Critical race theory is a movement to change—and improve—how society organizes itself around racial categories and oppression.

Critics say those ideologies are injecting theological liberalism into society and the SBC. Intersectionality has been at the center of the denomination’s debate about allowing women pastors. John MacArthur called Resolution 9 a “watershed” moment signaling that the SBC is allowing the culture to interpret the Bible.

In an article titled “Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and the Gospel,” Tom Ascol calls the concepts “Marxist” and “incompatible with biblical Christianity.” His proposed amendment to Resolution 9, emphasizing that critical race theory and intersectionality aren’t just tools but dangerous ideologies, was rejected at last year’s SBC convention.

Ascol writes that even if they’re considered analytical tools, these concepts can’t be used neutrally because they “have ideas and principles embedded within them that are, at best, antithetical to the way of Christ.” He objects to viewing religion in terms of power dynamics and oppression, saying that “fails to evaluate people in their primary relationship, which is as creatures made in the image of their Creator.”

Focusing on someone’s victim statuses, Ascol writes, “clouds the fact revealed in the Bible that every person’s fundamental problem is that they have sinned against the holy God who created them.”

Writing at SBCVoices.com, Todd Benkert argues that critical race theory and intersectionality may be both a “dangerous ideology” and a “useful analytical tool.” He urges a balance, saying Christians should move beyond “mere trigger words” and not “reject an idea merely because of its source.”

Source: Church Leaders

All Content & Images are provided by the acknowledged source