What’s the United Methodist Church’s Special Session About?

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What’s the United Methodist Church’s Special Session About?


What’s the United Methodist Church’s Special Session About?


(RNS) — You’ve probably heard the United Methodist Church is meeting this weekend in St. Louis, and that it has something to do with sexuality and a possible schism.


The special session of the United Methodist Church General Conference runs Sunday (Feb. 24) to Tuesday at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Saturday has been designated a day of prayer and preparation.


What is this meeting all about, and what are all these plans? Let us ’Splain…


Didn’t the United Methodist Church just have a meeting?


Yes, the General Conference — the denomination’s decision-making body — meets every four years. The last meeting was in 2016 in Portland, Ore.


Locked in a stalemate over petitions regarding LGBTQ inclusion — with rumors swirling about schism and one delegate fretting, “I believe we are confusing God at this point” — delegates at that meeting voted to defer all decisions on related legislation to a specially appointed commission. They also left the door open for a special session.


Currently, the denomination’s rulebook, the Book of Discipline, includes language that bars gay and lesbian members from ordination and marriage.


Now the 864 General Conference delegates, which include both clergy and laypeople from around the world, will gather to receive and act on a report from the Council of Bishops, based on recommendations from that specially…

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

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Home-schooled Christian family in Germany asked for proof of school attendance

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Home-schooled Christian family in Germany asked for proof of school attendance

The family judge who ordered the removal of the Wunderlich children from their home in 2013 has now requested proof of the children’s school attendance.

Home-schooling is illegal in Germany and it was decided in January at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that moving the four children for three weeks to a children’s home was legal.

Dirk and Petra Wunderlich wanted to educate their four children at home so they could teach the Christian faith freely. The local family court took the view though that their non-attendance at school prevented them from being part of the community and learning social skills such as tolerance, assertiveness and ‘the ability to assert their own convictions against majority-held views’.

There were also fears that none of the kids were involved in any sports or music clubs and that they were living in a ‘symbiotic’ family where there were no other influences other than parental.

In August 2013, 33 police officers and seven youth welfare officers came into the home of the Wunderlich family near Darmstadt and took the four children, aged seven to 14 away

The authorities’ actions (not the legality of home schooling) were debated at the ECHR and it was decided the family’s right to privacy and a family life had not been violated.

A later assessment in 2014 established that the children were not being kept away from school against their…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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“We Can’t Add Another Service! We Won’t Know Everyone.”

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Most pastors and other church leaders have heard this objection at one point or another. It might be a point of contention when the leadership suggests the addition of another worship service. Similarly, it might be the cry when leadership begins looking at the option of creating a new venue or adding a new site.

A pastor in our Church Answers community recently shared his frustration when a similar objection was raised because of the growth of the church. A church member really told him the church needed to stop growing because the longer-term members don’t know most of the new members.

Sigh. I guess we can start a new emphasis and call it “reverse evangelism.” Ask the newcomers to leave so we can maintain the integrity of our holy huddles.

There are so many problems with this attitude and argument. Let’s look at a few of them.

  1. The maximum most people can know well in a church is around 30 people. That number may double if you add casual acquaintances. Once a church’s worship service gets above 50 to 75 people, you can no longer really know everyone.
  2. Worship services are not the best venues for community. Church members connect so much better in groups like community groups, life groups, home groups, and Sunday school classes.
  3. This attitude is the opposite of a Great Commission mentality. The clear focus is inward, not outward. Jesus told us to take up His cross and follow Him. This attitude tells us to lean on our crutch and follow our whims.
  4. There are often unarticulated and…

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

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What the Oscars teach us about significance

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What the Oscars teach us about significance

In a surprise, Green Book won last night’s Academy Award for Best Picture. Rami Malek and Olivia Colman won for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Leading Role; Mahershala Ali and Regina King won for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

For everyone who won an Oscar, last night’s ceremony was a pinnacle moment that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.  

For the rest of us, however, the transience of awards like last night’s Oscars is noteworthy. Who won last year for Best Actor? Best Actress? Best Picture? Who won the year before that?

We’ve already had the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and the Grammys. Do you remember who won what? We could ask the same question about past winners of the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup, and so on.

There’s a reason our culture pays so much attention to short-lived successes.

“Wealthy, successful and miserable”

Richard Rorty was one of America’s most influential thinkers. The longtime Princeton and Stanford professor was a leading voice for the relativism that has captured our culture. He claimed: “There is nothing deep down inside us except what we have put there ourselves.” He added that “truth is what your contemporaries let you get away with.”

If we reject the supernatural, the only prism by which to see the world is the natural. And the natural cannot see beyond itself. Like rose-colored glasses that turn everything rose-colored, we assume that all we see is all that exists.

As a result, many live for the moment, for the accolades of the present, because, to them, that’s all there is. But this materialistic, secularistic way of living is not sufficient for our souls.

Nine previous Oscar winners later committed suicide. Robert Kraft, the owner of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, stands accused of soliciting prostitution in Florida. Jussie Smollett’s character has been cut from this…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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‘All of us have a moral responsibility to act’: Archbishop urges chocolate rethink

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‘All of us have a moral responsibility to act’: Archbishop urges chocolate rethink

The Fairtrade Foundation said many cocoa farmers in West Africa, where 60% of cocoa is grown, are living in poverty and unable to pay for essentials such food, medicine or schooling for their children despite the chocolate industry being worth £4 billion in the UK.

 

In a report to launch Fairtrade Fortnight, the organisation says farmers could live a decent life for £1.86 a day, the average price of a large bar of chocolate, and argues that living incomes are key to ensuring the future sustainability of cocoa.

It said women cocoa farmers had fewer rights than men and rarely owned land, therefore receiving even less of the profits, but worked in the fields and did the “lion’s share” of labour involved in bringing crops to market.

Fairtrade is raising the price it pays for cocoa by 20% in October.

But it said just 6% of cocoa globally was Fairtrade-certified and is calling for collective action from the Government, industry and consumers.

The Fairtrade Foundation is calling on the government to join the German government’s Living Income Task Force, make living incomes a priority for UK aid and incorporate living income into Government Business and Human Rights policies.

It is also urging chocolate companies, traders and supermarkets to commit to sourcing their cocoa on Fairtrade terms as a first step and committing to ensuring that cocoa farmers receive a living…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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‘Don’t take my Bible’ – video of street preacher arrest goes viral

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‘Don’t take my Bible’ – video of street preacher arrest goes viral

A video also appears to show the man’s Bible being confiscated after officers in the north of the city accused him of “causing problems” and “disturbing people’s days”.

The clip, shared on Twitter, does not give any indication as to the nature of the man’s preaching.

 

The Metropolitan Police told Premier: “Police were called to Southgate Underground Station at 1.52pm on Saturday, 23rd February in response to concerns raised about a man’s behaviour.

“An arrest was made to prevent a breach of the peace. The man was then de-arrested and no further action was necessary.”

 

Lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre, which has previously defended street preachers facing arrest, said it was working to identify the man and potentially offer him advice.

Anglican clergyman and former chaplain to the Queen, Rev Dr Gavin Ashenden was among those expressing support for the evangelist online.

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Ex-spy agency chief ‘quit role after his support for paedophile priest emerged’

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Ex-spy agency chief ‘quit role after his support for paedophile priest emerged’

Robert Hannigan stood down as director of the spy agency in 2017 after less than three years in the post, citing “family reasons”.

The Mail on Sunday reports his departure followed the discovery that in 2013 he had given a character reference on behalf of a Catholic priest charged with possessing child pornography.

 

The priest, who was said to have been a long-standing family friend of Mr Hannigan, was given a non-custodial sentence and went on to offend again, the paper said.

Mr Hannigan’s involvement in the case was said to have been discovered during a major investigation into online chatrooms by the National Crime Agency.

Mr Hannigan told the Mail the priest had been a “close family friend” for 20 years and they had submitted a character reference to the court “in good faith” after he pleaded guilty to the offences.

GCHQ/PA Wire

 

“His subsequent criminal actions appalled us and have shown that our judgment was completely wrong,” he added.

“When I later became director of GCHQ, all the correct steps were taken in relation to my involvement in this case and this was verified by Government lawyers.

“This is a personal family matter. We will not be making further comment.”

PA Wire

 

However, SNP MP Pete Wishart said the case “reeked of a cover-up” and called on Theresa May to explain what…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Open Heavens for Teens 25 February 2019 – Weaknesses and Strengths

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Open Heavens for Teens 25 February 2019 – Weaknesses and Strengths

Topic: Weaknesses and Strengths [Open Heavens for Teens 25 February 2019]

Memorise: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” – Psalm 121:1

Read: Acts 17:28

28 For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring.

Bible In One Year: Numbers 14-15, Mark 6:1-32

MESSAGE:

Every individual has their strengths and weaknesses. Your strengths and weaknesses should point you back to God. Your strengths should remind you that you are a beneficiary of divine grace and so you should not think that you are better or more intelligent than your mates who do not have the same strength. When you give glory to God for your strengths, He will sustain them. Your weaknesses should also point you back to God. Your shortcomings remind you of your limitations and lead you to the only One who is unlimited.

As a teenager, you must recognize your strengths early. It could be in a particular subject, sport or skill. Some people are very good at mathematics, some English, some are good footballers while some are fast runners. Some people are good at speaking to a crowd, some others are good at organizing programs.

Whatever your strength is, identify it and groom it through training and practice. Get someone who is better experienced in that field to train you or enroll in a formal class for it. Also, never stop practicing to get better. If you are not better today than you were yesterday, then you are not maximizing your strength.

Key Point:

Your strengths and weaknesses should always point you back to God.

Also Read: Teen Open Heaven Daily Devotional by Pastor Adeboye

Hymn 2

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Chorus:
Trust and obey, for theres no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Daily Devotional for Teen’s 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.

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Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 25 February 2019

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Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 25 February 2019

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 25 February 2019 – The Crucified Life

1.I worship and thank You, Jesus, for being the Author and Finisher of my faith, and for Your atoning work of grace on the cross of Calvary. (Click HERE for Open Heaven 25 February 2019)

2.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus name.

3.Father, help me to yield my life totally to You, in absolute humility and obedience, in Jesus name.

4.Father, empower me to live the crucified life; let me become dead completely to sin and be forever, alive in You, in holiness and righteousness, in Jesus name.

5.Father, give me the grace to walk daily in the spirit, that, I may not fulfill the lust of the flesh, and all its affections, in Jesus name.

6.Father, help me to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and let me become like Him, in character, in humility, in thought, in speech and in action, in Jesus name.

7.Father, I receive the grace to walk in the reality of Your truth, that my flesh has been crucified; help me to walk in the life of the resurrected Christ, in Jesus name.

8.Father, please, help me to live through today, without committing a single sin, in , Jesus name.

9.I declare that I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.

10.Father, please, meet Pastor E.A. Adeboye, at the points of his needs, everyday, in Jesus name.

11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name!

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.

13.Your Personal petitions. (Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus name I pray. (John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

These prayers have no expiry date! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye’s book Ministry, in Jesus name.

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 25 February 2019 – The Crucified Life

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Seeds of Destiny 25 February 2019 Devotional – The Tragedy of Lovelessness

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Seeds of Destiny 25 February 2019 Devotional – The Tragedy of Lovelessness

Topic: The Tragedy of Lovelessness [Seeds of Destiny 25 February 2019 Devotional]

To love is to show forth the nature of God but to hate is to manifest the character of satan, the devil.

SCRIPTURE: If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (NLT).

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: To love is to show forth the nature of God but to hate is to manifest the character of satan, the devil.

A story was once told of a man who lived happily with his wife for many years until a strange woman began to pollute his heart against her. The strange woman asked him to divorce his wife and marry her. Before long, the man began to lose interest in his wife, and hatred for her set in. He would not eat her food anymore and she was dying gradually inside.

The man later opened up to his wife his plan to divorce her. He asked the wife to ask for anything she wanted as settlement from him. The wife was shocked but made one simple request: the husband should carry her in his arms the way he did on their wedding day for 30 consecutive days. Though the request sounded unreasonable to the man, but because he wanted a divorce by all means, he obliged.

You cannot believe what happened next! Before the end of the 30 days, his love for his wife was rekindled and he went and told the strange woman that he would no longer divorce his wife. This is the power of love.

You see, that strange woman almost scattered that woman’s home, because of chronic lovelessness. Where love is absent, people get pre-occupied with only themselves. But Love makes you put yourself in the shoes of others. To love is to show forth the nature of God but to hate is to manifest the character of satan, the devil.

Beloved, the question is, whose image are you manifesting in your life by your character, God’s or satan’s? Think about this.

Remember this: To love is to show forth the nature of God but to hate is to manifest the character of satan.

ASSIGNMENTS:

  1. Avoid the life of selfishness.
  2. Consider the feelings, conveniences, comforts and interests of other people.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to be considerate and thoughtful of others in my actions. Deliver me from every spirit of selfishness, Lord in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: MINISTERING IN LOVE.

DAILY READING: Leviticus 16:29 to 18:30, Mark 7:24 to 8:10, Psalm 41:1 to 13, Proverbs 10:15 to 16.

AMAZING FACT: The starfish is an animal that can turn its stomach inside-out.

TODAY IN HISTORY: 25/02/1901 – US Steel Corp., first billion-dollar enterprise was formed by J.P. Morgan.

QUOTE: Lovelessness equals lifelessness. Culled from REASON FOR LIVING by Dr Paul Enenche.

DO NOT FORGET TO ATTEND: The Healing and Deliverance service tomorrow by 9:00am at the Glory Dome, Airport Road, Abuja. Invite your friends and loved ones.

Also Read: Click HERE to read Other Inspirational Messages by Pastor Paul Enenche

Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities

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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