Egypt Opens Largest Church for Coptic Christians in the Middle East
Christians in Egypt celebrated Christmas with the dedication of the largest church for Coptic Christians in the Middle East.
Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas Jan. 7, and Christians marked the day with the Nativity of the Christ Cathedral.
The building is a gift to the Church from President el-Sisi, who approved the cathedral in 2017, saying the church should be “a message of peace and love to the world.” He also attended the Christmas celebration and dedication.
“We are one and we will continue to be one,” he said at the dedication.
“This moment is very important in our history.”
Church leaders are also calling the church a “historic” event.
“I think what we have seen here is historic,” said Joel Rosenberg. “I really think it’s a game changer that a Sunni Arab Muslim President of the world’s largest Arab country has built a church, the largest in the Middle East and given it as a gift to the Christians of Egypt.
“We’ve never seen anything like it in history. And I think President Sisi is sending a message not just to his own people but to all Muslims that Muslims and Christians can live together in coexistence. That’s an extraordinary development.”
President Donald Trump also voiced his support on Twitter this week, saying “Excited to see our friends in Egypt opening the biggest Cathedral in the Middle East. President El-Sisi…
This Is Us Star Chrissy Metz Refuses to Apologize for Her Faith
Actress Chrissy Metz has inspired many, both through her role on the popular TV show ‘This Is Us and with her own real-life overcomer story. And now, playing a lead role in the faith-based film ‘Breakthrough,’ has brought attention to Chrissy Metz’s faith, something for which she refuses to apologize!
Chrissy Metz may be living the good life now. But that wasn’t always the case.
Before becoming the star she is today, Chrissy faced plenty of adversity, both personally and professionally. In fact, she was completely broke and ready to give up when her big breakthrough on ‘This Is Us’ hit.
The best way to handle hard times is to surrender to God’s will. But Chrissy Metz’s faith hasn’t been public knowledge until a real-life story of faith prompted her to speak out.
‘Breakthrough’ Film Inspires Chrissy Metz’s Faith
The movie ‘Breakthrough’ tells a true story of unwavering faith. Mother Joyce Smith fully surrenders to God when her adopted son, John, falls through an icy lake. John spent more than 15 minutes in the freezing water and his lifeless body gave doctors no hope. But John’s mom, Joyce, refused to give up and continued to pray over her son’s body. And just as doctors prepared to declare John dead, God sent a miracle (read the real news story HERE)!
Chrissy Metz plays Joyce Smith in the film ‘Breakthrough,’ which releases in…
5 Children Killed in Fiery Church Van Crash While Heading to Disney World
Tragedy struck a Louisiana town this weekend when several vehicles struck a Louisiana church van headed to Disney World, killing 5 of its passengers, all of whom were children.
According to the Associated Press, a car and a tractor-trailer which were both traveling northbound on a Florida Highway when they hit into each other. This caused the vehicles to smash through a metal guardrail and hit another 18-wheeler truck and the Louisiana Avoyelles House of Mercy church van. The Church van was carrying nine children and three adults. According to a statement made by Florida Highway Patrol personnel, around 50 gallons of Diesel fuel then leaked out of the semi trucks and burst into flames.
A fifth car then drove through the accident, unable to avoid it, and hit several people who had been ejected from the vehicles.
This led to the death of five of the children in the church van as well as both semi-truck drivers.
The children killed in the accident have been identified as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah
Warren, both 14, Cara Descant, 13, Briena Descant, 10, and Cierra Bordelan, 9, WESH 2 News reports. Additionally, AP reports that several other people are in the hospital, some in serious condition.
As the small Louisiana town is grieving the loss of these five children, authorities are still trying to work out how and why the accident began.
Christian Family, Church Devastated by Killing of Church Elder in Nigeria
DOGO AWO, January 7, 2019 (Morning Star News) – Ladi Yakubu does not know how her family will eat after Muslim Fulani herdsmen destroyed crops on their farm in Kaduna state, Nigeria on Nov. 26 and shot and killed her husband.
“My husband is no more alive, and so the burden to feed our children is on me,” she said. “How do I feed them without having a job? And I cannot go to the farm because of the murderous activities of these herdsmen.”
The 49-year-old Yakubu, a member of the Dogo Awo village congregation of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in north-central Nigeria, said she knew the gunmen were Fulani herdsmen because they have lived near the village for several years. Herdsmen also destroyed crops on their farm in late 2016 and late 2017, she said.
Her husband, ECWA elder Yakubu Musa, was 50.
Her 20-year-old son, Believe Yakubu, received a bullet wound in his leg in the attack. Her other children are ages 15, 18, 23, 26 and 28, but without access to their farm outside the village, the adult children have little income-earning power.
The attack was different from night-time raids that have terrorized Christians in north-central and other states in Nigeria. Church members were helping the family to harvest rice the morning of Nov. 26, she said, when they stopped for lunch at about noon.
“As we were eating, a Fulani man came over to where…
Topic: Divine Encounter for A Lift and Shift [Seeds of Destiny 8 January 2019 Devotional]
Scripture: And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28.
Thought For The Day: It takes an encounter to count in your generation; and it takes an encounter to counter the agenda of the devil around your life. It has been established that Divine possibility is a function of human responsibility. When man meets God’s requirements, he sees breakthrough in life. One reason why many people remain at the same spot is refusal or failure to meet the demands for lift and shift in life.
Previously, we saw four demands for supernatural lift and shift as desperation, supplication, revelation and sensitivity. Today, we shall see yet another demand for a lift and shift in life, and that is DIVINE ENCOUNTER.
Divine Encounter is a destiny up-lifter. Divine encounter is a doorway to life’s turnaround. When God meets you, things change. Abraham encountered God and his life changed (Genesis 12:1-5). It takes an encounter to count in your generation; and it takes an encounter to counter the agenda of the devil around your life. One encounter changed the destiny of Jacob from being Jacob, a person to becoming Israel, a nation (Genesis 32:28); one encounter with God lifted Moses (Exodus 3:1-12).
Beloved, we are in the season of Divine encounter and God shall encounter you in Jesus’ Name. Now, how do you get a Divine Encounter? i. Desire it (Psalm 63:1-2). You can desire an encounter. Ask God to do something new in your life. ii. Reposition your life for Divine encounter. (Revelation 1:10). John was in the spirit and he had an encounter with the Lord.
Beloved, I prophesy the grace to be in the spirit in order to experience Divine encounter in Jesus’ Name.
Remember this: It takes an encounter to count in your generation; and it takes an encounter to counter the agenda of the devil around your life.
Assignments:
Ask God for an encounter that will change your level.
Make up your mind to continue to remain in the spirit.
Prayer: O Lord, I ask that You visit me; I ask for the grace to be in the spirit always in order to have a life-changing encounter with You, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: COME UP HITHER – SUPERNATURAL LIFTS AND SHIFTS.
Today In History – 08/01/1935: The Spectrophotometer was patented by A. C Hardy.
Daily Reading: Genesis 18:16 to 19:38, Matthew 6:25 to 7:14, Psalm 8:1 to 9, Proverbs 2:6 to 15.
Amazing Fact: In the United States, 2 million passengers board more than 30,000 flights every day.
Quote: When people encounter you, let them encounter genuineness. Culled from MAKING FULL PROOF OF MINISTRY by Dr. Paul Enenche.
Don’t Forget To Attend: The power communion service tomorrow by 5:30pm at the Glory Dome, the Lord’s Garden, Airport Road, Abuja.
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.
Topic: An Alternative to Worry [Our Daily Bread 8 January 2019 Devotional]
Read: Matthew 6:25–34, Bible in a Year: Genesis 20–22; Matthew 6:19–34
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?Matthew 6:27
A law-abiding, honest man received a voicemail that said, “This is officer _ from the police department. Please call me at this number.” Immediately the man began to worry—afraid that somehow he had done something wrong. He was afraid to return the call, and he even spent sleepless nights running through possible scenarios—worried that he was in some kind of trouble. The officer never called back, but it took weeks for the worry to go away.
Jesus asked an interesting question about worry: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27). Perhaps this can help us rethink our tendency to worry, because it suggests that it doesn’t help the situation we’re concerned about.
When problems are on the horizon for us, maybe we can try the following two-step approach: Take action and trust in God. If we can do something to avoid the problem, let’s try that route. We can pray for God to guide us to an action we should take. But if there’s nothing we can do, we can take comfort in knowing that God never finds Himself in such a predicament. He can always act on our behalf. We can always turn our situation over to Him in trust and confidence.
When it feels like time to worry, may we turn to the inspired words of King David, who faced his own share of difficulties and worries, but concluded: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). What a great alternative to worry!
What worries do you need to give to God today?
Prayer: Father, You know what faces me today. I am turning my cares over to You. Please strengthen me and help me to trust You with the struggles I face.
INSIGHT Matthew 6:19–34 emphasizes that true discipleship requires a lifestyle in which all we do is unified by our love for God. In verse 22, for example, Jesus suggests that, just as an eye defect distorts our whole vision, so our entire being becomes corrupted when our priorities are distorted. It’s impossible, He emphasizes, to be devoted to more than one “master” (v. 24). This, Jesus suggests, is why worry can be so dangerous. It’s only natural to feel anxiety, but when worry is what drives us, devotion to our own peace of mind may have replaced a single-minded devotion to God and the just ways of His kingdom. Monica Brands
An upcoming DC Comics series will have a familiar character: Jesus.
The DC Comics imprint DC Vertigo will introduce Christ as a superhero in an upcoming series titled Second Coming, which has Him teaming up with Sun-Man. The first issue in the series goes on sale March 6, according to CBR.com.
“Witness the return of Jesus Christ, as He is sent on a most holy mission by God to learn what it takes to be the true messiah of mankind by becoming roommates with the world’s favorite savior: the all-powerful super hero Sun-Man, the Last Son of Krispex!” the plot summaryfrom DC Vertigo reads. “But when Christ returns to Earth, he’s shocked to discover what has become of his gospel — and now, he aims to set the record straight.”
Second Coming was written by Mark Russell, who previously authored God Is Disappointed In You, which was billed as a condensed version of the Bible.
Russell, who grew up in church and went to Christian schools, told BleedingCool.com he believes Jesus has been misrepresented in modern-day congregations.
“The Christian religion doesn’t really base itself on what he taught, particularly in the modern Evangelical megachurches,” he said. “They have him more as mascot on t-shirts to prove they’re on the winning team. [Second Coming] is about Jesus coming down and being appalled by what he sees has been done in his name by Christianity in the last two…
Open Heaven 8 January 2019 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Walking with God
Topic: Walking with God (Open Heaven 8 January 2019)
Memorise: “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”– Genesis 5:24
Read: Psalm 24:3-4, Galatians 2:20-21 (KJV)
Psalm 24:3-4: 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
Galatians 2:20-21: 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Bible in One Year: Matthew 16-17, Isaiah 6:8-7:9
Open Heaven 8 January 2019 Tuesday MESSAGE:
One of the original plans of God for man is for man to continually have fellowship with Him. This is the reason why He created man to be like Himself. Genesis 1:26 says:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
The Bible further reveals in the second and third chapters of Genesis that after creating man, God fellowshipped with Him until this divine relationship was bungled through sin. Genesis 3:8 says:
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”
From this verse of scripture, it is evident that God came down to take a walk with His beloved image carriers, but sin came and destroyed their fellowship. The interesting thing is that God is still interested in walking with as many as would determine in their hearts to pay the price of godly living, just like He did with Enoch (Genesis 5:24).
So, how can we walk with God? The answer lies in the instruction that God gave Abraham in Genesis 17:1:
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”
We see from this verse that it was God Himself who appeared to Abraham. In other words, we cannot discover God by our personal efforts. You cannot search for the Almighty God through religion; you only discover Him when He reveals Himself to you (Matthew 11:27, John 6:44, John 15:16). Another lesson is that living a holy life can never be compromised as the condition for walking with God. Immediately God made Himself known to Abraham, He declared holiness as the term on which they could walk together. This is why I am so addicted to the teaching of holiness. Under the New Testament, to walk with God as a Christian requires experiencing what Paul describes in today’s Bible reading, wherein you must allow your old Adamic nature to die on the cross of Jesus Christ. That disobedient heart that yearns for its own way, influenced by the old serpent, must be circumcised to bleed to death while you are infused with the new life that flows in the Blood of Jesus Christ. Then and only then can you have a blessed and successful walk with our Maker.
Open Heaven 8 January 2019 Tuesday Prayer Point:
Father, please empower me not to frustrate the grace of your divine righteousness that came through my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Open Heaven 8 January 2019 Tuesday Hymn 6: Have You Been To Jesus For The Cleansing Pow’r
1 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Chorus:
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
2 Are you walking daily by the Saviour’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
3 When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white!
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for His presence bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Open Heaven 8 January 2019 Tuesday 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 8 January 2019 Tuesday Daily Devotional.
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.
Topic: Believers Receive [Andrew Wommack Devotional 8 January 2019]
Luke 1:45, “And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
Text: Luke 1:39-56
There are many reasons why God’s blessings don’t always come to pass in a person’s life, but the most frequent cause is simply unbelief on our part. There are no limitations on God’s part. He is willing and able to do anything He has promised. The problem is with our believing.
The Lord has given every believer faith (Rom. 12:3). It was given to us at salvation through hearing the Word of God (Eph. 2:8; Rom. 10:17). It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). However, we must choose to exercise it.
Our faith is linked to our knowledge (2 Pet. 1:1-4). What we think on is how we will be (Pro. 23:7). The problem is not that we don’t have faith. The problem occurs when we don’t allow our faith to work because we don’t keep our minds stayed on God’s Word. Then our faith is choked out by the cares of this life (Mk. 4:19).
Keeping our minds stayed on God’s Word will release our faith and thereby release the power of God in our lives. Certainly Mary must have been a person who put God’s Word first in her life.
Mary saw a performance of what she believed. We receive what we believe, not what we desire or even need. Today believe the word that the Lord has spoken about you.
This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).
Topic: He Hears Us [Billy Graham Devotional 8 January 2019]
What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe . . . — Mark 11:24
We are to pray in times of adversity, lest we become faithless and unbelieving. We are to pray in times of prosperity, lest we become boastful and proud. We are to pray in times of danger, lest we become fearful and doubting. We need to pray in times of security, lest we become self-sufficient. Sinners, pray to a merciful God for forgiveness. Christians, pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a willful, evil, unrepentant world. Parents, pray that God may crown your home with grace and mercy. Children, pray for the salvation of your parents. Christians, saints of God, pray that the dew of heaven may fall on earth’s dry, thirsty ground, and that righteousness may cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Prayer for the day: Let me pour everything out to You, Lord. Thank You for the knowledge that You hear me!
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
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