‘It’s Nothing God Hasn’t Seen’

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‘It’s Nothing God Hasn’t Seen’

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Nick Moyes)Derby Cathedral in the city of Derby, U.K., in this September 2010 photo.

The head of an Anglican Cathedral in England is defending his church’s decision to screen films that show graphic sex, full female nudity and human sacrifice, saying it’s nothing “God hasn’t seen before.”

Derby Cathedral agreed to allow its premises to be used by a local cinema, with horror/thriller films such as “The Wicker Man” and “Don’t Look Now” planned to be screened, which contain such scenes.

Steve Dunning, a church warden from within the diocese of Derby, was one of the voices to speak out against showing such material.

“I just think it isn’t appropriate to show these films in a place of worship that is consecrated and hallowed, and therefore it compromises the spiritual integrity of the cathedral,” Dunning said on Monday, according to BBC News.

“There is also a broader issue in terms of, why does the cathedral need to show films when there are multiplex cinemas in Derby?”

Kristin Simmons, a deputy warden from another church, added that Derby Cathedral “is a reflection of every parish church in Derbyshire.”

“Of course the cathedral can and should be open and used for outside events, but they should not be adverse to the Christian perspective; the cathedral…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Teens Open Heaven 21 August 2018 – Benefits of Knowing Him

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Teens Open Heaven 21 August 2018 – Benefits of Knowing Him

Topic: Benefits of Knowing Him [Teens Open Heaven 21 August 2018]

Memorise: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. – Hosea 4:6

Read: John 17:1-4 (KJV)

Bible In One Year: Psalm 119:1-48, 1 Corinthians 3

MESSAGE:

The greatest thing in life is knowing God. If your energy, time and resources are channeled towards the Lord, it is worth it. There are several benefits of knowing Him. Knowing God is foundational to receiving eternal life. In other words, anyone that does not know Him can’t access eternal life. Such a person will have a limited earthly life and thereafter be thrown in hell. Another benefit of knowing Him is that it opens you to supernatural knowledge (Psalm 103:7). Knowing God will always make a difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Similarly, knowing Him guarantees your freedom. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” You may acquire all kinds of knowledge but until you receive the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will remain in bondage.

It is wisdom to know Him, and it takes greater wisdom to dig deep and draw nearer to Him in a bid to know Him more. Do you know Him? Ask Him to reveal Himself to you today and everyday.

Prayer Point: Father, reveal Yourself to me and grant unto me the strength that comes from the knowledge of You.

Also Read: Teen Open Heaven Daily Devotional by Pastor Adeboye

Hymn 7

1. I am Thine 0 Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2. Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

3. Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

4. There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

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.

The post Teens Open Heaven 21 August 2018 – Benefits of Knowing Him appeared first on Flatimes.

Out of Wedlock Births Declining in US After Decades of Increase

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Out of Wedlock Births Declining in US After Decades of Increase

Pixabay/tashaLeave the folic acid supplements to pregnant women or those planning for pregnancy. https://pixabay.com/en/pregnant-tummies-heart-244662/

After decades of rapid growth, the rate of children being born outside of wedlock is now in decline in the United States.

In 2016, the share of babies born to unmarried mothers in the U.S. dropped below 40 percent, the first time it has been that low since 2007, noted Lyman Stone, research fellow at the Virginia-based Institute for Family Studies in a blog post last Thursday.

This substantive social change is happening concurrently with changes in marital status and in childbearing, and a decreasing fertility rate for the entire nation, she added. While a growing percentage of children today are born into two-parent households, the number of children overall is dropping.

“Since the recession [of 2007–2008], unmarried births have fallen, while births within wedlock have risen slightly. If the share of children born to unmarried moms were falling simply because of more married births — but unmarried births were still rising — then it wouldn’t be quite correct to say that unmarried childbearing is on the outs. But with absolute numbers falling, it seems clear that we are genuinely enjoying a period where unmarried parenting is in decline,” he went on to explain, noting the trend is holding across all ethnic and racial groups.

Approximately 5 percent of children were born outside of wedlock in 1960 in the U.S.; that figure grew to 41 percent in the late 2000s.

The latest data also reveals that since 2009, African-American women have seen…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Italian Evangelical Alliance calls for Christians to support Genoa survivors

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Italian Evangelical Alliance calls for Christians to support Genoa survivors

A large section of the Morandi Bridge collapsed on 14th August during a heavy downpour, killing 43 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 600 others living in apartment buildings beneath another section of the bridge.

The group of protestant churches in Italy said it “invites believers to pray for those who were injured, their family and for all those who suffered from material and emotional damage”.

Among those who died was the sister of an evangelical pastor, while one Christian family had to evacuate their home.

They said: “For these brothers and sisters in Christ our prayer is that the Lord will provide consolation and what they need immediately and long-term.”

The alliance has started a voluntary donation that will be collected by evangelical churches there “to help with their relief and spiritual work.”

In their prayer requests for the area, they said:

“Our prayer is for the city of Genova as a whole, for its people, families, economic activities, its political authorities in this time of grief and research of what caused the collapse.

“We pray for the relaunching of ‘normal’ social and economic life in the city after such a tragedy. It is essential that what happened will be accounted for and responsibilities will be ascertained so that tragedies like this will no longer happen.”

They also included how it is a reminder of the urgency of proclaiming the…

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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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4 in 10 Evangelical Churchgoers Say Their Church Teaches Prosperity Gospel

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4 in 10 Evangelical Churchgoers Say Their Church Teaches Prosperity Gospel

Runner1928?Wikimedia CommonsParishioners sitting on church pews as seen from above.

About four in 10 evangelical Christians say they attend a church where they’re taught elements of prosperity gospel, according to a poll.

In a survey released at the end of July, LifeWay Research found that 41 percent of Christians with evangelical beliefs either somewhat or strongly agree that their church “teaches that if I give more money to my church and charities, God will bless me in return.”

By comparison, only 38 percent of all Protestant respondents agreed with that statement, while 57 percent of Protestants disagreed. Meanwhile only 26 percent of Protestant churchgoers agreed that “to receive material blessings from God, I have to do something for God.”

The survey, which was conducted Aug. 22–30, 2017, interviewed 1,010 churchgoers across the nation and has a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.

Prosperity theology is the belief that generosity toward the church will lead to greater blessings — financial or otherwise — in a believer’s life.

The groups most likely to agree their churches teach that God will bless them if “I give more money to my church and charities” are Pentecostal and Assemblies of God churchgoers (53 percent).

While 41 percent of evangelical protestant…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Is All the News Fake?

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Is All the News Fake?

A note from Jim:

Chris Elkins is writing today’s Daily Article. Chris serves as Brand Director for Denison Forum. He is a published author who earned a Master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in organizational communication. His wife, Minni, has worked with me for twenty years.

Chris served with several strategic churches and agencies before joining the Denison Forum team in 2016. He is a longtime friend; I know you’ll benefit from his wisdom today.

***

Last week it was reported that Malaysia repealed its “fake news” law.

This Asian nation is one of the first countries in the world to reconsider how to control this societal nemesis. But, aren’t you already wondering whether that story is also fake news?

Since Missourians live in the Show-Me State, I wonder how they’re dealing with this dilemma. Is seeing believing?

There’s a scam going around currently where people are called by someone claiming to be an official with the IRS. That “official” claims that the victim owes a bogus tax bill. Often, the victim is conned into sending cash through wire transfers or prepaid debit cards to settle a fake debt. The IRS has told the public time and again that they will not use this kind of tactic.

In an age when pictures are photoshopped, stories are spun, and anonymous slander is rampant, who or what can you believe?

Last week I received a notice by email that a well-known bank had sent over $1,000 out of my account to a named payee. The email asked me to verify the transaction by replying to the email.

Trouble is, I don’t have any accounts at that particular bank. Upon closer inspection of the email, the bank’s logo was not authentic, and the email address of the sender was in no way connected to that bank.

Now, more than ever, caveat emptor: buyer beware. Fake news is everywhere.

Fake news is not new

But, fake news is NOT new. In 1981, Janet Leslie Cooke won a Pulitzer Prize for an article titled “Jimmy’s…

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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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Flood survivors in India take refuge in Christian college

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Flood survivors in India take refuge in Christian college

The annual monsoon rains were already under way in Kerala when it was hit by torrential downpours beginning on 8th August.

The rains have decreased substantially and meteorologists are expecting light-to-moderate rain in the coming days.

 

Thousands of people have left Kerala’s relief camps over the past two days, heading home to check on damage and begin the long process of cleaning up.

“There was sludge and muck nearly up to my knee,” Abdullah Aliyar said.

The 65-year-old, who has been living with his family at a relief camp for more than a week, returned briefly to his nearby home on Monday to find it uninhabitable and without drinking water or electricity.

For now, the family of five will remain at Union Christian College, a large campus on high ground just outside Kochi.

AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Volunteers reach out to stranded people with food supplies in a flooded area in Chengannur in the southern state of Kerala, India, Sunday, Aug.19, 2018

 

It is one of more than 3,000 relief camps created amid the havoc of the floods.

Volunteers at the camp estimate that up to 10,000 people were jammed into the schools’ buildings.

“People are going home or to their relatives’ homes,” said K.H. Shahabas, a local elected official who has been working in the camp since it was created.

He said thousands of people poured into the college a few…

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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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Five Major Ways to Improve Your Worship Services

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Podcast Episode #460

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio

There are several things you can do in worship services to improve the experience for guests and members. Today we discuss five such things—four of which cost nothing.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • Poorly done announcements can really derail a worship service. Video announcements can help eliminate that risk.
  • The most strategic place to have a greeter is in the worship center talking to people who are already seated waiting on the service to start.
  • Churches should avoid insider language because it confuses guests and makes them feel unwelcome.
  • Keep these two principles in mind in your church: use what communicates best and what communicates to guests.

The five improvements we discuss are:

  1. Use video announcements (Pro-Nounce)
  2. Allow for text questions after the sermon
  3. Make the offertory time meaningful
  4. Make certain no guests sit alone
  5. Avoid insider language

Episode Sponsors

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For more information, visit WeStaffTheChurch.com.

The ministry landscape is changing, and the need for biblical training is more necessary than ever. It’s time to get your Master of Divinity degree. The M.Div…

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

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Community schools with no religious observance ‘backed by 60 per cent of Scots’

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Community schools with no religious observance ‘backed by 60 per cent of Scots’

The Humanist Society Scotland is asking parents to support a new petition calling on the Scottish Parliament to give headteachers the right to adopt a “non-religious community schools model” as an alternative to the current non-denominational and denominational system.

Polling by Survation found that 60 per cent of people would support such non-religious schools, open to children of all faiths and none, while 22 per cent neither support or oppose the idea.

 

A further 10 per cent of those surveyed were opposed while 8 per cent did not know.

At present, Scottish pupils can attend a state-funded, non-denominational school and be “opted-out” of religious observance but the Humanist Society argues this could lead to children being stigmatised among their peers.

The survey, in which 1,002 Scots were questioned, also found that only 40% agreed with this.

A further 39 per cent did not believe opting out of activities such as religious services would results in stigmatising while the remainder did not know.

Commenting on the findings, the charity’s chief executive Gordon MacRae said: “Today’s figures demonstrate the broad support for a new, inclusive form of non-religious community school that reflects the diversity of modern Scotland.

“Many parents assume that only denominational schools in Scotland are faith schools.

“They are shocked when they learn that their local…

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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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Joyce Meyer’s Daily 21 August 2018 Devotional — You Were Made for Something More

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Joyce Meyer’s Daily 21 August 2018 Devotional — You Were Made for Something More

Topic: You Were Made for Something More [Joyce Meyer’s Devotional Tuesday August 21, 2018]

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. — Isaiah 40:31

Do you ever feel you are like an eagle in a chicken yard—grounded and pent up when you should be soaring? You know there is much more within you than you are experiencing and expressing in your life right now. You know God has a great purpose for your life—and you cannot escape or ignore the inner urge to “go for it.”

Know this: all eagles are uncomfortable in a barnyard; they all long for the clear, blue, open skies. When you are living in a place that keeps you from being who you were made to be and doing what you are meant to do, you will be uncomfortable, too. But also realize that people around you may not understand your desire to break out of the box. They may want to clip your wings.

When you hear their comments and questions, something inside of you may ask, “What is wrong with me? Why do I think as I think? Why do I feel this way? Why can’t I just settle down and live a normal life like everybody else?” The reason you cannot just settle down is that you are not a chicken; you are an eagle! You will never feel at home in that chicken yard, because you were made for something bigger, more beautiful, and more fulfilling.

I encourage you today to fan the flame inside of you. Fan it until it burns brightly. Never give up on the greatness for which you were created, never try to hide your uniqueness, and never feel you cannot do what you believe you were made to do. Realize that your hunger for adventure is God-given; wanting to try something new is a wonderful desire, and embracing life and aiming high is what you were made for. You are an eagle!

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for the greatness You have placed inside of me—the desire to be more, do more, and soar higher. Help me to approach life with boldness and never settle for anything less than what You have for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

The post Joyce Meyer’s Daily 21 August 2018 Devotional — You Were Made for Something More appeared first on Flatimes.

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