Billy Graham’s Devotional 6 April 2018 – Know the Bible

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Billy Graham’s Devotional 6 April 2018 – Know the Bible

Topic: Know the Bible [Billy Graham’s Devotional Friday April 6, 2018]

Search the Book of the Lord . . . — Isaiah 34:16 (TLB)

A knowledge of the Bible is essential to a rich and meaningful life. For the words of this Book have a way of filling in the missing pieces, of bridging the gaps, of turning the tarnished colors of our life to jewel-like brilliance. Learn to take your every problem to the Bible. Within its pages you will find the correct answer. But most of all, the Bible is a revelation of the nature of God. The philosophers of the centuries have struggled with the problem of a Supreme Being. Who is He? What is He? Where is He? If there is such a Person, is He interested in me? If so, how can I know Him? These and a thousand other questions about God are answered in this Holy Book we call the Bible.

Prayer for the day: How glorious it is to read Your Word and learn more of You, my Savior and my Lord!

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Billy Graham’s Daily Devotional HERE

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.

The post Billy Graham’s Devotional 6 April 2018 – Know the Bible appeared first on Flatimes.

Christians Proud to Criticize Prosperity Gospel Have Subscribed to ‘Pampered Gospel’

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Christians Proud to Criticize Prosperity Gospel Have Subscribed to ‘Pampered Gospel’

(Photo: Flickr/ERLC of the SBC)Bible teacher and author Beth Moore speaks during a panel discussion at the MLK 50 Conference in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 2018.

While many evangelicals in America today are proud that they don’t subscribe to a “prosperity gospel,” Christian evangelist Beth Moore argued Wednesday night that many are guilty to subscribing to a “pampered gospel.”

Moore, the founder of Living Proof Ministries in Houston, Texas, participated in a panel discussion on “Evangelicals and the Future of Racial Unity” at the MLK50 Conference co-hosted by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and The Gospel Coalition in Memphis, Tennessee, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

As Moore has become increasingly vocal on social media in speaking out against injustices like misogyny and racism and has called for a reform within evangelicalism, she was specifically asked about her boldness on social media and how she responds to criticisms from conservative believers.

“What I saw begin to happen 18-or-so months ago was that there was such an outcry of ‘shut up’ to every dissenting voice and that is terrifying,” the 60-year-old Bible teacher said.

“If we watch everybody shut up when they are told to, what…

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4 Ways Christians Can Start Sharing Their Faith With Nonbelievers

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4 Ways Christians Can Start Sharing Their Faith With Nonbelievers

Screenshot: Vimeo)Matt Chandler lead pastor of The Village Church in Texas talks about ending his megachurch model, October 2017.

Megachurch Pastor Matt Chandler says there are four simple steps Christians can take to start sharing their faith with nonbelievers.  

“This is a great time to be a Christian. Not an easy time — but an exciting one. I know it doesn’t look that way. Spend a few minutes on your social media feed, and you’ll see just how lost and broken we are right now,” Chandler, who preaches at The Village Church in Highland Village, Texas, and serves as president of the Acts 29 Network, wrote in an article for Relevant magazine last week.

“Ours is a world full of contradiction and confusion. And it’s not a great place to be a Christian: We’re now seen by most of the world as intolerant and irrelevant. Yet, while the end of Christendom may surprise and scare many us, that’s not true of God,” he added.

He said that God is calling on the Church to be “bold and strong,” and to declare the good news of the Gospel in a time that is “so confusing, so transient, so difficult.”

Chandler said believers can reach out to nonbelievers by first finding common ground.

“Even though we’re living in a world where many people are leaving the Church and don’t consider…

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Israel Intends to Deport 40,000 African Migrants

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Israel Intends to Deport 40,000 African Migrants

Image processed by CodeCarvings Piczard ### FREE Community Edition ### on 2018-04-05 15:42:42Z | http://piczard.com | http://codecarvings.comÿÝ˱

The fate of thousands of African Christians living in Israel is uncertain. The government intends to expel them, but questions remain over where the migrants will go and how the Jewish state will make it happen.

Amid the uncertainty, “they are always asking for God’s guidance,” a Tel Aviv priest working at a pastoral center that offers traditional African services for the displaced told Catholic News Service. “But in their daily life, they are afraid.”

On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would move to resettle the approximately 40,000 Eritrean and Sudanese immigrants living in the Holy Land—most in the country illegally since 2012 or earlier—in Western nations in light of a new “unprecedented understanding” with the United Nations.

However, in only a few hours the deal stalled; within two days, it was canceled outright, serving as a reminder of the fierce political dynamics embroiling the Jewish state.

The UN had confirmed the agreement with Tel Aviv, indicating it would work with recipient countries throughout the entire process of resettlement. “This agreement will ensure that protection is provided to those who need it,” said Volker Turk, assistant high commissioner for protection for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in TheWashington Post.

Under that plan, 16,250 African migrants—many of whom are Christians—would be resettled in Western nations over the…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Open Heavens 6 April 2018 Friday — Wonders Of Divine Blessings I

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Open Heavens 6 April 2018 Friday — Wonders Of Divine Blessings I

Topic: Wonders Of Divine Blessings I [Open Heavens 6 April 2018, Friday]

Memorise: “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand:” – Deuteronomy 28:12a (Scroll down for Open Heavens Hymn)

Read: Genesis 12:1-3 (KJV)

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 6-7, Colossians 3:18-4:18.

MESSAGE:

When the Lord commanded Abraham to get out of his country, away from his kindred and out of his father’s house to go to a land that He was yet to show him, little did Abraham know that he was being set up for divine blessings. God promised him that He would make him a great nation, bless him and make him a blessing. This promise straightaway introduces us to the wonders of divine blessings. How can a man considered barren become a great nation? The answer lies in divine blessings.

When you take a critical look at God’s promises to Abraham in today’s Bible reading, you will discover that when a man is divinely blessed, his friends are also blessed, and conversely, his enemies are in trouble because they will be divinely cursed! Divine blessings will be your portion today in Jesus Name. When a fellow is divinely blessed, it means the blessings are not a result of struggling. Those who don’t know this or who have not experienced divine blessings before will always think that unless you struggle to the point of breaking your back, you cannot make it in life. This could not be further from the truth! That notion belongs to the realm of the curse of the first Adam which all the children of God through the second Adam, Jesus have escaped from. There was a brother of ours who received a divine blessing, and when he told others about it, they found it too good to be believed. One of them even said “This is too good to be genuine!” one of the wonders of divine blessing is that it makes people amazed, even to the point of disbelief. How could Abraham who started as a wanderer become so blessed that he could kill a whole calf to entertain a group of casual visitors numbering only three (Genesis 18:7)? Here is the testimony of Abraham’s servant to the extent of his master’s blessing in Genesis 24:35:

“And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.”

Heaven will assist a man or woman that is divinely blessed by sending what he or she needs in due season (Deuteronomy 28:12). I pray for you, that whatever represents rain in your life will fall on you today in Jesus’ Name. However, you must be a friend of God like Abraham, walking with God in complete obedience to make this a reality in your life (Genesis 17:1).

Prayer Point: Father, please let heaven assist the works of my hands, and grant me access to Your divine treasures in Jesus’ Name.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Open Heavens Devotional 5th April 2018 Thursday — The Healing Word’’

Hymn 6: A New Thing

(Tune: There shall be showers of Blessing)

1. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because GOD will do new things
Sinners will soon be forgiven
Prodigals will come home soon.

Chorus:
Shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Rivers in desert now flowing
Halleluyah to our king.

2. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Sickness and sorrow will be gone
Bondage will be forgotten.
3. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
The barren will be fruitful soon
Failure will be forgotten

4. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Poverty will be forgotten
Stagnancy will soon be gone.

5. We will soon shout Hallelujah
Because God will do new things
To all miracles are given
There shall be celebrations

6. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Many will have testimonies
Of prayers answered fully

7. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
One of us will chase a thousand
Two will conquer ten thousands.

8. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Songs of praises we will sing
Halleluyah to our King.

Open Heavens 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.

Flatimes’ Notice Board: Please do not prolong your salvation if you have not repented. Many are going home daily and tomorrow maybe too late…There is still hope, JESUS LOVES YOU!

The post Open Heavens 6 April 2018 Friday — Wonders Of Divine Blessings I appeared first on Flatimes.

Funeral held for Cardinal Keith O’Brien

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Funeral held for Cardinal Keith O’Brien

The 80-year-old, who resigned as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in 2013 after admitting sexual misconduct, died in hospital last month following a fall.

A requiem mass is taking place at the Church of St Michael in Newcastle, led by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster.

 

He will be buried on Friday at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh in the grave of his mother and father, in accordance with his own wishes, the church said.

Cardinal O’Brien resigned from his position in February 2013 after three priests and a former priest alleged improper conduct during the 1980s.

He initially contested the allegations but later apologised, saying his sexual conduct had “fallen beneath the standards” expected of him.

He had been a vehement critic of gay marriage, describing it as “grotesque”, and spoke out against same-sex relationships.

Announcing his death, his successor as Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, Archbishop Leo Cushley, said: “In life, Cardinal O’Brien may have divided opinion – in death, however, I think all can be united in praying for the repose of his soul, for comfort for his grieving family and that support and solace be given to those whom he offended, hurt and let down.

“May he rest in peace.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this…

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Pastor JD Greear Admits He Almost Abandoned Jesus When His Life Was in Danger

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Pastor JD Greear Admits He Almost Abandoned Jesus When His Life Was in Danger

(Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)J.D. Greear, lead pastor at the Summit Church of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, speaks at the Pastors’ Conference 2014 ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting on Monday, June 9, 2014, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pastor J.D. Greear of Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, has revealed that he almost gave up on Jesus when he faced a threat to his life overseas.

In a blog post on his website Wednesday, the megachurch pastor recalled the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, and how Christ told His other disciples that all of them would fall away, even if not in the same way as Judas. The point Jesus was making in Matthew 26:31, Greear said, was that all people have a price in terms of how far they can walk with Him.

“I haven’t always answered this question well. For instance, when I lived overseas, we had a Bible distribution project go really wrong. The police captured four of the national believers and put them in prison. Meanwhile, an agitated mob found and burned their car, demanding that the police release these men,” he shared.

“There wasn’t any direct proof that I was connected with these believers, but my supervisor put me under house arrest as a precaution. I thought that at any moment the mob might come for me,”…

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China bans online sale of Bibles

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China bans online sale of Bibles

It’s been reported that searches for the Bible on e-commerce sites JD.com and Amazon.cn don’t produce results.

Although China has always controlled sales of the Bible by only allowing it to be distributed and printed by state-sanctioned churches, it had been available to buy online.

 

The disappearance of Bibles on internet retailers is the latest restriction the country has placed on its fast-growing Christian population.

Religious freedom campaigners have said freedom for Christians in China has been the worst it’s ever been.

The crackdown on Christians in China has meant that crosses have been removed from churches, churches have been demolished, and Christians suspected of worshipping at home have been detained.

A new Chinese government white paper on religious freedoms published this week asserted that all faiths must “adapt themselves to the socialist society”.

The paper listing official Communist Party policies added: “Religious believers and non-believers respect each other, and live in harmony, committing themselves to reform and opening up and the socialist modernization, and contribute to the realization of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.”

William Nee, China researcher at Amnesty International, said the Vatican should address the online Bible sale ban with Beijing.

Chinese Catholic bishops and the Vatican have not good relations for…

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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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Methodist Church praying for violence to end on Gaza-Israel border

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Methodist Church praying for violence to end on Gaza-Israel border

The president and vice President of the Methodist Conference, Rev Loraine Mellor and Jill Baker said in a joint statement: “We are horrified by the violence that has taken place on the eastern border of Gaza in the past days, and deeply troubled by what appears to be a steady escalation in the situation.

“We appeal to all sides to step back urgently from actions that can only lead to more suffering, and to seek peaceful solutions.”

 

Eighteen Palestinians have been killed as a result of shooting by the Israeli Defence Forces. While reports suggest that as Israel protects its border, it has used live rounds against many unarmed protesters and hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators were hit and injured.

The Church leaders added: “The killing of unarmed protesters is unacceptable in any circumstance and a crime against humanity.

“The Government of Israel is bound by the same standards of international law as any other nation. Live rounds must never be used except in the most critical circumstances to protect life.”

Electricity is on for four hours a day, water in many areas of Gaza is undrinkable and there have been reports of Hamas fighters being armed for further conflict.

Clinics and hospitals were already reporting a huge rise in child malnutrition and have said that 80 commonly-used medicines are not available.

The situation is worsened by cuts in funds to…

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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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Evangelical Trump Opponents Wept Because ‘Global Witness of the Church Was at Stake,’ ERLC Panelist Says

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Evangelical Trump Opponents Wept Because ‘Global Witness of the Church Was at Stake,’ ERLC Panelist Says

(Photo: Rocket Republic via Flicker)MLK50 Conference hosted by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and The Gospel Coalition in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 2018.

Christians have to stop putting politics ahead of the Gospel to advance racial reconciliation, according to a racially diverse panel at an event held in memory of Martin Luther King Jr.

The MLK 50 Conference, a two-day event held on the 50th anniversary of when King was assassinated, was hosted by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. A Wednesday panel focused on the issue of racial tension in the United States.

Christina Edmondson, dean for Intercultural Student Development at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, talked about the impact of the 2016 presidential election, saying there were “significant consequences” to Donald Trump winning.

“For those of us who wept as a result of it, we didn’t weep because we’re big fans of the Democrats. We wept because we knew the witness of the Church, not just the national but the global witness of the Church, was at stake,” said Edmondson.

Edmondson’s comments echo those of DesiringGod.org founder and Pastor John Piper, who in a November 2017 message said that he believed white evangelical…

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