Open Heavens 7th February 2018: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye — Now That You Are Saved I

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Open Heavens 7th February 2018: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye — Now That You Are Saved I
Open Heavens 7th February 2018: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye — Now That You Are Saved I


Topic: Now That You Are Saved I [Open Heavens 7 Wednesday February 2018]

Memorise: “And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:” – Hebrews 6:11

Read: 2 Peter 1:5-8 (KJV)

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 31-32, Romans 11:1-24

MESSAGE

After you have been saved by the grace that is in Jesus Christ our Lord, you need to understand the nature of the new life that is in you, so that you can begin to exhibit its character. If you do not understand the fundamentals of the Christian faith and get to know what God expects of you now that you are saved, you will end up becoming a caricature of what you should be in the sight of God. May that never be your portion in Jesus’ Name.

The text of our Bible reading lays out in plain terms what God expects of you when you become saved. In this passage of scripture, after reminding us of our new life in Christ, Apostle Peter admonishes us to be diligent in going beyond the rudimentary salvation experience. According to him, we must add to our faith virtue. Now, what is virtue? Virtue, simply explained, is a kind of behavior that exhibits high moral standards. This is food for thought for all children of God, because there is a tendency to assume that once we profess to be born again, good behavior is no longer important. On the contrary, it is after we have experienced regeneration of the heart that a high moral standard is most expected of us. The new life that Christ gives is a life of virtue. It is a life that produces good character in those that possess it. If you claim to have received this new life, the resultant virtue it produces must be glaring for the whole world to see. The early Church did not lose sight of this spiritual obligation, and for this reason the leading apostle admonishes us to add virtue to our professed faith. 2 Peter 1:5 says,

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;”

In like manner, another apostle of the Lord, writing in James 2:18 says,

“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

Although good works do not bring about redemption, redemption produces good works in us. As children of God, the Bible encourages us to be of good behavior so that our Father in heaven may be glorified (1Timothy 3:2, Titus 2:3). Unbelievers should not catch us with any vices; rather we should be virtuous enough to convince the world that only in Christ can a good and acceptable life be lived. We are born again to be law-abiding, even though we are not law-abiding to be born again. Yes, being born again is the work of grace, but the evidence of its genuineness should be substantial for all to see.

Prayer Point: Father, please help me to be a true representative of the faith I profess to practice.

Hymn 15: Nearer My God To Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee;
E’ en though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.

2. Though, like a wanderer
The sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me,
My rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer to Thee.

3. There let me see the sight,
An open heaven;
All that thou sendest me,
In mercy given;
Angles to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer to Thee

4. Then, with my walking thoughts
Bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs
Bethel I’ll raise,
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee

Flatimes’ Notice Board: Please do not prolong your salvation if you have not repented. Many are going home daily and tomorrow maybe too late.

Open Heavens 7 February 2018, 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.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.


100 years since women allowed to vote, Christian leaders call for more progress

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100 years since women allowed to vote, Christian leaders call for more progress

Labour MP Rachael Maskell and Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, the newly appointed Bishop of London, spoke with Premier on the 100th anniversary of Representation Of The People Act, in which some women first won the right to vote in the UK.

Bishop Sarah, who published a blog on Tuesday to mark the centenary of the law, told Premier News Hour about what the day meant to her.

 

“I know that I wouldn’t be in the position I am today if it wasn’t for those woman.

“My grandmother spoke to me about her recollection of winning the vote all those years ago and she put the confidence into me that made me believe that I could do anything.”

Bishop Sarah, who’s currently the Bishop of Crediton, is the first female to be chosen as the Bishop of London.

 

She told Premier while the Church has made strides in equality for women, there’s still work to be done.

“I’m very aware coming into London there are only 13 per cent of incumbents that are women. I’d like to see more women reflecting the community in which they operate.

“Historically there have been challenges, but the heart of the Gospel is this sense the Jesus values us all equally.

“Certainly today that’s at the heart of the Gospel I see preached and taught and demonstrated in the Church.”

Maskell echoed Bishop Sarah’s thoughts. She pointed out that only a third of MPs are women.

“There are…

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Open the Door and Receive the Lord’s Victory .

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ELCA Bishop to Preach at Lutheran Pastor’s Transgender Renaming Service

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(Photo: Facebook/St. Matthew-Trinity Lutheran Church)St. Matthew-Trinity Lutheran Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Hoboken, New Jersey.

A bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be preaching at a transgender pastor’s gender renaming service in New Jersey on Sunday.

Bishop Tracie Bartholomew of the ELCA New Jersey Synod will preach at the service, held at St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church in Hoboken, in which Pastor Rose Beeson will officially take the name “Peter” as part of her transition from female to male.

An announcement for the renaming ceremony posted to Patch.com noted that overall the service will affirm “transgender individuals who take on a new name and remember their baptism.”

“It is one of the first times a minister of a congregation in the ELCA has transitioned from female to male while serving as pastor, acting on St. Matthew Trinity’s aspiration to be a church where tradition and inclusivity meet,” stated the announcement.

Expand | Collapse
(Screenshot: YouTube/Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Bishop Tracie Bartholomew of New Jersey Synod.

“All who believe in promoting inclusion and diversity are welcome to attend this historic occasion.”

Beeson, who has in the…

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Bishop bans funerals in secular sites

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Bishop bans funerals in secular sites

In a letter to Grenoble parishes in the southeastern French city, Bishop Guy de Kerimel said: “There is no need to go to a secular site to be welcomed by the Church and to pray for the departed.”

According to The Tablet, the diocese began allowing Catholic prayer services outside of its church grounds two decades ago because increasing numbers of people didn’t want to attend a service in a church.

 

There was also a shortage of priests to preside at religious ceremonies at some parishes.

“What was envisaged as an exception has become significant … which could result in confusion between civil and Catholic funerals,” the bishop wrote.

“May local residents know that they are welcome in the Catholic Church.”

Parish volunteers had previously been authorised to accompany mourning families before burials and to hold services at sites other than a church before burials took place.

Bishop de Kerimel said he was confident his rule-change wouldn’t lead to more families opting to have a secular funeral instead of a traditional Catholic ceremony.

Instead he said the rule “would let people who no longer know Jesus Christ and his Church to have the beautiful experience of a respectful reception, the discovery of the word of God, a meeting with the resurrected and the entry into the Church”.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our…

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Great Firewall Of China Now Blocking Crpytocurrency Websites

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REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/IllustrationA Bitcoin (virtual currency) coin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017.

The Great Firewall of China will soon block anyone in the country from accessing websites that offer cryptocurrency trading and initial coin offerings. This is according to the Chinese government who previously banned domestic ICOs and exchanges in an effort to end the country’s massive cryptocurrency industry.

According to state-run media, the government will block access to these foreign websites in order to “prevent financial risk.” The Chinese central bank also announced that it would “tighten regulations” on Chinese people’s participation in overseas cryptocurrency transactions and ICOs.

“Overseas transactions and regulatory evasion have resumed,” states an article published Sunday night by the People’s Bank of China-affiliated Financial News. “Risks are still there, fueled by illegal issuance, and even fraud and pyramid selling.”

In addition to websites, authorities will also be stamping any advertising relating to ICOs and coin exchanges from search engines and social media in the country. Similar to what happened with Facebook, many publications have reported that ads relating to ICOs and cryptocurrencies from websites such as Baidu.

China has had a reputation for blocking foreign websites with its massive internet censorship system aptly named by observers as “The Great Firewall of China.” Reasons for blocking such websites often coincide with the Chinese Communist Party’s goal of maintaining its grip on the country…

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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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Perry Stone’s Online School Takes Students ‘Deeper into the Word’ .

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Perry Stone’s International School of the Word was launched two weeks ago. (Facebook )

We have an interesting story, well told, from .. . charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Perry Stone’s Voice of Evangelism has reached hundreds of thousands of people with the Word of God each week for 16 years. Effective as the ministry is in spreading the gospel, however, Stone has developed a passion to help people worldwide to go deeper into the Word of God than ever…

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

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Christian Study Centers Aim to Integrate Faith and Science in College Life

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Christian Study Centers Aim to Integrate Faith and Science in College Life


Christian Study Centers Aim to Integrate Faith and Science in College Life


The regulars punch a code in the front-door lock at any hour of the day or night. Rows of hot coffeepots greet the students as they enter through the hallway. And three floors of tables, chairs, couches and sofas are available for studying or lounging.


The Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia has been beckoning students since 1976 as a place to cram, but also as a place to  explore the relationship between faith and learning.


The WiFi is free. The library has a few desktop computers (not to mention 12,000 books). And, of course, there’s a kitchen.


Christian students come here to socialize, listen to a lecture, participate in a book study or a small group, get mentoring or counseling. Founded to serve students spiritually and intellectually, the center attests to an evangelical willingness to take on science and the liberal arts.


Over the past decade, the Christian study model has been quietly multiplying. Today there are 24 Christian study centers at universities across the country including the University of California at Berkeley, Cornell, Yale, the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


Like the one in Charlottesville, housed in a 1926 red-shingled house on fraternity row, less than a block from campus, these centers are each privately owned and run and funded by alumni and local…

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Baptist Theologian Likens Football to ‘Gladiators Killing Each Other’

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(Source: Reuters/Chris Wattie)NFL Football – Philadelphia Eagles v New England Patriots – Super Bowl LII – U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. – February 4, 2018.

While much of America was watching Super Bowl LII and hailing the Philadelphia Eagles’ championship win, a Baptist theologian argued that the sport causes brain damage and likened its celebration to people cheering on gladiators fighting to the death.

Roger E. Olson, professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, wrote in a blog post Saturday, the day before the Super Bowl, that the facts are “irrefutable” when it comes to “long-term and irreversible brain damage in many players.”

“Anyone who doesn’t know this simply hasn’t been paying attention. And in some cases, that brain damage has probably led to violent behavior, including suicides and murders, that probably would not have happened otherwise,” he argued.

A study published in July 2017 by researchers from Boston University and the Veteran’s Association in Boston in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for instance, found that 110 of 111 deceased former NFL players had permanent brain damage due to repeated blunt force injuries to the head.

The study also found that 177…

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Church leader pays tribute to missing friend

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Church leader pays tribute to missing friend

Duncan MacDougall and Przemek Krawczyk were on board the Nancy Glen when it got into trouble and sank in Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute, on January 18.

A fundraising campaign to raise the prawn trawler from the bottom of the sea loch and recover the men’s bodies has so far raised well over £200,000.

 

Church of Scotland minister Rev John MacGregor said Mr MacDougall, the vessel’s skipper, was a dear friend whom he had known for most of his life.

Mr MacGregor, who grew up in Tarbert, said the tragedy has devastated the village as he appealed to Kirk members in Scotland and further afield to donate what they can to the special fund to “bring the boys home”.

Mr MacGregor, of Cadder Parish Church in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, said: “When I heard the news, it was hard to believe that trapped on board was a man whom I have known most of my life.

“Duncan MacDougall will be remembered as a great guy and an excellent football player.

“He played for a boys’ team which I managed over 30 years ago. He was a very outgoing and popular young man.”

Mr MacGregor said his friend – a married man with two young children – had “everything to live for”.

“He was a leader who touched so many lives,” he added.

On the day of the tragedy, the alarm was raised by a third fisherman, who was pulled from the water by the crew of a passing boat.

The trawler is now thought to be sitting at a depth…

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