The American Church Is Failing to Talk About This Crucial Societal Issue .

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The Bible has a lot to say about caring for orphans.

Protestant churches in the United States appear to be listening.

About 4 in 10 Protestant churchgoers say their congregation has been involved with adoption or foster care in the past year, according to Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

That may be because the Bible tells them to, said…

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To Keep Churches Safe, Government Gets Involved

To Keep Churches Safe, Government Gets Involved



Two months after the deadliest church shooting in American history, federal authorities are spearheading new efforts to help equip local faith leaders to prepare for the worst.


U.S. attorneys’ offices in Colorado, North Carolina and Massachusetts have been convening security workshops for houses of worship in the wake of the Nov. 5 shooting that left more than two dozen worshippers dead in Sutherland Springs, Texas.


The Colorado initiative builds on past efforts to reach faith leaders, while four regional events across Massachusetts this winter mark a new initiative in that state.


Though not a national campaign, the outreach reflects a Trump administration priority to get government more involved in anti-terrorism training for civil society, observers say. The faith-based sector is a priority because data show religious institutions are the most common terrorism targets in the U.S.


Response has been strong. More than 300 attendees turned out for a Jan. 11 event in Taunton, Mass., where representatives from federal, state and local agencies covered active shooter threats among other scenarios.


“I’m not taking a chance on anybody in our congregation getting injured or killed,” said workshop attendee Richard Reid, pastor of North Baptist Church in nearby Brockton, Mass.


“My job as the shepherd of the church is to protect the flock. And I will do so with whatever means I…

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Open Heavens 31st January 2018 – One With God Is Majority

Open Heavens 31 January 2018: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – One With God Is Majority

Topic: One With God Is Majority [Open Heavens Wednesday 31st January 2018]

Memorise: “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

Read: 2 Kings 6:11-17 (KJV)

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 17-19, Romans 6

MESSAGE

“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.” Psalm 33:16

Our God is the Lord of Hosts; He specialises in using a minority who put their trust in Him to perform great feats. To a user of this Devotional: with God alone on your side, you will overcome that battle that has besieged your life. Don’t let your heart be troubled you are on top of that situation in the mighty Name of Jesus. In today’s memory verse, the Holy Spirit is confidently assuring us that as long as God is for us, nobody can be against us. Through His word that cannot fail, the Almighty God further assures us of victory in Isaiah 54:17, saying:

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

The most interesting part of this assurance is that victory is predicated on God’s righteousness and not ours. The devil, who is the accuser of the brethren, therefore has no say in this matter.

Our Bible text confirms the statement that says, “One with God is majority”. When the servant of Elisha saw the chariots and horses of the ungrateful king of Syria, whose general had previously been healed of leprosy, coming to attack his master, his heart melted. But the man of God in 2 Kings 6:16 declared to him thus:

“…Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

Wherever God is, legions of angelic hosts are present, and so when God is with you, His innumerable company of angelic hosts are also with you. This is the reason why a child of God cannot afford to either leave the presence of God or engage in things that would make God forsake him or her. My prayer for you is that you will not do anything that would make the Lord forsake you in Jesus’ Name. The only way to make God your ally is to come to Jesus Christ with a humble heart of total submission to His will. He is inviting you today to a life of victory and rest (Matthew 11:28). Please come to Him and make Him the Lord of your life today.

Prayer Point: Father, please come to my aid as I confront the battles of life that are before me. Please don’t leave me alone to be at the mercy of the enemies that seem stronger than me.

Hymn 10: My Faith Looks Up To Thee

1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4.Whenlife’s swift race is run,
Death’s cold work almost done
Be near to me.
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

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 31st January 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. If you missed yesterday’s devotional click to read Open heavens 30th January 2018 Tuesday.

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.


Salvation Army launch singing group to help people with dementia

Songs including ‘He’s got The Whole World in His Hands’, ‘This Little Light of Mine’ and ‘Joy in my Heart’ all feature as well as popular songs such as ‘Moon River’.

Andrew Wileman runs the programme and told Premier: “One of the joys is that lots of people are living longer but one of the downsides of that is that obviously as we live longer, the element of people living with dementia will increase and we expect those numbers will really soar over the next 15-20 years.”

He said that a misconception is that all older people develop dementia but he cleared up that it wasn’t part of the natural process.

Wileman went on to say: “In our lives, we’re obviously surrounded by music…the joy of music is something that really reflects and resonates in our hearts and minds in terms of keeping us going through a difficult day or a dull Monday!”

The group sings both Christian and secular songs.

“But all of these are coming from a Christian perspective so therefore in our sessions each song is topped by a prayer and a verse from Scripture and followed up by a prayer as well,” he said.

“We know that music plays a big part in our mental well-being, in our metal capacity and releases lots of chemicals within our bodies and in our brains.”

Click here to listen to the full interview with Andrew Wileman, speaking to Premier’s Tola Mbakwe:

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4 Things You Can Do to Help Sexually Exploited Victims in America

 

(Photo: Reuters)Human trafficking.

There are few real life horror stories as disturbing as what happens to children who are being raped, abused and tortured at the hands of predators.

But this isn’t something that only occurs in far, neglected corners of the globe, but also in some of the richest cities in America and the Western world.

January has been designated as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, with the U.S. State Department estimating that between 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year, many of whom are women and young people.

The question is: What can the average person do about it? Is there anyone beside law enforcement agencies who can tackle the seedy underworld of human trafficking?

Expand | Collapse
(PHOTO: COURTESY OF KIM BIDDLE)Person sleeping on couch in undated photo provided by Saving Innocence.

Kim Biddle, founder and CEO of Saving Innocence, a California-based nonprofit that advocates for sexually exploited victims by providing crisis support in collaboration with law enforcement and other agencies, says that fighting for others starts with respecting oneself.

“Take a stand for human dignity and respect, with yourself, your family and your community at large. Honor people — mind, body and soul. Know we are all more connected than we realize, and a society’s health is determined by the treatment of our weakest members,” she told The Christian Post via email about what she would put on a fighting human trafficking list.

Next, she urged people to make sexual exploitation or the degradation of women “unacceptable in our…

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Scientists to Finally Unlock Sealed Ancient New Testament Manuscript .

The pages of the ancient text are so fragile that researchers have been reluctant to risk touching them. (Twitter)

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There is mounting excitement over the revealing of a sealed ancient text that is likely to contain parts of an early version of the New Testament. The mysterious Christian manuscript known as M.910 will be will be viewed using an X-ray scanner; the pages…

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Fearing Deportation, a Third Indonesian Christian Seeks Sanctuary in a NJ Church

Fearing Deportation, a Third Indonesian Christian Seeks Sanctuary in a NJ Church



A third undocumented Indonesian has sought sanctuary in his New Jersey church, saying he fears deportation to his native country because Christians suffer persecution there.


Harry Pangemanan joins two other Indonesian Christians now living in the Reformed Church of Highland Park, about 35 miles south of New York City. One man has lived in the church for more than three months and the other for more than two weeks.


On Sunday (Jan. 28), three days after Pangemanan sought sanctuary in the church, fleeing what he believes were Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside his home, supporters gathered for a vigil and march in support of the three men.


The sanctuary seekers are backed by many in the local clergy and local government, as well as New Jersey’s new governor, Phil Murphy, who has visited the church and on Thursday tweeted his promise to fight on their behalf.


“I just met with families torn apart, and others seeking sanctuary at Reformed Church of Highland Park. Our hearts go out to all New Jerseyans living in fear of deportation. I will fight for you,” he tweeted.


The Highland Park church is one of more than 30 congregations across the nation that are housing people at risk of deportation, according to Church World Service, which is tracking the development.


Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world, has come…

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Dr Michael Youssef marks 30 years of impacting lives

The Leading the Way ministry leader said he could never have imagined the impact of his decision to flee his home country of Egypt in 1969.

Dr Youssef said: “I was only a young man with an emboldened dream to serve the Lord, but I knew God was leading me.

 

“He gave me the courage and tenacity to escape a brutal dictatorship and leave my family behind, with merely 100 dollars in my pocket.”

He went on to launch a small Atlanta-based radio ministry from his church in the States in 1988.

Today, his books and sermons are accessed by millions across the world through 24/7 radio and television broadcasts, available in 25 languages.

Dr Youssef said the greatest reward from the past three decades of ministry has been the changed lives of so many individuals.

Leading The Way has also helped thousands of marginalized Christians, providing more than £2 million in support through its Help The Persecuted ministry.

More than 116,000 solar-powered audio bibles have also been distributed worldwide, reaching remote regions with the Gospel.

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4 Dead After Islamic Terrorists Set Churches Ablaze .

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Residents of Roum village in the Far North region of Cameroon woke up to two churches and many houses ablaze on the night of Jan. 15. The fire was claimed by Boko Haram militants, who had stormed the village late at night. Four people were killed.

Apart from the Union des Eglise Evangelique (UEEC) Church and a Catholic church, the fire also destroyed 93…

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Tom Hanks Will Star as Mr. Rogers in Upcoming Movie

Tom Hanks Will Star as Mr. Rogers in Upcoming Movie



It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, because Tom Hanks has just been cast to play Mr. Rogers in the upcoming biopic, You Are My Friend. Sources at Relevant Magazine and Entertainment Weekly have confirmed that Hanks (fresh off his role in the critically acclaimed The Post) will star as the beloved pioneer of children’s television who became famous for his work in Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The movie itself will be based on the relationship between Rogers and a journalist named Tom Junod, who got to know the actor while writing a profile of him for Esquire magazine.


According to Entertainment Weekly, You Are My Friend has been described as a heart-warming story about a cynical journalist who finds his perspective on life changed. It also aims to teach viewers the transformative power of kindness and respect. The announcement has created a wave a nostalgia among fans who grew up watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and many fear Hollywood will not do Rogers justice, given his roots as a Presbyterian minister. Still, much about the movie remains a mystery. While no official release date on the film has been given, it is estimated the film will premiere in theaters sometime in 2019.


*(Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)


*Published 1/30/2017

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