The note, which had not been approved by senior figures at St Winefride’s primary school in Newham, suggested youngsters in one year 2 class arrive in “dirty and worn out” clothes.
Writing on the school’s website, head teacher Paul Underwood responded: “I have issued a letter to 2N parents regarding the revised Black History Month presentation.
“Once again, I apologise on behalf of the school for Friday’s unauthorised letter and the offence caused.”
According to the Newham Recorder, the letter said: “It might be an idea to not wash these clothes and stain them with tea or coffee to look more authentic.”
Though pointing out the letter was “rogue”, one parent told the local newspaper: “You wouldn’t ask Jewish children to come in and re-enact the Holocaust.”
A spokeswoman told the Recorder: “We understand the importance of Black History Month and celebrate this by studying the success and achievements of black role models.
“The content of this letter is not in keeping with the ethos of the school or a reflection of how the school celebrates Black History Month.”
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in the UK this month, Black History Month recognises the contributions African, Asian and Caribbean people make to the country’s politics, economy and wider culture.
Today’s Scripture: “Two are better than one…if either of them falls down, one can help the other up…” – (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV) Topic: Push People Up [Wednesday October 18, 2017]
We all need somebody to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. We all need people who will push us up, so to speak. After all, there are enough people trying to push us down in life. There are enough people telling us what we can’t become and how we don’t have what it takes. I know in my own life, I wouldn’t be half of who I am if it were not for Victoria. She has spoken so much faith into me. She has called out the potential on the inside.
I believe we all have the responsibility to do this for others. Let’s push people up. Let’s look with our eyes of faith and see their potential and tell them what they can become. If you will be that person for somebody else, God will make sure somebody will be that person for you.
Friend, every person has seeds of greatness on the inside. You can cause your children to rise to a new level. You can be the catalyst for your family to do things they never thought possible. Your words have creative power. When you speak vision, that can be the seed God uses to thrust them to a new level.
A Prayer for Today: “Father, today I commit to push people up. I choose to speak life and call forth the seeds of greatness within. Thank You for using me to help others fulfill their destiny in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Oct. 15, 2017. (Reuters/Abir Sultan/Pool)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on a group of Christian journalists to put a spotlight on the persecution of Christians under Iran’s Islamic regime.
Speaking at the first Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said it’s time to speak out for suffering Christians in Iran.
He cited pastors who are jailed for no other reason than being a Christian leader and believers who have been brutally tortured just for practicing their faith.
“Christians have been lashed—do you hear this?—lashed for sipping wine during prayer services,” he said.
Netanyahu has been warning the world about Iran’s terrorist activities and nuclear ambitions, but he said on this night that he wanted to turn his attention to the persecuted.
“Some world leaders are willing to ignore this repression and seek to appease Iran, but I am not one of them. I think that how a country treats religious minorities is a very good indicator of how it will treat its fellow citizens and its neighbors.”
He then encouraged the Christian journalists to highlight Iran’s suffering believers.
“Dedicate this week to outlining the plight of the countless Christians suffering under Iran. Profile the brave Christian leaders jailed for practicing their faith. Sit with the families, the schoolteachers jailed for years merely for converting to Christianity. … Call out the lies of President Rouhani, who promised in 2013 that all religions would quote “feel justice” in Iran while so many Christians live there in constant terror,” he said.
Sponsored by the Government Press Office, the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, the summit has brought more than 100 Christian journalists and speakers from around the world to learn about Israel’s biblical and modern history as well as its security challenges. Netanyahu’s address at the Israel Museum kicked off the summit.
The Israeli leader praised President Trump for his action this week, seeking to impose changes to tighten the nuclear deal with Iran signed by the Obama administration.
“It made a big impression on America’s allies here. And it made a big impression on Iran. They should be worried, justly so,” he said.
He noted that the Iranian threat is two-fold: the possibility of gaining a “vast arsenal” of nuclear weapons and its aim to create a “Shiite Arc” of influence in the Middle East.
“It wants to build the Shiite Arc—Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon—and it’s working. They want a Shiite arc to colonize and control. It is an act of unadulterated aggression,” he said.
At the end of his speech, the prime minister took questions from some members of the press.
CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell cited Israel’s relief efforts to victims of natural disasters around world and asked Netanyahu why, with all the dangers and struggles the tiny Jewish state faces, it rushes to help others.
“Because we’re a light unto the nations, that’s the fulfillment of that great prophecy. That’s what Israel is doing,” he said.
In recent months, Israel has sent relief goods and rescue teams to victims of the hurricanes in the Caribbean and the U.S. and the Mexican earthquakes.
“People say, ‘Well what are you doing? What is it that you get out of it?’ And the answer is we’re not getting out of it anything. We’re fulfilling our deepest values. Israel is a light unto the nations.”
Readers are Leaders! Subscribe now and get 3 magazines for the price of 1. Get Charisma, Ministry Today and SpiritLed Woman all for $24. YES – Sign me up!
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God’s presence 3) Hear God’s voice clearly! Click here to draw closer to God!
You may never have heard of Gracie Gold, but you need to know her story.
Grace Elizabeth Gold is an American figure skater. She began skating at the age of eight, winning a national title and an Olympic bronze medal in 2014. She won another national title in 2016.
The 2018 Winter Olympics are only five months away. At a time when skaters are working feverishly to prepare, Gracie is stepping away from her sport. Her explanation: “I am currently in treatment for depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. I will not have adequate training time to prepare and compete at the level that I want to.”
Gracie’s decision is both rare and courageous. As sportswriter Eric Adelson notes, “Depression, anxiety and eating disorders are almost always confronted in private, and in many cases they aren’t even acknowledged or realized by the person facing them.” This is especially true for Olympic athletes: “There is always another practice or sponsorship meeting or fan greeting to do for this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Often the needs of the self are suppressed or ignored.”
The numbers are staggering: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 46 percent of Americans experience at least one mental illness at some point in their lives. The CDC reported in 2011 that antidepressant use in the US had increased nearly 400 percent in the last two decades. Antidepressants are the most frequently used class of medications by Americans ages eighteen to forty-four years.
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill were known for significant episodes of depression. Celebrities such as Terry Bradshaw, Owen Wilson, J. K. Rowling, and Gwyneth Paltrow have suffered from depression as well. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was treated for depression and alcoholism and went on to serve as chairman of the National Association of Mental Health.
What causes depression? Counselors cite neurotransmitters in the brain, negative thinking patterns, concurrence of other diseases, side effects of medication, genetics, and difficult life events. A major step forward is admitting the disease and seeking help. That’s why Gracie Gold’s story is so courageous and so significant.
If you’re dealing with symptoms such as feelings of sadness or hopelessness, anger or irritability, loss of interest, sleep disturbances, tiredness and lack of energy, reduced appetite, slowed thinking, feelings of worthlessness, or frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, it is vital that you speak with a doctor or mental health professional as soon as possible. If you’re not struggling with these challenges, it is vital that you support and encourage those who are.
Where is God when depression strikes? “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). He invites you to “cast all your anxieties upon him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). He promises that “weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Remember that “Christ literally walked in our shoes” (Tim Keller) and is walking in yours now (Hebrews 4:15). So, “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (v. 16).
Max Lucado is right: “God never said that the journey would be easy, but he did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”
Intervention by the head teacher comes after a 16-year partnership between St John’s primary school in Tunbridge Wells and CrossTeach.
Writing to parents, Dan Turvey said: “After careful consideration, I have decided that we will end our regular commitment to CrossTeach and that they will no longer lead assemblies or take lessons.”
The school revealed concerns from parents that by welcoming workers from CrossTeach and St John’s Church they exposed students to “extreme beliefs”.
One unnamed parent told The Telegraph youngsters were being told “they would not go to a good place when they died” unless they believed in God.
CrossTeach said its work in schools takes place under constant supervision, and in adherence to school policies and national guidelines.
National director, Wayne Harris said the charity was “very disappointed” by the school’s decision and claimed workers have never been accused of extremist views before.
He said: “Wherever possible we work in partnership with local churches and we reflect their teaching, always aiming to be sensitive to the local context, and recognising that churches vary.
“We teach mainstream Christianity.”
Rev Dick Farr from St John’s Church said the church completely supported Mr Turvey’s letter but urged parents to remember the school was a church school.
Expressing “sadness” at his own decision, Mr Turvey added: “I do not believe CrossTeach has done anything wrong.
“They do not deserve the tarnishing of their good name and allegations of extremism that have taken place over the last few months.”
CrossTeach will still be allowed to operate run a club for children and parents who decide to take part.
Members of the Church of Scientology are coming down hard on Leah Remini and her Emmy-winning series “Scientology and the Aftermath” on A&E. They launched a campaign to convince the documentary program’s advertisers to stop supporting the show.
REUTERS/Fred Prouser
Leah Remini’s “Scientology & Aftermath” is now in its second season on A&E.
Letters and emails from the group called the Scientologists Taking Action Against Discrimination (STAND) were sent to ad buyers of “Scientology and the Aftermath” in the last few months. According to The Wall Street Journal, Anheuser-Busch, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Geico were among the advertisers that received the letters that cited Remini’s show as a hate campaign against Scientology.
“Its first season alone generated more than 400 incidents of harassment, threats of violence and vandalism against our churches and members,” the letter read. “The threat level has again risen, precisely coincident with A&E’s promotion and airing of the second season of this show, now spawning even more threats—bombings, murder and acts of physical violence.”
Remini remains unperturbed despite the show potentially losing income from STAND’s move. She also shot back at trolls on Twitter who attack her show with biases, especially after the airing of the most recent episode about how Scientology leaders abuse children.
The troll claimed Remini’s subjects were drugged before they spoke in front of the cameras. The TV star, however, turned the tables on the troll who had no basis for his claims.
Meanwhile, A&E has yet to renew “Scientology and the Aftermath” for season 3. Remini, however, has already mapped out some ideas about what’s coming up next season. It might include a change in the show’s title because she might pursue a different subject matter: Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“I’m open to doing a season 3 in a different way,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “We’ve been getting an overwhelming amount of emails and people contacting us through [social media] about other cults that are similar [to Scientology], so I’m looking into that.”
Leah Remini’s “Scientology and the Aftermath” airs every Tuesday nights at 10:00 EST on A&E.
My simply answer is that Halloween is a holiday for a religion to which I do not adhere. (Pixabay/StockSnap)
The Halloween debate in many Christian circles can get heated as if it were politics. This article is not meant to cast judgement on people who choose to celebrate Halloween. There are a lot of people I know and love who celebrate it. This article is merely sharing my family’s story and the reason we gave it up. If you don’t agree with me, that’s fine. It’s between you and God.
My husband and I both grew up celebrating Halloween. I would say we both had the stereotypical upbringing of carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating. My family would throw Halloween parties, and I remember getting a plastic Smurfette costume and wearing it proudly. Early on for me, Halloween was something that seemed innocent.
Somewhere along the way, it changed, though. I’m not exactly sure when that happened. Was it the time I dressed up as a witch, and my mother thought I looked so convincing that she wouldn’t let me go out of the house without a cross around my neck? Or was it the time that my aunt and I went into a “Haunted House” put on by the local theater company? I was so terrified that I begged my aunt to let me hide in the building in some random closet.
By the time I was in high school, I worked at a Halloween store, where I dressed up nightly and choreographed their runway show every year. At that point, I know something inside of me had started to wake up to the fact Halloween isn’t all fun and games. I remember working in that store and playing Carmen songs as this horrid pre-recorded witch would cackle a song. This is also about the time I began learning about the supernatural.
What I kept coming back to as I grew older was that there really is a devil; he is out to steal, kill and destroy. But God is bigger. Jesus came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Once I began learning about and seeing exorcisms (demons leaving people) as well as praying for people to get free from demonic activity, it was no longer fun and games to me. It was a very real battle.
Then my husband and I had children, and our oldest was old enough that we had to make a decision. The more I thought about this whole Halloween debate, and learned what its origins really are, the more I couldn’t deny it wasn’t a holiday just meant for fun and games. Rather, it has a very dark side. How could I parent children and encourage them to live their lives on fire for Jesus 364 days a year but tell them it was OK one day a year to act out some practices that are deeply saturated in witchcraft? Could I let the traditions I was raised with overpower a growing check in my spirit when it came to Halloween?
That’s about when a friend of mine sent me several videos. I started doing my own research regarding the origins of Halloween. It’s still celebrated today as a holy day in many demonic circles. Historically, the day is filled with things I do not believe people who are trying to move forward in their relationship with God need to be celebrating.
My simply answer is that Halloween is a holiday for a religion to which I do not adhere.
I’ve heard many arguments from people who want to justify celebrating it. Again, this is the choice my family and I have made. What others want to do is in between them and God. One of the most common arguments is that “Halloween is all fun and games. We dress our children in non-evil costumes.” However, did you know by declaring, “Trick or treat,” you’re basically saying, “Either give me candy or I’m going to put a curse on you?” Again, these are not things I want to encourage my children to say. My husband and I just couldn’t encourage celebrating this holiday in our family.
I’ve also heard the argument that All Hollow’s Eve is Catholic in its origins, so Halloween is based on that, and thus it must be OK. Actually, the Catholic Church took the pagan traditions of Halloween and tried to make it work within the church, so I don’t follow that line of reasoning either. Many people want to argue that “some Christmas and Easter traditions are also steeped in some pagan ones, so how can I say no to Halloween and not to the others?” My answer to this is simple. At Christmas I don’t worship a tree; I celebrate Jesus’ birthday. At Easter, I do not worship a bunny; I celebrate the resurrection.
Another common argument is that somehow “I’m making my children miss out on something by not celebrating Halloween.” Neither of my kids has ever wanted to celebrate the holiday. In fact, both knew at an early age that the creepy decorations and costumes in stores leading up to Halloween were distasteful. I didn’t have to tell them that. I can remember one of my kids being quite loud at some witch display. I tried to walk quickly past it because I was a little embarrassed at how loud my kids were.
If they want candy, I have no problem buying it for them, and I have no problem with them dressing up and being silly. We’ve been a part of various alternative harvest festivals over the years. I’ve also heard the classic argument, “Well I turned out OK,” to which my response is “Great! I’m glad you did, but why would that make me want to celebrate something like this?” Just because I walked on hot coals (not literally) doesn’t mean I think my children should. Why would I encourage my kids to play with fire?
Lastly, I’ve heard the argument “What if my kids grow up and choose to celebrate it?” Well, I hope they don’t. They know how my husband and I feel, but that doesn’t mean I would disown them. What they will choose to do with their future families is between them, their future spouses and God.
To all of these arguments, I want to say this, “When do we teach our children that we are different than the world, and that’s OK? Why do we have to do something just because everyone else is doing it? Why can’t we just take a step back and see what kind of fruit something is manifesting in our lives?”
I realize that by posting this article, I’ll probably offend some people. That is not my desire. I just wanted to share why we gave up Halloween. I wanted to educate some who may not realize the dark side of this day.
Anna M. Aquino is a published author, guest minister and prophetic voice. Her books: Cursing the Church or Helping It? Exposing the spirit of Balaam, Confessions of a Ninja Mom, An Ember In Time and A Marriage In Time are available wherever books are sold. Please feel free to check out her website at annamaquino.com
Readers are Leaders! Subscribe now and get 3 magazines for the price of 1. Get Charisma, Ministry Today and SpiritLed Woman all for $24. YES – Sign me up!
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God’s presence 3) Hear God’s voice clearly! Click here to draw closer to God!
Topic: I Know Your Works III [Wednesday 18, October 2017]
Memorise: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” – 1 Timothy 4:1
Read: Revelation 2:12-17
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Bible In One Year: Mark 10-11. Hymn: Sing Hymn 4 – Take My Life And Let It Be MESSAGE:
In our Bible reading, Jesus Christ commended the Church in Pergamos, reassuring them that nothing about them was hidden from Him. The interesting thing about this Church is that in spite of the nearness the Church to the seat of Satan, they still held on to the Name of Jesus Christ, they never denied their faith even in the face of terrible persecution. However, Jesus Christ had a serious allegation against them. They tolerated in their midst those who were holding on to and practicing false doctrines. This is a food for thought for Christians of the 21st century. In this end-time, we compromise a lot in the name of civilization and fundamental human rights.
Will Jesus not hate such a compromise in the name of fairness when it becomes a stumbling block to the saints? The saints are leaving their first love because of the doctrine of Balaam. This compromise spoiled the good works of the Church in Pergamos. Beloved, do not be deceived by your longevity in Church. God knows your works and He will reward you accordingly.
Prayer Point: Father, help me to disassociate myself from pollution.
Open Heavens 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.
People gather outside the Stonewall Monument in New York City. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
I recently spoke at a community college in Southern California, demonstrating that faith and science are not at odds. In posts leading up to the event, I was labeled a “hate pastor” as LGBT activists protested the event. Sadly, due to escalating campus protests across America, a number of sheriff deputies were on stand-by.
My wife and I were perplexed—when did a message of love become a message of hate? We love the LGBT community, and I wasn’t talking about this issue that evening. When my wife approached them, she was attacked verbally—from profanity to sexual innuendos.
Ironically, those who promote tolerance are often intolerant of those who disagree.
This experience, as well as an upcoming appearance on Fox News.com with Lauren Green to debate a pastor who supports homosexuality, prompted me to define the misunderstandings.
1. Tolerance “tolerates” differences; love embraces regardless of differences. In 2016, I received a call from a concerned sister whose brother was suicidal. The following day, I had the privilege of visiting him, a male prostitute, in North Hollywood. I spent two hours sharing God’s love, my prodigal story and hope in Christ. I left him feeling hopeful and encouraged.
A month later, I received a call that he had died in his sleep, possibly from complications of pneumonia. Just prior to his death, he told his family that he was reading my book, Desperate for More of God. Tolerance would not have motivated me to drive three hours round-trip, but love did. The message from his memorial is here. Judge for yourself—love or hate.
2. Challenging those with whom we disagree is often a characteristic of love, not hate. Parents confront, challenge and admonish daily. They don’t hate their children. Doctors and therapists challenge lifestyles that are high risk to help their patients. The reason it’s being labeled hate speech is to silence the messenger. In short, they don’t want to hear.
3. The Creator made His plan obvious. Jesus said that since the beginning of creation, God created them male and female in order that they would be joined together and become one flesh—to be fruitful and to multiply. He adds, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9). Males and females were created purposely and are complementary by design.
4. The exceptions prove there is a rule. The question arises, “But not all married couples can have children; thus is procreation unnecessary? True, but this fact does not support homosexuality. Some are unable to conceive, and some have no desire for marriage or sex—exceptions do not void the rule. 1 Corinthians 7:2 is very clear that each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
5. There is no scriptural support for homosexuality. Some argue, “The Bible is not an ethical textbook—culture changes and so does truth.” Not so. Not one moral law that God gave is obsolete, from adultery to fornication to homosexuality. Things that were harmful then are harmful now. They are never painted in a positive light. They caused deep pain then as they do now. Some have even suggested that Naomi and Ruth and Jonathan and David had same-sex relationships. This gives the phrase “grasping for the wind” new meaning. This is exegesis in its purest form—reading things into the text that are not there.
Some parents change their view when they find their son or daughter in an LGBT lifestyle; confused, they “accept” the lifestyle, but feelings are not a gauge for truth. Instead, offer hope and remind them that we all struggle with something. If a child sins in the area of anger, infidelity or addiction, we don’t change the Scriptures to fit their behavior; we offer hope in the midst of the struggle. Why should homosexuality or transgenderism be any different? No matter how many laws are passed in favor of gay marriage, it will not change God’s mind. Times change; truth does not.
6. The Bible is crystal-clear on the issue of sexual sin. As a famous teacher once said of the Bible, “If the plain sense makes good sense seek no other sense lest it result in nonsense.” I cringe every time I hear misguided statements in an attempt to support homosexuality, such as misinterpreting “abandoning natural relations” in Romans 1:26-28. Or that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was only neglecting the poor. Or that Corinthians is outdated and Leviticus is talking about rape. Indeed, neglecting the poor is/was a sin, but it was not the only sin. In addition to rampant homosexuality, they were drunkards, gluttons, covetous, profane and wicked. The context of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction was much more than neglecting the poor: “they were haughty and committed abominations.” (See Ezekiel 16 and Jude 1:5-8.) Additionally, early church fathers, as well as creeds and confessions and Reformers, all echoed the same truth.
7. God can advise against eating shellfish as well as homosexuality. Although the dietary laws of the Old Testament do not apply today, they are still beneficial. For example, we now know why things like pork and shellfish were forbidden—they are unhealthy. God’s wisdom is sound and purposeful in guiding relationships as well. Leviticus 20:13 states, “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination …” Romans 1:24-26 says that homosexuality dishonors the body—an exchange of the truth for a lie takes place and they worship the creature rather than the Creator: “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature (Rom. 1:26).
To suggest that these verses are invalid today because God also said to avoid shellfish or because it was the culture back then, is erroneous. I can tell my son not to place his feet on the table, and in the same sentence tell him not to play in the street—both “do not’s” are true even though the consequences differ.
8. The mocking tones of most pastors who support homosexuality speak volumes. A movement that truly is of God is undergirded with humility; words are seasoned with grace. But the opposite is often true with pastors who distort truth. One well-known pastor chided fundamentalists, “They are not fun and they are mental.” How foolish—the term fundamentals comes from essays constructed around 1905 covering the “fundamentals” of the faith. He is actually mocking the foundation of the faith.
Another leader made a shocking statement, “Our greatest spiritual problem has not been sin, it’s been shame.” Confused? So was I. Shame comes from sin. Many of these Christian leaders who support gay marriage only speak to their cheerleaders—they mock anyone who does not agree. I think of Jeremiah 23 often—they are teachers who alter God’s Word, avoid the difficult truths and encourage sin. Granted, arrogance and anger happen on the other side as well, but we don’t accept that behavior from either camp.
9. “I was born this way,” is not an excuse. Although new biological and psychological evidence suggests that the idea of being born gay lacks scientific support, let’s assume that a person can be born gay. We were all born with a bent to lie, cheat, lust, indulge and deceive. In fact, pornography has been coined “every man’s battle.” But that doesn’t make it right; it makes us sinful and in desperate need of a Savior. The hearts of men can change, and they change daily through a relationship with Christ.
10. The struggle for gay rights is not a civil rights issue. Race and color are not choices. Homosexuality is not a civil rights issue. It cannot be linked with the abolishment of slavery either. Some say, “The Bible encouraged slavery. Therefore, homosexuality is obviously OK now.” The Bible doesn’t say that slavery is “right”—it merely references a time when people had slaves and what those conditions were. [Dr. Michael Brown did an exceptional job of breaking down the civil rights issue here.]
In closing, there will be a time when we stand before God to give an account. Some may say, “Lord, I anchored my life in Christ. I believed Your Word and based my life on it as best that I could.” Others will say, “Lord, you gave me a new perspective … a new truth. Although Scripture once said that homosexuality is sin, I don’t think that applies now.” Whose shoes would you rather be in?
“When we become so tolerant that we lead people into mental fog and spiritual darkness, we are not acting like Christians—we are acting like cowards” (A.W. Tozer). We are so worried about offending others, but have we stopped to consider that we may be offending God?
*A sermon on these 10 points will be posted at WCFAV.org after Oct. 22, 2017.
Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, just North of Los Angeles. He recently released his seventh book, Desperate for More of God atshaneidleman.com. Shane’s sermons, articles, books, and radio program can all be found atwcfav.org. Follow him on Facebook at:facebook.com/confusedchurch.
Readers are Leaders! Subscribe now and get 3 magazines for the price of 1. Get Charisma, Ministry Today and SpiritLed Woman all for $24. YES – Sign me up!
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God’s presence 3) Hear God’s voice clearly! Click here to draw closer to God!
Topic: Unpleasant Chain Reaction — Wednesday October 18, 2017.
Text: Lamentation 4:13-22
Key Verse:“Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked”(Lamentation 4:21).
Jesus was so much loved and adored by some inhabitants of Jerusalem in His triumphal entry that they were moved to cut down palm fronds, and lay them alongside their garments, on the ground as a token of their affection for Him. They had seen Him perform numerous miracles and deliverances. And so, they would have persisted in singing hosanna, as Jesus approached the temple. But the tide changed as a result of the fierce opposition of the chief priests and scribes, who persuaded them to betray Jesus before Pilate, and influenced the people to place a curse on themselves and their posterity. It was not as if the people were innocent either. In fact, it was to please them that the priests and prophets (who knew better) acted the way they did.
They not only shed the blood of their innocent children, whom they sacrificed to Moloch, but also the blood of the righteous men that were among them. They so polluted themselves with innocent blood that they made themselves odious to all observers, including the Gentiles who in turn cast aspersions and make mockery of them when they are visited with divine retribution. However, they were mistaken: God had not cast Israel off forever. If anything, He taunted the heathen in Lamentation 4:21. And so, for those who revel in the problems of others, alongside those that are instrumental to the calamities, sudden destruction looms.
Moreover, those who ridicule God’s people (the Church) will sooner or later be made a spectacle themselves. We ought not to gloat over the misery of others. Instead, we must recognize our mandate, as intercessors, to pray for the restoration of a straying brother or sister. Thought for the day: Deride not the fallen; learn from his fate. Bible Reading in one Year: 2 Kings 14-15
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
