At Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester Benefit, Justin Bieber Shares God’s Love and Goodness With Concertgoers

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At Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester Benefit, Justin Bieber Shares God’s Love and Goodness With Concertgoers

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In this Sunday, June 4, 2017, handout photo provided by Dave Hogan for One Love Manchester, singer Justin Bieber performs at the One Love Manchester tribute concert in Manchester, north western England, Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP)

In this Sunday, June 4, 2017, handout photo provided by Dave Hogan for One Love Manchester, singer Justin Bieber performs at the One Love Manchester tribute concert in Manchester, north western England, Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP)

Justin Bieber’s Christian faith has been growing and on display in recent months, and now he just used it to reach out and minister God’s goodness to a British nation reeling from recent terror attacks.

Terrorists used a vehicle to mow down pedestrians on London Bridge Saturday night and then jumped out and stabbed more people to death. That came two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 victims, many of them young girls, attending an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

At the “One Love Manchester” concert Sunday night, which had already been scheduled before the London attack, Grande returned to the stage to offer comfort to a grieving city.

Grande sang some upbeat and motivational pop anthems as the audience cheered loudly for the singer.

Other music stars like Katy Perry and Justin Bieber also joined in the concert to encourage the hurting and raise money to help victims. But Bieber didn’t just offer some music and a message of resilence, he had a message of faith to offer as well.

“God is good in the midst of the darkness. God is good in the midst of the evil,” Bieber told the massive crowd.

“God is in the midst no matter what’s happening in the world, God is in the midst, and He loves you and He’s here for you,” he said.

“I just want to take this moment to honor the people that were lost, that were taken. We love you so much. To the families, we love you so much,” he said. “Put both hands up to honor those people right now. Everybody say, ‘We honor you. We love you.’”

The crowd thundered back, “We honor you, we love you!”

Click here to read more.

SOURCE: CBN News
Benjamin Gill

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Lisa Bevere Unmasks the Feminist Lie Deceiving the Country — Charisma News

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Lisa Bevere Unmasks the Feminist Lie Deceiving the Country — Charisma News

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Author and speaker Lisa Bevere exposed the lie of the feminism that’s deceiving the country during Rise Up.

“There are battles for the men to fight, and there are battles for the women to fight, but for way too long, the women have been fighting the men’s battles, and the men have been fighting the women’s battles,” Bevere proclaimed from stage. “And the men and the women have been fighting each other.”

She continues: “We will no longer hide behind the garment of a man, because God has not appointed us to be sons, but God has appointed us to be daughters.”

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Over 50 killed in Las Vegas shooting

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Over 50 killed in Las Vegas shooting

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A gunman opened fire last night at a music concert in Las Vegas. More than fifty people were killed and more than two hundred were injured. This is the worst mass shooting in US history.

Here’s what we know so far.

The Route 91 Harvest country music festival was taking place across the road from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, near McCarran International Airport on the south side of the Las Vegas Strip. The gunman opened fire from a perch high up in the Mandalay Bay casino.

Police are now confirming that the main suspect is dead. Stephen Paddock, age sixty-four, was a resident of Mesquite, Nevada. He was apprehended on the thirty-second floor of Mandalay Bay, where he died. Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo does not believe there are any more shooters.

Authorities just announced that they have located Marilou Danley, a woman who was traveling with Paddock before the shooting. The victims have not yet been identified. They include two police officers who were on duty and were shot. One is in critical condition. According to the sheriff, other officers who were off duty were shot and killed at the concert.

Our first question is whether this was an act of terrorism. Sheriff Lombardo told reporters that he did not believe it was. He added that “because it’s an ongoing investigation, we don’t know what his belief system was at this time,” but the suspect has no known terrorist connections.

Not much else is known about Stephen Paddock at this hour. He was a white male and was not a military veteran. He had no criminal convictions in Nevada or run-ins with Mesquite police. He lived in a retirement community and apparently acted alone. Marilou Danley lived with him.

I am writing this Daily Article with a grieving heart, just as I am sure you are reading it in stunned disbelief and sadness as well. I hate that we live in a world where a single person can inflict such horrific pain. I hate that our world is so unpredictable that what happened last night in Las Vegas could happen anywhere at any time. I hate this feeling of impotence, this sense that we can do nothing to prevent such atrocities from continuing. I know you feel the same way.

But I also know that our Father is grieving with us.

The Creator of the universe is a Father who loves his children so much that his Son died for us (Romans 5:8). He feels all that we feel, including our pain and grief (John 11:35). “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18).

He wants us to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), but he also wants us to do all we can to heal our broken world. If we give up, the criminals win. If we give up, Satan wins. He was “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44) who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy,” but Jesus “came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” Never give up. The more our world despairs, the more it needs the hope of Jesus.

One last word: When the shooting occurred, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman tweeted, “Pray for Las Vegas.” Please do so, right now.

NOTE: O. J. Simpson left prison yesterday. For my response, please read my latest website article: O. J. Simpson released: 2 biblical principles.

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Imprisoned Pastor Andrew Brunson Writes Moving Song to God

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Imprisoned Pastor Andrew Brunson Writes Moving Song to God

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Imprisoned Pastor Andrew Brunson Writes Moving Song to God


Pastor and missionary Andrew Brunson has been imprisoned in Turkey since last October (2016), but despite his captivity, Brunson’s faith remains strong.


Brunson was initially detained and imprisoned after being accused of aiding the perpetrators of the Turkish coup which took place in July 2016. The Turkish government accused him specifically of being associated with U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, the reported leader of the coup.


Brunson has consistently denied these charges, stating, “I started a church; I am a man of religion who did this with the state’s knowledge. My aim is to tell about Jesus Christ. I didn’t do espionage.”


Brunson and his supporters have called on the Trump administration to work for his release. ChristianToday.com reports that a delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently visited Brunson and also called for his release.


Despite the (as yet) ineffective nature of these efforts, Brunson continues to trust God. He recently penned a moving song, reminiscent of the Psalms:


“You are worthy, worthy of my all / My tears and pain I lift up as an offering / Teach me to share in the fellowship of your suffering / Lamb of God you are worthy of my all,” say the lyrics.


“I want to be found worthy to stand before you on that day / With no regrets from cowardice, things left undone / To hear you say, ‘Well done, my faithful friend, now enter your reward’ Jesus, my Joy, you are the prize I’m running for,” the lyrics continue.


 


Publication date: October 11, 2017

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Village Church to End Multisite Megachurch Model, All Campus Will Be Autonomous

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Village Church to End Multisite Megachurch Model, All Campus Will Be Autonomous

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(Photo: Screen shot via Vimeo)Matt Chandler lead pastor of The Village Church in Texas talks about ending his megachurch model.

Following in the footsteps of the formerly multi-campus Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, The Village Church in Texas, led by Pastor Matt Chandler, has announced the end of their multisite model in favor of making each campus an autonomous church by 2022.

“We believe, compelled by the Holy Spirit, that … to multiply out to individual autonomous churches gives us the best possible ability and capacity to contextually reach the city of Dallas with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Chandler, who also serves as the president of the Acts 29 church-planting network, explained in a video posted on the church’s website.

“We’re all a bit anxious right now … because this thing really is beautiful, and God has done some stunning and spectacular things. We’re just compelled that there are better days ahead,” he said.

The church explained that they began planning to transition each church into an autonomous congregation a few years ago starting with the Denton campus. They weren’t sure when to move ahead with the other campus so they prayed.

“There was not a specific timeline in place for the other campuses; instead, we would rely on the Holy Spirit and when it felt right to do so. We feel that the Lord has made the timing clear to us now and we plan to transition all the campuses within the next five years,” the church explained.

“Establishing a timeline allows us to share it with the staff and the church at large so that we can all pray and plan together. We also believe that campus rolloffs will lead to better, more contextualized ministry for our campuses and our cities, and we want to get to that reality as soon as is sensible. It also gives an answer to succession, helping us to be proactive rather than reactive about it. And, of course, it is an outworking of our mission statement,” the church continued.

The individual churches will also be forming a local church planting network in collaboration with Acts 29 to plant churches “locally and globally.”

“There are 7 million people in the Metroplex alone, and our overarching goal is to reach every man, woman and child with the Gospel through church planting. This will include a strategic residency focusing on planting key leaders all throughout the city. Our hope is that this vision will give us the opportunity to multiply out, planting more churches and sending out more missionaries in DFW and beyond,” the church added.

Beau Hughes, who leads the Denton campus, explained in the video that the transition has already resulted in increased unity in his congregation.

“In the last 10 years of being a pastor here, I’ve never seen anything that has more beautifully united us and formed us together as a congregation than the transition because it thrust upon us the responsibilities that come with being a church,” Hughes said.

Redeemer church in New York City began the process of multiplying into three generative congregations around the city in 2011, according to the church’s website.

“These congregations, each with its own lead pastor, will be unique in some ways, but Redeemer will remain one church body located east, west and south of Central Park. As three ‘sister’ congregations united by our preaching,” it noted.

The congregations were expected to develop plans for serving their neighborhoods more distinctively and on a deeper, more transforming level.

“The hope is that the three congregations will eventually multiply further into 6 to 9 neighborhood based congregations within 5 to 10 years,” the church noted.

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Is the Fabled Microsoft Device Really in the Pipeline?

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REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen/FilesA Microsoft representative shows a smartphone with Windows 10 operating system at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover in this file photo from March 15, 2015. Rumors claim that the next mobile device from Microsoft will be called the Surface Phone.

While rumors about the Surface Phone have been around for more than a year already, those who are excitedly awaiting the arrival of the device are still left in the dark as to what they can really expect, if there is really one, indeed.

There is no denying that the Surface Phone is one of the most talked-about devices. Despite the fact that Microsoft has not made an official announcement that the fabled next Windows mobile device is in the pipeline, various rumors about it continue to swirl online.

Among the many rumors said about the Surface Phone, though, there is no denying that the one claiming it will be a foldable device has been the most persistent. This came after the supposed image of the patent Microsoft applied for which had been leaked online earlier this year. Since then, all rumors about the mysterious phone always included its ability to be folded into the size of a phone and be expanded into a tablet.

The same supposed leaked patent has also inspired designers to come up with their own interpretation and guesses of the Surface Phone, including the latest that includes the device running on Windows Core OS, a new modular OS that brings the improved version of Windows 10 to mobile devices.

While designers’ interpretations of the Surface Phone are nothing short of impressive, unfortunately, they are nothing more than a product of the imagination of those not connected with Microsoft. Hence, it goes without saying that there is no telling whether the Surface Phone would really turn out just how these designers imagine them to be.

Despite the uncertainty of the existence of the Surface Phone, though, those who are excitedly waiting for the arrival of the supposed game-changing device can only pin their hope on Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella’s earlier statement. Speaking with the Australian Financial Review in November last year, Nadella admitted that the Redmond-based company is still not done with the mobile phone market.

“We will continue to be in the phone market not as defined by today’s market leaders, but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device,” Nadella said.

Whether the next Windows Phone will be called the Surface Phone or otherwise, Microsoft outsiders can only speculate for now.

The Surface Phone is rumored to arrive in 2018. 

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‘I grabbed Bible before escaping wildfire danger’

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‘I grabbed Bible before escaping wildfire danger’

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Sara Noah, who lives on the western edge of the Tahoe National Forest, explained how she scrambled for a phone, medication and her Bible when her family had to evacuate their home (not pictured) in the middle of the night.

The 55 year old teacher from Grass Valley near Sacramento explained: “We had to get out really quickly. We were driving to the evacuation centre.

AP Photo/Ben Margot

 

“As we were driving along, they were three or four homes right on the road which were completely engulfed in flames. That was very, very scary.”

Mrs Noah, her husband John (58), their daughter, son-in-law, two grandchildren and a dog were evacuated to a nearby Baptist Church – staffed by Red Cross workers – by at 1.30am on Monday. They have seen able been to return home.

Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP

 

The death toll from the blazes has risen to 17, while more than 180 people have been injured and in excess of 2,000 properties have been destroyed.

Mrs Noah said: “The biggest prayer [request] would be that people could come together as a community. I think this a great opportunity for the Church to come forward and offer physical helps, and spiritual help too.”

Nick Giblin/DroneBase via AP

 

She described how flames have been jumping across roads and speculated that the fire in her neighbourhood could have been started when strong winds brought down a transformer.

Explaining why she took her Bible with her during the evacuation, Mrs Noah said: “To have God’s word as something that I can cling to if I need it, that’s something I just didn’t think about. It’s right by my bed and I grabbed it because I thought we would need it.”

Click here to listen to Premier’s Alex Williams speaking with Sara Noah in California:

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Will Christianity Survive In the Middle East?

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Will Christianity Survive In the Middle East?

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a-church-in-the-middle-east

The Context of Global Christian Persecution

According to the most recent information available from the Pew Research Center, in 2014 “roughly three-quarters of the world’s 7.2 billion people (74 percent) were living in countries with high or very high restrictions or hostilities” involving religion. Although these statistics were modestly better than 2012 and 2013, 2014 showed a “marked increase in the number of countries that experienced religious-related terrorist activities,” and this was primarily due to Islamic terrorists associated with Boko Haram in West Africa, and al-Qaida and Islamic State (ISIL, ISIS, or Daesh), often in the Middle East.

The number of countries with injuries or deaths from “religion-related terrorism” rose from 51 in 2013 to 60 in 2014. Eighteen of 20 countries in North Africa and the Middle East experienced “religion-related terrorism.” It is also important to note that since 2014 there has been an increase in Islamic terrorism outside North Africa and the Middle East. This is a clear reminder that what happens in the Middle East and North Africa does impact very directly the rest of the world.

Not surprisingly, most victims of religious violence and persecution are Christians and Muslims—the two largest religions; though there has also been a rise of anti-Semitism, including violent anti-Semitic attacks in Europe. The most dangerous places to be a Christian in the world include North Korea, North Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Open Doors reports that every month 322 Christians are killed, 214 churches or Christian properties are destroyed, and 772 forms (acts) of violence are committed against Christians. The great majority of the top fifty countries where Christians face the most persecution are Muslim-majority. This represents a very real challenge to Christians, but also to Muslims throughout the world, the majority of whom do not even live in the Middle East (indeed, only 20 percent of the world’s Muslims do).

Though the relationship between Christians and Muslims has frequently been strained through the centuries, it has often been better and more tolerant than in recent decades. In fact, Muslims and Christians have often been capable of living together quite peaceably in the past, which offers hope for the future.

The enormous pressure on persecuted Christians in parts of the Middle East to flee is completely understandable. Yet, it is imperative that we understand that a Middle East devoid of Christians and other religious minorities would be a tragedy—a tragedy not only for Christians and others who have lived in the Middle East for centuries, but a tragedy for an outward-looking and tolerant Islam. Thus, it is in everyone’s best interests to not lose hope and to develop strategies which will promote pluralism and religious freedom. To stay, if at all possible, is what Middle Eastern Christians most want to do and what they feel called by God to do.

Christianity is Ancient in the Middle East

Some Americans envision the Middle East as a monolithic sea of Arabs and Muslims, and they fail to see the rich pluralism of diverse ethnic and religious communities that have inhabited this region for centuries. Far from being the byproduct of Western colonialism, Christianity in the Middle East has ancient roots that reach back to the first century.

The second Chapter of Acts, which talks about the birth of the Church, tells of the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection—the day considered the foundation of the Christian Church when 3,000 believed and were baptized. Among those who are listed as present are the Parthians, Medes, and Elamites—from modern-day Iran and Iraq. We have historical data of this story that goes back to Eusebius in the fourth century, who talks about bishops in this part of the world. There was a converted Jew who was a bishop in Mesopotamia around 100. In fact, there were more Jews living in Mesopotamia in the first century than there were in the Holy Land, and many of them became Christian. Until about 600, more Christians lived in Mesopotamia than in the entire West put together. Mesopotamia was not only the center of Christianity but was also a center of missionary activity that extended to Mongolia, China, and India. The languages Christians speak in places like southern India reveal this history. It is Syriac, a language close to what Jesus spoke. Christians in both the East and Mesopotamia today celebrate Mass in Syriac because of this ancient history.

Click here to read more.

SOURCE: Providence Magazine
Kent R. Hill

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A Prophetic Glimpse of Hollywood — Charisma News

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A Prophetic Glimpse of Hollywood — Charisma News

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Producer Harvey Weinstein and fashion designer Georgina Chapman.
Producer Harvey Weinstein and fashion designer Georgina Chapman. (REUTERS/Danny Moloshok/File Photo)

“You have to sleep your way to the top in Hollywood.”  This has been the unspoken Hollywood secret for decades: the powerful manipulate, corrupt, and abuse the young and vulnerable. Harvey Weinstein was not isolated. His behavior is part of the ethos of Hollywood studio culture. A culture that is all about indoctrination and inoculation. Indoctrinate newbies into a culture of decadence and inoculate their consciences from knowing right from wrong through addiction to power, sex and fame. We always need to pray for those who are in authority in our nation, and Hollywood exercises a profoundly powerful authority over this nation through media and culture. Download your free prayer resource.

Meryl Streep called Harvey Weinstein a god. He was a man who could make or break a career. Not only like a god, he was also known—for 30 years now—to regularly pursue sexual assault as a way of forcing young women to exchange favors for opportunity.

There is obvious demonic activity in a man who has a three-decade reputation for perversion and power. We don’t have to wonder about this one. In the second most powerful town on the globe—second to Washington, D.C.—the stakes are high for our enemy to do what he can to enslave and destroy. I am writing about Hollywood because there is a significant connection in the spiritual realm between the two most powerful cities in the world. A purified Hollywood would dramatically affect Washington, DC.

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Seven Characteristics of Proactive Pastors

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Seven Characteristics of Proactive Pastors

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Podcast Episode #368

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

Reactivity can hurt a pastor’s ministry, but so many pastors are more reactive than proactive. Today, we examine seven traits of a proactive pastor.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

  • When looking ahead, plan and communicate for the future.
  • A proactive pastor is one who brings chaos back to order.
  • The more you develop relationships, the more freedom you will have to lead.
  • Sermon prep should have more importance on your calendar than anything else you do as a pastor.
  • Proactive pastors do not focus on critics.
  • You will be hit with criticism as a pastor. How much will you let it detour you from what you’re called to do?
  • You can’t do away with critics, but you can do away with unhelpful reactions to them.
  • Emotions should follow actions, not determine them.

The seven characteristics we cover in this episode are:

  1. Looks ahead.
  2. Develops relationships well.
  3. Calendars in blocks of time.
  4. Does not focus on critics.
  5. Finds joy in the day-to-day work of ministry.
  6. Has a long-term perspective.
  7. Prays for their own leadership.

Episode Sponsors

Vanderbloemen Search GroupVanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. Their Fall Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor Coaching Networks are now open for registration, and our very own Dr. Rainer will be speaking at the Fall Lead Pastor Coaching Network.

So if you’re a Lead Pastor or an Executive Pastor looking for peer roundtable coaching, check it out at vanderbloemen.com/coaching. It’s limited to 16 folks, so apply today before it fills up.

Midwestern Seminary is interested in helping you get to the field faster. And they’re serious about training leaders for the church. That’s why they’ve created the all-new Accelerate Program. In Midwestern’s Accelerate Program, students earn both Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Divinity degree in just 5 years of intensive study. That’s a B.A. and an M.Div. at the same time. This innovative residential program combines rigorous academic training with practical ministry preparation, resulting in one of the most effective programs around, so that you can pursue your ministry calling as soon as possible.

Two degrees in five years – all in one program: Accelerate at Midwestern Seminary. Take the next step by visiting mbts.edu/accelerate.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?

Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast

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