Billy Graham: Jesus Proved His Divinity Through His Words and Actions

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Billy Graham: Jesus Proved His Divinity Through His Words and Actions

Evangelist Billy Graham (Photo: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

Christian Post Report – Evangelist Billy Graham speaks during his Crusade at Flushing Meadows Park in New York, June 25, 2005. Graham, 86, has preached the Gospel to more people in a live audience format than anyone in history – over 210 million people in more than 185 countries. His followers believe that the New York Crusade which runs from June 24 to 26 will be his last live appearance.

Jesus repeatedly proved his divinity through his words and actions, the Rev. Billy Graham said in a post this week.

Responding to a March 15 question posted to the “My Answers” portion of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s (BGEA) website, the well-known preacher explains that Jesus not only had a close relationship with God, but that he was also God’s Son.

“The divinity of Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith,” Graham explains, responding to a question that sought to clarify if Jesus was truly divine.

Graham then points to several examples in the Bible that prove Jesus’ divinity, including John 10:30 and John 10:33, as well as John 14:9, which states: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

As well as telling his disciples and others of his divinity, Jesus also exhibited it through his actions, the reverend continues.

Examples of these deeds include when Jesus practiced authority over nature, brought healing to the sick, and performed miracles.

“Most of all, He proved His divine nature by rising from the dead. To those who doubted Him He said, ‘Even though you do not believe me, believe the works’ (John 10:38),” the Baptist minister adds.

Ultimately, it is important for Christians to understand and accept Jesus’ divine nature because it is a core tenant of their faith, Graham writes.

“[…] only a divine Savior could make it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins, and only a divine Savior could offer us the gift of eternal life,” Graham says.

Graham discusses Jesus’ divinity in a December 2015 post as well, explaining that Christ’s resurrection is proof of his holy nature.

The evangelical leader explains that Jesus is set apart from other religious teachers because he was both fully human and fully God at the same time.

Jesus was also different because he was able to die and rise again.

“[…] Jesus did something no one has ever done: He rose from the dead, by the power of God. His resurrection is the final proof of His divine nature,” Graham explains.

Graham elaborated on Jesus’ divine resurrection in an October 2014 post, explaining that “only a divine savior” would be able to rise from the dead to cleanse humans of their sins.

“Death could not hold [Jesus]!” Graham proclaims. “If His enemies wanted to discredit Him after His disciples claimed He had come back from the grave, all they had to do was produce His body. But they couldn’t — because God had raised Him from the dead.”

“Only a divine Savior could become the final sacrifice for our sins, and only a divine Savior could come into our lives and change us from within. Don’t let doubt grip your soul any longer, but discover Jesus as He really is — and then open your heart and life to His transforming power,” Graham adds.

Graham, 97, is a well-known evangelical leader and founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which is now overseen by his son, Franklin Graham.

Source : Christian Post

Mark Driscoll Admits He Began Ministry Too Young: ‘Any Old Kite Will Fly in a Hurricane’

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Mark Driscoll Admits He Began Ministry Too Young: ‘Any Old Kite Will Fly in a Hurricane’

Perry Noble (Photo: Screengrab/Mark Driscoll/NewSpring Church)

Christian Post Report – Pastor Mark Driscoll talks with NewSpring Church pastor Perry Noble during Noble’s The Most Excellent Way to Lead Conference on March 3, 2016, Anderson, South Carolina.

On a winding road to a comeback, ex-Mars Hill Church pastor Mark Driscoll received a standing ovation as he took to the stage at Perry Noble’s Most Excellent Way to Lead Conference earlier this month, where he admitted that he started in the ministry too young and would have benefited from the guidance of an older mentor.

During an on-stage interview with NewSpring Church pastor Perry Noble, Driscoll explained that at age 19 he was “radically saved” after he began reading the Bible in college. From then on, his life seemed to progress at a rapid pace.

At 21-years-old, Driscoll had married his wife, Grace — a preacher’s daughter, and by 22 he began hosting Bible study in the living room of their home.

“I started ministry, quite frankly, too young,” he admitted, adding that he would have benefited from the tutelage of a “godly, older mentor.”

Over the years that followed, his ministry grew, resulting in the founding of Mars Hill Church in 1996, and the baptism of over 10,000, Driscoll said.

Regarding the early beginnings and rapid growth of the now defunct Mars Hill, Driscoll said, “There were things that God did that I have no credit for or explanation for … I was a kite, and then a hurricane came … Any old kite will fly in a hurricane.”

At one point during the interview, Noble said that he didn’t intend to revisit the events that led to Driscoll’s fall in 2014 and the demise of Mars Hill Church. “Not going to unhash everything that happened, ’cause frankly I want you, and I want us, to just move on,” he said. Noble did, however, ask Driscoll to share any regrets he had, or any areas where he fell short regarding his recent scandal and the many allegations he presently faces.

Driscoll seemed to avoid a direct answer saying, “The people that have helped me to learn in this season — there’s a long list of them — have been amazingly kind to my wife and I … There are some things that I would like to learn. There were some things that, if I had been more patient as a young leader, I should’ve learned … I genuinely am in a season of learning.”

The ex-Mars Hill pastor likely counts Noble as one of those who has helped him throughout his pubic ordeal. Shortly after Driscoll’s Feb. 1 announcement that he was starting a new church, Noble expressed his support for the new venture.

“I’m going to choose to believe in Pastor Mark and Grace (Driscoll’s wife) as they set out on this endeavor to plant a church,” Noble said in video posted to Facebook. “And I just want to say that I support him 100 percent.”

Driscoll told Noble that he spent the past year surrounding himself with “older leaders and mentors” and that the experience has been like a “graduate school class in leadership. Not talking a lot, listening a lot. Not teaching a lot, but learning a lot … It’s been a remarkable season of learning.”

Less than two weeks ago, the ex-Mars Hill pastor was hit with a lawsuit that named him, former Mars Hill chief elder Sutton Turner and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, among others, as co-conspirators in fraud and racketeering regarding donor contributions, The Christian Post previously reported. The suit questions how more than $2 million in donations for church planting and a festival were spent.

Mark Driscoll’s fall has been a dramatic one as he was once described as one of America’s “most prominent and celebrated pastors” by Forbes, but he resigned in disgrace as senior pastor of Seattle-based Mars Hill in October 2014 after a confluence of events marred his reputation, including allegations of plagiarism and fostering an abusive work environment. Two weeks after Driscoll’s resignation, Mars Hill Church announced that it would dissolve.

See Pastor Mark Driscoll’s full interview here:


Follow me on Twitter: @kevindonporter

Source : Christian Post

Muslim Family Burns Down Son’s Home, Beats Him With Stick for Accepting Jesus Christ as His Savior

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Muslim Family Burns Down Son’s Home, Beats Him With Stick for Accepting Jesus Christ as His Savior

Uganda (Photo: Reuters/James Akena)

Christian Post Report – A church bell hangs from a tree brunch outside a catholic church and a school in Odek village, north of Uganda capital Kampala, February 14, 2015.

Muslim parents in eastern Uganda burned down their son’s home after learning that he left Islam to give his life to Jesus Christ, a leading Christian persecution watchdog group has reported.

After Mohammed Nsera, a Nigerian teen who lives in the predominantly Christian village of Katende, Uganda, graduated from high school last year, his Muslim parents kindly built him a small house on the family’s property as a graduation present.

According to Morning Star News, Nsera gave his life to Christ on Jan. 3 after he heard about the power of Christ’s salvation at an evangelistic event and later had a dream in which Jesus appeared to him. The news of Nsera’s conversion drew the ire of his parents, uncle and six siblings.

A week passed before Nsera’s father learned about the news of his conversion. When Nsera’s father and uncle went to the small house that they built for him to question him about the rumor of his conversion, Nsera didn’t hide from the truth.

As Nsera’s family is part of a hardline Muslim minority in eastern Uganda, his uncle and father didn’t take too kindly to the joy he had in admitting that he did, in fact, leave Islam for Christianity.

As a result, Nsera’s uncle whacked him across the back with a stick, while his father also tried to assault him. Fortunately, Nsera’s quick reflexes allowed him to escape out the door without further harm.

“I could not deny Christ when my father asked me whether I had joined Christianity,” Nsera told Morning Star News. “With a lot of joy I answered him affirmatively, with a yes. My uncle, who had a walking stick, hit me on my back, and my father tried to get hold of my shirt, but I managed to escape with a tattered shirt and a bleeding back.”

Morning Star reports that Nsera fled to the home of a Christian friend, located about 13 miles from his parents homestead. It was there that he heard news that his parents had burned down the home they had built for him.

“I received reports that my parents, uncle and some other Muslims were looking for me,” Nsera explained. “I have lost my entire valuables, especially my academic certificates.”

With Nsera’s family and other hardline Muslim now out to get him, the possibility is real that his family will try to avenge his betrayal of Islam in the form of an honor killing — like many other Muslim families against converts within their families.

After hearing the news that his family is looking for him, Nsera decided to flee even further from his parents’ home. He is now taking refuge in a village that is over 60 miles from his parents’ village, where a pastor has graciously provided him with shelter.

“Mohammed needs support for furthering his education,” the unnamed pastor said in an interview with Morning Star News. “My church, which was founded recently, is still small.”

Even though Christians comprise about 85 percent of Uganda, they are constantly under attack for their faith. Notably, converts from Islam frequently need to worry about their safety, since their conversion is considered “apostasy.”

In June 2015, a mother of 11 was poisoned to death by her Muslim in-laws after she and her husband, a former Islamic school teacher, converted to Christianity. Morning Star reports that Namumbeiza Swabura was poisoned by her sister-in-law, who poisoned a meal that she had made for her. It is believed that the sister-in-law was likely paid to kill Swabura.

Last October, a mother of eight was dragged from her home and beaten to death by a Muslim mob after her husband converted to Christianity.

On Dec. 18, five Christians in eastern Uganda were killed after a pesticide was placed in their food during a Bible study. Five days later, a eastern Ugandan pastor was hacked to death.

This January, another Christian convert in eastern Uganda named Laurence Maiso was beaten to death and left in a pool of his own blood. An imam, who was later arrested in connection with the murder, asked Maiso before his death, “Do you know that Allah does not want us to have a kafir [infidel] neighbor?”

“And you should know that Allah is about to send to you the Angel of Death in your house,” the imam warned Maiso, according to his wife. “Please prepare to meet him at any time.”

Follow Samuel Smith on Twitter: @IamSamSmith

Source : Christian Post

Archaeologists Create 3D Images of Syria’s Historic Sites as ISIS Decimate Artifacts

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Archaeologists Create 3D Images of Syria’s Historic Sites as ISIS Decimate Artifacts

Syria (Photo: Reuters/Rodi Said)

Christian Post Report – A general view shows a church in the Assyrian village of Abu Tina, which was recently captured by Islamic State fighters, February 25, 2015. Kurdish militia pressed an offensive against Islamic State in northeast Syria on Wednesday, cutting one of its supply lines from Iraq, as fears mounted for dozens of Christians abducted by the hardline group. The Assyrian Christians were taken from villages near the town of Tel Tamr, some 20 km (12 miles) to the northwest of the city of Hasaka. There has been no word on their fate. There have been conflicting reports on where the Christians had been taken.

French and Syrian archaeologists have collaborated to have some of Syria’s most revered historical sites uploaded online as 3D images after the country’s history has been threatened by the Islamic State terror group.

The project, known as the Million Images Database, is the result of collaboration between the French imaging company Iconem and the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM).

Along with 3D replicas of famous historical sites, such as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the famous Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, archaeologists will also be sharing important artifacts and museum treasures online as a way of preserving Syria’s history.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, who is overseeing the digitization project, told the AFP that the goal of the imaging is to provide a solution to “the dramatic situation in our country” as it continues to suffer destruction at the hands of the Islamic State.

Abdulkarim added that historians are trying to “avoid an irreplacable loss to humanity” despite the continued annihilation of historic sites.

“This solution gives our archaeological sites a real hope of renaissance and allows the memory of them to be preserved, no matter what happens,” he said.

The push to digitize Syria’s rich history comes after the Islamic State terror group began destroying archaeological sites last year.

One of the most egregious offenses by the Islamic State happened when the terrorist group “blew up” the famous Arch of Triumph, located in the ancient city of Palmyra, in October 2015.

Abdulkarim, who also oversees the country’s antiquities unit, told Reuters at the time that Syria’s history is doomed if the Islamic State continues to assault its ancient cities.

“If the city remains in their hands the city is doomed. It is now wanton destruction,” the antiquities expert said, adding that “their acts of vengeance are no longer ideologically driven because they are now blowing up buildings with no religious meaning.”

Mohammad Hassan al-Homsi, an activist for the ancient city, told BBC that the terrorist group had effectively “pulverized” the structure.

“The Arch of Triumph was pulverised. IS has destroyed it,” al-Homsi said at the time.

The terrorist group, which views such historic structures as idolatrous, received criticism from the United Nations after it destroyed the arch, along with temples from the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Palmyra.

“This new destruction shows how terrified by history and culture the extremists are, because understanding the past undermines and delegitimizes the pretexts they use to justify these crimes and exposes them as expressions of pure hatred and ignorance,” UNESCO said in a statement, noting that the Islamic State militants should be tried for war crimes.

The terrorist group has also targeted cultural sites in nearby Iraq, destroying the country’s oldest Christian monastery in January 2016.

The Rev. Paul Thabit Habib, who has relocated to Irbil, Iraq, said earlier this year that the terrorist group’s systematic destruction of Christian sites proves its desire to wipe Christianity from the Middle East.

“I can’t describe my sadness,” he told the Associated Press. “Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically leveled. We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land.”

Source : Christian Post

‘Miracles From Heaven’ Girl Annabel Beam Talks Real Life Experience in Heaven (Interview)

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‘Miracles From Heaven’ Girl Annabel Beam Talks Real Life Experience in Heaven (Interview)

Miracles from Heaven (Photo: Youtube/ChristianPost)

Christian Post Report – Annabel Beam talks Heaven on promotional tour for “Miracles from Heaven,” Dallas, Texas, 2016.

DALLAS – While on the road promoting the upcoming film “Miracles From Heaven” about their life, the Beam family opened up about Heaven, keeping the faith in times of crisis and more.

“Miracles From Heaven” narrates the real-life story of 12-year-old Annabel Beam (Kylie Rogers), who is the daughter of Kevin (Martin Henderson) and Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner). Anna suffered from a pseudo-obstruction motility disorder for years and was unable to eat, using feeding tubes for nutrition. One day, after a near-death fall from a tree, she is subsequently cured of her disorder – a miracle that Anna said she was told would happen by Jesus himself while unconscious and in Heaven.

When asked if “Miracles From Heaven” really captured her experience in Heaven, Anna flat out said “No!”

“In my experience I didn’t have to go through a journey to go to Heaven,” she told The Christian Post. “I was just kind of there.”

“Miracles from Heaven,” which hits theaters March 16, portrays Heaven as somewhat of a magical forest with brilliant colors and butterflies. Anna maintains that she did not in fact see those things.

“In my experience it was bright and [there] wasn’t fields and things like that,” she revealed.

Watch CP’s full interview with the Beam family below.

Although the movie took theatrical liberties in its portrayal of Heaven, it does give viewers an accurate glimpse into the pain the Beam family suffered. Kevin, Anna’s father, explains how he kept his faith while navigating through the rough times.

“It was a daily reset for me and I feel like on the surface I had to be incredibly strong, first off for Anna because she was going through so much physically on a daily basis, that I needed to be strong for her and then for the entire family,” he said.

Kevin is portrayed in the movie as the calm parent who keeps his faith throughout everything and does whatever he can to support his family, but he says in real life things were a bit different.

“It doesn’t come across in the movie but they were there for me way more than I was there for them – our family, we just fed off of each other,” Kevin assured. “This would be my week to have just a really hard week and Christy would be right there for me, Abby, Addeline even Anna! There’s times when she’s comforting me when I was trying to comfort her.”

“Ultimately it was a daily reset to say, ‘my family needs me to be strong.’ It doesn’t mean that I wasn’t challenged, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t question why things were happening but I ultimately didn’t question the source.” The father of three continued, “I knew that God was ultimately in control. Never did I imagine that the outcome would be as beautiful as it was but I knew that God knew.”

Abigail (Abby) is the eldest Beam daughter and was present at the time of Anna’s miraculous fall. After watching the movie, it is evident that all of the family members were seemingly affected by Anna’s condition, but Abby maintains that it was much worse having to live it out.

“It was hard to watch for sure. That whole time period was just so hard. In the movie it happens a lot quicker than it actually did in our lives. It actually went on for a period of a few years of when she was sick. So it was such a large section of my life that I don’t really think about as much, because it was so hard,” the 16-year-old sibling said. “Seeing it on screen was hard. Also, I just left feeling my faith so reassured. I’m just so excited for other people to see it and hopefully leave with that same sense of just faith that God is real and God is there.”

In the faith-based flick, Christy Beam fights until the end to get answers on her daughter’s condition but at one point loses peace and becomes angry with God.

“I look back right now and reflect on that time when I was so angry and frustrated and the sweetest thing about that is, as angry and as frustrated as I got at Him, He never, ever, ever was angry or frustrated at me and always showed His love through others to me. So never at any time was I alone,” Christy said of God and her experience.

She added, “Even when I thought that I was alone and in a dark place, He was still reaching and loving me through the arms and the hands and the help and prayers [of] other people.”

Now with a book out and a movie on the horizon, Christy and her family have been propelled into full-time ministry, spreading the message of hope in eternity through those platforms. Christy admits that she is still baffled.

“I know that my platform has become that of the encourager, I never thought that I would be the encourager to others,” Christy stated, “Just that God is not only real but that He is faithful, during those times when you feel like there’s silence or darkness. There are acts of faithfulness all around you.”

“That has become my platform and my ministry to help people come to that understanding that it may be dark and it may be a struggle but look at Him reaching you through so many other avenues that you’re missing because your head is down, but look up,” she concludes.

For more information on “Miracles from Heaven,” visit sonypictures.com

[email protected]

Source : Christian Post

ISIS’ New Horrifying Video Shows Gruesome Beheadings of 3 ‘Spies’ by Horseback Executioners

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ISIS’ New Horrifying Video Shows Gruesome Beheadings of 3 ‘Spies’ by Horseback Executioners

Christian Post Report – Three Islamic State prisoners accused of spying kneel before they are eventually beheaded in a publicized execution video published by the terror group on March 12, 2016.

The Islamic State terrorist organization has released yet another chilling propaganda beheading video, this time showing three men accused of espionage being led to their place of execution with leashes around their necks while their executioners ride horseback.

The militant group published a five-minute cinematic video (graphic) over the weekend to its affiliated media outlets that not only features a montage of the group’s past videoed executions but also features a never-before-seen execution of three men accused of being spies in the group’s Al-Furat province.

According to the Daily Mail, the video’s narrator accused the men of collaborating with the United States-led coalition against IS (also known as ISIS or ISIL) in Arabic and also blames them for airstrikes that have been carried out against the militant group in the last few weeks.

Prior to the execution scene, the video showed footage of B1-B Lancer warplanes dropping bombs on an IS-controlled area and blowing up buildings. Prior to the dropping of the bombs, a voiceover featuring a speaker in an American accent says the “enemy is in sight, they are all armed.”

After the footage of the explosion and the bellowing smoke cloud, the next scene in the video displays the mutilated bodies of dead children and innocent civilians, who the group claims were killed by the coalition airstrikes.

The narrator references the “airstrikes of the crusader Coalition” and states that “God mandated punishments” that the militants will carry out.

Then, the video cuts to footage of the three accused men sitting on their knees inside their jail cell when a militant dressed in military camouflage, combat boots and a black balaclava comes to let them out so they can be led to their execution.

In the next scene, the men are shown being led down a cleared path in a wooded area while they were being held by leashes around their necks by the executioners, who were riding on horses through the procession.

The IS executioners, who were dressed in brown pants and brown shirts with black veils covering all but their eyes, hopped off their horses in unison once they reached their destination.

The executioners forced the prisoners down to their knees in front of them. The camera then focuses on one of the executioners, who proclaimed in Arabic that the men were accused of “spying for the enemy.”

Afterwards, the men were forced to lie on their bellies, while their captures straddled their bodies and pulled up their heads by their hair and proceeded to cut their heads off with knives.

Once the executioners were finished fully decapitating their victims, they placed the prisoners’ heads on top of their bodies while they stood and posed over their bodies with their arms and knives covered in blood.

The graphic video of the beheadings can be found by clicking here.

News emerged Monday that the terrorist group also executed and crucified a 22-year-old man in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province on the charge that he supported Kurdish forces.

“The 22-year-old victim was arrested at a restaurant in central Deir ez-Zor for talking about the Kurdish advance towards Deir ez-Zor and saying ‘Kurds are coming,'” media activist Ahmed Ramadan told the Kurdish media outlet ARA News.

The man was arrested by IS religious police and referred to sharia court, where he was quickly sentenced to death.

“The man was executed and crucified in front of hundreds of people in the city center,” an eyewitness told ARA.

Source : Christian Post

Billy Graham: Aging Christians Should Take Comfort in God’s Word

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Billy Graham: Aging Christians Should Take Comfort in God’s Word

Christian Post Report – Evangelist Billy Graham speaks at the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 31, 2007.

Aging Christians who may be losing their senses, such as sight, can take comfort in God’s Word, the Rev. Billy Graham wrote in a recent post.

In a question posted to The Kansas City Star, a worried Christian asked the 97-year-old evangelical leader if God would be upset with them because they are no longer able to read their Bible.

Graham explains that there should be no reason to worry, as God knows what each of His children are capable of. Instead, Christians who are losing their senses can take comfort in their memories of God’s Word and look for other ways to learn it.

“[…] take comfort in the truths you have read in God’s word over the years, and which (hopefully) have taken root in your heart and mind,” the evangelical leader explains, adding that “reading the Bible shouldn’t be something we do just out of habit, or because we think God will look with favor on us if we do it. The Bible is God’s word, and God wants to speak to us through its pages.”

“That’s why we always should come to the Bible prayerfully, reverently, thoughtfully and obediently,” Graham says.

The Baptist minister goes on to say that there are other ways for Christians to learn God’s Word, such as listening to their pastor’s sermons, listening to a Christian radio station, or attending a Bible study that focuses on audio recording instead of reading.

Graham points to Psalm 78:1 which states: “My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.”

He concludes by saying that while it is important to follow the Bible, it is most important to have Christ at the center of your life.

“Christ is the center of the Bible — and may he be the center of your life as well,” Graham says.

He has spoken on the topic of aging before, writing in September 2015 that Christians should not feel guilty if they are no longer able to drive to a church service or participate in their church community like they used to.

“Remember, God’s Word is not limited by distance or confined only to a building,” Graham explains, quoting Hebrews 4:12 that states: “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword […] it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

While some activities may prove more difficult with age, Graham encourages Christians to maintain their ties with their church community in every way they can, including sending their pastor a note or staying in contact with their church friends.

In 2011, Graham, then 93, released a book entitled Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well
that details the experience of growing old.

“I never thought I would live to be this old. All my life I was taught how to die as a Christian, but no one ever taught me how I ought to live in the years before I die,” Graham writes in the book, adding that he “[wishes] they had because I am an old man now, and believe me, it’s not easy.”

Source : Christian Post

Mark Driscoll’s New Church to Hold First Gathering in ‘Supernaturally Provided’ 1400-Seat Facility

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Mark Driscoll’s New Church to Hold First Gathering in ‘Supernaturally Provided’ 1400-Seat Facility

Mark and Grace Driscoll (Photo: Screen Grab via markdriscoll.org)

Christian Post Report – Pastor Mark Driscoll (R) and his wife Grace (L).

Easter Sunday will mark a new beginning for ex-Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll and the congregation of his new Arizona-based Trinity Church, which will hold their “first-ever gathering.”

The Easter proceedings will take place at Scottsdale’s Glass and Garden Drive-In Church, according to a recent announcement on The Trinity Church website.

Although Trinity Church is hosting a gathering, it has not officially launched, according to the Church. “In time, we look forward to launching The Trinity Church. In the meantime, we did not want to pass up this historic opportunity to gather for the first time on the 50-year anniversary of the landmark building, which opened on Easter 1966.”

The statement continued, “Even though it’s last minute, as the ink on our rental contract is still wet, we look forward to meeting you at our modest open house and prayer meeting. Pastor Mark will be sharing our church vision as we begin gathering our launch team.”

The website explained that Driscoll spent months praying for a church facility with 1,000 or more seats that was situated along the 101 Freeway. With the Glass and Garden Drive-In Church, ” … Pastor Mark believes that God has supernaturally provided.”

The rented church, built in 1966, is a mid-century modern circular structure that seats 1,400 and initially had an adjacent drive-in movie facility equipped with drive-in-movie speakers so parishioners could listen to a service from the comfort of their vehicles. That structure is no longer there.

Less than two weeks prior to Driscoll’s Easter gathering announcement, the pastor was slapped with a lawsuit that named him, former Mars Hill chief elder Sutton Turner and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability — an accreditation organization, among others, as co-conspirators in fraud and racketeering regarding donor contributions, The Christian Post previously reported. Filed by the Law Office of Brian Fahling, the suit questions how more than $2 million in donations for church planting and a festival were spent.

Despite his troubles, Driscoll has received support from many fellow clergymen — South Carolina-based megachurch pastor Perry Noble being one of the most vocal. Noble recently took on critics of the ex-Mars Hill pastor who felt that he wasn’t ready to lead another congregation.

“Here’s a man who messed up, made some mistakes, admitted it, apologized, said he was sorry — he’s starting over … Who made you the judge on whether or not he’s ready?” Noble said.

Driscoll was once described as one of America’s “most prominent and celebrated pastors” by Forbes, but he resigned in disgrace as senior pastor of Seattle-based Mars Hill in October 2014 after a confluence of events marred his reputation, including allegations of plagiarism and fostering an abusive work environment. Two weeks after Driscoll’s resignation, Mars Hill Church announced that it would dissolve.

The Christian Post reached out to Mark Driscoll for comment, but did not receive a response by press time.

Follow me on Twitter: @kevindonporter

Source : Christian Post

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un Threatens to Kill Everyone in Manhattan With H-Bomb

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North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un Threatens to Kill Everyone in Manhattan With H-Bomb

Kim Jong-un (Photo: Korean Central News Agency, via Reuters)

Christian Post Report – North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, center, at a rocket launch drill, in a photo released March 11.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has reportedly ordered a nuclear warhead test only days after threatening to destroy New York City and kill all of its residents with an H-bomb.

AFP reported that North Korea’s nuclear and multiple ballistic missile tests continue despite increased United Nations sanctions against it.

KCNA news agency, North Korea’s state-run media, claimed on Tuesday that Kim’s government has carried out a successful simulated test of the warhead re-entry technology that would be needed to launch a long-range attack on America.

The New York Times has reported that it would be North Korea’s fifth nuclear test in defiance of the U.N. sanctions, with Kim declaring that “a nuclear warhead explosion test and a test-fire of several kinds of ballistic rockets able to carry nuclear warheads will be conducted in a short time to further enhance the reliance of nuclear attack capability.”

The missile tests and threats of nuclear warfare have come in response to annual military drills conducted by the United States and South Korean armies, which Kim’s government sees as a threat to its safety.

On Sunday, North Korea threatened to wipe out the borough of Manhattan in New York with a hydrogen bomb on a ballistic missile, though as The Washington Post points out, the isolated regime has long been making exaggerated threats.

“Our hydrogen bomb is much bigger than the one developed by the Soviet Union,” declared the state-run DPRK Today.

“If this H-bomb were to be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile and fall on Manhattan in New York City, all the people there would be killed immediately and the city would burn down to ashes,” the report added.

It further cites a nuclear scientist named Cho Hyong Il, who says that the government’s newly developed hydrogen bomb “surpasses our imagination.”

While experts have expressed skepticism at North Korea’s multiple claims, South Korea’s Defense Ministry warned Kim’s regime that its continued threats may bring about its own downfall.

“If the North continues to make provocations despite the stern warnings made by our military, it is inevitable for us to roll out a strict response that may lead to the destruction of the Pyongyang regime,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Kim’s government has been accused of continued human rights abuses, including mass persecution of Christians and religious people.

Back in January, persecution watchdog group Open Doors listed North Korea as the worst country for Christians in the world in its 2016 Worth Watch List.

“Getting information out of North Korea is notoriously difficult. That is what makes the fact that it remains number one on the World Watch List even more amazing. We don’t even know how many Christians have been martyred in North Korea. Yet, it remains at the top. That’s because it uses all of the powers of its government to suppress Christian faith, to punish even the most basic of things such as owning a Bible,” Open Doors CEO David Curry told The Christian Post back then.

Source : Christian Post

Indiana Defends the Unborn!

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Indiana Defends the Unborn!

Indiana Defends The Unborn!

Christian Post Report – An Indiana bill expected to become law will make it illegal to abort babies based upon their race or gender, or whether they have birth defects.

Pro-choice groups, along with some female Republican lawmakers, are speaking out against an anti-abortion bill that has been passed by Indiana’s legislature, which prohibits practices such as aborting a baby with genetic defects, while pro-life groups are saying it protects the civil rights of unborn children.

The Associated Press reported that Indiana would become the second state in America after North Dakota with such strong protection of unborn life laws after Republican Gov. Mike Pence signs House Bill 1337, which was already approved by the Indiana senate.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/down-syndrome-babies-abortion-indiana-mike-pence-159111/#eJw8dqy0QeqeSgYu.99

Source : Christian Post

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