Don’t Avoid Your Gay Neighbors — Reach Out!

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Don’t Avoid Your Gay Neighbors — Reach Out!

Don't Avoid Your Gay Neighbors—Reach Out!

Christian Post Report – As I scan the societal landscape I see that acceptance of homosexual identity and behavior, and same-sex marriage has grown. I now find my biblical point of view is the minority perspective. If a well-known Christian says that homosexual lust and sexual activity is a sin, even if that person urges kindness and respect for all, words like “hater” and “bigot” are tossed around rather freely.

And then, in the midst of all this, Jesus calls me to love my neighbor, which includes those who identify as homosexuals. I can offhandedly note to myself and others that God’s accepting, forgiving grace is available to everyone, but it feels false somehow. Love the person who might like to silence me? Offer the message of Jesus’ unconditional sacrifice to people who could possibly take me to court because of my beliefs?

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-should-christians-treat-their-gay-neighbors-141349/

Source : Christian Post

Burger Pope?!

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Burger Pope?!

Burger Pope?!

Christian Post Report –  A manager at a Burger King in Bolivia, where Pope Francis changed prior to giving an outdoor mass on Thursday, called the pontiff’s brief visit “a blessing,” after seeing a boost in sales at the fast-food chain.

Christian Vaca, who’s the assistant manager of a Burger King in Bolivia, said Thursday that sales were up after the Argentine-born leader of the Roman Catholic church used their space as a sacristy and a location to store the chair he sat in during the mass, along with other items used during the service.

“Business has been hopping since he was here,” Vaca told ABC News. “It’s really a blessing.”

The pope prayed over his chasuble, vestments, personal chair and altar at the restaurant, which had been cleared out for his visit, before giving mass to hundreds of thousands at Christ the Redeemer Square in Santa Cruz. He was accompanied by his entourage, who reportedly reserved the spot three days in advance, and white curtains draped the windows to ensure privacy for the pontiff.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-burger-king-visit-a-blessing-says-manager-whos-seeing-boost-in-sales-after-pontiff-prayed-at-home-of-the-whopper-141419/

Source : Christian Post

Former Pro-Wrestler CM Punk Says Athletes Should ‘Thank Coaches, Not Jesus’

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Former Pro-Wrestler CM Punk Says Athletes Should ‘Thank Coaches, Not Jesus’

CM Punk (Photo: Screenshot/Youtube)

Christian Post Report – CM Punk answers questions at the UFC 181 media scrum.

Former professional wrestler CM Punk of World Wrestling Entertainment fame says God has better things to do than cheer on a fighter during an MMA cage match, and instead of thanking Jesus, athletes should be thanking their coaches who helped them win.

Punk, who’s training for his first mixed martial arts bout, explained his views on faith and sports last week to MMA HEAT’s Karyn Bryant.

During the interview, Bryant asked Punk, a professed atheist, his opinion about when MMA fighters thank God for having succeeded in a bout.

“I’m a free speech guy. I think anybody can say whatever they want, you know. That being said, if there is a God … I think he’s got better things to do than worry about what somebody’s doing for 15 minutes in a cage,” said Punk.

“I’d like to see people thank their coaches more than Jesus, you know what I mean? I think their coaches probably helped them win. I just think it’s a weird thing to do.”

Earlier this month, The Christian Post reported that UFC President Dana White told Cuban middleweight fighter Yoel Romero to keep religion and politics at home, after Romero thanked Jesus Christ following his win over Lyoto Machida in the UFC Fight Night 70 event in Hollywood, Florida.

“You just won the biggest fight of your career, America doesn’t want to hear your thoughts on Jesus. Keep that stuff at home; religion, politics, all that stuff. When you’re out there fighting and you’re being interviewed, they want to hear about the fight,” White said in an interview with MMA Fighting.

“It’s awesome you love Jesus; love Jesus all you want. You just don’t have to do it publicly.”

Punk added that he believes MMA fighters are “free to talk about it … just like I’m free to make fun of them for it they can make fun of me for being a phony pro-wrestler fighting in MMA now.”

A native of Chicago whose real name is Phil Brooks, Punk became a major figure in WWE, the nation’s largest pro-wrestling organization.

Among his accomplishments: holding the world heavyweight title for 434 days — one of the longest title reigns in WWE history.

In January 2014, CM Punk left the WWE, months before his contract was slated to expire, due to issues surrounding his health and the overall direction of the company.

Last December it was announced that Punk was going to have an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout with a yet-to-be-named opponent sometime in 2015.

Punk’s pending UFC bout has elicited a range of reactions, with some arguing that he’s woefully unprepared for the world of competitive fighting, and others coming to his defense.

In the same interview with Bryant, Punk also spoke about the training he was receiving for his yet-to-be- announced bout, referring to the experience as “super awesome.”

“I am a fan of knowledge, so every day for me is a good day because I’m always learning something,” said Punk, regarding his preparation for the UFC bout.

As to the specific date and opponent for the bout, Punk recently told ESPN in an interview that it will depend on his coach, Duke Roufus of Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Milwaukee.

“I don’t ask my coaches, ‘How did I do today? Am I ready?'” said Punk. “They say, ‘Come back at 7’ and I come back at 7. They tell me to mop, I mop. They tell me to sweep, I sweep. If they tell me to work the mitts or come in and work extra, I do it.”

Source : Christian Post

Ready to Pounce

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Ready to Pounce

Christian Post Report – Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
— 1 Peter 5:8

  • Greg Laurie
    (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)
    Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014.

A number of years ago I read an interesting book called Death in the Long Grass. Its author, a big-game hunter, recounts stories of not only hunting lions, but also of lions hunting people.

There was a certain group of lions that had a taste for human blood and would come into camps at night, step over people without even waking them, and find their intended prey. It was never determined why the lions chose whom they chose. But they would pick up their victims, kill them immediately, and drag them away without waking a single person. The author wrote about one large cat in particular that killed over one hundred people. The book also mentions that a charging lion can cover one hundred yards in just three seconds.

Lions are powerful and very frightening creatures. And they have the capability to take you out rapidly if they want to.

The Bible likens the Devil to a lion. First Peter 5:8 tells us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

And in Genesis, God gave this warning to Cain: “But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master” (4:7). God was saying, “Listen, you are flirting with disaster. You had better throw on the brakes, because sin is like a wild beast, and it is ready to pounce.” The Devil is always looking for trouble, pacing back and forth like a lion in his cage.

Sin was crouching at Cain’s door, and it is crouching at our door too. And for some, it is already across the threshold. So we must be careful.

Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Source : Christian Post

Jesus’ Baptism at Jordan River Named ‘World Heritage Site;’ but UNESCO Says Only on Jordanian Side, Not Israel

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Jesus’ Baptism at Jordan River Named ‘World Heritage Site;’ but UNESCO Says Only on Jordanian Side, Not Israel

Jordan River, Israel, Jordan (Photo: The Christian Post/Leonardo Blair)

Christian Post Report – Christians gather at the Jordan River for celebration and baptisms at the border of Israel and Jordan on May 23, 2015.

UNESCO has officially designated as a World Heritage site the location of the baptism of Jesus Christ on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Scholars have said it is not known whether the exact location falls on the Jordanian or Israeli side of the river, which has long stirred a tourism dispute between the two countries.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that although the U.N. cultural agency declared that most Christian churches believe the Jordanian side to be the location of Jesus’ baptism by John, as found in Matthew 3 and other passages, scholars say there is no way to be certain which side of the river was the precise location.

Jodi Magness, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that UNESCO’s decision “has nothing to do with archaeological reality.”

“We don’t have any sites with evidence or archaeological remains that were continuously venerated from the first century on,” he added.

Both Israel and Jordan compete for tourism on their side of the Jordan River, and could very well be affected by UNESCO’s decision.

The Wall Street Journal said in a report last week that Israel and the Palestinian territories have been enjoying strong religion-based tourism in the past few years despite the terror attacks across the Middle East and the surrounding region. Christians make up a significant number of tourists to the country, accounting for 56 percent of all tourism to Israel in 2014.

The Israeli site of the baptism draws larger crowds than the Jordanian counterpart, with Israeli officials reporting that half a million tourists visited its site last year, compared to tens of thousands in Jordan.

Jordan has also seen tourism numbers in general fall, down to 5.3 million in 2014 compared to 8.1 million in 2010.

The decision by UNESCO “drew cheers” from Jordan, AP noted, with Tourism Minister Nayef al-Fayez saying that the kingdom’s Hashemite rulers “who are the direct descendants of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad … are the same ones who are protecting one of the holiest sites of Christianity.”

Jordanian newspaper Al Rai suggested that UNESCO’s decision settled the matter.

“Since the site was discovered, Israel has not stopped trying to deal it and attribute it to the occupied side of the Jordan River,” the paper wrote. “This despite the religious and historical documents that prove that the baptism of Jesus, peace be unto Him, is on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River.”

The Jordanian side has received the backing of Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Lutherans, and three popes have visited it since 2000.

Some pilgrims, such as 47-year-old Johan Cornelius from South Africa, said that for him, the precise location of the baptism is not as important as recognizing the significance of the event.

“It doesn’t matter to me much whether it’s on this side of the river or the other side of the river,” Cornelius said. “The fact that it is the Jordan River and that Jesus has been here, he’s been baptized by John in this area, that’s of utmost importance to me.”

Source : Christian Post

NewSpring Pastor Perry Noble Reveals He Was ‘Racist,’ Used N-Word ‘Recreationally;’ Now Condemns Confederate Flag

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NewSpring Pastor Perry Noble Reveals He Was ‘Racist,’ Used N-Word ‘Recreationally;’ Now Condemns Confederate Flag

Perry Noble (Photo: Facebook; Reuters)

Christian Post Report – Megachurch pastor Perry Noble (L). The Confederate battle flag is permanently removed from the South Carolina statehouse grounds during a ceremony in Columbia, South Carolina, July, 10, 2015 (R).

Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina, revealed last Friday that he used to be a “racist” and spouted the n-word “recreationally” with his family until he found Jesus.

Perry made the revelation in a blog post in which he explains why he believes removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Capitol grounds after 54 years was the right thing to do.

“I was not born in the South, but, by the grace of God my parents got me here when I was 4 years old by moving our family from Los Angeles to Easley. I was introduced to sweet tea, biscuits and gravy and fat back— and knew this was the greatest place in the world,” said Perry.

“I was also a racist. My grandparents used ‘the n word’ recreationally. In fact, most white people I knew did —and so I did too. I did not see black people as individual people with real hearts, real souls, real feelings and who really mattered to God — I saw them as a group of people who were different than me, thus allowing me to place them in a category and dismiss them as unimportant,” said Perry.

“But … something happened in me in 1990 that would begin to change (and is still changing) the way I see people — I prayed to receive Christ in my life, which truly is the catalyst for the changing of my heart and mind on the issue of the Confederate flag,” continued the megachurch pastor.

The Christian Post reached out to Swift Monday for comment in light of Noble’s recent confession that he used the n-word recreationally in the past but a response was still pending at the time this story was published.

The Confederate flag which has been decried as a symbol of hate was removed last Friday morning after a deep-seated fight over its use was reignited by the massacre of nine black members of the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston last month.

And Perry, in celebration, tweeted: “Thankful that the leaders in our state did the right thing — it is a major step toward reconciliation!”

The NewSpring pastor, who was once a staunch defender of the Confederate flag, said he used to defend it for historical reasons.

“In 2000 there was a major battle in the state to remove the flag from flying over the capital — and I had very strong opinions in regards to the fact I thought the ‘stars and bars’ should continue to fly. I used the ‘heritage, not hate’ argument and claimed it was a part of the history of our nation, and that the memory of what happened needed to be preserved,” he noted.

Now, he explains, he’s changed his stance on the Confederate flag because he began to “develop and value friendships with people who are black” and he took a hard look at “the harsh reality of the Civil War.”

“White people don’t see it (Confederate flag) as that big of a deal — but a white man has never cried the tears of a black man. We don’t know the struggle of being considered a minority, we do not know the pain of having derogatory names screamed at us by passing cars, nor do we have to fear if someone sees a group of us standing around then it is automatically assumed we are involved in some sort of illegal activity,” said Noble.

“Romans 14:13 clearly tells me that if there is something that causes my brother or sister to stumble, then I should take steps to remove it,” he continued.

“Like it or not, the Confederate flag is a major stumbling block that has prevented white people and black people from being able to sit at the same table for too long,” he said.

“… For those who stand in support of the flag let me take a second to ask you, honestly, how is your heart? How do you view other people who have a different skin color than you? Have you ever really thought about how human trafficking and the Civil War go hand in hand?” he asked.

“I know there are some who will disagree, which is your right as an American (not a Confederate)! However, I am celebrating this decision in our state — I do so publicly and unapologetically and pray that people can set aside decades of a sinful, racist filter through which they viewed life and understand that the Gospel actually brings us together — not drives us apart.”

Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @leoblair

Source : Christian Post

Daily Mail Report : ISIS plotting female jihad on Christian sites

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Daily Mail Report : ISIS plotting female jihad on Christian sites

ISIS is planning to send members of its feared all-female police force to attack religious sites in Europe, a Syrian expert claims.

The terror group will send at least ten members of the ruthless Al-Khansaa Brigade to target ‘Christian symbols’, possibly in suicide bomb attacks, the president of the Centre for Strategy, Military and Security Studies in Syria told MailOnline. 

As many as 60 British women are thought to be members of the brigade and they are paid around £100 a month.

The militants patrol the city with AK47s, mercilessly beat women who step out of line and even force some into becoming sex slaves.

Threat: ISIS plans to send women from its all-female ‘Gestapo’, the Al-Khansaa Brigade, to attack religious sites in Europe

Rare images of the female militants show them covered head-to-toe in black burkas but they will enter Europe dressed as tourists so they do not draw attention, according to Fahad Al-Masri.

Before taking up his current role, Al-Masri was a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group who battled both ISIS and government of President Bashar Al-Assad during the country’s civil war.

He has appeared on international TV stations like Sky News Arabia where he aggressively urged all foreign jihadists to ‘get out of Syria’ in a 2013 interview. He was fired by the FSA shortly after the interview because the group said he did not represent its views.

Citing his sources inside ISIS-held territory in Syria, who cannot be named for safety reasons, Al-Masri said: ‘This is the first time women will be used in these operations. It will be a surprise for the European authorities who look for men.

‘Women are not as difficult as men to sneak into countries and there are many European women in the Al-Khansaa Brigade – like French and British – which makes it easier for them to get in undetected.

‘We don’t think the women will be wearing a hijab or burka – so they do not stand out. They will be normal like everybody, as if they are tourists.’

Among the dozens of British women who have joined the brigade is Aqsa Mahmood from Glasgow, who is thought to have reached a senior position in its ranks.

The three Bethnal Green schoolgirls who joined ISIS – two of whom have since been married off to militants – were also feared to have joined the brigade.

Covert: Its fanatical members (file photo) will enter Europe dressed as tourists, the president of the Centre for Strategy, Military and Security Studies in Syria told MailOnline

Covert: Its fanatical members (file photo) will enter Europe dressed as tourists, the president of the Centre for Strategy, Military and Security Studies in Syria told MailOnline

Fanatics: It was feared that Amira Abase (left), Kadiza Sultana (centre) and Shamima Begum (right) had joined the fearsome Al-Khansaa Brigade

Fanatics: It was feared that Amira Abase (left), Kadiza Sultana (centre) and Shamima Begum (right) had joined the fearsome Al-Khansaa Brigade

Some experts believe the Sunni extremists have targeted Shi’ite Muslims in Iraq and Syria to spark a sectarian war between the two sects of Islam.

After analysing the information his secret sources have given him, Al-Masri says ISIS may be trying to do the same against the West.

He said: ‘The next operations for ISIS in Europe will be against Christians… In the Middle East, it’s mainly been Sunni against Shi’ite Muslims, but now ISIS wants to create a conflict between Christians and Muslims.

‘That means ISIS will try and attack Christian symbols in Europe – like the Vatican for example.’

European nations are not the only ones in danger. ISIS also plans to send the female fanatics to attack African nations and Arab countries like UAE, Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey also, Al-Masri’s sources told him.

ISIS wants to create a conflict between Christians and Muslims… That means ISIS will try and attack Christian symbols in Europe – like the Vatican for example
Fahad Al-Masri, president of the Centre for Strategy, Military and Security Studies

But security analysts told MailOnline the claims are ‘far-fetched’ because intelligence agencies are tracking both male and female jihadis, security is very high in European countries following recent terror attacks such as the one in Tunisia and there is no evidence of the male-dominated terror group ever using women to carry out attacks.

Raffaello Pantucci from counter-terrorism think-tank RUSI told said: ‘These women would have the same difficulties as anyone else trying to launch an attack.

‘Who would you send? You would have to send someone you know had not been noticed by security services before – because they know women as well as men are traveling so they’re watching out for both.

‘You would have to sneak past a very high level of security and in some countries that might be doable but if you try and get into a country like the UK, it would be incredibly difficult.

‘Why would such a chauvinist society send women back to carry out attacks? There is no evidence of them every using women before so there’s no reason for them to start now.’

In May, MailOnline uncovered ISIS marriage certificates that suggested the jihadi group would begin to use women to carry out suicide attacks.

Written in Arabic and signed by both husband and wife, the document stated the final decision over her life – and death – rested with ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

Under ‘conditions of wife’ it said: ‘If the Prince of believers [Baghdadi] consents to her carrying out a suicide mission, then her husband should not prohibit her.’

Bethnal Green schoolgirls reportedly identified in Syria

Heartless: The ruthless women (file photo) patrol Raqqa with AK47s, mercilessly beat women who step out of line and even force some into becoming sex slaves

It confirmed Islamic State were forcing women to the battle-front to replace the countless male fighters being slain in bloody battles across Iraq and Syria, counter-terrorism experts told MailOnline.

In raqqa, ISIS’s de facto capital, Al-Khansaa women operate undercover, mingling into crowds to listen out for dissent and they run brothels where kidnapped girls are expected to ‘satisfy’ fighters returning from battle, according to Channel 4 documentary, ‘Escape From ISIS‘.

Abducted women and girls are supposedly taken to Raqqa and imprisoned as sex slaves. Some of those who miraculously escaped claimed they were made to sleep with hundreds of different fighters in just a few weeks.

A former Al-Khansaa enforcer, Umm Abaid, told the filmmakers how she led a normal life until ISIS stormed into Raqqa and imposed its strict interpretation of Sharia law.

She said: ‘I went to school, to coffee shops… but slowly, slowly my husband [a Saudi Arabian ISIS fighter killed in a suicide bomb attack] convinced me about Islamic State and its ideas. I joined the brigade and was responsible for enforcing the clothing regulations.

‘Anyone who broke the rules, we would lash. Then we would take her male guardian, her brother, father or husband, and lash him, too.

Agreement: A wedding document discovered in May (pictured), which states a husband can not stop his wife going on suicide missions, suggested ISIS would start using women to carry out their depraved attacks

Agreement: A wedding document discovered in May (pictured), which states a husband can not stop his wife going on suicide missions, suggested ISIS would start using women to carry out their depraved attacks …    Read more 

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Robert Jeffress Accuses Liberal Churches of Harboring Illegal Immigrants; Dr. Richard Land Says Churches Should Welcome Needy People

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Robert Jeffress Accuses Liberal Churches of Harboring Illegal Immigrants; Dr. Richard Land Says Churches Should Welcome Needy People

Pastor Robert Jeffress (Photo: Courtesy of First Baptist Dallas)

Christian Post Report – Pastor Robert Jeffress inside the sanctuary at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.

Dallas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress said in a recent interview that liberal churches sometimes harbor illegal immigrants who might be a danger to society, but added that his First Baptist church does not check the immigration status of people who come visit. Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Evangelical Seminary, said that churches should offer needy people food and shelter and show them mercy.

Jeffress said on “Fox and Friends Weekend” this Sunday that liberal churches that harbor illegal immigrants claim to be following the example of Jesus, but are making a mistake.

“The only problem is they are following the Jesus of their imagination, rather than the Jesus of the Bible,” Jeffress asserted.

“Jesus was not this wimpy little guy who walked around munching sunflower seeds and saying nice things to people. The real Jesus of the Bible said: ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.’ That is — obey the government,” the pastor added.

“And I believe that the real Jesus is just as concerned about the horrific death of Kate Steinle and now this 3 year old that was burned alive by an illegal immigrant. He is just as concerned about them as he is about the poverty and plight of immigrants.”

Steinle, 32, was shot dead by an illegal immigrant on June 30 in San Fransisco, with the suspect being deported five times and holding seven felony convictions prior to the murder.

In a separate incident last week, another illegal immigrant was accused of killing his teen girlfriend and their 3-year-old son in Washington state, Tri-City Herald reported.

Jeffress was speaking about statistics which show that churches in 23 states and Washington D.C. offer sanctuary for illegal immigrants.

“We’re not going to check the immigration status of people who attend our church, but we’re also not going to harbor illegal immigrants who are criminals like some of these churches are doing,” the pastor said.

Dr. Land, who is also the executive editor of The Christian Post, was asked by Fox if churches have a responsibility to turn over illegal immigrants.

“If someone kills my wife, I have an obligation as a Christian to forgive that person. I have a right to expect the civil magistrate to execute that person when they are found guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt,” he responded.

“I don’t think we should be aiding and abetting criminals, of course not, but when people show up and they’re hungry, and they’re thirsty, and they need shelter, the cross of Christ says ‘this is a place where you’re going to get a cup of cold water, where you’re going to get some shelter, where you’re going to get some hot food,” Land continued.

“And it’s not our job to be asking for green cards before we extend the mercy of Christ.”

The illegal immigration debate is set to be one of the major issues on the table in the upcoming 2016 presidential elections.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently changed her position and said that she will back a path to “full and equal citizenship” for illegal immigrants, and accused Republicans of treating illegals as “second class.”

“This is where I differ with everybody on the Republican side. Make no mistake, not a single Republican … is clearly and consistently supporting a path to citizenship. Not one,” Clinton said during a campaign stop in Nevada in May. “When they talk about legal status, that is code for second-class status.”

Source : Christian Post

Pastor Tony Clark Says God Sends ‘Storms of Correction’ in Believers’ Lives as He Preaches at Harvest Church

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Pastor Tony Clark Says God Sends ‘Storms of Correction’ in Believers’ Lives as He Preaches at Harvest Church

TonyClark Screenshot

Christian Post Report – Pastor Tony Clark preaching at Harvest Church

Pastor Tony Clark from Virginia delivered a sermon at California’s Harvest megachurch on Sunday, sharing two reasons why Jesus allows storms in believers’ lives. How Christians come through those storms determines how they worship God, he said.

There are two main reasons why God allows storms in believers’ lives, Clark, pastor of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia, told the congregation after Harvest pastor Greg Laurie introduced him to his congregation.

There are “storms of correction,” Clark shared, using the example of Jonah from the Old Testament.

Jonah knows this storm, the pastor said. God asked him to go and preach to the Ninevites, who were known to be cruel people, he added, explaining that Jonah perhaps didn’t want God to forgive such people.

In today’s context, it could be something like God asking a Christian to go to the Islamic State terror group in Syria and Iraq to preach the Gospel, Clark said.

Jonah got into a boat and started in a different direction, and “God sent a storm of correction,” he told the congregation.

A good thing about a storm of correction is that God creates a “fish” to swallow us and then spit us out on the land where we were supposed to go from the start, the pastor explained.

There are also “storms of protection,” the pastor said, defining it as a storm that God allows “to blow into our lives to protect us from something that would harm us spiritually.”

Clark read Matthew 14:22, 23: “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone.”

He asked why did God urge His disciples to get into a boat and go away immediately after feeding 5,000 men? “What was so urgent?”

He read John 6:14-15, which states, “After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely, this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

While the people who were fed were trying to give Jesus a position by force that He already had, His disciples were arguing who is the greatest among them, Clark pointed out. This is why Jesus thought they must go away immediately, he explained.

Sometimes the Lord has to make us do something we should do, the pastor said. The fact that Jesus had to urge them strongly implies they were not willing to go. Perhaps they didn’t want to go without Jesus. But Jesus was trying to teach them that He is there with them even when physically absent.

“Jesus made time to pray, to commune with the Father,” Clark said.

When the evening came, Jesus prayed alone, he added. “Can you pray when it’s the evening time in your life?” the pastor asked the congregation, and said we don’t have to pray only when the sun shines.

“Storms can occur in our lives suddenly, especially at a time of success and victory,” he warned. The storm came after Jesus fed multitudes and the disciples argued over who is the greatest among them, he pointed out.

The disciples were in the storm for about nine hours, which must have felt like eternity to them, Clark said, adding that Jesus finally came. “Remember that Jesus is going to come to you in your storm.”

Clark read verse 26: “When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.”

Tears and fears can cause us to miss seeing Jesus come, the pastor reminded the congregation. We should also understand that God uses people to comfort us, the pastor said, explaining that sometimes we dismiss the people He sends, failing to recognize that God has sent them.

During the storm, Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water. Peter believed that God enables when He asks us to do something, Clark said. But when he took his eyes off Jesus, looking at the waves, he started to sink. We also sink in hopelessness, desperation and sorrow when we take our eyes off Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the pastor told the listeners.

When Peter said, “Lord, save me,” Jesus immediately caught him and rebuked him lovingly.

Sometimes, we doubt if God can do it for us, Clark said. That’s doubting His willingness and not His ability, he explained. But Jesus would say to us, “I’m willing; be clean.” He is able to make you clean, the pastor stated.

Clark then read verse 33: “Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.'”

This should be our attitude also as we come out of a storm, the pastor said. How we come though a storm determines how we worship Him, he added.

God allows storms to correct us, perfect us and protect us, Clark said, adding that God does it not because He is angry, but “because He loves you.”

Source : Christian Post

Iraqi Christians Join Muslim Forces in Last Stand Against ISIS to Liberate Iraq

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Iraqi Christians Join Muslim Forces in Last Stand Against ISIS to Liberate Iraq

Iraqi Christians (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)

Christian Post Report – Iraqi Christians volunteers, who have joined Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilization), allied with Iraqi forces against the Islamic State, take part in a training at a military camp in Baghdad, July 1, 2015.

Close to a thousand Iraqi Christians who say they have been abandoned by their government have formed a militia to avenge ISIS taking their land and slaughtering their families. The Christians have said they will fight alongside their “Muslim brothers” who have also suffered at the hands of the terror group.

Rayan Al-Kildani of the Babylonian Brigades, the Christian militia group part of the Shiite-dominated militias organization known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, told NBC News that ISIS “displaced us from our houses, they took our money, killed our young men and women and they took our properties.”

“By the will of God we will avenge what happened to our community,” Al-Kildani vowed, and said that the Christian fighters will help Muslims who are also standing up to ISIS.

“ISIS terrorists do not differentiate among Christians, Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites — they kill everyone,” he added. “We have to help our Muslim brothers liberate Iraq.”

ISIS has driven out hundreds of thousands of Christians from their ancient homes across Iraq and Syria, including almost 200,000 Assyrian Christians from the Nineveh plans, the NGO Reach Initiative said.

Iraqi Christians have said they feel abandoned by the central government, and argued that the treatment they are suffering now is a culmination of over a decade of violent persecution of Christians in Iraq.

“We don’t want to leave the country that we lived in all our lives, where we enjoyed life and our religion. But we need a secure place to live,” explained Batool Airyagoos, a refugee who fled Qaraqosh, the largest Christian town in Nineveh.

Government forces have clashed with ISIS fighters on a number of occasions, but entire cities with formerly large Christian communities, such as Mosul, have been captured. There, ISIS has been forcing Christians to choose between converting to their version of Islam, paying a tax, or being killed.

Athra Kado, an Assyrian Christian fighting in the militia, noted that the volunteer fighters have received little help from the government, with military training coming to a halt after the first 500 volunteers. The fighters haven’t received weapons or financial assistance from Baghdad, instead all of their funding comes from within the community or Christian groups abroad.

Back in September 2014, a Catholic priest said that Iraqi Christians were left helpless and angry at government soldiers who fled when ISIS took Mosul.

“The people are angry because the government just gave up on them. They told us that, in Mosul, where there had normally been a presence of 60,000 soldiers, after the onslaught of ISIS, in only a matter of hours, these soldiers abandoned them, laying down their weapons,” said Fr. Rami Wakim, the secretary to Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregoire III Laham.

Abu Yasser, a 53-year-old former Iraqi Army officer now fighting in the militias, said that it is not unusual for Christians and Muslims to fight side by side, noting that they did so in the army of former leader Saddam Hussein.

Christians have “lived for years side-by-side with our Muslim brothers,” Yasser said. “We drink from the same river and eat the same food; this goes back hundreds and thousands of years.”

He added: “In battlefield you forget who you are, to which religion you belong. … The only thing that you think of is how to defeat your enemy.”

Source : Christian Post

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