‘We Are in Spiritual Warfare,’ Evangelical Leader Says on Country’s Most Divisive Issues

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‘We Are in Spiritual Warfare,’ Evangelical Leader Says on Country’s Most Divisive Issues

Pastor Ronnie Floyd (Photo: Courtesy of Matt Miller)

Christian Post Report – Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd gives the president’s address on June 16, 2015, during the opening session of the SBC annual meeting at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a blistering message aimed at Southern Baptists, evangelicals, Americans, the Supreme Court, and the world – Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd pointed to some of the nation’s most divisive issues Tuesday morning in his convention sermon.

In tackling same-sex marriage, racism, abortion, and the freedom of religion, the Arkansas pastor warned there is an “alarm clock going off in our nation and around the world” and now is not the time to push the “snooze button.”

“Southern Baptists, now is the time to lead,” he said. “We need to believe and stand on His Word and for His name unashamedly and boldly, but always compassionately.”

Floyd delivered his sermon at the beginning of the two-day annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, a 15.5 million-member denomination of over 46,000 autonomous churches in the United States.

Citing a worldwide crisis with the advance of ISIS, human trafficking, the imprisonment of Christian pastor Saeed Abedini in an Iranian jail, orphans, the $18 trillion debt in America, 43 million Americans living in poverty, racism, abortion, and other moral issues — Floyd repeated “now is the time to lead, believing and standing.”

On abortion, Floyd said since 1973 there have been 57 million babies aborted – a number equal to the populations of the state of California and New York.

“I believe if the 59 Presidents who have preceded me could speak to us in this hour on June 16, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio, they would declare to us that we are living right now in our most defining hour as Southern Baptists,” Floyd said.

Quoting Romans 13:11, Floyd said: “We are not entering into a playground, but a battleground. We are in spiritual warfare.”

On leadership, Floyd repeated a message exhorting Southern Baptists “to stand on His Word and for His name unashamedly and boldly, but always compassionately.

“We need to hold the Word of God in one hand and the love of God in the other hand. When we do this, the Lord will produce open doors, even when or if the opposition is fierce,” Floyd said.

With those leadership principles are four imperatives, Floyd told Southern Baptists:

–“We stand believing that the Bible is God’s infallible, inerrant, authoritative and final Word in all things.”

–“We stand believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation; only coming through repentance from sin and faith in Christ alone.”

–“We stand believing that we are called to reach the world for Christ, making disciples of all the nations.”

–“We stand believing that our greatest need in America is to see the next Great Spiritual Awakening.”

Recalling a comment by President Barack Obama last year in New York City that the “world is spinning so fast and nobody is able to control it,” Floyd said there is hope, but it won’t come from outside the church.

“We need a Jesus revolution. It is time for Southern Baptists to lead by coming together in clear agreement, visible union, and in extraordinary prayer for the next Great Awakening and to reach the World for Christ,” Floyd said.

Addressing the country’s moral issues, Floyd said, “our churches must rise up right where the people are, from the abortion issue to the same-sex issue, and many others, extending God’s love, ministering to them, and sharing the power of God’s healing and forgiveness.”

He listed four imperatives addressed at America:

–“We stand believing that humanity’s bearing of God’s image is not contingent upon one’s skin color.”

–“We stand believing that abortion is a glaring desecration of the unborn child’s purpose and value.”

–“We stand believing that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.”

–“We stand believing that freedom of religion for all people promotes the common good of our nation and the world.”

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In declaring “the Supreme Court is not the final authority nor is the culture itself; but [that] the Bible is God’s Final Authority about marriage and on this we stand!” Floyd also warned he will not officiate any same-sex unions or same sex marriage ceremonies.

“Freedom of religion belongs to our God-given human conscience; not to the Supreme Court, the Congress, any President, or the leaders of the world, business, any radical group, or anyone else that tries to restrain it,” he said.

Ultimately, however, Floyd pointed to the church at Philadephia who remained faithful and did not deny Jesus’ name. “God was opening the door for them so they could take the gospel to their world from Philadelphia,” he said.

“Even though the culture is darkening and religious liberty is eroding in our nation, God is opening up doors for each one of our churches,” Floyd said.

Calling for prayer for a third great spiritual awakening in America, Floyd said prayer can “penetrate the growing lostness in North America and across the globe.”

“A mighty move of God can wake up the fearful preacher, the dead church, the lifeless state convention, and even the complex Southern Baptist Convention,” he said. “A move of God can even turn America’s heart back to God.”

Source : Christian Post

Ronnie Floyd Elected SBC President for 2nd Year

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Ronnie Floyd Elected SBC President for 2nd Year

Pastor Ronnie Floyd (Photo: Courtesy of Adam Covington)

Christian Post Report – Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd tells messengers at the SBC annual meeting that “we must pray for the third Great Awakening.” The two-day meeting was held June 16-17, 2015, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, was elected today for the second year as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Floyd was elected with no opposition with 5,277 members present, according to Jim Wells, registration secretary. Last year in Baltimore, he succeeded Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, who became the first African American pastor in that role since he was elected in 2012.

In April he was named by Newsmax as one of the top 10 of 100 top Christian leaders in America today. The list includes entertainment stars, and those involved in the political process as well as pastors.

Floyd serves as lead pastor and strategist with the North American Mission Board for its Send North America church planting strategy.

He is the author of 10 books, including “Our Last Great Hope: Awakening the Great Commission” (2011) and “The Power of Prayer and Fasting” (2010).

As the pastor of Cross Church, Floyd led the congregation to start campuses in Springdale, Rogers and Fayetteville.

He holds doctor of ministry and master of divinity degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas and an undergraduate degree from Howard Payne University, also in Texas.

Floyd and his wife Jeana have been married 37 years and have two married sons and several grandchildren.

This article was originally posted here.

Source : Christian Post

SBC 2015 Annual Meeting: ‘2 Billion People Still Haven’t Heard the Name of Jesus,’ Says International Missions Board President David Platt

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SBC 2015 Annual Meeting: ‘2 Billion People Still Haven’t Heard the Name of Jesus,’ Says International Missions Board President David Platt

David Platt (Photo: Courtesy of Bill Bangham)

Christian Post Report – David Platt, president of the International Mission Board, closes the Pastors’ Conference on June 15, 2015, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, with a sermon on Revelation 1.

David Platt, president of the International Mission Board, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, said Wednesday that the organization is working on new ways to stop the decline in Southern Baptist missionary efforts around the world as an estimated 2 billion people have still not heard the Gospel.

Speaking at the SBC’s annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, Platt praised the collective efforts of the organization and IMB, pointing out that there are 4,700 missionaries proclaiming the Gospel to nearly 2 million people around the world. He also noted that their efforts have led to nearly 200,000 people getting baptized and the planting of almost 13,000 new churches.

“I praise God for what he has created in the Southern Baptist Convention and in the IMB. It is breathtaking to see how you, as Southern Baptists, are making that happen through your praying, through your giving,” Platt told the packed audience. “Over $94 million to the IMB through the Cooperative Program, over $153 million to Lottie Moon — the second largest offering in our 170-year history.”

Despite these efforts, however, Platt said that the number of Southern Baptist missionaries has declined over the last five years, which has affected their ability to spread the Gospel to the world’s unreached people.

“In 2009, we hit our height in number of missionaries in the field at 5,600, but now that number has dropped to 4,700 and it is fast on its way to 4,200. And the reason for that is that we’re not able, financially, to support our mission force on the field,” he said. “Last year, we operated almost $21 million in the red, so the number of our missionaries is decreasing, not increasing, which is not tolerable when 2 billion people still haven’t heard the name of Jesus.”

Platt proposed expanding outside of traditional missionary recruitment by focusing on students, professionals and retirees, in a bid to increase the number of missionaries overseas.

“The problem isn’t the people aren’t willing to go, the problem is we lack the capacity to send them,” he said. “As long as fully financially supported missionaries are the only way we think about getting the Gospel to the nations, we will keep a cap on our missions involvement as Southern Baptists.”

Platt suggested taking advantage of “God-given opportunities” that are readily available.

“Imagine a missionary team led by what we would view as a traditional missionary and lead church planter, fully supported by the IMB but then supported by students, professionals and retirees working alongside him, and playing different roles — all of them focused on making disciples and churches among the unreached,” he said.

He continued: “God has divinely opened doors for us to take the Gospel around the world, not just through traditional missionary routes but through non-traditional roles as students, professionals and retirees. There are scores of opportunities for students to study and professionals to work and retirees to live overseas — all of whom can support themselves financially. So what if Southern Baptists started taking advantage of those God-given opportunities?”

The SBC’s annual meeting was hosted by SBC President, Ronnie Floyd, and runs June 16-17.

For more information about the IMB CLICK HERE.

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Source : Christian Post

Hispanic Action Network Founder Says God’s Answer to Prayers for Revival in America ‘Is Wrapped Up in Immigration’

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Hispanic Action Network Founder Says God’s Answer to Prayers for Revival in America ‘Is Wrapped Up in Immigration’

Immigration (Photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid/Files)

Christian Post Report – Father Fabian Arias, (2nd R) an advocate with the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, an immigration advocacy group, speaks with immigrants following their immigration hearings at the U.S. Federal Building in New York, in this July 10, 2014 file photo.

The founder of the U.S. Hispanic Action Network says that God is answering America’s prayer for revival and He’s “wrapping it up in immigration.”

Gonzalez spoke to those assembled at Skyline Church in La Mesa, California, for the Future Conference, calling on the Church to be open to what God is doing through immigration.

“God is bringing them [revivalists], but we let the media and the pundits make it a wedge issue inside the Church,” he declared.

He called the issue of immigration “more prophetic” than it is a political issue, but then quickly turned to the political over the prophetic side of immigration and said: “At the end of the day you are going to need 40 percent of the Latino vote to get into the White House.

Gonzalez argued that, in his view, Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlement sustainability will be impossible without immigration.

“We can’t keep all of our social programs without Latino immigration,” he asserted, praising Latino voters as being “politically conservative” and people who will fight to protect marriage and the right to life.

“Fifty Thousand Latinos become eligible to vote every month, and it will be that way for the next 20 years,” Gonzalez emphasized. “The only way any party grows from here on out is by reaching the Hispanic community.”

He continued: “What is taking place, and it has been prophesied, is that one of the ways God moves is through people groups. He sets up a model, and moves through people groups, but the blessing is for everybody.”

Gonzalez also cited scriptures in Genesis about God’s chosen people of Israel to buttress his statement.

“God first moved through the white people, and then he put his finger [using the historically black Church] on the Azusa Street Revival. This third group is the Hispanic Latino Church of America,” he said.

Gonzalez then further insisted that “the enemy” is trying to divide us on immigration because “if we get this right the revival will sweep through this nation.”

He pointed to efforts in Florida, where Hispanic voters in churches helped elect the Republican governor over a more liberal candidate.

While Gonzalez said he doesn’t support blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants, he noted that programs like E-verify, guest worker reform, and comprehensive background checks and tests to secure an opportunity for a path to legalization are all needed.

He also stressed the importance of allowing nuclear families, despite current immigration law, to be able to stay together or be reunified in the U.S. Immigration reform has largely been stalled by lawmakers in Washington because of political opposition and a federal district court in Texas recently halted President Obama’s executive action this month.

Gonzalez added that because of the new wave of immigration, the “best days for America” are still ahead of us.”

Source : Christian Post

NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala Thanks God for Golden State Warriors Win; Says Team Is ‘Full of Believers’

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NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala Thanks God for Golden State Warriors Win; Says Team Is ‘Full of Believers’

Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala Photo: Reuters via Bob Donnan

Christian Post Report – Golden State Warriors’ guard Steph Curry (left) with swingman Andre Iguodala (right)

Andre Iguodala, the Golden State Warriors forward who won the 2015 NBA championship with his team Tuesday night along with the Most Valuable Player Award thanked God for the win and said the team is “full of believers.”

“(We’ve) got a team full of believers. We all say God has a way for you and a purpose for you,” Iguodala 31, said after receiving the MVP honor. “I want to be just like Steph (Curry) when I grow up..just a God fearing man.”

Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ beloved point guard, who received the regular season MVP honor frequently honors God on and off the basketball court and usually points his fingers toward the sky after making big plays. In May, the point guard cited his faith as one of the keys to his success.

“Sometimes people make it seem like you have to have certain prerequisites or a crazy life story in order to be successful in this world. But the truth is you really don’t,” Curry said after accepting his MVP trophy earlier this year. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you have or don’t have, what you lack or what you have too much of, but all you need to have is faith in God, an undying passion for what you do and what you choose to do in this life, and a relentless drive and the will to do whatever it takes to be successful in whatever you put your mind to.”

Before this season, Iguodala had started 758 consecutive games according to ESPN. This season however, he was relegated to a reserve role until Game 4 of the Finals between the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, when he was substituted into the starting lineup for center Andrew Bogut.

The Warriors beat the Cavaliers 105-97 Tuesday night to win their first NBA title since 1975. Iguodala’s MVP award was also the first time a player got the award without starting every game. It also marks the first time that the Finals MVP has been on the same team as the regular-season MVP since Magic Johnson claimed the Finals honor in 1980 while playing on a Los Angeles Lakers squad with regular-season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar according to ESPN.

“I’ve been blessed with an amazing group of guys in my first year, I can’t believe how lucky I am,” said rookie NBA coach Steve Kerr in the postgame press conference after his team’s big win.

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

Source : Christian Post

Only Thing That Can Reshape America Is ‘Spiritual Awakening’ Sparked by ‘Extraordinary Prayer’ Says SBC President Ronnie Floyd

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Only Thing That Can Reshape America Is ‘Spiritual Awakening’ Sparked by ‘Extraordinary Prayer’ Says SBC President Ronnie Floyd

Ronnie floyd (Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)

Christian Post Report – Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, speaks on the opening night of 2014 SBC Pastors’ Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday, June 8, 2014.

In fervent prayer at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday night, the organization’s president, Ronnie Floyd, said the only thing that can reshape America is a “spiritual awakening” preceded by “extraordinary prayer.”

“The only thing that can reshape America is the next spiritual awakening and the next move of God,” said Floyd, who’s also senior pastor at Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas. “When you look at it historically, there is no great movement of God that is not first preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.”

Floyd, whose prayer came after SBC music director and global worship pastor Julio Arriola led a session of worship, then explained what he meant by “extraordinary prayer.”

“What is extraordinary prayer? It is praying beyond the ordinary. When was the last time you gathered with thousands on a Tuesday in the summer and prayed for spiritual awakening in the U.S.?” he asked.

“We have full confidence in God and God alone,” added Floyd. “God can do more in a moment then you can ever do in a lifetime. It’s not coincidental we are here. With God, all things are possible.”

The event lasted almost two hours with thousands of people praying for the next great awakening as well as for church growth, acceleration of the Gospel, and the unity of all people in the Gospel. Prayers of repentance for mistrust and pride in the church, prayerlessness, sexual depravity, abortion and the lack of cooperation among the church were also offered.

In a call to pray specifically for racial reconciliation, pastors of differing races also came together for a hug onstage.

“Pray for America, a country that is broken, fragile, divided, where racism and prejudice is ruling,” said Floyd. “We will lead the way, modeling true unity that’s really only found in the redemption of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray for our country to come together.”

“Lord, hear our prayer for our country tonight, in the name of Jesus hear our prayer for our nation — that our nation will come together and we as the church of Jesus will be the hope for cities, towns, and relationships. It is only possible because of your redemptive work. It’s only found in Christ,” he added.

Other speakers during the call for prayer included Ken Whitten of Idlewild Baptist church in Lutz, Florida; Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas; and K. Marshall Williams of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

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Source : Christian Post

Pope Francis Hits Back Against ‘Communist’ Accusations, Argues Failing to Give Money to the Poor Means Lack of ‘Genuine Faith’

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Pope Francis Hits Back Against ‘Communist’ Accusations, Argues Failing to Give Money to the Poor Means Lack of ‘Genuine Faith’

Pope Francis (Photo: Reuters/Max Rossi)

Christian Post Report – Pope Francis waves as he leads his weekly audience in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, October 8, 2014.

Pope Francis has hit back against those who say that focusing on the poor is a sign of communism, by stating in a speech that caring for the less fortunate is part of the Christian Gospel. He also said that if “faith doesn’t reach your pockets, it is not a genuine faith.”

Vatican Radio reported that Francis made the comments during mass on Tuesday in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he said: “Oh, this priest speaks about poverty too much, this bishop talks about poverty, this Christian, this sister talk about poverty. Well, they’re a bit communist, aren’t they?”

The Roman Catholic Church leader asserted that “poverty is at the very center of the Gospel: If we remove poverty from the Gospel, no one would be able to understand anything about the message of Jesus.”

He added that richness is found in zeal, charity, and the Word of God, suggesting that if “faith doesn’t reach your pockets, it’s not a genuine faith.”

Francis reminded the audience that Jesus himself was poor.

“Here is the foundation of the ‘theology of poverty:’ Jesus Christ, who was rich — with the very richness of God — made Himself poor; He lowered Himself for us. This, then, is the meaning of the first Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,’ i.e. ‘to be poor is to let oneself be enriched by the poverty of Christ, to desire not to be rich with other riches than those of Christ,'” he continued.

He insisted that poverty is at the “heart of Gospel,” and said that Christ “let Himself be impoverished in order to enrich us.”

Francis added: “He continues to lower Himself into the history of the Church, into the memorial of His passion, and by the memorial of His humiliation, the memorial of His poverty, by this bread He enriches us.”

The pope did not point out where the accusations of Communism are coming from, but he has been described as such by some popular conservative figures, such as radio commentator Rush Limbaugh.

Back in November 2013, Limbaugh said that Francis’ comments linking “tyranny” with “unfettered capitalism” is part of the Marxist line of thinking.

“This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope,” Limbaugh said, as he argued that when it comes to economics, the pope is “totally wrong, I mean dramatically, embarrassingly, puzzlingly wrong.”

Francis has insisted on a number of occasions that his criticism of the global financial system, such as the Vatican report released earlier this year titled “This Economy Kills,” is not because he’s a Communist, but because Jesus calls Christians to serve the poor.

“Jesus affirms that you cannot serve two masters, God and wealth,” Francis said in an interview back in January. “Is it pauperism? No, it is the Gospel.”

He added: “This attention to the poor is in the Gospel, and in the tradition of the church, it is not an invention of Communism and [we] need not ideologize it, like sometimes happened in the course of history.”

Source : Christian Post

Bishop Harry Jackson Says the Chrurch ‘Is the Champion of Human Rights,’ Reveals 7 Bridges to Peace at Future Conference

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Bishop Harry Jackson Says the Chrurch ‘Is the Champion of Human Rights,’ Reveals 7 Bridges to Peace at Future Conference

Christian Post Report – 1

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  • Virginia Beach(Photo: The Christian Post)
Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church raises the Bible on stage as thousands of Christians rededicate the nation back to God on the 400th anniversary of the landing of the first English settlers in North America, April, 29, 2007.
  • Harry Jackson(Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)
    • Bishop Harry Jackson speaks to attendees at the Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 22, 20Christian Post Report – 14.
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    Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of Hope Christian Church, warned those gathered at the Future Conference in La Mesa, California, that “forces of darkness” are trying to rip apart racial and church unity, but also offered hope for peace among believers.

    Jackson predicted that this summer Americans will see many more shootings and instances of racial unrest.

    “We are in a time where there is a desire by the forces of darkness to rip asunder our unity and dignity and cause there to be a challenge among us,” Jackson, who’s also the chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, pointed to many acts of community development and racial reconciliation in churches across the U.S.

    The Maryland-based pastor emhasized that much of the violence in the world revolves around ethnic disputes, and cited the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine and the Boko Haram in Nigeria as just a few examples.

    Jackson said problems in America concerning race are not a white, black, or Latino problem, but an American problem.

    “We are in a place where only the Church can make a difference,” Jackson asserted.

    “In a divided society only the Church can model unity. Only the Church in her unified state can teach the prophetic Word of Jesus,” he continued, lamenting the lost battle in culture against the “aggressive humanistic mindset” where people can change their ethos on anything, including “their gender.”

    He emphasized that blame does not belong to anybody, including racial issues, but “We need to ask ourselves, is government going to be God or can we, as a people, enter into the sense of freedom for ourselves and for the Church.”

    Jackson outlined seven bridges to peace:

    1. Prayer and reconciliation events: “Our problem is not that we talk too much, but that we don’t listen,” Jackson declared.
    2. Education reform: Jackson emphasized that “if you are functionary illiterate there is a high chance you will go to prison.”
    3. Civic engagement.
    4. Community outreach and service: Jackson pointed to a church in Ferguson, Missouri, as just one example of outreach, by feeding over 4,000 individuals a month.
    5. Marriage and family.
    6. Criminal justice reform: “Our problem is that there are some good people that need to be brought back home. Once they served their time, they need an opportunity to redefine themselves. Jackson noted the larger problem that, according to him, there are 2 million people in the criminal justice system and “84 percent will be recycled through that system.” He further emphasized that some of the young people being shot in the street already have long criminal records that need to be addressed.
    7. Economic development: “We need to bring jobs back to the hood,” Jackson asserted.

    Jackson lifted up the church, saying it “has been the champion of human rights. From birth to death and ultimately the resurrection — God is concerned about human destiny.”

    Jackson closed by enthusiastically listing churches across the nation that are making a difference for the kingdom of God. He pointed to the work of Miles McPherson, who’s giving Christian Post Report – 100,000 hours of community service in a multiethnic setting, and Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church for forgiving the black murderer of his father. Graham “overcame all the feelings that they wanted to get revenge,” Jackson said. “Let the Church rise up and be the multiracial and multiethnic entity that it is,” he said.

    Jackson is senior pastor at Hope Christian Church, a 3,000 member congregation in Beltville, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. He’s also presiding bishop of the International Communion of Evangelical Churches, which oversees over Christian Post Report – 1,000 churches around the world.

    The Future Conference is a four day event from June Christian Post Report – 14 to June Christian Post Report – 17 at SkyLine Church in La Mesa, California, with the purpose of educating, emboldening, and activating pastors and Christian leaders to live out the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

    Source : Christian Post

    Widow of Slain Egyptian Christian Says She’s ‘Proud’ Her Husband Stood Firm in Faith as ISIS Beheaded Him

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    Widow of Slain Egyptian Christian Says She’s ‘Proud’ Her Husband Stood Firm in Faith as ISIS Beheaded Him

    21 coptic christians beheaded isis (Photo: Reuters/Muhammad Hamed)

    Christian Post Report – A girl holds up a poster with pictures of the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians beheaded by Islamic State in Libya, as they gather in a gesture to show their solidarity, in front of the Egyptian embassy in Amman February 17, 2015.

    The 23-year-old widow of Malak Ibrahim, one of the 21 Egyptian Christians who were beheaded by Islamic State terrorists in Libya earlier this year, says she’s proud and comforted by the fact that her husband refused to deny Christ and was praying to Jesus when he and the others were killed.

    Mariam Farhat, who lives in Al Aour village, about 150 miles south of Cairo, told CBN News that she “was very proud” that Ibrahim “stood firm in his faith and that he didn’t deny Jesus.”

    “We were very sad for the first two days, but we hadn’t seen the video,” she said. “When we saw them in the video calling to Jesus we were very comforted.”

    In February, ISIS released a video showing its militants in Libya beheading the Egyptian Copts, who had all been made to wear orange jumpsuits. The video showed the Copts whispering the name of Jesus as their heads were being hacked off their bodies.

    Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is an offshoot of al-Qaeda that wants to establish a caliphate in the Levant region and beyond. It has gained control over large swathes of territories in Syria and Iraq. Its main targets include religious minorities, including Christians.

    Bebawy Al Ham, a brother of another slain Egyptian, identified as Samuel, had a similar reaction.

    “We were always praying that God would make them steadfast in their faith,” Bebawy was quoted as saying. “We were very happy with what they said on the video: ‘Jesus Christ have mercy on us.’ When we found out they had been killed for being Christian, we were very comforted, because these were God’s children and he took them.”

    Samuel’s family has forgiven the killers, and even prays for ISIS. “I pray for them that God may open their hearts, and they may know the truth and know that what they do is wrong and then do the right thing,” Bebawy said. “Jesus told us to forgive every sin and we forgive them and we hope that they can come to know Jesus.”

    The Sunni terror group is known for its brutality. It has executed 2,618 people, including 1,511 civilians, since last June, when it declared its “Caliphate,” according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documented at least 464 executions over the previous two months alone.

    The overall executions included those of 23 children and 32 women. The executions were carried out mostly by beheading, shooting or stoning. ISIS has also executed 139 of its own members for “exceeding the limits in religion and spying for foreign countries,” mostly after they were trying to go back to their homes.

    In the recent past, ISIS has released videos showing the beheading of several Western hostages — including British hostages David Haines and Alan Henning, and U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Abdul-Rahman Kassig.

    In its English propaganda publication, ISIS earlier sought to justify its barbarity, saying it is “Islamic” to capture and forcibly make “infidel” women sexual slaves.

    “Before Shaytan [Satan] reveals his doubts to the weak-minded and weak hearted, one should remember that enslaving the families of the kuffar [infidels] and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of the Shari’ah that if one were to deny or mock, he would be denying or mocking the verses of the Qur’an and the narration of the prophet … and thereby apostatizing from Islam,” stated the ISIS’ propaganda magazine “Dabiq,” named after a site in Muslim apocalypse mythology.

    Source : Christian Post

    SBC President Ronnie Floyd Leads National Call to Prayer for the Next Great Awakening

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    SBC President Ronnie Floyd Leads National Call to Prayer for the Next Great Awakening

    Ronnie floyd (Photo: The Christian Post/Sonny Hong)

    Christian Post Report – Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, speaks on the opening night of 2014 SBC Pastors’ Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday, June 8, 2014.

    SBC President Ronnie Floyd led prayers for the next spiritual awakening during the denomination’s annual meeting on Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.

    The night started with a worship prelude led by SBC music director and global worship pastor Julio Arriola. Leading the prayer, Floyd asserted the need for a spiritual revival in the U.S.

    “The only thing that can reshape America is the next spiritual awakening and the next move of God,” said the senior pastor at Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas. “When you look at it historically, there is no great movement of God that is not first exceeded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.

    Floyd added: “What is extraordinary prayer? It is praying beyond the ordinary. When was the last time you gathered with thousands on a Tuesday in the summer and prayed for spiritual awakening in the U.S.?”

    The pastor also asked the audience to consider the phrase, “What if God,” which Paul said in Romans Chapter 9.

    “We have full confidence in God and God alone,” said Floyd. “God can do more in a moment than you can ever do in a lifetime. Its not coincidental we are here, with God, all things are possible.”

    The event lasted almost two hours with thousands of people praying for the next great awakening as well as for church growth, acceleration of the Gospel, and the unity of all people in the Gospel, among many other issues. Prayers of repentance for mistrust and pride in the church, prayerlessness, sexual depravity, abortion and the lack of cooperation amongst churches were also offered.

    In a call to prayer specifically for racial reconciliation, pastors of differing races came together for a hug onstage. Floyd led a prayer for repentance from the sin of racism and prejudice and prayed for the commitment to come together in the unity of the Gospel.

    “Pray for America, a country that is broken, fragile, divided, where racism and prejudice is ruling,” said the pastor. “We will lead the way, modeling true unity that’s really only found in the redemption of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray for our country to come together to seesaw the division caused by racism and prejudice.

    “Lord, hear our prayer for our country tonight, in the name of Jesus hear our prayer for our nation — that our nation will come together and we, as the church of Jesus, will be the hope for cities, towns, and relationships. It is only possible because of your redemptive work. It’s only found in Christ.”

    Speakers during the call for prayer included Ken Whitten of Idlewild Baptist church in Lutz, Florida; Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas; and K. Marshall Williams of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

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    Source : Christian Post

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