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Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk Written to Encourage Christian Voters

Church and Ministry

Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk Written to Encourage Christian Voters

(RNS) — The last thing Eugene Cho wanted to write a book about was politics.

In fact, Cho said he quit writing his latest book, Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Engaging Politics, four times.

The pastor, author and founder of the nonprofit One Day’s Wages kept imagining the criticism he would receive. Nowadays, he noted, it seems like there is no “middle ground” in politics or anything else, “no nuance in how we’re navigating certain conversations.”

But he also kept feeling compelled — by the Holy Spirit, he said — to finish the book.

“There’s a lot of folks in the middle that are trying to bumble and stumble our way through,” he said. “We take our faith seriously, we know politics matters because it informs policy and that impacts people, and we’re just trying to figure that out as best as we can as followers of Jesus.”

Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk released this weekend ahead of Super Tuesday (March 3), when the largest number of states vote in primary elections and caucuses on one day.

In the run-up to November’s general election, Cho said, “I would say obviously this is an important election.”

He’s not naïve, he said. He believes God is sovereign. But he also believes that doesn’t preclude him from caring about what happens.

“God is sovereign and I choose to care and I believe that it matters,” he said.

“Politics and foreign policies…

Girl Celebrates Abortion in Viral Tik Tok Video

Church and Ministry

Girl Celebrates Abortion in Viral Tik Tok Video

A now-deleted Tik Tok video of a girl getting an abortion has gone viral on social media.

According to The Federalist, the Tik Tok video has more than four million views, with more than 340,000 likes and more than 13,400 comments.

The 19-second video entitled, “abortion time take 2” suggests that this may be the video creator’s second abortion.

In the video, as a positive pregnancy test flashes on the screen, one girl can be heard asking her friend “How do you feel Ashley?”

The girl, presumably named Ashley, simply responded “Ummm.”

The video then cuts to the pair sitting in a car outside of the Planned Parenthood Pasadena Health Center in Pasadena, California, as the girl allegedly getting an abortion nervously laughs.

Inside the clinic, a caption on the video reads “there’s two abortion moods.” At first, a “slightly somber” couple is pictured before the video cuts to Ashley fist-pumping right before it closes out with her in a medical gown in the exam room with an ultrasound of the baby.

Although the clip was non-graphic, it was heavily criticized on social media.

Live Action USA’s founder and president Charlie Kirk called the video “sick and depraved.”

Lila Rose, president of pro-life group Live Action tweeted, “Our ability to be cruel is endless. When society celebrates abortion, should we be surprised to see this kind of cruelty? My heart breaks for this little helpless baby,…

Rev. Anthony Evans, President of The National Black Church Initiative, Says Black Religious Faith Voters Firmly Rejected Buttigieg and His Radical Gay Agenda

Church and Ministry

Our prayers have been answered

Washington, DC – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 26.7 million African Americans with an additional 116,000 sister churches, is happy that Pete Buttigieg has dropped out of the race. We did not and would never tell our members who to vote for, but we know who we need to vote against for the sake of the Gospel. No matter how the mainline media tried to portray him as a nice, normal politician, black faith voters saw through it and sent him packing.

NBCI President, The Rev. Anthony Evans says, “Praise be to God our members heard our prayer against this evil. The Bible is clear on homosexuality. It is wrong. Black religious faith voters firmly and soundly rejected Buttigieg and his radical gay agenda. The only thing we did is to remind our members to read and obey the Scriptures.”

About NBCI

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 34,000 African American and Latino churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches and the public. Our methodology is utilizing faith and sound health science.

NBCI’s purpose is to partner with major organizations and officials whose main mission is to reduce racial disparities in the variety of areas cited above. NBCI offers faith-based, out-of-the-box and cutting-edge solutions to stubborn economic and social issues. NBCI’s programs are governed by credible statistical analysis, science-based strategies and techniques, and methods that work. Visit our website at www.naltblackchurch.com.

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Europe Leaves Christianity for 'Paganism'

Church and Ministry

LONDON and DUBLIN – Martyr’s Free Church in Edinburgh is part of the rich history of Christianity in Scotland. Today it’s “Frankenstein,” a bar that describes itself as a family-friendly venue but also a place for stag parties, bar top dancers and monsters.

St Paul’s Church in Bristol, England is now a school for circus performers.

And in Llanera, Spain, the Church of Santa Barbara is now “Kaos Temple,” a skateboard park.

But before you get angry at the new owners, understand that Europe today has more empty church buildings than it knows what to do with because Europe is, by and large, no longer Christian.

You could say these churches are the remnants of a “lost civilization.” Christian civilization. It was once at the very heart of Europe’s life and culture. Those days are over.

Belief in the Christian God has Plummeted.

“In Britain, something like seventy or seventy-five percent of British under 30 say they have no religion,” says theologian Stephen Bullivant, author of Mass Exodus.

And Bullivant has more bad news: Europe’s move away from Christianity is accelerating.

“People often ask me, especially the Catholic church, ‘What can we do to kind of bring everyone back?” Bullivant says, “And half-serious, I always say, ‘Well, invest in time machine technology.'”

A Christian in ‘Pagan’ Britain

Dr. Harvey Kwiyani, professor of African Christianity and Theology at Liverpool Hope University, is from the Christian nation of Malawi. He says moving to what he calls Britain’s “pagan culture” was a shock.

“Growing up in Malawi, Christianity is exploding there. The median age of an African Christian is 19,” he said, “Coming to Europe, these are post-Christian people. They have moved away from Christianity. I teach students who tell me ‘I am fourth generation pagan in my family.'”

Kwiyani added, as an expert in the field, “The data is clear: Christianity in Europe is dying.”

‘Christian’ Nations Persecuting Christians

God is still moving in Europe, but the larger culture has been lost, and while some governments might still be officially Christian, they are now openly persecuting Christians.

Attorney Andrea Williams of Christian Concern in London says, “I think that what is hard for people in America to understand is that the people of Great Britain really have no notion of what Christianity is.”

Williams spends much of her time defending clients like Christian doctor David Mackereth, who was fired after refusing to call a bearded transgender man a woman, because of his Christian beliefs.

Mackereth said he was “compelled to say things which I cannot say. But when I’m told to call a man a woman or call a woman a man, they’re pushing my conscience in a way it cannot go because I could not serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and do that.”

It’s the same story for Christians across Europe. In Finland, a Christian member of parliament faces possible prison time for simply tweeting Bible verses that condemn homosexuality.

Europe is Returning to its Pagan Roots, but There is Hope

Bullivant says it will probably get worse for Christians, as Europe returns to its pagan roots. “The end of that road, culturally, I think is eighty, ninety percent ‘no religion,'” he said.

Kwiyani said that because Europe has “not just left Christianity but has left religion, to convince them of the need for religion again is a challenge.”

Williams believes “only a radical revival can change that, but if we don’t, it’s going to get darker yet.”

There is hope for Europe, and it could be in something missions leaders call “The Blessed Reflex.”

It was the prayer of early missionaries like William Carey and David Livingstone that one day, the gospel would return from the mission fields of Africa and Asia to re-evangelize Europe.

There are signs the Blessed Reflex has begun.

Source CBN

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Joe Biden wins Super Tuesday: Proving our faith and love in a ‘cancel’ culture

Church and Ministry
Opinion
Sermons

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a primary election night campaign rally Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles.

Super Tuesday is the day when the most states hold contests to pick a presidential nominee, the most voters can go to the polls, and the most delegates are allotted to candidates. (For its history, go here.)

Fourteen states and American Samoa held nominating contests yesterday, awarding a total of 1,357 delegates. These constitute 34 percent of the nearly four thousand delegates available through the process.

How Joe Biden won the day

Here’s what we know so far.

Joe Biden won nine states last night, seizing control of the Democratic presidential process. He scored a dramatic upset victory in Texas and surprising wins in Minnesota and Massachusetts and now leads the race with 453 delegates.

Bernie Sanders won California, Colorado, Utah, and his home state of Vermont. He is in second with 382 delegates.

Elizabeth Warren did not win a single state and now has fifty delegates. Michael Bloomberg managed to win American Samoa and now has forty-four delegates. Maine remains too close to call this morning.

Before yesterday, less than 5 percent of the delegates had been allotted. After Super Tuesday, 38 percent have been determined.

“Across Europe, this wall will fall”

Whatever your beliefs regarding President Trump or the Democrats seeking to replace him, it’s worth remembering that yesterday’s primaries gave nearly 130 million people a chance to participate in our democracy. They would constitute the tenth-largest nation on earth.

In Give Me Liberty: A History of America’s Exceptional Idea, Richard Brookhiser explores the history of liberty in the US through many of our most significant historic documents. Here are some of the lesser known:

The minutes of the Jamestown General Assembly in 1619 established the principle of local control or…

Five Good Reasons to Accept Transfer Growth

Church and Ministry
Opinion

By Sam Rainer

“A family from your church wants to join our church.”

The pastor who called me was genuine in his request. We don’t have many people transferring into our church from other churches. And we don’t have many people transferring out either. In this instance, the reasons were noble for leaving our church and going to another church. I’m glad we had a conversation about it.

Transfer growth occurs when a church member moves his or her membership to another church.

It’s also the case that a few churches seek transfer growth as a strategy—never explicitly stated, of course, but completely obvious. Typically, this unstated strategy is expressed in a benign but pretentious phrase like, We’re the best. Why would you go anywhere else? In today’s consumeristic society, I’m not surprised some churches would use this tactic. However, my missiology leads me to believe that “meet them where they are” refers to unbelievers, not other church members.

There are plenty of bad reasons to transfer to another church. Reasons like “They’re the best.” Or “They have the program I like.” Or “They play music I like.” Or “They have coffee every Sunday morning.” Far too many churches have low standards of membership, and transfer growth tends to bloom like algae in these environments. I don’t want to sound too harsh, but it feels slimy when people jump into churches for those reasons.

But not all transfer growth is bad. Not every person is a church hopper,…

PODCAST: Finding Rest and Peace in a Restless World, Part 9 (Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign, Day 1014 since Jan. 20, 2017 / Day 1,311 since Jan. 1, 2016 with Daniel Whyte III)

Church and Ministry

TEXT: Matthew 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

——

John MacArthur said, ”He offers peace from God to all who are the recipients of His grace. He makes peace with God ) for those who surrender to Him in faith. And He brings the peace of God to those who walk with Him.”

Warren Lamb used this illustration about the yoke of Jesus:

“Back on the ranch where I spent my summers when I was young, my Dad and some of the other men used to break horses to ride and then would train them for various tasks according to their abilities and breeding.

The first thing they always did was to gain the animal’s trust. They would then train them to reign, to tur,n and to stop on a dime, back up, follow a calf, and stand quietly and poised in a chute ready to launch after a calf, etc. Some they trained as cutting horses, and some as roping horses. But first, there was the process of gently caring for them. This is where they brought in us younger “men” and started to train us to do what they did.

We brushed them, trimmed their hoofs, fed them, and halter broke them so we could lead them from one place to another. We would often tie a younger horse to an older and stronger horse and lead them around the corral. When the younger horse was large enough to carry a rider, we would step up and into the saddle while the young horse was tied close to the saddle horn of the larger horse. Sometimes, because the young horse so trusted us, this last step was not even necessary. Then came the process or teaching the horse to respond to the reigns and other cues.

These young horses didn’t like the new conditions at first. It scared them and they liked their freedom, but in time, through the gentleness of the trainer who showed gentleness and kindness for the horse, and through the example of the older horse, they became trained and learned to love what they did. It was not burdensome. They often had to work hard and would work up a sweat, but they loved it. It was a yoke fitted for their abilities and their natural instincts.

So the Savior promised, “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” It is tailor made for each of us and furthermore, He is always there with us to bear the burden.”

In our last message in this series we looked at verse 28 in this passage. We saw that Jesus invites us to come to Him so that we can know God. Now we are moving on to verses 28-30, in which Jesus issues his call for us to find rest in Him. Here are three things that we can learn from this passage:

First, Jesus offers rest to the burdened. Life is full of struggles. We are all carrying burdens of sin. We are burdened with the cares of life. But Jesus offers us the gift of rest in Him. This is a rest greater than any physical relaxation or sleep. Jesus provides rest for our souls. We can rest in Jesus because our sin no longer enslaves us. Death no longer holds a shadow over us because the blood of Jesus has provided us a sure road to heaven. Our souls will not be troubled with doubts over our death and with struggles over sin. Charles Spurgeon said, “We come to Jesus; we put out the empty hand of faith, and rest is given us at once most freely. We possess it at once, and it is ours forever. It is a present rest, rest now; not rest after death; not rest after a time of probation and growth and advancement; but it is rest given when we come to Jesus, given there and then. And it is perfect rest too; for it is not said, nor is it implied, that the rest is incomplete. We do not read, “I will give you partial rest,” but “rest,” as much as if there were no other form of it. It is perfect and complete in itself. In the blood and righteousness of Jesus our peace is perfect. I shall not stay except to ask you now, brethren and sisters, whether you know the meaning of this given rest. Have you come to Jesus and has he given you perfect and present rest? If so, I know your eye will catch joyously those two little words, “And I,” and I would bid you lovingly remember the promiser who speaks. Jesus promises and Jesus performs. Did not all your rest, when first your sin was forgiven, come from him? The load was gone, but who took it? The yoke was removed, but who lifted it from off the shoulder? Do you not give to Jesus, this day, the glory of all your rest from the burden of guilt? Do you not praise his name with all your souls? Yes, I know you do. And you know how that rest came to you. It was by his substitution and your faith in that substitution. Your sin was not pardoned by a violation of divine justice; justice was satisfied in Jesus; he gave you rest. The fact that he has made full atonement is the rest of your spirit this morning. I know that deep down in your consciences, the calm which blesses you springs from a belief in your Lord’s vicarious sacrifice. He bore the unrest that you might have the rest, and you receive rest this day as a free gift from him. You have done now with servile toils and hopeless burdens, you have entered into rest through believing; but all the rest and deliverance still comes to you as a gift from his dear hands, who purchased with a price this blessing for your souls. I earnestly wish that many who have never felt that rest, would come and have it; it is all they have to do to obtain it—to come for it; just where they now are, if God enables them to exercise a simple act of faith in Jesus, he will give them rest from all their past sins, from all their efforts to save themselves, a rest which shall be to his glory and to their joy.” The famous hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’ notes that ‘all is at rest’ because we are ‘happy and blest’ in the salvation given to us. Why won’t you receive Jesus’ invitation to lay aside life’s burdens and find rest in Him?

——-

Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.

He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.

He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.

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Disney Officially Confirms “The Proud Family” Is Coming Back with Original Creators and Voice Cast After 15 Years

Entertainment

PENNY! Get ready to hear Oscar Proud’s voice ringing in your ears again soon, because the Proud family is coming back in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, which will be streaming on Disney+! In an August 2019 interview with Where Is the Buzz, Tommy Davidson — aka the voice of Oscar Proud — mentioned that the show would be returning with new episodes on Disney’s streaming app, though he did say, “They told me not to tell nobody.” Oops!

Disney confirmed on Feb. 27 that the new series is in officially in production, and we can’t wait! “In our minds, the show never really went away, as we still had tons of stories left to tell,” creator and executive producer Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar said in a joint statement. “It’s the perfect time to bring back this show, and we can’t wait to take fans, old and new alike, on this journey with us.” Agnes Chu, senior vice president for content, Disney+, added: “The show’s humor and relatable stories are as relevant with audiences today as ever. Our audiences have loved rediscovering their favorite episodes of The Proud Family, and we’re excited Bruce, Ralph, Calvin [Brown, Jr.], and the returning cast are creating new stories for their new home on Disney+.”

Official Official !!!!!! The Proud Family is coming back!!!!! #LouderandProuder !!! All new episodes are coming soon to disneyplus !!!! So grateful and excited and happy the news is finally officially out so y’all… https://t.co/3RVGzjSx0b

— Kyla Pratt (@KylaPratt) February 27, 2020

The Proud Family originally aired on The Disney Channel from 2001 to 2005, featuring Kyla Pratt as the voice of Penny Proud, a 14-year-old girl trying to navigate her way through junior high school. The hilarious show put smiles on the faces of so many viewers in those few years, so we can’t wait for our kids to meet Penny, Oscar, Trudy, Sugar Mama, and the rest of the crew once the reboot begins streaming on Disney+. There’s no date set just yet for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder‘s first season, so we’ll just be here soaking up all of the previous The Proud Family seasons and everything else on Disney+ until then!

SOURCE: PopSugar – ALESSIA SANTORO

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Tenth Avenue North Announces Split and ‘Final Farewell Tour’ After 20 Years Together

Entertainment

Award-winning Christian band Tenth Avenue North announced they’re going their separate ways after over a decade of making music and touring together.

“Words always seem to fail when it comes to farewell,” frontman Mike Donehey wrote in a letter posted on Instagram. “Even the best goodbyes are bittersweet. Maybe we’re made for eternity after all.”

He added: “20 years ago, Tenth Avenue North was nothing but three friends goofing around in a PBA dorm room. We never dreamt it would take us around the globe, not in a million years. But here we are, two decades, shaking our heads, grateful, in all. We’re grateful for all the stories, all the tears, for all the memories we’ve made. Did I mention the music?”

Tenth Avenue North has had over 1.5 million albums sold and multiple No. 1 radio hits over the last 10 years. Including their independent releases, the band, which got their start in Palm Beach, Florida, has released 15 original music projects.

Goodbyes ain’t easy.

A post shared by Mike Donehey (@mikedonehey) on Feb 26, 2020 at 1:35pm PST

“It’s been a glorious, hard fought, and oftentimes breath-taking journey. We feel like we’ve seen it all. The fights, the victories, the forgiveness period, the mercy … truckloads of mercy.

“Now it seems a season is coming to a close,” the letter continued.

“One by one, band members have been moving on. We don’t consider this a sign of unhealth, quite the opposite. After 20 years, we’re dreaming new dreams. It’s time to encourage one another to go, go and do all that is in our hearts to do,” it added.

The band, which consists of Donehey, Jeff Owen, and Ruben Juarez III, kicked off their “Finally Living Tour” this month and the letter stated that they will be calling it their “final farewell tour.”

“That’s what it is a farewell. It is with a great deal of joy and sorrow all mixed up together, we want you to know this will be our last tour as Tenth Avenue North,” they announced.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jeannie Law