3,000-Year-Old Jar Might Confirm Biblical Site Was Israelite City

3,000-Year-Old Jar Might Confirm Biblical Site Was Israelite City


A nearly 3,000-year-old jar bearing the name of an Israelite man might help confirm that a city mentioned in the Old Testament was indeed an Israelite city. 

Archaeologists with Azusa Pacific University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem unearthed a jar with the inscription “lbnayo,” meaning “belonging to Benaiyo.” The latter means “Yahweh has built” and is the equivalent of a biblical name, “Benaiah,” that is found a dozen times in the Old Testament. The man referenced on the jar lived around the 9th century B.C., which would have been around the time of King Ahab.

Significantly the inscription was found in Tel Abel Beth Maacah, an archaeological site in northern Israel that has been the source of debate over whether the location mentioned in the Bible was an Israelite city or an Aramaean city, according to the Biblical Archaeology Society’s website

But the jar’s inscription with an Israelite name “indicates that the site may have indeed been an Israelite city at this time,” according to an Azusa Pacific news release.

Abel Beth Maacah (alternative spelling: Maakah) is mentioned in 2 Samuel 20. When the city was under siege, a “wise woman” came out of the city and told the commander of the army, “We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the LORD’s…

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LISTEN: Tony Evans Preaches on Living With Loss and How to Cope

This sermon on Living With Loss and How to Cope was preached January 15, 2020.

Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.

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PODCAST: Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening #13 (with Daniel Whyte III)

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening podcast. This is Episode #13.

Charles Spurgeon was a prominent English Particular Baptist preacher. He was very influential among the Christians of various denominations during his age and even today, and is commonly called the “Prince of Preachers”. After some time of alternately searching for God and running from God, he had a powerful encounter which led him to give his life to Christ. Spurgeon was only 16 when he preached his first sermon and he began publishing books shortly afterward. At the time of his death, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49 volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations and devotions. Spurgeon said, “encouraging thoughts are like honey to the heart”, and wrote this devotional in hopes that its uplifting messages for each day of the year would bring comfort and refreshment to our walk with God. He was inspired by Isaiah 50:4 which reads, “He wakeneth morning by morning. He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” and Psalm 63:5-6 which says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches.”

Philippians 1:21 reads: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so when God the Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace he was brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation for his guilt. From the moment of the new and celestial birth the man begins to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for him; to his glory we would live, and in defence of his gospel we would die; he is the pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our character. Paul’s words mean more than most men think; they imply that the aim and end of his life was Christ—nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life. Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business—are you doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self- aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, “Is that a mean reason?” For the Christian it is. He professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out this principle in some measure; but who is there that dare say that he hath lived wholly for Christ as the apostle did? Yet, this alone is the true life of a Christian—its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word—Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in thee and to thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, “Ready for either.”

PRAY.

Thank you for listening to the Morning and Evening podcast. If you do not know the Lord as your Savior, here is how you can be saved from Hell and walk with the Lord morning and evening until you go to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die:

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.

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Former Mars Hill Pastor Sutton Turner on 10 Keys to Help You Lovingly Lay Off Church Staff

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

Every year across the United States, 4,000 churches close their doors, according to research from Thom Rainer. Five years ago, when Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington closed its doors.

It was one of the more public in modern history because it was widely reported across social media, websites and blogs. When I got to Mars Hill in 2011, layoffs and terminations were not done well. I would love to say that I always laid off staff in a loving way in my role as pastor. But, I did not. One of the greatest lessons I learned while at Mars Hill was to lead as a pastor and not a professional. Over time, Jesus taught me a lot from and with Pastor Dave Bruskas as he led our staff through the pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus) each week. By the grace of God, in the end, we had gotten closer to getting it right than what we had in the past.

LAYOFFS

Most of the time, churches lay off employees because of financial difficulties because they can no longer afford the employee. Sometimes, churches lay off staff because of a shift in vision. When the person is laid off, their position will not be refilled.

Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years about how to lay off staff in a way that’s honoring and kind to them:

1.      Be certain that the layoff is correct and needed.

2.      Seek wise counsel. Before you execute a layoff, seek wise counsel from your board or other pastors from other churches. You need prayer as the leader and wise counsel for what is best for your church and your staff.

3.      As a leader and manager, take some responsibility for the layoff. The church hired the employee and situations have changed financially or strategically. If you were too aggressive on church growth plans that did not pan out, you need to own that.

4.      A layoff, unlike a termination, will come as a shock to the staff member. Even though you might have been watching the financial numbers closely as the executive pastor, most staff members will not know the financial situation of the church to that detail. So be prepared for their shock and emotional upset.

5.      Meet with the person who is being laid off with another pastor if possible. Open the meeting in prayer. Then get right to it: “I am very sorry, but we are going to have to lay you off.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Sutton Turner

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Kathie Lee Gifford: If We’re Not Quoting Hebrew or Greek Bible, We’re Not Quoting the Word

Kathie Lee Gifford: If We’re Not Quoting Hebrew or Greek Bible, We’re Not Quoting the Word


Christians are not fully engaging God’s power unless they discover the “truth of His word” by studying directly from the Greek and Hebrew texts, TV host Kathie Lee Gifford said Friday on the red carpet at the 28th annual Movieguide Awards.

“We have not been taught the truth. And we wonder why we have no power in our lives. We’re quoting Scripture that isn’t true,” she declared in a video interview embedded on The Christian Post.

“If we’re not quoting what it actually says in the Greek, actually says in the Hebrew, then we’re not speaking the word and the word is everything.”

The comments were made when the reporter asked Gifford about her 2018 book, The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi, which chronicles the intersection of Gifford’s desire to delve deeper into the Scriptures with her “life-changing” visits to the Holy Land.

“I believe that when we start actually quoting the Scripture, properly, learning it properly, then we can apply it properly,” the Emmy Award-winning TV host said. “Imagine the power that’s going to erupt in our lives because we’re doing what God said to do. Speak the truth in a spirit of love.”

While on the carpet at Avalon Theater in Hollywood, Gifford also talked about a “modern oratorio” she recently directed, and her plans for three more.

The God Who Sees was shot in Israel and is based on a song Gifford co-wrote with…

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PODCAST: Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading #63: Leviticus 2, Psalm 143, and Luke 14 (with Daniel Whyte III)

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #63. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version a day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. We are using a modified version of the Five Day Bible Reading Plan. It is modified because we read the Bible everyday and not just five days a week. The benefit of using the Five Day Bible Reading Plan is: you can read the entire Bible in a chronological reading plan that helps the Bible make sense. Today we are reading Leviticus 2, Psalm 143 and Luke 14.

Patrick Henry said, “The Bible is worth all the other books which have ever been printed.”

Mark Twain said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”

Leviticus 2
1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

2 And he shall bring it to Aa’-ron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord:

3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aa’-ron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.

4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.

6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering.

7 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

8 And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the Lord: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.

9 And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

10 And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aa’-ron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.

11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.

12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.

13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.

15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.

16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

Psalm 143
A Psalm of Da’-vid.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.

6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Se’-lah.

7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

Luke 14
1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Phar’-i-sees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3 And Je’-sus answering spake unto the lawyers and Phar’-i-sees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6 And they could not answer him again to these things.

7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

________

PRAY
________

When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out the read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

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.

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Billionaire tries to use his superyacht to smuggle a Picasso: The hidden cost of ‘secret’ sin

Jaime Botin is worth $1.7 billion. The Spaniard owns a superyacht among his many possessions. He also owns Pablo Picasso’s Head of a Young Woman, a painting estimated to be worth $28.8 million.

Or at least he did.

Botin was sentenced to jail today for using the former to
smuggle the latter out of the country.

A 2015 high court ruled that the painting is a
“national treasure” owing to the fact that it was created in the
Catalan village of Gasol. It prohibited Botin from removing the painting from
the country.

Prosecutors alleged that the billionaire used his superyacht
to smuggle the painting out of Spain and then hired a private jet to take the
art to Switzerland, where he intended to sell it. Spanish authorities were
tipped off and raided the superyacht, confiscating the painting and
transferring it to a museum in Madrid where it remains today.

Botin will now be forced to pay $60.1 million and serve eighteen months in jail.

The hidden cost of ‘secret’ sin

This story illustrates the fact that sin always leads to
consequences.

Scripture is clear: “Be sure your sin will find you
out” (Numbers 32:23). Even those crimes that are never solved by the
authorities lead to consequences for their victims and perpetrators. And we
will all stand one day before the Lord in judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10).

We can confess our sins and receive forgiveness by God’s
grace, of course (1 John 1:9). But the consequences of forgiven sin are not
always removed when we are forgiven. Adultery scars a marriage; those who
choose abortion never forget their choice.

We can drive a nail into a piece of wood and then remove the
nail, but the hole remains.

Even those sins which are forgiven without consequences to
others bear consequences in lost rewards for obedience unrendered. We will be
rewarded in heaven for the good we do on earth (Matthew 16:27). Time spent in
sin is time that was not spent in obedience. And good deeds not…

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Shane Idleman on The Great Divide in the Pulpit: Why Do Some Pastors Get Political and Others Don’t?

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

In Andy Stanley’s recent sermon on politics, one statement really stood out. He said, “I have found it very difficult to stay away from the topic of religion in church, but I have found it very easy to stay away from the topic of politics in church.” 

How can pastor Stanley find it “easy to stay away from the topic of politics in church,” but I find it extremely difficult? In my opinion, failure to recognize diverse gifts may explain why many people are divided on the issue of religion and politics. For instance, Jack Graham, John MacArthur, James Dobson, James Robison, Franklin Graham, Jack Hibbs, etc. have different ministries, but all fall under the umbrella of Christian service. God creates, within each of us, varying desires, talents, and levels of interests. If God has called a man to preach and teach His Word, that will be his passion. If God has called a Christian to pursue politics, that will be his or her passion, and so on.

Problems arise when we become judgmental and fail to respect our differences. Activists should not expect everyone to share their passion for politics, and those who believe Christians should stay out of politics must understand that God clearly calls some Christians to the political arena. God established the concept of government, why would He not desire godly leadership? Granted, there will always be a moral divide in America, but this should not deter us from making a difference. It took years for America to reach this state of moral decay; it may take years to recover. But on the flip-side, I have noticed that many mega-church pastors seem to be more concerned about not upsetting the status quo. The question all pastors need to ask is, “Are we pleasing God or men . . . are we watchmen or cowards? As we prepare sermons, are we tip-toeing around difficult topics or hitting them head on?” Our job is to love as well as convict. I believe that America is in the state we are in today because of the silent pulpit. Gone are the days when Alex de Tocqueville visited America and saw “pulpits aflame with righteousness.” Here is a sermon clip that Fox News picked up about this very thing.

As I often say: There is a very troubling trend in the evangelical church as a whole. Today, the truth is often neglected, watered-down, or avoided altogether in the hope of not offending members and building a large audience. Judgment is never mentioned; repentance is never sought; and sin is often excused. We want to build a church rather than break a heart; be politically correct rather than biblically correct; coddle and comfort rather than stir and convict. When we fail to proclaim God’s Word faithfully, we run the risk of “encouraging sin” and “perverting the words of the living God” (cf. Jeremiah 23). Students of Scripture understand that God uses governmental leaders to accomplish His purposes and plans. We cannot remain silent. The silent pulpit is not God’s pulpit. Here is a recent message I gave on abortion, When the Weak are Destroyed by the Powerful.

We are not voting for parties or people but for principles. What direction will those running for office take us? is the question we all should be asking. Our leader is to protect, administer justice, defend the nation, and allow religious freedom. The church is to care for the people, guard the Word of God, and serve as the conscience of the nation. You may want to commit this paragraph to memory before 2020.

Granted, activists should not expect everyone to share their passion for politics, and those who believe Christians should stay out of politics must understand that God clearly calls some Christians to make a difference in Washington. God established the concept of government, why would He not desire godly leadership?

Although my primary calling is preaching, I thank God for Christians who are involved and who influence America’s political climate. I wish that there were more. As the moral and cultural war rages between our shores, the need to be awakened from our spiritual slumber has never been greater. “Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is tested” (attributed to Martin Luther). This battle is for the very soul of our nation. It’s our choice — stand or fall.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Shane Idleman

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Wallace Henley on Kobe Bryant and God’s Extravagant Grace

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of BCNN1. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s).

The Kobe Bryant tragedy reveals the revolting irony of the woke culture and its ceaseless campaigns for secularism and relativism. The woke among us denounce absolutism, especially in its religious form, and decry judgmentalism as puritanical injustice, but sadly have forgotten the enormity and extravagance of grace.

No one can be more religiously accusatory as an irreligious woke leftist.

Two thousand years ago the religious establishment was appalled that Jesus of Nazareth claimed the authority to forgive the sins of others. Eliminate belief in the Judge who is qualified to declare that mercy triumphs, and there is no grace.

Through the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote that

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21 NLT)

No wonder the woke among us who deny transcendent love can be so graceless.

And that brings us to the tragedy that struck Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others who died in the helicopter crash on January 26.

The smoke had hardly cleared before a Washington Post reporter tweeted a reminder of a 2003 case in which Bryant was accused of rape — later dropped. Another individual who classified himself as a “moral philosopher” wrote that we should not “pretend that the world has lost some kind of moral hero” in light of Bryant’s alleged sins. A starlet from Hollywood — the woke holy land — lamented the grief experienced by Kobe’s family, but in the same expression called him a “rapist.”

The graceless wokes want us to know how “honest” they are in looking at the “whole” man. The woke today with their inquisitional sermonizing at grand award events where they celebrate themselves and their self-righteousness remind one of the religious establishment Jesus described as being clean and sparkly on the outside while grimy on the inside. (Matthew 23:25)

“Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling,” wrote the Washington Post scribe.

The extravagance of grace is both shocking and amazing. No one can stand before the Judge of the universe without it. The good news of the New Covenant that God makes with humanity is that the Judge Himself has come down from the bench and entered the execution chamber in the place of the offender.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Wallace Henley

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Bethany Christian Services to End International Adoptions and Will Focus on ‘Serving Children in Their Own Communities’

Bethany Christian Services, the largest Christian adoption agency in the United States, said it will soon end international adoptions and will instead focus on supporting children in their home communities.

In a blog post, Bethany Christian Services revealed that its international adoption accreditation will expire in 2021. After that, it will no longer accept new applications.

“Our decision to phase out international adoption is not a criticism of the program, but a reflection of our desire to serve children in their own communities,” wrote Kristi Gleason, the vice president for global services at Bethany Christian Services, in the Jan. 21 post.

“The future of adoption is working with local governments, churches, and social services professionals around the world to recruit and support local families for children and to develop and improve effective, safe in-country child welfare systems. Through these efforts, we served more children around the world in 2019 than we previously served in a single year.”

According to its website, Bethany assisted in 15,000 adoptions over the course of the last four decades. In the blog post, Gleason noted that international adoptions to the U.S. dropped from nearly 30,000 children in 2004 to just over 4,000 in 2018.

The dip in numbers is not due to a lack of evangelical interest, however.

“In the last decade, international adoption practices have dramatically changed around the world,” Gleason wrote. “Nations like Russia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia have closed their doors to international adoption altogether. Other countries have changed their laws and practices, making it nearly impossible to adopt children internationally. In some places where we once helped hundreds of children find loving homes, we now process fewer than a dozen adoptions each year.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett

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