Bethel Church addresses scepticism around prayers to resurrect 2-year-old girl

On Monday Bethel worship leader Kalley Heiligenthal asked “the global church” to pray for “resurrection power” after her two-year-old daughter Olive was “unexpectedly” pronounced dead on Saturday after not waking up from her sleep.

 

Since then the church in Redding, California has held daily prayer and worship services, believing that God will bring the girl back to life again.

 

In a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday night, Johnson thanked the “countless people” who have joined the church in “prayer and intercession for the life and resurrection of Olive Heiligenthal” and added that many people have asked “important questions on that journey”.

Johnson explained that they’ve been praying for a miracle of God because of the “biblical precedent” Jesus set when he raised the dead and commanded his disciples to do so also.

“We try to run with a real conviction and a devotion to the very thing that Jesus taught us to do. So I’ve been asked, ‘isn’t this interrupting the sovereignty of God?’ And my response is… we don’t ever want to violate the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign. He chooses what he wants and we cooperate with him.

“The reason Jesus raised the dead is because not everyone dies in God’s timing. And Jesus could tell, and he would interrupt that funeral, he would interrupt that process that some would just call the sovereignty of God. He’d raise a…

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Trump asks for prayer for future presidents as impeachment process moves to Senate

Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible Thing. Read the Transcripts. This should never happen to another President again. Say a PRAYER!”

The President is accused of asking Ukraine’s President to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, the former Vice President and potentially the Democrat candidate he will stand against in 2020. As foreign involvement in elections in this way is illegal, he is being accused of abuse of power.

Secondly, he is also being accused of obstructing Congress by failing to co-operate with the impeachment investigation.

 

 

The House of Representatives, currently made up mostly of Democrats, needed a simple majority of over 50% to impeach the President on Wednesday.

The process then moves on to the Senate where the President will stand trial, but he is unlikely to be removed from office as the Senate is currently home to mostly Republican members.

Greg Swenson, a Christian member of Republicans Overseas UK told Premier: “Almost every Democrat supports the impeachment and just about every Republican is against it.

“Most importantly, in the states that are critical to this election in 2020, you see a majority – even as high as 58% in Wisconsin – that are against impeachment. So it’s pretty clear that the whole…

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When is a Church Too Far Gone? – Revitalize and Replant Episode #124

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Today, Thom and Mark answer questions from podcast listeners specifically dealing with churches struggling to make needed changes. The real question is, “Is my church too far gone?”

From Ed:

I have been filling in for a month at a church that has dwindled to 25 active members and they are asking me to stay on as pastor. My early impression is that this church may be too far gone. We are facing some financial strain soon due to deferred maintenance on our building. It feels like I’m just here to help them die with dignity. What are some signs that I have arrived too late?

From Ken:

In my church when I say “we are trying something new,” it’s often heard as “you were doing things all wrong.” How can I better communicate the need for doing new things in the church without the potential uproar or people getting their feelings hurt?

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:


    • Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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Charles condemns ‘assault on religious freedom’ in service at Tamil church

Charles told the congregation the terrorist atrocities, which claimed the lives of more than 250 people when churches and hotels were targeted in April, were “an assault on religious freedom everywhere”.

Among the worshippers in the east London church were those who lost family and friends in the attacks, and the prince said seeing people from different backgrounds grieving together gave him “confidence that compassion and community will always prevail”.

 

Charles had travelled to the Emmanuel Christian Fellowship, a Tamil Christian church established in 1982 in Manor Park, to express his solidarity with the worshippers during an advent service.

He said: “I’ve come here to stand with this community in remembrance of all those who were killed or whose lives were changed forever in the utterly barbaric attack on churches in Sri Lanka this past Easter day.

Charles, who at the time of the attacks sent a message of condolence to the Sri Lankan president, went on to say: “The appalling loss of life made Sunday the 21st of April the single worst day of violence targeting Christians in the modern era.

“There are no words that can heal the wounds that you and your fellow Christians have endured, but I did so want you all to know just how much I, and so many people in this country, mind about what you’ve suffered and how much we have been thinking of you all.

“The attacks at…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Wife of Third Day Singer Released from Hospital

Wife of Third Day Singer Released from Hospital


After enduring two weeks in the hospital for a bleeding brain aneurysm, Aimee Powell, wife of Third Day lead singer Mac Powell, was released from the hospital, the Christian Post reports.

“Thank you, Lord! We are so incredibly grateful to all the doctors and nurses that have provided excellent care to Aimee. And we can never say thank you enough to our family, friends and brothers and sisters in Christ who have prayed, taken care of our children and blessed us with gift cards, food, flowers and cards,” Mac said. 

The mother of five was admitted to the hospital after she felt unbearable pain from a headache. As Christian Headlines previously reported, a CT scan revealed bleeding in her brain. Doctors rushed her into surgery and placed two coils in her brain to stop the bleeding.

Aimee was initially told that she would experience pain for another 4 to 6 weeks, but she has recovered much faster.

“There’s no doubt in our hearts and minds that God is listening to all of our prayers and healing Aimee,” Mac said. “The doctors are amazed at her progress and how well she’s doing.”

Despite being on his Christmas tour, Mac continued to visit Aimee in the hospital until she was discharged. He is now back touring while she recovers at home.

The couple have been married for over 20 years and have five children, two of which were adopted. Christmas is an important time for their family. In 2013, she wrote a…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Children Escape Church School Moments before it Is Struck by Tornado

Children Escape Church School Moments before it Is Struck by Tornado


A series of violent storms—stretching from the Midwest and Deep South to New England—have killed at least 15 people, with tornados wiping out large swaths of neighborhoods, including a Christian school where 18 children were evacuated just moments before it was obliterated.

The children were attending classes Monday at Hope Baptist School in Alexandria, Louisiana when the weather spawned a tornado warning.

“Just before the tornado made it’s way through the school, leaving nothing but the restrooms standing, the students were moved into the sanctuary to safety; if not, this would be a totally different story,” according to a GoFundMe account set up for the school and church. “Everyone walked away, no injuries reported, but the Church and the school are at a total loss.”

CBS News reported the children huddled under pews as the tornado passed by.

“Afterward, fire rescue crews wrapped the students in towels and blankets and walked them from the wreckage to safety,” the CBS report said.

Aerial photos on Hope Baptist Church’s Facebook page show the school was leveled, while about a third of the church’s roof was missing. Another structure across the parking lot was also missing about half its roof. The only text accompanying that post was Psalm 147:3:

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

“The damage to our church/school/parsonage is extensive and will take…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Atheists Pressure Iowa Town to Remove Nativity from Courthouse Lawn

Atheists Pressure Iowa Town to Remove Nativity from Courthouse Lawn


Residents of an Iowa town packed a city council meeting Monday to speak out against the removal of a Nativity scene off the courthouse lawn, although their opposition didn’t change the stance of council members.

The Nativity was placed on the Appanoose County Courthouse lawn in Centerville Nov. 18 but was moved to a private lot Dec. 9 following a complaint, according to KCCI. 

Most of the residents who were present wanted the Nativity placed back on the courthouse lawn.

“I would die for my God!” Centerville resident Kathy Perry said.

Perry blamed Centerville officials.  

“I feel like the council members that were involved with this, that did have a say, were cowards,” she said.

More than 1,000 people signed a petition supporting the Nativity’s return to the courthouse lawn, according to KCCI.

But Centerville city council members said the Nativity would stay on private property.

“We do not rule by majority, because if there was one person that lived in Centerville, then we have to represent them as well, even if it does not agree with your particular (view),” said council member Jay Dillard.

Beau Reeves, a self-described atheist, supported the council’s action.

“I shouldn’t have to see baby Jesus on the courthouse lawn,” Reeves said.

Justin Scott, the state director for the American Atheists organization, told the Associated Press that if the council returned the Nativity…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Texas Judge Sues State after Being Reprimanded for Refusing to Marry Same-Sex Couples

Texas Judge Sues State after Being Reprimanded for Refusing to Marry Same-Sex Couples


A Texas judge is suing the state after she was warned earlier this year that she could not refuse to perform same-sex marriages.

According to CBN News, Waco judge Dianne Hensley received a public warning by Texas’ State Commission on Judicial Conduct after she refused to officiate same-sex marriages.

Hensley is a “Bible-believing” Christian who told reporters that her conscience kept her from performing same-sex weddings. She said she felt she had a “religious exemption” from performing the ceremonies.

Same-sex couples who went to Hensley’s office to be married were referred to others who would perform the wedding, but a complaint was filed against Hensley.

“For providing a solution to meet a need in my community while remaining faithful to my religious beliefs, I received a ‘Public Warning.’ No one should be punished for that,” she wrote in a statement.

Hensley is being represented by First Liberty Institute, a group that specializes in religious liberty cases. First Liberty Institute says the State Commission violated state law when it admonished her for her beliefs on same-sex marriage.

The State Commission did not fine Hensley, but she said the warning “substantially burdened the free exercise of her religion, with no compelling justification.”

The State Commission told the Texas Tribune it had no comment, but the commission had been served with…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Lauren Daigle Performs at Largest Maximum-Security Facility

Lauren Daigle Performs at Largest Maximum-Security Facility


Christian music star Lauren Daigle visited and performed at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana last week and gave thousands of dollars, as well as a message of hope, to inmates.

“In the middle of the pain, in the middle of your problems, in the middle of you being the worst of who you are, He comes and He sits next to you in the process,” she said to the inmates. According to Faithwire, many of the inmates at Angola – the largest maximum-security facility in the US – are serving life sentences. “He doesn’t point the finger, He doesn’t give you shame, He sits with you. I think that’s why He’s called the Savior of the world,” Daigle said during her performance.

On Giving Tuesday this year, Daigle hosted a fundraiser to raise money for the inmates. She encouraged fans to give cash donations for the prison to use toward purchasing clothing and phone calls. The Grammy Award-winning artist and her fans ultimately raised $17,000.

“These are luxuries to inmates and not every person can afford to call home for the holidays, connect with their families and hear the voice of a loved one,” Daigle said. “There is also a need for loungewear for the women. Help comfort them this season and let them know there are people who care and have not forgotten them.”

She also encouraged the inmates, telling them that she hopes that “their paths one day cross, if not here, then on…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Trumps asks for prayer for future Presidents as impeachment process moves to Senate

Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Can you believe that I will be impeached today by the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats, AND I DID NOTHING WRONG! A terrible Thing. Read the Transcripts. This should never happen to another President again. Say a PRAYER!”

The President is accused of asking Ukraine’s President to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, the former Vice President and potentially the Democrat candidate he will stand against in 2020. As foreign involvement in elections in this way is illegal, he is being accused of abuse of power.

Secondly, he is also being accused of obstructing Congress by failing to co-operate with the impeachment investigation.

 

 

The House of Representatives, currently made up mostly of Democrats, needed a simple majority of over 50% to impeach the President on Wednesday.

The process then moves on to the Senate where the President will stand trial, but he is unlikely to be removed from office as the Senate is currently home to mostly Republican members.

Greg Swenson, a Christian member of Republicans Overseas UK told Premier: “Almost every Democrat supports the impeachment and just about every Republican is against it.

“Most importantly, in the states that are critical to this election in 2020, you see a majority – even as high as 58% in Wisconsin – that are against impeachment. So it’s pretty clear that the whole…

… Read More

—

Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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