Our Daily Bread 7 February 2019 Devotional – Good Works Prepared

CM Editor
-
0
Our Daily Bread 7 February 2019 Devotional – Good Works Prepared

Topic: Good Works Prepared [Our Daily Bread 7 February 2019 Devotional]

Bible in a Year: Leviticus 1–3; Matthew 24:1–28

For we are . . . created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Today’s Scripture & Insight: Ephesians 2:6-10

When a burly stranger approached my wife and me on a street abroad, we shrunk back in fear. Our holiday had been going badly; we had been yelled at, cheated, and extorted from several times. Were we going to be shaken down again? To our surprise, the man just wanted to show us where to get the best view of his city. Then he gave us a chocolate bar, smiled, and left. That little gesture made our day—and saved the whole trip. It made us grateful—both to the man and to God for cheering us up.

What had made the man reach out to two strangers? Had he gone around with a chocolate bar the entire day, looking to bless someone with it?

It’s amazing how the smallest action can bring the biggest smile—and possibly direct someone to God. The Bible stresses the importance of doing good works (James 2:17, 24). If that sounds challenging, we have the assurance that God not only enables us to do these works, but has even “prepared [them] in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Perhaps God has arranged for us to “bump into” someone who needs a word of encouragement today or has given us an opportunity to offer someone a helping hand. All we have to do is respond in obedience.

Today’s Reflection
Who can you pray for or help today? Who might God be putting in your path?

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Our Daily Bread Devotionals HERE”

This message was written By Leslie Koh [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

The post Our Daily Bread 7 February 2019 Devotional – Good Works Prepared appeared first on Flatimes.

1,200-year-old Bible seized in Turkey

-
0
1,200-year-old Bible seized in Turkey

The security forces received intel that people were seeking buyers for the ancient 34-page manuscript written on leather with gold-encrusted motifs, the city of Diyarbakir governor’s office confirmed.

Security forces said six people were detained in connection with the incident after being caught trying to sell the Holy book.

 

No further details of the ancient Bible have been provided.

Turkey regularly carries out anti-smuggling operations in a bid to stop the illegal sale of historical objects and to protect the country’s rich cultural heritage.

Diyarbakir Governor's Office

 

Turkey is home to 3,000 ancient cities from 42 civilisations.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

… Read More

—

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

قالب وردپرس

Rhapsody of Realities 7 February 2019 – Transformation by the Word

CM Editor
-
0
Rhapsody of Realities 7 February 2019 – Transformation by the Word

Rhapsody of Realities 7 February 2019 By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome – Transformation by the Word

Topic: Transformation by the Word

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind… (Romans 12:2).

If you’re going to experience unending victories, and progress in the divine walk, you must think, talk, and act in sync with God’s Word. God’s Word has the ability to produce in you and for you the message that it bears. When you think on the Word as our opening verse admonishes, ideas and pictures of success, endless possibilities and victory will flood your mind.

Remember, you’re the character of your thoughts; so, when your thoughts are in sync with the provisions of the Gospel, your life will be a reflection of the same. The Word is God’s power to transform your life. When you hear the Word, there must be a response from you, and it’s that response that brings about the transformation. This transformation is something you can, and should experience frequently.

Every time you hear the Word, it’s an opportunity for you to be transformed from glory to glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory….” Your glory increases as you study and meditate on the Word, because the glory of God is in His Word. Your atmosphere becomes conditioned in your favour, as you speak in agreement with God.

Keep speaking the Word, irrespective of the challenges you might be facing, and before long, the glory of the Word would be revealed in that situation. The glory of the Word is “excellent glory”; it repels darkness. Hallelujah! That’s the glory that’s revealed as you pray in the Spirit, speaking God’s Word. Sometimes, while you’re yet affirming the Word, you could literally relate with success, victory and dominion in your spirit. That’s because they’re inherent in your spirit, and by speaking the Word, you cause them to manifest.

If you’d let the Word, which is all-powerful, quick and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), gain the mastery in your life, you’ll live an extraordinary life. You’d be indomitable, triumphing over circumstances. Have a mindset of the Word; have the Word as your focus! That way, your whole life will be in sync with the perfect will of God for you.

PRAYER
I experience the glory of God in my ministry, health, job, family and finances, because the Word is my life, piloting me from glory to glory. My mind is renewed and inundated with thoughts of righteousness, progress, possibilities, victory, excellence, success, and abundance, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:
 Proverbs 23:7; Philippians 4:8; Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
 Matthew 26:1-30 & Exodus 32-33

2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
 Matthew 13:1-9 & Genesis 38

Click HERE to Read previous Messages

Rhapsody of Realities 7th February 2019 Devotional was written by Pastor Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (D.Sc., D.D.). President of Loveworld Inc. aka Christ Embassy Int’l.

The post Rhapsody of Realities 7 February 2019 – Transformation by the Word appeared first on Flatimes.

Canadian Evangelical School Adapts LGBTQ Rules, Says Donations, Enrollment Are up

-
0
Canadian Evangelical School Adapts LGBTQ Rules, Says Donations, Enrollment Are up


Canadian Evangelical School Adapts LGBTQ Rules, Says Donations, Enrollment Are up


(RNS) — When the administration of Azusa Pacific University dropped the section of its student code of conduct that banned same-sex relationships last August, reaction was swift.


American Christian media and church leaders were quick to accuse the evangelical school of caving to societal pressure and compromising its Christian identity.


The response prompted the university’s board to reverse the change, affirming the definition of  marriage as being between “one man and one woman.”


About the same time, Trinity Western University — Canada’s premier evangelical university — also made a change related to same-sex relationships, but in a different way and with different results. 


In TWU’s case, the school kept its community covenant, which requires students to “abstain” from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”


But signing the covenant is now voluntary.


Over the past year, reaction to the change has been mostly positive, said James Tweedy, TWU’s director of marketing, and support for the university remains strong.


“We haven’t experienced a negative impact on donations,” he said. “In fact, both donations and enrolment continue to be stronger than in prior years.”


Overall, Tweedy added, “the response has been largely positive and has been seen as a necessary step…

… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

Actor playing priest gets baptised

-
0
Actor playing priest gets baptised

The drama, Ride upon the Storm features him as a priest, Johannes, a man tortured by his human failings as father and husband as he grapples with life’s big questions.

The 54-year-old told Metro that playing the role finally gave him the strength to come out and say he was a believer.

He said:

“I don’t know why I couldn’t do it before. I’ve always believed in something, though I couldn’t define it. So I decided to get baptised.

“For me, it felt just right. I never was a child, my family were all communists, they had no time for all that stuff.”

Ride upon the Storm gets its title from the William Cowper hymn, God moves in mysterious ways.

It dwells on themes of faith, multiculturalism and arguments around monotheism concentrating on the priest Johannes’ fractured relationship with his sons.

Mikkelsen’s family have been surprised by his new-found faith.

He said:

“It’s not cool, is it, to say you believe in something…..but isn’t that what we need right now?”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

… Read More

—

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

قالب وردپرس

Search for Undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls Reveals Dispute over West Bank Artifacts

-
0
Search for Undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls Reveals Dispute over West Bank Artifacts


Search for Undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls Reveals Dispute over West Bank Artifacts


JERUSALEM (RNS) — When pieces of ancient pottery and never-before-seen scroll fragments began making their way to the antiquities black market a few years ago, archaeologists suspected that looters had found a new cache of Dead Sea Scrolls.


Determined to discover and protect whatever scrolls might still be hidden in the parched Judean desert, a joint team of archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., began excavating some of the unexplored caves near Qumran, where all known Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1940s and 1950s.


“The concern was that the caves were being ransacked by locals who were illegally selling them,” said Randall Price, a professor of biblical and Judaic studies at Liberty University and co-director of the excavation, which began three years ago. “The Geneva Convention permits salvage excavations to try to recover items before they’re lost to history.”


If and when Price’s team unearths additional Dead Sea Scrolls or other artifacts, both Palestinians and Israelis will be sure to claim ownership.


The question of ownership comes at a particularly sensitive time in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Palestinian leaders have stepped up their bid for statehood by claiming that Jews are colonial invaders to the region and denying Jewish religious or historical ties to the West…

… Read More

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

قالب وردپرس

Pope says nuns were reduced to sexual slavery

-
0
Pope says nuns were reduced to sexual slavery

Francis, who also said there had been one case where sisters had been reduced to “sexual slavery”, vowed to do more to fight the problem.

The pope admitted to the problem for the first time in public during a news conference while returning to Rome from the United Arab Emirates.

The acknowledgement comes just two weeks before he hosts an unprecedented gathering of bishops to craft a global response to the scandal of priesthood predators who targeted children and the superiors who covered up the crimes.

Francis was asked about priests who target adult women – the religious sisters who are the backbone of the Catholic Church’s education, health care and social service ministries around the globe – and whether the Holy See might consider a similar universal approach to combat that issue.

“It’s not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops who have,” Francis told reporters. “And I think that it’s continuing because it’s not like once you realise it that it stops. It continues. And for some time we’ve been working on it.”

“Should we do something more? Yes. Is there the will? Yes. But it’s a path that we have already begun,” Francis said.

Francis’ acknowledgement of the problem comes as he prepares to decide the fate of the disgraced American ex-cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of abusing minors as well as adult seminarians.

That case also…

… Read More

—

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

قالب وردپرس

Seven Warning Signs of Inward Focus in a Church

-
0

Seven Warning Signs of Inward Focus in a Church

  1. There are very few attempts to minister to those in the community.
  2. Church business meetings become arguments over preferences and desires.
  3. Members in the congregation are openly critical of the pastor, other church leaders in the church.
  4. Any change necessary to become a Great Commission church is met with anger and resistance.
  5. The past becomes the hero.
  6. Culture is seen as the enemy instead of an opportunity for believers to become salt and light.
  7. Pastors and other leaders in the church become discouraged and withdraw from effective leadership.

Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:

  • God gave your church its address for a reason.
  • I abhor the words “I love you pastor, but…”
  • When the past becomes the more, your future becomes irrelevant.
  • Many churches are fighting culture so much that they fail to live out the Great Commission.

… Read More

—

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

قالب وردپرس

Ireland’s next Presbyterian Moderator ‘youngest in living memory’

-
0
Ireland’s next Presbyterian Moderator ‘youngest in living memory’

The Rev William Henry, 50, is minister of Maze Presbyterian Church in County Antrim.

Mr Henry received the most votes of the Church’s 19 presbyteries, which met independently across Ireland on Tuesday evening to elect a successor to the current moderator, Dr Charles McMullen.

Mr Henry will be formally elected Moderator by the Church’s General Assembly in Belfast in June.

He said he was “deeply honoured” and the experience of “enjoying God” could become his theme for the year ahead.

He said: “Encountering God is always radical and disruptive.

“However, the Church can become casual and forgetful of the presence of God; and wider society has a tendency to be self-contained or self-reliant, the effect for both is that they attempt to live without a recognition of dependence upon God.

“I would wish to use the year ahead that I have to speak about this message and explore with people what it means to ‘Enjoy God,’ both to the Church and wider society.

“I want to bear witness to what I might call the surprising and unsettling presence of God, the one who offers fullness in Jesus.”

The election takes place on the first Tuesday of every February and out of this year’s four nominees, Mr Henry received the most presbytery votes to become moderator-designate.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more…

… Read More

—

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

قالب وردپرس

The ‘State of the Union’ is divided: How should Christians respond?

-
0
The ‘State of the Union’ is divided: How should Christians respond?

President Trump delivered the 2019 State of the Union address last night before a joint session of the 116th Congress. I watched the address, then surveyed coverage of it this morning. It is as if there were two different speeches delivered.

The Blaze headlines: “An astounding number of viewers approved of Trump’s State of the Union speech–here are the results.” A Fox columnist claims that “once again, America saw that Trump on the stump is very, very good.”

By contrast, the Washington Post is carrying a column titled “More Trump fantasyland as the world fries.” CNN has an article titled “Critics laugh off Trump’s mispronunciations once again.” Van Jones claimed that the speech was “psychotically incoherent.”

None of this should surprise us.

Who is neutral about the president?

The New Yorker interviewed a Georgetown University scholar this week who called President Trump “an amateur in the White House” and claimed that he “looks hideously weak.” By contrast, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders recently called Mr. Trump “the most productive President in modern history” and claimed, “It’s indisputable that our country has never been stronger than it is today under the leadership of President Trump.”

It seems difficult to find someone who is neutral about the president. The latest poll shows that 39.9 percent of Americans approve of the job he is doing, while 55.6 percent disapprove. Only 4.5 percent are undecided.

Our divisions over the president reflect a growing partisan divide in our country. Pew Research Center asked more than five thousand people about several specific political issues and found that, on average, there was a thirty-six-point gap between Republicans and Democrats. This is up twenty-one points since Pew began tracking these questions twenty-three years earlier.

A recent survey found that 80 percent of Americans say the country is “mainly” or “totally” divided. NBC News…

… Read More

—

Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

قالب وردپرس

1...1,3391,3401,341...3,893Page 1,340 of 3,893