Woman allegedly tosses Molotov cocktail at boyfriend’s residence: April Fool’s Day and the urgency of collective prayer

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Woman allegedly tosses Molotov cocktail at boyfriend’s residence: April Fool’s Day and the urgency of collective prayer

April Fool’s Day has seldom seemed less appropriate than in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. But in the spirit of the day, let’s begin with the story of a woman in New Jersey who violated her state’s stay-at-home order when she allegedly tossed a Molotov cocktail at a boyfriend’s residence.

She has been charged with a disorderly person’s offense for violating the governor’s order. As you might expect, she also faces arson and weapons charges. Fortunately, as the Attorney General’s office noted, her weapon “did not detonate.”

An asteroid the width of Manhattan Island 

For some more good news on this April 1: a giant, “potentially hazardous” asteroid will miss us this month. NASA has named the asteroid 1998 OR2. It is about the width of Manhattan Island and could wreak havoc if it crashed into Earth. 

However, at its closest it will be 3.9 million miles from us (more than sixteen times the average distance between us and the moon). We won’t see it again until May 18, 2031. It will return again in 2048, 2062, and 2079, when it will only be 1.1 million miles away. 

When I read about 1998 OR2, here was my thought: How do NASA’s experts know how far it will be from us? Or when it will return? 

I had a similar question while walking early yesterday morning. Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter were all visible in the predawn sky. Or so a website told me. I would have otherwise been unable to name them or to know that they are planets in our solar system. 

As I continued walking, I realized that I don’t know how to make anything that I saw. I don’t know how to make bricks, much less a brick house. I don’t know how to make a car’s fender, much less the entire car. I couldn’t make the concrete on which I was walking or the clothes I was wearing. 

Nearly everything we take for granted is something some group of people didn’t take for granted. Rather, they pooled their experience and expertise to…

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12 Reasons People Give up on Church

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By Chuck Lawless

Most, if not all, of us know someone who attended church but then simply gave up on God’s people. Based on my work with churches and the unchurched over the last 20 years, here are some of the reasons I’ve heard: 

  1. They see nothing different in Christians. They come looking for the difference the gospel makes, but they find only people who act like the rest of the world acts.
  2.  They hear nothing but judgment. Presented lovingly, judgment is part of helping people see their need for Jesus. The problem is that they too seldom hear it presented lovingly.
  3. They hear only stories and humor. They came to church desperately wanting to hear something from God to help them with their chaotic lives, but they instead heard little or nothing from the Word.
  4. Nobody connects with them. They may have come with some desire to be anonymous, but most did not come with a hope of being ignored. When nobody talks to them, they see little reason to keep coming.
  5. They see no relevance in its message. Frankly, I lay this issue at the feet of preachers. If we don’t help folks know how to apply the Word in their lives, they leave with head knowledge rather than heart change.
  6. Somebody hurt them or their family. Sure, they need to forgive and press on – but some folks aren’t there yet. They carry their anger with them and depart the church.
  7. They have other options today. Via the Internet, they can “attend” church virtually and listen to sermons electronically. And, they can do that without…

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

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Five-Day Church Conference in France Blamed for Country’s Surge in Coronavirus Cases

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Five-Day Church Conference in France Blamed for Country’s Surge in Coronavirus Cases

A five-day French megachurch conference is being blamed for sparking the country’s largest cluster of coronavirus cases as over 17 members have reportedly died due to complications linked to COVID-19.

Reuters reports that local government officials are saying that the annual prayer meeting at the Christian Open Door Church in the border city of Mulhouse on the German border in mid-February has been linked to as many as 2,500 coronavirus cases worldwide.

The cluster of coronavirus cases linked to the evangelical charismatic church conference attended by people from around the world played a key factor in Germany’s decision to partially close its border with France, people familiar with the decision told the news agency.

Attendees of the conference traveling from different parts of the globe have taken the virus back to home countries like Burkina Faso in West Africa, Corsica in the Mediterranean, and Guyana in Latin America, according to Reuters.

Although the world has a better idea today of the quickness in which the virus spreads, there were only 12 confirmed cases of the virus in France at the time that the conference occurred, with none in Mulhouse.

Also at that time, France had not yet placed restrictions on large gatherings. Additionally, a church spokesperson said that no attendee reported flu-like symptoms by the time the gathering ended on Feb. 21.

“At the time, we viewed COVID as something that was far off,” Jonathan Peterschmitt, son of the church’s lead pastor, Samuel, told Reuters.

A church spokesperson told the outlet that Samuel Peterschmitt has also fallen ill to the coronavirus.

At times, there were as many as 2,500 people in attendance at the conference, Peterschmitt said. But according to him, there were never times during the conference with fewer than 1,000 people in attendance.

“So we were in the same petri dish for a week,” Peterschmitt was quoted as saying.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Samuel Smith

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Police Detain Christians Providing Aid to the Poor in Tamil Nadu, India

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Police Detain Christians Providing Aid to the Poor in Tamil Nadu, India


Police Detain Christians Providing Aid to the Poor in Tamil Nadu, India

HYDERABAD, India, March 30, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Police in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state rushed to a slum where Christians were providing food and other aid earlier this month and detained them on false charges of forcible conversion, sources said.

Marakkanam police in Viluppuram District humiliated the Christians, including the presbyter of the Viluppuram Church of South India, accusing them in coarse language of trying to fraudulently convert the poor in the guise of providing basic necessities, said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Perumal Kanagaraj.

Shortly after Pastor Kanagaraj and about 30 young adults from the church arrived from Viluppuram to the nearby slum area of Anumandai village on March 8, a member of the Hindu Munnani extremist group showed up and began uttering obscenities at them, the church leader said.

“The Hindu Munnani activist soon lost his cool and started beating the youth missionaries while he continued abusing them in extremely foul language,” Pastor Kanagaraj said. “Within no time the crowd started gathering, and he held us up there and was not letting us move.”

When the Christians began to call police, the Hindu nationalist told them he had already filed a police complaint against them, and that he would put them behind bars at any cost, he said.

“We told the person, ‘Brother, you don’t like it that we are coming here. It is fine….

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Idaho’s Governor Signs Abortion Ban, Fairness for Women in Sports Act

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Idaho’s Governor Signs Abortion Ban, Fairness for Women in Sports Act


Idaho’s Governor Signs Abortion Ban, Fairness for Women in Sports Act

Earlier this month, Idaho passed a bill that prohibits almost all abortions in the event that landmark ruling Roe v. Wade was overturned. SB 1385, which was signed into law by state Governor Brad Little last week, would make it a criminal offense to be involved in facilitating the termination of a baby should the Supreme Court hand power back to states to legislate on the controversial issue.

“Every person who performs or attempts to perform an abortion as defined in this chapter commits the crime of criminal abortion,” the bill reads. “Criminal abortion shall be a felony punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of no less than two (2) years and no more than (5) years in prison.”

The bill makes exceptions for abortion in the instance of rape, incest, or if the woman is suffering from a medical emergency where the baby cannot be saved. In addition, the law does not criminally penalize the woman seeking an abortion.

Though the ruling – which enshrined abortion as a human right – is unlikely to be overturned any time soon, conservative lawmakers still want to ensure they have made provisions to protect the unborn in anticipation of any future Supreme Court ruling on the matter.

“We don’t know when the Supreme Court will change. But it may happen in the nine months when we’re not in session. The ability to take action is a question of time,” said Republican state Senator…

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Man with one lung donates land: The multiplying power of kindness

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Man with one lung donates land: The multiplying power of kindness

If you had only one lung as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, would you give away resources you might need to protect your health?

If your income was about half the national average but you were supporting two adult children, one of them a twenty-six-year-old son with Down syndrome, would you make such a donation?

That’s what Kim Byung-rok has done in South Korea.

After surviving tuberculosis when he was a young man, he bought land on a small, quiet mountain in 2014 to breathe fresh air. But now, in response to the pandemic, he is donating a large part of his holdings to the local government, hoping the proceeds will be used to help those in need.

This is not all Mr. Kim is doing to serve others.

His job is polishing and mending shoes; for the past twenty-five years, he has fixed thousands of used or cast-off shoes and donated them to the poor. He also provides free haircuts to older people with dementia or other health problems.

His land gift is especially extraordinary. Authorities are
trying to make sure he will not face gift taxes, but Mr. Kim is adamant:
“If I have to pay that, I would accept that.”

Many are encouraging him to take care of his family first,
but Mr. Kim says, “I’ve never had my kids go hungry and I’ve been living
happily. . . . I’m satisfied with my life and can’t just ignore the poor and
needy.”

Mr. Kim has had a turbulent life: his father died when he
was six, and his stepfather beat and abused him. He ran away from home and
began working as a shoeshine boy at the age of ten. He drank and smoked
excessively, then contracted TB.

His illness drew him to his faith and to his volunteer service. He said at his Seoul shop, “I went through a rough childhood and I got help from others all the time. I’ve always thought I should one day become a person who helps others.” He added: “Wouldn’t it be good if I give the people strength and courage?”

The multiplying…

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Joseph Lowery, Minister, Civil Rights Leader, Friend of King, Dies at 98

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Joseph Lowery, Minister, Civil Rights Leader, Friend of King, Dies at 98


Joseph Lowery, Minister, Civil Rights Leader, Friend of King, Dies at 98

(RNS) — The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader who worked closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and prayed at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, died on Friday (March 27).

Lowery was 98.

“Tonight, the great Reverend Joseph E. Lowery transitioned from earth to eternity,” the King Center in Atlanta tweeted. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. He was a champion for civil rights, a challenger of injustice, a dear friend to the King family. Thank you, sir.”

For more than 50 years, the United Methodist clergyman was involved in advocacy work, from desegregating buses to protesting apartheid to drawing attention to the AIDS crisis in Africa and the U.S. He co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with King and served as its president for 20 years.

“His chapter in American history and African American history, in particular, is legendary, and his leadership as a part of the original Martin Luther King Jr. team cannot be exaggerated,” said the Rev. Otis Moss Jr., a retired Cleveland pastor who performed the wedding of Lowery and his wife, Evelyn Gibson Lowery, who died in 2013.

“The sacrifices and the dangers, the toils, the snares that he and Mrs. Lowery faced day and night across one of the most challenging periods of the 20th century: This is now a part of the indelible history of the American experience,” Moss…

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PODCAST: Augustine of Hippo, Part 10 (History of Christianity #169 with Daniel Whyte III)

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PODCAST: Augustine of Hippo, Part 10 (History of Christianity #169 with Daniel Whyte III)

This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, with the History of Christianity Podcast #169, titled, “Augustine of Hippo (Part 10): Minister and Theologian of the Western Church (Part 5).”

When I became a believer in Jesus Christ, I somehow had the false idea that Christianity began when I got saved. I had no concept of the hundreds of years of history that Christianity had gone through since the time of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago. I have found that many believers, young and old, have the same false idea. The purpose of this broadcast is to dispel this notion by sharing with listeners the history of Christianity from the ministry of Jesus Christ all the way up until the present day in an easy-to-understand format. You don’t have to worry: this is not a lecture. This is a look at the basic facts and figures of Christian history that every believer and every person needs to be aware of.

Our Scripture for today is Hebrews 10:23 which reads: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

Our History of Christianity quote today is from Augustine. He said: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Today, in the History of Christianity, we are looking at “Augustine of Hippo (Part 10): Minister and Theologian of the Western Church (Part 5)” from Dr. Justo L. Gonzalez’s fine book, The Story of Christianity (Volume 1).

Augustine was the last of the great leaders of the Imperial church in the West. When he died, the Vandals were at the gates of Hippo, announcing a new age. Therefore, Augustine’s work was, in a way, the last glimmer of a dying age.

And yet, his work was not forgotten among the ruins of a crumbling civilization. On the contrary, through his writings he became the teacher of the new age. Throughout the Middle Ages, no theologian was quoted more often than he was, and he thus became one of the great doctors of the Roman Catholic Church. But he was also the favorite theologian of the great Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century. Thus, Augustine, variously interpreted, has become the most influential theologian in the entire Western church, both Protestant and Catholic.

Next time, we will begin looking at “Beyond the Borders of the Empire.”

Let’s pray.

—PRAYER—

Dear friend, simply knowing the facts about Christian history without knowing the One on Whom this faith is based will do you no good. If you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, may I encourage you to get to know Him today. John 3:16 says, “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 be a part of the church in this life and in the life to come. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time, remember that history is truly His story.

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New York Times Writer Argues Conservative Christians Are a Detriment to Coronavirus Pandemic Response

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New York Times Writer Argues Conservative Christians Are a Detriment to Coronavirus Pandemic Response


New York Times Writer Argues Conservative Christians Are a Detriment to Coronavirus Pandemic Response

A New York Times opinion piece says that President Donald Trump’s conservative, religious supporters are not helping the coronavirus pandemic.

Katherine Stewart, the author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, writes in her piece that “the denial of science and critical thinking among religious ultraconservatives now haunts the American response to the coronavirus crisis.”

“In his daily briefings from the White House, Mr. Trump actively disdains and contradicts the messages coming from his own experts and touts as yet unproven cures,” she writes.

In a response piece at the Washington Examiner, Timothy P. Carney says Stewart is implying that “evangelical conservatives caused” the coronavirus outbreak.

In an interview with Faithwire.com, Christian leader Johnnie Moore said Stewart’s piece was “old fashion bigotry.”

“The truth is that evangelicals are playing a really important role in addressing this pandemic, not only in the United States but around the world,” Moore told Faithwire.

“We are a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.”

In her piece, Stewart pointed to some pastors in the country who have been “reckless” about the pandemic. In Miami, Guillermo Maldonado told his congregation to show up for worship in person because “Do you believe God would bring his people to…

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PODCAST: Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening #74 with Daniel Whyte III

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PODCAST: Whyte House Family Devotional Reading of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening #74 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 #74.

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.”

James 5:16 reads: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now puts into the golden censer, there is not a single grain for himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of all supplications—and the more like our prayer is to Christ’s, the sweeter it will be; thus while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of Jesus, the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the very fat of our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvellous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a benefactor to thy brethren. When thou hast the King’s ear, speak to him for the suffering members of his body. When thou art favoured to draw very near to his throne, and the King saith to thee, “Ask, and I will give thee what thou wilt,” let thy petitions be, not for thyself alone, but for the many who need his aid. If thou hast grace at all, and art not an intercessor, that grace must be small as a grain of mustard seed. Thou hast just enough grace to float thy soul clear from the quicksand, but thou hast no deep floods of grace, or else thou wouldst carry in thy joyous bark a weighty cargo of the wants of others, and thou wouldst bring back from thy Lord, for them, rich blessings which but for thee they might not have obtained:—

“Oh, let my hands forget their skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat!”

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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