Holding up the Word
http://www.stangoodenough.com/?p=99
It’s been in the news, the details on a large poster that is being plastered up in Jerusalem by Israelis who hope it will either be glimpsed by President George W. Bush as his motorcade sweeps through the capital Wednesday and Thursday, or that at least someone will tell him about it.
The poster shows a large Bible superimposed over the city of Jerusalem. At the top it says, “Bush, Read Your Bible” followed by the words, “God Gave Israel To The Jews.”
It is a message being proclaimed by a number of people in this land.
The Director of Public Relations for Yeshivat Kiryat Arba, Gary Cooperberg, says in his latest “A Voice from Hebron” newsletter: “Were Bush truly a G-d fearing man, never mind a “friend” of Israel, he would never dare suggest that Israel divide her homeland.
“Such a stance is in direct conflict with the Will of G-d,” he continues, adding that unless Bush “rewrites his ‘roadmap’ to coincide with that of the Bible, his efforts will only result in tragedy… not peace.”
And in what they termed a “Public Statement of Alarm,” Christian Zionists Jan Willem van der Hoeven - the director of the Israel-based International Christian Zionist Center - and Stan Goodenough (Jerusalem Newswire) called upon Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to “cease forthwith your attempt to placate Israel’s enemies with a 23rd state of their own, thereby facilitating the demise of this young courageous nation…”
These leaders, the statement reads, need to see what they are doing “in the light of God’s warning to the nations through His prophet Joel that He will one day bring them to judgment for dividing the land He repeatedly vowed to give to just one nation” - Israel.
What use, one must wonder, can there be in holding political leaders to account by telling them what God says and what is written in the Bible? Is it realistic, or fair even?
Prime Minister Olmert does not claim to be - nor does he live as - a believing/ religious/ observant Jew. President Bush professes a Christian faith and is reported to read his Bible and pray daily.
But while these men may be differently positioned in the field of faith, they operate in more or less the same political realm, a realm in which the Bible finds increasingly little resonance indeed.
How much value then, can there be in challenging them with what it says?
For those of us who believe the Bible, much in every way. The Bible is the Truth. It is not simply a library or collection of truths. It is THE truth.
Secular politicians and journalists often dismiss their Bible-believing colleagues as lacking objectivity or being extremist or fundamentalist. But to those whose starting point is the Word of God, it is the secularists who have moved the goalposts of objectivity away from what is real and what is true.
That truth stands, and no matter how modern or post-modern society might have become, the truth is the truth is the truth. We need to proclaim it and declare it from the rooftops or, in this case, from Jerusalem’s walls.
This is what the Bible says; what God Himself says:
“…I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:7-8)
And concerning Abraham’s offspring, this warning comes from the Bible; directly from the mouth of God:
“… I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
Notice how God words this: He will bless THOSE who bless Abraham’s children, but He will curse HIM - the one - who curses them.
This is a frightening warning to any individual who endangers or hurts the children of Abraham. (Those who hold that the Arab people are also children of Abraham need to remember God’s emphatic statement of choice that “in Isaac your seed shall be called.” Genesis 21:12)
And the warnings to the nations that come against Israel are every bit as emphatic:
“…I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land. …” (Joel 3:2)
And “…It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. …” (Zechariah 12:9)
Mr Olmert and Mr Bush are playing with fire. They are endangering themselves and Mr Bush is leading his nation into trouble.
As watchmen it is our responsibility, our directive from heaven, to warn them. And it is our duty to hold up the Word of God in the face of a God-denying and Bible-rejecting world.
We cannot force it down the throats of our political leaders and our nations. But we can, and we must, declare it.
Bush Visits Israel's Holocaust Memorial
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/301870.aspx
JERUSALEM, Israel - President Bush completed his three day visit to Israel and Palestinian areas on Friday. He left with a promise to return and help ensure his goal of a peace treaty by the end of the year.
Spelling Out His Two-State Solution
Bush began his last day in Israel with an emotional visit to Yad Vashem, Israel's national holocaust memorial.
On Thursday night the President attended a dinner with Israeli leaders and spelled out his how his vision for a two-state solution could be achieved.
"The point of departure for permanent status negotiations to realize this vision seems clear. There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967," he said. "The agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people, just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people."
During Thursday's dinner, the President plunged into the middle of Israeli politics and urged two key members of Ehud Olmert's coalition not to leave the government over their major differences with the current negotiations.
He also addressed the issue of dividing Jerusalem.
"I know Jerusalem is a tough issue. Both sides have deeply felt political and religious concerns. I fully understand that finding a solution to this issue will be one of the most difficult challenges on the road to peace."
Netanyahu: The Jews Will Ensure Jerusalem Stays Undivided
Earlier in the day, Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu told Bush, "Jerusalem has belonged to the Jewish people for 3,000 years and the Jewish people will ensure that it will remain undivided under Jewish sovereignty forever."
He told the President not to divide the city of Jerusalem and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was a "virtual" peace partner.
Meanwhile, more than 20 rockets landed in southern Israel and the town of Sderot.
"While he is visiting his friends, the Qassam rockets continue to fall on the town and to make damage and fear and killing," Sderot resident Shalom Halevy.
Bush ended his visit with a trip to the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes before leaving Israel for the rest of his Middle East trip with stops to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Egypt.
Fred Thompson, Huckabee Clash at Debate
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Fred_Thompson,_Huckabee/2008/01/11/63638.html
Fred Thompson went on the attack against Mike Huckabee at Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, sharply criticizing the candidate he clearly sees as a rival for the evangelical vote in South Carolina.
In the debate sponsored by Fox News and the South Carolina Republican Party, the heated exchange went like this:
THOMPSON: “This is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party and its future. On the one hand, you have the Reagan revolution. You have the Reagan coalition of limited government and strong national security.
“On the other hand, you have the direction that Governor Huckabee would take us in. He would be a Christian leader, but he would also bring about liberal economic policies, liberal foreign policies.
“He believes we have an arrogant foreign policy and the tradition of, blame America first.
“He believes that Guantanamo should be closed down and those enemy combatants brought here to the United States to find their way into the court system eventually.
“He believes in taxpayer-funded programs for illegals, as he did in Arkansas.
“He has the endorsement of the National Education Association, and the NEA said it was because of his opposition to vouchers.
“He said he would sign a bill that would ban smoking nationwide. So much for federalism. So much for states' rights. So much for individual rights.
“That's not the model of the Reagan coalition, that's the model of the Democratic Party.”
HUCKABEE: “The Air Force has a saying that says that if you're not catching flak, you're not over the target. I'm catching the flak, I must be over the target.
“Fred, I want to say, I appreciate the analysis of my record, but let me try to give you some of the facts of my record.
“I came into Arkansas as a governor. Put in that position as a lieutenant governor when my predecessor, a Democrat, was forced out of office on a felony conviction.
“I did something that had not been done in my state in 160 years. I cut taxes, with the legislature working with me, and we continued to do that 94 times.
“We cut spending. I'll tell you, the most painful time of my being a governor in 10 1/2 years was looking at a budget 91 percent of which was pretty well fixed on education, Medicaid, and prisons -- and cutting 11 percent out of that budget…
“Everywhere I went, I had people protesting me and screaming and yelling and doing demonstrations because I cut government. But I stayed faithful to the things that Ronald Reagan stayed faithful to.
“You know, if Ronald Reagan were running tonight, there would be ads by the Club for Growth running against him because he raised taxes a billion dollars in his first year as governor of California. It would be $10 billion today.”
Thompson and Huckabee did agree later in the debate that the commander of a U.S. Navy ship did the right thing by choosing not to fire on Iranian boats that were harassing American vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week.
Thompson quipped about the Iranians: “I think one more step and they would have been introduced to those virgins that they’re looking forward to seeing.”
Christian Financial Accountability Organization Poised to Expand in 2008; Aspires to Greater Role with Churches
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06751.shtml
WINCHESTER, Va.-- The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), an oversight and accreditation organization with more than 2,000 Christian nonprofit organization members, is poised to have even greater influence for better managed ministries, agencies, schools - and now churches - than it has had in the past nearly 30 years of existence, ECFA President Ken Behr is quoted as saying in the current issue of "Church Executive" magazine.
ECFA, formed in 1979 to monitor fundraising of Christian nonprofits, has focused primarily on ministries and religious agencies. But last July it created a new division for churches, focusing on leadership, governance, financial stewardship, fundraising and accountability.
"There are more than 300,000 churches across the United States, and local congregations and their members are seeking guidance and the assurance that association with an organization like ECFA can bring," said Behr. "In order to help continue and expand its calling, ECFA's new Church Division will help churches demonstrate the highest standards of accountability that convey God-honoring, ethical practices."
Members of the Church Division will receive a number of unique benefits, including continuing education provided by ECFA staff at regional seminars and other conferences.
An affiliate membership also was introduced for smaller ministries and churches, said Behr. Costs have risen significantly for nonprofit CPA audits, which ECFA relies on in its oversight of its members. Affiliate membership, relying on CPA-compiled or CPA- reviewed financial statements, is a way to "begin the journey toward full accreditation," Behr said.
In October ECFA launched a powerful nonprofit executive salary comparison tool available on its web site (www.ECFA.org) that is updated daily from audited data submitted by members to maintain their accreditation status.
While in the past ECFA has been low key and hasn't marketed itself, it has now added a staff person for marketing and is seeking grants to create a campaign "to promote the message of integrity."
According to "Church Executive," ECFA's influence got a boost in November when the U.S. Senate Finance Committee began looking at the operations of six major televangelism ministries headed by Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer and Randy and Paula White.
The six are large media ministries organized as churches, Behr explained. Churches don't have to file the extensive Form 990 that nonprofits have to file. Of the six organizations under investigation, only two or three have a church connection. None are ECFA members.
ECFA (www.ECFA.org), founded in 1979, provides accreditation to evangelical Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, fund-raising and board governance. ECFA's 2,000-plus members collectively receive more than $16 billion per year in income from their ministry efforts and represent nearly $26 billion in assets.
"Church Executive" magazine ( www.ChurchExecutive.com) is the leading business magazine for larger churches and megachurches and focuses on the leadership and management sides of church life. It is received by 20,000 senior pastors, executive pastors and business administrators in evangelical, Protestant and Catholic congregations.
Ministry Behind Bars-One Missionary's Experience
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06752.shtml
For 18 days in October 2007, God used Gospel for Asia missionary Chandran Paranjoy to reach inmates in a jail in Chhattisgarh, India. On October 5, Chandran and another believer, Sunil, were arrested while Chandran conducted a prayer meeting. A group of anti-Christian extremists had falsely accused him of forcibly converting people to Christianity.
Following their release, Chandran shared with a GFA field correspondent how they had the opportunity to share Christ's love with the other prisoners. Here is the story in his words.
I did have the chance to run away when the villagers came with the police to arrest us, but I stayed because they had already caught Sunil, and I thought the mob might harm him. So I just surrendered to them so I could go with Sunil. I knew that whatever happened, God would be with us.
A few days before I was arrested, I had a dream that I was put in jail and was preaching God's Word. Since that dream, I had been preparing myself to be put in that situation. So I was not shocked when they came to arrest us. But when I was brought to the jail, I was surprised to see that 100 percent of the dream was happening just as I had seen it.
When we got there, I was introduced to the people who had become Christians in jail. I told them I was a missionary, and on Sunday I preached and shared my testimony with them.
The second Sunday we were there, the number of people that gathered increased to about 30; some of them were Christians and some of them were not. I taught them about salvation and life in Jesus. Thankfully, nobody stopped us from worshipping God in the jail. We even were able to worship with drums and other musical instruments.
Some of the Christian brothers were imprisoned for several years because they had committed murders and other crimes. However, they helped Sunil and me a lot and loved talking with us about the Bible.
They were very kind to us, sharing their clothes and food with us. They told us, "Don't worry, you'll only be with us a few days." However, I did think that if I had to stay a long time, it would be nice in some ways because I would be able to thoroughly disciple them. As I saw the condition of the inmates, I had a strong desire to teach them more from the Word of God.
Because our court case was not very big, some of the prisoners were surprised that we stayed as long as we did. They would ask me, "Why are you still here in this prison?" But I wondered how the prisoners would grow in Christ if we were released. I thought, "I should be here a little longer so that I can encourage more brothers."
I was able to be with 2,000 inmates for those two weeks. I had a chance to preach to them and talk and pray with them. It was very exciting. And the entire time we were there, nobody harmed us.
The inmates soaked up the messages from the Bible that I shared. Before I was released from jail, the prisoners said, "Please come back each week to preach and teach the Gospel to us. We will get permission from the jail authorities." So now, I am still able to go to the jail and minister.
For the first two days we were in jail, I was sad because I had to leave my family and friends. But later, it was really neat because I was able to do so much ministry. And I felt the Lord's peace that I would only be there as a guest, not long term.
My wife continually read the Bible while I was in jail, and the Lord comforted her. Also, many believers, pastors and missionaries visited her. Even our neighbors came and visited her. And she prayed a lot for my release during that time.
Sunil was very strong. He trusted the Lord through our entire time in jail. He was so excited that God helped him to share the Gospel even in jail. He gained a lot of strength from the prayer meetings we held there, too.
Now, the villagers who helped falsely accuse us are ashamed. They feel bad about the trouble they caused. While we were in prison, they even sent rice to Sunil's home, but his wife gave it back to them.
Please pray that the ministry in the prison will continue to flourish. It is so encouraging to see how the Lord used our time there to open doors for us to share the love of Christ. Also, pray for the extremists, that their hearts will be softened and they will be open to the Gospel through our witness.
Remember Them in 2008
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06753.shtml
"Remember Them." This is the call issued by The Voice of the Martyrs for 2008 to Christians in Canada and around the world. "It is our prayer that 2008 will be the year for many followers of Jesus in the West to wake up and remember their persecuted brothers and sisters in an unparalleled way," says Glenn Penner, Chief Executive Officer for The Voice of the Martyrs.
"This is the time of year when many of us make resolutions for the coming year. Make one that that will change your life and the lives of others. Resolve to start remembering those whom God knows. He knows their names, He knows their afflictions. So should we. And they, in turn, need to know that they have been remembered by their fellow believers."
The Voice of the Martyrs has designed a brand new website, specifically designed to guide you in discovering how to "remember them." Please go to www.rememberthem.ca today.
Check Out the Persecution Report
Be sure to view this month's edition of VOMC's monthly webcast The Persecution Report, featuring up-to-date news, interviews, and testimonies from the Persecuted Church around the world. The Persecution Report is available on either VOMC's home website www.persecution.net or on our multimedia website www.persecution.tv.
Consider adding the Persecution Report to your website (if you have one) and let the world know that you are speaking up for the persecuted. Go to www.persecution.net/pr_link.html for more information or contact our webmaster at www.persecution.net/contact.htm.
"In God We Trust" Back in Proper Place on New $1 Presidential Coins
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion06754.shtml
ANN ARBOR, MI - In March 2007, the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, alerted Americans that the federal government had removed "In God We Trust" from the face of newly minted $1 Presidential coins and relegated our national motto to the virtually unreadable edge of the coin.
The motto appeared to be merely scratches on the edge, unless one looked for it with a magnifying glass. To make matters worse, thousands of the coins did not even have the motto stamped on the edge as required by law.
Outraged that Congress had effectively accomplished what atheists had been unsuccessfully trying to do for years, Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center, encouraged the public not to use the coins and to petition Congress to repeal the 2005 law that required the U.S. Mint to place the motto on the edge of the coins.
The public outcry was heard. Legislation introduced by Senators. Sam Brownback, R. - KS, and Robert Byrd, D. - WV, that would return "In God We Trust" to a more visible location on the face of the coins passed both houses of Congress and is awaiting President Bush's signature.
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through education, litigation, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit their website at www.thomasmore.org.
New Veggie Tales Movie Debuts Today
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/302142.aspx
If you take your kids to the movies this weekend, you may run into some interesting characters: a gourd, a grape, and a cucumber.
They're the stars of the new Veggie Tales movie.
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, opens today in theaters around the country.
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