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Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens,...

His Word Is with Power March 28, 2012  "And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power." (Luke 4:32)  God’s words, whether spoken by Jesus or written in Scripture, are indeed full of power, and it is noteworthy how many and varied are the physical analogies used to characterize and emphasize its power.   For example, consider Jeremiah 23:29. "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" The fire analogy is also stressed in Jeremiah 20:9, when the prophet became weary of...

Over 12,000 people rushed into a crowded Times Union Center to hear “Pastor” Joel Osteen’s message of feel good, Broadway style contemporary worship and many came out changed according to an article in yesterday’s paper by Paul Grondahl. A star among the Christian world, Osteen claims the nation’s largest congregation in Houston, Texas with over 30,000 members Aside from being a good looking man with a deep southern accent and a warm welcoming voice that draws many in, what qualifications does this man have to be preaching to stadiums packed full of vulnerable people? The best selling author and televangelist...

Wisdom and Prudence March 27, 2012  "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." (Matthew 11:25)  The attributes of wisdom and prudence are prized very highly by the world and its leaders, but worldly wisdom and pragmatic prudence are incapable in themselves of comprehending the spiritual concepts in the plan of God. The Lord Jesus, in fact, considered this very truth a cause for thanksgiving! One does not need either education or wisdom...

Undaunted by a forecast of heavy thunderstorms, 200 Christians gathered on the afternoon of March 25 to pray at the front steps of the US Supreme Court. The two-hour vigil, called "Encircle the Court in Prayer," took place the day before the high court began hearing arguments concerning the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordability Act, widely referred to as “Obamacare.” The provisions of the president’s healthcare legislation of greatest concern to these believers are the “HHS mandates,” which compel religious entities to provide employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilization services, and abortifacient drugs. Roman Catholics, conservative Christians,...

The New Heavens and New Earth March 26, 2012  "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isaiah 65:17)  There is a glorious future awaiting the redeemed. Although God's primeval creation of the heavens and the earth is eternal (note Psalm 148:6, etc.), these are now groaning in pain under the effects of sin and the curse. When the Lord returns, they will be "delivered from the bondage of corruption into . . . glorious liberty" (Romans 8:21), and God will make them all new again,...

In my previous column, “How the Apostates Take Over, Part 1,” I explained how apostates used the cause of equality to gain a destructive foothold within the church.Some of my readers have missed the point of this 2-part column all together, thinking it is about women’s ordination. People will see what they want to see. The deeper point is that those who deny the core of the Gospel used an innocent issue, such the role of women in the church, to flood the church with non bible-believing men, women, and homosexuals.This is how it happened:Initially, whole denominations acquiesced and allowed...

The Pilgrims' Regress The Geneva Bible And The "Apocrypha"By Gary Michuta Every American schoolchild knows that the pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock, but do they know which Bible the pilgrims used? Most people, if asked the question, would say the Puritans used the good old King James Version. Wrong. The King James Bible was the "Authorized Version" of the Established Church of England and the Puritans were religious dissenters from that church. The Puritan's Bible of choice was the Geneva Bible, which was translated by Protestants who fled to Geneva from England during the reign of Queen Mary. The Geneva Bible broke new ground for printed Bibles....

Carissa Wilson began paying attention to Rick Santorum last fall, when her high school class in American government was assigned to watch several of the Republican presidential debates. About three weeks ago, she attended a campaign speech that Mr. Santorum delivered at her school near Dayton, Ohio. The next day, March 6, Miss Wilson cast the first vote of her life, balloting for Mr. Santorum in the Ohio presidential primary. It hardly mattered to Miss Wilson that she is an evangelical Protestant — raised as a Baptist, attending a nondenominational church and in her senior year at Dayton Christian School...

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.(John 3:36)The final words this chapter on the new birth, are given to the one Jesus designated as “greatest man born of a woman”, John the Baptist. Jesus had spoken to Nicodemus of the necessity of the new birth, the fact that “born from above” is an Act of God,the Holy Spirit. Jesus also gives the teacher of Israel,(and us) the scriptural warrant for it , for this is the giving of a...

When Patrick Greene learned that a county five hours north of his San Antonio home had placed a nativity on the courthouse square, he vowed to file suit if they did it again, the Malakoff News reported. An atheist, Greene did not believe the religious symbol of Christmas had any place on government property. Then, as quickly as he blew into Henderson County, he withdrew. He would not lead a rally, he told reporters there, because he believed he suffered from a detached retina and was going blind. He had to leave his job as a taxi driver, he elaborated,...

He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.(John 3:31-35)The new birth is all about...

New York City is no hotbed of evangelical Christianity. Both in geography, and in God-fearing, the Big Apple is a long, long way from the Bible Belt. For example, the city’s sole evangelical Christian college — The King’s College — takes up just two floors in the Empire State Building. But thanks to the trade that will bring Tim Tebow to the Jets, New York will soon receive a religion lesson. At the beginning of February, New Yorkers had no good reason to mix religion and sports. The arrival of Tebow, and sudden emergence of devout evangelical New York Knicks...

Despite the Iranian government's ongoing crackdown of Christians living in the primarily Islamic country, the number of Muslims converting to become Christians is growing at an explosive rate, according to the persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA. There is even talk of witnessing a Christian revival, especially among young people living in the country, say Open Doors ministry workers in the Middle East. A house church movement within Iran is part of that revival and has triggered "many secret meetings." The growth in the number of Christians is happening in all regions, but mostly in larger cities, say Open Doors...

TBN: Televangelists Feuded Over Millions, Motor Home For Dogs March 22, 2012 The Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Orange County-based televangelist ministry that bills itself as the world’s largest Christian network, is embroiled in a legal battle involving allegations of massive financial fraud and lavish spending, including the purchase of a $100,000 motor home for family dogs. Brittany Koper, a former high-ranking TBN official and the granddaughter of its co-founder, Paul Crouch Sr., was fired by the network in September after discovering “illegal financial schemes” amounting to tens of millions of dollars, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Orange...

The Bhutan High Court sentenced Gospel for Asia-supported missionary *Ugyen Tashi to three years in prison for “attempting to promote civil unrest” for showing a film about Jesus. On May 21st, carrying a generator and a projector, Ugyen walked for two days into interior villages of Bhutan with a single purpose—to give people a chance to learn about Jesus. But when one of the village chiefs learned of the movie’s content, he informed the chief of his district, who then called the police to arrest Ugyen. Investigations and Questionings The days following the arrest were a whirlwind of investigations, questionings,...

The Word of the King March 22, 2012  "Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" (Ecclesiastes 8:4)  Perhaps the archetype of absolute monarchs was Babylonia's King Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the prophet Daniel could say: "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory" (Daniel 2:37). The word of this and every true king was with power, the king being answerable to no man but himself, for his authority came from God. "For there...

Over 6,000 new churches were planted among Muslims in 18 different countries in Africa over the last seven years. And hundreds of former sheikhs and imams have become followers of Jesus Christ over that period. In just a few years, 45 different "unreached" Muslim-majority people groups in Africa now have access to God's word, with more than 3,000 news churches planted among them. These awe-inspiring statistics, mix with heart-warming narratives about former Muslims, flow out naturally as one talks to Jerry Trousdale, a former church planter among Muslims in West Africa and now head of a disciple-making movement among Muslim...

The Republican presidential primaries this year have turned into a religious census. There is little precedent in modern politics for the extent to which a state’s choice for a nominee has coincided so closely with how many of its ballots were cast by white evangelical voters. Where evangelicals cast a minority of the ballots, Mitt Romney has won. Where evangelical voters predominated, Romney has lost, in most cases to Rick Santorum. Romney’s victory Tuesday in Illinois fit snugly within this pattern. The result pointed to a continuing problem for Santorum: He has yet to break through in places where evangelicals...

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.(john 3:27-29)The Gospel of John chapter three is constructed in such a way as to make a specific theological point. There is a continuity of thought,...