As the World Turns

As the world turns was the name of a soup opera that my Mother watched many years ago. That’s what I thought of when I read the title of Geoffrey Grider’s blog “As The World Descends Into Turmoil, God Commands Bible Believers To ‘Fear Not’.” (Click on the title to redirect to the full article.)

In the article that is worth reading, Mr. Grinder makes many references to scripture about not fearing the turmoil that WILL come upon us with the Day of the LORD, as spoken of in Zephaniah, and many other places.

The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements. Zephaniah 1:14-16

I felt it important to declare that America will not be destroyed by its enemies; this is also a warning to America’s enemies that they will be judged for their actions against America. This holds for all nations within which the Righteous of G-d may be found. For countries such as Islamic nation states, that persecute the Righteous within their own borders, they will experience the Wrath of G-d without restraint.

While America cannot be utterly destroyed, it has, can, and will be attacked from within and from without by unrighteous people and nation states. This means not only that we, the Righteous of G-d, experience various emotional and physical distress, but that many may experience the death of their bodies. But that is not death. For the Righteous of G-d live with G-d through the salvation gift from Y’shuaJesus. Praise the Lord!

Now, let me point out that in Mr. Grider’s blog, he states “I believe that the Lord does not want us reading about things that may happen, and of which we have no control. We are giving the devil room for his fiery darts when we focus on things which bring fear to our hearts.” While I agree that now doubt we will deal with fear when we read of various reports or theories of what could happen, even Y’shuaJesus said we would hear these things. We cannot avoid it. And we can use such reactions to our advantage. We can use reports to make us aware of how best to prepare. If we do not hear the warning, how will we be able to properly respond?

Read Mr. Grider’s article. Read the scriptures that calm our fears. Trust in our Lord Y’shuaJesus.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

What does ‘being worldly’ mean?

This morning, while awaiting repairs on my wife’s car, I’m looking at “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmityi with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of G-d” (James 4:4). I then found Real Christianity and found this definition helpful.

What the World. . . Needs now. . .

. . . Is Love. . .Sweet Love. . .

“What the World Needs Now Is Love” is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a release on sister label Liberty records the previous month was canceled. The song reached number 7 on the US charts in May of that year. (source: Wikipedea)

Twenty-eight years ago today, Jackie DeShannon released the song that cried out a prayer for love.

Lord, we don’t need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last ’til the end of time

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, oh, but just for every, every, everyone

While true for today as for the sixties, the call for love didn’t begin with Jakie DeShannon’s song. G-d commanded love, way back when:

. . .you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Lev 19:18

The Apostle Paul wrote quite a bit about love. Here are some sample quotes:

Rom_12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Rom_12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Rom_13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Rom_13:9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Rom_13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Isn’t it love that will counter lawlessness? Isn’t love that will bring peace and happiness?

Perhaps. But before we can have love, before we can have peace, before we can have happiness, we must:

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Mat 6:33

Perhaps that’s the problem. We want love, we want peace, we want happiness, but we don’t seek the Lord while He can be found.

Something to think about.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Persection of Saints

Recently I received the following email from:
Renewal Ministries Fellowship
www.renewal.asn.au
“…May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them…” (John 17:23)

According to the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List, Persecution of Christians in Africa increased immensely in 2012. Mali is a newcomer on the list and holds the seventh position. Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Niger also enter the list and Ethiopia is one of the strongest risers. This rise is due to the increasing influence of Islam, states Open Doors.

Of the African countries, Mali is the most noticeable newcomer on the list. The way the situation in Mali escalated after the March coup shocked Open Doors. “Mali used to be a model country. Although the situation in the North used to be a bit tense, Christians and even missionaries could be active. But now Christians are simply no longer allowed to be there. Hundreds of Christians have fled from the North.”

From: Global Action
I just came to know that, last Sunday , February 10th a group of Hindu Fanatics attacked the house church of R.D. Joshua from Uttar Pradesh Region. He was leading the Sunday worship service when the attackers came and accused him of converting people. They beat him badly and fractured his hand and threatened the believers to stop worshiping the “foreign God Jesus”. He is also banned from entering the village by the fundamentalist group. This group belongs to the higher caste Hindus that are politically influential. The local police has refused to lodge any complaint because this may cause even a stronger threat on his life! We are trying to help Pastor Joshua with the medical treatments but need your prayers as well. Please pray for his speedy recovery and complete restoration of strength.

This is very alarming but similar persecution is quite common. Please remember to pray for Pastor R.D. Joshua and our brothers and sisters in Northern India. Joshua is a GLOMOS graduate from the 2011 group. He is pastor of a church in and is leading quite a church movement there. He has 20 cell groups in different villages with 16 cell leaders. Just a couple of weeks back we did a “Blankets of Love” distribution in one of village churches under Pastor Joshua’s leadership. Pastor Joshua shared with us his vision to reach out to new villages and thanked us for providing the blankets which expressed the love of Jesus in a tangible way. No doubt the phenomenal growth of the local church has prompted the enemy to do these sort of things to dampen the spirit of the leaders like Pastor Joshua.

Please pray for:

The new believers in this house group church who are terrified to see the condition of their pastor;
The cell group leaders who also expect similar threat in some areas after last Sunday;
RD’s wife Mrs. Tara Joshua.;
Police to book the FIR about the incident and justice is done

KENYA — Pastor Killed by Gunmen
Gunmen attacked two Somali pastors on Thursday, Feb. 7, in Garissa, Kenya, wounding one and killing Pastor Abdi Welli. The pastors were leaving a bank when they were shot. Pastor Abdi leaves behind his wife, Helen, and three young sons. “He was a great, faithful believer who continued onward for the sake of the gospel in a very dangerous place,” said a VOM field worker. “Today, he gave his highest act of devotion to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Garissa is a violence-plagued city in northeastern Kenya, where Islamist terrorists have been targeting Christians and churches. Last July, terrorists killed 16 people in church bombings. Please pray for Pastor Abdi’s family and the other believers in this community, who are all affected by his death.

Here is the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List of countries where Christians are suffering the greatest persecution …
1. North Korea
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Afghanistan
4. Iraq
5. Somalia
6. Maldives
7. Mali
8. Iran
9. Yemen
10. Eritrea
11. Syria
12. Sudan
13. Nigeria
14. Pakistan
15. Ethiopia
16. Uzbekistan
17. Libya
18. Laos
19. Turkmenistan
20. Qatar
21. Vietnam
22. Oman
23. Mauritania
24. Tanzania
25. Egypt
26. United Arab Emirates
27. Brunei
28. Bhutan
29. Algeria
30. Tunisia
31. India
32. Myanmar
33. Kuwait
34. Jordan
35. Bahrain
36. Palestinian Territories
37. China
38. Azerbaijan
39. Morocco
40. Kenya
41. Comoros
42. Malaysia
43. Djibouti
44. Tajikistan
45. Indonesia
46. Colombia
47. Uganda
48. Kazakhstan
49. Kyrgyzstan
50. Niger

Countries on the World Watch List do not necessarily experience persecution throughout the country. Countries like China have areas where there is virtually no persecution and areas where there is persecution. However, in some countries like North Korea, there is persecution throughout the country.

In the WWL, persecution is defined as, “any hostility, experienced from the world, as a result of one’s identification with Christ. This can include hostile attitudes, words and actions towards Christians both from within and outside Christianity.”

It is illegal to be a Christian in North Korea and Christians are often sent to labour camps, where they are starved and beaten, or are killed if they are discovered. The conditions in this country have remained the worst in the world for Christians for the past 11 years.

The situation changed in Mali for the worse in 2012 following the capture of the northern part of the country by Tuareg separatists rebels and Islamists fighters and the proclamation of the creation of the independent state of Azawad in the north. Islamists soon established an Islamic state with a Sharia regime in the north. Christians were driven out and churches burnt. There is widespread concern Mali is becoming a jihadist hub.

Based on our media research, we can confirm 89 killings of Christians in Syria during our reporting period. With tens of thousands of Christians having fled the country, abductions, rapes, physical harm taking place, so that clearly explains the fact that Syria has risen so much in its ranking.

###
While most of the Believers in America are free from persecution, it cannot last. Like the parable that Y’shua told of the Ten Virgins, we must be wise and prepare. We must also stand in prayer for Saints in countries that persecute them.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Iranian-American Pastor Jailed

Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini with his wife, Naghmeh, and his two children. While visiting his parents in Iran in July 2012, Abedini was arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for his previous Christian work in the country. (Photo: American Center for Law and Justice)

January 22, 2013

On day two of American Pastor Saeed Abedini’s trial in Iran, news has emerged that the Iranian-born pastor has not even been allowed to attend the day’s proceedings.

“It’s unlike any judicial system in the world,” Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director of the ACLJ, said in a press release shared with The Christian Post on Tuesday.

“Pastor Saeed and his attorney were shut out of today’s proceedings. Not permitted to attend his own trial. We have been told that the court summoned other pastors to testify today. We do not yet know what was said in court, but we do know that the Iranian government often uses threats and intimidation to get the testimony it wants,” Sekulow added.

The law group has called the trial a “sham,” especially considering that the pastor’s lawyer in Iran was only allowed 24 hours to speak with the defendant before court proceedings began.

Pastor Abedini converted to Christianity in 2000, and married Naghmeh Abedini, an American citizen. He has helped underground Christian churches in Iran, who are a strict minority, and for the past several years has made trips back and forth between America and Iran working to establish an orphanage for underprivileged children in the Middle East country.

He was arrested by Iranian officials in Sept. 2012 and has been in Evin Prison in Tehran ever since, awaiting trial allegedly for trying to convert other Islamic youth to Christianity in 2000, which is a crime punishable by long term imprisonment or even death.
The ACLJ, which is representing Naghmeh Abedini and the couple’s two children in America, noted that on Monday, during Pastor Abedini’s first day of trial, his lawyer was allowed to present a strong case before the Revolutionary Guard Court in Tehran, but that all changed on Tuesday during the second day of the trial when the pastor wasn’t even allowed to attend the proceedings.

“Today, there was a confirmed hearing with a Christian believer who had worked alongside Saeed. Saeed’s judge, without Saeed or his lawyer present, questioned this individual about converting to Christianity, working with Saeed, and involvement in the house churches,” Naghmeh Abedini shared in a statement about day two of the trial.
“The judge told this individual to expect a summons within a month to return to testify against Saeed. What was released by the Iranian media yesterday was clearly a lie.

As Saeed told me during one of our conversations, he suspected the regime planned to hold him in prison for a long time. This testimony today is further proof that Iran was just trying to silence the media and has no intention of releasing my husband anytime soon,” Mrs. Abedini added.

On Monday, Iranian authorities claimed that the pastor had been released on bail, but his wife maintained that the story was a lie by the Iranian media.

“We have presented bail. After the Judge told Saeed’s lawyer that bail was back on the table, the family in Tehran ran around in circles today to make sure Saeed was let out on bail. But again the bail officer rejected bail. This is a game to silence the international media,” said Mrs. Abedini on Monday.

“The ACLJ is doing all that we can to get the U.S. government to fully engage in Pastor Saeed’s case. Sadly, there’s still silence from the State Department and Secretary of State Clinton. No public call for his immediate release.
No condemnation of the imprisonment of this U.S. citizen,” Sekulow added.

However, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) has spoken out on Pastor Abedini’s case. The NSC is used by President Barack Obama for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisers and cabinet officials.

“We remain troubled by the case of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, who was arrested by Iranian officials more than three months ago on charges relating to his religious beliefs,” NSC spokesman Tommy Vietor has said. “We call upon Iranian authorities to release him immediately.

According to the ACLJ, more than 180,000 people have signed a petition demanding Pastor Abedini’s release and are monitoring his trial closely.

URL: http://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-saeed-abedini-shut-out-of-court-proceedings-as-sham-trial-continues-88699/

[This article has been distributed by Renewal Ministries Fellowship.]

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. -Acts 5:27-29

Following another Jesus

Sorry for my absence the last few weeks.

This link takes you to Roger Oakland’s “Understanding the Times” website. He describes so succinctly the issues we face today with deceptive movements that are pawing at so many people, imbedding evil claws into the youth of the world.

We must take heart, however. For those that are called by the Lord, will respond despite any lack of effort on our part, and the resistance from the “dark side,” so to speak. There is something we can all do: Pray. Pray. Pray.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Greeting as Blessing

Waiting to see a doctor about my worsening joint pain, I am thinking about how we greet people, and how we respond to a greeting.

Commonly, I say “Good Morning” to people in the morning. But am I saying “Have a good morning” or is it a statement, It is a good morning.” Likewise, leaving someone’s presence, I say domething like “Have a great day.” That seems clear that it’s a wish, a prayer, even a blessing.

“. . . but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” 1Peter 3:9

We are called, according to Peter, to bless people. We can say, “Good Morning,” and make it a prayer, a blessing, to the recipient. And if they receive it, they receive the Lord’s Blessing, I think.

Now as to an appropriate response, it seems to me a blessing should be recrived in return. “You have a lovely dat, too,” might be good.

Lord Bless You Today

Thanksgiving 2012

English: "The First Thanksgiving at Plymo... — “The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, in America, some of us celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a Federal holiday. It’s a bank holiday. At one time it was a very important holiday. I remember the plays in elementary school, in the 1950s. We spoke openly of the Early American faith in the One G-d, the Judea-Christian G-d, the Father of Messiah Y’shuaJesus. We remembered the Early American Thanksgiving to G-d for His care over them.

Thanksgiving always seemed to hold a special place for my parents. It was a time when they tried to get all their children back home, together at one table. There were few distractions, as is the case at Christmas, with the decorations and the presents. It was a time for my mother to bake an incredible turkey, for my father to carve, for all of us to enjoy. These days, three thousand miles separates me from my brothers and their families. But I remember and am Thankful to our Father G-d and our Savior Lord Y’shuaJesus for the lessons of my parents, for my brothers and their families, and for my family here in Georgia, with whom I shall celebrate the Day.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . . and Thank the Lord for Blessings beyond reason.

As the Wonder of Fall. . .

The snowshoe hare is one animal that changes c... — The snowshoe hare is one animal that changes color in winter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

. . . turns to what can only be thought of as the desolation of winter, I trust that Spring is just beyond. Hope in spring makes winter more tolerable, even enjoyable. And fall means that winter is soon to come.

Trust is a gift of G-d for those who will believe in His Son, Y’shuaJesus. Trust. Faith. In the midst of winter, spring is yet unseen except through the eyes of faith. In the midst of seeming desolation, there is hope for those whose names are written in the book of life. In Messiah Y’shuaJesus, there is life.

There are other types of winters. One is the winter of disaster. It is not bound by a set number of months, and occurs often without warning. Earthquake is a great example. It affects regions of a country. And there is the winter faced by only one or more families when paychecks end after layoffs from jobs. To weather these calamities we must trust in the LORD.

The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Psalm 34:22

And:

Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment. . . . Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Matthew 6:25, 27

There are practical considerations to be made as winter approaches. I’ve written about these before. While we are to trust and have faith, we are also called to be prepared. Please check out From the Lighthouse blog for a very balanced article on this subject. Then visit our government’s preparedness website READY.GOV. It’s not too late to “Be Informed; Make a Plan; Build a Kit.”

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Rejoice in the LORD!

Lord,

Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name… Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

Psalm 63:3-4,7

Thank You, Lord . . . Amen.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon Your people this day and always.