Saima Bibi was serving tea to guests at her quarters in Punjab Province, Pakistan when her Muslim employer dragged her outside and pushed her towards an electric chaff cutter, tearing off her ear and cutting most of her scalp, her husband said.

In the country's most secular state, tiny congregations have made a big impact by their disaster response.For weeks, Tárik Rodriguez had been working on bringing a guest preacher and worship leader from across the country to help his church celebrate its third anniversary. In 2021, Rodriguez and a small team launched Viela da Graça Igreja in Novo Hamburgo, a small city in Brazil’s most southern province, Rio Grande do Sul.Then, it started raining.The floods have done more than interrupt the small Reformed congregation’s celebratory plans. They’ve devastated the community. The storms that began at the end of April struck Rio Grande do Sul’s most densely populated areas and have killed at least 116 people. Around 130 people are still missing. The high water has closed roads and even the airport, which has grounded flights until May 30. As of Friday, May 10, nearly 400,000 people have been displaced from their homes and 70,772 are in public shelters.Some of those have found their way to Viela da Graça, which is located on higher ground and has been largely protected from a water breach. Since May 4, Rodriguez and members of the 75-person congregation have been hosting around 50 people in a two-bathroom, 3,500-square-foot building.“As Christians, we needed to open our doors,” Rodriguez says. “And that’s what we did.”Beyond the bathroom constraints, the situation has been less than ideal. There are frequent power cuts (1.2 million people have been affected by outages) and the building has lost access to both running and potable water because the sanitation company cannot treat the dirty floodwaters. A nearby residential condominium, which gets its water from a well, has provided drinking water and showers.Continue reading...

In the country's most secular state, tiny congregations have made a big impact by their disaster response.For weeks, Tárik Rodriguez had been working on bringing a guest preacher and worship leader from across the country to help his church celebrate its third anniversary. In 2021, Rodriguez and a small team launched Viela da Graça Igreja in Novo Hamburgo, a small city in Brazil’s most southern province, Rio Grande do Sul.Then, it started raining.The floods have done more than interrupt the small Reformed congregation’s celebratory plans. They’ve devastated the community. The storms that began at the end of April struck Rio Grande do Sul’s most densely populated areas and have killed at least 116 people. Around 130 people are still missing. The high water has closed roads and even the airport, which has grounded flights until May 30. As of Friday, May 10, nearly 400,000 people have been displaced from their homes and 70,772 are in public shelters.Some of those have found their way to Viela da Graça, which is located on higher ground and has been largely protected from a water breach. Since May 4, Rodriguez and members of the 75-person congregation have been hosting around 50 people in a two-bathroom, 3,500-square-foot building.“As Christians, we needed to open our doors,” Rodriguez says. “And that’s what we did.”Beyond the bathroom constraints, the situation has been less than ideal. There are frequent power cuts (1.2 million people have been affected by outages) and the building has lost access to both running and potable water because the sanitation company cannot treat the dirty floodwaters. A nearby residential condominium, which gets its water from a well, has provided drinking water and showers.Continue reading...

Two young women were slightly wounded when a mob of Muslims on Sunday assaulted a group of 15 students engaged in a Catholic ritual prayer at a rented house in Banten Province, on the Indonesian island of Java, sources said.

In the country's most secular state, tiny congregations have made a big impact by their disaster response.For weeks, Tárik Rodriguez had been working on bringing a guest preacher and worship leader from across the country to help his church celebrate its third anniversary. In 2021, Rodriguez and a small team launched Viela da Graça Igreja in Novo Hamburgo, a small city in Brazil’s most southern province, Rio Grande do Sul.Then, it started raining.The floods have done more than interrupt the small Reformed congregation’s celebratory plans. They’ve devastated the community. The storms that began at the end of April struck Rio Grande do Sul’s most densely populated areas and have killed at least 116 people. Around 130 people are still missing. The high water has closed roads and even the airport, which has grounded flights until May 30. As of Friday, May 10, nearly 400,000 people have been displaced from their homes and 70,772 are in public shelters.Some of those have found their way to Viela da Graça, which is located on higher ground and has been largely protected from a water breach. Since May 4, Rodriguez and members of the 75-person congregation have been hosting around 50 people in a two-bathroom, 3,500-square-foot building.“As Christians, we needed to open our doors,” Rodriguez says. “And that’s what we did.”Beyond the bathroom constraints, the situation has been less than ideal. There are frequent power cuts (1.2 million people have been affected by outages) and the building has lost access to both running and potable water because the sanitation company cannot treat the dirty floodwaters. A nearby residential condominium, which gets its water from a well, has provided drinking water and showers.Continue reading...

John Sanqiang Cao shares how hand-copied Bible verses, prayers, and a mother's love buoyed him during his imprisonment.When pastor John Sanqiang Cao, 64, crossed the border back into China from Myanmar’s Wa State on March 5, 2017, Chinese officials were waiting to arrest him. For years, he had traveled across the porous border from Yunnan Province to the impoverished Wa State, where he founded more than 20 schools, established drug rehabilitation centers, and provided medicine, books, school supplies, and Bibles to locals. Wa State is part of the notorious “Golden Triangle,” one of the world’s largest producers of methamphetamine. Yet the courts in Yunnan sentenced Cao to seven years in prison for allegedly “organizing illegal border crossings,” a crime usually applied to human traffickers. His case garnered widespread attention as Cao’s wife and two sons are US citizens, and Cao has permanent residency in the US. While he could have applied for US citizenship, Cao decided to keep his Chinese passport so that he could return to China for ministry work. He split his time between pastoring a Chinese church in North Carolina and training Chinese house church leaders and mobilizing them to do missions.Various international religious freedom groups and US lawmakers have long advocated for his release. In 2019, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Cao was targeted due to his Christian faith.Chinese authorities released Cao on March 5 after he finished serving his sentence. Four police officers escorted him to his hometown of Changsha, where he is now subjected to supervision and “thought reform” by the local government for five years.CT spoke with Cao about his time in prison, the Bible verses that sustained him, his views on persecution, how it feels to be released to ...Continue reading...

? Temple Baptist Church - 5-5-20242 Corinthians 2:1-11? Introduction:? In these verses, we find the restoration of the fallen brother found in 1 Corinthians, chapter 5.? He got right with the Lord and was forgiven, but the church would not forgive him.? Paul did not want them to be ignorant of the danger of unforgiveness, one of Satan's devices.? A.? I want to continue to preach for a while on the subject of Ignorance.? My work as a pastor is to make sure that you are not ignorant, and your job is to make sure that you are not willfully ignorant!? We have the Word of God, so we are accountable to it.? 1.? Last week, we saw the ignorance of Israel concerning God's righteousness.? Romans 10:3-4? For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.? (4)? For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.? 2.? This morning, I want to start preaching on ignorance of Satan's Devices.? I am not sure how far that I will get this morning, but I am in no hurry because of the importance of what I am preaching so just hang in there.? B.? Lucifer is a powerful angel.? He is a God hater and therefore hates God's children.? Our Lord said that He was hated first, and that hatred would be passed on to us.? John 15:18-20? If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.? (19)? If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.? (20)? Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.? C.? I do not want to preach a series on Satanology or Angelogy (fallen angels) but, in order to understand the fallen angels, we must explore them within the context of Scriptures.? D.? Lucifer was a special angel, a defender of the holiness of God.? Lucifer tried to overthrow the throne of God to no avail and God said, “I will destroy thee, O covering cherub!”? ? Lucifer is a damned angel.? I want to look at a couple of very interesting verses:? E.? Hell was prepared for the Devil and his angels.? ? Ezekiel 28:18? Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will? I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.? Matthew 25:41? Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed,? into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:? 1.? Satan is Determined.? He will never give up nor give an inch.? In his determination, he does not negotiate nor compromise.? 2.? Satan is Dangerous.? His ultimate goal is to destroy everything God created.? 3.? Satan is Deceptive.? In heaven, with God on His throne, Satan convinced 1/3 of the angels there to rebel.? And we think he cannot deceive us.? 4.? WE ARE NOT IGNORANT of his devices!? ? a)? He has used the same devices since he sinned against God in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28!? ? b)? I used the phrase “willfully ignorant” last week because we all have seen what Satan through love of the world has done to people that we know!? ? 1)? He has destroyed their lives!? 2)? He has destroyed their families!? 3)? He has destroyed their health!? 4)? He has destroyed their testimonies!? 5)? He has destroyed their usefulness!? c)? Satan uses different Devices for different People.? We all have our strong points and weaknesses.? d)? Satan uses different Devices for different Purposes.? Sometimes, Satan attacks people and sometimes he attacks churches/governments, etc.? e)? Satan uses these same devices over and over.? Satan does the same thing the same way because it too often brings about the same results.? 1)? I love devices.? Gadgets, appliances, tools, machines, mechanisms, etc.? Devices are normally specific in their usage to get certain jobs done.? ? 2)? I love Harbor Freight.? They have a tool for about everything that you will ever need to get done.? I drop my wife off at Big Lots (female version of Harbor Freight) which is about three hundred feet away from Harbor Freight and tell her to “shop till you drop!”? 3)? Satan's Devices are designed for singular purposes.? They are not profound in their design.? They are quite simple but highly effective in their work. I have many tools in my workshop that I do not use often as these tools are made for specific jobs.? 4)? I said all that to say this, we can know and fully understand what Satan's Devices are doing and still allow them to work in our lives to the detriment of our spiritual condition and God's work!? F.? This morning, I want to look at Satan's Device of Division.? ? 1.? I would say that the subject of division is one that I preach on more than any else, and especially over the past few years as the coming of our Lord draws nigh.? ? 2.? Satan has pulled out all of the “stops” in his unending efforts to destroy the effectiveness of both families and the local church.? ? ? As goes the family, so goes the local church!? 3.? The pastor's nightmare!? Division!? We must not be ignorant of Satan's devices and one of his best is division.? ? G.? Families are falling apart and marriages no longer lasting.? Then there is the local church.? So many local churches are without a pastor.? Smite the shepherd and the sheep will scatter!? Some churches have “run the pastor off,” while in others, the pastor (it is always easy to blame the church rather than to blame oneself) ran himself off.? H.? Satan's Device of Division in the local church.? 1.? Sometimes, wicked people get in the church and divide.? 2.? More often, saved people get their priorities wrong and strive, one with another.? a)? Through Carnality? b)? Through Biblical Ignorance? c)? Through Willful Immaturity? d)? Through Satanic Influence? J.? It is imperative that we remain united and strong as the work of the Lord is of the utmost importance and only a unified body will be effective in reaching the lost.? This type of preaching is not a new thing, nor should it be a sporadic one.? It must be preached often with a no-nonsense approach.? Look in Acts 20:28-31 with me.? Acts 20:28-31 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29? For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30? Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31? Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.? K.? The most important unit on the face of the earth other than the family is the local church.? Satan hates the local Church!? L.? Division can cause much damage to the local church by:? 1.? Division Destroys The Fellowship Of The Church.? (People sit on the pews of the church with malice and unforgiveness in their hearts.)? 2.? Division Destroys The Commission Of The Church.? (Missions have been damaged because of gaining a family and then loosing a family through spiritual nonsense!)? 3.? Division Destroys The Testimony Of The Church. (Church fights and splits have been detrimental to the prosperity of the church, both physically and financially.)? 4.? Division Destroys The Posterity Of The Church.? (Children both see and hear the ungodliness of the parents.? It affects their spirituality and, eventually, they are lost.? 5.? Division Destroys The Worship Of The Church.? (God and His Holy Spirit are grieved with this division and worship is neither holy nor acceptable.)? 6.? Division Destroys The Evangelism Of The Church.? (Instead of keeping our eyes upon the harvest and doing all that we can to win souls, our time is spent in bitterness and souls are lost.)? 7.? Division Hinders The Prayers Of The Saints.? (Malice and unforgiveness are sins and when we regard iniquity in our hearts, our prayers go unheard.)? M.? Division damages the individual believer.? 1.? It Will Divide You From The Pastor – Your Friend? 2.? It Will Divide You From The Pulpit – God's Message? 3.? It Will Divide You From The People – Your Brethren? 4.? It Will Divide You From The Peace Of God – Your Joy? 5.? It Will Divide You From The Place – God's House? 6.? It Will Divide You From The Purpose – God's Harvest? N.? How To Stop Division!? 1.? Always Give Others The Benefit Of The Doubt - 1 Corinthians 13:5? Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;? 2.? Learn To Forgive And To Forget - Ephesians 4:31-32? Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:? And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.? 3.? Beware Of The Root Of Bitterness -? Hebrews 12:15? Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;? 4.? Keep Your Eye Focused Upon The Purpose - Philippians 1:27? ? Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;? Philippians 3:16? Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.? 5.? Esteem Others Better Than Self - Philippians 2:3? Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.? Philippians 2:1-4? ? If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,? Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.? Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.? Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.? 6.? Learn To Keep Your Mouth Shut When There Is A Problem - Proverbs 6:16-19? These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:? A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,? An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,? A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

In tonight's case, some commentators will agree with the president's claim, while others will disagree. Each will try to convince us that their version of reality is our reality. This is because our “post-truth” culture believes that truth is perception. This viewpoint is becoming more dangerous now than at any time in human history.

The Episcopal Church was established after the American Revolution when it became independent from the Church of England. The Episcopal Church characterizes itself as "Protestant, yet Catholic".It is a Christian church divided into nine provinces and has jurisdictions in the United States, Taiwan, Micronesia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe and the Navajoland Area Mission.Discover our 10 things Christians should know about the Episcopal Church.Main article image credit: ©Getty/JESUSDEFUENSANT

What Is the State of Your Foundation? Tim RasmussenTue, 12/19/2023 - 01:17 Due to a population explosion in Southern California in the early 1920s, plans were made to create a large reservoir to help meet the region's growing water needs. Engineer William Mulholland had achieved a great deal of recognition and respect among members of the engineering community when he supervised the design and construction of the longest aqueduct in the world at that time—the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and he was chosen as the chief engineer for the new project.After conducting a thorough study of the topography and geological features of the area, Mulholland was convinced that San Francisquito Canyon, about forty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, was the ideal site. Design and construction began in 1924, and at its completion on May 4, 1926, the magnificent St. Francis dam rose to a height of 185 feet above the canyon floor. The dam was an engineering marvel—the crown jewel of Mulholland's career.But there was a problem. Although Mulholland wrote of the unstable nature of the face of the schist on the eastern side of the canyon, he either misjudged or ignored it. As water began to fill the reservoir, several temperature and contraction cracks appeared in the dam, and seepage began to flow from under the abatements.Mulholland and his assistant chief engineer Harvey Van Norman inspected the cracks and judged them to be within expectation for a concrete dam the size of St. Francis. Workers were ordered to seal off the leaks, but they were not entirely successful. Late in 1927, a fracture appeared that ran diagonally across the dam. Mulholland inspected the cleft, judged it to be another inconsequential contraction crack, and left it? alone.On March 7, 1928, yet another leak was discovered by a dam employee. He was concerned not only because there was a new leak but also because the water in this runoff was muddy, indicating possible erosion of the dam's foundation.Mulholland and Van Norman inspected the dam and its various leaks and seepages, finding “nothing out of the ordinary or of concern for a large dam.” Both Mulholland and Van Norman made it clear that there just wasn't anything to worry about. Mulholland had a reputation to uphold. Surely there couldn't be any critical issues with his masterpiece. Acknowledging major engineering shortcomings would have jeopardized his hard-earned position and reputation.Two and half minutes before midnight on March? 12,? 1928, the St. Francis dam catastrophically failed. Within 70 minutes of the collapse, the reservoir was virtually empty as 12.4 billion gallons of water began surging down San Francisquito Canyon becoming a 140-foot high flood wave traveling eighteen miles per hour. Countless workmen and their families were never found. The flood left an appalling record of death and destruction, with hundreds of lives claimed. The St. Francis Dam disaster, which effectively ended the career of William Mulholland, remains the second greatest loss of life in California's history, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.Cracks in any foundation can have catastrophic effects, and the most catastrophic tragedies of all are the results of cracks in the foundations of lives. These cracks affect not only us but also those we know and love. In the busyness of life and with all the responsibilities of family and ministry, we need to ask ourselves if we are ignoring foundational issues of the heart that could lead to disaster.These cracks may not be visible yet to our family and friends, but the cracks are there nonetheless and have the potential to cause irreparable harm if not properly addressed. This is why Paul warned Timothy, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16).A wise man will faithfully and conscientiously inspect his foundation and will be honest with himself and God when cracks are discovered.We would demonstrate great wisdom to inspect our lives for the following cracks, all indicators of a deeper spiritual need:We no longer have a vibrant and growing walk with the Lord.We have stopped guarding our hearts from temptation.We have allowed our thought lives to wander.We rationalize thoughts and behaviors that previously would have convicted our conscience.We put a priority on temporal things such as money, position, or recognition over essentials like holiness, godliness and integrity.We emphasize the public over the private.We dismiss “small” sins in order to protect our reputation.We stop seeking counsel from others and discourage others from requiring accountability of us.We begin to pridefully look to ourselves rather than focusing on Jesus.If we continue to ignore cracks in our integrity, we are positioning ourselves for an inevitable and monumental collapse, bringing great reproach—to our families, to our congregations, and to the cause of Christ. We are in grave danger of not finishing the race God has given us to complete.My oldest brother, Mark, has often challenged me with the following statement: “People remember how you start, and they remember how you finish.”Paul wrote of his daily decision to inspect his foundation and prevent cracks in his life: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27).Are there cracks forming in your life—cracks that reveal deeper foundational issues? Let us take whatever steps necessary to shore up our foundation and seal up the cracks so that our lives will bring honor and glory to our Lord who saved us.How can we take steps to strengthen the foundation of our lives?By acknowledging cracks and sincerely seeking God in repentance: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs? 28:13).By determining to live according to the Word of God:? “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).By attending church and exhorting others: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews? 10:25).By seeking God in prayer: John R. Rice said, “All of our failures are prayer failures.” “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17).By reading God's Word daily and committing it to memory: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).By sharing our testimony with a lost and dying world and pointing them to Jesus Christ: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs? 11:30).By intentionally meditating on God's standards: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).By guarding our thought life: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2? Corinthians 10:5).By loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves: We desperately need a great commitment to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).Paul admonished us to build properly, from the ground up: “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1? Corinthians 3:10).When we lay a proper foundation and continually build on it, we can look forward to one day hearing Christ say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”? Category Christian Living Tags Pastoral Leadership Integrity Christian Living Spiritual Growth

What Is the State of Your Foundation? Tim RasmussenTue, 12/19/2023 - 01:17 Due to a population explosion in Southern California in the early 1920s, plans were made to create a large reservoir to help meet the region's growing water needs. Engineer William Mulholland had achieved a great deal of recognition and respect among members of the engineering community when he supervised the design and construction of the longest aqueduct in the world at that time—the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and he was chosen as the chief engineer for the new project.After conducting a thorough study of the topography and geological features of the area, Mulholland was convinced that San Francisquito Canyon, about forty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, was the ideal site. Design and construction began in 1924, and at its completion on May 4, 1926, the magnificent St. Francis dam rose to a height of 185 feet above the canyon floor. The dam was an engineering marvel—the crown jewel of Mulholland's career.But there was a problem. Although Mulholland wrote of the unstable nature of the face of the schist on the eastern side of the canyon, he either misjudged or ignored it. As water began to fill the reservoir, several temperature and contraction cracks appeared in the dam, and seepage began to flow from under the abatements.Mulholland and his assistant chief engineer Harvey Van Norman inspected the cracks and judged them to be within expectation for a concrete dam the size of St. Francis. Workers were ordered to seal off the leaks, but they were not entirely successful. Late in 1927, a fracture appeared that ran diagonally across the dam. Mulholland inspected the cleft, judged it to be another inconsequential contraction crack, and left it alone.On March 7, 1928, yet another leak was discovered by a dam employee. He was concerned not only because there was a new leak but also because the water in this runoff was muddy, indicating possible erosion of the dam's foundation.Mulholland and Van Norman inspected the dam and its various leaks and seepages, finding “nothing out of the ordinary or of concern for a large dam.” Both Mulholland and Van Norman made it clear that there just wasn't anything to worry about. Mulholland had a reputation to uphold. Surely there couldn't be any critical issues with his masterpiece. Acknowledging major engineering shortcomings would have jeopardized his hard-earned position and reputation.Two and half minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis dam catastrophically failed. Within 70 minutes of the collapse, the reservoir was virtually empty as 12.4 billion gallons of water began surging down San Francisquito Canyon becoming a 140-foot high flood wave traveling eighteen miles per hour. Countless workmen and their families were never found. The flood left an appalling record of death and destruction, with hundreds of lives claimed. The St. Francis Dam disaster, which effectively ended the career of William Mulholland, remains the second greatest loss of life in California's history, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.Cracks in any foundation can have catastrophic effects, and the most catastrophic tragedies of all are the results of cracks in the foundations of lives. These cracks affect not only us but also those we know and love. In the busyness of life and with all the responsibilities of family and ministry, we need to ask ourselves if we are ignoring foundational issues of the heart that could lead to disaster.These cracks may not be visible yet to our family and friends, but the cracks are there nonetheless and have the potential to cause irreparable harm if not properly addressed. This is why Paul warned Timothy, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16).A wise man will faithfully and conscientiously inspect his foundation and will be honest with himself and God when cracks are discovered.We would demonstrate great wisdom to inspect our lives for the following cracks, all indicators of a deeper spiritual need:We no longer have a vibrant and growing walk with the Lord.We have stopped guarding our hearts from temptation.We have allowed our thought lives to wander.We rationalize thoughts and behaviors that previously would have convicted our conscience.We put a priority on temporal things such as money, position, or recognition over essentials like holiness, godliness and integrity.We emphasize the public over the private.We dismiss “small” sins in order to protect our reputation.We stop seeking counsel from others and discourage others from requiring accountability of us.We begin to pridefully look to ourselves rather than focusing on Jesus.If we continue to ignore cracks in our integrity, we are positioning ourselves for an inevitable and monumental collapse, bringing great reproach—to our families, to our congregations, and to the cause of Christ. We are in grave danger of not finishing the race God has given us to complete.My oldest brother, Mark, has often challenged me with the following statement: “People remember how you start, and they remember how you finish.”Paul wrote of his daily decision to inspect his foundation and prevent cracks in his life: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27).Are there cracks forming in your life—cracks that reveal deeper foundational issues? Let us take whatever steps necessary to shore up our foundation and seal up the cracks so that our lives will bring honor and glory to our Lord who saved us.How can we take steps to strengthen the foundation of our lives?By acknowledging cracks and sincerely seeking God in repentance: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).By determining to live according to the Word of God: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).By attending church and exhorting others: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).By seeking God in prayer: John R. Rice said, “All of our failures are prayer failures.” “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17).By reading God's Word daily and committing it to memory: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).By sharing our testimony with a lost and dying world and pointing them to Jesus Christ: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).By intentionally meditating on God's standards: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).By guarding our thought life: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).By loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves: We desperately need a great commitment to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).Paul admonished us to build properly, from the ground up: “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Corinthians 3:10).When we lay a proper foundation and continually build on it, we can look forward to one day hearing Christ say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Category Christian Living Tags Pastoral Leadership Integrity Christian Living Spiritual Growth

Who is a Christian nationalist? And should some people be proud to be called such a name? I, like a majority of BNG readers, am convinced Christian nationalists are a threat to democracy. I have been listening to them make...The post To claim the label of Christian nationalist or not? appeared first on Baptist News Global.

Holding Fast the FaithRick HoukTue, 07/25/2023 - 13:19 How Understanding “The Faith” Strengthens Daily Faith Many Christians think of doctrine as irrelevant to their daily lives. They hope their pastor studies it, but they don't think of it as having practical importance to the average Christian on a Thursday afternoon. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. You see, it is understanding and believing “the faith” that allows us to exercise daily faith.  When Jude wrote to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3), he addressed his epistle “to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.” In other words, that's every Christian. So, if strong doctrine leads to strong faith, what should we know about developing strong doctrine? Our Faith Rests on the Word of GodFor a Christian, all doctrine comes from one final authority: the Word of God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine . . .” (2 Timothy 3:16). God revealed His truth that he wanted us to have, recorded it in the inspired words of Scripture, and preserved it for all generations. Jesus told His apostles that He would give them His truth and they were to pass it on to the early church. In Acts 2:42, we learn that after three thousand souls were saved on Pentecost, the believers “continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship . . . .” The moorings of the early church and the rapid spread of the gospel was dependent upon sound doctrine to unify the believers in the local churches. The early church delivered the gospel and the faith to their generation, who in turn passed it on to the next generation, and now we have these precious truths today. All of this transfer happened through the written Word of God. What God delivered to us through “holy men of God” who “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21) is all we need. It is final, complete, infallible, inerrant. It is absolute truth. Our understanding of truth may grow, but the Word of God itself is, like God, immutable, infallible, and eternal. Our Faith Is Kept by Sound TheologyThe faith once delivered to the saints can only be maintained and grow when we live and practice sound doctrine. Paul told Titus in Titus 1:9, “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”Without sound doctrine, would we know the truth about salvation, eternal life, and eternal security? Would our faith have any stability or confidence? Would we be able to adequately give godly counsel? Would we be able to witness to the unsaved with confidence? Would we be able to defend our faith? Would we not be deceived by false teachings? Would we know how to walk in the Spirit and live a holy life? The answer to all of these is “no.” To live and propagate our faith it must be built upon the sound teachings of the Scriptures.Our Faith Should Lead to Daily ApplicationA.W. Tozer said, “There is scarcely anything so dull and meaningless as Bible doctrine taught for its own sake. Truth divorced from life is not truth in its biblical sense, but something else and something less.” Our doctrine should affect our behavior. James 1:22 admonishes us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” A wealth of theological knowledge is practically meaningless unless we are regularly applying truth to our daily lives. Then, and only then, will our theology bring growth to our lives. Category Christian Living Tags Apologetics Bible Study

In a gruesome assault against Turkey’s tiny Christian community, five young Muslim Turks entered a Christian publishing office in the southeastern province of Malatya yesterday (April 18) and slit the throats of the three Protestant Christians present.

Several Christian volunteers and survivors of China's worst earthquake in a generation remained missing Sunday, December 28, after Christmas Eve police raids on homes under construction in the devastated Sichuan province amid anger among authorities over the involvement of churches in relief efforts, an advocacy group said.

Over a dozen Christians will spend Christmas behind bars in China after police raided a Christian leaders gathering in Henan province, while in the capital Beijing two officials of the banned Chinese House Church Alliance were detained, an advocacy group and Chinese Christians confirmed Thursday, December 18.

Four Christians remained missing Friday, December 12, more than a month after they were detained in China's Hubei province amid a police crackdown on believers, including missionaries, in the region, a house church network said.

ChinaAid learned a house church leader in Henan province, Pastor Zhu Baoguo, was sentenced to one year of "re-education through labor," accused of being an "evil cult" leader.

Chinese officials have yet to declare a new court date for Alimjan Yimit, a Christian house church leader and ethnic Uyghur in China's northwest province of Xinjiang detained since his arrest on Jan. 12.

Minority Christians and other non-Muslims faced potential persecution Tuesday, December 30, as militants linked to Taliban and Al-Qaeda groups imposed Shariah, or Islamic law, in the Orakzai Agency tribal region of the restive Pakistani North West Frontier Province (NWFP), officials told BosNewsLife.

In violation of Vietnam's new religion policy, authorities in Lao Cai Province in Vietnam's far north are pressuring new Christians among the Hmong minority to recant their faith and to re-establish ancestral altars, according to area church leaders.

Local government officials in Dak Lak Province this morning made good on their threat to destroy a new wooden church building erected in September by Hmong Christians in Cu Hat village.

A tense calm returned to a village in Indonesia's Central Maluku province, where angry Muslims torched churches, dozens of homes and other properties after a Christian teacher allegedly made comments insulting Islam, rights investigators said Wednesday, December 17.

A Christian politician in Pakistan's Punjab province was recovering of his injuries Thursday, December 11, after he was apparently nearly killed by Muslim activists, amid growing religious tensions in the region.

Minority Christians and other non-Muslims faced potential persecution Tuesday, December 30, as militants linked to Taliban and Al-Qaeda groups imposed Shariah, or Islamic law, in the Orakzai Agency tribal region of the restive Pakistani North West Frontier Province (NWFP), officials told BosNewsLife.