WEEK 4 : Yochanan’s Birth Announced to Zacharias
1. SCRIPTURE
Luke 1:5-25
Lk. 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
Lk. 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Lk. 1:7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
David Wilkerson was a legendary preacher who truly did hear from God, and a remarkable prophecy that he gave about 40 years ago is coming to pass right now. After watching a video on our new YouTube channel, a viewer mentioned that something my wife and I were talking about sounded exactly like something that David Wilkerson had said close to 40 years ago. I was skeptical at first, but I checked it out. And it turned out that this viewer was exactly correct. Without even knowing it, for years I have been preaching virtually the exact same message that David Wilkerson prophesied nearly four decades ago, and today this prophecy is being fulfilled right in front of our eyes. In his vision, Wilkerson saw the rise of two "super churches" in the last days. The first "super church" would be deeply apostate, and it would include both Protestants and Catholics. It would prominently use the name of Jesus Christ, but it would be "antichrist and political in many of its activities."
If you needed proof that America has lost it corporate mind, here are five compelling examples.
(BY MICHAEL BROWN) 1. In New York City, Cooper Union College has decided to remove all "gender markings" from its bathrooms.
As reported by The Guardian, "Last fall, the oldest building on the Cooper Union campus underwent a sudden renovation. A group of students, agitating for their transgender classmates, stripped the words 'men' and 'women' off the doors of the Foundation Building's restrooms." But rather than discipline the unruly students, "the Cooper Union administration this month moved to remove the gender designations from all the bathrooms on campus by taking down the rest of the men's and women's signage from bathrooms." Goodbye, men's and women's bathrooms! The school's website is actually boasting about all this, with the homepage headline declaring, "DE-GENDERED RESTROOMS ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION."
So you finally learned to play the guitar and now you’re wondering, “How do I write a truly awful worship song?” You’ve come to the right place, my friend. Here are some surefire ways to write a truly horrible worship song.
Write a song for your girlfriend. When she breaks up with you, convert it into a worship song. Be sure to change all uses of “girl” or “baby.”
Make sure you rhyme “love” and “above” at least twice. The song becomes doubly awful if you can also incorporate the word “dove.” Example: “You sent your love from above, makes my heart feel like a pure white dove.” You get the point.
Make sure to avoid any theology at all costs. Don’t talk about atonement, wrath or any other biblical concepts. You want your song to be all about feeling. Don’t let the mind get in the way. Repeat after me: “Worship is a warm feeling, sort of like heartburn, only better.”
Billy Graham once said the job of Christians that we often fail at is “to make the impact of Christ felt in every phase of life.” This duty to make a difference not just spiritually but socially, economically and politically takes commitment, sacrifice and total surrender to God’s plan. Something Franklin Graham has echoed in state capital after state capital these last few months. “We’ve got an opportunity to make a difference in this country,” Franklin Graham said on Thursday to a crowd of some 7,500 people at the Decision America prayer rally in Sacramento, California. The Decision America Tour has made 13 stops to date. And at each, Franklin Graham has challenged Christians to not only pray, but to act: “I want you to become a community organizer for God,” he said. “Become a political activist for God, for His truth, for His righteousness.”
WEEK 9 : The Annunciation to Yoseph of the Birth of Yeshua
1. SCRIPTURE
Matthew 1:18-25
Mt. 1:18 Now the birth of Yeshua the Messiah was as follows: After His mother Miriam was betrothed to Yoseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
Mt. 1:19 Then Yoseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
Mt. 1:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Yoseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Miriam, for which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Mt. 1:21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Mt. 1:22 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
Mt. 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “With us is God.”
Mt. 1:24 Then Yoseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife.
Mt. 1:25 And did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Yeshua.
We are in a great spiritual battle but many of us have left our primary weapon, the Sword of the Spirit,at home
The plight of Eritrean asylum seekers in Israel has been identified by the Barnabas Fund. It’s a story that needs to be told.
Holot was originally built in 2014 for Eritrean and Sudanese refugees, but now mainly houses Eritreans. Behind the wire and searchlights are over 3,000 men, 95% of whom are Christians. Women, children and the elderly Eritreans are not detained: most eke out a living doing menial work in Israeli cities, sometimes assisted by aid organisations such as the Eritrean Women’s Community Centre (EWCC) in Tel Aviv, which is funded by Barnabas Fund. 1
The majority of Eritreans fled their home country because of either religious persecution or conscription: military service is indefinite and can last years, even decades. About 36,000 Eritrean asylum seekers currently live in Israel, but are not recognised as refugees. They are unable to access education, employment, healthcare and social services. The estimated 7,000 Eritrean women are particularly isolated.
(Newbury, 1787)
Jerusalem: everyone has an opinion. As a Christian, have you fallen out with God?
Shalom from Jerusalem, Israel's eternal capital! Last year ended with political fireworks! On December 6th US President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, advancing the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:2-3.