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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Schism - By Matt Ward -
https://www.raptureready.com/2018/09/23/evangelical-schism-matt-ward/ Modern-day Christianity seems to be approaching a point of no return. There appears to be a concerted effort, long since underway but now rapidly speeding up, which has the very specific aim of delegitimizing biblical Christianity. Much of these efforts are coming from within the church. Men and women we once perceived as being Christian brothers and sisters, now seem to view themselves as traditional Christianity's greatest enemy. Evangelical Christianity, as we have known it, would seem to be on the brink of schism. If you are an Evangelical Christian who holds a literal view of the interpretation of scripture, and especially if you hold to a futurist, pre-tribulation view of eschatology, then you find yourself dead center in the crosshairs of a movement that is becoming increasingly vitriolic. You are also very much in the minority. The acrimony, the bitter and caustic attacks, are not even hidden or shrouded anymore; they are out in the open for all to see. These are, I know, harsh words. Yet I have stood back and watched patiently over the last two years; and what I have seen has with equal measure surprised and shocked me. I waited and waited before writing this article, as I wanted to be absolutely sure that what I was witnessing was not just a momentary spasm of anger or frustration. I wanted to be sure that what was emerging was a new fixed pattern of behavior. It all seemed to begin, or at least enter a new and more hostile phase, immediately following the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States. It was immediately after Trump's election that the overt fracture lines that already existed within evangelical Christianity were quickly opening up into yawning chasms. I believe that the election of Trump to the Presidency of the United States acted as the catalyst for these fractures to become what we may one day recognize as the beginning point of a full schism in the Body of Christ. After the election, it seemed that all the tethers of decency and brotherly communion were pulled down; and open warfare, at least from one side, has ensued ever since. Think that I am over-reacting or misjudging this situation? After the election I spent quite a lot of time looking at, in detail, the public responses to Trump's election victory by Christian leaders in America. The results shocked me. No momentary spasm of anger or frustration, the reaction that manifested itself post-election has sustained itself. It has now become an entrenched pattern of behavior and seems to have morphed into open season on evangelical, futurist, biblical Christianity. What makes this shocking is that the most vociferous attacks are not coming from the rank and file of Christianity, but from those esteemed as "leaders," men and women who hold sway over, in some cases, millions of people. First amongst them, and what initially grabbed my attention, was an article I came across in the immediate wake of Trump's victory. The article was written by a very prominent church leader, who has a following on Twitter of close to one hundred thousand people, which was entitled, "...did US evangelical leaders exult Donald Trump over Jesus?" In the article, the author went on to explain how he wished to speak out against Christian leaders in the United States whom he claims have, in electing Donald Trump, effectively chosen to exalt a man over Jesus Christ. He is effectively arguing that, in voting for Trump, evangelical Christians have sinned - that they have, in effect, committed idolatry. Harsh words, but the author wasn't finished. He continued by denouncing modern Christian evangelicalism itself, arguing that in his opinion the election of Donald Trump means that "many Christians in the United States are now spiritually homeless." Continuing, he therefore called upon Christians in the United States to abandon the term "evangelicalism" and instead reclaim their true identity as "a follower of Jesus," stating that many Christians now need a new spiritual home as a consequence of Donald Trump's election. Evangelicalism, it would seem, just doesn't cut it anymore; it is flawed, compromised and broken. He bemoaned the fact that in his view so many white Christians in America voted for a president that he believes rejects "many of the core values of evangelicalism." He then concluded by explaining how the term "evangelical" has now become "toxic," concluding that "many are now done with the word 'evangelicalism', which has come to represent white self-interest." Wow. Harsh words. But it didn't end there. It seemed like, across the board, from one prominent Christian leader to another, there was a tidal wave of incendiary reaction. It soon became equally clear that these views were not held in isolation, but were widely echoed within the more mainstream Christian community itself, by many of the rank and file. At the time of the election, one of the best platforms for viewing this attitude shift within the American church was Twitter. It was and is an ideal way of catching a real glimpse into people's minds. In one statement, often written instinctively and as a reaction to an event or a rapid-fire judgement, volumes can be revealed about the true intent of the heart. The election of Trump provoked an avalanche of responses from very prominent church leaders all across America. Whilst I have redacted the names of the individuals below, each is a prominent church leader in America. Collectively, they influence the thought processes of millions of followers, in their pews, through television outreach and through their social media platforms. On 09/11/16, one very influential pastor tweeted, "In #Election2016 Evangelicals lost credibility voting for Trump..." Another highly prominent and influential church leader, and founder of various Christian magazine publications, spent considerable time and effort tweeting links to articles with titles such as, "10 commitments to resistance in the Trump era" and, "what progressive Christians need to do to take their faith back." This same man then tweeted the following: "Time for healing. And resistance," before concluding with the following piece of advice: "the religious right leaders showed once and for all that they should never be taken as 'religious' again." Let me repeat what this church leader wrote, so that it sinks in: "the religious right leaders showed once and for all that they should never be taken as 'religious' again." Remember, the men that write these words are esteemed as the leaders of Christianity today, and some have followings of literally hundreds of thousands, even millions worldwide. These aren't the random tweets from lone individuals with a handful of followers; these individuals have huge influence over vast numbers of people. Another prominent religious leader, at the same time, tweeted, "We have never witnessed such religious hypocrisy as we saw in this election." He then added, "Most white evangelicals sold their souls to a man who embodies the worship of money... and power." Most white evangelicals sold their souls to a man who embodies the worship of money... and power. These are not the words of a man trying to find any kind of common ground. These are the words of war. This leader then concluded that, "I just want you to know that I AM IN for whatever this will require of us." Yet another man esteemed as a pillar of the modern church worldwide, around the time of Trump's election victory, retweeted an article which detailed "...what progressive Christians need to do to take back their faith." Take back their faith? Clearly the insinuation is that "the faith" has been hijacked and now needs to be forcefully retaken. Is the silent, unstated implication of this that those from whom it needs to be "taken back" are not brothers and sisters in the faith, but enemies and usurpers? Otherwise, why would it need to be "taken back" from them? He then continued by linking an article from a former evangelical titled, "I was an evangelical magazine editor. But now I can't defend my evangelicalism." He concluded, "... at some point you have to get up and leave the table." This man, this hugely influential church leader with a worldwide following, then wrote that "Every single principled conservative should be speaking out against this decision (the election of President Trump). Every single one. There is no middle ground here." "There is no middle ground here." We are being told openly by one of the most prominent Church leaders in America today that you are effectively for us, or you are against us. You are either a Bible- believing evangelical, who by implication has "sold their souls" to this man Trump, or you are a real Christian, now in need of a new home away from the "toxic" legacy of traditional evangelicalism. Now, almost two years later, and after the dust should have settled, the attacks remain but have morphed somewhat. They have become subtler, but no less dangerous for it. The attacks we see today are not merely aimed at evangelicalism generally, but are at specific evangelical doctrine. The attacks have morphed from opposition to Trump and those who voted for him, to opposition of evangelical belief and doctrine itself. These attacks now also include highly personal attacks on prominent evangelical leaders such as, for example, Franklin Graham, who was recently described as "unhinged" by a hugely popular emergent church leader for his promotion of traditional biblical values. Equally, men like Robert Jeffress, who is a bold proponent of both Israel and solid biblical truths and realities, has been castigated far and wide within the Christian community recently as being a "bigot." All for quoting and relying upon the bible as the basis for the moral judgements he makes. Is that not what all of us "Christians" are supposed to do? Rely upon the Bible? Or have I missed something? This attempt to discredit evangelical beliefs is obviously ongoing, but now the pillars that hold it up, both people as well as biblical doctrine, are under attack. To illustrate this point, consider this tweet that I stumbled across last Sunday from another very prominent American Church leader, a man also with a vast social media presence. He was responding to a question, and I quote the tweet exactly: "...I am a recovering lifelong Futurist (grew up in the Bible Belt), so I am still learning about this stuff. So do you still affirm a future (to us) coming of Jesus? Or do you think that was fulfilled in 70AD?" This young, well-known Christian leader who, remember, boasts a huge following, replied, "Def a future return of Jesus to judge, purge, renew and resurrect (1 Cor 15; Rom 8:18-28, Rev 21-22) ...But no 7-year tribulation, rapture or destruction of the planet. This world will be restored for a restored humanity!" I was speechless. On so many levels, this is plain wrong; it is false teaching-not least of which, apart from the poor theology, is the sheer audacity of it. Notwithstanding his completely selective use of scripture, ignoring totally the plethora of places in the Bible that clearly signpost a future rapture of believers, a tribulation and a judgment, he chooses instead to focus exclusively upon those scriptural verses that only agree with his sensibilities - ignoring or marginalizing all the others that don't, and leading people astray in the act. The aim at this point is to redraw the boundary lines of Christianity itself piece by piece, doctrine by doctrine. Thus we reach a point where Christian leaders are openly discussing how they can "redefine Christianity" for today's widely biblically illiterate, church-going generation. Evidently the way it has been "defined" for the last two thousand years of church history just doesn't quite cut the mustard anymore. Treating the Bible like a great theological buffet, taking the parts they like and ignoring everything else, these men and women are attempting to redraw the boundaries that have held the faith together since Jesus Christ walked the shores of Galilee two thousand years ago. The pertinent issues now are not salvation issues, or issues related to sin or repentance, and certainly not anything to do with eschatology or the imminent end times, but LGBTQ+ issues, immigration issues and family border-separation issues. It is about the "evils" of white-dominated evangelical Protestantism; it is about helping the poor. It is about social justice, the feel-good gospel of salvation through works, not faith. These are the issues that count - not sin, repentance, the love of God for a desperately lost world, or the quite obviously approaching time of His wrath. Donald Trump's election to the Presidency of the United States has acted as the catalyst for real and rapid change. Political affiliation is now being intrinsically linked to one's religious persuasion, and an attack on one has become a de-facto attack on the other. There is a highly polarized political environment currently in America which has permeated deep into the Church. Indeed, it threatens to tear it apart. Partisan political affiliations now rule and have become the launching pad for quite brutal attacks upon the faith system many still hold so dear. And upon basic biblical doctrine. The battle lines seem to have been drawn, and we are increasingly witness to brothers and sisters using the election of Trump to continue the effort to castigate others within the fold of the church, and to characterize their faith as being racist, xenophobic, uncompassionate and un-American. Worse, they are even now considered as being un-Christian. It would seem increasingly the case that whom you voted for has come to determine the type, and quality, of Christian you are. And these attacks will only become more vitriolic with the passage of time. It is my belief that the Christian Church faces a growing and menacing threat both from without and from within. The period of unity that we have known for so long would seem, to me at least, to be fast approaching its end. Whether the election of Trump created the chasm or merely revealed it is irrelevant. What matters is that this divide, this schism, is there and it seems to be growing wider and more pronounced daily. The apostasy and "falling away" prophesied by Paul as a distinct characteristic of the last days is in full flow right now, and it has penetrated deeply into the church. If Jesus tarries much longer, and He may well, persecution cannot be far around the corner. In the early chapters of Revelation, Jesus gives a very specific warning to the churches of Asia: that unless they focus upon God and what He is and requires of them, then He would remove His Spirit from the church. With the exception of His remnant and one or two outstanding examples of churches and pastors that do teach faithfully the whole council of God, including Bible prophecy and the evident signs of the times, it seems to me that what is described in the first few chapters of Revelation is exactly what is happening to the modern church today. [email protected] Another Step Forward To The Magog Scenario As Russia Raises Tensions With Israel - By Yaakov Lappin -http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2590 The announcement by Russia on Monday to transfer its advanced S-300 air-defense system to the Syrian government within two weeks is a disturbing yet surmountable challenge to Israel. In a move that can only be interpreted as an intended punishment against Israel, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow would transfer the system, as well as electronic warfare systems, to Syria's air-defense units, arming them with advanced weapons to use against the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The move comes as a response to the downing of a Russian intelligence-gathering aircraft last week, which was shot out of the sky by Syrian air-defense units that fired recklessly while trying to hit Israeli jets. The IAF had struck an Iranian shipment of manufacturing kits for precision missiles, which Iran was planning to smuggle to Hezbollah in Lebanon. A number of initial conclusions can be drawn from Russia's announcement. The first is that the IAF's job in Syria--to prevent Iran from flooding the region with weapons and military units--is about to get even more complicated. But that does not mean that this is a "mission impossible." Syria's airspace is already the most crowded in the world with air-defense systems. President Bashar Assad's regime is currently armed with a range of Russian-made surface-to-air missile batteries (though it lost around half of them to Israeli strikes in recent months). Assad has been eyeing a purchase of the more advanced S-300 systems for years. Arming Assad with the S-300 will increase the already formidable threat to Israeli jets that are out there, enforcing Israel's red line against Iran's military expansion. It could embolden the Syrian regime to fire even more aggressively at Israel's air force. No stranger to the system The good news, however, is that Israel is no stranger to the S-300 system. It already exists in Syria since Moscow deployed it--and its more advanced version, the S-400--to protect Russia's own bases and port. Despite the advanced radars of these systems, it appears as if the IAF has learned how to operate without being detected. In addition, the growing Israeli squadron of stealth F-35 fighter jets, which are designed for just these kinds of missions, should be able to penetrate heavily guarded airspace and lead future missions against Iran's activities. Israel's use of long-range standoff weapons, which allow jets to strike targets without needing to necessarily enter Syria's airspace, is also an important ability. What all of this means is that the IAF has likely been developing solutions to the S-300. Although the threat is growing to Israel's freedom of operation around Syria, the IAF is capable of working around it. The fact that Iran has already taken hold of the S-300, and used it to defend its nuclear sites, also likely served as a good reason for Israel to figure out ways of overcoming the system. However, what is less encouraging is the fact that the S-300 system in Syrian hands can be used as an offensive weapon to threaten Israel's civilian air traffic. Because of its long range, the Syrians can use the S-300 to watch, and theoretically target, any commercial flight coming in to land or taking off at Ben-Gurion International Airport. This enhancement to Syria's ability to threaten Israel is an explosive development, and it is not one that Israel will necessarily choose to live with in the future. The close relationship that exists between the Assad regime, Iran and Hezbollah also means that Russia has in effect rewarded the Iranian-led radical axis, and moved closer to it by choosing to punish Israel and by ignoring Iran's dangerous actions that led to the downing of the Russian plane. In its effort to defend the Assad regime, Russia is trying to deter Israel and get Jerusalem to scale back its military campaign against Iran's activities in Syria. Yet Israel's active-defense campaign is a critical preventative policy. It is the only thing standing in the way of Iran's plan to encircle Israel with precise missile arsenals, pointed at Israel's population centers and strategic sites. Israel cannot afford to allow Iran to move ahead with these plans. While it must manage the risks judiciously, it does not have the luxury of choosing to let the Iranians take over Syria. The Russian shift away from Israel is a disturbing trend that the Jewish state will need to deal with by employing a combination of assertiveness and modesty. This is the formula that a regional power like Israel must use when dealing with a global military power like Russia. The United States, on the other hand, as the world's leading military superpower, can take a far stronger position in support of its Israeli ally, when dealing with Russia's role in the Middle East. The Palestinians' Three No's: What They Mean - by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13029/hamas-rejection What does Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, mean when it says that it "won't pay any political price" in return for a truce agreement with Israel? Answer: No to recognizing Israel, no to abandoning the dream of eliminating Israel, and no to disarming. In recent weeks, several Hamas leaders and spokesmen have repeatedly been quoted as saying that their group will not make any political concessions as part of a truce deal with Israel. The statements came as Egypt and the United Nations continue their effort to reach a truce that would end the ongoing violence along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. "We want a decision to end the blockade on the Gaza Strip," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a recent speech marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of his group. "Any understandings that are reached to end the blockade will not be in return for a political price." Haniyeh's remarks were echoed by several Hamas leaders and officials belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ,) the second largest terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. In an interview with the Gaza-based Al-Istiklal newspaper, senior PIJ official Nafez Azzam claimed that the Egyptians and the UN were recently close to achieving a truce deal that does not require the Palestinian terrorist groups to "pay a political price." When Hamas and PIJ talk about paying a political price, they are referring to demands (by Israel and many in the international community) that the Palestinian terrorist groups lay down their weapons, halt terrorist attacks on Israel, and abandon their dream of eliminating Israel and replacing it with an Islamist state. These are terms, of course, to which no Palestinian terrorist group could ever afford to agree, not even in return for the blockade on the Gaza Strip being lifted or economic and humanitarian aid to the two million Palestinians living in the coastal enclave. Accepting such conditions would make them look bad in the eyes of their supporters, who would then accuse them of betraying the Arabs and Muslims by failing to fulfill their promise of destroying Israel. Anyone who thinks that Hamas or PIJ or any other terrorist group would ever agree to disarm is living in an illusion. It is unthinkable. As far as these groups are concerned, keeping their weapons is tremendously more important than improving the living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "We will not hand our weapons to the Palestinian Authority, which conducts security coordination with Israel [in the West Bank]," leading Hamas official Ahmed Bahr said in a recent Friday prayer sermon in the Gaza Strip. "The weapons of the resistance are the legitimate weapons that will be used to restore our rights and liberate our lands. The option of resistance is the only and shortest way to liberate our land and restore our rights." To be clear, when the Palestinian terrorist groups talk about "resistance," they are referring to terror attacks on Israel. These include suicide bombings, launching rockets and mortars towards Israel, and hurling explosive devices and firebombs at Israeli soldiers and civilians. These groups do not believe in any form of peaceful and non-violent protests. For them, there is only one realistic option to achieve their goal of destroying Israel: the armed struggle. Anyone who thinks that Hamas or any other terror group would agree to abandon its extremist ideology in return for easing the economic restrictions on the Gaza Strip is also living in a dream world. This is an ideology that clearly states that Jews have no right to live in a sovereign and independent state of their own on what many perceive as "Muslim-owned land." The Hamas charter is refreshingly clear on this subject: "The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up." To their credit, Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip openly remind the world at every opportunity that their ultimate goal is to "liberate all of Palestine," from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River: the exact area of Israel. "The Palestinian resistance has a real army whose mission is to liberate all of Palestine," declared Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official. "By God's will, this army will reach Jerusalem." If this is the case, why are the Palestinian terrorist groups conducting indirect talks with Israel to reach a new truce agreement in the Gaza Strip under the auspices of Egypt and the UN? The answer is simple. They want a truce, or period of calm, so that they can continue preparing for the next war against Israel without having to worry about Israeli military operations. The Palestinian terrorist groups see the proposed truce as a temporary measure that will allow them to continue smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip and building new tunnels that would be used to infiltrate Israel and kill as many civilians and soldiers as possible. They want Israel to ease restrictions on the Gaza Strip so that they can continue to launch terrorist attacks against Israelis without having to lay down their own weapons or abandon their radical and vicious ideology. The Palestinian terrorist groups are at least honest about their true intentions. They do not hide their desire to destroy Israel and kill as many Jews as possible. Hamas and its allies do not care about the well-being of their people in the Gaza Strip. They are determined to fight Israel to the last Palestinian. It is time for all those involved in efforts to achieve a truce in the Gaza Strip to listen to what the Palestinian terrorist groups are saying. The message the terrorist groups are sending is very clear: no to recognizing Israel's right to exist, no to abandoning our dream of eliminating Israel, and no to laying down our weapons. Nearing Midnight: Is there a Doctor in the House? - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The term Apologetics has become nearly extinct in the Christian Church. A couple decades ago, we had several thriving ministries that had as their focus the defense of the faith by pointing out errors in the Church. Today, nearly all those organizations no longer exist or they have become muted by the moral corruption that is taking over the world. One indication that we are living in a time of lawlessness is the lack of news of corruption being uncovered in the Church. The only negative news I read today are about pedophile priests in the Catholic Church. The lack of scandal in the Protestant Church is because standards have become so low, people can get away with all types of transgressions. I recently encountered one that shows how we have reached a state of anarchy. I was watching a prophecy program in which the host claimed to have 16 doctorate degrees to his name, which is a task that should have taken a huge amount of time. After doing some research, I found that phony degrees have become common among Christian leaders. The average student takes 8.2 years to slog through a PhD program and is 33 years old before earning that top diploma. The degree requires anywhere from 60 to 120 semester credit hours (or, approximately 20-40 college classes). Most PhDs require the full 120 hours, while most applied doctorates are closer to the lower end of that spectrum. Many people who attempt to earn a PhD will fail in their task. Only about 57 percent of doctoral students will get their PhD within 10 years of starting graduate school. The average cost for a degree is $40,000. There are some education centers that have greatly streamlined the process of getting a doctorate degree. These fake schools are diploma mills that sell degrees or have little to no standards for obtaining one. If you can count to 10 on your fingers, you can earn a doctorate degree in Mathematics. If you can name the four gospels, you've earned a PhD in Theology. If any of you have read more than 10 articles on RR, you can put on your next resume that Rapture Ready University has given you a degree in prophetic thinkology. It is common knowledge that Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was never a real military Colonel. In 1935, the governor of Kentucky, Ruby Laffon, bestowed Harland Sanders the title of Colonel "in recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine." If Colonel Sanders went to his stores, blabbing to customers that he had been a tank commander during the Battle of the Bulge, well, then there would be a problem. Since I have no respect for the Word of Faith crowd, I can call phoney baloney on people like Benny Hinn, Ken and Gloria Copeland, and Joyce Meyer. They all got their doctoral degrees from Life Christian University, which has no federal accreditation. The school's founder, Douglas Wingate, admits that "earned degrees" go to "big name" preachers who never attended the school. Creflo Dollar hasn't done anything to earn his degree. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University. Honorary doctorates have been given to such esteemed recipients as Kermit the Frog, whose "doctorate" was bestowed upon him by Southampton College in New York. Honorary doctorates do not qualify recipients to work or teach in the field designated on the diploma. No one wants an honorary doctor to perform heart surgery on them. Mr. Dollar's bogus degree doesn't do anything to help him preach the gospel truth. T.D. Jakes received his Dr. Degree from Friends International Christian University, which is another well-known diploma mill. You don't get 12 years of education in 5 unless it's a garbage institution. Perry Stone once had the Dr. prefix to his name, but he decided to stop using it. He now goes by Prophet Perry Stone or Pastor Perry Stone. He is also one of the only big-time prosperity preachers that does not have an honorary doctorate degree. I don't see the point of people spending vast amounts of time trying to earn a degree. Any school that has an accreditation is going to be overrun with liberalism. The best source for Christian learning is the Bible itself. There are numerous people who have legitimately earned the right to be called a doctor, but many people who put Dr. on their name want to be a big shot in the eyes of men. Jesus said the best way to greatness is to humble yourself. A Child who expresses the most simple gospel message is more productive than someone who tries to reach the lost with academic arguments. "Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him. And He said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest'" (Luke 9:46-48). Daily Jot: Matters of Truth and the media cycle - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com There was a time when journalists were taught to verify what a source said. Nowadays, truth doesn't matter to the media. Stories are measured by their social media views and impressions. The more outrageous the headline, the more views, the more successful it is. Headlines may not have anything much to do with the story. But once the story is published, it is in the pubic forever, true or not. The news media is more interested in publishing, tweeting, instagramming, snapchatting than it is interested in getting the story straight. An example is the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearing. Stories abound of the accusations, but the veracity of those allegations is rarely challenged. They are then weaponized for political gain. Here's the cycle: Someone plants a story, say about sexual misconduct; That story makes the headlines; the commentators start talking about it; The truth is really difficult to come by because no one dares question whether the alleged victim is telling the truth; Then another story is planted about yet another sexual misconduct; This story makes the headlines, but buried deep in the story are the holes-lack of memory, alcohol is involved, can't remember time, place, or even the face of the accused; the story gives the first story momentum; now more people are talking about both stories; someone tells the media there is another accuser; there is no other accuser, but the story makes headlines anyway. By now, the major networks are all chatting, speculating, analyzing the picture that has been painted of a serial sexual predator. Videos run over and over. Talking heads are debating. Politicians are pontificating. All the while, the accused is treated as if he is guilty until proven innocent. To the politicians involved, it matters not whether the accuser is telling the truth or if the accused is guilty or innocent. It doesn't matter to them because they know the story is public, and if the public hears enough of it, its opinion is swayed. And that is what matters to the politician. The media doesn't care either about the alleged victim or the accused because it is getting its views, impressions and ratings. This is what happens when the truth matters not. Lives are damaged. People are deceived. Reputations are ruined. Responsible journalism is but a memory of a time gone by. Lazy or agenda-driven reporters care little about the truth and everything about their views. Citizens rarely check the facts themselves. They just read and hear and form their opinions. For politicians, the end justifies the means. 2 Timothy 2:15-16 advises, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." We are seeing this cycle play out-babblings increasing unto more ungodliness because dividing of the truth is lacking. Let us always seek the truth, dividing it rightly, and seeing through the profane. Daily Devotion: Stepping Out in Faith - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. -Hebrews 11:1 I have discovered the secret of a successful Christian life. Are you ready for it? It is living and walking by faith every day. It is consistency. It is staying with it. As philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "The essential thing 'in heaven and in earth' is . . . that there should be long obedience in the same direction." Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (NKJV). Or, as the New Living Translation puts it, "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." J. Oswald Sanders said that "faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen." Faith sees what could be. Faith does things. Faith takes action. Faith takes risks. Faith leaves its comfort zones to do things for the Lord. And faith that doesn't produce works is a faith that doesn't work. When we step out in faith, God will work. But if we don't step out in faith, then really not much is going to happen. God works through people who are applying faith. Faith is not just running a race; it is also walking the walk. Romans 13:13 says, "Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy" (NLT). God is saying, "You're a Christian. Act like a Christian." Hebrews 10:38 says, "The just shall live by faith" (NKJV). We must live by faith. Feelings come and go. We cannot attach our Christian experience to how we are feeling emotionally in the moment. We must learn how to walk by faith. FROM THE HEART
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