Psalms 31
3. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
4. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.
5. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Psalm 30
4. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
After it was announced that Asia Bibi — a Christian women who had spent nearly a decade on death row for allegedly “blaspheming” against Islam — had been acquitted, Muslims rioted throughout early November; in one march, more than 11,000 Muslims demanded her instant and public hanging. A leading Muslim party announced that the judges who had acquitted her deserved death. The lawyer who represented her fled the nation due to many death threats. — Pakistan.
While under arrest, he asked police to allow him to “kill the infidels… otherwise you will become infidels like them.” Authorities later said the man had mental problems and was under the influence of drugs. The Christians replied that the media always present such Muslims who attack churches and Christians as suffering from mental illnesses. — Egypt.
“[A]t least 350 Christian owned properties have illegally been seized. The government has stopped only 50 of these properties from being sold… Iraqi Christians have long complained about the disproportionate targeting of their properties for illegal seizures. These seizures often occur in waves which follow violent incidents of persecution.” — Iraq.
“[T]he government… protect the aggressors and leave the victims mercilessly helpless… The devastation in terms of massacre of lives and destruction of property is unimaginable.” — Rev. Dacholom Datiri, President of the Church of Christ in Nigeria.
Read it here.
A plurality of Democrats think it would be a “good thing” for the U.S. to move toward socialism, according to a Fox News pollreleased Thursday — the latest sign of the Democratic Party’s lurch to the left.
The poll asked voters if it would be a “good thing or a bad thing for the United States to move away from capitalism and more toward socialism.” Forty percent of Democrats said it would be a good thing, while only 34 percent said it would be a bad thing.
Among all voters polled, 54 percent said a move toward socialism would be bad, with only 24 percent saying it would be good. Republicans were more united against the shift, with 80 percent saying socialism would be a bad move, and eight percent saying it would be good.
The poll also found that voters prefer increasing spending on domestic programs over cutting taxes and reducing spending, and their preferred way to finance that spending is by taxing the wealthy.
Other polls have shown a similar move left from not only Democrats, but Americans in general.
Back in 2010, 68 percent of young people, 18-29 years old, said they approved of capitalism, while 51 percent said they approved of socialism, according to Gallup. Fast-forward to August 2018, and that same age group backs socialism over capitalism, 51 percent to 45 percent.
Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp
Friends, please pray for Christian believers in East India as around 13 families were recently forced to leave their villages. A local partner of Open Doors shares, “The Hindu extremists … are polluting the minds of the villagers and instilling hatred against the Christians. This results in such expulsion of Christians.”
Recently in East India a woman was allegedly burned alive because of her faith. Following the murder, the villagers began to protest and threaten Christians demanding they leave the village. The Christians were frightened and fled. They are now living on the outskirts of the village in their fields. Their pastor reports, “It is very cold, and they do not have proper clothing and food.“
Even under such distressing circumstances, these families still go to a nearby village to attend a prayer meeting. Unfortunately, however, the people from their home village have followed them there and continue to threaten them.
Please pray the believers in East India would find strength in the power of His might.
Pray the believers would have proper shelter, clothing and food.
Pray the believers will have courage and cling to Jesus in these difficult circumstances.
*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.
The Vatican may learn the hard way that the Communist Chinese government does not honor its agreements. Beijing may attempt to extort even more concessions from the Vatican, just as the Chinese regime demands ever more surrender of sovereignty from western companies that do business in China.
It is also highly dubious that the Vatican will purchase peace by this pact: the regime will continue to persecute the Church. If the Communist regime is true to form, thousands more crosses will be taken down from Christian churches, especially in areas that have a high Christian population.
The courageous elders of Chinese Catholicism, who have endured decades of government persecution and regime efforts to divide the Church, may be seen by their flocks as having been bypassed by the Vatican. Many, if not most, Chinese Catholics are likely to view this agreement as a cynical political betrayal by the Vatican rather than a faith-based decision.
“In light of this dismal record, it seems that prudence and caution would seem to be the order of the day in Vatican negotiations with the totalitarians in charge in Beijing, at whose most recent Party Congress religion was once again declared the enemy of Communism.” — George Weigel, Catholic author and political analyst.
Mark 14
3. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5. For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
2 Peter 3
3. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Well worth your time, very informative.
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This is a long explanation for why there is evil, and how it is understood in a Christian Worldview.
Sources:
God and the Problem of Evil – William Rowe
Blackwell’s Companion to Natural Theology – JP Moreland and William Lane Craig
Why Does God Allow Evil – Clay Jones
The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology – Michael C. Rea
The Nature of Necessity – Alvin Plantinga
Letters to a Christian Nation – Sam Harris
The Problem of Pain – CS Lewis
Mere Christianity – CS Lewis
The Rape of Nanking – Iris Chang
Ordinary People and Extraordinary Evil – Fred E. Katz
How Can We Commit The Unthinkable? – Israel Charny
Shantung Compound – Langdon Gilkey
https://ourworldindata.org/ethnograph…
https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146…
Milgram Experiments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdUu3…
https://www.simplypsychology.org/milg…
https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com…
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases…
Darwinism and Christianity Redux – Michael Ruse
The Denial of Death – Ernest Becker
How Long, O Lord?: Reflections of Suffering and Evil – D. A. Carson
Free of Charge – Mirslov Volf
Exclusion and Embrace – Mirslov Volf
2011 Ligonier Conference – R. C. Sproul
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/2011-li…
https://www.premierchristianradio.com…
Divine Action – Keith Ward
Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview – William Lane Craig and JP Moreland
The Rebel – Albert Camus
The New Problem of Evil – NT Wright
https://vimeo.com/10785299
Learn more at http://www.OpenDoorsUSA.org/PrayerApp
LIVE STREAM: Release of 2019 World Watch List
Today, Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry will reveal the 2019 Open Doors World Watch List during a live press conference at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Open Doors will also share commentary around gender-based persecution, which has continued to rise resulting in the double persecution of women.
In order to watch the live stream, please go to the Open Doors’ Facebook page by CLICKING HERE. The live stream will begin at 10:00 a.m. or a few minutes after on Wednesday, January 16th.
Please pray for Open Doors USA staff as they run the press conference.
Pray the persecuted Christians who will be speaking at the press conference will be filled with peace.
Pray many Christians would be moved to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters as a result of the release of the 2019 World Watch List.
*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.
Matthew 25
6. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut
Don’t be one of those foolish virgins when the bridegroom comes or you’ll be shut out.
Matthew 7:21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
There are those who thinking they served have the right to enter, but they do not. Why? Because they served for self, not for Christ. They trust in their own self righteousness and never new the righteous of our Christ.
You can miss heaven by 18 inches, the distance between the brain and the heart.
Romans 10:10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
God Bless.
Matthew 22
7. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12. And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14. For many are called, but few are chosen.
A Laymans Discourse 
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