Proof The Bible Is True

09/21/18   In today’s 21st-century Iran, the church is increasingly under intensifying persecution from both society and the state, as Christianity—and anyone involved in spreading it—is seen as a threat to the Republic’s Islamic identity. But like the early church of Acts that expanded exponentially in the face of persecution, the persecuted church of Iran is also multiplying and experiencing explosive growth. Below, we offer a spiritual barometer on the depth of persecution in today’s Iran (No. 10 on the World Watch List) and share stories of hope that reveal God is indeed working His plan through mounting adversity and [More]

09/20/18   “Great article regarding the founders viewpoints on how morality and religion are indispensable in maintaining a just and stable government. When these twin pillars are removed chaos and repression follow. We see today how true their words are as our nation has become more despotic, carnal and divided because these twin pillars are increasingly being whittled away to our eventual destruction.”  Admin   He sat next to George Washington in the pew at St. Paul’s Chapel in New York during the religious service following Washington’s presidential inauguration. He helped ratify the U.S. Constitution. His name was Fisher Ames. [More]

09/09/18   Since introducing new religious regulations in February to align “religion with Chinese characteristics,” Chinese President Xi Jinping and his regime continue to tighten their grip on religious rights in the name of unification of the country.     According to the new regulations, religious leaders must “conduct religious activities in the Chinese context, practice core socialist values, carry forward the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, and actively explore religious thought which conforms to the reality in China.”   This church in Luoyang in Henan province was required to display the Chinese flag. (Photo courtesy of China Aid) Across [More]

08/16/18 For Christians in Palestine, life is a Catch-22. Caught in the middle of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, their Christian faith makes them minorities within the Muslim-majority Palestinian Territories (No. 36 on Open Doors’ World Watch List). And their Arab ethnicity results in numerous restrictions on the Israeli side. Overall, Palestinian society deems conversion from Islam to Christianity unacceptable. And the degree of Christian persecution believers face in the Palestinian Territories depends on their tradition and heritage. Converts from Islam to Christianity bear the brunt of the persecution; they are rejected by their communities and families. And historical churches turn away converts [More]

08/16/18   Like so many young people growing up in Central Asia, Ulzhan* was headed for destruction. Throughout the former Soviet countries, increasing numbers of youth are turning to alcohol and drugs. Ulzhan needed larger and larger quantities of alcohol and drugs to fill the hole in his soul. When Jesus came into his life through the church, everything changed. Life became meaningful.   Today, he serves God in often very stressful circumstances in Central Asia. Open Doors recently spoke to the now underground church leader at a secret location. In this rare interview, Ulzhan reveals how God grabbed hold [More]

Most people pray for clear skies and then pack an umbrella, just in case. Not George Müller.   Müller was a Christian preacher, educator and philanthropist who lived in the 19th century in England. He established and directed a series of homes for orphans and schools for children, eventually caring for more than 10,000 children in his lifetime. Such efforts cost money, of course, but Müller decided early on that he would not draw a salary for himself, would not go into debt and wouldn’t even ask people for money. He decided, instead, to pray.   That’s right. He determined [More]

It’s easy to think that Jesus had a big advantage—being the incarnate Son of God, as He was—in praying and getting His prayers answered. But He did tell His followers, “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it” (Matthew 21:22, NLT).   The first generation of Jesus’ followers apparently took his promises seriously. They prayed for boldness, and received it (Acts 4:29). They prayed for prisoners to be released, and it happened (Acts 12:5). They prayed for the sick to be healed, and they were healed (Acts 28:8). They even prayed for the dead [More]

07/24/18   When Esther was rescued from Boko Haraman extremist group that is located primarily in Northern Nigeria captivity, she thought her living nightmare of almost a year was over.   But it had only just begun.   Though the young Nigerian woman carried a child she thought she could never love, she was at least free from the violence, the constant rape, the incessant torment from her captors that she had endured ever since the day Boko Haram guerilla fighters attacked her village, killing her father and forcing her and other young Christian girls into waiting vehicles. They were [More]

07/24/18   What would cause most Americans to switch churches?   It’s not the music, youth programs or even a change in preacher. Instead it is a shift in the church’s beliefs. A new study has found that for the great majority of Americans, the number one reason they go to church is to hear sermons that teach about the Bible and how to apply God’s word to their lives.   It should come as a breath of fresh air for those worried about the over-the-top nature of some of today’s church services that 83% of Protestants say that sermons [More]

07/15/18   The Czech aid worker who spent 14 ½ months behind bars in Sudan has said he counted his experience a “privilege” because it enabled him to share his Christian faith with Sudanese prisoners, and praised the country’s “very courageous” Christian minority.   Petr Jašek also told World Watch Monitor that two Sudanese Christians who were arrested days after he was have been resettled in the U.S., along with their families, since their release in May 2017. A third has been released and remains in Sudan.   Jašek added that, of those with whom he shared a cell during [More]

06/25/18 “Someone to put on your prayer list for sure.”  Admin When a bomb exploded right next to Samiha Tawfiq at St. Peter’s Church in Cairo on December 11, 2016, everyone thought she was dead. But church bombing survivor Samiha miraculously survived the explosion that claimed 27 lives and injured 49.   The explosion also took away one side of Samiha’s face.   Since the attack, it has been an uphill climb for 55-year-old Samiha and her husband Koleny Farag, 79. She can neither hear, smell, nor see on the right side of her face and can barely lift her badly [More]

06/25/18   Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, persecution is coming at believers in West Africa, East Africa and Central Africa in full force. In the Horn of Africa (East Africa), the Muslim country of Eritrea is notorious for its intricate and inhuman prison system that often uses small shipping containers to hold prisoners. The country is estimated to be holding between 1,200 and 3,000 Eritreans on religious grounds.   For 11 years, Pastor Ogbamichael Teklheimanot spent his days imprisoned in Eritrea’s Mitire Camp infamously known as a military concentration camp. And because he refused to renounce his faith in Christ, Ogbamichael was subjected to [More]

06/08/18   On Monday, Gallup published their annual Values and Beliefs survey, which details the beliefs of American’s on 21 specific issues. The organization started their annual Values and Beliefs survey in 2001 and has helped detail American’s beliefs ever since.   As expected, the year’s study revealed that Americans believe that gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable. However, an unexpected study showed that pornography and polygamy are also morally acceptable.   Gallup Just Ranked 22 Professions on Levels of Honesty and Ethics — and There’s Some Troubling News for Pastors   The study revealed that America is split on whether [More]

05/16/18   “Interesting article, also contains surprising information on those converting to Islam.”  Admin   Many in the media, theologians and pollsters seem to be in a consensus that data shows American Christianity is in a steep decline. A series of polls from the last few years have revealed that the Church is hemorrhaging members at an alarming rate — particularly millennials. But, while analysts will continue to assess and contest the validity of such studies, one thing is clear — there is another faith community experiencing and even steeper decline, and very few are talking about it.   That religion is Islam. [More]

05/15/18   Two separate but complementary Christian organizations are stepping forward to help parents build character in children despite the confusing, frustrating times we live in.   The left-leaning Girl Scouts has been watching its numbers drop for years and now the long-respected Boy Scouts is imploding after first allowing open homosexuals and transgenders, and more recently, allowing girls.   Read More: ‘Progress’ keeps killing a wonderful organization

05/15/18   Polls show that over the past 15 years, the proportion of white evangelicals in the United States has steadily been on the decline, while the non-religious sector of the population continues to soar.   Even though the Protestant denomination is still America’s most prevalent religious group, a major analysis of ABC News/Washington Post polls conducted over the past decade-and-a-half indicates that the nation’s religious landscape has experienced a major shift during that time.   “On average last year, 36 percent of Americans in ABC News/Washington Post polls identified themselves as members of a Protestant faith, extending a gradual [More]

Archaeologists discovered part of a lost settlement they say may provide further proof of the existence of biblical kings David and Solomon.   Historians uncovered a building belonging to an ancient settlement in an area about 30 kilometers from Jerusalem they believe to be associated with King David, according to The Sun.   Archaeologists disagree on whether King David and King Solomon existed, but the age and location of the settlement lends greater credence to the Bible’s historical accuracy, professor and archaeological dig co-head Avraham Faust said.   Read More: Lost City Unearthed Near Jerusalem, Shakes Secularists Who Deny Bible

It was just after 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 15, 2007 when Darryl Perry died.   The former University of Florida fullback-turned-financial adviser and his wife, Nicky, had settled down to sleep around midnight after an otherwise normal day. Perry usually worked 16-hour days, Monday through Saturday. The father of three also coached his then-8-year-old son’s baseball team. A deeply spiritual man, Perry usually awoke around 4 a.m. to read the Bible and pray for his wife and children before starting his day. Though the forty-year-old’s sudden cardiac death was a shock to his wife, family and friends, Perry knew it was coming. [More]

The doc made it sound easy. Just walk. Walk every day. Easy for him to say. I couldn’t even make it to the end of our driveway to pick up the darn mail. A quarter mile there and back. I got winded just shuffling around the house. Our mailbox might as well have been in China.   Just walk. Right.   Even more pathetic, I was all of 39 years old. I had my own engineering consulting company with employees nationwide. I was always traveling for work or taking care of Cherokee Acres, our 40-acre horse ranch here in Texas. [More]

The pet shop wasn’t my usual destination on a lunch-hour break, but I was out of food for Izzy and Tobie. I pushed my cart through the aisles, wondering how I’d make ends meet this month. Their food wasn’t cheap. Izzy needed a special brand of dog food because of her skin allergy. Tobie got Science Diet for older cats. I’d settle for a sandwich again for dinner tonight, but I didn’t want the animals I loved to suffer because of my problems.   Boy, did I have problems. Money worries whirled around my head as I walked past the [More]

By Admin By Brian Shilhavy The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26) The name “Christian” carries a wide range of meaning and understanding today, as it has throughout history. It is obviously related to “Christ,” which is from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for “Messiah,” and refers to the person of Jesus Christ. A general definition of “Christian” then would be someone who follows the teachings or doctrine of Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus Christ are contained in the Bible, but how they are understood and what kind of …read more Source: Health Impact [More]

A retail chain commissioned a survey by a team of psychologists to try and crack a key demographic: millennials. Their research revealed something so startling that they tested 800 more people because they thought they had made a mistake.   The same answers came back, however, and researchers found an alarming picture of an increasingly lonely and lost generation. The average social media use for millennials is six-and-a half hours a day. The researchers concluded that people in this demographic have a large number of friends but an increasing sense of loneliness. Loneliness can drive you to despondency. When the [More]

It’s almost inevitable. The more vocal you are about your faith, the more likely you are to find people who are opposed to it. But how you choose to react when people take jabs at Christianity is profoundly important. Your response can set the tone for meaningful conversation and increase your influence—or it can close the door to dialogue about faith.   Here are some suggestions for responding when someone criticizes your faith:   Read More: How To Handle Criticism Of Your Faith – Faithwire

It’s no secret that America’s colleges and universities are becoming costlier by the minute — but now there’s far more at stake than just a hit to the pocketbook. According to LifeWay, the primary age when youths leave church is between 17-19 years — approximately freshman year of college for most people.   As young, impressionable students arrive on campus, many are ill-equipped to handle the onslaught of ideological attacks they will face. Combined with an atmosphere that encourages and fosters lots of free time, partying and hookups, it’s no surprise that large numbers — as high as 70 percent — [More]

A few years ago my husband James and I worked for a foster care agency as houseparents where we fostered eight to 10 children at a time. These kids were tough and could easily overtake the home creating a chaotic living environment rendering the houseparents helpless.   I prayed daily for my kids and over my home. I proclaimed that Christ would fill our home with peace, comfort, and calmness. Staff and state personal would come into our home and comment on how calm and peaceful our house was.   It wasn’t because of James and me, it was because [More]

03/05/18 Chandan Devi lay on the floor, her shoulder bruised from the blow she had just received. The last thing she remembers about that terrible day in her village in India was the loud bang of the door shutting behind her.   The 35-year-old and mother of four–and now the widow of Aadarsh-wipes her tears away with the end of her sari. She recounts the story of losing Aadarsh, a pastor in the village, with bursts of short sentences.   A group of 30 men forced their way into Aadarsh and Chandan’s home. None of the children were at home. [More]

03/05/18   What’s happening to Christians in the South Asia country and why?   One of the 64 million Christians in India, Reena* grew up in persecution.   “When I was a young child, Hindu children did not want to play with me,” recalls Reena, now age 19. “Later, my parents were banned from using the local water supply. They had to walk many kilometers to draw water from the river.”   Over the last three years, the persecution Reena endured as a child has increased and intensified in her home country of 1.3 billion people. The 2018 World Watch [More]