Proof The Bible Is True

“Some words of wisdom from Mr. Webster that we today are sadly ignoring much to our peril.”  Admin One of the five greatest senators in U.S. history, the State of New Hampshire placed his statue in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. His career spanned almost four decades, serving as secretary of State for Presidents William Harrison, John Tyler and Millard Fillmore. His name was Daniel Webster, born Jan. 18, 1782. From a New Hampshire farm, he attended Dartmouth College and became the highest paid attorney of his day. He fought the slave trade and negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which set [More]

Accolades continue to come in for the first feature-length film created by American Family Studios – and some of the responses to Summer Snow have eternal consequences. Summer Snow (DVD cover)Kendra White, co-director/co-writer for Summer Snow, explains the theme of the movie. “Summer Snow is a film about a little eight-year-old girl who has recently lost her mom,” she tells OneNewsNow. “The family is trying to regroup and come together, and the mom had sent the little girl a letter challenging her to change the world. We see how one person’s actions, how one life can make a difference.” Christian [More]

What were the most talked about topics discussed within the evangelical community in 2014? The Christian Post had a chance to chat with Ed Stetzer, author, speaker, and executive director of LifeWay Research Division and go over what issues seemed to gain the most attention among both pastors and congregations. The following issues and topics are in no particular order. Read More  Top 10 Most Discussed Issues Inside the Evangelical Church in 2014 (Interview With Ed Stetzer).

“Inspiring story.”  Admin George Washington Carver was born a slave during the Civil War, possibly in 1865, but there are no records. Within a few weeks, his father, who belonged to the next farm over, was killed in a log-hauling accident. Shortly after the Civil War, bushwhackers kidnapped infant George with his mother and sister. Moses Carver sent friends to track down the thieves and trade his best horse to retrieve them. The thieves only left baby George, lying on the ground, sick with the whooping cough. George never saw his mother and sister again. Illness claimed the lives of [More]

“Fascinating historical look back at what Thomas Jefferson meant by his “separation of church and state” remark in a letter he wrote and how that phrase is being used today in a way that’s the exact opposite of what Jefferson intended.”  Admin On Jan. 1, 1802, the people of Cheshire, Massachusetts, sent a giant block of cheese to President Thomas Jefferson, being presented by the famous Baptist preacher, John Leland. John Leland was then invited to preach to the president and Congress in the U.S. Capitol. The subject of his talk was “separation of church and state.” Baptists had been [More]

One of the ways that VOM sometimes encourages American Christians to support our brothers and sisters facing persecution is by asking our government leaders to speak out and act on their behalf. These efforts go back even to VOM’s founder, Richard Wurmbrand, who testified before a Senate committee and even took off his shirt in the hearing to show the deep torture scars on his body. But what is the best way to advocate for persecuted Christians to US officials? And does it make a difference? Do they listen? We’ve got answers to those questions and others this week on [More]

“Good article on preparing for the challenging times ahead.”  Admin Jewish holiday holds ‘blueprint’ for today’s Christians, rabbi says The story of Hanukkah is a story of defiance. Defiance by a people refusing to conform under immense pressure from a popular culture that had become hostile to the God of the Bible. Antiochus IV issued a decree in 167 B.C. that was pretty cut and dry. If you were an observant Jew, it was game over. You could no longer read the Torah, couldn’t observe the Sabbath, couldn’t circumcise your male offspring, couldn’t practice your faith. Antiochus, leader of the [More]

“You can make everyday a “be an angel” day if you want.”  Admin August 22nd is National Be an Angel Day, a holiday created to promote acts of kindness around the world. Here is a list of 10 ways you can celebrate this angelic holiday and bring a little heaven to earth. Read More  10 Ways You Can Be an Angel – Guideposts.

“A lesson in forgiveness.”  Admin In this excerpt from Dreams of Angels, a grieving daughter begs God to help her see her alcoholic mother in a new light. By Lou Dean “So we’ll do the service on Saturday morning, right?” I said to my brother David as we stood looking down on the Arkansas River. We’d decided to scatter Mama’s ashes there because the precious few good memories we had of her were connected to water. The times when she was sober and would join us kids in the rain-swollen creek to catch fish and play with turtles, her contagious [More]

The New Testament speaks about being persecuted for the name of Christ as a blessing, something that’s hard to understand for many American Christians. But after they had been imprisoned and harassed by the religious leaders, the Apostles departed, “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). As VOM workers travel and meet with Christians who have faced persecution, this same theme is often woven through their testimonies. They see persecution as an honor…as a compliment from God! This week on VOMRadio, Brother John from Myanmar tells Todd Nettleton that he prayed and asked [More]

Marcus Stanley is a talented pianist, playing for some of the biggest names in the music industry. His career almost came to a tragic end when he was shot eight times at close range. Thanks to divine intervention, he’s now playing music set to a different tune. Read More  ‘I Saw an Angel’—R&B Artist Describes Violent Wake-Up Call.

During the days of Nazi Germany there arose a Confessing Church movement that rose against the German Church movement, which became the religious arm of the Fascist Nazi Socialist movement. Of the 18,000 pastors in Germany during that time (from 1933 to 1945), less than 5,000 were aligned with the Confessing Church. Hence, only a remnant held fast to the biblical position with about half of the churches conforming due to political and societal pressure. Unfortunately, this demonstrates that, when push comes to shove, a large percentage of pastors, churches and so-called Christians will probably bow to pressure and allow [More]

“In the West we have not experienced such persecution as many others have but that will eventually change therefore it would be wise to learn how others are coping under such circumstances so we will be able to stand when it comes.”  Admin In this week’s episode of VOMRadio we talk with Dr. Berhane, a Christians from the small African nation of Eritrea–a nation where almost 1,000 Christians are currently in prison for their faith. Dr. Berhane spent 11 months in prison for his Christian work; he watched friends and fellow prisoners led away to execution. But he also saw [More]

Earlier this year, I told you about some of the challenges in reaching Millennials for Christ, that is, young adults aged roughly 18 to 33. While 55 percent of Baby Boomers say they’re religious, only 36 percent of Millennials do. “Today,” University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox notes, “fully 29 percent of Millennials consider themselves religiously unaffiliated, a record postwar high. They are also much less likely to describe themselves as ‘religious’ compared with earlier generations of Americans.” Well, how is this rising generation connecting to the Bible? In a word, poorly. According to a new study by the [More]

Several years ago, when I was involved in active church consultations, I assembled data on what I called GFCs, genuinely friendly churches. I set certain parameters for GFCs; then I attempted to measure those churches guest return rates. A guest return rate is simply the percentage of guests who will return to the church for at least a second visit. Here is the simple but profound difference I found in GFCs and all other churches: A genuinely friendly church has a guest return rate six times greater than other churches. Did you get that? If a church meets the guidelines [More]

No doubt these are distressing times. Possibly those of which the apostle Paul prophesied (2 Tim. 3:1). As wars and rumors of wars abound, Christian persecution ramps up, deadly plagues threaten our well-being and the economy gets thrust into limbo, we’re all searching for solutions. Every two years or so we pin our hopes upon the election of some political figure. Sound bytes promising protection and prosperity fill our airwaves. And the solution for these times is offered with the institution of an ideology. But inevitably, history repeats itself. The man or woman we counted on to lift us from [More]

This week’s episode of VOMRadio is live online, featuring an interview with Gracia Burnham. Martin and Gracia Burnham were serving as missionaries in the Philippines when they went away for a few days together to celebrate their anniversary. Those few days turned into a year in the jungle when they were kidnapped by radical Muslim terrorists. In this interview, Gracia shares how she wrestled with God and even with her own faith during those dark days of captivity, and how she experienced the prayers of God’s people, even as Martin was killed during a rescue attempt. Gracia bears witness to [More]

“Contains a short but powerful video of what a Christian family’s life is like in Syria and their surrendering all to God.”  Admin It’s not too late to make sure that your church will “Remember those in bonds…” (Heb. 13:3) this Sunday on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). Each year, VOM produces a short film for churches to show during IDOP services, to illustrate the challenges faced by our persecuted brothers and sisters and to encourage prayer on their behalf. This year’s video, Liena’s Prayer, can be viewed above. While it may be too late [More]

“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7). What has happened to our nation? Clearly it is not the nation of my childhood. We are running headlong into death and destruction. Of the 22 civilizations throughout world history that reached the immoral state America is in now, 19 of them collapsed and were wiped out. In 1987 the late Lester Sumrall, in his book I Predict, wrote about six things that would happen in our nation. America would depart from Christianity. America would endorse pagan religions. America would [More]

Author Mark Batterson talks about his new book, “The Grave Robber,” and will reveal the truth of how miracles aren’t a thing of the past. cbn.com

God used my recent visit to Enid, Oklahoma, to remind me of a deep spiritual truth. Where will the track lead Like many American towns, Enid is divided by train tracks. I took this photo on a beautiful evening, as I walked near the tracks. What you can’t see in the picture is that the tracks make a sharp left-hand turn ahead, and then they disappear into the trees. From my perspective, this prompted several unanswered questions. What was around the corner? Where will this track end? Is there a bridge ahead, perhaps a railroad crossing, or maybe a railroad [More]

A Christian columnist, cultural analyst and attorney specializing in constitutional law recently shared a story about about how a lesbian’s eyes were opened to the fact that Christians are motivated by love and not hate to share the gospel with homosexuals. Matt Barber, the founder of BarbWire.com, recalled the incident in an article published by Charisma News last Monday. He stated that in 2009, as he was the keynote speaker at a banquet in Chicago for the organization American for Truth About Homosexuality, a number of homosexual protesters stood outside, angered by the event. One woman that was present at [More]

What’s it like when you travel to restricted nations for VOM? That question is one of the most common as I meet people at VOM conferences and as I talk with Christian friends. I hope that in the coming days on the blog you’ll get a little bit of an answer to that question. Recently I had the privilege of visiting northern Iraq in order to interview Christians displaced by the advance of Islamic State fighters and to see first-hand VOM projects that provide aid and help to these Christians. While on the trip I did something I haven’t done [More]

“A great example of faith and determination.”  Admin Travis Freeman lost his sight at the age of 12 after he developed a severe sinus infection known as cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST). “The doctors told us that, at that time, 70 percent of the people who have what I had died, and I was only the second case in the world where it’s ever just affected the eyes,” Freeman told American Family Radio this week. Freemen shared that he trusted from the very beginning that God had a plan for his life and was going to use this for His glory. [More]

“Great story of a Divine healing and a lesson learned.” Admin It was dark inside the chapel, the small generator just able to help two or three light bulbs pierce the darkness. The worship was moving, as Pepe led us on his guitar. A number of locals joined in, but many remained quiet and subdued. I preached a message that seemed to stir people’s hearts, although it was difficult to tell as I was unable to see most of their faces because of the dim light. I concluded my message and said that we would be happy to pray for [More]

Fenggang Yang is a sociology professor at Purdue University and author of Religion in China: Survival and Revival Under Communist Rule. He believes that “China is destined to become the largest Christian country in the world very soon.” By his calculations, the number of believers in the People’s Republic of China will rise to 160 million by 2025 and 247 million by 2030. If so, the country would be home to more Christians than any nation on earth. When I visited Beijing a few years ago, I was told that the rate of Christian growth is even higher than Professor [More]

Every church and/or organization has a corporate culture with norms, rules and expectations that pressure participants to conform. Some cultures are good and some bad. That being said, there are particular attributes that characterize false religions or become the norm during religious decline in a true faith such as Christianity. For example, “Every religious system in the world is centered upon a temple (or a sacred place) and has rites and ceremonies, has hierarchies and titles distinguishing men from one another, and has holy days and holy celebrations” (quoted from a teaching I heard from Pastor Tommy Moya several weeks [More]