THE NATIONAL BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP OF CONCERNED PASTORS LESBIAN BISHOP AND TWO PRO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PASTORS TO LECTURE AT THE AMERICAN BAPTIST COLLEGE IN NASHVILLE, TN
The National Baptist Fellowship of Concerned Pastors is an informal fellowship of pastors with an affinity to the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBC) who are deeply concerned about the state of our nation, our families, our churches, and our schools. We have mobilized to address these issues because of our grave concern over our collective, downward drift morally as a nation. Therefore, we declare our support to the NBC’s efforts that addresses these concerns, and all Bible believing ministries that are proffering biblical, Spirit-led solutions to the ills of our nation.
Ferguson, Missouri, has fired three city employees and is pursuing a range of other reforms in an effort to negotiate a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department after a federal investigation accused the city of illegal practices targeting African-Americans, the mayor said on Friday.Continue reading →
1. According to the AP, The Georgia Senate gave decisive approval Thursday to a contentious “religious freedom” bill — one of a wave of measures surfacing in at least a dozen states that critics say could provide legal cover for discrimination against gays and transgender people. The Georgia bill would forbid state government from infringing on a person’s religious beliefs unless the government can prove it has a compelling interest. Sponsor state Sen. Josh McKoon, called that a “bright line” and said it is closely modeled on a national religious freedom law passed in 1993. The proposal’s fate in the House is uncertain; a similar bill remains in a committee in the chamber.
2. According to MNN, The Middle East isn’t the only place struggling to contain the growth of the Islamic State terror group. Now, Southeast Asia is, too. Concern is deepest in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where jihadi groups have long had a foothold. In 2002, Voice of the Martyrs noted al-Qaeda training camps popping up in the outlying areas of those three countries during the effort to eradicate the jihadists in Afghanistan. More recently, the Malaysian government foiled an ISIS plot to bomb several nightclubs and a brewery. There’s also been an uptick in activity from the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and the Mujahidin in Indonesia.
3. According to BreatheCast, Well-beloved worship group Casting Crowns announced on their Facebook page Thursday morning that the band’s frontman Mark Hall is battling cancer. Just days after the group announced that they released their album Glorious Days: Hymns of Faith today, in-stores and at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, lead singer Mark Hall took to social media with a message for prayer that has devastated their fans and friends a like. In part, he wrote, “I would appreciate your prayers. Doctors found a solid mass in my right kidney about a week ago. They are 90% sure it’s cancer and they are going to remove the entire kidney next Wednesday, March 11th. They believe the cancer is contained in the kidney, which is also a great hope. They will know more once it is out and Pathology can see it. I’ll be in recovery for a month or a little longer because of the surgery. Please pray for healing and for God’s peace for my family.”
4. According to the Financial Times, Russia has launched large-scale military exercises involving three disputed territories in a move likely to irk its neighbours and heighten concern in NATO about Moscow’s intentions. The defence ministry announced a drill including the federal districts of Southern Russia, the Northern Caucasus and the recently-annexed Crimea as well as Russian military bases in Ab-kha-zia, South Ossetia and Armenia. The exercises will run until April 10.
5. According to Black America Web, Days before the nation acknowledges the 50 years that have passed since peaceful civil rights demonstrators were brutality beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a new petition has circulated to rename the historic bridge in Selma, Alabama. The bridge was the scene of “Bloody Sunday” — the day peaceful protesters were attacked with tear gas and weapons by police officers on March 7, 1965 as they tried to protest the death of a young black man named Jimmy Lee Jackson. It was also the starting point of the Selma to Montgomery marches, where thousands voiced their right to vote.
6. According to the AP, NATO warships arrived in the Black Sea on Wednesday to take part in exercises with the Bulgarian, Romanian and Turkish navies. US Rear Admiral Brad Williamson said, “The training and exercises we will conduct with our Allies in the Black Sea prepares us to undertake any mission NATO might require to meet its obligations for collective defense.” The drill will include simulated anti-air and anti-submarine warfare exercises, simulated small boat attacks and basic ship handling maneuvers.
7. According to AFP, the Palestinians are to lodge their first complaint against Israel for alleged war crimes at the International Criminal Court on April 1st. The executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation said, “One of the first important steps will be filing a complaint against Israel at the ICC on April 1 over the 2014 Gaza war and settlement activity.” On January 2, the Palestinians moved to formally join the Hague-based court setting the scene for potential legal action against Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.
8. According to The New York Times, tensions between Iraq and the United States over how to battle the Islamic State broke into the open this week, as Iraqi officials declared that they would fight on their own timetable with or without American help, and as United States warplanes conspicuously sat out the biggest Iraqi counter-offensive yet. American officials voiced unease with the prominent role of Iran and its allied Shiite militias in the operation. Shiite militia leaders said that their fighters made up more than two-thirds of the pro-government force of 30,000. According to American officials, the Iranian forces’ participation in the assault in Iraq’s Sunni heartland could inflame the sectarian divide that the Islamic State has exploited.
9. According to Reuters, citing what he called an urgent need to respond to foes with missile systems and the will to use them, a senior U.S. Army general said on Wednesday that the US military is considering sending its THAAD missile defense system to the Middle East. General Vincent Brooks, head of the U.S. Army Pacific Command, said no decisions had been made about deploying a US-owned Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in the Middle East or South Korea. Brooks said, “The need is there in those two places, urgently, because we have adversaries who have capability and they have demonstrated that they are willing to use it.”
10. According to The Times of Israel, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the international powers negotiating with Tehran to curb its nuclear program have two choices: they can either reach a deal with Iran, or see its efforts for a “peaceful” atomic program accelerate. Rouhani reportedly told a cabinet meeting, that the world would witness “the faster progress” of Iran’s nuclear program if a deal was not reached and if sanctions were not lifted. He said Israel was the only country “angry and upset” about the possibility of a nuclear agreement.
This broadcast is not about predictions, nor is it about setting dates as some foolishly have done, however it is all about preparation.
PROPHECY HEADLINES: Russia begins war games in disputed regions, including Crimea | Netanyahu’s speech on Iran gets tacit approval in Saudi Arabia | U.S. keeping an eye on Iran’s ‘destabilizing actions’ in the Middle East, Kerry says | Al-Qaeda group in Syria may split off to fight ISIS | 6 NATO ships hold war games in Black Sea
The Bible says in Acts 1:10-11: “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
PROPHECY BOOTCAMP: Our topic for today is titled “Who’s That Knocking at My Door?” (Part 7) from Dr. Ed Hindson’s book “Revelation: Unlocking the Future”. // LAODICEA: THE PUTRID CHURCH (PART 3)
Two additional observations need to be made about this church. The Lord says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent.” Christ still loved this church and was concerned about its future. Laodicea still had one of the seven candlesticks. Therefore, this church cannot represent apostate Christendom, which has no candlestick! Nor could He say of apostates that He loved them, when He earlier stated that He hated false doctrine. Whatever else was wrong at Laodicea, they were still a valid church—and there was hope if they would repent.
The Lord of the Church is pictured in verse 20 as standing at the door of the Laodicean church, knocking and seeking entrance. This is not a final summary statement for all the churches. Nor is it an evangelistic appeal to the unsaved. It is part of the letter to Laodicea. Here is the Lord of the Church pleading with this particular church not to close the door of their church to Him. Whenever we refuse to let Christ take His rightful place as Lord of the church, we, too, in essence close the church door in His face, leaving Him on the outside, seeking admission to that which is rightfully His.
OCCUPY TILL I COME: “Waiting on the Second Coming — The Fire Next Time (Part 9)” by Ray C. Stedman
MUSICAL SELECTION: “Soon and Very Soon” by Andrae Crouch
Remember the words of the Lord in Matthew 24:42: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Matthew 24:44 says, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
If you are not ready for the return of Jesus Christ, may I encourage you to get ready today by receiving Him as your Savior.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here is the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh. Let us join in the prayer of John the Revelator — “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
The simple purpose of this broadcast is to motivate, encourage, and exhort you to Just Pray. This radio broadcast is not necessarily for people who already know the secret and power of prayer and who actually practice genuine prayer on a regular basis, rather it is for those who may find it difficult to pray or for people who claim they do not have time to pray. I am convinced that most Christian people do not need to learn how to pray; they need to Just Pray! If I can get you to just pray, all sorts of wonderful things will begin to happen for you, your family, and whatever God has called you to do. We do not pray based upon our subjective feelings, we pray based upon objective facts in the Word of God.
TODAY’S POEM: “Jesus, Kneel Beside Me” by Allen E. Cross
Our prayer motivator passage from the Word of God today is Job 33:26 which reads: “He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.”
Our featured prayer motivator quote is from Henry W. Frost. He said: “Prayer turns trembling saints into great victors! There is no such thing as surrender, or even discouragement, to a man who dwells in the secret place of the Most High and abides under the shadow of the Almighty.”
My personal encouragement for you today is this: Here are 4 more ways to pray for other people: 1. Ask that God will cause the believer to not love the world system. 2. Ask that the person have a spirit of brokenness and humility. 3. Ask that the person have a servant’s heart. 4. Ask that the person be able to build a Scriptural family.
Our prayer motivator devotional today is titled “THE HINDRANCES TO TRUE PRAYER” part 12 from the book, “Purpose in Prayer” by E.M. Bounds.
There is nothing that will preserve the life of prayer; its vigour, sweetness, obligations, seriousness and value, so much as a deep conviction that prayer is an approach to God, a pleading with God, an asking of God. Reality will then be in it; reverence will then be in the attitude, in the place, and in the air. Faith will draw, kindle and open. Formality and deadness cannot live in this high and all-serious home of the soul.
Prayerless praying lacks the essential element of true praying; it is not based on desire, and is devoid of earnestness and faith. Desire burdens the chariot of prayer, and faith drives its wheels. Prayerless praying has no burden, because no sense of need; no ardency, because none of the vision, strength, or glow of faith. No mighty pressure to prayer, no holding on to God with the deathless, despairing grasp, “I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me.” No utter self-abandon, lost in the throes of a desperate, pertinacious, and consuming plea: “Yet now if Thou wilt forgive their sin—if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book;” or “Give me Scotland, or I die.” Prayerless praying stakes nothing on the issue, for it has nothing to stake. It comes with empty hands, indeed, but they are listless hands as well as empty. They have never learned the lesson of empty hands clinging to the cross; this lesson to them has no form nor comeliness.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope in a ‘Scandal’ scene that referenced the Michael Brown shooting.
In the eyes of her fans, Shonda Rhimes can do no wrong — and that was certainly true on Thursday night with “Scandal’s” latest powerful episode, “The Lawn Chair.” Continue reading →
