Volume 7 Issue 15

Haven’t defeated

"Since my youth they have often persecuted me, yet they haven't defeated me.  Wicked people ploughed over my back, creating long-lasting wounds." Ps 129:2-3

When a child is born in the family of a righteous man, the dark world is terrified. From the day of its birth, or even from the day of its conception in its mother’s womb, satanic world will start plotting against it and might try even to prevent its birth. For this cause, satan might  use even its own  mother by making her sick, getting the father  lose his  job, creating misunderstanding between parents, family members.  Satan might  use even doctors to kill or damage the chid by their negligence.  From its birth there  will be  a terrible fight between darkness and light. Satan might instigate its own siblings against the chosen child of God.

But the truth is that  nothing can defeat the child of God. Even from its childhood, whether it is born of  believer parents or not, God becomes its protector. When the child  becomes mature, God will remind these incidents one by one. Recollecting all the incidents,  where the enemy tried to injure it, harm it or even kill it and how God came to save him. It happened in David’s life.

It will happen in each one’s life. Recollecting them  and thanking the Lord is  our only  duty.

David said, “they ploughed over my back”. For some it will be back pain, spinal chord injuries. For  some others, the  enemy might plough over their heart, mind, or any part of the body, creating long lasting wounds.  In order to defeat these enemies,  to overcome them and to have  the wounds healed, Jesus has taught us one method.

Mat 5:44-45  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.

Whatever may happen in our lives, when we come forward to forgive all those who stood against us, worked against us and fought against us, we become  stronger because we are promoted to the status of the  “sons of God”.

Americans with "No Religion" Increases By 266% Over Last 3 Decades

Over the last 30 years, there has been a mass exodus out of organized religion in the United States.  Each year the needle has only moved a little bit, but over the long-term what we have witnessed has been nothing short of a seismic shift. Never before in American history have we seen such dramatic movement away from the Christian faith, and this has enormous implications for the future of our nation.  According to a survey that was just released, the percentage of Americans that claim to have "no religion" has increased by 266 percent since 1991...

The number of Americans who identify as having no religion has risen 266 percent since 1991, to now tie statistically with the number of Catholics and Evangelicals, according to a new survey. People with no religion - known as 'nones' among statisticians - account for 23.1 percent of the U.S. population, while Catholics make up 23 percent and Evangelicals account for 22.5 percent, according to the General Social Survey.

In other words, the "nones" are now officially the largest religious group in the United States. At one time it would have been extremely difficult to imagine that one day the "nones" would someday surpass evangelical Christians, but it has actually happened. And the biggest movement that we have seen has been among our young people.  According to a different survey, two-thirds of Christian young adults say that they stopped going to church at some point between the ages of 18 and 22...

Large numbers of young adults who frequently attended Protestant worship services in high school are dropping out of church. Two-thirds of young people say they stopped regularly going to church for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, a new LifeWay Research survey shows. These are the exact same patterns that we saw happen in Europe, and now most of those countries are considered to be "post-Christian societies".

The young adults of today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, and they have a much higher percentage of "nones" than the population as a whole.  According to a study that was conducted a while back by PRRI, 39 percent of our young adults are "religiously unaffiliated" at this point... Today, nearly four in ten (39%) young adults (ages 18-29) are religiously unaffiliated--three times the unaffiliated rate (13%) among seniors (ages 65 and older). While previous generations were also more likely to be religiously unaffiliated in their twenties, young adults today are nearly four times as likely as young adults a generation ago to identify as religiously unaffiliated. In 1986, for example, only 10% of young adults claimed no religious affiliation. To go from 10 percent during Ronald Reagan's second term to 39 percent today is an absolutely colossal shift.

Right now, only about 27 percent of U.S. Millennials attend church on a regular basis.  Most of them simply have no interest in being heavily involved in organized religion. And even the young people that are involved in church do not seem very keen on sharing their faith with others.  According to one of the most shocking surveys that I have seen in a long time, 47 percent of Millennials that consider themselves to be "practicing Christians" believe that it is "wrong" to share the gospel with others...

A new study from the California-based firm Barna Group, which compiles data on Christian trends in American culture, has revealed a staggering number of American millennials think evangelism is wrong. The report, commissioned by the discipleship group Alpha USA, showed a whopping 47 percent of millennials -- born between 1984 and 1998 -- "agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one's personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith."

These numbers are hard to believe, but they are from some of the most respected pollsters in the entire country. Politically, these trends indicate that America is likely to continue to move to the left.  Those that have no religious affiliation are much, much more likely to be Democrats, and so this exodus away from organized religion is tremendous news for the Democratic Party.

In a previous article, I documented the fact that somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 churches in the United States are dying each year. That means that more than 100 will die this week. And thousands more are teetering on the brink.  In fact, most churches in America have less than 100 people attending each Sunday...

A majority of churches have fewer than 100 people attending services each Sunday and have declined or nearly flatlined in membership growth, according to a new study from Exponential by LifeWay Research. The study, which was conducted to help churches better understand growth in the pews, showed that most Protestant churches are not doing well attracting new Christian converts, reporting an average of less than one each month.

But even among all the bad news, there are some promising signs for the Christian faith.  The home church movement if flourishing all over the country, and many of those home fellowships are focused on getting back to the roots of the Christian faith.  All throughout history there have been relentless attempts to destroy the Christian faith, and yet it is still the largest faith in the entire world. However, there is no doubt that Christianity is in decline throughout the western world, and churches are dying one after another.

This is what one pastor had to say about the slow death of his church...

'My church is on the decline,' he said. 'We had 50 (congregants) in 2005 and now we have 15. We're probably going to have to close (in a few years).'

'Mainline Christianity is dying,' he added. 'It's at least going away. It makes me feel more comfortable that it's not my fault or my church's fault. It's part of a bigger trend that's happening.'

John Adams, the second president of the United States, once said the following about our form of government...

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

As America has turned away from the Christian faith, we have become steadily less moral and steadily less religious.

If we continue down this path, many believe that the future of our nation is going to be quite bleak indeed.

Kay Arthur Reminds Churches to Stick to the Bible for Truth

Before there was Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer or Joyce Meyer, there was Kay Arthur. 

Arthur set a trend among women bible teachers long before it was fashionable. As ‘the beloved’ – the title she says God calls all of His children – she is clear that her main purpose in doing ministry is to teach the Bible. 

While Arthur says she appreciates the ‘trailblazer’ compliments, she is aware first and foremost that she is a servant of God! She believes that God put her on earth at ‘such a time as this’ to teach the Bible and provide resources for people to study the Good News. 

Arthur told Christian Headlines that her mission is to help every man and woman have a chance to study the Bible. 

As Arthur sits down of our interview, I notice the bustling of adults and kids scurrying around us in order to make it to class on it. We are sitting in Arthur’s ‘Precepts’ ministry's Chattanooga Campus. 

Arthur shared that she can remember teaching a class on the campus lawn before the buildings were even there. 

Despite the busyness around us, as Christian Headlines sat down for a rare interview with Arthur, it was clear that she was not distracted by all the movement. 

As Arthur speaks, she is deliberate and purposeful. She moves at ease when she walks and talks. She makes sure that she acknowledges everyone that she comes into contact with, intentionally making them feel loved. 

When asked about her views on what the church of today is lacking, Arthur stays true to her call and mission. She says the universal church needs to stick to the Bible!

Abortionists could face up to 99 Years in Prison under Proposed Alabama Law

Strict anti-abortion laws have swept conservative states in the country and Alabama has just upped the ante. If passed, HB 314 and SB 211 would make performing an abortion a Class A felony, the most serious felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison, according to AL.

Lawmakers anticipate challenges and lawsuits to the bill since it is unconstitutional. Their hope is to push the bill all the way to the Supreme Court. Rep. Terri Collins, the Republican representative who sponsored the bill, told AL, “It is meant to actually use some of the same language that is addressed in Roe vs. Wade. So, hopefully, it just completely takes it all the way to the Supreme Court eventually to overturn.”

Over 60 representatives out of 105 in the Alabama House have co-sponsored the bill. It will go to the Senate the week of April 15.

Staci Fox, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast called the bills a “death sentence for women across the state.” She also argued, “In a state that already suffers from a physician shortage, high rates of infant and maternal mortality, cervical cancer mortality, unintended pregnancy, teen births, rural health care crisis, and opioid addiction, our lawmakers should be focused on increasing access to care - not restricting it.”

Tuscaloosa News reported this bill is more extreme than any of the other two dozen anti-abortion bills proposed in conservative states this year. The Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health and rights advocacy group, have stated that the “extreme nature of this year’s bills are unprecedented.” Georgia and South Carolina have proposed similar bills, according to WND. 

The law would only punish doctors who perform abortions, not the women. It also allows abortions in case of serious harm or death to the mother. There is no exception for rape or incest.

During last year’s mid-term elections, Alabama passed Amendment 2, which “provides constitutional rights to fertilized eggs and fetuses,” according to Rolling Stone. In March, the state made headlines when the court gave an aborted fetus full legal rights, the first in the United States.

Senate Judiciary Committee and chairman Sen. Cam Ward is supportive of the bill, as long as taxpayers don’t pay the price. Since Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union plan on suing, Ward wants to include amendments to the bill to specify how legal expenses are paid. “I want some restrictions on where this money comes from,” Ward said. “I want to make sure we’re not just sending a message with a huge price tag to taxpayers.”

In 2017, over 6,700 abortions were performed in Alabama, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Over 5,700 happened at or before 12 weeks of gestation. Current law bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.