Now available for churches in the U.S., Incredible Islands is already changing children's ministry paradigms by engaging kids with Scripture and biblical principles in a familiar and entertaining way. Incredible Islands is a digital ministry tool designed to help the church extend its impact beyond on-site programming to disciple children throughout the week, wherever they may be.

"We want to recreate children's ministry," said OneHope President Rob Hoskins. "Incredible Islands helps churches engage their tech-savvy kids with biblical content that makes them want to explore God's Word."

OneHope will partner with My Healthy Church, a distributor reaching over 30,000 churches comprised of nearly 60 different groups and denominations. My Healthy Church will serve as the exclusive distributor of Incredible Islands in the U.S. church market.

"Our focus is to create the best and most engaging resources to reach kids where they are, with the tools they use every day. Incredible Islands is another step in our tradition of innovative resource development for the modern Church," says Steve Blount, vice president of Publishing and Production for My Healthy Church. With expertise in both direct-to-church and trade channels, the My Healthy Church partnership with OneHope expands the reach and impact of life changing discipleship tools.

"We're thrilled to partner with OneHope in offering cutting-edge resources for children's ministry. We believe Incredible Islands will play a significant role in growing kids' faith as well as equipping parents to have an active role in discipling their children at home," says Sol Arledge, president of My Healthy Church.

Research shows children as young as three are already using the Internet and kids spend an average of four to seven hours a day online. The need for a safe and productive online environment that brings kids closer to God has been evident for some time. For the church to remain relevant to this technology-driven generation, their programs must incorporate a digital element that engages kids and enhances how they are reached.

"What we've had in children's ministry is good, but won't bear up under the changes of our rapidly changing world," said Chad Causey, OneHope's vice president of Global Ministries and the idea guy behind Incredible Islands. "That can't be done without a digital platform. Incredible Islands is that platform."

Compedia, the developers of edutainment brands Bob the Builder, Lassie and Postman Pat, lent their expertise in combining fun and games with educational content to build a Scripture-rich virtual world for children to explore and learn God's Word. Working closely with churches, Compedia and OneHope designed Incredible Islands to address the 21st-century needs in children's ministry.

In the fun and highly interactive virtual world, children can earn coins by playing games as well by completing a weekly church-assigned mission consisting of a Bible story, Scripture memorization, prayer and giving. Pastors can customize some of the elements in Incredible Islands, such as the Scripture verse and Bible story, to reinforce the curriculum-based lessons they are teaching during their services. Pastors and parents are then able to monitor the kids' progress and time spent in the game, which provides opportunities for strengthening parent-child as well as pastor-parent relationships.

A Spanish version is expected to be ready for release this spring, with plans for other languages in the works for 2015.

The deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, could have been prevented, according to a recent finding by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The committee blames the State Department and security agencies for not preventing the attack that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stephens.

The report reveals there were no protests prior to the attacks as the White House first claimed. At least 60 attackers penetrated the consulate and five extremist groups took part—all had ties to al-Qaida.

The report is highly critical of the State Department, run by Hillary Clinton at the time. In response, Clinton's spokesperson referred all questions to the State Department, which disputed the conclusion that the attack could have been prevented.

"We've talked at length about the fact that we knew there were extremists and terrorists operating in Libya and in Benghazi. But again, we had no specific information indicating a threat, an attack was coming," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told the Senate committee.

But others say the threat was clear.

"In spite of the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and ample strategic warnings, the United States government simply did not do enough to prevent these attacks and ensure the safety of those serving in Benghazi," Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said in a statement.

The report also points to a decision by Ambassador Stevens that preceded the attack. The State Department had ended a deal with the military to have a special operations team provide extra security. Stevens refused an offer to reinstate the team in the weeks before the terrorists struck.

The Senate panel is making 18 recommendations to improve security at other diplomatic and intelligence posts overseas.

Sen. Chambliss also said he hopes the intelligence community, the State Department, and military will review the bipartisan report and move quickly to adopt its suggestions.

Have you smelled anything strange in the wind lately? In case you haven’t noticed, our nation is literally going to pot. We might as well get used to the odor. Marijuana laws are changing. The drug has been decriminalized in many states, while others allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes only.

At the beginning of January, Colorado citizens were allowed to buy pot for recreational use from authorized dealers. Now tourists are lining up to visit the state for “marijuana vacations.” They will no doubt bring new meaning to Colorado’s official song, “Rocky Mountain High.”

People from every side of the political spectrum have called for decriminalization of pot—from Pat Robertson and Sarah Palin on the right to Bill Maher and Rachael Maddow on the left. I understand their concern: Huge numbers of people are in prison today for drug possession—and the cost of caring for our inmate population is overwhelming. But why do we have to swing the pendulum to the other extreme and treat marijuana like it’s a mild, over-the-counter medication?

Honest health care providers will tell you that marijuana is really bad for you. Legalizing it will only cause its negative effects to increase. If you know anyone who’s smoking weed or hoping to start smoking it once it is decriminalized, please pass along these facts:

1. Marijuana is highly addictive. There’s a reason marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the world. People can’t stop using it once they start. Proponents of legalizing pot have tried to dismiss this argument. But clinical studies have proven that people who used marijuana several times a week found it almost impossible to quit. People who tried to stop smoking it reported feeling moody, tense, anxious and unable to sleep.

2. Marijuana can ruin your future. There is a reason marijuana addicts are sometimes called potheads. The drug sucks the life out of people. Those who use it regularly are more likely to drop out of school, have accidents, quit jobs, lose interest in life and feel generally demotivated. Some studies also have linked pot to suicidal thoughts. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that regular marijuana use can result in a 40 percent increased risk of psychosis, and the drug also can lead to schizophrenia, depression and anxiety disorders.

3. Marijuana can ruin your kids’ lives. It should come as no surprise that marijuana use among American teenagers is rising at an alarming rate—just as efforts to decriminalize it are accelerating. There has been an 80 percent increase in marijuana use among teens since 2008. Do you want your children to make good grades in school? Then you should know that one study proved that teens who smoked pot regularly lost as much as 8 points in their IQs—and they did not recover the intellectual ability when they became adults.

Parents should also filter through the hype about how marijuana is “not that dangerous.” An article published last year in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology showed that adolescents who smoked pot were at risk of brain damage. (MEMO TO YOUTH PASTORS: Please devote some time to educating your teens about drugs in 2014.)

4. Marijuana causes serious health problems. The main ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has a powerful effect on the brain. Initially it creates in the user a sense of euphoria—the infamous “high” that includes bright colors, hallucinations and even laughter. But after the high comes a wave of anxiety, fear and depression. And memory can be affected permanently.

But that’s not all. Smoking pot causes a 20 to 100 percent increase in a smoker’s heart rate. Some marijuana users are five times more likely to have a heart attack after they use it. Pot is not good for the lungs either. One study found that smoking one joint gives as much exposure to cancer-causing chemicals as smoking five cigarettes. (And you can’t help but wonder how second-hand marijuana smoke will affect those of us who are breathing the nearby fumes.)

5. Marijuana can ruin your sex life. Proponents of legalizing marijuana push the idea that pot is an aphrodisiac. But science tells another story. Men who smoke pot regularly can experience impotence as well as infertility. And some studies have found a link between marijuana use and an aggressive form of testicular cancer in young men. Not to mention that pot causes really bad breath. Marijuana is definitely not sexy!

I should also mention that seven percent of drivers involved in accidents tested positive for THC in a recent survey. That’s because smoking weed impairs motor skills and increases the risk of car crashes. So if marijuana use becomes widespread after its legalization, we need to be concerned about an increased number of drugged drivers on our roads. Welcome to America—land of the free, home of the stoned.

Please spread the word. Marijuana is called a “weed” for a reason. It’s bad for kids. It’s bad for adults. When I look at the crazy laws being passed in the United States today, I can’t help but wonder what our leaders are smoking.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.

Amir often woke up with his sheets drenched from a recurring nightmare: His country was under attack, and no one would help. The visions of assault looked different, depending on the night—from nuclear weapons to bombings to Holocaust-like death camps—but the outcome was always the same. He saw no hope for his beloved Israel.

This was my tour guide, a naturally jovial man who, like most Holy Land guides, had the intelligence of a college professor and the charisma of a salesman. A secular Jew, Amir had led Israeli tours for more than 30 years, included for American evangelicals who, like clockwork, would try to witness to him about Jesus. He’d heard the same pitches so many times he could recite—and refute—every Christianese argument. (It didn’t hurt that his master’s degree was in biblical studies.)

So instead of trying to win him over with words, I listened to what was on his heart as often as I could during our week together. This man lived, breathed and bled Israel. I’ll never forget how, after telling me about his nightmares, he explained that living under a constant threat of imminent attack (and even death) is in the very DNA of every Israeli. “That’s just part of living here,” he said. “That’s part of being a Jew.”

A few years have passed since I met Amir, and since then the threats have only increased. Anti-Semitic rhetoric no longer comes merely from Muslim extremists; it’s now seeping through Europe, raising its ugly head through government officials decrying Israel’s every military move, academics boycotting Israeli conferences and a pro-Palestinian press that rarely tells the full story. 

As this anti-Semitism grows and Israel’s neighboring countries set their military sights on the Holy Land, it’s increasingly imperative that we stand with the Jewish people. Here are five ways:

1) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Prayer can move mountains, bring down governments and do what seems impossible in the natural realm. So it’s only through prayer that peace can be sustained in Israel’s capital. Yet when believers quote Psalm 122:6 and mention praying for the most important city on earth, too often it translates to an occasional one-sentence prayer. That won’t cut it considering the forces of darkness warring against humanity’s centerpiece. 

How should you pray, then? Start by asking God to reveal His heart for Jerusalem to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a burden for Jewish people. Then step back and watch your prayers change for this critical area and people.

2) Recognize the importance of Israel. One of Satan’s great end-times deceptions—that’s working even among Christians—is that Israel is just another country. This diminished view has yielded everything from replacement theology to complete apathy for Israel’s current dilemma amid its jihadist neighbors. Amid the enemy’s lies, believers must wake up and realize the vital role Israel has played and will continue to play in human history until Jesus returns.

3) Honor our Hebraic roots. As Gentile believers, we have been grafted into the tree of God, the “root” of which is Israel (Rom. 11). Paul warned Gentiles to not boast but to “remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you” (v. 18). Even Jesus pointed out that “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). It’s astounding how downplayed this truth is in Western Christianity, usually under the pretext that believers now live under God’s grace and mercy. But let’s not forget to honor the avenue through which that grace and mercy—and every blessing from God—first came.

4) Understand the complexity of Israel. Many Christians avoid “the Israel conversation” because it mingles politics with faith. Our call to stand with Israel is not political but inevitably involves politics. And because politics involves people groups, we must resist the temptation to make this a black-and-white, Palestinian vs. Jew feud. God’s love extends to every person in Israel. No matter how many politicians try, this conflict can’t be resolved except through Jesus. Because of that, we can ... 

5) Join with Messianic believers in furthering the gospel. Our call to stand with Israel is not conditional upon Jews being saved. Yet why not support those ministries of Messianics whose vision is to see their Jewish brothers and sisters come to meet Yeshua Ha’Mashiach?

Charisma readers are among the most pro-Israel segment of the American church. Let’s not stand by idly while the Jewish people once again need our help.

Marcus Yoars is the editor of Charisma. Check out his blog at marcusyoars.com or connect with him via Twitter at @marcusyoars or facebook.com/marcusyoars.

Father Takes Women Missionaries as Tenants
Although she came from a simple village of 40 families, Baisakhi grew up convinced that her gods could give her health, wealth and happiness. She began faithfully worshipping them at a young age, never waiting for an adult to guide her devotion.

With today's "anything goes" mentality, what's wrong with using profanity and expletives for emphasis in a movie? Even PG-13 movies for families like Transformers: Dark of the Moon and mischievous television cartoons are spicing things up with f-bombs.

Let me ask you something, "Are you paying attention to the frequency of f-word foul mouthery in the media today?" What was once prohibited in television and film is now promoted in ways unthinkable just a short time ago.

When I was growing up, Hollywood upheld a code of ethics for what they produced, entitled the "Hays Code." These moral guidelines were agreed upon by the major motion picture studios in order to honor marriage, family and common decency.

The standards concerning language banned certain words and phrases that were deemed to be offensive and degrading to sexuality and society.

The 60s sexual revolution brought about the end of this production code as our culture became more "enlightened" and "liberated." Comedian George Carlin celebrated this freedom by highlighting seven forbidden words in his routine and basically lampooning those that would oppose their usage.

Good taste and avoidance of that which would offend the sensibilities of most people, went out the window. The further we drifted from our Judeo-Christian foundations, the more we celebrated what was previously considered profane and unseemly.

"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral"(Heb 13:4). Nope, we don't believe that anymore!

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name"(Ex 20:7). Nonsense, that commandment has no more relevance! So the floodgates were flung open… and where do we find ourselves today?

Here's the deal: F-words and other profanities and even blasphemy are no longer taboo. As standards and restraints disappear, we are experiencing the tragic reality of Romans 3:13-14 describing a collapsing culture where unbelievers' mouths are "full of cursing" and "their throats are an open grave."

Surveying the Scene

Besides the featuring of f-bombs on T-shirts and increasing usage in pop culture publications, singers, celebrities and sports stars are more than willing to show their "coolness" factor with an f-this or f-that or pairing f with "mother" to be even more hip. Madonna slings an f-word at David Letterman while baseball star David Ortiz proclaims it to a packed stadium, kids and all, after the Boston bombing.

Every night, John Stewart has the crowd hootin' and hollerin' as he laces his comedic newscast with "f- him ... f-her ... f-them ... f-everyone!" Saturday Night Live peppers many of its humorous parodies with f-isms to ignite the laughter. The fact that these two shows bleep out the actual word doesn't change the obvious "read my lips" trash talking.

The main culprit is the film industry where movies become Netflix streaming videos or Redbox takeaways and then content enters the cultural stream producing a corrosive effect on whatever morality still exists today.

At the recent Golden Globes awards extravaganza, one Hollywood actress brazenly declared, "Simply put—there's no floor on how low we're willing to go!"

Besides the graphic sex, explicit nudity, gratuitous violence and blatant celebration of the LGBTQ lifestyle, look at the language in today's films gaining all the accolades.

• Dallas Buyers Club received a major award as it featured over 100 f-words and 12 more tied to "mother." God's name was taken in vain 20 times.
• American Hustle garnered a Best Actress Award alongside of its 110 f-words and abusive use of God's holy name 20 times.
• August: Osage County was nominated with Oscar winner Meryl Streep portraying a woman fighting mouth cancer (poetic judgment?) and joining in the chorus with over 30 f-bombs and God's name taken in vain 30 times.
• The big prize for acting went to Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street. Are you ready for this one? The movie featured over 700 profanities. There were 520 f-words; 40 abuses of God's name plus 25 of the Lord Jesus; and a new record for f-words in a flick: 2.8 per minute!
• There was a time not long ago when Clark Gable uttered the word "Damn" in Gone With the Wind and people were aghast. Today actors and actresses spew out profanities and vulgarities a mile a minute and crowds stand to applaud and hand them their statuette award.

Personally, I am grateful for a ministry like Plugged In that serves all of us as a resource and gives us an overview of a film in terms of violence, profanities, nudity, sexual scenes and overall content from a biblical worldview. I wholeheartedly endorse this website and encourage everyone to avail themselves of this ministry before attending a movie. By so doing, we can all better honor God in our entertainment choices as well as avoid embarrassing situations where we sink in our seats thinking, "What am I doing here?"

A Fresh Reminder Amid the Frequency of the F-Bombs
Peter told us these words, "So I will always remind you of these things even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory..." (2 Pet 1:12-13):

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:36-7).

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." (Eph. 4:29).

The origin of the F-word is widely disputed. Some accounts say it stems from soldiers in other eras who contracted venereal disease and medical doctors stamped their documents with the abbreviation: "Fornicating Under Carnal Knowledge" (Recall the Van Halen album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge?"). Others say it refers to prostitutes and immoral men in colonial times who engaged in illicit sexual activity and were put in stocks with that abbreviation above their head.

Regardless of its origin, lets purpose in our hearts to live as an alternate society that steers clear of unholy associations and represents Him by living in happy holiness. While we pray earnestly for a spiritual awakening, may we "become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..."(Phil 2:15-16).

Larry Tomczak is a best-selling author and cultural commentator with over 40 years of trusted ministry experience. His passion is to bring perspective, analysis and insight from a biblical worldview. He loves people and loves awakening them to today's cultural realities and the responses needed for the bride of Christ—His church—to become influential in all spheres of life once again. 

The sold-out debate between TV's famed "Bill Nye the Science Guy" and founder and president of the renowned Creation Museum, Ken Ham, will be available live online and free of charge at debatelive.org.

The agreed-upon topic for the debate is: "Is creation a viable model of origins in today's modern scientific era?" Nye, executive director of the Planetary Society and frequent guest on TV interview programs on science topics like evolution and creation, will argue the case against creation and for evolution as he faces Ham, president/CEO of Answers in Genesis, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. EST in the Creation Museum's 900-seat Legacy Hall.

The museum, which has drawn 2 million guests in six years, is located in Petersburg, Ky., near Cincinnati, Ohio. The museum is an outreach of the apologetics organization Answers in Genesis.

The live stream is powered by Google+ Hangouts On Air, through YouTube. This live and unedited presentation will be available in HD for large-screen viewing in schools, churches or other public venues at no cost.

Detailed information about the debate can found here.

A man who created a Facebook page poking fun at a revered Greek Orthodox monk has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in Greece after being found guilty of blasphemy.

Thousands of Greeks took to social networking sites to protest against the arrest in 2012 of Filippos Loizos, 28, who used a play on words to portray Father Paisios as a traditional pasta-based dish.

"He was merely satirizing in a country that gave birth to satire," his lawyer Yorgos Kleftodimos said on Friday. "Never and by no means did he insult the Orthodox Church."

Father Paisios, who was revered for his spiritual teachings and said by some believers to have powers of prophecy, died in 1994.

Loizos has appealed against the ruling and will not be jailed before his case is heard by a higher court, Kleftodimos said.

The charges against him, of insulting religion and malicious blasphemy, were filed after Christos Pappas, a lawmaker from the far-right Golden Dawn party, brought the issue before parliament.

While blasphemy charges are not commonly filed in Greece, a similar case in 2012 was brought against the team behind an American play that depicted Jesus Christ and his apostles as gay, drawing criticism from rights' groups and politicians who said the country's blasphemy laws were outdated.

The production of Corpus Christi was canceled after weeks of protests outside the theater by priests and far-right groups, including Golden Dawn lawmakers.

Pappas is detained pending trial on charges of belonging to a criminal group, as part of a government crackdown on Golden Dawn.

Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Janet Lawrence

© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria welcomed a controversial law that bans same-sex marriages and imposes a 14-year jail term for homosexual relations.

On Monday President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which parliament passed in May. The law follows a similar one passed in Uganda in December, which imposes life imprisonment for some types of homosexual acts.

“This is the right thing,” said the Rev. Musa Asake, general secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria. “We don’t have to drift into a situation where we don’t have moral values because someone is giving us money.”

Asake was referring to financial incentives from Western nations tied to legal changes on homosexuality.

With the law taking effect immediately, the Nigerian police rounded up scores of gays and lesbians and locked them in jail, according to Amnesty International.

Leaders of African gay and lesbian organizations have urged the world to unite against such legislation.

“This is a dangerous move,” said the Rev. Michael Kimindu, president of Other Sheep Africa, an organization caring for gays. “The rest of the world should not allow these laws to continue. Those who fear God and love humanity should sit together and ensure that gay people, their families and friends are not trampled on.”

Across Africa, homosexuality is often viewed as a violation of cultural and religious values. Gay sex is outlawed in 38 African countries, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Trans and Intersex Association. In 13 African countries, homosexuality is legal or there are no laws banning it.

In Mauritania, Sudan and northern Nigeria, homosexuality is punishable by death. Offenders can receive life imprisonment in Uganda, Tanzania and Sierra Leone.

Kimindu, an Anglican priest, said Christian and Muslim leaders are key to challenging public opinion since they use sacred scriptures to justify homosexuality as sin.

Copyright 2013 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.

The media always misses the big stories of historic proportion. Only years later do they reluctantly admit it.

Here are some examples of globally significant stories that the anti-Christian mainstream media deliberately lost in the shuffle. The stories have to do with events in Egypt during the last few years—events that I am very familiar with.

It is impossible to ascertain whether they refuse to report these stories because of their anti-Christian bias, or because the stories run contrary to the narrative propagated by the current White House. Either way, the omissions are no accident.

The Egyptian Revolution of January 2011 was fully covered—every media outlet had reporters on the ground in Tahrir Square. It was a story that executive producers in New York and London could embrace with gusto: masses of people demonstrating against a secular dictator.

The White House believed that Mubarak should be replaced by an Islamist, and the media fell right in line. The State Department had long felt that an Islamist government was inevitable, so they might as well support it now by supporting the uprising. Even the European Union, to pacify its burgeoning Islamist population, got on the bandwagon.

But we all know the results now:

• The Obama administration got its wish and Mubarak resigned.
• An Islamist, Mohammed Morsi, ran for president, even though he was in prison at the time of the revolution and illegally broke out.
• Through a series of campaign lies, Morsi was elected, despite only receiving 11 million votes out of a population of 90 million.
• The Muslim Brotherhood members who advised President Obama propagated a message of “democracy in our time” to the Western media.
• The media ran with the story: “The First Democratically Elected President in Egyptian History.” That sounded good to the uninformed. 

Then soon after Morsi get into office, he declared himself a dictator and above the law. Did we hear even the softest grumble of opposition from the White House or other Western capitals? No, not a word.

Within 12 months of Morsi’s reign, Egypt was brought to its knees economically, socially and politically. A result far more disastrous than anything its secular predecessor could have possibly accomplished.

But the media covered up that disaster. Why? It didn’t fit the narrative. The White House and its aligned media executives believed Islamists would be good for Egypt and good for the Middle East.

Then came June 30, when more than 30 million people, from all walks of life and religious persuasions, angrily demanded new elections. But dictators, especially Islamist dictators (as we have seen with Hamas), detest re-elections.

Thus when the army acted as steward of stability and stood by the protesters (the size of the mass protests were unprecedented in human history), the White House condemned the army’s action as a military coup. In order to punish Egypt, Obama took the law into his own hands and cut aid to Egypt—aid that was agreed to back at the 1978 Camp David Accords.

But there’s even another big story that the media missed.

During the 12 months of the Islamist dictatorship, the Christian minority, which numbers between 10 and 17 million, were openly persecuted. Throughout the Islamist reign, they went to their churches in enormous numbers, packing them for prayer meetings. Some of those prayer meetings witnessed thousands upon thousands of people praying 24/7—crying out to God to hear their pleas.

Even many non-Christians believe that the demise of the Muslim Brotherhood government came as a direct answer to the prayers of those believers. But try explaining that to the BBC, NBC, ABC, CBS or CNN.

Of course, the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood punished the Christians by burning many of their churches, homes and businesses. Yet the Christians saw that as a small price to pay for a better future for their country.

But here’s the biggest story that the media kept locked away:

During the recent Christmas and New Year celebrations in Egypt, the interim president, Adly Mansour, went to the Coptic Cathedral. There, he met and embraced the patriarch and expressed the good wishes of all Egyptians for Christmas and the New Year.

That had never happened before in the past 1,400 years of majority-Islamic rule.

That meeting was of great significance, not only for Egypt or the region, but for all Muslims who are truly moderates. It was a gesture that can help to ultimately fulfill the dreams of all peace-loving people.

But the media deliberately ignored that possible world-impacting and future-altering event.

Will those who control most of the dissemination of news in the West ever turn back to the honest and transparent reporting of such history-making events? Unfortunately, I doubt it.  

Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, a worldwide ministry that leads the way for people living in spiritual darkness to discover the light of Christ through the creative use of media and on-the-ground ministry teams. Youssef was born in Egypt.

Open Doors USA recently released its widely cited 2014 World Watch List—a report that highlights and ranks the 50 worst nations around the globe persecuting Christians.

The one glaring fact that emerges from this report is that the overwhelming majority of Christian persecution around the globe today is being committed at the hands of Muslims of all races, languages, cultures and socio-political circumstances: Muslims from among America’s allies (Saudi Arabia) and its enemies (Iran); Muslims from economically rich nations (Qatar) and from poor nations (Somalia and Yemen); Muslims from “Islamic republic” nations (Pakistan) and from “moderate” nations (Malaysia and Indonesia); Muslims from nations rescued by America (Kuwait) and Muslims claiming “grievances” against America (fill in the space __).

A common denominator, a pattern, exists, one that is even more extensive than Open Doors implies. According to that organization’s communications director, Emily Fuentes, “of the 50 worst nations for persecution, 37 of them are Muslim,” or 74 percent.

In fact, while this number suggests that the other 13 countries making the top 50 are not Muslim—for example Kenya and Ethiopia—those doing the persecution there are.

In other words, those persecuting Christians in 41 of 50 nations are Muslims; that is, a whopping 82 percent of all persecution around the globe is being committed by adherents of Islam—sometimes in Christian majority nations, for example, the Central African Republic which, after the 2013 Islamic takeover, now ranks No. 16, “severe persecution” (the Christian-majority nation did not even appear in the previous year’s top 50).

As for the top 10 absolute worst nations, where, according to the 2014 World Watch List, Christians suffer “extreme persecution,” nine—that is, 90 percent—are Muslim. (Indeed,Open Doors’ global map of Christian persecution can easily be confused with a global map of the Islamic world, with the exception of China—ranked 37, “moderate persecution”—and some sporadic countries dominated by crime and godless tyranny, Colombia, North Korea, etc.)

Similarly, a recent Morning Star News report listing 2013’s ten most horrific anecdotes of Christian persecution around the world finds that nine out of ten—again, 90 percent—were committed at the hands of those professing Islam.

Still, considering that the 2014 World Watch List ranks North Korea—non-Islamic, communist—as the number one worst persecutor of Christians, why belabor the religious identity of Muslims?

Here we come to some critically important but blurred distinctions. While Christians are indeed suffering extreme persecution in North Korea, these fall into the realm of the temporal, the aberrant, even. Something as simple as overthrowing the North Korean regime would likely end persecution there almost overnight—just as the fall of Communist Soviet Union saw religious persecution come to a quick close.

In the Islamic world, however, a similar scenario would not alleviate the sufferings of Christians by an iota. Quite the opposite; where dictators fall—Mubarak in Egypt, Qaddafi in Libya, and ongoing attempts to oust Assad in Syria—Christian persecution rises.

The reason for this dichotomy is that Christian persecution by non-Muslims (mostly communists) is often rooted to a temporal regime or ideology. Conversely, Muslim persecution of Christians is perennial, existential, and far transcends this or that regime or ruler. It is part and parcel of the history, doctrines, and socio-political makeup of Islam—hence its tenacity; hence its ubiquity.

Still, the significance of all this is often overlooked. Thus, “Dr. David Curry, CEO and president of Open Doors USA, told The Blaze ‘Not every circumstance is the same. For example, in North Korea, you have a quasi-Stalinist government that is the most difficult place to call yourself a Christian on the planet—and has been for the last 12 years,’ he noted. But while North Korea’s government is the real culprit, in places like Iraq, ‘roving extremist groups’ are waging attacks against Christians, while government officials are seemingly powerless to stop the carnage, he explained.”

True; but atheistic Stalinism/communism is a relatively new phenomenon—about a century old—and, over the years, its rule (if not variants of its ideology) has greatly waned, so that only a handful of nations today are communist.

On the other hand, “roving extremist groups” (also known in other contexts and countries as “Islamists,” “terrorists,” “mujahidin,” “mobs,” “radicals,” “people-with-grievances,” etc.) attacking and killing “infidel” Christians have been around since the dawn of Islam. It is a well-documented, even if suppressed, history

To further understand the differences between temporal and existential persecution, consider: Russia, once a staunch Orthodox Christian nation, led the communist movement and persecuted its own Christians; yet today, a century later, it is becoming more orthodox again, prominent among Western nations for showing support for persecuted Christians.

North Korea—where its leader, Kim Jong-Un, is worshipped as a god and the people are shielded from reality, including outside their borders—seems to be experiencing what Russia did under the Soviet Union and thus living in a delusional state.

But if the once mighty USSR could not persevere, surely it’s a matter of time before tiny North Korea’s walls also come crumbling down, with the resulting religious freedom that former communist nations have experienced. Tellingly, the only countries that were part of the USSR that still persecute Christians are Muslim, such as Uzbekistan (ranked No. 15, “severe persecution”) and Turkmenistan (ranked NO. 20, also “severe persecution”).

Time, however, is not on the side of Christians living amid Muslims; quite the opposite. Since the 7th century, when Islam came into being, Muslims have been invading and conquering Christian lands so that more than half of the territory that was once Christian in the 7th century—including all of North Africa and the Levant—are today the heart of the “Muslim world.”

Muslim persecution of Christians exists in 41 nations today as part of a continuum that started nearly 14 centuries ago. As I document in Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians, the very same patterns of Christian persecution prevalent throughout the Muslim world today are often identical to those from centuries past. The facts speak for themselves.

Put differently, long after North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has gone the way of the dodo, Islam will still be here and—short of a miraculous “reformation”—still treating Christians and other “infidels” like it did for centuries.

Confronting this understandably discomforting and better-left-unsaid fact is the first real step to alleviating the sufferings of the overwhelming majority of Christians around the world.

Unfortunately, however, while some are willing to point out that Christians are being persecuted around the Muslim world—why that is the case, why 82 percent of the world’s persecution is committed by Muslims from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances—is the great elephant in the room that few wish to address. For doing so would cause some long held and cherished premises of the modern West to come crashing down.

CBN News contributor Raymond Ibrahim is author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians. He is a Shillman Fellow, David Horowitz Freedom Center; Associate Fellow, Middle East Forum; and 2013 Media Fellow, Hoover Institution.

Christians in a city in northern Mali, already forced to hold services in a school classroom because their church was looted and not ready to host meetings, had a bomb scare on Sunday.

Military personnel patrolling the area in Gao on Sunday morning discovered explosives near the school. French army personnel were able to safely defuse the devices and authorities are now investigating, but the incident left church members shocked.

The pastor of the church, whose identity is being withheld to protect his security, told World Watch Monitor there is “insecurity in all aspects of life” at the moment, but that his congregation was refusing to panic.

“I cannot say for sure that the bomb was intended to hurt us Christians,” he said. “I only know that the location of the bomb was right next to our place of worship and also a route frequently used by the military.”

It is just over a year now since French troops ousted the Tuareg-led Islamist group, which had taken over northern Mali and declared independence, aiming to impose Islamic law on cities such as Gao.

On Jan. 11 last year, French troops moved to regain control of the region after the Islamist militants had attempted to progress further south.

For nearly a year, the armed Islamist groups had ruled the region, banning the practice of other religions and desecrating and looting churches and other places of worship.

Thousands, including many Christians, fled the occupation and found refuge in the south of the country or in neighboring countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso.

After the French helped the Malian forces to regain control of the region, the re-establishment of security took time and necessitated mass reconstruction, as many displaced people returned home.

A number of public buildings were destroyed during the conflict, including schools, health clinics, ancient monuments, hotels and restaurants.

The pastor of the church in Gao told World Watch Monitor that around 50 members of his congregation have returned home in recent months.

“We came back because we want to revive the testimony of Christ here in our hometown,” he said. “Despite the insecurity in all aspects of life, we want everyone to return here and together to work for our God who loves us so much.”

Mali fell from 7th to 33rd on the 2014 World Watch List, which ranks the 50 countries where practicing Christianity is most fraught.

Following the French military intervention last year, “the threat of an Islamist takeover has been averted, at least temporarily,” reported this year’s World Watch List, which was compiled by Christian charity Open Doors International.

However, the list reports that the presence and infrastructure of Christianity in the north was largely destroyed, and that rebuilding a Christian presence will be difficult because many Christians who fled the north are afraid to return.

“Even though most Malian Christians (constituting less than 5 percent of the population) live in the south of the country, they feel threatened by Islamists in the north and fear of a new uprising remains,” reports the list.

Nations are not eternal. They are born, and they will all eventually die. Even in my own lifetime, I’ve watched wars and revolutions redraw the maps of Europe and Africa a few times. Countries like Rhodesia and Czechoslovakia have passed into the history books while new names appear on the United Nations member list. Doubtless this process will continue into the foreseeable future.

But the lifespan of a nation is not always what it seems. During the late 7th century, it looked like the sun might be setting on the Byzantine Empire, headquartered in modern Turkey. Arab Muslims swept through North Africa and the Middle East, conquering more territory more quickly than anyone since Alexander the Great nearly a thousand years earlier. The Byzantine Christians lost huge swaths of their territory in just a few years. Their capital Constantinople was besieged incessantly. But in the end, the empire would endure another seven hundred years before finally falling to the Ottomans in 1453.

It is easy to feel discouraged about our nation’s future right now. Our national debt is burgeoning out of control, and most of our elected leaders seem determined to avoid dealing with it. The out-of-wedlock birthrate is climbing, destabilizing our families. Abroad, I am tempted to agree with a former vice president who observed that our enemies no longer fear us and our friends no longer trust us. Many worry with good reason that our elected officials no longer possess the moral clarity or courage to face down those who would seek to weaken or to destroy us.

But I believe that America was born for more than what we have already achieved, and I do not believe our time is up just yet. At the time of our founding, we overthrew the greatest empire in the world to gain our independence. Ordinary men and women risked their lives and fortunes for the opportunity to perform an experiment in liberty: could human beings really govern themselves, instead of living at the whim of a dictator or king?

Over the ensuing decades, our principles and our constitution were tested to their limits. In time, our nation began to live up to its ideals more completely, extending full citizenship rights to individuals regardless of race or gender. We survived a bloody civil war and two world wars to become the most prosperous and power nation on earth. Our constitution became a blueprint for countless new nations that shared our belief in human dignity and freedom.

But there is still more we can do and be, if we can remember the reason we were born in the first place. We can continue to be a beacon of hope and an example of peace, prosperity and good government. We can still be a light to the world.

When I received my cancer diagnosis in 2005, I was given a 10% chance of survival. But I had been born for more than I had accomplished so far. In my latest book, I talk in detail about my journey from the brink of death to a life more abundant than I could have imagined. In some ways, my greatest challenges seemed to strike just as I was on the brink of being used for greater works than I could have ever dreamed. Could the dark times facing our nation really be just a prelude of greater things to come?

Just as our nation faces uncertainty and danger, I believe many of our citizens face the same in their individual lives. Personal finances, relationships and careers can all reach points of crisis in the blink of an eye. Most of us have supportive friends and family, but even the best people will fail us at times. There were many instances during my illness when I did not feel God’s presence. It seemed as though my prayers were going unanswered and the whole world was oblivious to my pain.

But this has also been part of the human experience from the beginning of time. Whether great leaders of the past or great saints from the Bible, all have experienced dark times where God feels so very far away. But we can find encouragement by reading the trials and triumphs of those who have gone before us. Often we discovered they faced threats even larger and more frightening than those that face us today. And the good news is that God is always faithful. And there is always hope, as long as we hope in Him. 

Harry R. Jackson Jr. is senior pastor of 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in the nation's capital. Jackson, who earned an MBA from Harvard, is a best-selling author and popular conference speaker. He leads the High-Impact Leadership Coalition.

Doctors in New Mexico are now allowed to prescribe medications to help terminally ill people commit suicide, the 2nd District Court in Albuquerque ruled Monday.

Judge Nan Nash's decision stems from a two-day bench trial in December in which two doctors and a Santa Fe woman with advanced uterine cancer asked the judge to determine that physicians would not be breaking the law if they wrote prescriptions for competent, terminally ill patients who wanted to end their lives.

Doctors Katherine Morris and Aroop Mangalik and patient Aja Riggs filed their lawsuit in 2012.

Under state law, assisting with suicide is a fourth-degree felony.

Arguing their case were the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and Compassion & Choice, a national advocacy group. They asserted that a doctor's help for a competent, terminally ill patient who wished to hasten death was not covered by a 1960s state law making it a felony to assist a suicide.

But the state argued that such an action by a doctor was covered by the law and that banning doctor-assisted suicide was consistent with individual rights under the state Constitution.

The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

"This court cannot envision a right more fundamental, more private or more integral to liberty, safety, and happiness of a New Mexican than the right of a competent, terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying," Nash wrote.

"If decisions made in the shadow of one's imminent death regarding how they and their loved ones will face that death are not fundamental and at the core of these constitutional guarantees, than what decisions are?" he added.

The New Mexico Attorney General's Office said it is discussing the possibility of an appeal but needs to analyze fully the judge's opinion before commenting further.

Doctor-assisted suicide is permitted in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont.

In the Obama administration’s recent “deal” with Iran, the U.S. gave the radical regime relief from sanctions, legitimized its nuclear program, allowed it to continue enriching uranium, and didn’t even ask for the release of American pastor Saeed Abedini in return.

So, how did Iran respond to the deal? Unsurprisingly, much the same way we did. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, tweeted Tuesday morning that the Obama administration “surrendered” to the will of Iran.

"Our relationship w/ the world is based on Iranian nation's interests. In #Geneva agreement world powers surrendered to Iranian nation's will," Rouhani wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted.

This brazen and defiant response is the natural result of our administration’s lack of resolve. The Obama administration caved and Iran knows it. Even worse, Iran isn’t afraid to say exactly how it feels and what it plans to do.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator recently boldly stated in a public interview that as a result of the nuclear “deal,” “No facility will be closed; enrichment will continue, and qualitative and nuclear research will be expanded. All research into a new generation of centrifuges will continue.”

While Iran continues to press on toward nuclear weapons, President Obama is doing everything within his power to prevent the passage of any new sanctions on Iran.

Renewed sanctions have gained wide bipartisan support. As the New York Times reports: "Sponsors of the bill, which would aim to drive Iran’s oil exports down to zero, have secured the backing of 59 senators, putting them within striking distance of a two-thirds majority that could override Mr. Obama’s threatened veto. Republicans overwhelmingly support the bill. So far 16 Democrats have broken with the president, and the bill’s sponsors hope to get more."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is blocking efforts to bring this crucial bill to a vote, and President Obama has already threatened to veto any new sanctions.

Iran clearly does not respond favorably to weakness. It will only respond to strength. Renewed sanctions against this worldwide sponsor of terror, which is devastatingly defying the human rights of numerous Christians including Abedini, is a key to stopping its nuclear ambitions and freeing Pastor Saeed.

Matthew Clark is associate counsel for government affairs and media advocacy with the ACLJ. A lifelong citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, he lives with his wife and three boys in Northern Virginia. Follow Matthew Clark on Twitter at @_MatthewClark. This article is crossposted on RedState.com.

The nation will mark the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday with speeches, prayers and volunteer service.

But for decades, retired United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White has marked the holiday in a more personal way: He writes a “birthday letter” to the civil rights leader who was killed in 1968.

“It was a way to get kind of a year’s assessment on what the nation was accomplishing and not accomplishing in the area of race,” said White, a bishop-in-residence at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology for the last decade.

“I did it because, frankly, I needed to have perspective. I needed to not get discouraged, and I needed it to be affirming of progress in race which had taken place over the course of a year.”

White started the custom in 1976, when he chose to write a letter to King instead of giving a traditional speech to the Human Rights Commission in Howard County, Md. He continued writing on and off while he served as the first head of the United Methodist Church’s General Commission on Religion and Race. Since 1985, he’s written the letters annually, and they’re now published by United Methodist News Service.

White’s letter updates King on the latest strides in race relations while also acknowledging “a hard residue of racism that just won’t seem to die.” He admitted in his most recent letter to being discouraged by mass incarceration and the “lack of outrage” about legislation that has disenfranchised black voters.

“While we are yet flawed by those among us who hold to racial bigotry and intolerance, they no longer define us as a nation or a people!” White wrote in his 2014 edition.

White, 78, and King were not close friends, but they met in the 1960s when White was a Detroit minister and King made annual visits to the city to preach a sermon during Lent.

In 1963, White was among the more than 100,000 who took part in the Detroit “Walk to Freedom” march, where King gave a trial run of his now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Two months later, White was in a larger crowd at the March on Washington.

“He began to speak and I said, ‘This sounds familiar,’ ’’ the bishop recalled. “It was a different context. It was almost like hearing it anew, or for the first time.”

Now, White communicates with King by letter, even though his missives will never be answered.

“The one thing every letter tries to say is that we are light-years ahead in the area of race than we were when Dr. King was alive,” said White. “If he could make an overall assessment, he would not believe how far we’ve come as a nation.”

White’s writing reflects lingering tensions in race relations, rejoicing at the scope of interracial relations and decrying the fatal shooting of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

“We have more and more people of different races relating to each other, working in offices together, neighbors,” White said. “At the same time, we have schools that are more segregated, for instance, than they were in 1954.”

The letters also have personal touches, with references to his friend and civil rights activist Joseph Lowery and the deaths of Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. He marveled at the two elections of President Obama, but criticized how the appointments of former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell were “not so appropriately recognized.”

Bettie W. Story edited White’s columns when he served as a bishop in Illinois. His “Dear Martin” letters were published in a church newspaper and gained a national audience after she recommended them to The United Methodist Reporter.

Illinois Methodists, both black and white, appreciated the annual dispatches, which encouraged them to pay tribute to King, she said.

“The bishop made it easier for them to do something within their own local churches,” recalled Story, 80. “They would reprint the letter in their church newsletters.”

White speaks from personal experience when he tells King how far race relations have come. As a Detroit pastor, he visited a white Methodist church in Jackson, Miss., in the 1960s and was arrested and fined $1,000 for “disturbing divine worship” and $1,000 for trespassing. Decades later, as a bishop, he was invited to speak and join in a potluck luncheon at that same church, which is now one of the most integrated in the city.

White often closes his letter with a variation on the words of the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome’’ as a final tribute to King in what has become an annual thank-you note to a man who many never got to thank before his 1968 assassination.

“It’s important for current generations to be aware that we have not overcome racism, we’ve not overcome prejudice,” White said. “It’s like sin: We’re always a sinner no matter how good you think you are, that we’re always striving to be better.”

Excerpts from Bishop White’s “Dear Martin” letters, published by United Methodist News Service:

2012

“Perhaps that is the difficulty of navigating race in America as an identified racial minority — that is, the unpredictability of encountering racism in day-to-day living. One must always be prepared. It can manifest itself in so many different places and in so many different forms. In a classroom or office, at a department store counter, in a committee meeting or in a casual conversation, even at the Table of the Lord. One simply never knows.”

2008

“Because my life has been lived in the world of religion and the church, I know this fundamental shift has taken place in the church as well. No longer do clergy justify racist practice or belief based on religion or theology. No sermons are preached today in their name. For the most part, the position of the church is not couched in racism. That would be considered un-Christian.”

2007

“As we celebrate your birth date in 2007, if I were to be asked if race relations in America are better or still a problem, I would have to respond, ‘Yes!’ ”

Copyright 2013 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit Friday affirmed most of a district court’s order striking down a New York City anti-pregnancy center ordinance, which one of the judges called “a bureaucrat’s dream.”

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, who represent two pregnancy centers and a maternity home, say they and their clients are evaluating their options for appeal regarding the one provision that the appeals panel reinstated in its 2–1 decision.

“Pro-life pregnancy centers, which offer free help and hope to women and their pre-born children, shouldn’t be punished by political allies of the abortion industry,” said Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman, who argued before the court in 2012. “The appeals court rightly affirmed that the city cannot force pregnancy centers to communicate some city-crafted messages that encourage women to go elsewhere, but the court left one provision in place that still does that. Because this type of compelled speech is not constitutional, we are considering our options for appeal regarding the remaining provision of New York City’s ordinance.”

“The district court’s order kept the city from enforcing the totality of its anti-speech ordinance, which some city officials designed to deter women from receiving the help they need to make fully informed choices about their pregnancy,” Bowman explained. “The 2nd Circuit reinstated one provision of the ordinance but did not provide any clarity as to whom it applies and when the city’s language must be recited. The district court was right about the vagueness of the entire ordinance. It should be completely invalidated.”

In a concurrence and dissent, which argues that the court was right to strike down two provisions of Local Law 17 but should have struck down the third as well, Circuit Judge Richard Wesley wrote, “Local Law 17 is a bureaucrat’s dream. It contains a deliberately ambiguous set of standards guiding its application, thereby providing a blank check to New York City officials to harass or threaten legitimate activity.”

In July 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an order that prohibits the city from enforcing its ordinance, which threatens pro-life pregnancy services centers that are not medical clinics with heavy fines and possible closure if they don’t provide printed and oral notices crafted by the city that encourage women to go elsewhere. The city appealed that loss.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed Bill 371-A into law in March 2011 after it passed the city council. Two federal courts have issued injunctions against similar bills in Maryland.

Attorney M. Todd Parker of Moskowitz & Book, LLP is local counsel in the case, Pregnancy Care Center of New York v. City of New York, which the 2nd Circuit consolidated with The Evergreen Association v. City of New York.

We all know that Jonah was the prophet who tried to run from God’s call. But do you know the reason he tried to run? Jonah was afraid that if he preached repentance to the people of Nineveh, who were Israel’s arch enemies, God would forgive them.

In other words, Jonah had a problem with the goodness of God.

He would have been much happier if God simply wiped out the people of Nineveh rather than had mercy on them, and he actually complained about this at the end of the book.

But as shocking as it is to see the wickedness of Jonah’s heart, many of us are just like him. I call it the Jonah Syndrome, and in times past, it has affected me too.

Let me explain exactly what I mean.

We see from 2 Kings 14:25 that Jonah had no problem prophesying that the Lord would expand the borders of Israel, but when it came to going to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, to warn the people that destruction was coming, he looked for a way out, knowing that the Lord was a merciful God and that if the Ninevites repented, God would forgive them.

Did Jonah care about his personal reputation, not wanting to look bad if the prophesied judgment didn’t come to pass? That could definitely be part of it. But what we do know is that he had a real problem with the mercy of God.

The Scriptures state that after the people repented in sackcloth and ashes, “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it” (Jonah 3:10).

And how did Jonah react? This was the greatest response to any message preached in human history, the greatest altar call ever given (to put it in contemporary terms).

Did Jonah rejoice? Not one bit. In fact, the Word says, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry” (Jonah 4:1).

How remarkable! Jonah was terribly upset that God had mercy on more than 120,000 people.

 “And he prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Do you do well to be angry?’” (Jonah 4:2-4)

But it gets worse. God caused a plant to shelter Jonah from the heat, but then it died quickly, and the prophet got even angrier.

The Lord said to him, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10-11)

You might say, “Well, Jonah’s attitude was miserable, but certainly none of us have attitudes that bad.”

Are you sure?

Have you ever gone through a church split and found yourself upset because God still blessed the people on the “other side” (of course, the “wrong side” from your perspective)?

Have you ever been hurt by a ministry and grumbled when the Lord continued to bless them and even work miracles for them?

Have you ever been glad (rather than grieved) to see a colleague fall, as if this vindicated you? (If a brother or sister’s failure is your success, you do not have the heart of the Lord.)

These are all symptoms of the Jonah Syndrome, and the sooner we recognize them, the sooner we can repent and ask the Lord for a transformation of heart.

A number of years ago, I was involved in a very difficult split, one which brought pain and confusion to many people, as much as we all tried to avoid it. Yet God sustained both of the entities involved, to our mutual surprise.

“Lord, how can you bless those people when they treated us so poorly?” we thought to ourselves.

“God, surely you won’t sustain them when they are so wrong in this matter!” those on the other side thought to themselves.

Yet the Lord blessed and sustained us both while we struggled to find common ground in order to reconcile.

The key that unlocked the door for reconciliation was the recognition that God was for both entities involved in the split, since He cared for both equally, loved the sheep involved in both groups equally, and wanted to bless all of us equally. (It’s also important to realize that none of us are ever perfectly righteous, whichever “side” we are on.)

I remember well the night of reconciliation and the hugs and tears and laughs and renewed fellowship, and I remember well how we smiled at one another and said, “I bet you were surprised to see how the Lord came through for us and sustained us!”

Yes, both “sides” were surprised to see that the Lord was for both of us.

This past week, having received a tremendous amount of criticism from some circles for appearing on Benny Hinn’s TV show, it dawned on me that some of his critics did not rejoice when he reconciled with his wife, while others were upset to learn that he renounced some erroneous teaching more than 20 years ago. They would rather see him fall than remarry his wife or repent of wrong teaching.

Some even told me that his audience would be too spiritually dull to hear the true gospel coming from my lips, a sentiment all too reminiscent of Jonah’s feelings towards the Ninevites.

How is this the spirit of Christ? (I shudder to think about some of the comments that will be posted in response to this article, as critics quote verses of judgment that rejoice in the fall of their enemies or that call for divine judgment on the “the wicked.” For my part, I am neither the defender nor the accuser of Benny Hinn’s ministry.)

Let’s remember the Lord’s words in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, where he rebukes those who had a problem with the owner’s goodness, asking, “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15)

And let’s remember the words of Jacob (James), that “judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (Jam 2:13)

As we have received mercy, let us show mercy, never forgetting there are not different “camps” or “sides” in the Body of Christ – even if we use those terms descriptively – but just one family with one Father, and He desires to do good to all his children.

Can we share his heart?

(Some of this article was adapted from Authentic Fire: A Response to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire.)

Michael Brown is author of Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message and host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience. Follow him at AskDrBrown on Facebook or at @drmichaellbrown on Twitter.

Have you ever been confronted by someone who said something like, “God told me to tell you”? Such statements often are followed by a “word of knowledge” such as, “If you only had more faith, you would be healed.” Or, perhaps, “If you were living right, you would not have lost your job.”

Someone, with compassion clothing his or her words, might even say, “God has told me that He doesn’t mean for you to be unhappy. He would never want you to stay in this miserable marriage; He wants you to be happy.” Or, “God has told me He wants you to be healthy (or wealthy or prosperous or problem-free).”

Such words spoken by sincere people within our circle of Christian friends can put us into a tailspin of emotional devastation and spiritual doubt. It is especially traumatic and confusing when those words are uttered by someone in a position of religious leadership.

How can you and I know which voice speaks the truth, which voice is authentic? Learning to recognize the voice of God is critical, not only for our own peace of mind but also for developing a personal relationship with Him and for living a life pleasing to Him. Yet how can we be sure the voice we hear is His? Jesus answers that question using the illustration of the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep.

Read John 10:1-10.

The Authentic Voice Is Biblical
What does God say about the importance of determining which voice is authentic among the cacophony of voices clamoring for our attention? See Deuteronomy 18:18-20 and Galatians 1:6-9.

What event in John 9 revealed that the shepherds, the religious leaders of Israel, spoke with false voices as Jesus describes?

In John 10:1-5, what are some of the criteria that Jesus gave for determining a false shepherd? A true shepherd? Give a practical application for each criterion.

The Authentic Voice Is Personal
According to John 10:3-4, what is the basis of the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep?

In the parable Jesus gave, who is the Shepherd? Who are the sheep? What is the Shepherd’s voice today? How do we, the sheep, hear His voice? Give an example of a time when you have heard the Shepherd’s voice.

According to John 10:5, why do the sheep run from the false shepherd? Give an example from your own life.

What is absolutely necessary if you and I are to discern between the voices of the true and the false shepherds?

How does the reaction of the religious leaders in verse 6 reveal their identity as false shepherds?

The Authentic Voice Is Powerful
What is the Good Shepherd able to do that the false shepherd cannot? See John 10:7-10.

How does Jesus’ claim disqualify the pluralism of our day? See John 10:7.

Give phrases from the following verses that confirm the uniqueness of Jesus’ claim: John 1:1-3, 9, 14, 18; John 3:2, 15-18; John 14:6; Acts 4:12.

What practical steps will you take to make sure that the voice you are listening to is that of the Good Shepherd?

©2003 Anne Graham Lotz. This article originally appeared on BillyGraham.org.

Repentance is an indispensable condition of entering the kingdom of God.

People generally are all at sea on this subject, as though insisting that repentance is an arbitrary arrangement on the part of God. I believe God has made human salvation as easy as the almighty, infinite, mind could make it! But there is a necessity that we "repent and turn to God" (Acts 26:20, KJV).

Since repentance is an indispensable condition of salvation, let us glance at it for a moment and try to find out what repentance really is. How full of confusion the world and the church are on this subject!

Repentance is not merely conviction of sin. If it were, what a different world we would have, for there are tens of thousands on whose hearts God's Spirit has done His office by convincing them of sin. I cannot tell you the numbers of people who, in our meetings, have grasped my hand and said, "Oh! What would I give to feel as I once felt! There was a time 15, or 17, or 20 years ago when I was so deeply convinced of sin that I could scarcely sleep or eat; ...but, instead of going on till I found peace, I got diverted, cooled down, and now I feel as hard as a stone." I am afraid there are tens of thousands in this condition--once convinced of sin.

There are thousands of others who are convinced now. They say, "Yes, it is true what the minister says. I know I ought to lay down the weapons of my warfare against God." They are convinced of sin, but they go no further.

That is not repentance. They live this week as they did last. There is no response to the Spirit; they resist the Holy Ghost.

Neither is repentance mere sorrow for sin. I have seen people weep bitterly and writhe and struggle, yet hug their idols, and in vain you try to shake them from them. If Jesus Christ would only have saved them with the idols, they would have had no objection at all. If they could have got through the straight gate with this one particular idol, they would have gone through long since; but to part with that is another thing.

Such people will weep like your stubborn child when you want him to do something he does not want to do. He will cry, and when you apply the rod, he will cry harder, but he will not yield. When he yields, he becomes a penitent; but until he does, he is merely a convicted sinner.

When God applies the rod of His Spirit, the rod of His providence, the rod of His Word, sinners will cry, and wince, and whine, and make you believe they are praying and want to be saved, but all the while they are holding their necks as stiff as iron. They will not submit. The moment they submit they become true penitents and get saved.

Neither is repentance a promise that you will forsake sin in the future. If it were, there would be many penitents in our midst. There is scarcely a poor drunkard that does not promise, in his own mind, or to his poor wife, that he will forsake his cups--but he does not do it.

Then what is repentance? Repentance is simply renouncing sin--turning from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God. This is giving up sin in your heart, in purpose, in intention, in desire, resolving that you will give up every evil thing, and doing it now.

Of course, this involves sorrow, for how will any sane man turn himself around from a given course into another if he does not repent having taken that course? It implies, also, hatred of sin. He hates the course he formerly took and turns around from it.

He is like the prodigal, when he sat in the swine-yard among the husks and the filth, he fully resolved, and at last he acted. He went, and that was the test of his penitence.

He might have sat resolving and promising till now, if he had lived that long, and he would never have got the father's kiss, the father's welcome, if he had not started; but he went. He left the filth, the swine-yard, the husks--he trampled them under his feet; he left the citizens of that country and gave up all his excuses and went to his father honestly, and said, "I have sinned!" That is repentance.

Have you done that? Have you forsaken the accursed thing? Have you cut off that particular thing the Holy Spirit has revealed to you? You know what it is, and you will never get saved until you renounce it.

Submission is the test of penitence. My child may be willing to do a hundred and fifty other things, but if he is not willing to submit on the one point of controversy, he is a rebel, and remains one until he yields.

Now, here is the difference between a spurious and a real repentance. I am afraid we have thousands in our churches who had a spurious repentance: They were convinced of sin, they were sorry for it; they wanted to live a better life, to love God in a sort of general way; but they skipped over the real point of controversy with God; they hid it from their past

or, perhaps, and from the deacons, and from the people who talked with them.

Now, I say, Abraham might have been willing to have given up every other thing he possessed; but, if he had not been willing to give up Isaac, all else would have been useless. It is your Isaac God wants.

You have got an Isaac, just as the young ruler had his possessions. You have got something you are holding on to that the Holy Spirit says you must let go, and you say, "I can't."

Very well; then you must stop outside the kingdom.

My dear friends, let me persuade you to trample under foot that idol, to tear down that refuge of lies, and to come to God honestly, and say, "Lord, here I am to be a servant, to be nothing, to do anything, to suffer anything. I know I shall be happier with Thy smile and Thy blessing than all these evil things now make me without Thee." When you come to a full surrender, my friends, you will get what you have been seeking, some of you, for years.

But then another difficulty comes in, and people say, "I have not the power to repent." There is a grand mistake. You have the power, or God would not command it.

You can repent. You can this moment lift up your eyes to heaven, and say, with the prodigal, "Father, I have sinned, and I renounce my sin."

You may not be able to weep--God nowhere requires or commands that; but you are able, this very moment, to renounce sin in purpose, in resolution, in intention. Mind, don't confound the renouncing of the sin with the power of saving yourself from it. If you renounce it, Jesus will come and save you from it.

And do not say, "I do not feel enough." Do you feel enough to be willing to forsake your sin? That is the point. Any soul who does not repent enough to forsake his sin is not a penitent at all!

When you repent enough to forsake your sin, that moment your repentance is sincere, and you may take hold of Jesus with a firm grasp. You have a right to appropriate the promise.

Then it is, look and live. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

Will you come to that point right now? Don't begin making excuses. Now!

Oh! My friend, be persuaded now to repent. Let your sin go away, and come to the feet of Jesus. For your own sake, be persuaded. For the peace, the joy, the power, the glory, the gladness of living a life of consecration to God and service to your fellowmen, yield; but most of all, for the love He bears you, submit.

A great, rough man who was stricken down said to my husband, when he looked up to the place where other people were being saved, "Mr. Booth, I would not go there for a hundred pounds!"

My husband whispered, "Will you go there for love?" and, after a minute's hesitation, the man, brushing great tears away, rose up and followed him.

Will you go there for love--the love of Jesus? The great love wherewith He loved you and gave Himself for you? Will you, for the great yearning with which your Father has been following you all these years? For His love's sake, will you come? Go down at His feet and submit. The Lord help you! Amen.

Read a companion devotional.

Catherine Booth was the co-founder, with her husband, William, of the Salvation Army. She was born in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England and was raised in a Christian home but was not truly converted until age 16. The organization she and her husband founded began as a mission in London's East End, where Catherine played a prominent role. She was committed to social reform and believed women had an equal right to preach. Though initially timid herself, she gained a reputation as a gifted speaker. The mother of eight natural children, Catherine became known as "Mother" in the Army as well. Catherine Booth (1829-1890)