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Bishop T.D. Jakes Announces Launch Of Divinity School, Draws Backlash From Others In Academia

William Wagner
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Bishop T.D. Jakes Announces Launch Of Divinity School, Draws Backlash From Others In Academia

Dallas megachurch pastor and televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes has announced plans to launch his own online Jakes Divinity School next January.

The school will begin enrolling students early next year.

Jakes, the senior pastor of The Potter’s House, will serve as chancellor. Former Regent University Professor Dr. Antipas Harris, a Yale-trained theologian, has been named as president.

According to the school’s website, “Jakes Divinity School prepares leaders for the future through academic rigor with experiential-learning, spiritual formation, and creative innovation necessary to minister in the Church and society.”

The online school will offer accredited degrees through partnerships with Southern California’s Vanguard University and North Central University, a Christian college in Minnesota.

“As the potter forms the clay into a vessel of purpose, the vision at JDS is to form leaders for ministry in the church and society. Throughout more than 40 years of ministry, Bishop TD Jakes, our founder, and chancellor has poured of himself into millions of people around the world. He has a passion for equipping others to do the same,” Harris said in a video announcement shared on Instagram Saturday.

“There remains much more mission work, pastoral care, leadership and thought leading to be done. The moral decay of our world is leading a generation on a spiritual search. The Holy Spirit sends out a clarion call for us to study deeper, understand more, bear witness greater, lead better and go further. For theological education and spiritual formation, we can meet the complexities of ministry for the 21st century,” he added.

The school will offer four Bachelor’s degrees in the areas of ministry leadership, anti-human trafficking, Hispanic Ministry and Leadership, and Humanitarian Leadership. Master’s degrees will be offered in two areas: Leadership studies and theological studies.

The school will also offer an advanced Doctor of Ministry program.

Some academics are questioning Jakes’ new venture.

“I have ONE question … who is their accreditation with? I looked and did not see one!! ***All right, y’all can enroll in this school if you want to, invest all that money in a degree for it not to count for anything, other than you went to Jakes Divinity School!,” Quincy James Rineheart, a theologian and historian of African American religion, wrote in a Facebook post.

But others are applauding Jakes’ efforts to leave a lasting legacy.

In a Facebook post, Marquez Ball, senior pastor of Uplift Church in Maryland, wrote: “So … Jakes Divinity School. I’m far, very far from a Jakes follower however some of us need to calm down. The hate we give our own is sicking (sic). It’s true Jakes doesn’t have an earned degree and I know how we educated black, colored, negro preachers can be. Spurgeon didn’t have a degree and he started a school, John McArthur started the Masters Seminary and he doesn’t have a doctorate. So is it ok for white people to start schools but black people must first have 17 PhD’s etc in order to start a school?” he asked.

“Jakes has a major scholar leading the school and that’s great. Some of y’all who are hating on Jakes haven’t built a small group much less a school so…. CALM DOWN. He’s a black man trying to leave a legacy and as a black man I don’t have to agree with him on everything to celebrate a black man leaving a legacy. Maybe some black scholar who keeps getting overlooked by white schools can find a home and funding at Jakes school… let’s fight for advancement and stop hating on each other. If you don’t think he’s worthy … YOU START A BETTER SCHOOL or… shhhhh,” Ball added.

 

Steve Warren

Trump Calls on Americans to Use the ‘Power of Prayer’ to End Violence and Protect Religious Liberty Trump Calls on Americans To Use The ‘Power Of Prayer’ To End Violence And Protect Religious Liberty

William Wagner
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Trump Calls on Americans to Use the ‘Power of Prayer’ to End Violence and Protect Religious Liberty Trump Calls on Americans To Use The ‘Power Of Prayer’ To End Violence And Protect Religious Liberty

About 100 people—religious leaders, Trump administration officials, and their guests—celebrated the “power of prayer” at the White House Wednesday night ahead of the day set aside annually for Americans of all faiths to pray for thanks and guidance.

“America will be a nation that believes forever, and we certainly believe—more than anyone—the power of prayer,” President Donald J. Trump declared in the State Dining Room before continuing with an unscripted flourish: “It’s the most powerful thing there is.”

In his opening remarks preceding the National Day of Prayer, the president welcomed representatives of various faiths, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and Hindus.

“Tonight we break bread together united by our love of God, and we renew our resolve to protect the sacred freedom of religion—all of us,” he said.

The president also acknowledged the recent religiously motivated attacks both in the United States and abroad.

“All of us in this room send our love and prayers to the Jewish Americans wounded at the Chabad of Poway shooting in California,” he said. “And our hearts break for the life of Laurie Gilbert-Kaye, who was so wickedly taken from us.”

“We mourn for the Christians murdered in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and grieve for the Muslims murdered at their mosques in New Zealand,” he added. “Here at home, we also remember the three historically black churches burned recently in Louisiana and the horrific shooting last year at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.”

The roomful of staff and supporters of Trump’s religious liberty policies applauded when he called for an end to violence and terrorism against people of all faiths.

Many well-known evangelical Christian leaders attended the White House dinner. They were perhaps his most enthusiastic supporters, greeting the president warmly as he and First Lady Melania Trump entered the room hand-in-hand. Some of them included Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, James and Shirley Dobson, Jentezen Franklin, Jerry Falwell Jr., Franklin Graham, Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress, Alveda King, Johnnie Moore, Ralph Reed and Paula White.

Saluting their approval of his record, he referenced what many of them acknowledge originally motivated their support for his candidacy.

“I’m thrilled to report that tomorrow the Senate will confirm the 100th federal judge through the court system,” he announced. “Under my administration, we’re getting to a level where we’re going to be breaking records with respect to the judiciary, which means a lot to the people in this room who were treated very poorly. With time you’ll see what happens.”

 

CHARISMANEWS

Church Services In Sri Lanka Capital Canceled Again After New Bomb Threats

William Wagner
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Church Services In Sri Lanka Capital Canceled Again After New Bomb Threats

Catholic services are being canceled for a second weekend in Sri Lanka’s capital after the government warned of more possible attacks by the same Islamic State-linked group that carried out Easter suicide bombings.

Rev. Edmund Tillakaratne, spokesman for the Colombo diocese, said Thursday that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had canceled all Sunday services in the diocese based on the latest security reports.

Last week, Muslims were told to stay home for Friday prayers and all of Sri Lanka’s Catholic churches were closed. Instead of the usual Sunday Mass, Ranjith delivered a homily before clergy and national leaders at his residence that aired on television.

The April 21 bombings at churches and luxury hotels killed 253 people and officials have warned that suspects linked to the bombings are still at large.

A Cabinet minister said Tuesday that intelligence warnings had indicated government ministers could be targeted by the same group, which pledged its loyalty to the Islamic State group.

Ranjith has criticized the government’s apparent failure to share near-specific intelligence on the Easter plot and some of the suspects involved.

Sri Lankan police late Wednesday released the names and photographs of nine suicide bombers who carried out the Easter attacks. They included extremist preacher Mohamed Zahran, also known as Zahran Hashim, who was described as the attack leader, and another suicide bomber’s wife, who blew herself up, along with her children and three police officers, at a villa belonging to her father-in-law, who is a prominent spice trader.

 

Associated Press

Billy Graham, A Peace Rally & The National Day Of Prayer

William Wagner
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Billy Graham, A Peace Rally & The National Day Of Prayer

More than six decades ago, Billy Graham held a peace rally on the east steps of the United States Capitol building to encourage the president to establish a National Day of Prayer. It was a historic moment that had an immediate impact.

Within two days, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives and passed after committee action by unanimous vote. President Harry Truman signed the joint resolution into law in April 1952.

Here’s a look back at that momentous peace rally on Feb. 3, 1952:-

“THIS is the hour of decision,” Billy Graham implored from the east steps of the United States Capitol building that Sunday. An estimated 40,000 people gathered nearby in spite of the rain to hear his message, while millions tuned in to hear Mr. Graham live on his Hour of Decision radio broadcast.

The rally was a historic event. Mr. Graham’s message marked the first time an evangelistic service had been conducted from the steps of the nation’s Capitol. But America’s Pastor was far more concerned with the significance. It was time to pray. It was time to get real with God.

“Surely a crowd of many thousands gathering beneath the great dome of the Capitol of the United States to pledge their allegiance to Almighty God and petition Him for divine help at this crucial hour, is a most significant event,” Graham said. “To freedom-loving peoples of the world, we are re-affirming our faith in the God of our Fathers … confessing our need of a Savior from our sin … and in humiliation and repentance beseeching Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

An estimated 40,000 people joined Billy Graham and his team for the Feb. 3, 1952, peace rally despite the rain.

 

The peace rally was an offshoot of Mr. Graham’s Greater Washington Evangelistic Crusades that were being held just up the street from the Capitol at the National Guard Armory.

That Crusade was held from Jan. 13-Feb. 17, 1952, and during that time, Mr. Graham and his team decided to seek permission to preach from the Capitol steps.

The venue was unique, but the concept of urging America to seek God’s face certainly wasn’t new, even for governmental leaders.

In 1775, George Washington and the Continental Congress urged the colonies to pray for wisdom regarding the war for independence. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer a century later during the Civil War.

But this time, on that rainy Feb. 3, Mr. Graham and his team were leading thousands to encourage their elected officials to remember God. The Hour of Decision broadcast ran as usual. George Beverly Shea conducted the choir and Mr. Graham shared a message, this time from Isaiah, urging the crowd to accept God’s gift of salvation. God gave His only Son to take the punishment for our sins, he said, and we aren’t to cheapen that great sacrifice by living our own way, in opposition to Him.

“All you have to do is open your heart and let Christ come in,” Mr. Graham said. “The Bible today tells us ‘Believe on Him, receive Him.’ You say, ‘I already believe.’ But, do you? You’re not living like it.

“Believe on Him, receive Him with all of your heart, make Him Lord and Master and King. … I tell you, in the day of judgment God shall not spare us unless we are in Christ.”

 

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Pastor Paul Enenche On Marriage

William Wagner
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Pastor Paul Enenche On Marriage

The ordinance of marriage is under a monumental attack.

At the end of the day, there are some lies that the devil wants the world to believe; some of them are lies we want to knock out!

LIES OF THE DEVIL THAT MUST BE KNOCKED OFF

1. All marriages are endured, none can be enjoyed. IT IS A LIE (Eccl. 4:9)

2. Those who lived roughly and carelessly fare better at the end or lose nothing. IT IS ANOTHER LIE
The time will never come where evil is better than good and darkness is better than light.

3. Marriage cannot be free of crisis or compound conflict. IT IS ANOTHER LIE
Marriage can be absolutely free of crisis and conflict, if the right things are done.

4. Marital love fades away with time. IT IS A LIE (Prov. 4:18; Ps. 84:7; Rom. 1:16-17).

Humble Yourself

William Wagner
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Humble Yourself

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30

There is a period in a man of God’s life in which he is rejected. During this period of alienation, many important spiritual traits will be birthed in him.

A personal relationship with God is one of the most important things that you will learn when people reject you. Every true minister derives his strength from the Lord directly.

Many will come in that day and say, “I cast out demons in your name and I did great works in your name.” But the Lord will say, “I never knew you.” This goes to say that every minister must be very particular about his relationship with the Lord.

The rejection by man is intended to make you develop humility. Humility is the highest mantle a minister can wear. The more humble a minister, the higher his standing before the Lord.

One of the common deceptions in the church is that the larger your church, the higher your standing before the Lord. That is not the case. Jesus made it clear that the greatest pastor will be the most humble and childlike amongst us (Matthew 18:3).

John the Baptist’s humility was evident. He made it clear that he was not worthy to unlace the shoes of Jesus. He deferred to the Lord and stated that Jesus must increase that he would decrease.

How many pastors today want others to increase whilst they decrease?

The humility of Jesus was evident.

He humbled himself and became obedient even to the death of the cross.

Matthew 15:1-6

Christian Woman: Here’s How To Find Your Value In Jesus, Not Social Media

William Wagner
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Christian Woman: Here’s How To Find Your Value In Jesus, Not Social Media

Evangelist, author, and actress Priscilla Shirer is urging women to avoid seeking their value through their social media profiles and turn to Jesus instead. 

“It’s so easy for us as humans to attach our significance and value into things that can so easily fade and are temporal, whether that’s a job and upward mobility career-wise, or a certain demographic or group of people,” Shirer told The Christian Post. “When those things fade or no longer appreciate, applaud, celebrate, or include us, we can be decimated because we’ve attached our significance to those things. So, it’s about re-centering our priority and rooting it in who we are in Christ in the same way.”

She says the first step towards realizing your true value is by knowing how much value God puts in you.

“We have an inheritance, we are not rejected, we are chosen, we are not unforgivable, nothing we’ve done is beyond the mercy and grace of God. We are forgiven and we are redeemed. All of these things have been given to us, and so we can access them,” she explained.

Shirer encourages people to renew their mind with biblical truth.

“That’s why God says in the Scriptures, ‘Meditate on my Word’,” she said. “It’s not just so you can have it memorized; it’s so that your mind will be changed and you’ll start living out of a place that is congruent with your identity in Christ instead of the erroneous identity that we’ve been cementing, through either words that we’ve said to ourselves or words that are being spoken to us from other people.”

Shirer is the daughter of evangelist Tony Evans, head of Going Beyond Ministries, a busy wife, and mother of three boys.

She told CBN News how she finds peace and confidence in the Lord.

“I constantly remind myself that we have an anchor. And an anchor is literally what holds you steady, even when the waves are pushing you to the left or the right.” she said.

“We are supposed to drop the anchor, really down deep in God’s word and in prayer. And when we do, it keeps us steady and it keeps us from having to strive so hard in our own power to keep ourselves from being shifted too far to the left or the right.”

“There is a lot of peace in God’s word and in God’s presence.”

 

Emily Jones

New Life

William Wagner
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New Life

2 Kings 2:19-22
A curse is a terrible thing. It hinders someone from moving forward. Joshua 6:26

  • Elisha used his higher anointing to destroy the curse. Galatians 3:13-14
  • Elisha pronounced an end to barrenness. 2 Kings 4:8-17
  • Elisha put an end to fruitless efforts. 2 Kings 4:1-7
  • Elisha said there will be no more death. 2 Kings 4:18-37
  • Elisha removed the siege in the city. 2 Kings 7:1-11

Everyone who wants all these problems to be over in their lives must begin a new life.

You must give your life to Jesus for everything to be new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Prayer point: Father, today is my day, do something special in my life.

Solve Problems

William Wagner
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Solve Problems

Creativity is the search for solution. Every time you see a problem around you, know problems are catalysts for creativity.

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. There was a problem of darkness and God went into creation and introduced light. The moment He introduced light, the problem of darkness was solved.

Just like someone invented microphones, so also, there is always a solution you can proffer that is designed to lift you.

Genesis 26:12 -Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

In the time of famine, Isaac was able to see what the Philistines could not see. In the midst of famine, he became the most prosperous person in the land. While others were busy complaining about the famine, Isaac was busy digging wells, from which he had water to water his farms. That is mechanised farming!

In the midst of famine also, Joseph prospered. He became a Prime Minister in a foreign land.

Genesis 47:20 -And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.

A one-time prisoner became the most important man in the same land because he had the solution to their problems. As a child of God, you have the mind of Christ; and if you know what to do, you cannot be a part of the problem in the society. Even if you are uneducated, it does not mean you should be a failure. No way! Salvation has placed you at an advantage. You have the mind of Christ ought to know what to do.

Jesus was faced with a seemingly huge problem of feeding thousands of people in a desert and the Bible says, “For He Himself knew what He would do.” (John 6:6). Thus the hardship in the society is an advantage to you. The more the hardship, the better for the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ!

It is time for the Church to move into the realm of solving problems. Every man who solves a problem is rewarded accordingly. If you want reward, begin to solve problems in the society. However, money must not be your primary motive; just be out to solve problems. Many are in business for the sake of money but business is actually meeting the needs of the society. Anyone who wants to be a successful businessman must be driven by the understanding of meeting people’s needs.

If you are in business primarily to meet people’s needs, it will not be long and you will excel! It does not matter where you have failed, your case is not hopeless. May your eyes be open to introduce something that will solve a definite problem for humanity in Jesus name. Amen.

God bless you!

 

smhos.org

‘He’s Alive:’ More Than 94,000 Hear Good News of Jesus at Two-Day Colombia Festival

William Wagner
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‘He’s Alive:’ More Than 94,000 Hear Good News of Jesus at Two-Day Colombia Festival

Thursday through Saturday, the forecast in Cúcuta, Colombia, called for rain. But each day, for a handful of hours during the Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham—and the kids’ event leading up to it—the clouds held back.

As soon as the Festival ended Saturday night, the rain began, along with thunder and lightning.

God’s hand has been evident in every detail of this Festival over the past six months, from pinning down an event date to securing space to training counselors. Just the fact that the massive undertaking came together in such a short amount of time is evidence enough. Add to that the location—a city that’s ballooned with Venezuelan migrants facing economic crisis—and the logistics of transporting everyone who wanted to come.

Saturday, an estimated 42,500 people came to the final night of the Festival, bringing total attendance to more than 94,000 for the two-day event, plus 22,000 who came to FestiKids on Thursday for a kid-centric evangelistic event.

All were within earshot of some much-needed Good News.

“We see economic problems in the world, political problems in the world, we see wars, we see hunger, and we wonder if there is a God and if He cares about us,” Franklin addressed the crowd a day before Easter.

Franklin assured them God cares more than they could know. So much that He came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross. But He didn’t stay dead.

“He’s not still hanging on the cross,” Franklin said. “He’s alive. He’s here tonight in this stadium. And if you’re willing to call on His name and trust Him tonight, God will forgive you of your sins. You can have peace tonight with Jesus Christ.”

Cúcuta pastor Edgar Miller couldn’t get over what he was seeing Saturday as he looked around General Santander Stadium where the Festival was held. What really got him was so many churches from various denominations uniting for one purpose, “in one voice,” to share Jesus with their friends, family and neighbors.

“It’s even better than I expected,” he said.

Miller saw people he knows come forward to receive Christ during the event. It was a beautiful sight, he said, adding, “That’s why we’re here.”

There were also some unexpected, but just as joyous, moments. One volunteer counselor went into labor Saturday night as she was talking with someone who came forward in response to Christ. She was taken to the hospital and had a healthy baby in her arms not long afterwards.

While the counselor had a physical birth, many others experienced spiritual birth into the family of God.

Fourteen-year-old Angie Pabón came to FestiKids on Thursday and the Festival Friday, but wasn’t sure what do to with what she was hearing until it clicked for her on Saturday. She walked to the front of the stage with her family and told a counselor named Glency Blanco that she was ready to begin her life with Jesus.

It was two days shy of Glency’s own spiritual birthday. She decided to follow Jesus on April 22, 2018.

 

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