Displaying items by tag: Praise

Violent storms spawned 80 tornadoes across the Mississippi valley in April, resulting in over thirty deaths, levelling dozens of homes and flooding across south Florida. Throughout April and early May more than 70 chaplains from Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and Samaritan’s Purse have prayed with over 2,900 people as dozens professed their newfound faith in Christ.

An excerpt from Justin Welby’s sermon: ‘The weight of the task given you today, Your Majesties, is only bearable by the Spirit of God, who gives us the strength to give our lives to others. With the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the King is given freely what no ruler can ever attain through will, or politics, or war, or tyranny: the Holy Spirit draws us to love in action. This is promised by Jesus who put aside all privilege, because, as the first reading tells us, God will give all things for our sake, even his life. His throne was a Cross. His crown was made of thorns. His regalia were the wounds that pierced his body. Each of us is called by God to serve. Whatever that looks like in our own lives, each of us can choose God’s way today. We can say to the King of Kings, God himself, as does the King here today, “Give grace that in thy service I may find perfect freedom”.’

A surprising surge of faith continues to spread among America's young people. It led to what some are calling the largest campus outreach event ever when 60,000+ students filled the University of Oklahoma's football stadium for worship and evangelism. The ‘Fill the Stadium’ event began when a graduating senior prayed a simple prayer: ‘God, what's next?’ The event sold out within days of its announcement. CBN News travelled to Oklahoma City to hear the sound of spiritual awakening rising in ‘The Cinderella City’. Students rallied for a time of worship with Kari Jobe and Chandler Moore, coupled with a concert from hip hop star Chance the Rapper. It won’t end here; this is the beginning. Many people are turning to Jesus and getting connected into small groups, campus ministries and churches. They will become disciples who multiply.

Country singing legend Dolly Parton recently said she always asks God to bless everything and everyone with whom she works, heralding the importance faith plays in her daily life. ‘My faith impacts everything that I do because I do believe that, through God, all things are possible. And I always ask God to bless everything that I do and the people that I work with and to bring all the right things and right people into my life and to take the wrong ones out.’ 

When a woman’s horse fell on her, the entire right side of her body couldn’t move. That night she felt a conviction to turn on Apostle Kathryn Krick’s live Zoom call. During the zoom ministry meeting she was calling on the name of Jesus and thought she had died and gone to heaven. ‘I could not move, I was paralysed, I couldn’t even move my arm. I was completely still and something was going on in my body. It was excruciating pain. And then God just healed my body.’ She was healed from her terrible injury. ‘As God took me up to the heavens, I thought I was no longer here in the earthly realm. I woke up, I could move.’

Core Group Mentorship is a discipleship movement that has seen God’s power turning their mentorship into a movement. A massive children’s revival is happening among Core Kids. The children are prophesying, evangelising, praying for people, and some are shaking while they praise Jesus. They worship freely and are even casting out demons. Thousands of children and teens are experiencing a strong move of the Holy Spirit. The leaders have trained and seen thousands of Core Kids turn to Jesus, walking in their full calling, set free, whole, and healed.

Bibles For The World president John Pudaite was asked for a million Gospels of John to equip church-planters for their ministry in India. He offered first to bring 80,000 copies to a conference organised for church-planting leaders. 800 people serving on the frontlines of Gospel outreach came to the conference. When the Scriptures arrived, just in time for the last night of the conference, they were met with an enthusiastic response. ‘It was just amazing. 80,000 Gospels of John, about 100 per church planter, and they were snatched up literally in minutes’, said Pudaite. ‘They were so excited to be equipped in that way. We are working hard now to fulfil their requests for a million Gospels of John before the end of 2023.’

Jewish and Christian leaders representing fifteen nations gathered at Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to discuss how scripture says the law of the Lord will come out of Jerusalem. Micah 4:2 says, ‘For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ Knesset members from the Netanyahu coalition and the opposition addressed the gathering. Ohad from the Religious Zionist Party said, ‘The Bible is the core of the base and the core of our identity and of all Western civilisations. We all need to strengthen and deepen our relation, connection and knowledge of the Bible.’ Michael from the opposition National Unity Party thanked others for their commitment to the state of Israel. Dr Ruth Plummer added, ‘Today was such an important time for the Knesset members, the rabbis and Christian leaders to study the word of God together in the capital, Jerusalem. It was just beautiful.’

Sakachep Christians in India celebrated the dedication of the New Testament in their language, which took several years to complete. Now, for the first time, God's Word is available in their mother tongue. After the dedication, eager Sakachep people came forward for their own copy of God's Word. In the coming months several more Bible distributions in new languages are scheduled near the Tibetan border, and in the next few years over 20 new translation projects are planned. Also 771 million people in undeveloped countries catch diseases because they cannot get safe drinking water. The Bucket Ministry reduces that number by sharing God’s love and providing safe, clean water using a filter attached to a bucket that removes harmful bacteria in North America, South America, Central America, Asia, and Africa. Providing clean water also leads to opportunities to share the gospel. In ten years they’ve helped 250,000 families. The difference is lifesaving physically and spiritually.

David consumed a lot of cocaine. When he was In hospital after his third overdose, doctors told him his kidneys had failed, he had Hepatitis C, and would need dialysis for the rest of his life. With hopelessness and despair, he mourned his lost life. ’The night before dialysis was to begin, David cried out, ‘God, I don’t even know if you’re real, but if you are, please help me.’ The next day doctors came to his room. ‘We can’t explain it, but you’ve had a complete recovery,’ one told him. ‘You’re being discharged today.’ David wept profoundly. ‘It was mind-blowing,’ he recalls. ‘I don’t know how long I was on the floor asking God to forgive all the things I had done. God is in the restoration business.’