Worthy Brief - 3/14/2018
Friend, whew, it's hot!
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Charles Spurgeon was a minister often accused of being "controversial". One day a friend of Spurgeon's remarked, "So, I hear you are in hot water again."
"No, I'm not the one in hot water," Spurgeon answered. "The other fellows are. I'm the man who makes the water boil!"
We're living in amazing times. Wars are being waged. Prophecy is being fulfilled. And we. what are we doing exactly?
More than ever before, we should be focusing on the condition of our heart before the Lord and in prayer for God to open the eyes of the blind. We should be talking about the truth of Messiah daily with those who don't yet know Him. Who cares if people think it's controversial? This is not the time to care what people think of us! This is the time to get the water boiling!
Friend, what's your spiritual temperature today? Is it causing anybody to boil? Good! There's so much work to be done!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Baltimore, MD
Editor's Note: We're speaking in Pennsylvania, and Maryland this week! Be sure to see us while we're on the road! Check out our our updated calendar!
Turkish Newspaper Close To President Erdogan Calls To Form Joint Islamic Army To Fight Israel
On December 12, 2017, ahead of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, the Turkish daily Yeni Safak, which is close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling AKP party, published an article titled 'A Call for Urgent Action,' which also appeared on the paper's website under the title 'What If an Army of Islam Was Formed against Israel?'
With Red Sea mega-city, Saudis eye economic unity with Egypt, Jordan
To observers, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud’s flagship idea may seem overly ambitious – to build a mega-city known as Neom along the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea that extends across the borders to Jordan and Egypt.
Russia says U.S. plans to strike Damascus, pledges military response
Russia said on Tuesday it had information that the United States planned to bomb the government quarter in Damascus on an invented pretext, and said it would respond militarily if it felt Russian lives were threatened by such an attack.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Convening Israelis and Arabs, White House says Gaza central to peace effort
Trump administration officials worked the phones for weeks to bring Israeli and Arab diplomats around the same table at the White House, and finally succeeded in doing so for the first time on Tuesday.
An Israel-Hezbollah war could easily draw in Iran, US intel official warns
A top Trump administration intelligence official warned of the 'real potential' of war between Israel and Hezbollah that could bring in Iran and embroil the region in conflict.
Hundreds of U.S. Marines, IDF troops train in southern Israel
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and US Marines trained shoulder-to-shoulder Monday in southern Israel as part of Juniper Cobra 2018, drilling on close urban combat and tunnel warfare.
Poll: 64% of Americans favor Israelis in conflict with Palestinians
A Gallup poll published Tuesday found that 64 percent of Americans sympathize with Israelis in the conflict with Palestinians.
Inside the United States
Trump fires Rex Tillerson, will nominate Mike Pompeo to replace him
President Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and will nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.
Trump promises 'one of the largest military buildups' in history
President Donald Trump said he is overseeing a massive military buildup in remarks to troops at California's Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Tuesday.
Op-Ed: The Constitution may finally catch up with Obamacare
Obamacare's future is once again in jeopardy, thanks to one of the law's most stubborn opponents — the U.S. Constitution. Twenty states are suing the federal government in Texas on the grounds that, since Congress zeroed-out the penalty for the individual mandate, the law is no longer constitutional.
Major Networks Give Less than a Minute to House Committee’s ‘No Collusion’ Findings
On Monday, the House Intelligence Committee closed its inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, much to the chagrin of the liberal media. The committee confirmed that the Russians were indeed trying to cause chaos in the election, claimed they weren’t out to help candidate Donald Trump specifically and that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But during their evening broadcasts, ABC and CBS downplayed the findings while NBC ignored them.
Christian News
Sentencing of Pastor Adds to Uptick in Persecution in Algeria
In the latest of a rash of persecution incidents in Algeria, a judge on Thursday (March 8) sentenced a pastor to a fine and a suspended prison sentence under a law that prohibits causing Muslims to doubt their religion, sources said.
Christian Family Stabbed at Home by Armed Group in Baghdad
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on March 9, 2018, a Christian family of three living in Baghdad was found dead in their home. An investigation showed that they had been stabbed to death the previous day by an armed group and their valuables were stolen. The victims are Dr. Hisham Shafiq al-Maskuni, his wife Shaza Malik, and his elderly mother Khairiya Dawood.
'He's a Very Devout Christian': Why Pompeo Is Perfect Pick for Secretary of State
Despite skepticism over the latest White House cabinet shakeup, observers say CIA chief Mike Pompeo's replacement of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state will likely have a positive effect on US foreign policy.