Worthy Brief - 5/29/2017
Friend, be empowered ... again?
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
As we celebrate Shavuout beginning tomorrow night, we're looking at the promise given 2000 years ago: that normal people will lead extraordinary lives; that disciples, who were terrified on the night of Yeshua's (Jesus) death, were transformed into bold saints of God; and that fishermen, tax collectors, and housewives – normal everyday people – became empowered, and turned the Roman Empire inside out and upside down!
In Acts 2, we read about the initial outpouring of the Spirit during Shavuot. Just a few chapters later the same saints who had been once filled to overflowing, sought to be refilled again [Acts 4]. It was not a one time experience, but rather a constant refilling of the Spirit which they needed to change their world. They repeatedly sought to be empowered to accomplish whatever task God assigned to them. They just kept going back, to the well that never runs dry, and so they kept getting filled – and refilled -- and refilled again!
Friend, don't ever become spiritually "satisfied"! Seek to be filled -- once filled -- seek to be refilled! And refilled again! How do we live in a constant state of revival? By always seeking MORE! In doing so, God will empower everyday folk like us to turn our world inside out and upside down!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Around the World
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: US no longer a reliable partner
The partnership between Europe and the U.S. has been strained, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the day after President Trump returned from the G7 summit.
U.S., South Korea confirm North Korean launch of short-range ballistic missile
North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile early Monday, United States and South Korea military officials said, the communist nation's ninth missile test this year and second in the past week.
US might extend cabin laptop ban worldwide, top official says
The authorities in the US are still considering banning laptops from cabin baggage on all international flights, the head of Homeland Security says.
Islamic State spreads tentacles to gain hold of territory in Southeast Asia
Western powers and media outlets convulsed in shock at last week's horrific suicide attack on a pop concert in Britain, but little attention was paid to a surge of violence by the Islamic State on the other side of the world -- specifically in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Iran's supreme leader: Saudi Arabia is 'a cow milked' by US
A Saturday report by the semi-official Fars news agency quotes Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying that Saudi Arabia trades its wealth with 'pagans and enemies.'
Sri Lanka flash floods leave 500K people displaced
At least 144 people have been killed in floods and landslides in Sri Lanka - with about half a million people displaced.
Trump tells 'confidants' U.S. will leave Paris climate deal: Axios
U.S. President Donald Trump has told 'confidants,' including the head of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt, that he plans to leave a landmark international agreement on climate change, Axios news outlet reported on Saturday, citing three sources with direct knowledge.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
IDF conducts 'experimental' rocket test over central Israel
The Defense Ministry said Monday that it conducted a successful experimental test of its rocket propulsion system from a military base located in the center of Israel.
Trump furious with Abbas: You lied to me
President Donald Trump lambasted Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, after the president claims the PA leader deceived him regarding his party's involvement in anti-Israel incitement.
Inside the United States
Declassified memos show FBI illegally shared spy data on Americans with private parties
The FBI has illegally shared raw intelligence about Americans with unauthorized third parties and violated other constitutional privacy protections, according to newly declassified government documents that undercut the bureau’s public assurances about how carefully it handles warrantless spy data to avoid abuses or leaks.
Travel ban to test Supreme Court view of presidential power
The Supreme Court may soon decide how courts are supposed to view presidential power in the age of Donald Trump.
Trump eyes White House overhaul, outside lawyers and PR team
President Donald Trump is considering overhauling his White House staff and bringing back top campaign strategists, frustrated by what he views as his team's inability to contain the burgeoning crisis involving alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Christian News
Egypt strikes militant bases after 28 Coptic Christians killed in ambush
Egyptian fighter jets struck militant bases in eastern Libya late Friday in retaliation for an attack by masked gunmen on a caravan of Coptic Christians that left 28 people dead.
Christians caught up in Philippines' urban battle with Islamists
Bishop Edwin Dela Pena was sipping coffee after dinner in a southern Philippines coastal town last Tuesday when he received a phone call: it was from one of his diocese priests, who sounded panicky and distressed.