Worthy Brief - 12/18/2016
Friend, you are chosen and changed!
1 Samuel 22:1-2 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Early in his life David was forced to flee from his king and father-in-law, Saul -- to flee for his life. During this long season of exile and hiding David began to find himself surrounded by loyal friends who joined themselves to him. But these were friends of an unusual kind: they were men who had all been unhappy, distressed, helpless, or in debt -- by and large, the outcasts of the world. But an amazing thing happened to these formerly hapless human beings when they joined with David; they were empowered and became his "mighty men." When David finally became King of Israel, these men were ennobled and raised to be princes and officers in his Kingdom.
As it was with David, so it is with Yeshua (Jesus). Yeshua came to save sinners, the wretched outcasts of this world, discontented, indebted, distressed and helpless ... whom He clothes with His righteousness and fills with His Spirit, ennobles and transforms into "mighty men", who will rule and reign with Him in His kingdom!
Friend, we have gathered ourselves to Yeshua, the Messiah, the son of David, and He has chosen us as His friends and fellow laborers in His Kingdom, never again to be outcasts, but rather embraced in His love, part of His enormous family, and delegated and empowered to serve with Him in His Kingdom. Let's be encouraged remembering where we came from AND where we are going!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Tampa, FL
Editor's Note: Let President-Elect Trump know the Importance of Israel: Sign our Petition!
Editor's Note: We are on a cross-country speaking/music tour this winter and early spring in the United States! If you see that we will be close to your area and you want to hear a timely word from Worthy News Founder and Director, George Whitten and powerful Israeli Worship Music from Baht Rivka Whitten, Lazman Hazeh Music, as well as testimony of life and ministry in the Land, we invite you to join us -- or even invite us to speak/sing at your Congregation, Conference, Church, Midweek Meeting or Israel focused Event, especially if you see a free date on our way! We hope to hug you! Send us an email to george [ @ ] worthyemail.com for more information. Check out our calendar and see if we're speaking near you!
Around the World
Russia threatens to veto new UN Syria resolution, Aleppo evacuations in doubt
Russia threatened Sunday to veto a U.N. resolution demanding immediate access to areas of Aleppo besieged by the Syrian government, while a shaky deal to evacuate thousands of trapped civilians was thrown into doubt again after militants burned buses involved in the rescue operation.
China’s Drone Seizure Sows Concern That U.S. Secrets Were Stolen
A top U.S. lawmaker said China may be poring over a seized underwater drone to unearth secret information about Navy technology, hours after President-elect Donald Trump suggested Beijing should “keep it.”
Iran discusses nuclear ships plan with IAEA chief
Iran discussed its plans for nuclear-powered ships with UN nuclear chief Yukiyo Amano on Sunday, saying it would present details within three months, local media reported.
Multiple U.S. airstrikes destroy ISIS weapons cache in Palmyra
American commanders in Syria followed through on pledges to destroy anti-aircraft systems and heavy weapons captured by Islamic State in Palmyra, launching multiple airstrikes against the terror group's positions around the ancient Syrian city.
China agrees to return captured Navy drone to U.S.
Washington and Beijing have agreed to terms to return a Navy drone captured in the disputed waters of the South China Sea to the U.S., the Pentagon announced Saturday.
Jordan declares end of castle siege, says four gunmen killed
Jordanian security forces said they killed four 'terrorist outlaws' after flushing them out of a castle in the southern city of Karak where they had holed up after a shoot-out that killed nine people.
News agency reports car bomb attack in Turkey
A car bomb blast killed 13 Turkish troops and wounded 55 persons, most of them military personnel, in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri on Saturday morning, according to official figures.
Chinese warship seizes US underwater drone in international waters
The Chinese navy has seized an underwater drone in plain sight of the American sailors who had deployed it in international waters, in a seemingly brazen message to the incoming Trump administration.
Putin tells Erdogan Russia ready to increase anti-terrorism cooperation
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan in a telegram on Saturday that Russia was ready to increase cooperation against terrorism after a car bomb attack in the Turkish city of Kayseri, Russian news agencies reported.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
PA claims it got no US aid in 2016. In fact, State Dept. gave Palestinians $357 million
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah claimed last week that his government has received no aid from Washington in 2016, accusing the US of imposing a 'financial siege' on the Palestinians. But the State Department has in fact provided Ramallah with over $357 million in financial assistance in the past year, according to information given to The Times of Israel by a US State Department official on Thursday.
Tensions in Amona rise as residents vow 'passive resistance' to looming eviction
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Thursday that there would be 'zero tolerance toward people who use violence against security officials' taking part in the impending eviction of Amona. On Wednesday, residents of the illegal Samaria outpost rejected the state's latest offer to relocate to nearby land.
Netanyahu 'pleased' with Trump's choice of David Friedman as Israel envoy
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday nominated David Friedman -- an attorney and campaign adviser who backs moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem -- as ambassador to the Jewish state.
Palestinians preparing new Security Council draft
The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations has reportedly circulated a new draft of a resolution condemning Israel settlements that they hope to bring to a vote before US President Barack Obama leaves office next month.
Khamenei: The Zionist regime won't exist in 25 years
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel could be destroyed within 25 years through a united 'Palestinian struggle', PressTV reports.
Inside the United States
Saudi Arabia lobbies US over 9/11 law
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has been lobbying US legislators to change a law allowing victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue the kingdom, he said on Sunday.
Report: 820,000 criminal illegals, 84% with felonies, serious misdemeanors
Illegal immigrants with criminal records, the deportation priority of President-elect Trump, total at least 820,000, with most having felony and serious misdemeanor convictions, according to a new report.
Bitter cold weather breaks records in Midwest, Plains
A second arctic blast in the past week plunged the Midwest and Plains into record-breaking cold Sunday.
Clinton campaign faults White House response to suspected Russian election hacks
The Hillary Clinton campaign and its allies, rallying behind the contention that cyberwarfare played a role in swinging the presidential election for Donald Trump, are now taking parting shots at the Obama administration, the intelligence community and the media for failing to treat the Russian hacking threat with sufficient urgency.
Trump says picks Mulvaney to be White House budget director
President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he has chosen U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina to be his White House budget director, turning to a fiscal conservative to help pursue his policy agenda.
Trump Continues His 'Thank You' Tour, Vows to Build Up Military
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump repeated his campaign promise to crush Islamic State 'rapidly,' but did not give a blueprint for achieving such a victory during a rally in Orlando, Florida.
FBI, Clapper back CIA, say Russia interfered in U.S. election to help Trump
The FBI and the Director of National Intelligence agree with a CIA assessment that Russian cyber attacks on the U.S. election were intended in part to help President-elect Donald Trump win office, according to news reports.
Christian News
The Actual War on Christians
During Mass this past Sunday, an Islamic State suicide bomber made his way inside St. Peter and St. Paul's Coptic Church in Cairo and detonated his bomb, leaving 25 people, mostly women, dead. The bombing, the deadliest since the 2010 New Year's Eve bombing of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria, drew swift condemnations from governments around the world. But as much as such attacks remind the world of the plight of Copts, it is their daily encounter with discrimination and persecution that poses the greatest threat to their future.
12 Recent Cases Where Christians Were Punished for Their Beliefs on Marriage: FRC
The Family Research Council has compiled a reporting listing 12 cases this past decade in America where Christian business owners have been punished or threatened with punishment for holding traditional beliefs about marriage in order to comply with anti-discrimination laws regarding gay people.
Christians Are 'Most Endangered Minority' in the World, Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein Says
Christians have become the new Jews, as they are now the 'the most endangered minority' in the world, says prominent Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein.