Worthy Brief - 1/26/2016
Friend, build and repair!
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
The word for builder in Hebrew is "bo-neh". It is also translated repairer. When our Messiah came 2000 years ago, He came to repair lives -- to do a complete restoration of all that is broken in this world. Interestingly, the Hebrew words for son, "ben" and daughter, "baht" both also come from the word "bo-neh".
Perhaps you are a son or daughter from a "broken" family. Yeshua (Jesus) came to give you power to be restored to a family which can never be broken.....His family. Receiving Him and believing on His Name gives you a new identity as a son or daughter. You become a son or daughter of God. The sorrows of your family life here may endure for a season, but....
Friend, no matter how broken that family or your life in this world has been, the Lord God has made a way for you to be completely restored and repaired through the resurrection life of His Son. Receiving this resurrection life through faith adopts you immediately into a new family whose destiny is eternally perfect loving relationship. This is a miracle which may seem too good to be true, yet the deep longing in each of us for loving family life was placed there by God, and He did it because He fully intended to fulfill that longing, more than any of us can yet imagine.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Los Angeles, California
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Around the World
Europol: ISIS planning large scale attacks in Europe
ISIS has increased its ability to launch global terror attacks and plans to attempt more Paris-style attacks in Europe, the head of EU police agency Europol was quoted as saying by AFP on Monday.
Mega-deals await as Iranian president starts European trip in Rome
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flew to Italy on Monday at the start of his first official visit to Europe, looking to sign multi-billion dollar contracts to help to modernize Iran's economy after years of crippling financial sanctions.
UN sees six-month Syria peace talks starting Friday
Talks on ending the war in Syria are expected to start on Friday and take six months, although invitations have still not been sent due to "intense disagreements", the U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told a news conference on Monday.
U.K. welfare changes to benefit Muslims with many wives
Changes to the British welfare system are expected to be a boon for Muslim immigrants with multiple wives.
Paris attackers were versed in atrocity, ISIS video shows
A new video released by the Islamic State group purports to show the extremists who carried out the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris committing atrocities in IS-controlled territory while plotting the slaughter in the French capital that left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded. The group also threatens Britain.
UN Seeks Over $500 Million to Help Nigerian, CAR Refugees
The United Nations refugee agency and its partners are appealing for more than half a billion dollars to provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic. The funding would also assist the communities hosting the refugees.
Zika virus outbreak will likely spread across Americas, WHO says
Global health authorities are warning that the Zika virus is predicted to spread through South, Central and North America and will likely reach all countries and territories where the Aedes mosquitoes are found.
EU states push for two-year border controls
EU member states Monday (25 January) asked the EU Commission to prepare for measures that allow member states to prolong temporary border controls to up to two years.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli jets bomb targets in Gaza after rocket hits south
Israeli warplanes struck the Gaza Strip early Monday morning in response to a rocket fired at southern Israel on Sunday evening.
Hamas deputy leader praises media for supporting the 'intifada'
Hamas' deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday praised the Palestinian Arab media for continuing to play a major role in strengthening the morale of the Palestinians during the intifada.
Poll: 67% of Israelis concerned for safety of Jews abroad
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and in light of the significant rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe and across the globe, the World Zionist Organization conducted a survey, which showed that 67% of Israelis are worried for the safety of Jews abroad.
Inside the United States
Grand Jury Indicts Abortion Foes Behind Undercover Videos
A Harris County grand jury on Monday indicted the videographers behind undercover recordings of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston and cleared the women's health provider of any wrongdoing.
Mid-Atlantic coastline flooded by blizzard's storm surge. 'This is worse than Sandy.'
While the snow piled up in the Washington region, the ocean raged on the coast. For three high tides, the storm known as Snowzilla thrust a hurricane-like surge of water into the coast, producing historic flooding.
Feds foresee $30 trillion debt, blame looming tax hikes and Obamacare
The federal government will be flirting with $30 trillion in debt within a decade, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday, blaming an aging population, new spending and tax cuts approved on Capitol Hill, and the growing burden from Obamacare for erasing the progress Washington had made over the past few years.
House committee OKs bill outlawing early ballot collection
A House committee has passed a measure that would block voter-outreach groups from collecting and dropping off early ballots as the state prepares for the 2016 election season.
Damage from two destructive Northern California fires exceeds $1 billion in insured losses
Damage from two destructive Northern California wildfires that killed six and sent thousands fleeing their homes topped $1 billion in insured losses, according to a preliminary estimate by the state’s insurance department.
U.S. Politics
Bloomberg Willing To Spend $1B On Possible Presidential Bid
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking a look at the 2016 presidential landscape, and putting the pieces in place for a possible presidential run, sources close to Bloomberg said.
Christian News
Cuban gov't demolishes two churches
Earlier this month, police in Cuba had arrested two pastors while government officials supervised the demolition of their churches.
Islamic rage erupts over Christian march
A mob of Muslim men swarmed a group of Christian activists on British streets and said they were “taking over” the country.
US pastor freed by Iran says he was tortured
Saeed Abedini, an American pastor freed this month from an Iranian prison as part of a US-Iranian prisoner swap, said in a television interview aired on Monday that he was tortured and left in solitary confinement for refusing to sign a false confession and saw other prisoners being taken to be hanged.