I hope you had a good week! I have a few things for you today.
First I wanted to share the link for a powerful new film coming out called "The Least of These" that a church friend of mine just made me aware of. It was filmed in India and it is based on the true story of missionary George Steins and his wife who gave 35 years of their lives to serve some of the lowest, least wanted of India's population-lepers in a remote part of India-and the curiosity and consequences they faced because of their selflessness. Also, the movie places a heavy emphasis on the power of forgiveness.
I've seen the trailer and a short clip that gives the background of the video and it looks powerful. It has a some well known names among the actors (such as Stephen Baldwin who has played in a number of Christian films) and those who did vocals for the sound tracts (like Michael W. Smith).
Theaters officially released it on 2/1/19 and it is still showing in theaters.
My family and I bought tickets and enjoyed the movie immensely! I hope that you will consider joining others and gathering together your youth, small groups, and homeschool groups, families, friends and co-workers for a faith filled and inspirational night! I think it would be especially ideal for teens and young people to see a family who lived out their faith and served the Lord to the fullest, and with great joy.
Based on the trailer, I would say the movie would be good for 11 years old and up. Pray you would consider this!
I also have a petition from The American Center for Law and Justice. Details are below. Please consider signing, praying and passing along!!
Christian Pastor John Cao has begun the new year locked in a crowded Chinese prison cell.
At the ACLJ, we are hitting the ground running in 2019 to fight for his freedom.
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After decades of peacefully serving the impoverished, providing much needed supplies and building schools in China and Myanmar, Pastor John - a U.S. permanent resident - was arrested and convicted of absurd charges.
He has now languished in a Chinese prison for nearly two years.
Parts of China are cracking down on Christians, trying to drive our faith out of its country. Churches have been forced to shut down. China has banned the online sale of the Bible, as it works to rewrite the scriptures to include pro-government messaging.
Pastor John is a victim of this anti-Christian campaign.
This injustice must be undone. He must be released.
We are working internationally to pressure China to stop the targeted persecution of Christians and set Pastor John free.
We need YOU in this fight. Please sign our urgent petition.
Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel
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Lastly, I have our devot. on The Power of Forgiveness. I found a series that uses "the power of" and a Bible principle.
I pray that you will learn something useful as we work through this series together.
Lord bless you and yours this weekend! (And remember to keep your eyes open for any pets/animals that have no business being out in these frigid temps!)
Share with a friend
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| | January 8, 2019
The Power of Forgiveness
“. . . to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 26:18)
There is a point in our lives where the forgiveness of Christ was granted—even though He was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) and we were “predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).
Christ has subdued, cleansed, and forgotten our sins.
The triune Godhead paid the price to “subdue our iniquities” and metaphorically throw our sins “into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). The Scriptures clearly tell us God blots out and forgets our sins (Isaiah 43:25; 44:22; Acts 3:19). God’s forgiveness is an eternal act of forgetfulness as well as judicial payment and propitiation.
Christ has replaced our sins with His holiness.
A holy God cannot fellowship with an unholy being. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We must “be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21) so that He “might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
Christ has given us victory over sin.
Since all of the above is true and active in the life of every believer, there should be an obvious exhilaration that enables us to confidently stand against whatever “fiery darts” the Enemy may throw at us. “Sin shall not have dominion over you,” we are told in Romans 6:14. Since sin has been dealt with on the cross, we should “reign in life” through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).
Do you rejoice in your forgiveness and therefore reign over sin in your life? God has made this possible. HMM III
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