Saturday, February 4, 2012
How do I distinguish the Spirit of truth?
1 John 4:1-6 (Complete Jewish Bible)
1Dear friends, don't trust every spirit. On the contrary, test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.2Here is how you recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges that Yeshua the Messiah came as a human being is from God,3and every spirit which does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God - in fact, this is the spirit of the Anti-Messiah. You have heard that he is coming. Well, he's here now, in the world already!4You, children, are from God and have overcome the false prophets, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.5They are from the world; therefore, they speak from the world's viewpoint; and the world listens to them.6We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God doesn't listen to us. This is how we distinguish the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.
Revelation 21 (with text - press on more info.)
Revelation 21 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 21
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,"[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Psalm 1 (with text - press on more info.)
Psalm 1 (New International Version)
Psalm 1
BOOK I : Psalms 1-41
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Feb 03: Europe, Trends to Watch - Europe
Europe
World
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 22,978,500 sq km74% is in the Russian Federation. This is 17% of the earth’s surface.
Population: 732,758,546 Annual Growth: 0.10%
Urbanites: 73%
Peoples
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 522,017,165 | 71.34 | 0.0 |
| Evangelicals | 18,342,106 | 2.5 | 1.1 |
Answer to Prayer
The edges of Europe – North Africa, the Middle East and Turkey – are much more accessible through changes in travel, communication, trade and culture. These provide more opportunities for immigrants to gain access into Europe (where they ostensibly might encounter believers), and more so for active Christians to visit these places for tourism, study and business.For an additional 5 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Europe.Trends to Watch - Europe
Europe
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
Political integration carries on as the EU expands its borders and passes legislation to be applied from the Black Sea to the North Atlantic. Laws that influence the daily lives of hundreds of millions are being passed in Brussels. There is great potential strength in consistent laws and economic integration across the EU, but the removal of national sovereignty and civic and political authority from its member states carries inherent dangers. Pray that the EU might act with wisdom and insight that ensures the long-term stability of its member states while caring for vulnerable populations in Europe and around the world.For an additional 7 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Trends to Watch - Europe.
What is the 2nd death?
Revelation 21:6-8 (New International Version, ©2010)
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
Be Not Afraid - St. Louis Jesuits & Bob Dufford, S.J.
Be Not Afraid - St. Louis Jesuits & Bob Dufford, S.J.
You shall cross the barren desert,
but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety,
though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words to foreign men,
and and they will understand,
You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid,
I go before you always,
Come follow Me,
and I shall give you rest.
If you pass through raging waters
in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amidst the burning flames,
you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell
and death is at your side,
know that I am with you, through it all
Be not afraid,
I go before you always,
Come follow Me,
and I shall give you rest.
Blessed are your poor,
for the Kingdom shall be theirs.
Blest are you that weep and mourn,
for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and hate you, all because of Me,
blessed, blessed are you!
Be not afraid,
I go before you always,
Come follow Me,
and I shall give you rest.
Psalm 150 (with text - press on more info.)
Psalm 150 (New International Version)
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD. [a] Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Feb 02: Europe, Hot Spots of Europe
Europe
World
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 22,978,500 sq km74% is in the Russian Federation. This is 17% of the earth’s surface.
Population: 732,758,546 Annual Growth: 0.10%
Urbanites: 73%
Peoples
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 522,017,165 | 71.34 | 0.0 |
| Evangelicals | 18,342,106 | 2.5 | 1.1 |
Answer to Prayer
Socio-cultural trends that open doors for Christian witness:Disillusionment with the emptiness of enforced secularism and hyper-modernityleads to a new interest in spirituality and the metaphysical. Presented rightly, Jesus is of great appeal to such seekers.
Upheaval and uncertainty in economics and politics, civic disintegration, violence and crime likewise cause many to ask questions about morals and meaning.
Militant atheism with strong anti-Christian, anti-religious rhetoric in some parts of the EU is strident and ugly enough in character to cause many to reconsider questions of faith and God.
The influx of non-Christian religions into Europe raises the issue of the religious identity of Europe as a civilization, both in history and for the future.
Christian immigration has brought the presence of dynamic and lively congregations into nearly every part of Europe. African, Caribbean, Latin American and Asian churches are bringing a new and much-needed confidence to the Church scene, reminding all that Christianity is a truly global faith.
For an additional 5 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Europe.Hot Spots of Europe
Europe
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
Restive ethnic enclaves within nations remain potentially threatening to stability. These include Kosovo, the Basque and Catalonian regions in Spain, Northern Ireland, Trans-Dniester in Moldova, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Northern Cyprus, the large Hungarian and Albanian minorities in several Central European and Balkan countries and, more recently, the large Muslim minority in France.For an additional 2 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Hot Spots of Europe.
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