This is such a tragic, horrible story….we may never know the whole truth as to what went on in the life of Jeffery Epstein and all the women who had their lives ruined…..And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18.
Why is the World full of evil?
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” Eph 4: 17, 18.
The Scriptures call the mind of the natural man “blinded” 2 Cor. 4:4, “depraved” Romans 1:28, “corrupt” 1 Tim. 6:5, and “unspiritual” Col. 2:18. The natural mind thinks from a humanistic, sin-debased viewpoint. The viewpoint of the flesh directs its thoughts. The sinful mind is under the control of Satan and can never please God because it concentrates on things of the world and not things of the Spirit. The natural mind walks the road of hopelessness and self-destruction.
Jeffrey Epstein, accused sex trafficker, dies by suicide: Officials
Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced millionaire who was facing federal sex trafficking charges, has died by suicide in his Lower Manhattan jail cell, three law enforcement officials told ABC News Saturday morning. The exact timing and circumstances were not immediately clear. Epstein, 66, was set to stand trial next year for allegedly sexually abusing dozens of minor girls in New York and Florida. His death came less than three weeks after he was found unresponsive in his cell at Metropolitan
Read in ABC News: https://apple.news/AoVLkJJkXTTCEA98Aqv66Rw
Financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sex trafficking, found dead in Manhattan jail
Jeffrey Epstein accuser links powerful men to financier: civil court filing
A woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein of keeping her as a sex slave said one of the financier’s associates had instructed her to have sex with at least a half-dozen prominent men, according to a court filing unsealed on Friday in a civil lawsuit.
Read in Reuters: https://apple.news/AnKyJYcItT6KKcFvZHWDDsQ
Shared from Apple News
DISGUSTING! SATANIC! Epstein Wanted to “Seed The Human Race” at His New Mexico Ranch
I struggled to post this because it is so very disgusting and satanic! Why even post this? To show that Satan is active in the lives of many. To show the Church how important it is to carry out the Great Commission. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19.
Satanic activity is spreading across America! Our children are at such high risk.
Adrian Rogers describes the problem of many Christians in America:
James 1:23-24 paints a picture of a man in a hurry. He has a lot on his mind. He takes a casual glance at himself and rushes on. If the Bible is like a mirror, then this man is simply getting a glimpse into the Word and not really applying it to his life.
Most Christians I know today are this kind of Bible student. They are like a gnat, bouncing here and there instead of like a bee, diving in and staying long enough to extract the sweetness.
But the man in verse 25 gazes into the Word. This is someone who delights in God’s Word, applies God’s Word, and cherishes God’s Word. Are you like that? Or do you take a passing glance at God’s Word and move on to the next thing on your TO DO list?
Why is the World full of evil?
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” Eph 4: 17, 18.
The Scriptures call the mind of the natural man “blinded” 2 Cor. 4:4, “depraved” Romans 1:28, “corrupt” 1 Tim. 6:5, and “unspiritual” Col. 2:18. The natural mind thinks from a humanistic, sin-debased viewpoint. The viewpoint of the flesh directs its thoughts. The sinful mind is under the control of Satan and can never please God because it concentrates on things of the world and not things of the Spirit. The natural mind walks the road of hopelessness and self-destruction.
D.A. Carson assessed our situation well when he described how “people do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”
From Ryan Denison:
In our culture, it can be easy at times to feel isolated in our faith or to question its legitimacy in light of current social trends and accusations of irrelevance (or worse). While the truth is not based on how many people have done something or for how long, it’s reassuring to know that, when we worship, we also join a legacy of believers that extends so far into our collective past.
The same God who was worthy of worship sixteen hundred years ago is still worthy of our worship today.
Second, the Church of the Apostles reminds us that persecution will come, but our faith is built on something that goes far beyond whatever challenges it might face.
Around ninety years before Bishop Willibald would have passed by the church, this region of the Holy Land fell to the Muslims as they expanded north. While the building was apparently left standing, any who worshiped in it did so under very different conditions from when it was founded.
Our faith is not new. It predates any challenges from those who would like to discount it and has stood strong against attacks from governments, opposing religions, societal movements, and popular opinion long enough for us to take comfort in the fact that it will survive whatever current generations can throw at it.
While our history gives ample examples of how we have not always navigated those battles well, God has protected his church and will continue to do so.
Third, the Church of the Apostles was built because the men over whose home it was established were faithful to the calling they received from their Lord.
Peter, Andrew, and the others among that first generation of believers recognized Jesus as humanity’s only hope for salvation. They took that message forth into the world around them with courage and conviction. We can read about their stories and study their methods, but, if we don’t follow their example, then our churches will one day resemble the ruins that were recently discovered.
Our mission—then and now
Our culture is no more lost than that of ancient Rome. It is no more immoral either. And the challenges it poses are no greater than those overcome by those first generations of believers.
That doesn’t mean our mission will be easy, but Christ didn’t promise ease. Rather, when he challenged his earliest believers to go and make disciples of all nations, the only thing he guaranteed was that he would always be with them (Matthew 28:16–20).
And that was enough.
The Church of the Apostles is relevant today because our faith is relevant, and our mission has remained unchanged from that of the earliest believers.
How will you continue their legacy?
From the writings of Billy Graham…..
There are two roads of life, the world’s path and God’s path. Imagine a very wide road with people all walking in the same direction. In the center of that road is a narrow path that goes in the opposite direction — it can be a lonely road — but it’s the right road.
Jesus plainly pointed out these two roads. One is broad, lacking faith, convictions, morals and obedience to God. It’s the easy, popular, careless way. It is heavily traveled, but it leads to destruction. The other road is narrow and unpopular. This is why Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
People who follow the broad path are shallow. The path they choose is riddled with compromise. The narrow road means to stand strong for Christ. It is not always easy, but it is right and blessed by God.
When we find ourselves standing at a crossroads, we gaze into the faces of those living for popularity and self-pleasure. That road leads to Hell. Consider the journey and choose the way of the Lord — the narrow path. Jesus is there and He is the way that leads to Heaven.
The work that Christ does in our lives is transforming. He does not do a superficial work. When doctors prescribe medication, its purpose is to begin healing the diseased organs and tissue deep inside of us. When Christ grants salvation, He begins a lifetime work inwardly that comes to the surface. This is why Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6).