Sam Bathea

 Sam Bethea is no stranger to what can happen on the streets in Charlotte. Before turning his life around, Bethea was in and out of jail 29 times. Now, though, he spends his time differently: he uses it to share the Gospel.

"Most people think of me as a street preacher, but I'm really not preaching on the streets, so to say," Bethea said during an interview last year with podcaster Tiffani Lewis. "I'm more so declaring and proclaiming a simple message: 'Jesus loves you, Jesus saves. The King is coming. John 3:16.' Something simple, because it is our only deliverance from our sin and from the rat race that we live in."

...But not everyone is receptive to what Bethea has to say. That became overwhelmingly clear earlier this week, when he was attacked by angry protesters gathered to oppose the Republican National Convention, parts of which were held in Charlotte.

As he was proclaiming his simple message—"Jesus loves you"—protesters began dousing Bethea in flour, glitter, oil, and silly string, ridiculing him for sharing the Gospel amid the racially charged unrest.

Despite the attacks, Bethea continued.

"I do it because God called me to the streets."

David Dorn's Widow Speaks

 David Dorn's Widow Eviscerates the Black Lives Matter Narrative at the RNC by Tyler O'Neil

"Violence and destruction are not legitimate forms of protest. They do not safeguard black lives. They destroy them. President Trump understands this and has offered federal help to restore order in our communities..." -Ann Dorn

Ann Dorn, the widow of retired Police Chief David Dorn, delivered tearful remarks about the death of her husband in the George Floyd riots in St. Louis. She spoke about fearing for David's life every time he went out to help people, but on the night of June 2, he didn't wake her up before leaving. She condemned the violent riots as the opposite of peaceful protest.

"The alarm that went off the morning of June 2nd was for real. It was a violent night in St. Louis. Four police officers were shot. Others were hit with rocks and fireworks. At least 55 businesses were damaged, looted, or set on fire," the bereaved widow recalled.

"After I had gone to bed, Dave received a call from Lee's alarm company. The front door of the pawn shop had been breached. This time, he didn't wake me up to tell me. He probably knew I would have tried to stop him or insisted on going with him," Ann Dorn said.

"As I slept, looters were ransacking the shop. They shot and killed Dave in cold blood and livestreamed the execution and his last moments on this earth. Dave's grandson was watching the video on Facebook in real time, not realizing he was watching his own grandfather dying on the sidewalk," she recalled.

Franklin Graham's Prayer

 Franklin Graham's Prayer

[CBN News] Following in his father's footsteps, evangelist Franklin Graham appeared Thursday night at the fourth and final night of the 2020 Republican National Convention not to deliver a sermon or to stump for a political candidate, but to pray for the nation.

Graham, 68, the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of the Christian charity organization Samaritan's Purse, delivered the opening prayer of the convention standing on the stage of the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.

After an opening video highlighting scenes of the night's theme "Land of Greatness" the son of the late Rev. Billy Graham began to pray from the podium.

"Let us pray," he said.

"Our Heavenly Father, which art in Heaven, we thank You for the great bounty You have bestowed on this nation and the many blessings we have received the past four years. We are forever grateful."

"As we come tonight, our country is facing trouble. Tens of thousands are in the path of a deadly storm. The pandemic has gripped millions of hearts with fear. We are divided. We have witnessed injustice. Anger and despair have flowed into the streets. We need Your help. We need to hear Your voice at this crucial hour.

"We ask that You would unite our hearts, to be one nation under God. For You are our only hope. We declare today our total dependence upon You and our need of repentance as a people.

"I thank You tonight for our President Donald J. Trump. We pray that You would give him wisdom from on high, clarity of vision, and strength as he leads this nation forward. Bless him. We pray for our First Lady Melania. Their son Barron and all of the family. Protect them and keep them strong and safe.

"We thank You for Vice President Mike Pence. For his steady hand and clear voice. We pray for Second Lady Karen Pence and their family.

"Father, we know that You can make this nation great once again, if we turn our eyes and our hearts to You, and follow Your Word in obedience. May Your will be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. And we pray this in the mighty name of Your Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen."

Graham's father, the world-renowned preacher Billy Graham gave the benediction at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 1988. He died in 2018 at the age of 99. The elder Graham served as a spiritual adviser to 12 US presidents.

Prayer March on Washington Sept. 26

In a Facebook post earlier this week, Franklin Graham reminded his followers of his recently announced Prayer March on Washington scheduled from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Saturday, Sept. 26. The march will begin at the Lincoln Memorial and end at the US Capitol.

"Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have," the evangelist wrote.

"I want to personally invite you to join me in Washington, DC, on Saturday, September 26, at 12:00 noon-2:00 pm for Prayer March 2020. This will be a singular focus on prayer for our country. I hope thousands will join me to march from the Lincoln Memorial to the US Capitol, asking God to have mercy on our nation and turn us back to Him.

"When King David prayed for Israel, the Bible says, 'the LORD was moved by prayer for the land,'" (2 Samuel 24:25),"

For more information, go to PrayerMarch2020.com.

Graham's Daughter Addresses the RNC About Religious Freedom

As CBN News reported earlier this week, Graham's daughter Cissie Graham Lynch, on Tuesday night addressed the convention's television audience on the subject of religious freedom.

"As Americans, we know the first line of the First Amendment protects our freedom of religion. But what we often forget, the actual words are 'free exercise of religion'," Lynch, 34 said. "That means living out our faith in our daily lives...at our schools and at our jobs. And yes, even in the public square."

The nation's founders she said, did not envision a quiet, hidden faith.

"They fought to ensure that the voices of faith were always welcomed," Lynch noted. "Not silenced. Not bullied."

She cautioned that during the pandemic, Americans saw how quickly life can change.

"Some Democratic leaders tried to ban church services, while marijuana shops and abortion clinics were declared essential. But do you know what is truly essential?" Lynch asked. "Our right to worship freely and live our faith in every aspect of life."

She warned the Biden-Harris vision of America leaves no room for people of faith and also recalled what her world-famous grandfather once said about freedom.

"Whether you're a baker or a florist or a football coach, they will force a choice between being obedient to God or to Caesar. Because the radical Left god is government power," Lynch noted.

"So in the words of my grandfather Billy Graham, 'Let us stand for political freedom, moral freedom, religious freedom, and the rights of all Americans. And let us never give in for those who would attempt to take it from us'."

 “It Is Finished” by A.J. Gretz

Scripture Reading: John 19:29-30

"Jesus said, 'It is finished.'” John 19:30

As Jesus prepared to give up his spirit, he uttered one final phrase from the cross: “It is finished.” Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has made redemption possible for every person who believes in his power to save. Jesus has taken all of the world’s sin on himself, the one final sacrifice for all people, for all time.

At times, you and I will be tempted to believe the lie that we are not worthy enough for God to save us. We may look at our past and think we are too flawed to ever belong to God fully. Or we might get discouraged about a sin that we continue to struggle with, in spite of our best efforts. Or we might compare ourselves to others and think that we are not doing enough for God in comparison to them. It is easy to believe that we must do more or be more in order to deserve God’s love.

But on the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished.” No matter who you are, what you have done, or what you have failed to do, Jesus’ death is payment enough to cover all of your sin.

Though we can never do enough good to outweigh our sin or to earn God’s favor, Jesus has done it for us. It is finished.

The good news is that Jesus is enough. No matter your story, he is enough to make you right with God and to assure your place at his side. Because of Jesus, you can have full life forever with him.

Lord, help me to rest in the knowledge that your sacrifice on the cross is enough to save me. Amen.

Giving and Receiving

 Giving and Receiving

From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman

August 29, 2020

"Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account" (Philippians 4:17).

The apostle Paul had a tent-making business. However, over time, it was evident that more and more of his time was being given to vocational ministry activities. That required him to receive income from those to whom he invested his life. It became increasingly difficult to run a business and travel and minister.

His letter to the Philippians gives us a perspective on giving. Although Paul appreciated the support financially, his real joy came in the fact that their gift was being credited to their Heavenly account.

"Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.

"I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:14-19).

Paul had a confidence that God would always provide what he needed. Sometimes it came from his business. Sometimes it came through others. He was not overly concerned with where his provision would come from. His confidence was in God, his provider. So, his attitude was in affirming the benefit that came to the giver from a Kingdom perspective.

Paul learned that it wasn't a church or a business that was his source, his provider. It was God. His business and those who gave were merely tools God used to support him.

Violation of Truth

 Violation of Truth by Tim Graham

There may be no more blatant violation of the concept of truth in advertising than CNN's boastful claiming of the slogan "Facts First." If facts were water and opinions were whiskey, CNN would concoct a very potent cocktail.

It's easy to compare CNN's very hostile coverage in the minutes after Vice President Mike Pence finished a Republican convention speech in front of a small crowd at Fort McHenry to CNN's reaction to Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris' speech the week before.

Jake Tapper thinks of himself as firmly fact-based, especially when rebutting Republican speeches. Over video that showed President Donald Trump and Melania Trump engaging with supporters, Tapper insisted Pence was "whitewashing" the Trump team's coronavirus testing numbers. Then he added: "Speaking of whitewashing, as I believe the vice president did to a large degree about their record when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, again, the U.S., with less than 5% of the world's population, has more than 20% of the world's deaths."

The "facts first" assumption at CNN is always that Trump and Pence "own" the American death toll. Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in charge of the state with the highest death toll, and on CNN, he was celebrated with jokes about large Q-tip-type testing swabs from his brother/CNN host Chris Cuomo.

Jaundiced Jake didn't break in after Gov. Cuomo "whitewashed" his record at the Democratic National Convention ... because no one broke in at CNN. The network ran the DNC videotape and tried not to say a word.

Tapper then assessed Pence on rioting: "Speaking of whitewashing, they talked about the violence in the streets, including in Kenosha, Vice President Pence did. There was no specific mention of the fact that the 17-year-old who has been accused of murdering two -- we believe they were protestors -- is, according to his social media accounts, a Trump supporter."

This network would not suggest that the Bernie Sanders fan who tried to kill Republican congressmen on a baseball diamond in 2017 was somehow owned by Sanders. This ... is CNN.

Now rewind a week to the minutes after Kamala Harris' speech. Tapper offered no fact check of Harris. He gushed: "I don't think we can overstate how significant a moment it is for the girls and women and people of color in the United States and around the world watching this event tonight. What a historic moment for Kamala Harris ... It really is truly historic and one of these moments that is going to change people's lives and inspire people because of the groundbreaking nature of that."

And the speech itself? "There was a lot of very progressive messaging going on there in terms of systemic racism and ideas like that," he said.

Facts don't come first. "Historic" racial and gender quotas accomplished by Democrats come first.

Tapper then put his promotional pedal to the metal in assessing former President Barack Obama's speech earlier in the night. "He's well aware of how historic what he's doing is," Tapper said. "(W)here he spoke this evening, the Museum of the American Revolution, which is a part of Philadelphia that is full of all sorts of colonial history and landmarks, that says to me that he knew that he was taking a stand for what our Founding Fathers back in 1776 were taking a stand for in his mind."

For those of you who don't freely associate Obama's presidency with founding principles, put away your airsickness bag. This froth wasn't aimed at you. It was for Obama, and the Obama voters who make up CNN's audience. Their liberal satisfaction comes first, not the facts.

========

Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org.

Thoughts on Romans 3:31

 Thoughts on Romans 3:31 by John W. Ritenbaugh

"Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law."

In his writings, Paul uses these terms—faith, grace, and justification—interchangeably. He uses one word here, another there, depending on which nuance he wants to bring to the fore, so that we get a complete picture of what is happening.

Here, he is talking about faith, and within the subject of justification, he says, "No, faith in the blood of Jesus Christ establishes the law! It does not do away with it." Faith in no way invalidates God's law. None of it!

Notice that your Bible very likely reads "the law." However, it does not say that in the Greek; the definite article does not precede "law" either time it appears in this verse. The Interlinear Bible, which is a literal translation, reads: "Law then do we nullify through faith? Not let it be! But law do we establish." Establish means "cause to stand, confirm."

One might argue, "What difference does the lack of an article make?" In this case, if it read "the law," Paul would have been referring to either the entire Pentateuch or to a specific law. But writing it as he did, he means law in general as a legal argument. Any law! Man's law, God's law, the Ten Commandments, the sacrifices—everything is included under that blanket statement. He says, "Faith establishes law." It remains for other passages to tell us about a specific law or body of laws that might be set aside. So, then, faith—used here in connection with grace and justification—establishes law. It does NOT do away with it; such an interpretation is the exact opposite of what is written!

When a person is justified, it is for the very reason that he is out of alignment with what he is being measured against. So after justification, the standard is not just thrown away! Indeed, the standard becomes more important than ever because we do not want to get out of alignment ever again. We need the law's guidance to help us in what we must do and to warn us when we are veering from the way.