Jimmy Kimmel’s studio audience thought they were just coming to enjoy a live show, but they transformed into a live gospel choir before the night was through.

The Irish rock band U2 appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live for a surprise, emotional performance of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” in honor of the Manchester terror victims.

The band members live only an hour’s flight away from the city and were deeply affected by the horrific attack.

“They hate music. They hate women. They even hate little girls,” lead singer Bono said of the terrorists during his interview with Jimmy Kimmel. “They hate everything that we love. And the worst of humanity was on view in Manchester.”

So, U2 decided to fight the hate with a little gospel music.

“We want to play for you now a gospel song with a restless spirit,” Bono said as he introduced the song.

Choir members were planted throughout the studio and joined in to turn the entire studio into a moving gospel performance.

The audience sang about Christ’s deliverance through the cross:

“He will lift you higher and higher/He will lift you up when you call/He will bring you shelter from the storm/I believe in the kingdom come/Then all the colors will bleed into one/Bleed into one/But yes, I’m still running/You broke the bonds/And you loosed the chains/Carried the cross of my shame/Oh my shame, you know I believe it,” they sang.

Bono has never been shy about his faith in Christ.

He spoke about the impact of music in a recent video series with David Taylor, a theology and culture professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. To Bono, music is more than a simple tune, it’s “prophetic.”

“If the job of the prophet is to describe the state of the soul, the soul of the city, if we want to know what’s really going on … you’ve got to really go look at the art,” he told Taylor.

Bono says the power of art is especially seen when tragedy strikes. He fell in love with music when his mother tragically died.

“I became an artist through the portal of grief,” Bono told Taylor. “My mother died at her own father’s gravesite. As he was being lowered into the ground, she had an aneurysm. I was 14.” 

It was an event that changed his life forever and motivates him to touch the families of Manchester and the rest of the world with his music. {eoa}

Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

{eoa}

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency—the Department of Defense’s a research, development and acquisition agency—announced Tuesday evening that it had conducted a successful test in which an intercontinental ballistic missile target was intercepted by the Ground-based Midcourse Defense.

GMD is a component of our nation’s ballistic missile defense system, and the test this week conducted from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., was the first ever against an ICBM-class target, which was launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The system used multiple sensors to acquire the target and provide a successful firing solution.

“The intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment for the GMD system and a critical milestone for this program,” Navy Vice Adm. Jim Syring, director of the MDA, said. “This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat. I am incredibly proud of the warfighters who executed this test and who operate this system every day.”

While the test was planned weeks ago, it still sent a message to those who have declared they wish to do Americans harm. Leaders who have developed nuclear weapons—like North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un—and those who have developed the means to deliver them in the U.S.—like the mullahs in Iran—now know America is a more difficult target to strike.

You can watch portions of the test in the video clip above. {eoa}

Jesus’s life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension defeated the kingdom of darkness. His victory in the spiritual realm is vital for our lives both now and in eternity. But evil is still present in our world. How Jesus dealt with evil while on Earth is an example of how we can and should deal with evil as His followers.

As difficult as our lives may seem and as much demonic opposition as we may feel we are facing, we will never see Satan and his whole kingdom of darkness arrayed against us to the degree that Jesus personally experienced. In order to save humanity Jesus had to accomplish the destruction of Satan’s kingdom. The incarnation was, along with all its other aspects, an invasion into enemy territory.

For Satan and his realm, Jesus presence here was an ultimate declaration: “This means war!”

Yet Jesus seemed completely unruffled by such strong opposition. He never showed fear or anxiety when He encountered demons or those controlled by them, or even Satan himself. In the Gospels, we never see Him on a hunt for demonic activity; His focus on being about His Father’s business of saving humanity seemed unshakable.

But whenever Satan or his demons showed up, Jesus responded with calmness and absolute authority over them.

Jesus’ Encounters With Evil

Jesus frequently encountered those who were under the control of demons. The Gospels make several summary statements about Jesus healing those who were possessed or tormented. (Examples include Matt. 4:24; 8:16; Mark 1:32–34; and Luke 4:41.) We have many stories of individuals Jesus set free:

• The sick woman whom “Satan bound for eighteen years,” healed on the Sabbath (Luke 13:16).
• The epileptic boy brought by his father for healing when His disciples could not accomplish the task (Mark 9:25–27).
• The demon-possessed man who had been relegated to living in the tombs (Luke 8:26–40).

Jesus comes across as calm and composed, while the demons respond with desperate cries and fear of torment.

This was so very different from what those around Jesus were used to. Ancient Jewish literature recounts how the people of Jesus’ day lived in certain fear of demons. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a number of prayers and liturgies that were used to try to bring relief from demonic oppression. Josephus describes an elaborate ritual involving roots and incantations and spells by which one Jewish exorcist Eleazar attempted to cast out demons. Both the people in general and those who attempted to get rid of demons approached the whole idea with much fear and anxiety.

And here comes Jesus. He has no incantations, no spells, no rituals, no stylized prayers, no sacred objects, no angst, no fear and He doesn’t get all worked up. Sometimes casting out demons became dramatic only because of their resistance to Jesus’s words. The summary Gospel passages make most such encounters seem almost commonplace and likely no more dramatic than a simple “Get out!” (Mark 1:34).

No wonder the people were astonished (Mark 1:27).

The Authority in Jesus’ Words

Every time He encountered Satan or his demons, Jesus responded with calm, authoritative words. This began at His initial encounter with Satan when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Each time Jesus defeated him not with a display of power, but with His words—words from the Old Testament Scriptures (Matt. 4:3-10).

Every time after this that Jesus encountered evil, He responded the same way. He spoke with authority and the demons had to leave. If the demons were causing any sickness or disease, it had to leave along with them. The Roman centurion understood this: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But speak the word only, and my servant will be healed” (Matt. 8:8).

Keep in mind as you contemplate Jesus’s words that this was not some magic show. God spoke the worlds into existence with His Word. Jesus is called the eternal Word of God (John 1:1). The power and authority of God Himself was present in those words Jesus spoke. That’s why He spoke as He did to Satan in the wilderness. God’s power is present in His Word—in Scripture, as Jesus spoke it, and as you and I speak it as well.

You Can Do It Too!

Can you imagine the awed excitement with which Jesus’ disciples heard Him say, “You want to do the same things you’ve seen Me do? You want to preach the good news, heal people, cast our demons and raise the dead? Yes, you can! It’s time for you to go out and do it” (See Matt. 10:8).

I can picture them going out two by two, perhaps wondering if it would really work. John says to Peter, “Did you hear Him say what I heard Him say? Do you really think we can do it?” And Peter responds, “You bet! And I’m going to the very first chance I get!”

On their way to the first village Peter, John, and the others would have rehearsed over and over again exactly what they had seen Jesus do and how He had done it. They would have remembered the words He used, the look on His face and even the feeling in His voice. They would have determined to do it exactly as their Master had done. The results were spectacular!

They must have had a predetermined time and meeting place to catch up with Jesus again. When they got there they exclaimed, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name” (Luke 10:17b). They would have acted as Jesus did, with no fear, no rituals, no anxiety, no long stylized prayers. They just spoke in Jesus’ name.

How should you and I deal with evil?

So what does this mean for you and me? What does Jesus as our divine example show us about dealing with evil?

• Have no fear or anxiety. We have absolutely no need to experience fear or anxiety in our encounters with Satan or his kingdom of darkness. We don’t go out looking for “a devil behind every bush”; there will be opportunity enough to exercise the authority Jesus has given us when evil presents itself. We are to be alert and firm, but not anxious. (See 1 Pet. 5:8.)
• Fill your mind and heart with God’s Word. If Jesus needed Scripture to successfully resist temptation and Satan, you will need it too. Spend time reading, studying and memorizing the Bible. If those words are in your heart, the Holy Spirit will bring them back to your mind when you need them as you encounter evil.
• Remain focused on what God gives you to do. Jesus and His disciples remained focused on ministering to the hearts, minds and bodies of people. The fact that doing so aroused Satan’s opposition was almost secondary. Remain focused on what God has given you to do and nothing more nor less. If accomplishing that mission stirs up the devil’s opposition, so be it.

Maintaining your focus is important. C.S. Lewis wisely opined that thinking too much or too little about Satan and his kind are equally dangerous traps: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors.”

It’s your focus that’s important.

Jesus encountered evil more than any of us ever will. You and I can face the kingdom of darkness with the same calmness and authority He did.

Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley is both a board-certified OB-GYN physician and an ordained Doctor of Ministry. As an author and speaker, she loves helping people discover the Fully Alive kind of life Jesus came to bring us. Visit her website at 

Those who were watching closely when President Trump spoke in Israel may have noticed that he dated the Arab/Israeli conflict:

We know, for instance, that both Israelis and Palestinians seek lives of hope for their children. And we know that peace is possible if we put aside the pain and disagreements of the past and commit together to finally resolving this crisis, which has dragged on for nearly half a century or more.

What happened a half century, 50 years, ago? Israel won the Six-Day War, taking control of the Old City of Jerusalem. By saying this, President Trump’s speechwriters were clearly saying that the source of the conflict is Israel’s occupation of the Old City of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and not Arab intolerance of the Jewish nation.

This is straight out of the fictitious, Arab version of the conflict. The Saudis have been saying for years, “Go back to the 1967 borders, and we will make peace.” But this was not the Saudi position before 1967, when it sought Israel’s destruction. Abbas told Trump during his visit to the once-Jewish city of Bethlehem:

Our fundamental problem is with the occupation and settlements … The problem is not between us and Judaism. It’s between us and occupation.

Let’s Check History

If that were true, then the Palestinian Liberation Organization would have been created in 1967 or after. Before 1967, Israel did not occupy the West Bank or Gaza. However, the PLO, the organization that Mahmoud Abbas leads, was created in 1964—three years before Israel won Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, Gaza and the entire Sinai Desert.

It was the Arab league, a group of 22 Arab states (13 at the time), who created the PLO when Israel’s width was a mere nine miles in some places. That includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and others.

Okay, follow me here: 53 years ago, before Jerusalem was restored to Israel, the entire Arab world birthed a movement dedicated to the Liberation of Palestine. Are you tracking with me? This means that the Palestine they wanted to liberate was not East Jerusalem or the West Bank—as they were not in Israel’s hands at that time. They wanted to kill every Jew in Israel and fill the Mediterranean with their blood.

Gamal Nasser shared, via Cairo radio on May 16, 1967, the Arab’s aim for the Jews:

The existence of Israel has continued too long. We welcome the Israeli aggression. We welcome the battle we have long awaited. The peak hour has come. The battle has come in which we shall destroy Israel.

If you still have doubts, how about this one from the Cairo Radio’s Voice of the Arabs broadcast:

The Zionist barrack in Palestine is about to collapse and be destroyed. Every one of the 100 million Arabs has been living for the past 19 years on one hope—to live to see the day Israel is liquidated … There is no life, no peace nor hope for the gangs of Zionism to remain in the occupied land.

As of today, there no longer exists an international emergency force to protect Israel … The sole method we shall apply against Israel is a total war which will result in the extermination of Zionist existence.

Notice the use of the words “occupied land.” If the conflict only began after Israel won the Six-Day War and the occupation refers only to the West Bank and Gaza, what are they talking about before Israel had the West Bank and Gaza? Clearly the goal, as stated, is to destroy Israel completely, including Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Need more proof?

“Brethren and sons, this is the day of the battle to avenge our martyred brethren who fell in 1948. It is the day to wash away the stigma. We shall, God willing, meet in Tel Aviv and Haifa.”—Radio broadcast by Iraqi President Abdel Rahman Aref.

Now, what does God say? Through the prophet Amos He declares:

” will plant them upon their land, 
   and no more will they be uprooted
   out of their land which I have given them.
   The Lord your God has spoken” (Amos 9:15).

When Abbas tells President Trump that his only issue is the occupation, he is not referring to Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War, but rather to Israel’s victory in the 1948 War of Independence, 69 years ago. Again, Abbas is the president of the PLO, created to destroy Israel before Israel ever took control of the so called occupied territory.

Politicians!

So the concern I have for President Trump, the politician, is that he has many advisers, such as Secretary of State Tillerson and National Security Adviser McMaster, advising him to seek a comprehensive peace deal between the Arabs and Israelis, which will no doubt go against the Word of God. God says He “planted Israel in their own land.” I can only assume they are advising him to use the embassy as a chip and will seek to get something from Israel in exchange for moving the embassy. Already they have called on Israel to transfer more land to the Palestinians in exchange for exactly nothing. This is dangerous.

We need to be praying for President Trump, praying that he has a divine visitation from God regarding Israel and that he is not influenced by well-meaning politicians who think there is a political solution to this spiritual battle. President Truman had to stand alone against the most powerful secretary of state in U.S. history, George Marshall, when he was the first head of state in order to recognize the new state of Israel. May President Trump find similar courage.

Silver Lining

While Trump did say that the conflict was 50 years old, he added two words that were not in his prepared notes. He said, “this crisis, which has dragged on for nearly half a century or more.”

It was a small gesture, as any student of history knows, that the Arab aggression against the Jews returning to Zion goes back nearly 100 years. It was 70 years ago that five Arab nations sought to annihilate Israel in the first few days of her existence. But it did show that President Trump was not unaware of what he was reading.

As believers we need to pray for the president, whom I believe is called to recognize Jerusalem, despite internal and external pressures, and, also, we need to let our voices be heard. Remember, this is a democracy and, if you are American, you have a role to play.

Nothing New

Other than Trump’s historic visit to the Western Wall and the love he is showing for Israel, there hasn’t been a huge difference policy-wise from presidents before him.

• He still thinks the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is the key to Middle East peace, whereas it is clearly Arab aggression going back 100 years and now, radical Islam. If the Arabs had accepted a peace deal with Israel in 1948, we would not have the conflict we have today.
• He wants Israel to give up land for a so-called peace.
• He is pushing for a two-state solution which will most definitely lead to another Islamic terror state like the Iran he so despises, but on Israel’s border.
• Like Bush and Clinton, he has made promises regarding the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving of the embassy and not yet fulfilled them.

The key is prayer. There are spiritual forces at work here.

“For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). {eoa}

Ron Cantor is the director of Messiah’s Mandate International in Israel, a Messianic ministry dedicated to taking the message of Jesus from Israel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Cantor also travels internationally teaching on the Jewish roots of the New Testament. He serves on the pastoral team of Tiferet Yeshua, a Hebrew-speaking congregation in Tel Aviv. Follow him at @RonSCantor on Twitter.

This article originally appeared at .

Ordinarily, when someone gets their life together, congratulations or encouragement of some kind is in order. Amanda Petrusich of The New Yorker seems to think otherwise.

In her article published last week, “Miley Cyrus’s Creepy Return To Wholesomeness,” Petrusich analyzed Cyrus’s new song, “Malibu,” which is, in her opinion, “equal parts bohemian and smarmy.”

Petrusich did not approve of Cyrus’ new direction, mainly because she found that the superstar’s decisions in the past were those of a “creative risk-taker” which made her a “figure to root for.”

In an interview with Billboard, published the first week of May, Cyrus told the reporter that part of her transformation came from her decision to steer clear of substance abuse. She said, “I’m not doing drugs, I’m not drinking, I’m completely clean right now! That was just something that I wanted to do.”

She also explained that she was done with hip-hop for now, mainly because the sexually explicit lyrics typical of the genre were not an accurate representation of how she felt. However, Petrusich decided to interpret this decision in a different light.

“Cyrus’s casual trying-on and discarding of black culture is a function of extraordinary privilege,” Petrusich explained. The musician’s new style, which seems more of a throwback to her teenage songs than anything particularly groundbreaking, “makes her previous embrace of those genres feel … sinister,” in Petrusich’s opinion.

The journalist wanted Miley to return to happier, simpler times, when the artist had broken up with her fiancé, when she was dating a woman and when she stuck her tongue out all the time. Petrusich recalls that in an interview with Cyrus in 2014, she was struck “by how earnest she seemed about everything.” The earnestness displayed itself when Cyrus kept pressing the phone to her face and accidentally pushed buttons on the screen because she was so wrapped up in her own opinions.

Petrusich argued that Cyrus’ return to sobriety and traditional values is stereotypical of what the patriarchal society expects of female pop stars. “Now that she is about to be someone’s wife, she’s settling down, finding a new way to be (or act) virtuous,” the journalist criticized.

Even though Cyrus’ decisions in the past have not exactly been virtuous or exemplary, so far, it seems as though her attempt to clean up her act, both literally and figuratively, has made her a happier person with goals instead of a mindless pop star known only for her twerking abilities. But Petrusich did not like any signs of maturity, and instead painted Cyrus as a feminist who betrayed her cause. She even ends her article with the regretful statement, “It’s hard not to pine for that wagging tongue.”

How dare someone embrace traditional values and grow up! {eoa}

This article originally appeared on .

President Donald Trump has never been happy with the move his predecessor pulled by signing onto the Paris Climate Accords and bypassing Congress with executive orders to effectively enact it.

But the manner in which the Obama administration acted makes it really easy for the president to undo it. And, according to a new report from Axios, that’s exactly what he intends to do—possibly as early as later in the day Wednesday.

The report states:

President Trump has made his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the decision. Details on how the withdrawal will be executed are being worked out by a small team including EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. They’re deciding on whether to initiate a full, formal withdrawal—which could take three years—or exit the underlying United Nations climate change treaty, which would be faster but more extreme.

Why this matters: Pulling out of Paris is the biggest thing Trump could do to unravel Obama’s climate legacy. It sends a combative signal to the rest of the world that America doesn’t prioritize climate change and threatens to unravel the ambition of the entire deal.

The other outliers: The only other two countries that aren’t supporting the deal are Nicaragua and Syria.

How it happened: A letter from 22 Republican Senators (including Mitch McConnell) that called for a clean exit had reinforced Trump’s instincts to withdraw, and the president had been telling confidants over the past week that he was going to pull out.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

The president appeared to confirm the report when he tweeted the following:

I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! {eoa}

While I applaud the fact that there is a great emphasis in many circles on reaching the next generation, we often forget that God also has a plan to use older seasoned leaders as well.

For example, when Abraham was ninety-nine years old God still called him to walk before Him blamelessly and to believe for a son from his own loins (Gen ch17). Moses was eighty years old when God called Him to deliver the Jews from Egypt (Exodus 3; Acts 7). Caleb was eighty when he desired to take his own mountain (Joshua 14:12). Paul the apostle still craved the word of God for study and admonished the church even when he was in his sixties and about to die for his faith (2 Tim 3,4). The apostle John was probably ninety plus years old when he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ on the Isle of Patmos (Rev ch1).

Retirement from the service of God is not biblical. It is important to understand that some of the greatest things we will ever do for God will take place in our latter years. This comes against the mindset of the AMERICAN culture in which people work forty years so they can relax the rest of their life and live off their retirement monies. I have often found that men do not live long after their retirement if they have no sense of purpose. Even in the church, many believers desire to take it easy and fall away from their purpose once they hit their senior years.

The following are 16 contrasts between retirement and a re-firing mindset

1. Retirement mindset looks forward to rest / re-firing mindset looks forward to completing their conquest.

2. Retirement looks forward to a life of ease / re-firing mindset looks forward to a life of empowering others.

3. Retirement looks back on the past for fulfillment / re-firing mindset looks to the future to bring greater glory to God.

4. A Retirement mindset wants to slow down / a re-firing mindset wants to accelerate their assignment.

5. A retirement mindset gives up on releasing their potential / a re-firing mindset focuses on fulfilling their potential.

6. A retirement mindset says that their best years of productivity has passed / a re-firing mindset says the best is yet to come.

7. A retirement mindset lets the youth face their giants alone / a re- firing mindset slays the giants awaiting younger leaders.

8. A retirement mentality lives in natural strength / a re-firing mindset believes God for supernatural ability.

9. A retirement mindset leaves many spiritual orphans in their path / a re-firing mindset nurtures many spiritual sons in their calling.

10. A retirement mindset is self-focused / a re-firing mindset is self-giving.

11. A retirement mindset accomplishes little for the Kingdom / a re-firing mindset accomplishes much in the Kingdom.

12. A retirement mindset builds their latter years on wood, hay and stubble / a re-firing mindset builds their latter years on gold, silver and precious metals (1 Cor.3:10-15).

13. A retirement mindset barely makes it through the fires (1 Cor.3:15) / a re-firing mindset abides with Him in the fire (Isaiah 33:14-15.)

14. A retirement mindset seeks to please themselves until their end / a re-firing mindset seeks to please God until their end.

15. A retirement mindset is not something we should seek to attain even if we retire from one job we should re-fire for the next assignment God has for us.

16. Finally, A retirement mindset goes from glory to mediocre / a re-firing mindset goes from Glory to Glory and Strength to Strength.

At the very end of our earthly sojourn, may we be able to say like the apostle Paul “the time has come for my departure. “7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim.4:6-8). {eoa}

This article originally appeared at .

One of the perils of being someone who speaks on Christianity is that I get asked to pronounce on politics. Given that the more problematic the election the more frequently I’m asked who to vote for, I find myself currently under a lot of pressure. In truth, I don’t think it’s my job to tell anybody whom to vote for, but it’s not unreasonable for me to make suggestions on how to vote.

Underlying the traditional Christian view of politics and society is the idea that all human beings and societies exist on the moral equivalent of the down escalator. If virtues are not constantly reinforced, vices will take over. And in the fervor of electioneering it seems to me that three particular virtues are so threatened that their defense is essential.

The first imperiled virtue is that of truth. Let me remind you that ‘post-truth’ was declared to be the word of the year for 2016. Building on its Jewish roots, Christianity has always upheld the idea—if sadly not always the practice—of truth as a non-negotiable absolute. The supremacy of truth is maintained for us by a God who not only is true in himself but one who judges truthfulness. Inevitably, as God has become a shadowy figure for many, so the high concept of truth is also fading. Elections in particular provide an ideal opportunity for truth to be bent or broken. Increasingly we are offered allegations that are not believed, claims that are not justified and promises that are not meant to be kept. The election-season trends towards unsubstantiated insinuations, imaginary data and downright lies need to be resisted. Voters need to constantly demand the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The second endangered species of virtue is that of justice. I feel we live in days in which justice has not so much been marginalized as redefined. The older concept of justice used to mean the ideal of righteousness or fairness for all. Justice was an uncomfortable virtue that came with a price tag. After all, to demand justice was to risk the possibility that you personally might have to pay for it. Today’s concept of justice is very different and all too often little more than a legitimized selfishness. To say you “want justice” today is often little more than to demand more and better privileges for yourself. Yet although we may—quite rightly—fight shy of any notion of equality for all, we do need to seek for the good of more than just a few. The natural trend in societies is for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer, resulting in a pyramid that is increasingly unstable. That trend must be combated by the moral force of justice. In the Old Testament book of Amos, the prophet commands, ‘Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream!’ (Amos 5:24). We need to seek justice for those within our nation who have not been given a fair deal by society and for those beyond it who suffer the injustice of poverty and exploitation in many forms. We also need a sense of justice for posterity: We should not loot or damage our world for our wealth and leave future generations to pay the price.

Finally, can I also make a plea for the preservation of grace? Grace is the love for others. Grace is the disinfectant that stops the spread of those diseases of anger, hatred and bitterness that are so virulent at election time. Yet grace goes further: It encourages forgiveness, gentleness and courtesy. Without grace, it’s all too easy to drag political debate down into a grubby tussle in the gutter.

Are we in post-truth times? Possibly. But truth is not the only threatened virtue: At election time, neither justice or grace flourish. Those of us who are Christians must stand up for all three virtues. But even those who do not subscribe to our faith, or perhaps any other, should also consider them. If the voices of truth, justice and grace are reduced to a whisper in society, then the next sounds we hear may be the roar of the mob. {eoa}

As paramedics prepared to take Taliesin Myrrdin Namkai-Meche from the Portland train where he’d been stabbed by a man on a hate-filled rant, he wanted the other passengers to know one thing: “Tell everyone on this train I love them.”

Namkai-Meche, 23, was one of three men who stood up and put himself in harm’s way. He died at a hospital from his wounds. Rick Best, 53, an Army veteran and father of four, died on the train. Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, was injured but survived the attack.

The men were “angels walking among us,” said Rachel Macy, a passenger who witnessed the scene and prayed with Namkai-Meche as he lay bleeding on the floor.

The alleged attacker, Jeremy Joseph Christian, stepped onto the train and began screaming about “colored people” running the city and that he had rights as a taxpayer, The Oregonian reports. He also made anti-Muslim remarks.

Best, Namkai-Meche and Fletcher put themselves between the attacker and two teenage girls who appeared to be the target of the abuse, Macy said. They tried to get him to calm down and agree to leave the train, but Christian kept shouting.

At some point, according to Macy, one of the men tried to move Christian who then struck out, stabbing the men.

Fletcher got off the train, holding his neck. A man who identified himself as a veteran applied pressure to his wound and called his family. Fletcher is in the hospital and expected to make a full recovery.

Best fell almost immediately, Macy said.

Namkai-Meche staggered forward and said, “I’m going to die.”

Macy told him to lie down and gave him her tank top, which he pressed against the wound.

“I just kept telling him, ‘You’re not alone. We’re here,'” Macy said. “‘What you did was total kindness You’re such a beautiful man. I’m sorry the world is so cruel.'”

She then told him “pray with me,” and she prayed for the wounded man and his family. About 20 minutes after he was taken from the train, Macy learned the young man had died.

The next night, she met his family, who thanked her for “being a mama to our boy in that moment.”

Macy said she only did what had to be done: “I just kept thinking this is someone’s child.” {eoa}

Copyright The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

I am finalizing this word while in Jerusalem, just before Pentecost, where we remember the glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room that birthed and launched the church. The Lord has been speaking to me much about the coming breakout of heaven over us this upcoming summer.

It has been so inspirational being here in Jerusalem with so much history taking place and being revisited. My own journey with the Holy Spirit began 50 years ago as I was baptized in the Holy Spirit the same year Jerusalem came back under Israel rule. 1967 gave us ‘The Summer of Love,’ and now, 50 years later, we are going to get ‘The Summer of the Dove.’

I believe that starting this Pentecost, we will experience a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is connected to an unprecedented release of new songs and sounds of heaven. We really need it. These songs and sounds will pierce the atmosphere with the Holy Spirit’s new marching rhythms.

This Pentecost season connects us to the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem miraculously and stunningly coming back under Israel authority after more than 2,000 years. Jerusalem and Israel’s resurrected destiny is totally tied into an increase of the work of the Holy Spirit. We are now about to “go double” on what is being poured out by the Dove. It is also connected to the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

This Pentecost also represents the 111th Pentecost since the Azusa Street Revival that has changed the world forever. Before that outpouring, the percentage of Christians with a defined encounter or baptism in the Holy Spirit did not reach even .1 percent of believers. Now there are an estimated 700 million “Spirit-filled” believers, meaning that almost 1 in every 10 people on the planet has had an encounter or baptism with the Holy Spirit that goes beyond just “saying the sinner’s prayer”. This is an almost astronomical reality that is becoming the progressive game-changer of all game-changers on our planet.

Now another significant Acts 2:17 outpouring of the Holy Spirit is about to take place. He is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and prophetic songs and sounds are forthcoming.

Songs That Usher in Reformation and Renaissance

I have been aware that our worship songs of recent years have not captured the prophetic ascendancy that has been available. By that I mean, that though there have been amazing songs over the last few years, they have lagged behind in prophetic maturity and declaration. Anointed worship songs and anthems are often 10 or more years ahead of where the advancing church is. This has not been recently the case.

There have been great songs of overcoming fear and great songs of our Father’s love for us—both very needed, yet limited prophetic seeing into this day of Reformation and Renaissance. For the last couple of years, I have been declaring the availability of these songs for the anointed psalmists, but I have seen a vision of these songs as the fruit at the top of a tree that we have never climbed to.

The low-hanging fruit satisfied, and so a higher place was not sought out. Part of the reason for this is that we have become quite content with the new formula for the new worship songs, and that has hindered the high creativity and thus the high anointing that was available to be accessed. Don’t get me wrong: Worship songs have been fine, but there has been a higher level available. This will not be held back anymore.

The coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit is going to make those high treetop places more readily accessible, but songbirds and songwriters are still going to have to break out of the safe formulaic box and go there and get it. The more successful you presently are, the more unlikely you are to break out of your mold, and so many of the new songs are likely to come from previously unknown sources. The invitation, of course, is to all.

Find the rarefied air in the Spirit and then respond to what you have encountered. There is another dimension and perspective of His heart towards us yet available to be accessed, and when it is found, it will carry a presence power that will literally melt the hearts of the masses. Our new praise to Him will come out of that new revelation of His expanded heart towards us.

Sounds That Bring Heavenly Accelerant

We are going to be greatly propelled by the new songs and the new sounds of heaven that are coming to us and it is going to add heavenly accelerant to the body of Christ. These songs will release new hope, new faith, new joy, new vision and new love. Justice and liberty will ring out from the very sounds that are captured and released.

The new sounds, the new beats and the new rhythms will at times feel like an approaching or a departing train—and I say that prophetically without fully knowing what that means, but I can feel it coming in. It all ties in to the reformation glory train (my first prophetic word of 2017) that is coming into this nation and into the nations of the world. We will have expanded definitions of the love and the glory of the Lord, because we haven’t seen anything yet compared to what is coming.

Heaven is about to show up and show off outside of the four walls of the church, and every stage on the planet will be a divine target. Jesus told us, “You are the light of the world, not just “You are the light of the church.” We are going to learn to run with this as we have never done before. The seven mountains of society (media, economy, government, education, family, arts and religion) are going to be progressively invaded by the King’s kids who understand that narrative and the day we live in. It is not about “domination” of the mountains, it is about loving, anointed, creative, innovative influence on the mountains.

God has a better way for everything. Toss out all end-time expectations of doom and gloom. Yes, we will have intense resistance, and in many nations significant persecution will abound. However, in the midst of all these realities, the kingdom of God will be the prevailing dynamic.

We have just begun an extended period of the most aggressive “kingdom” advancement ever, and we are going to march to the beat of the sound of the incoming reformation glory train. The most dramatic Renaissance period in history is unveiling before our eyes, and ultimately, it will restore the face of God to society in a creative and innovative display that the church has never seen.

In the upcoming “Summer of the Dove,’ the songs and sounds of heaven are going to help us get on board with a new level of agreement. The new soundtrack of heaven is imperative to accompany the new showtime heaven has planned for Earth. Make sure you position yourself at this time to receive the new double-portion outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Make sure you carry the new wineskin of reformation of society that is required to hold this fresh anointing from heaven.

Psalmists, minstrels, song writers, musicians, house of David—you are vital at this time. You must receive the new soundtrack of heaven that is going to accompany the new “show-time” on earth for the kingdom of God. {eoa}

Johnny Enlow is a social reformer, international speaker, spiritual mentor and author of The Seven Mountain Prophecy, The Seven Mountain Mantle, and Rainbow God. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are focused on awakening individuals to their call to provide practical solutions from the heart of God for every problem in society—until the real God of all of life is displayed in the seven primary areas of culture in all nations: media, arts and entertainment, government, family, religion, economy and education.