Explaining the gospel to your kids might appear to be a complicated task that takes a theology degree. However, that’s simply not true! Whether you have your own children, serve in children’s ministry at church or are close with children in your family and friend groups, you can explain the gospel to them this Easter Sunday.

Watch videos with them that explain the entire story of Easter.

You can answer any questions they might have and dive into a deeper discussion of who Jesus is after watching. One resource is “The Story of Easter (Jesus’ Sacrifice)” done by Saddleback Kids. In the past five years, this video has accumulated over 38 million views, and explains the entire Easter story from beginning to end and doesn’t take anything from the gospel, while still presenting the message in a way they can understand.

Do activities that will give kids an age-appropriate visual representation of what the gospel is all about.

Many children are visual learners, so doing activities that are age-appropriate but show the true message of the gospel can be a great way to get them involved with the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. You can create a skit using props or puppets to demonstrate the story of Holy week, from Jesus riding a donkey, to Judas collecting payment for betraying Jesus and more.

If you’re not one for acting, you can always read a book about Easter, which is the most important story they’ll ever hear. You can still be animated with your hand gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice. Superbook’s “He is Risen!” is a great choice for explaining the gospel. Working on coloring pages, crafting cross ornaments, building dioramas or making Easter treats that resemble items from Scripture are a good way to create a dialogue about the meaning behind the activity.

Have communion and foot washing with your older kids and set up a Passover Seder meal.

Older children who may already understand the background of the gospel might connect better with the message of Christ through actively engaging in these traditions that Christ Himself did with the disciples. This is a great time to explain why Jesus told the disciples to take communion, what it represents and how this is a reflection of who He is and how He loved the world so much that He willingly gave Himself up for us. Do a foot washing as well to share with the kids how we are to serve others and love in the same way that Christ loved us. You can accompany these activities with a Passover Seder meal that will teach them how Jesus was foreshadowed in the Old Testament and how His sacrifice fulfilled the Law.

Sharing the gospel with children is just as important as it is to share the gospel with adults. Jesus told us that we should have childlike faith (Matt. 18:2-5). The world will take any chance it can get to spread darkness into the hearts of children. However, Christians are called to be the light of the world. Why not plant this seed of light into the hearts of God’s beloved little ones?

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

All over the world Christians celebrate Easter every spring. But for the new believer, discarding the ideas that this holiday is based on bunnies, eggs and candy is critical for experiencing all that God has for them at this time of year.

1. Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

The most important thing to know about Easter is that it’s not about a fictitious rabbit who brings candies and other treats to children in plastic eggs (thank goodness). Easter is really what many Christians know as Resurrection Sunday. After dying on the cross for the sins of the world on Good Friday (more on that in a bit), Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, Sunday. This is what makes our faith valid. Without the resurrection, death would not have been conquered. The entire basis for Christianity is that Jesus is alive today! There is no other religion in the entire world that shows God to be so merciful as to give Himself up for humanity—and none so powerful that He was able to defeat death itself. Because of this resurrection, we now can have eternal life with God.

“Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1).

Mary was the first person to see that the stone had been rolled away. The stones to seal up tombs were not light, but rather incredibly heavy and would’ve taken more than one or two men to roll away. To see a tomb with a stone rolled away is a major deal! Jesus foreshadowed His own grave stone would be rolled away when He raised Lazarus up from the dead, needing the tombstone to be rolled away.

“He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the cloth that was around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped in a place by itself” (John 20:6-7).

Peter and John saw the grave clothes Jesus was wearing neatly put in the tomb—something only Jesus Himself would’ve done.

At this time, Jesus’ followers didn’t understand that Jesus had risen from the dead until He appeared directly to them.

“On the evening of that first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were then glad when they saw the Lord (John 20:19-20).

By presenting Himself to them as fully and completely alive after His death, Jesus changed everything for the disciples and for all of humanity forever. Eternal death no longer had to be ours.

2. Good Friday wasn’t very good for Jesus. However, it was the most sacrificial and loving thing anyone has ever done for us.

This is the day Jesus died on the cross. Unfortunately, we live in a society that downplays the actual pain and torment of everything He went through for us. There even seems to be an unspoken misconception about how painful dying on the cross really was. Jesus was flogged before He ever took to the cross. He had a crown of thorns beat into His skull and He had to carry the massive structure of the cross up to Golgotha where He would have thick nails hammered into His hands and feet. To be nailed to the cross meant a struggle for breath that would only make the pain of the nails that much worse. I don’t think any of us would be willing to go through all this pain to take on the crimes of someone else—including our enemies. However, through His shed blood, the payment for our sins was justified.

“And the veil of the temple was torn in the middle” (Luke 23:45).

The tearing of the veil in the temple is more than just a random occurrence that happened when Jesus died. This meant that sin’s separation between God and man was removed. All people now had the opportunity to enter into relationship with the heavenly Father.

3. The lesser known “Maundy Thursday” is a very important day in the grand scheme of the Christian faith.

This is the night of the Last Supper between Jesus and His disciples. This is when the first communion was taken as Jesus led the disciples through it.

“Then He took the bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ In like manner, He took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood which is shed for you’ (Luke 22:19-20).

This is the same night that Jesus washed the disciples feet as a sign of His cleansing power against sin and as a model for how we should serve others. Jesus was later betrayed by His disciple, Judas, arrested and saw the disciples flee in fear, including His friend Peter. This was such an intense night that Jesus actually sweat blood and asked His heavenly Father if what was to come for Him on the cross could be taken away, but prayed “not My will, but Yours, be done.” This night was the beginning of everything to come on Jesus’ journey to the cross.

4. Jesus’ week of fulfilling prophecy began on Palm Sunday when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

The Sunday before Jesus died on the cross, He came into Jerusalem riding a donkey and people scattered palm branches on the ground. Why is this significant? Because this event was foretold in the book of Zechariah in the Old Testament.

“See, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and able to deliver, he is humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the offspring of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).

The King of Kings had come, and He was on His way to save His people, even if they didn’t fully know what that looked like at the time.

The crowds that went before Him and that followed Him cried out:

“‘Hosanna to the Son of David! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna in the highest!'” (Matt. 21:9).

5. Jesus’ death and resurrection isn’t meant to be remembered once a year.

Just because we take a moment once a year to collectively celebrate what Jesus did for us doesn’t mean we only think about His death and resurrection once a year. We are to remember daily who He is and what He did for us. He gave up everything to cleanse us from sin and have eternal life with God. There is no one else who could do that, but because of His love for us, He gave everything for us. So, take time each day to thank Him for what He did so you could experience true freedom and love.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

This Easter Sunday, take your CEO to church. And no, I don’t exactly mean your company’s boss.

For many people, church is something they only visit a couple times a year: Christmas and Easter. And for many more, the thought of stepping foot into a church at these two busiest times a year is scary and unpredictable. Not knowing other people, deciding which church is the right fit, fear of judgment and so many other thoughts can easily creep into someone’s mind when trying to decide if it’s even worth walking through the church doors.

So, instead, take up the charge and invite someone to go to church with you.

Last year, Rasmussen reported that 42% of Americans planned on attending church for Easter service, which was up from pandemic levels. Many people are just now leaving behind the fear of being in the public square, so it’s quite possible that the number of people planning to attend Easter service will climb even higher this year.

However, just because more people are planning on going to church for Easter doesn’t mean that we should be happy with this statistic. The other 58% may be the most critical for having the gospel spread across our nation. This is something even my own pastor discussed recently. If we are called to be the light of the world, we can’t hide it underneath a basket. We have to be the light to a dark world!

This is the time when regular church-goers should be inviting the people around them to Easter service, especially those who may be hesitant to walk through the doors any other day of the year. In 2018 Pew Research found that 28% of Christians haven’t found a home church. Why not invite a friend who might be hoping to find one?

Go a step further and make yourself present to the people you invited on the day of the service. It eliminates the scary, “will everyone be judging me?” feeling that many people first feel when they go to a new church. I found myself in this position after moving across the country. After attending a church service, I met another young lady around my age who invited me to a service for young adults. She didn’t just invite me—she met me there, took me around the church, had me meet people and spent her time at the service with me. There, I met some great friends who were kind and compassionate with open hearts and arms to receive me. Just the small fact that someone made the effort to reach out to me has made a major difference in my life.

I encourage you, too to reach out to someone else this Easter. You never know the kind of impact you may have on them.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

A few weeks ago, a video surfaced on YouTube called, “I Got Kicked Out of an LGBTQ Church.” What it revealed was even more shocking than a simple disconnect between the LGBTQ community and Christianity.

Bo Dittle, a Christian and conservative YouTuber went to Unity Church of the Cumberlands in Tennessee to listen to the sermon and ask questions, aware of the fact that the church was strongly aligned with the LGTBQ community. During the interview with the church’s pastor, a very simple question arose: “What do you believe as a Christian? Are you biblically born again?”

“We interpret what Jesus actually meant, not what’s been misinterpreted,” the pastor said.

This was an interesting point to bring up, especially since the answer in Scripture is pretty clear. During his meeting with Nicodemus, Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” (John 3:3). Nicodemus didn’t fully understand this principle either, which led to the most famous lines in all of Scripture:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that world through Him might be saved,” (John 3:16-17).

To be born again means to know the Son.

As the video continued, phrases like “The truth will set you free,” were used without the acceptance that Jesus tells us “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” showing a clear twisting of Scripture. It was also not uncommon to hear “We are all part of the same Christ-consciousness,” “We just interpret it differently,” which revealed the comment that the story of Christ is about finding the story within “me.”

This exposed something much deeper than an LGBTQ agenda. That is merely a blanket. The deeper root of the issue is steeped in universalism and a “me-centered gospel.” People genuinely believe they have found a way to receive love without understanding what love actually is. Love isn’t just something which permits us to hold tight to sin, but rather it is the acknowledgement that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. We did not give the ultimate sacrifice for ourselves or for all of mankind, but rather He became sin who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God.

This universalist LGBTQ agenda doesn’t only cover up sin, but allows people to cling onto the pain of their past. When Dittle was asked if he was a “fundamentalist” by a man in the church, the man expressed the hurt he experienced growing up in the Baptist church.

And this might exactly be why universalist, LGBTQ churches are so appealing to many. Vision Cathedral, whose flagship church is located in Atlanta with two other properties in L.A. and Raleigh, recently spoke with NBC about their mostly LGBTQ church. The male bishop is married to another man, and Vision Cathedral’s “about page” describes more of their activism than their doctrinal values about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and there certainly is no mention of sin and the reason for Christ’s atonement on the cross.

This is a group of people who are desiring more of the kingdom. However, the concept of crucifying the flesh, picking up the cross and following Him are either presented by many pastors so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings. If nearly half of all LGBTQ people are religious, then they need the truth of the gospel just like the rest of us. We all have sin issues, and all of us need the same Jesus. There’s no point in watering something down for one group of people just because it seems pleasing to those who don’t want to know about Jesus.

The church is meant to be a place of healing for the sick, not a meeting spot for the healthy. Healing can only come through the form of laying everything down in front of Jesus with a repentant heart, willing to give up doing things our own way and start allowing them to be Lord over their life.

At the end of the video a woman volunteers to show Dittle the “rainbow room,” and the members rise up in fury, one man pushing Dittle out the door, saying “I’m not the minister,” and “I’m not the church.” This action and statement put together is revealing in more than one way. A true church doesn’t cling to sin, but realizes that we are Christ’s body; we are the church. Now it’s time to step up, shed the truth of the gospel to those who are searching for it and refuse to fall for the apostasy of a watered-down version of truth. We all have fallen short of the glory of God, but there is a place of real healing, redemption and eternal life which only comes through Jesus Christ.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

One of Chris Reed’s prophetic words on “Boxes, Biden and billionaires” seems finally to be coming to pass as classified documents from the Biden administration are found. However, Reed says there’s a significance to this prophecy as it regards Chinese involvement in American affairs.

“I saw boxes being opened and I saw the words smoking gun that will prove without a doubt Chinese involvement, Chinese money involved with Biden’s campaign,” Reed shared from his prophetic word in his exclusive interview with Charisma News. “And not only that, but secrets being exposed even through the courts and House of Representatives. Inquiries that will shock the world. Boxes, boxes, boxes, remember that. Boxes, boxes, boxes in Biden and billionaires. Boxes, Biden and billionaires.”

The documents that Biden has date back prior to his presidency, meaning he obtained these documents before having the power to declassify them.

“Biden had documents back from when he was vice president, which was back at least 15 years…meaning he had documents they never should have had, and the vice president does not have the same power the president does to declassify,” Reed said.

Beyond Biden’s actions coming to light, Reed shared several other prophetic words that he either has seen come to pass, or believes they will happen soon. One of the most shocking is an oil spill in Florida that would be Ron DeSantis’ third test to hold office on a national level.

“I saw an oil spill coming in Florida, that would either happen this year or shortly thereafter, and 2023 or thereafter. That would be a third test for Ron DeSantis to be promoted for future office in Washington, D.C.” Reed said.

Reed believes DeSantis’ first test came in the form of how he handled the COVID pandemic. The second test was Hurricane Ian. Reed also believes there will be more sudden deaths in 2023 related to vaccinations.

“More will continue to die suddenly in bizarre and unexpected ways…the term sudden death will grow more and more. Then, a major figure will suddenly die.”

The prophetic words that Reed shared are more than just recaps of events that happened or words to worry people about what might be coming. They’re specific insights that God gave to Reed that he wrote down and dated and later received confirmation about before the events happened. One of those most recent prophecies that came to pass was Reed’s prophecy about the shaking of New York, which manifested as an earthquake in Buffalo.

“It’s from April 21, 2019. And it’s about the earthquakes. And it’s, I said unusual, natural shaking, earthquakes and seismic activity will begin to happen in unthinkable places,” Reed said. “At the top there in November I saw New York shaking, and that this would be a significant news story. And so then, you know…New York area is hit with the strongest earthquake in 40 years. I can’t help but think that this is a significant prophecy.”

Reed discussed in depth how the Lord was showing him a shift in the heavens and the earth as it is related in Joel 2:30 (MEV) which reads: “Then I will work wonders in the heavens and the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke.” If you continue further, verse 31 reads: “The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awe-inspiring day of the Lord comes.”

Reed’s prophecies show that the Lord will continue to shake things up as we draw near to the last days. To hear more of what Chris Reed had to say about prophecies that might play out in 2023, click here.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

“What an honor it is to be here. Revival’s real! It isn’t just a story we’ve heard about. It’s come, and it’s not just come here today, but it’s about to spread out to the nations. It’s about to spread out to the United States,” a young man identified as ‘Gage’ proclaimed during the revival.

After traveling for over six and a half hours to get to the Asbury Revival, Gage and his friends didn’t know what they would find. What happened was God used an ordinary young man to give an extraordinary message to fan the flame of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring.

Through all the videos showing the praise and worship, prayer and from sermons, it’s clear the Holy Spirit has been working on the hearts of all those who have come near and far to see the Asbury revival taking place. And one particular testimony stands out. Multiple videos have been shared on TikTok and YouTube about the testimony of ‘Gage’ who bravely spoke during the revival’s early hours. God tugged on his heart about what is happening there and what He is doing.

“We’ve been learning about revival, but I’ve never seen it. I didn’t even know it was real,” Gage says.

When the young students arrived at Asbury, they noticed how quiet everything was before the chapel service started. Some students were even sleeping. This led Gage to question what revival was supposed to look like. When chapel started, he received an answer to his question.

“God said revival isn’t hype. It’s ordinary people who are hungry.”

When the Holy Spirit nudged him to go up to the altar, Gage looked around. He saw old and young praying together as the full room worshipped Christ in spirit and truth.

“And He’s like, go to the altar, and I go to the altar and worship starts. And He’s like ‘This is revival. Look left.’ And I look left and there’s this young college woman getting prayed over by an older woman. And He says, ‘Look right,’ and then there’s this young guy praying over an older guy. And He says, ‘Look behind you,’ and everyone’s just raising their hands. And He said, ‘Gage, this is revival. It isn’t hype. It’s ordinary people crying out for a move of God in our generation.”

Students roared over the testimony of this young man’s words, and the video shows a clear power and authority that overtakes him as he started to declare God’s hope and promise to do great and mighty things for this generation. Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. What an amazing prophecy for this young man to say that revival is coming to the whole world!

Part of what made Gage’s words so powerful was the inclusion of his own personal testimony. A year and a half ago, he left behind everything from his past to follow Christ, and he admits that it is incomparably the best decision of his entire life. Because he has personally experienced such a transformation, he was able to encourage the other students at Asbury to keep their eyes on the prize of Christ.

“Forget the job, forget the girl, forget the guy, forget everything, He’s worthy! He’s worthy!” Gage exclaimed.

This young man’s story is just one of many that God cultivated at the Asbury revival. What’s incredible to see is where God is choosing for revival to break out: the college campus. For so long it seems as though we’ve seen news about the decline of university culture across the country as a place of indoctrination, and that Gen Z is now long gone because of the ideologies they’ve been exposed to on the campus. Asbury is proof that not all colleges and not all young people are lost. Instead, God is mounting up many with wings as eagles so they may run and not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31). He is pouring out His Spirit on anyone who is willing to abandon themselves in heart, mind, body, soul and spirit to Him.

Gage said it best when he said that revival was already here. When Jesus hung on the cross and said “It is finished,” all sin, sickness, disease, hardened hearts—everything that plagues us—had been paid in full. He took it upon Himself. He took up those things so that we could be free and experience a life of victory. Why wouldn’t revival be part of that victory?

It’s this kind of revival that spreads and draws people out of darkness. Matthew 24:14 is very clear about how things will happen: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” What a perfect time we are living in for the kingdom of God to be preached, and for it to be seen as it is at the Asbury revival. Hearts are being prepared so we can say, “Lord Jesus, come.”

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

The spark of spiritual renewal that the Asbury revival caused has sent a wave across the nation. The last revival service was held on Asbury University’s campus on Feb. 23, the same day as the Collegiate Day of Prayer. And for the first time ever, every college campus in America had someone committed to praying over it before the event started.

“For the first time in CDOP history, every college campus has been adopted in prayer BEFORE the appointed day,” the collegiate day of prayer website stated. “Even though every campus has been adopted, we want to saturate every single campus in America with prayer. We want to see this generation raised up in revival and awakening.”

All 4,196 colleges had been “adopted” for prayer with over 6,000 participants who were willing to stand in the gap for the students on each campus.

There truly is something unique that is happening as thousands of young adults have been coming to the feet of Jesus and casting away their burdens for a new life with the risen King all across America.

During the final night of the Asbury revival, students shared their testimonies of how their lives have been changed during the revival.

Senior and gospel choir member Nina Marla has been part of the movement since it first took off during the chapel service on Feb. 8.

“I was a part of the gospel choir and we were just feeling led by the Spirit to just continue in song and worship and prayer,” Marla said. “And it kind of felt like 10 minutes but then three hours later I just felt the Spirit to tell me to just look around and the same 20 students stayed…I just decided to just ask the Holy Spirit what was happening and what I needed to be interceding for. And so I just heard Him say that first, ‘Just pray for your peers to be obedient to stay and come, and just spread the word.’ And the second wave was just to ask for forgiveness for the things that we’ve done against each other. And also just grudges we had against each other and toward the institution. And then the third one, the third wave was just joy. And confession. From confession comes joy.”

Marla explained that as students started to pour in during the fourth hour of the first day of revival, there was excitement and joy from the freedom that Christ was providing for them. Another student shared how she was finally set free from the depression and anxiety that had plagued her entire life during the revival.

“For over half of my life my identity has resided in my depression and in my anxiety,” the student shared. “For the first time in my life I actually left all of that at the feet of Jesus.”

She shared how afterward for four days she experienced no anxiety or depression, and when those things did return to her, they had no power to be the controller over her life.

“My identity comes first from Christ, and my daughtership in Him,” the Asbury student shared. Two things in particular were shown to her through the revival: how great and holy God is over every situation, and knowing that she belongs to Christ.

“My God is bigger than I thought He was because my God is bigger than my depression, and my God is bigger than my anxiety, and my story can be your story because God died on the cross for anxiety and depression to set us free. He walked out of the grave and you can too because I did,” the student shared.

The power of the testimonies, prayers and praise that came out of Asbury are stretching across the nation, and the hope for the next generation has been ignited. This generation has not been lost but redeemed. God is still a miracle-working God who is in the business of transforming hearts and lives all around us. He paid for all the troubles, all the worries and all the sins of this generation. What’s even better, the young are realizing everything He’s done for them as they are coming in spirit and in truth to Him.

Joel 2:28 (MEV) clearly states: “And it will be that, afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on the menservants and maidservants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.”

How incredible and glorious the Lord is. The Asbury revival seems to be the beginning of this great outpouring in this generation to see and know that the works of the Lord are magnificent and He alone is worthy. We can only now see what God will do next through colleges across the nation as He answers the prayers of the righteous for an outburst of His Spirit.

To watch the final Asbury revival, click here.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

The executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention removed Saddleback Church from SBC affiliation over the church’s decision to hire a female pastor. Saddleback, which was started by Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, is one of the biggest churches in the convention with plants in California and internationally.

The decision concluded that the church was in violation of a core tenet of the SBC’s values. After Warren retired, Andy Wood and his wife, Stacie, took over with Andy as the lead pastor. However, because of Stacie’s role as a “teaching pastor,” the church was found to be “not in friendly cooperation” with the necessary credentials for ministry under the Southern Baptist Convention, according to Baptist Press.

Section six of the SBC’s Baptism and Faith Message discusses the role of the church, which reads: “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

This is not the first time that Saddleback has found themselves in the hot seat with the SBC as Warren himself ordained other females to become pastors back in 2021, as reported by Charisma News. It was Warren himself who had the idea to ordain three female pastors after months of discussion with Saddleback’s elders.

The rocky relationship between Saddleback Church and the SBC continued when Andy and Stacie first took over as leaders of the church, with no intention of Stacie having a small role.

“The church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts,” Wood said. “My wife has the spiritual gift of teaching and she is really good. People often tell me she’s better than me when it comes to preaching, and I’m really glad to hear that.”

As the AP noted, Saddleback’s elders released a statement which read: “We love and have always valued our relationship with the SBC and its faithful churches. We will engage and respond through the proper channels at the appropriate time in hopes to serve other like-minded Bible believing SBC churches. Meanwhile, we remain focused on following God’s leadership to love and serve our church family and the communities around our campuses.”

Warren took to social media to give a quick update to his followers.

“Friends worldwide,” Warren wrote on Facebook, “I’m so touched by your love! Kay & I love you back! We’ll respond to #SBC in OUR time & way thru direct channels.”

During his final message as lead pastor of Saddleback Church, Warren encouraged his congregation about the coming changes.

“Whatever project you’re starting, begin with the end in mind. That’s called being purpose driven. You know your purpose in advance. And we knew from the very beginning what kind of church this was going to be,” Warren said.

It is currently unclear if Saddleback will make an appeal to the SBC about their decision. Four other churches were also found to be uncooperative for having female pastors in Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi and Kentucky.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

There’s only one way that a person could ever have the strength and capacity to forgive an abuser. And it’s this power—Holy Spirit power—that Meghan French came to know personally through her relationship with Jesus Christ.

“I realized just how deeply I needed Jesus to save me because I had tried therapy, I tried so many things up until then to help me heal and move on and forgive, but it was all superficial,” French said on Fox News’ ‘Ainsley’s Bible Study.’

French found it impossible to let go of the trauma she endured from sexual abuse before coming to Christ. Unfortunately, stories like hers describe the experience of millions of women. In 2021, the World Health Organization estimated that “1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.” However, through God’s redeeming love and mercy, both French and her abuser became Christians where they’ve each found forgiveness and freedom.

“I was so happy and not only the relief that…he also found God too, but that he’s also forgiven by Jesus,” French said.

Two other women who joined the Bible study, Annabella Rockwell and Ambar Miniel Sanchez, also shared how the power of God has transformed their lives for the better. Rockwell was distancing herself from her family and Christ when she attended a liberal university. However, God answered her mother’s prayers, and she dedicated her life to Jesus. Sanchez, on the other hand, had to make the decision of whether or not she would proclaim Jesus’ name during her graduation speech at Miami Dade College despite the disapproval of her advisor.

“When I gave my speech and I was saying, ‘Thank you, Jesus,’ the whole crowd started clapping, and I was so shocked,” Sanchez told Fox.

Stories like these are a beautiful testament of how God can take a life of ashes and turn it into something gorgeous that shouts praises of joy. But these are just a few examples of how God is moving in the hearts of women across the nation.

Charisma magazine reported on the monumental movement Jenny Weaver’s Core Group is igniting inside of each of the women in the group. The gatherings of the Core Group are both online and in-person, including conferences. Starting with a few hundred women, the group has exploded into thousands—all within less than a year.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of being saved,” Weaver told Charisma.

Just as Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons and she then spent her life after that following Him even to the empty tomb, God is still in the business of touching and restoring the lives of women today. In Matthew 9:22 (MEV) Jesus tells the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years “Daughter, be of good comfort. Your faith has made you well.” Jesus simply wants our faith placed in Him. From there, He will do what only He as Almighty God can do.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.

A primary school in Chesapeake, Virginia, allowed the local satanic temple to proceed with after school activities for the After School Satan Club following pushback from parents. Now, the school is dealing with two email threats made against it for allowing the club to commence.

B.M. Williams Primary School went forward with the club after it was put on pause in December 2022 and January 2023. Previously, the After School Satan Club (ASSC) was supposed to give a security fee for any issues that may come as a direct effect of the club’s presence at the school, however, this requirement was thrown out in order to treat it the same as the Christian after school club, the Good News Club.

The director of the Satanic Temple’s After School Club, June Everett, said that she hoped the meeting would be, “…a joyful, enriching experience for the children.”

While it is the goal for those involved with the Satanic After School Clubs to see this as a religious freedom that should be allowed as any other religious organizational gathering, parents and members of the community are truly afraid of the spiritual consequences that could come from allowing a group like this into their children’s lives. The Satanic group, however, tried to convince families that they aren’t converting children and that Satan is just ‘imaginary.’

Volunteer Rose Bastet said, “I understand the apprehension behind the satanic name, but he is just an imaginary figure that we look to because he is the eternal rebel that fought for justice and humanity.”

The club was promised that they would be allowed to have additional meetings that would make up for the last two months when they were supposed to originally start.

As of late February, the club’s controversy continues as the school received a bomb threat. The school, a Chesapeake school board member, the club’s organizer and the Chesapeake Public Schools superintendent were mentioned in the email threat.

The email read: “You are evil, there is no other way to put it. You promote devil worship and unIslamic values.”

As a result of this threat, the school made the decision to release students early for their safety. However, a second email was received the following day, which appeared to come from a different email address.

It’s almost unfathomable that we live in a day and age when people would argue that Satan is a fairy tale who represents good. It’s also unimaginable that someone would believe threatening a school and individuals would be the proper course of action to stop darkness.

The truth is, there really is a spiritual battle taking place all around us. That’s why the apostle Paul admonished us to put on our spiritual armor every day. Both the After School Satan Club and the emails insinuating bomb threats are disturbing pieces of news as they capitalize on the destructive nature of the enemy and his hate toward God’s children.

We must ask: if the purpose of the Satanic club isn’t to convert children, then what is the purpose? If that isn’t the point of the club, then why did it pop up as a response to a Christian after school club? And why would something as evil as bomb threats occur only after Satan was given access to the school?

At the end of the day each one of us will have to give an account to God for your every action. He will either say “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or “I never knew you. Depart from me.” Playing with fire—with Satanic fire—will have serious consequences. If we are to pray for our enemies, why not also pray for those who are being used by the enemy, both parties from the Satanic temple and those sending the threats, that they may escape the snare of hell by their eyes being opened to the truth? There is no one that God cannot turn around. Those who are used by the enemy greatly against God can be transformed into the greatest weapons for God. And above all, let’s pray for the protection of the children who do not know what is happening around them and why their world has been turned inside-out. God has plans and purposes for each of them, and it is not His desire for any to be led astray.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.