International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) has officially announced via press release the staggered closure of ministries in the wake of the sexual and spiritual abuse scandal involving founder Mike Bickle.

While reports the day prior to the press release had originated from emails and audio from IHOPKC sources, the organization has confirmed that certain closures are happening:

After much prayer and deliberation with the Board, we have come to the conclusion that we will wind down many of the ministry and training expressions of IHOPKC, including IHOPU, Forerunner Church, CEC, and Internships. Our ongoing focus as a ministry will remain on the 24/7 prayer room and intercession for Israel.

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The press release confirms that the reasoning for this is the unmitigated disaster that has been the revelation and response to the abuse suffered by those at the hands of Bickle, and the loss of funding as a result of it:

Some might ask how we got to this point. To be clear, this is more than a response to the crisis of the last six months. After thorough examination of all aspects of IHOPKC, we have determined that the need for reform and change is vast. Therefore, we are taking a course that is deliberate and intentional, though not easy.

The financial and personnel losses have not been without consequence, yet they are only a part of the deeper issues we must address in order to continue night and day prayer for future generations. The governance and structure of a Mission Base with a church, ministry school, ministries and hundreds of staff have been strained for several years and need reform. We believe now is the opportune time to address those challenges through a transition and reorganization process.

Stating that the call for 24/7 prayer remains, Executive Director Joseph Taylor explained in the release that the prayer room will be the primary focus for the foreseeable future, and the closings of the other areas of ministry will be done in stages:

This ministry has produced much fruit over the years, and we are profoundly grateful for those who pioneered, sowed, labored and believed in this people’s calling —a call that still remains. In the immediate season, it is clear that we need to focus on the prayer room as our primary assignment as the Lord gives us grace.

We are still navigating the details as many areas wind down. Not all ministries or areas will be on the same timeline, so this will take time. We are in a volatile environment, but we’re working day by day with the Board to finalize details and timelines.

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Finally, Taylor assures the public that details on this major transition will be forthcoming in the days ahead as the timeline becomes more clear:

We care deeply about the IHOPKC staff, our local community, partners, friends abroad and our relationships with the international community and Israel. We plan to continue to share what we do know and communicate in the days ahead as details become clear.

As God brought restoration and healing between Joseph and his brothers who sold him into slavery (Gen. 50), so too do we pray that God brings about the same restoration, healing and justice for this community, the victims and all of those affected by this tragic series of events, and turns what the enemy meant for evil, into good.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Recent reports indicate International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) will close amid the sexual and spiritual abuse scandal involving founder Mike Bickle.

A recording from IHOP University an internal email from IHOPU President Matt Candler refer to the closing, according to The Roys Report. The recording reveals that the ministry is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, partly due to the many donors closely connected to Bickle.

“We began to accrue some pretty significant financial challenges, with our expenses outpacing our revenues by about $500,000 a month… with no end in sight,” IHOPKC Forerunner Church Pastor Isaac Bennett says.

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As the leadership prepares to close IHOPKC, they plan to launch a new ministry, according to Bennett, with the closing to be “staggered.”

“The leadership believes the best way to resolve the issues is to close IHOPKC as an organization and transition to a more missional church structure in the future. This would still include night and day prayer and worship within a church context. It would also mean far fewer compensated staff members and a larger pool of volunteers,” the email reads.

IHOPKC has not made any formal announcements, and requests for comments from various media outlets have not been returned.

“We are seeing this present era… coming to an end, and the Lord beginning a new era,” Bennett can be heard saying in the recording. He also acknowledges that despite IHOPKC’s efforts to address the scandal, they have been unable to avoid the legal liabilities arising from allegations of mishandling abuse claims within the ministry.

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Bennett further reveals the drastic measures required to sustain IHOPKC at its current capacity, such as reducing the paid staff by 90%, leaving only 50 staff members where there once were 500.

“We are at an impasse,” says Bennett. “There’s no other way forward. So, the Lord is kindly inviting us into a new era.”

The closure will reportedly encompass all IHOPKC ministries, including their camps, IHOPU and church.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Accomplished Christian author and pastor Chuck Swindoll is closing a huge chapter in his life effective May 1.

The elders at Stonebriar Community church in Frisco, Texas, put out a statement that Swindoll will be stepping down as the senior pastor of the church, and Dr. Jonathan Murphy, the chair and professor of Pastoral Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary, will step into the role.

Swindoll will then become the Founding Pastor and remain on the board of elders.

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“In these roles, Pastor Chuck will continue to preach God’s Word at the pulpit on Sundays, while Jonathan will shepherd our day-to-day ministries and fill in at the pulpit when requested. Pastor Chuck will continue to serve as mentor and advisor to Jonathan, and at the appropriate time in the future, Jonathan will then assume primary pulpit duties,” the announcement says.

According to the statement, this transition has been two years in the making, and led by a prayer effort to search for the Lord’s will in the matter.

“We believe the Lord has gone before us in this decision from the beginning. Two years ago, as some of us elders gathered to pray, we talked about considering Jonathan as a candidate for the future role of Senior Pastor,” the statement continues.

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As the elders moved forward in faith, they found out that the Lord had already fit the pieces in place for a smooth, and intentional, transition for Stonebriar leadership.

“When we approached Pastor Chuck with the idea at that time, we were happy to find out that he had already been mentoring Jonathan for the past several years, and he excitedly agreed that Jonathan would be a great fit for the position. We then extended a letter of intent to Jonathan, and he gladly set his expectations to become our Senior Pastor in the future. In March of 2024, after prayerful consideration, Pastor Chuck and the entire elder team unanimously decided that now is the time for Jonathan to step into his new role,” the statement adds.

While many leadership transitions have caused ruptures within church communities, Stonebriar Community Church and its leadership have demonstrated that seeking the Lord first in prayer and submission is the best way to move forward into a new season.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

The unprecedented attack on Israel by the nation of Iran that consisted of over 300 suicide drones, missiles and rockets has set the world on edge, wondering if this may be the start of something much bigger.

Greg Laurie, Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, says that while he does not believe the recent eclipse was a sign of the end times, the Iranian barrage against Israel certainly was.

“What just happened yesterday, that my friends, is a sign of the times. Big Time, and let me explain why: Iran has never openly attacked Israel before. They’ve done so previously through their proxy terrorist groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah and of course Hamas, especially on Oct. 7,” Laurie shares, from his sermon on Sunday, Apr. 14.

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“But what happened here with 300 Iranian drones, missiles and rockets being fired directly at Israel, that was a game changer.”

Highlighting the biblical prophecy that has already been fulfilled such as the reestablishment of Israel in 1948, an act that could have only come to fruition by the hand of God, and the growing anti-Semitism around the world against the nation of Israel, Laurie points to the war in Ezekiel 38 as a potential event closing in on the nation of Israel, but emphasizing that no one knows the time when this is to take place.

“Here’s what we do know: one of the allies that marches with Magog against Israel is Persia. Persia is Iran,” Laurie explains.

“The Bible specifically says Persia/Iran will attack Israel at some point. That just happened. Does that mean that what we’re seeing happening now is going to lead to the scenario we read about in Ezekiel 38? I don’t think so, not necessarily, but it certainly is a preview of things to come and it is a game changer, and it’s a big deal.”

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While the idea of the war from Ezekiel 38 is enough to cause many to become anxious and fearful, Laurie reminds us that in these times we are too look up, as the Bible commands, and have hope in the return of Jesus Christ.

“I know when things like this happen it can be scary, but here’s what the Bible says: Jesus said specifically, when you see these things begin to happen look up, because your Redemption is drawing near. He did not say when you see these things begin to happen freak out. He said look up. So, we should be looking up, because this to me is a sign that we are indeed in the last days and Jesus also said let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid. You believe in God believe also in Me,” Laurie assures.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Warning Graphic Content

Sydney, Australia, just suffered its second stabbing attack mere days after six people were killed at a local mall.

On the evening of Apr. 15, a suspected radical Islamist attacked Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, leader of Wakeley’s Christ the Good Shepherd Church, an Assyrian Orthodox church.

Bishop Mar Mari has a large social media following, with reactions to his sermons often going viral.

The service was being livestreamed Monday, Apr. 15 (Australia time), and caught the entire attack in real-time.

A stabbing attack happened during a live stream of an Australian church service.

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 15, 2024

As Mar Mari noticed the attacker approaching him, the man began stabbing him repeatedly as they fell to the floor with the congregation erupting in screams.

Congregants rushed to Mar Mari’s side and tackled the assailant who managed to stab several other congregants before he was fully subdued. The victims were being treated for lacerations. Injuries were listed as not life-threatening. While pinned by the members of the church, the attacker can be seen smiling on the floor.

Much of the footage of the protest was obtained by a reporter with the X handle “Chriscoveries,” who spoke to a man who is believed to have pinned the assailant, and revealed he was shouting “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.

After police arrived on the scene to apprehend the attacker, a large crowd gathered outside of the church chanting “bring him out,” referring to the man who attacked Mar Mari.

“Bring him out!”

A crowd of more than 5,000 angry Christian men have surrounded the church where hundreds of Riot Police are guarding the #stabbing attacker. Courtesy Chriscoveries.

— Aussie Cossack (@aussiecossack) April 15, 2024

Police armed with riot shields then removed the many people gathered outside of the church’s parking lot shortly after the incident, a much swifter and strong-handed response than the Australian police have been utilizing at pro-Palestinian protests.

Mar Mari has gained considerable fame for his anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine stance during the pandemic, as well as his criticism of Israel and the attacks that killed Gazan civilians.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has released their list of 12 major contributors to sexual abuse and exploitation.

This “Dirty Dozen” in the group’s annual report features several prominent corporations whose products and services are used each day by hundreds of millions of people, with many customers completely unaware that the companies are platforming sexual predators.

Here is NCOSE’s list for 2024:

• Apple

“Apple’s record is rotten when it comes to child protection. This Big Tech titan refuses to scan for child sex abuse material, hosts dangerous apps with deceptive age ratings and descriptions, and won’t default safety features for teens.”

• Cash App

“‘Do more with your money’ shouldn’t apply to sex and paying for abusive content. This peer-to-peer payment app appeals to pimps, predators and pedophiles and covert ways of criminal activity.”

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• Communications Decency Act Section 230

“Misinterpretations of Communications Decency Act Section 230 grant Big Tech blanket immunity for any and all types of abuses they facilitate. Unless CDA 230 is amended, corporations can’t be held accountable.”

• Cloudflare

“Providing a platform for sex buyers and traffickers. Cloudflare says it wants to build a better internet, but provide services to some of the most prolific prostitution forums and deepfake sites.”

• Discord

“Discord is a hotspot for dangerous interactions and deepfakes. This platform is popular with predators seeking to groom kids, and creeps looking to create, trade or find sexually abusive content.”

• LinkedIn

“The world’s largest professional network is an amateur when it comes to stemming sexual exploitation. LinkedIn legitimizes Pornhub and other exploitative enterprises by giving them a platform, overlooks deepfake tool promotion and rampant sexual harassment against women.”

• Meta

“‘Moving fast’ and making money at all costs leaves children to pay the price. Meta’s launch of end-to-end encryption, open-sourced AI and virtual reality are unleashing new worlds of exploitation, while its brands continue to rank among the most dangerous for kids.”

• Microsoft’s Github

“Microsoft’s GitHub is the global hub for creating sexually exploitative AI tech. The vast majority of deepfakes, ‘nudify’ apps and AI-generated child sex abuse content originate on this platform.”

• Reddit

“Reddit is riddled with sexploitation. Child sex abuse material, sex trafficking and image-based sexual abuse hide in plain sight among endless pornography subreddits allowed on this which will be further monetized if Reddit succeeds in going public.”

• Roblox

“Roblox treats child protection like a game. Among the avatars, blocks and buildings, kids are exposed to predators, rape-themed games and age-inappropriate content like sex parties.”

• Spotify

“Sexually explicit images, sadistic content and networks trading child sex abuse material on its platform prove Spotify is out of tune with basic child safety measures and moderation practices.”

• Telegram

“Known as the ‘dark web alternative,’ Telegram unleashes a new era of exploitation. Messaging app Telegram is treated as safe haven by criminal communities across the globe. Sexual torture rings, sextortion gangs, and deepfake bots thrive on this site.”

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While the NCOSE has achieved several major victories in getting corporate entities to lockdown on the sexual predation being committed on various platforms, to include changes at Google, Netflix, TikTok, Verizon and many more, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Predators are using advancing technology to disguise their perverted habits and continue to develop new materials for emerging platforms.

By shining a light into the digital darkness, those looking to corrupt and abuse the vulnerable can be held accountable for their actions and put out of commission. Jesus targeted the most vulnerable in society with His ministry, and as Christians we are called to do the same.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

As darkness continues to envelop the world, Christians have been warring spiritually against the demonic influence taking root in people’s hearts.

With this battle comes false prophets, whom the Bible warns about in both the Old and New Testaments. Now, many are being deceived by these “pay for prophecy” prophets and allowing spiritual strongholds into their lives.

It is not through the Holy Spirit that many of these false teachers gain their insights, but through divination and demonic revelation.

Taking cues from television psychics of the late 90s such as Miss Cleo, there are now figures like ‘Prophet’ Passion Java who are charging callers amounts as high as $555 for a one on one session with the diviner.

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Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church has previously spoken out and warned Christians about the spiritual dangers and demons behind organizations such as Java’s.

As Charisma News previously reported, Locke believes these men are not under the power of the Holy Spirit, and has publicly accused Java of being a witch doctor under the power of the Kundalini spirit.

“I am for unity,” Locke declared during a Sunday service. “I am against mixture [with demonic spirits], and mixture is not unity. There’s a difference in biblical unity and anti-biblical mixture.

“Look, I want to be a bridge to bring unity to the body of Christ, but I will not be a syringe that injects poison by way of mixture into this church!” he adds.

It was this refusal to mix with the demonic that led to a split between Locke and Daniel Adams, who refused Locke’s warnings about Lovy Elias and E.J. Newton.

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Locke had previously been in a ministerial relationship with Elias as well, and could not be a part of what Elias had hitched himself to.

“I am friends with Lovy Elias, I am,” Locke said through tears. “We had to fly to Los Angeles to see it for ourselves. … I’ve talked to him for hours. Remember what Joseph Z said, ‘When a prophet begins to get off-kilter, he can get to about the sixty-fold, and he still has some salvageability to him. You can still reel him back in.’ I feel like Lovy is there. But I have to unhitch my church and my influence from him.”

As we move deeper and deeper into the end times, just as the Bible warns there will be false teachers and false prophets rising from the shadows.

It takes strong spiritual discernment rooted in the Word of God, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the equipping of the full armor of God to see through these demonic deceptions and speak the truth of Jesus Christ into the ever-growing darkness.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media

It seems for every news piece Fox News does on Christianity to appease their viewers, they then turn and bring practitioners of divination, sorcery and the occult onto their telecasts.

Back in January, primetime host Jesse Watters suffered major blowback for bringing a medium onto his show to tell his future along with those of presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Fox seems to have cared little for the criticism they received last time and now have invited another astrologer onto the show, Fox and Friends.

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The show hosts, Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones, invited astrologer Susan Miller, who also claims to be Roman Catholic, to read their horoscopes and interpret the meaning behind the recent eclipse and how it affected their moods.

“It’s not just your mood,” Miller explains. “It’s everything if it touches a planet in your chart, and on —which is my website—I delineate how specifically a solar eclipse is actually a new moon. I know it sounds [like] it should be a full moon, but it’s not. It’s the new moon, always. And it will affect you for six months or more.”

Recognizing the spiritual influence behind these types of practices, former psychic-turned-Christian Jenn Nizza posted on TikTok the dangers of divination and witchcraft that Fox and Friends was promoting:

I am honestly saddened to see a news channel capitalizing, promoting and believing in divination. Saying you are catholic and a medium or astrologer is a great way to deceive the masses. The diviner is deceived and thinks they are helping but it is not help! Leading people away from God, encouraging people to go to His creation is a horrible sin and leads to no good thing! Please know ALL diviners are receiving their info from demons and demons just want you to get sucked in so that you will share their fate.

In the spiritually charged landscape of the today’s world, and as darkness is trying to reach every corner of the earth, Christians must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to discern the subtle workings of demonic forces.

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With spiritual warfare intensifying and deceptive influences growing stronger, discernment is crucial in recognizing and avoiding ceremonies and rituals that dabble in divination, sorcery or the occult, as engaging in such practices not only opens one up to spiritual attack but also undermines the authority and protection provided by God.

By staying rooted in prayer, studying the Word of God and cultivating a deep, personal relationship with the Jesus Christ, we can guard ourselves against spiritual deception and manipulation and be a light to an ever-darkening world.{eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

After a long and drawn out battle with prostate cancer, the infamous O.J. Simpson passed away at the age of 76.

As reported by TMZ, “The former NFL great—who stood trial for the double-murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the ’90s, only to be acquitted—passed away Wednesday in Las Vegas … according to his family.”

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After a prolific career in the NFL and collecting a Heisman in 1968 during his years at USC, the football star found himself in the courtroom for one of the most shocking and divisive court cases in American history which helped shape the 1990s and was labeled “The Trial of the Century.”

Simpson would eventually find himself in jail after breaking into a Las Vegas hotel to allegedly recover sports memorabilia that he claimed was stolen from him. He was released from prison in 2017.

Following his release, Simpson made a pledge that his Christian faith would play a greater role moving forward.

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“I’ve realized in my nine years here that I was a good person, but I could have been a better Christian. My commitment to change is to be a better Christian,” Simpson said after he was granted parole.

In the wake of O.J. Simpson’s death, the world reflects on a life marked by highs and lows. From football stardom to a sensational trial, his journey was a whirlwind of triumphs and tragedies. Despite the chaos, there’s hope that he found peace with God before his passing, bringing closure to a turbulent chapter.

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

A tragic homicide took place at the Westview Baptist Church in Miami, Florida.

The pastor of Westview, Antwane Lenoir,41, was stabbed to death by James Dawkin, 44, authorities claim.

Lenoir was working with a locksmith on Saturday, Apr. 6, to have the locks of the church changed, and got into an argument with Dawkins who was living at the church temporarily.

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As reported by CBS News, “As the argument grew heated, Dawkins, without provocation according to police, stabbed Lenoir multiple times before running off.

“When Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived they found Lenoir’s body on the ground with multiple stab wounds in his neck.”

Dawkins was not at the scene of the crime, but was arrested the following day. He is currently facing a first-degree murder charge.

Lenoir was married with four children between the ages of 13 and 20, according to his wife, Bree, who spoke with CBS Miami.

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“He was a very good example of a selfless individual, a joy-filled person,” Bree recalls of her slain husband. “He always smiled, even if things were looking kind of grim or dreary, you wouldn’t know it by his countenance.

“His life is not when it ended. It’s not even about when it started. It’s about what he did in between to make his life count,” she added.

Now, Bree faces not only the challenge of grieving her husband and navigating the road ahead without him, but being there for their children who are still processing the loss of their father.

“They have their moments and I expect that that’s gonna be the way it is indefinitely, you know, going forward. But, they remember their dad as the guy that when he comes, he’ll play games with them, he’ll text in the was funny about texting in the house,” Bree shares.{eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.