Following are snippets of the top stories featured over the past week on . We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.

Prophetic Word: God Will Use Marriage as a Sign and a Wonder

Following are snippets of the top stories featured over the past week on . We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.

Prophetic Word: God Will Use Marriage as a Sign and a Wonder

The man who coined the name Earth Day was a Pentecostal minister who thought the observance would help promote peace and unity.

According to the Assemblies of God (AG) Heritage magazine, 95-year-old John McConnell Jr., a longtime Pentecostal and peace
activist, first proposed the idea for Earth Day in 1969. His plan was to mark the day in late March at the start of spring to promote peace and justice as a prerequisite for ecological preservation.

But McConnell also was motivated by his faith. “We love God … [and therefore should] have an appreciation for His creation,” McConnell told AG Heritage, which is published by the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

McConnell submitted his proposal for Earth Day to San Francisco city officials on Oct. 3, 1969, and the first governmental recognition of Earth Day was held March 21, 1970. The event gained support from Congress and the United Nations, which McConnell hoped Earth Day supporters would partner with in protecting the environment.

Yet the original Earth Day was quickly overshadowed. McConnell said Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., wanted to move Earth Day to April
22, when he had scheduled a political protest called Environmental Teach-In Day. Nelson wanted to change the name of the teach-in to Earth Day, but McConnell would not agree to the idea.

“I said, ‘Absolutely not,” McConnell told AG Heritage. “Earth Day on nature’s event is too important for this global occasion. So the next thing I knew they stole my name Earth Day and they used it for April 22. I was urged to sue, but I didn’t. I didn’t believe in suing.

“San Francisco kicked it off and later on we had the United Nations. The Secretary General … thought Earth Day was a great idea, and the
United Nations [still] celebrates Earth Day on the March equinox.”

McConnell’s biographer, Robert Weir, said Nelson admitted that he got the idea for Earth Day from others, but he did not specify from
whom. In time, Nelson began to publicly claim full credit for founding Earth Day, which he wanted to use to protest pollution.

McConnell says the current Earth Day observance is too political, though he appreciates its goals of improving environmental
stewardship. He notes that April 22 is also the birthday of communist leader Vladimir Lenin, one of several reasons he continues to mark Earth Day in March, during the spring equinox.

McConnell comes from a strong Pentecostal lineage. His grandfather was at the Azusa Street revival in 1906 and his parents were
founding members of the AG in 1914. Although McConnell’s father was an ordained minister in the AG for a time, and McConnell himself became a preacher, both men were strongly independent thinkers.

The elder McConnell’s ministry credentials were not renewed in 1929 because AG leaders struggled to pin down his positions on doctrinal
issues. And he took a strong pacifist position, which the AG endorsed until 1967, believing Christians were not supposed to kill even in war.

The younger McConnell adopted his father’s view. After being drafted into World War II, he asked for an exemption as a conscientious
objector but was refused. While participating in target practice during basic training, he kept seeing an image of Jesus flash through his mind whenever he prepared to shoot a target. He refused to shoot and ended up in solitary confinement, eventually escaping the military base and fleeing the country with his wife.

McConnell began ministering off the coast of British Honduras and was eventually discovered by the FBI, which decided to leave him
and his wife alone because they were not engaged in subversive activities, according to AG Heritage.

McConnell later became a peace activist and organized the Star of Hope and Minute for Peace movements. The first encouraged the U.S. to launch a satellite as a symbol of peace, and the latter urged people to spend a minute in prayer each day. The first Minute for Peace was held Dec. 22, 1963, a month after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and short Minute for Peace radio messages have been read by heads of state and United Nations officials.

McConnell says all of his work, including his push for an Earth Day observance, sprang from his Christian faith. “If there had been no
Christian experience in my life there would be no Earth Day – or at least I would not have initiated it,” he told AG Heritage. “I’m a peacemaker, and part of the reason was my father, who was, without question, the greatest influence in my life.”

Though he says April 22 is not Earth Day, he sees the observance as an opportunity for Christians to be a witness. “While Earth Day is
non-sectarian and non-political,” he said, “it provides a great opportunity for Christians to show the power of prayer, the validity of their charity and their practical concern for Earth’s life and people.”

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Charisma News Staff

Leaders across many fields have shared their remarks and remembrances of Pastor Jack Hayford upon his passing yesterday, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.

Jonathan Cahn: “Soon after writing The Harbinger, I was invited to speak at Pastor Jack’s Church on the Way. During the worship, an unassuming man came up to me, gave me a big smile and an even bigger hug. It was Jack Hayford. What struck me then was that he had no airs about him. If you didn’t know it was him, you would have barely noticed him. He was completely unpretentious and humble. It is written that Moses was the most humble of men. That’s what I’ve noticed about the truly great people of God. They not only do great things for God but are completely humble. That was Jack Hayford. Like Moses, he was one of the great servants of God, and among the most humble.”

Pat Boone: “For over 50 years I’ve served as Jack Hayford’s elder, as one month older in age and literally an elder at Church on the Way, his home church in Van Nuys, California. Up close and personal, I’ve seen him become a 20th century apostle Paul, building the local church in America and expanding and strengthening the church of Jesus internationally, in many books reinforcing God’s explicit Word, hosting pastoral conferences at home and abroad, holding a strong line against cultural and social decay in ‘theology’ and doctrinal weakness, and more than any other public speaker promoting the absolute necessity of receiving and living with the indwelling Holy Spirit as our guide, teacher and power source in this fallen and hopeless world. Like his role model Paul, the apostle Jack used every ounce of his natural and supernatural gifts, in close communion with his heavenly Father to expand and strengthen God’s Kingdom on this earth. I’m grateful to be his brother, and to have lived with his close example, and am sure Jesus has welcomed Jack Hayford with an apostolic crown. I’m so glad he and I did a two-man ‘missionary journey’ to Japan some years ago, me doing publicized concerts combining my pop hits with gospel music and a local minister extending an actual invitation for attendees to receive Jesus, and Jack teaching local conferences of Japanese ministers during the days. Highly and widely publicized tour, estimated that over two-thirds of Japanese knew we were there, and why. We felt God had ‘arranged’ it all, Hallelujah!”

Dr. Alveda C. King: “Jack Hayford’s legacy of worship, ministry and leadership will live on in our hearts. He is now living in the presence of God’s ‘Majesty,’ no longer encumbered by the things of this world. He will be missed.”

Joyce Meyer, founder Joyce Meyer Ministries: ““I am grateful for tremendous contributions that Pastor Jack Hayford made to the body of Christ including his teaching, his leadership and writing beautiful worship music. He was truly wise and gifted. Personally, I will remember his great kindness. He was the kind of person who would make the time to sow into my life and that means a great deal.”

R. T. Kendall, former pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England : “The first time I heard Jack Hayford speak he mentioned a ‘haze’ in the auditorium of a church of which he was pastor many years ago. It is the first mention of a haze I heard since I myself had been  touched profoundly by a haze in a service in Ashland, Kentucky, when I was at the beginning of my ministry. It made me want to meet him. The haze is a visible manifestation of the ‘glory.’ It is very rare. I later met Jack at a Charismatic Leaders Conference in Lake Mary, Florida, organized by Steve Strang. Jack graciously had breakfast with my son, T. R., and me and later agreed to write the foreword to my book Holy Fire, my reply to the cessationists of this world. Jack was fully aware of my reformed theology but still agreed to read the manuscript with a view of endorsing it. Did he ever! He wrote a 13-page foreword to my book, the grandest and longest endorsement of all my 80 books. This demonstrated how a Pentecostal would embrace a Calvinist, setting a beautiful example how Word and Spirit people need to accept each other. I am honored to have known him and thank God for his vast influence.”

Marilyn Hickey, Bible teacher: “Pastor Jack was a blessing to the world. I remember many times hearing him speak and hearing his worship and singing. It really encouraged me. We will miss him, but we rejoice greatly over his life and where he is now.”

Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California: “In my mind, Dr. Jack Hayford’s life, ministry and personal integrity were unparalleled. His impact on me started with his influence on my dad, equipping him to more fully step into all that God had called him to be: a worshipper. Jack’s personal friendship and encouragement is truly one of my greatest treasures in life. I am eternally indebted to this friend of God, Jack Hayford.”

Mike Signorelli, Lead Pastor, V1 Church: “Jack Hayford operated in a paradigm much needed in this hour—full Spirit and full Word. For years, I gleaned from his ability to function in an unrestrained supernatural demonstration, while communicating a deep mastery of the Scriptures. As a minister, I endeavor to carry this balance into a new generation so that we ‘lack nothing’.”

Francis Frangipane: “When I consider the life and ministry of Jack Hayford I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthian church, ‘Though you had many teachers, you did not have many fathers.’ Pastor Jack was a father, a teacher and a true worshipper. We thank God for his many radiant contributions to the body of Christ.”

Sam Rodriguez: “A spiritual, father and grandfather to generations, Jack Hayford’s brilliance, creativity and authentic leadership elevated the Pentecostal/charismatic movement to the forefront of global evangelicalism. Pastor Jack did away with the notion that the Pentecostal charismatic movement did not provide room for academia, logic, reason or intellect. He embraced both the prophetic and the practical, he was full of the Holy Spirit and creativity; sustained by that Spirit, he was able to write books, songs and lead like very few others. He inspired me. I was blessed to call him friend. He spoke into my life, always encouraging me to make room for the Holy Spirit. Pastor Jack did change the world. He demonstrated that the Spirit-empowered charismatic movement can be both prophetic and practical, innovative and intelligent, anointed and artistic.”

Dr. Mark Walker, president of Lee University: “My dad and Dr. Hayford were good friends. They had a deep admiration and respect for one another. Dr. Hayford was a one-of-a-kind leader, minister, preacher and person. His kingdom impact is unmeasurable. He is a giant of the Pentecostal faith.”

David Shibley, founder, Global Advance: “Jack Hayford is now home in heaven. Stephen Strang, quoted in Christianity Today magazine, rightly termed him ‘the Pentecostal Gold Standard.’ It was my privilege to serve with him on the board of directors of two ministries and to call him my friend. Pastor Jack combined a towering intellect, fervent devotion to Jesus and total reliance on the Holy Spirit to produce one of the most fruitful, far-reaching ministries of our lifetime. He will certainly be remembered for his anointed preaching and teaching. Also, he composed the great worship song, “Majesty,” which is sung by Christians around the world. At a crucial juncture in my own life and ministry, he gave me wise, compassionate counsel that steadied and greatly helped me. “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on,” (Rev. 14:13).”

Alex Pagani, Senior Pastor, Amazing Church, Bronx, New York City: “I spent many hours in the early days of ministry, reading resources from Pastor Jack Hayford and learning about the history of the Pentecostalism. Truly the body of Christ lost a giant in the faith. He will be missed!”

Read Time: 2 minutes, 48 seconds

Pastor Jack W. Hayford, pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, died Jan. 8, 2023, at age 88. He served as chancellor of The King’s University in Southlake, Texas, which he founded in 1996, and was president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel from 2004-2009. He also wrote over 50 books and composed more than 500 hymns and choruses, including the internationally known and widely recorded “Majesty.” But he was probably best-known as “Pastor Jack,” serving The Church on the Way for over three decades.

Born on June 25, 1934, the infant Hayford was gripped by a life-threatening illness and miraculously healed through the prayers of friends and family. Later, he was attacked by polio, and church elders anointed him and prayed for his healing. God granted another miracle.

“These two extraordinary events ignited in Jack’s heart a passion for God and convinced him that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the contemporary church,” his ministry’s website says. “Contrary to our preconceptions, God is not economical with healings and miracles,” Hayford said. “Such wondrous works are frequently attending the proclamation of truth in Jesus’ name.”

Hayford’s wife of more than 60 years, Anna, died of pancreatic cancer on March 8, 2017 at age 83. He and Anna had four children: Rebecca, Jack III, Mark and Christa. He married his second wife, Valarie, in 2018.

Randy Remington, current president of ICFG, shares his thoughts about Hayford: “Pastor Jack was a Kingdom ambassador whose influence transcended denominational, generational and global boundaries. Jack’s passion for Spirit-filled worship, fervent intercessory prayer and biblical preaching that revealed Jesus were modeled in his own personal life. He truly embodied the life he invited others into.

“Pastor Jack lived a life devoted to Jesus, one which he never wavered in or strayed from,” he adds. “Thousands of pastors found encouragement, inspiration and lifelong ministry principles through his Pastor’s Schools and conferences. His books, songs and teachings will continue to inspire and mentor generations to come.

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Read time: 2 minutes 12 seconds

The past 12 months saw a wealth of biblical prophecies come to fruition. From wars and rumors of wars, to historic droughts and social unrest, 2022 brought with it just as many prophetic revelations. While Chris Reed shares about America and what her role is in the End Times conflicts, Chuck Pierce prophesize renewal and revival to sweep across part of the land, but not all. Here is the top prophetic article you viewed that ShockedUin’22.

Many Will Knowingly Take the Mark of the Beast; Here’s How You Can Stay Vigilant

The Great Tribulation period will feature persecution to all who do not take the mark of the beast.

This period of tribulation will bring a period of hardship that has never been experienced since the world began and there will never be any other of such magnitude. It is going to be a host of great affliction that will be unbearable for those who endure it.

However, the level of difficulty and persecution that people will face during the Great Tribulation will be the reason why many people will take the mark of the beast and forever be separated from God.

The Bible does not go into detail about the mark, but one thing we do know is anyone who accepts the mark of the beast is automatically disqualified from entering heaven because they have been marked with the identity of the antichrist. What the Bible reveals to us is that accepting the mark is a declaration of worship.

There is a way to avoid this and that is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life, and to heed the words of Jesus from Matthew 24:17-19: “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. Let him who is in the field not return to take his clothes. Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse in those days!”

This is a time where people may not understand that taking the mark has an eternal consequence, and yet they will have no option but to take it. The words of Christ are reliable and true. He spoke of the Great Tribulation so that we will be ensured that we will not experience it. It is better to hear, read or preach about the Great Tribulation and not experience it. There are believers who do not take their walk with God seriously. This is not the year to take your walk with Christ lightly. History is moving toward the Great Tribulation. The stage is being set for the arrival of the Antichrist.

For more of this crucial teaching, watch this video. {eoa}

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Read Time: 1 minute 56 seconds

After getting married at the age of 20, Jeff and Beth McCord quickly realized they were misunderstanding each others perceptions of the world and communication. Six years later they were introduced to the Enneagram test and a light switch flipped on.

“You don’t want to use the Enneagram as a sword or a shield,” Beth McCord says. While many around the world use the test as a crutch to pacify their negative behaviors, the McCord’s believe it’s a tool to learn where we need to lean more on God.

After their years of diving deep into studies, teachings and biblical concepts, the McCord’s help their clients see themselves through the lens of the gospel, so they can break free from self-condemnation, fear and shame by experiencing and knowing the unconditional love of Jesus.

So, what is the Enneagram?

Ennea is the Greek word for nine, while gramma means something that is written. “Each of the points on the nine-pointed star represents the nine personality types,” Beth says.

Here is each type:

1. Type 1 is the Principled Reformer.

2. Type 2 is the Nurturing Supporter.

3. Type 3 is the Admirable Achiever.

4. Type 4 is the Introspective Individualist.

5. Type 5 is the Analytical Investigator.

6. Type 6 is the Faithful Guardian.

7. Type 7 is the Enthusiastic Optimist.

8. Type 8 is the Passionate Protector.

9. Type 9 is the Peaceful Accommodator.

How can the Enneagram lead you closer to Jesus?

Each of the nine “types” have four core motivations which are: fear, desire, weakness and longing. Through understanding these four motivations the McCord’s say we find the areas we struggle with that we can overcome through Jesus.

Jeff McCord says throughout church history there have been various tools used by the church to apply the truths of the Bible to our lives. He makes an important distinction that anyone who elevates the results of the tool above Jesus and truth of the Scripture has got it all wrong.

They teach that through understanding your fears and weaknesses you go to the Bible to learn how to address them. If you know you tend to have a more worried personality when you have to do public speaking, then you can find verses to help you in those situations.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God.”

Understanding your perception of fear is an opportunity to push you closer to Jesus.

Tune in to the full interview to hear their theological research on biblical principles and the pattern that we can find in human nature in the Enneagram tool. {eoa}

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Following are snippets of the top stories posted on  over the past week. We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.

Read Time: 3 Minutes 5 Seconds

Note: This article was originally published in August, 2016, by Charisma News.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an anti-terrorism law, but for the country’s many churches, the signature sparked a demand for prayer and fasting.

The bill toughens punishment for acts deemed to be terrorism and for the organization of “mass unrest,” according to the The Los Angeles Times. It would also introduce prison sentences of up to a year for those who fail to report such crimes.

Furthermore, Great Commission Ministries Chairman Hanny Haukka tells Charisma News the law entails:

• Foreign guests are not permitted to speak in churches unless they have a “work permit” from Russian authorities
• If a friend or relative from outside Russia wishes to share his/her faith in your home the guest will be fined and expelled from Russia.
• Any discussion of God with non-believers is considered missionary activity and will be punishable.
• Missionary activity will be permitted by special government permission. Example: If one traveling on a train shares his faith without written permission the offender will be taken into police custody for the duration of the journey and will be fined 50,000 rubles ($).
• Offenders from the age of 14-years-old will be subject to prosecution
• Religious activity is no longer permitted in private homes. Most churches in Russia meet in homes.
• Every citizen is obligated to report religious activity of neighbors to the authorities. Failure to be an informant is punishable by law.
• One may pray and read the Bible at home but not in the presence of a non-believing person. You will be breaking the law and be punished.
• If the church has purchased property it cannot be converted into a place of worship.
• In church buildings, it is not permitted to invite people to turn to God. Worship services are permitted but making a non-believer a follower of Christ is against the law.

In response, thousands of churches across the country have come together to cry out to God.

“The church is appalled at the news of the new law. About 7,000 evangelical/protestant churches are in fasting and prayer at the moment over the news,” Haukka tells Charisma News via email.

Churches aren’t the only residents enraged by the law.

American refugee Edward Snowden tweeted: “#Putin has signed a repressive new law that violates not only human rights, but common sense. Dark day for #Russia.”

What’s more, critics are now declaring the Yarovaya laws, aka the “Big Brother,” laws, as a sign of the end times:

If these amendments come into force, prison sentences for certain non-violent “extremist” crimes will potentially be twice as long as, for example, murder committed in the heat of passion, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.

Despite receiving nearly unanimous support in parliament, the Yarovaya laws have triggered a flood of apocalyptic commentary. Many wonder why Russia’s already excessively harsh criminal laws are being made harsher.

The only official criticism of the legislation, however, has come from the Presidential Human Rights Council, which has highlighted ways in which the proposed amendments directly contradict the Constitution and existing laws. This criticism has been almost entirely ignored.

The Duma has already passed a number of laws that have harshened Russian law in the name of fighting terrorism and extremism. It criminalized “public calls for the violation of territorial integrity” and “rehabilitation of Nazism,” a direct affront to the freedom of speech. In 2013, it passed a law that allowed the state to confiscate property from individuals affiliated with terrorists, including their relatives.

The government has long used the “fight against terrorism and extremism” to justify repressive laws, no matter how obviously senseless they may be. As a result, Russia’s statutory framework can now be effectively used to target not only credible extremist threats, but also political opponents of the state. A large group of prominent Russian lawyers decried this problem in an open letter in 2013, saying that the “parliament’s legislative work has acquired a distinctly prohibitive and repressive character.”

In response, Haukka pleads with believers around the world to join with Russian churches in prayer and fasting.

“Russia is closing down in an awful way. The new law is in total conflict with the purpose and the task given to the church by the Lord. The law will send the church back into Soviet era Communist persecution,” he says. {eoa}

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