In a world where hope seems to be a scarce commodity, Pastor Jack Hibbs brings a powerful message of God’s faithfulness and control in every situation. He shares the unparalleled honesty of the Bible and its real-life impact on individuals and nations, urging people to find hope and faith in the living Word of God.

“Hope is probably the most precious commodity we can have regarding our soul, our spirit and our thinking,” says Hibbs, the founder and senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino Hills, California. “Our very existence in life now … things have been reduced in a post-COVID world to what is simple. All around the world, people lost hope and that should not have happened.

“The Bible says the hope of God is not the hope of man. … Human hope is almost wishful thinking. But God’s hope is a hope that is certain. God’s hope comes to us in ways we do not often recognize. … God gets His hope inside of us by taking the living Word of God that has endured all of these millennia against scrutiny and attack by atheists and those that say they know more. This book continues to bring hope. Why? It’s alive. But it’s honest.”

Hibbs reminds us about God’s sovereignty (or supreme power and authority) in Jeremiah 17:9-10, which reads, “The heart is more deceitful than all things and desperately wicked; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Instead of being offended by this truth, Hibbs encourages believers to seek God’s help in transforming their hearts and instilling hope within them, no matter what the situation.

No matter who is President of the United States or who has majority in congress. No matter what evil and wickedness is happening around us, or if a pandemic should happen to strike again. No matter if you are persecuted for your faith or ridiculed for your kingdom values.

God is sovereign in every situation, and He is in control. Hibbs says we must come to Him to allow His will to be done.

“God knows your heart and he knows mine,” Hibbs says. “The honest response to that is, ‘Oh God, help me. O Lord, have mercy.’ He knows our hearts are wicked. Don’t be offended by that. By healed by this because God knows, as the great physician, how to touch your life and to instill with you hope.”

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To illustrate God’s love and compassion for sinners, Hibbs points to the story of Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners in Mark 2:15. When questioned by the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes, Jesus responds with a parable, explaining that He came not for the righteous but for the sick, for those who recognize their need for salvation.

By recognizing His sovereignty, believers and the lost can take an honest self-assessment and will come to the conclusion that they need Christ in every situation in daily life instead of their own judgment.

Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

“Whatever we do, we cannot equate that as righteousness before God,” Hibbs says.

Life is uncertain, and Hibbs stresses the need to place our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. He quotes Jeremiah 29:11, reminding listeners that God’s thoughts toward them are of peace and hope, offering a future filled with His divine purpose.

In his compelling message, Hibbs reminds believers of God’s unwavering faithfulness and control in every circumstance. Through the honesty of the Bible, he encourages individuals to find hope in God’s promises, even in times of uncertainty.

By accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior, they can experience the peace and assurance of a future filled with God’s purpose and love.

Discover God’s ways—His sovereignty—through intimacy with Him in R.T. Kendall’s book, The Presence of God.{eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Actor Rainn Wilson says he doesn’t have any “smoking guns” confirming the shunning of faith in God in Hollywood.

But, the former actor in the hit comedy “The Office” revealed recently on a podcast that talking about God and about religion in “Tinseltown” hasn’t enhanced his prospects for landing solid roles in movies or on television.

“It certainly doesn’t help my career. I’m not doing any of this for any self-promotion or career,” Wilson said during a recent appearance on the “No Small Endeavor” podcast hosted by theologian Lee C. Camp.

In March, the 57-year-old Wilson exposed to Camp on the same podcast about the prejudice against believers in Hollywood.

“I do think there is an anti-Christian bias in Hollywood,” Wilson says. “As soon as the David character in ‘The Last of Us’ started reading from the Bible, I knew that he was going to be a horrific villain. “Could there be a Bible-reading preacher on a show who is actually loving and kind?”

Any kind of discussions of God, Wilson claimed at the recent Just for Laughs comedy festival, could become a hindrance for the careers of actors, comedians and production people in Hollywood.

“Here’s the catch: In comedy circles in Hollywood, the cool kids all pretend they are nerds and losers and alienated outcasts,” Wilson says. “But really, that’s just an act. And there’s no greater way to estrange yourself even further from the apex of the comedy industry as when you discuss God, the soul and spirituality.”

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He should know. He’s been discussing his faith for approximately 12 years, despite the disdain from most of the industry.

Which doesn’t explain the success of the recent movie “Sound of Freedom” starring Jim Caviezel, an Angel Studios film about the taboo subject of sex trafficking that recently topped the $100 million mark in sales at the box office. Nor does it explain the success of the television series “The Chosen,” which continues to soar in popularity going into its fourth season.

An actor and composer, Aaron Fullan says there is a harsh reality to faithfulness in God for those in the Hollywood circles.

“Sometimes sticking to your guns in this industry will cost you,” Fullan said earlier this year.

Instead of turning to God, many others, like Raven Symone and Vanessa Hudgens, have shifted their focus to the occult.

Last month, Wilson spoke about the need for a spiritual revolution not only in Hollywood but the rest of the world, and how Christians must stand firm for what they believe.

“Comedians will call themselves nerds and say, ‘Oh, I’m so uncool, I’m so uncool.’ But it’s this weird thing,” Wilson said on the podcast. “It’s like, Hollywood is about who’s sitting at the cool kids’ lunch table.” {eoa}

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Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on :

From Addict to Deliverance Warrior, Tai Locke Shares Her Testimony to Freedom

Tai Locke, who pastors Global Vision Bible Church with her husband, Greg Locke, shared how she came to Christ in the middle of a bleak and dark drug addiction. However, when she finally laid everything down at her Savior’s feet, her life was changed forever.

“When I met the Lord, I had an encounter with the Lord in a ditch. I drug overdosed,” Locke said. “When I got born again, the Lord did a drastic transformation in my life very immediately after that encounter with Him.”

Because Locke didn’t grow up in the church and had no context of Christian culture coming into the faith, she took everything the Bible said at face-value.

What Happened When Greg Locke Apologized to Benny Hinn?

What happens when someone is changed by the power of the Holy Spirit? It’s an amazing transformation.

Old ways of thinking change and there’s a desire to make things right.

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I saw this up close recently in the life of Pastor Greg Locke of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, who has exploded on the scene recently with his deliverance ministry when I brokered a meeting with Benny Hinn.

‘Demons are laughing in your face’: Nick Vujicic Calls on the American Church to Repent

Evangelist Nick Vujicic has passionately delivered a compelling plea to what he perceives as a “delusional” American church, urging an immediate call to repentance.

In his interview with the Christian Post, Vujicic emphasizes the critical need for the church to fearlessly address pressing societal issues, including abortion, porn addiction and sex trafficking.

With a sense of urgency, he implores the church to take a bold stand against these challenges before the window of opportunity closes.

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For some people, just watching a television show or series isn’t enough. They’re all in and they’re fascinated, but simply viewing episodes isn’t completely fulfilling.

When it comes to the popular series “The Chosen,” that’s where Brandon Snipe comes in.

A lifelong Christian and a passionate YouTuber, Snipe dives deep into the intriguing world of this television phenomenon, passing along his unique insight and uncovering hidden gems and powerful messages behind the show.

On his YouTube channel The Snipe Life, Snipe dissects each episode and analyzes character developments to make “The Chosen” even more compelling.

On the site, with an audience of 35,000 subscribers, he engages in lively discussions, allows his audience to share their insights and makes lasting connections with like-minded believers. Snipe’s YouTube channel debuted three years ago in May 2020.

“The Chosen,” a Bible-based series that follows the life of Jesus Christ, portrayed by “Jesus Revolution’s” Jonathan Roumie, became a worldwide hit shortly after its debut in December 2017. So far, it has produced three seasons and 26 episodes with 110 million viewers in 175 countries.

So what made Brandon and his wife, Vanessa, initiate The Snipe Life? Snipe says he learned a great deal about ministry after procuring his first ministry job at the age of 19. He became increasingly curious about what his generation was thinking about God.

That prompted the Snipes to do extensive research about the world of YouTube so that they could help spread the gospel of Christ in their own special way.

“When we do something, we take it very seriously. We both went into study mode and we started learning everything that we could possibly could because we wanted to be the best YouTubers that we could and so we could grow a business and do what we wanted to,” Snipe told Charisma Magazine’s John Matarazzo in a recent interview. “At that time, I was still in full-time ministry and she (Vanessa) was doing different freelancing things.

“We started this channel not really knowing anything. We were really, really bad. … We tried a million different things just trying to get used to YouTube and none of those things worked. About 10 months into our journey, we had only amassed about 100 subscribers. At that 10-month mark was when season two of ‘The Chosen’ was coming out and so at that point, I knew that was going to be a good opportunity for us to try something new. So, I really pushed it forward and said let’s talk about ‘The Chosen.'”

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It was then, Snipe said, he and Vanessa did a “big deep dive” into the first episode of “The Chosen” and immediately knew that was going to be their niche. What drew Brandon Snipe to “The Chosen” was how the series uses Scripture to teach its audience.

Their YouTube channel exploded with growth, and they began to formulate a plan to build a YouTube community around “The Chosen” and its popularity.

It’s not only Christians that subscribe to their channel. Snipe says there are many Muslims and people of other faiths that tune in. The majority of their audience, however, he says are older female Christians that have “been in church for a long time.”

Snipe refers to his core audience as “super sleuths,” people, like him and his wife, who are really interested in looking at behind the scenes of “The Chosen.”

“In between seasons or even during seasons, we’re looking for clues as to what’s happening, and so we’ve been able to figure out things,” Snipe says. “For example, season two, we figured out what was going to be happening. We found out who Judas was before he was announced and we were able to kind of talk about that and discuss it.”

And being friends with Dallas Jenkins, the creator, director and co-writer of “The Chosen” doesn’t hurt, either.

“He’s an amazing guy,” Snipe said of Jenkins. … “I had one discussion with him and asked him what do you think about us figuring out these things? He’s like, ‘I think it’s great for the community, but I wish you weren’t so good at it.'”

Now that Snipes have become good at what they do, it only adds to the intrigue of the show. You can be they have some interesting insights into the upcoming season four of the show.

Click here for more of this fascinating interview with Brandon Snipe.

Just like Jesus and His chosen apostles, you are appointed for favor and destined for greatness. Read Michelle McClain-Walters’ book, “Chosen” to find out why God chose you. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

William Seymour would be proud—and humbled.

The man who initiated the Azusa Street Revival in 1906 would most likely be filled with joy at the construction and opening of the 3rd Pentecost Azusa Street Prayer Tower and ministry center, which leaders of the project believe will help spark massive global revival for the kingdom in the coming years.

One of the principals for the prayer tower, Church of God Bishop Sean O’Neal, says he believes Seymour would be beaming that Jesus has kept alive the mission of the Azusa Street Revival alive for nearly 120 years—and for the tower to serve as a center of prayer pursuing the finish of the Great Commission.

In 1922, prior to his death, Seymour prophesied that in 100 years, God would pour out His Spirit like in the days of Azusa Street. It is exactly what O’Neal and his partners have envisioned.

4 Vital Lessons Believers Can Learn from Azusa Street Preacher William Seymour

“I really believe that this represents the heart of William Seymour,” says O’Neal, the administrative bishop for the California and Nevada region for the Church of God. “I think he would be excited about the possible fulfillment of his prophecy from a century ago, and we hope this is one of the catalysts to bring that forward.

“We know that we’re not the only ones to do this. It’s a consensus gathering. But I also think he would be very happy that this is a multi-cultural and a multi-generational effort. We’re thrilled to be able to carry on that legacy.”

The 3rd Pentecostal Azusa Street Prayer Tower is built in the heart of Los Angeles, a city of more than four million people. The tower, which O’Neal and his partners hope to have open by mid-August, is a seven-minute walk from City Hall and will serve as a hub for prayer, evangelism, gospel training and church planting.

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It is also approximately 120 feet from where Seymour preached, and the Azusa Street Revival was launched 117 years ago.

O’Neal, along with Niko Njotorhardjo—senior pastor of the Gatot Suborto in Jakarta, Indonesia—and Raymond Pranoto—senior pastor of International Bethany Community Church in Washington, D.C., initiated the idea of the prayer tower in 2021, prior to the height of the COVID pandemic.

None of the three knew if the plans for the tower would ever be approved by the city. But they filled out the paperwork and received the blessing of the city with “no trouble.”

Prophetic Word from Azusa Street Culminating in Present-Day Awakening, Pastor Says

“That was a surprise because of the secularization of our culture,” O’Neal told Charisma News in an exclusive interview. “We thought the media might have a problem with it, and we expected a battle, a struggle. But it was pretty miraculous.

“This has been a long journey, but the biggest issues we’ve had are mainly construction issues; inspections, things like that. But right now, we’re in the midst of finalizing things and we know that this has all been God to get to the finish line for this prayer tower.”

O’Neal says he isn’t sure exactly what the capacity will be for the prayer rooms in the tower, but he hopes that they will be able to fit 120 individuals in at one time and 40 more in the outer area, which he said is called the Gallery of Pentecost.

The 3rd Pentecost Azusa Street Prayer Tower will have two main purposes:

• To provide a place for people from throughout the world to come to pray for a Holy Spirit outpouring that will sweep across the globe and for a global Great Awakening.
• As a ministry center to provide training for Holy Spirit empowerment, the establishment of prayer movements, intercessory prayer, church planting and gospel, soul-winning evangelism.

O’Neal says he anticipates members of the 600 million population of the global Pentecostal Charismatic Movement will travel to Los Angeles and pray at Azusa Street.

115 Years After Fire First Fell on Bonnie Brae House, Glory Beckons from Azusa Street Revival

“There are three things the Holy Spirit imparted to me recently about the prayer tower and what it’s all about it,” O’Neal says. “It’s about humility, unity and community. None of this is driven by personalities. If those three things happen, there is no telling what the church can accomplish.”

William J. Seymour most likely would be smiling broadly that the legacy of Azusa Street will carry forward boldly.

To learn more about the prayer tower, visit . {eoa}

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Pastor Todd Coconato wouldn’t dare compare himself to the apostle Paul. Before he came to know Christ, he shared a lot of the characteristics of the man called Saul, who hated and persecuted Christians.

But then Coconato, now a national speaker, evangelist and media personality, had his own “Damascus Road” moment. Stabbed nine times by a man while in Granada Hills, California, Coconato, says that incident was a “game changer” for him, transforming his life from an angry atheist to one who enthusiastically spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ every day through several venues.

After the stabbing, Coconato, a former child actor in Hollywood, somehow found himself being driven to the hospital by the man who tried to kill him.

Cancel Culture: Why Tolerating Too Much is Sacrificing Too Little

“Thank God he did that because, and I believe it’s because, he knew that I was going to die,” Coconato told Charisma News’ John Matarazzo. “On the way to the hospital, I went into the presence of the Lord, and I heard the audible voice of the Lord say, ‘Do you want to live or do you want to die.’ I said, ‘I want to live.’

“The Lord said ‘Well, if you live, you’ve got to tell people that I’m real and you have got to be sold out for me for the rest of your life.’ What do you say when your life is in the balance and the God of heaven and Earth is audibly speaking to you? It’s kind of like Isaiah chapter six—send me, I’ll go. I say, ‘Yes, Lord,’ and so I awakened in the hospital and this woman looked at me and she said, ‘There’s no way you should be alive because you’ve lost so much blood. We just had someone that was stabbed two times and they just died. You got stabbed nine times, and one of them was in the heart, and yet here you are, still alive.'”

It was then that Coconato knew that God had performed a miracle that had spared his life. Although it was some 26 years ago, he says he’ll never forget that encounter with God because it was “so real.”

He remembers the incident in great detail more than two and a half decades later.

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Many people he encounters from his past, Coconato says, laugh at him knowing what he was like back then and seeing the transformation that has made him a strong voice for Jesus.

“When you have an encounter with the Holy Spirit, you have a true encounter with the Lord,” says Coconato, who has written a book titled “Come Out From Among Them” (Charisma House, 2023). “When you have that, you can never forget the realness and the power and authority of the Holy Spirit when you have a true encounter with the Lord. And that’s what happened.

“Every single aspect of my life changed, and I walked through a season of deliverance and healing. God was really ordering my steps. I always tell this story, though, because it’s important to know that I was coming from the club scene, the underground club scene in Los Angeles, one of the world’s hippest club scenes. So, I was like a club kid and then I came from Hollywood.

“When I stepped into a church, I was nervous. I was sweating. I felt like I didn’t belong. I thought a lightning bolt was going to strike me. I thought I wasn’t worthy. For two years, it was very hard for me to get into the Christian culture, to break into it. … There were people that didn’t really like me, and I didn’t like them because we didn’t relate to each other. There’s a period when you’re coming out of a world of sin and darkness and that’s everything you’ve known. …

And now Coconato is part of what he believes is a strong revival happening around in our nation and he says he believes it is going to accelerate “as the hour gets later.”

“While there is this move of God, there are going to be misfits and prodigals and people with tattoos and earrings and people that you wouldn’t normally expect to be in a church,” he says. “I can relate to that because that was me.”

Click here for more of this compelling interview with Pastor Todd Coconato. {eoa}

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While preparing to produce his new movie, “The Domino Revival,”—which will premiere for one night only on October 24—V1 Church Pastor Mike Signorelli says he and his team wanted to do its diligent homework, especially when it comes to Great Awakenings in America.

What they found was that, for every major or minor spiritual awakening in America, they almost always coincided with a major technological advance. For example, one of this country’s Great Awakenings came connected with institution of the rail system. The country was connected by trains and they could transport both goods and people.

Signorelli says that became the impetus for the gospel to reach places more rapidly.

Mike Signorelli: Watch Out for False Prophets Who Lack These Godly Traits

He also pointed out when, in 1950, Billy Graham became a recognized radio personality, hosting the Hour of Decision from 1950 to 1954. His first radio program, Songs in the Night, reached a local audience in Chicago, Illinois, beginning in 1944.

“Billy Graham became a symbol of the gospel on radio. So, unless you have radio Billy Graham, you don’t have stadium crusades Billy Graham,” Signorelli says. “So, if you look at it closely, you see that each one of these awakenings, again be it major or minor, that have always been connected to technological advances.”

It’s one of the reasons why, Signorelli says, he and his team made “The Domino Revival”—to show the body of Christ that it is in another “shift,” or what he calls another “awakening.”

This time the catalyst is the Internet.

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“It’s social media. It’s decentralizing and centralizing,” he says. “It’s global and its local. Our movie shows that. You’ve got some of the biggest preachers in America that can’t draw as much as me and my friends do for revival services.

“We’re turning thousands of people away at events and it’s because of the Internet. It’s because people are watching us do the work on video in a way that really didn’t exist previously. You go back 20 or 30 years ago … I was recently at TBN studios and they were really the gatekeepers … But now it’s the Internet. I started my journey by putting my phone to my face and going live on Facebook walking around the streets of New York City. I was reaching more people because I was going viral every week, reaching more people than old school Christian television if you had your own paid segment.”

Signorelli believes that “The Domino Revival” will make it clear to audiences that Christians—especially those who want to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ, must be prepared to try new ways of doing that—to be pioneers like those before them or they will fall short of what God really wants them to accomplish in their ministries.

“For those that hold on to the hymnals and to the organs, and to the old school pulpits … they were making that the main issue and they were actually holding themselves back from doing something great for God,” Signorelli says.

This new technology includes artificial intelligence, or AI, which, as many people are discovering, can be used for good or it can be used for the enemy’s purposes. Matthew 10:16 says “…be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

There must be discernment, Signorelli says, and it’s more important than ever that Christians enter into the spiritual realm and put away the things of the flesh.

“The reason I say that is because God creates and Satan counterfeits,” Signorelli says. “Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is fully God. He’s a member of the Trinity. Jesus ascended into heaven and said, ‘Just wait, and I’ll release my promise, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and now the Holy Spirit indwells all believers.

“So, look at who the Holy Spirit is. He is the source of all knowledge. Another Scripture says the Holy Spirit will teach you all things. … The Holy Spirit is the source of all knowledge and is able to teach all things to individuals.

“What is AI? Chat GPT and AI are the same thing. It’s a replica. So, it will teach you all things, show you all things. … As it gets better and better, I’m telling you, we’re getting into a dark era where instead of the people being counseled by the Word of God, they’re gonna be counseled by AI. When you think about it, the more AI listens to your phone calls and sees all the content your consume, it will become a counterfeit—a demonic counterfeit to the Holy Spirit. … There are going to be people having full-blown conversations with AI, but treating it as a god,” warns Signorelli.

Mike Signorelli: Deliverance from Demonic Influence is Overdue and Happening Now

Signorelli says this deception is coming, and it’s irrevocable.

“They believe that they [humanists] are essentially a god in the sense that they created all their problems, and they can solve all of their problems,” he says. “And they’re going to elevate technology up to that point of a deity. I think that’s when you will see a lot of Antichrist infrastructure even more.”

Click here for more of this fascinating interview with V1 Church’s Mike Signorelli. And don’t forget to go see “The Domino Revival” in theaters nationwide on October 24. {eoa}

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Author, ministry leader, Bible teacher and Middle East News correspondent Amir Tsarfati says Israel is in the midst of its most dangerous situation since it was established in 1948.

News reports have it that a civil war is about ready to erupt in Israel, with former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his “gang of ex-generals” have launched a coup attempt against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the current government.

Tsarfati says it is something that has “been in the making for a few years now,” and that “judicial reform was just the excuse.”

“We have videos of zoom calls from over two years ago where they already talked about this,” Tsarfati said in a recent social media post. “Right now, it is crucial for that the Israeli government and parliament to show that its democracy is stronger than this or maybe this is the end of it.

“While the internal political chaos intensifies, the enemies from outside are preparing themselves for the right moment to attack.”

This comes in the middle of health problems experienced by Netanyahu. Over the weekend, he was rushed to the hospital for the second time in a week. The first time, he was released after doctors implanted a device to monitor his heart, but he was hospitalized again Sunday because it showed anomalies, prompting the need for a pacemaker.

News reports over the past few years indicate that missiles in multiple locations throughout the Middle East are pointed in Israel’s direction. The terrorist organization Hamas has continuously engaged in military attacks on Israel, as has Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other violent extremist organizations, all of which may be salivating at the chance to attack Israel at a vulnerable moment in which Israelis are fighting among themselves for control of the country.

Mike Bickle: Millions Interceding for Israel Will See the Fruit of Prayer

In June, Barak claimed that Netanyahu is “intent on destroying Israeli democracy” and urged demonstrators to revolt in a speech in Haifa.

Reuters reported that as Israel’s judicial crisis reached a crescendo, “rival demonstrators passed each other on the escalators of a Jerusalem metro station Monday,” some of whom had arrived to picket parliament and others headed to Tel Avid for a counter rally backing the government.

Tsarfati urged believers from around the world to adamantly pray for Israel. “Pray that the worst does not happen and we are attacked from several fronts at the same time,” Tsarfati says.

Israel is in the midst of The Three Weeks or Bein ha-Metzarim, a period of mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples. It began on the 17th day of the Jewish month of Tammuz—the fast of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz—and ends on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av—the fast of Tisha B’Av, which occurs exactly three weeks later.

Mike Bickle: ‘This is the Greatest Time of Crisis’ in Israel’s History

The precarious political situation is only one of the reasons why Mike Bickle and his team at IHOPKC launched a worldwide effort to prompt millions to pray for the nation and the people of Israel in what was labeled as the Isaiah 62 Fast. It was a 21-day initiative from May 7-28 compelling believers to pray “for the increases of God’s salvation’s promises and plans for Jerusalem and Israel.”

“This prayer for Israel comes at the greatest hour of crisis in Israel’s history,” Bickle said in an inclusive interview with Charisma News in May. “But beyond that is the explosion of conversation in the body of Christ around the biblical narrative of Israel.” {eoa}

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The former lead pastors and founders of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, Stovall and Kerri Weems have filed a federal complaint against the Association of Related Churches (ARC) and three other pastors claiming they “masterminded” a conspiracy to take over the church and oust the pastors from their roles, reported this week.

The Weemses have been embroiled in a legal battle with Celebration Church since April 2022, when, as Charisma News reported, the 12,000-member church in North Florida released findings from an internal investigation that included allegations of financial misconduct and fraud, among others. Weems resigned his position in April 2022, but denied the allegations.

“I shall not and cannot be connected to any church in which the leadership abandons the clear biblical principles and scriptural qualifications for governance and oversight,” Weems’ letter of resignation stated.

The complaint filed by the couple names ARC, a non-profit church planting organization, along with two other pastors who previously served as overseers of Celebration and another pastor. The complaint, in part, read:

“Defendants were consumed by greed and the desire to advance their own financial and business interests when they deliberately targeted Pastor Weems and those closest to him because he rejected their unbridled church growth model and was focused on missionary work and developing supporting businesses that defendants perceived as a significant threat to their economic interests.”

In an overview, the complaint claims “the case arises out of a continuing unlawful conspiracy masterminded by the defendants to protect and expand their church growth business interests and endeavors and the substantial income they generate by destroying Plaintiffs (the Weemses) and eliminating them as perceived threats and competitors, which included engineering a takeover at Celebration Church of Jacksonville, Inc. to allow Defendants to effectively gain control over its operations and substantial assets, cover up numerous criminal and tortious acts committed in the process, and frame the Weemses for financial crimes they never committed.”

Founded by Chris Hodges, also the founder and senior pastor at Church of the Highlands in Alabama, ARC is one of the largest church planting organizations in the country and has helped launch more than 1,000 churches since 2000. Hodges is named as a defendant in the complaint.

Dino Rizzo, executive director of ARC and associate pastor at Church of the Highlands, is also named as defendant in the lawsuit. Rizzo was an overseer at Celebration Church until September 2021, reported. The third pastor named as a defending is John Siebeling, who leads the Life Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and is a founding board member at ARC.

The complaint says that ARC used its “significant influence and power as a vehicle to facilitate and conceal their nefarious scheme.” It also claims that the “Defendants intentionally caused substantial and other irreparable harm to the Plaintiffs through a pattern of unlawful and often criminal acts that included extortion, psychological abuse, wire fraud and computer crimes which ultimately caused over $100 million in damages.”

Celebration Church is not an ARC-planed church, but historically donated approximately $150,000 to $200,000 per year to ARC to benefit church planting operations, media reports say.

Stovall Weems told in January 2023 that he came to the realization in 2018 that Celebration Church had become too “corporate” and focused on generating attendance and revenue and needed to focus more on missions working and simplifying the church.

The Weemses developed a new vision antithetical to ARC’s growth model, including a new plan that would establish several entities to house and fund Celebration Church’s operations.

The federal complaint says that the Plaintiffs demand judgment against the Defendants, awarding:

• Compensatory damages in appropriate amounts to be established at trial;
• Punitive damages in appropriate amounts to be established at trial;
• Injunctive relief prohibiting Defendants from engaging in the tortious and unlawful misconduct alleged herein;
• Costs associated with this action; and
• Such other and further relief as the Court deems just and appropriate to protect Plaintiffs’ rights and interests.

“The Plaintiffs hereby demand a trial by jury on all issues triable,” the complaint concluded. {eoa}

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

As a deliverance minister and the senior pastor of V1 church in New York City, Pastor Mike Signorelli has seen a lot of wonderful things happen in the kingdom of God—both in the natural and the supernatural.

Signorelli says, however, his upcoming movie, “The Domino Revival,” will be “unlike any movie you’ve ever seen before.” For one night only, on October 24, filmgoers will see medically verifiable miracles, prophecies, deliverances and healings, all happening on film.

The film will take the audience on what he calls an extraordinary journey with himself and a group of revivalists during “a pivotal period in our nation’s history.” The movie, he says, unveils the awe-inspiring power of Jesus Christ, captures the essence of spiritual hunger, and will deliver a profound cinematic experience.

“Imagine some of your favorite revivalists and preachers and ministers from all over the United States all in one movie about revival,” Signorelli told Charisma News’ John Matarazzo in a recent interview. Revivalists included in the film include Mike’s wife, Julie Signorelli; Isaiah Saldivar, Alexander Pagani, Jenny Weaver, Mark Driscoll, Ryan LeStrange, Vlad Savchuk, Craig Brown, Andy Byrd, Jacob Coyne, Leon DePreez, Jessi Green, Parker Green, Jeremiah Johnson, Jonathan Stamper, Stephen Weaver and Shane Jennings.

On the heels of Christian films such as “Jesus Revolution” and “Come Out in Jesus Name,” “The Domino Revival” is a much-anticipated film among the American audience, Signorelli says. While the film “Sound of Freedom” has not been touted as a Christian movie, it is capturing the imagination of the nation, already earning over $100 million since its release on July 4.

“As soon as the trailer released, America started talking,” Signorelli says. “‘Jesus Revolution,’ for example, was awesome. It totally broke the box office. But imagine Jesus Revolution part two, the documentary, because God’s doing a new thing. He’s doing another Jesus movement.

“This film is basically showing America, ‘Hey, don’t believe everything you see in the news.’ It’s not all darkness. God is also shining His light.”

Being involved in the film industry was something Signorelli says he never imagined for himself. But once prophecy became involved, one that stunned the New York pastor, he was all in.

“A decade ago, I was standing in a parking lot in Northwest Indiana, and this guy randomly approached me and said, ‘I have a prophetic word for you,'” Signorelli says. “I thought that was weird, to get approached in a parking lot like that. And he said, ‘I saw a vison of you doing a film, and you’re going to be known for the film.’ At that point, I didn’t even own a camera.

“Shortly after that, the Lord spoke to me and said that there is going to be a second Jesus movement in my generation, and that I’m going to be a significant player in that Jesus movement, round two. … This was over a decade ago, but I started to call any figure from the first Jesus movement that was still alive and would give me the time and we would talk on the phone and I would have them download to me what it was like,” Signorelli recalls.

“Coming into the pandemic, we couldn’t physically meet at our three campuses for V1 Church, and so I immediately started shifting into another strategy, and that was reaching people online. I started going viral on almost a daily basis, and I was just prophesying and casting out demons and preaching the Scriptures. And that’s when it hit me, ‘Whoa, this is the beginning of the second Jesus movement.'”

To capitalize on the prophetic word that was given to him 10 years ago, Signorelli says he’s been filming a documentary for the last several years with “Netflix-approved” cameras. He didn’t tell anybody about what he was doing, but he felt it would be significant in the coming years.

But it wasn’t until “Come Out in Jesus Name,” in which he participated, that he discovered some CEOs in the movie industry were interested in Signorelli’s ministry. His staff contacted these CEOs to confirm their interest and give the go-ahead for Signorelli to dive into this movie project.

It was a project, he says, that was an “apostolic movie that shows the diversity gifts in the body of Christ, and how revival is taking in many different forms.” And with the finished project, “The Domino Revival,” Signorelli says with these different gifts “you can make Jesus known.” If it’s anything like the latest Christian movies that have been released, then indeed audiences are in for an incredible kingdom experience.

“On October 24, it’s going to be wild,” Signorelli says.

For more of Mike Signorelli’s conversation with Charisma News and more about “The Domino Revival,” click here. {eoa}

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.