One of the driving factors in America’s sharp turn away from the tenets of God is a lack of “fear” when it comes to their relationship with the Lord.

Charisma News sat down with Evangelist Ray Comfort, founder of Living Water Publications and The Way of the Master ministries, to discuss why some Christians have a heart issue when it comes to the Father.

“Well, one of the major things is the lack of fear of God,” Comfort explained. “The Bible says of Jesus, He was heard in that He feared. You bring up the fear of God, that’s probably the most politically incorrect thing you can say within the contemporary church! ‘Fear God? We’re talking about God’s love. We shouldn’t fear Him.’

“But that’s only said out of ignorance of what the Scriptures say,” he continued. “[The] Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Through the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. You’ll not depart from evil if you don’t fear God, because we love sin.”

He isn’t saying to view Him as some kind of boogeyman who is out to get people, but referring to the archaic version of the word fear, meaning, “to show reverence” to the Lord and His power. Other words used in this fashion include: wonder; amazement; awe and respect. But also maintaining a respect for the awesome power God has over one’s soul.

If one fears the Lord, this will produce obedience and humility to the will of the Lord over one’s own desires of the flesh.

Because it’s not the flesh that Jesus warned humanity about, but their souls and the grave dangers that come with not fearing the Lord.

“Jesus said, ‘Fear not him who has power to kill your body and afterward do no more, but fear Him who has power to kill your body and cast your soul into hell,’ (Matt. 10:28). We take that Bible verse for granted,” Comfort says.

“That’s more than a reverential fear. That’s a fear of what God can do to me if I anger Him, and that is good for me. You know what that does? That stops me [from] looking at the pleasure of pornography, that stops me listening to gossip and things like that. Because I know the eye of the Lord is every place beholding the evil and the good, so that fear is good,” Comfort continued.

When that fear, that respect for the awesome power of God is within a person’s heart, it is humbling. That humility leads to the acceptance of needing salvation through Jesus Christ, otherwise, that person is going to find they are on the wrong side of the Lord’s judgement.

The only way to avoid that is to have their name written in the Lamb’s book of life.

“God can legally take the death sentence off us, upon our repentance and faith in Jesus. The second you come to Christ and say ‘God, I’ve sinned against You, I put my trust in Jesus as my Savior and as my sin bearer’ God will clothe you in righteousness,” Comfort concludes.

“You’ll have knowledge that you’re at peace with God, and the gift of everlasting life. And there’s nothing more precious than that… And when you trust in Jesus, you’ve got assurance of salvation. And as I said, there’s nothing more precious.” {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

There is something spiritual happening deep within the culture of America today. Despite the blatantly demonic performance at the Grammys and pagan statues enshrined in New York City, there is an awakening taking place in the hearts of everyday Americans.

Many Christians never share their faith because they think it’s hard work. Many are under the impression that unless you partake in elaborate schooling, you’re not really qualified. Well, there’s good news. Barry Meguiar, the founder of Meguiar’s Car Wax, has been an outspoken Christian for many years and he’s demystifying the process of sharing your faith with others.

“There’s no greater high, there’s nothing more addictive. Once you start doing it, you’re off and running,” Meguiar says enthusiastically.

In his new book “Ignite Your Life,” Meguiar shares just how easy it is to witness for Jesus. I interviewed him for my “Strang Report” podcast to give you some practical tips to implement in your everyday life.

The Bible tells all of us to go into the world and preach the gospel. There is a world of people out there that don’t know Jesus and look at everything going on in the news with fear and despair. Amid that crisis, only 1% of Christians tell others about their faith. “That’s the problem,” Meguiar says.

Thankfully what has happened at the Asbury University revival and the new movie “Jesus Revolution” is blowing up across social media. “Jesus Revolution” hit number three at the box office on its opening weekend.

“It would appear there’s a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit across America and around the world. I saw one survey by Pew Research said 40% of Americans now believe we’re in the last days,” Meguiar says. If 40% of Americans believe we are in the last days they are certainly more open to hearing about eternal life.

Meguiar has been sharing his faith for 50 years and says it’s getting easier to share with people now than ever before. People are open to the gospel.

Mark 13:11 says, ” But when they arrest you and hand you over, take no thought beforehand, or premeditate what you should speak. But speak whatever is given you in that time, for it is not you who speaks, but the Holy Spirit.”

You don’t have to have a theology degree to be able to share the gospel. It is the Holy Spirit who speaks through you.

Not only does the world need to hear the gospel, but you also need to share the gospel to strengthen your own faith. Isaiah 43:10 says, “You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.”

“Ignite Your Life” has a message directly for pastors as well. “You’re robbing your people. You wonder why they’re not growing, you’ve really crippled them by not telling them the one thing they’re supposed to do more than any other, share their faith and be salt and light,” Meguiar says.

Meguiar’s grandfather wasn’t a chemist, but he trusted in the Lord. In 1901 the Lord gave him a formula that we now know as Meguiar’s wax. All of us should believe in God for those kinds of miracles in our own lives.

There have also been moments in Meguiar’s life where he almost lost his company, had deaths in the family and had other hardships. In the midst of life’s greatest challenges, he’s learned to have joy in the Lord in all things.

“Nothing bad can happen to me unless God wants it to happen to me. He allows bad to come into my life, it’s not really bad, it’s good. He’s going to use it for good. So we’ve stopped saying ‘God get us out of this mess,’ we thank God when it comes,” he says.

Learn how to share your faith boldly with those around you and face life’s hardest moments with an innate trust in God, that He will be by your side directing your steps because that is His promise.

Tune in to the rest of the podcast with Barry Meguiar for a time of powerful prayer. {eoa}

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An Alaskan school librarian has privately defended a pornographic book available to the district’s children and used the Bible as a defense for those materials.

Fox News Digital reported that Rachel Gregory, in an email to Anchorage school principal Carol Bartholomew, said it was a “slippery slope” to ban the book after school officials received pushback about it in Oct. 22. Fox News Digital obtained internal documents after a local parent, Jay McDonald, filed a public record request.

Gregory compared the book previously circulated within the district and titled “This Book is Gay,” to the Holy Bible.

Gregory said in her email to Bartholomew, “I am reading it (the pornographic book) now—it is graphic and blunt in a cartoony, keep it light way—but there is a tremendous amount of good information. … The reading level is 14+ and the author constantly discussing safety, safety, safety. On another note—I have the Bible on the shelf, 12 verses refer to Sodomy and sexual behavior, selling your daughter into slavery. This is such a slippery slope. Let me know what else you need. I fear it will be pulled off the shelves in our ASD libraries.”

There are many verses in the Bible that speak of sodomy and of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They speak of the subject, but many of them also reveal God’s feelings on sodomy, including 2 Peter 2:6-10:

“… and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, making them an example to those afterward who would live ungodly lives; and if He delivered righteous Lot, who was distressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man lived among them, and what he saw and heard of their lawless deeds tormented his righteous soul day after day); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment, especially those who walk after the flesh in pursuit of unclean desires, and despise authority.”

The book, written by Juno Dawson, labels pornography as “fine and fun” and lists a porn star as an “inspiration.” It is a “bestselling young adult non-fiction book,” according to Amazon.

“It’s not about one book or two books or 10 books. It’s a much larger push,” one concerned local parent told Fox News Digital. “They are pushing critical gender theory on kids beginning in elementary school to get what they call ‘gender creative.’ They are transitioning them to public schools. They are doing it without prior notification or consent from the parents. In some cases, they never tell the parents.

“So, I’m encouraging parents that, if you’re not able to homeschool them, please sit down with your kids and talk to them about what they hear in school. My daughter, we pulled her out of public school in first grade. By that time, they had already been talking to the students about the gender stuff. It sounds innocuous, but if you’re going to elementary school kids and you’re telling them that there is no such thing as gender, well, adults have a hard time processing that idea. It’s very confusing to their little minds. I’m glad we got her out of school when we did.”

“This Book is Gay” also recommends a casual app for digital devices called Grindr, which is meant for those 18 and over. However, Fox News Digital reported that Grindr’s age verification process is “flimsy.” According to an article written in a California law journal, Grindr “facilitates inadvertent illicit activity among its adult users.

“As a result of its flimsy age verification process and its indiscriminate marketing, Grindr poses risks to both minors and adults. Minors who sign up for the app risk encountering predatory behavior, while adult users risk inadvertently engaging in criminal activity,” wrote Julie Kvedar in the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal in 2020. “In creating a Grindr profile, users may encounter just a single notification that the app is for adults only: the requirement of entering one’s birthdate.”

Fox News Digital previously reported that a California school district recently purchased a book called “Let’s Talk About it.” The book unpacked “kinks, fantasies and porn.”

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some porn, it’s a fun sugary treat,” the book said. “When consumed right, porn can help you discover new aspects of your sexuality. A great place to research fantasies and kinks safely is on the internet,” the book said. “There’s tons of people and communities out there who share your interests and have all kinds of advice.” {eoa}

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

Christian evangelist Nick Hall provided a space over the weekend for the Asbury revival to continue after Asbury University shut it down.

There was plenty of space at the Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, located about 30 minutes from Asbury in Wilmore. And while hundreds showed up for the last-minute, low-key, free-flowing event, the revival meeting did not gain enough publicity beforehand to fill the massive arena.

Hall told WTVQ-TV he received numerous messages from people wanting to see the Awakening continue in Lexington, so he was able to get the arena.

“We want to help people be able to feel confident to take this home, to reach their friends. And our prayer is that this will be unleashed in thousands of churches and schools from this place to the nations,” Hall had said.

Asbury’s president had said options would be opened up in the central Kentucky area after he closed down the revival. But then potential sites were never announced. That’s when Hall said he simply wanted to provide a space for God to keep moving, according to .

Hall told the outlet he attended the revival at Asbury and “God really worked at my heart.” What caught his attention almost immediately was the authenticity of the event.

“It changed me forever,” he said.

Greg Gordon, the founder of , noted on social media some of the testimonies from Rupp Arena on Sunday, including the thought, “Could this be the Great Awakening?”

“Some testimonies tonight from the Rupp Arena meeting: ‘The Lord is preparing us to go home / This is the great rehearsal.’ – Lee University Student. ‘He’s coming soon!!’—Nick Hall. ‘How close are you really to me? God is not even done with this move of God.’—Student,” he tweeted.

Gordon added, “I personally was struck with the thought, could this be the beginning of a great awakening the Lord is sending to prepare His Bride for His soon coming and for the ingathering of the final harvest.”

For the rest of this article, visit our content partners at . {eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2022 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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For years, Chick-Fil-A and its owner, Dan Cathy, have been under scrutiny from the LGBTQ community for its Christian beliefs and values. In 2020, the company released a statement saying it would work exclusively in the areas of education, homelessness and hunger.

In recent years, many other restaurants and companies have bowed to the protests from the LGBTQ agenda to support their cause. After a phone call with Cathy during the past week, Evangelist Franklin Graham says Chick-Fil-A will not bow to the culture and give into the pressures from the gay community.

“Has Chick-Fil-A caved?,” Graham wrote in a Facebook post. “Some are saying they’ve rolled over, that they’ve conceded to the LGBTQ protests because they released a statement about their charitable giving. They announced that, in 2020, they are giving to fight hunger and homeless and to support education. What’s wrong with that?

“I picked up the phone and called Dan Cathy. Dan was very clear that they have not bowed down to anyone’s demands, including the LGBTQ community. They will continue to support whoever they want to support. They haven’t changed who they are or what they believe. Chick-Fil-A remains committed to Christian values.

“Dan Cathy assured me this isn’t going to change. I hope all of those who jumped to the wrong conclusion about them read this.”

The National LGBTQ Task Force says the controversy with Chick-Fil-A stems from “the millions of dollars the fast-food chain has donated to anti-LGBT and alleged hate groups over the years, and to President Dan Cathy’s support for traditional marriage.

But Cathy’s company is simply choosing to give money to support other causes.

Chick-Fil-A’s website says, that in 2020, the company committed $9 to the above-mentioned initiatives. To support education, the company expanded its partnership with Junior Achievement USA, which fosters work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills in students.

The company also addresses youth homelessness, and expanded its partnership with Covenant House International. To fight hunger, Chick-Fil-A supports more than 120 communities by dedicating $25,000 to a local food bank at each new Chick-Fil-A opening.

Restaurant chains like McDonald’s and Burger King publicize, if not outright flaunt, their relationship with the LGBTQ community. Chick-Fil-A refuses to do so.

Graham says the gay community, in his opinion, “wouldn’t ever be happy with Chick-Fil-A unless …

“They were open on Sunday (which no Chick-Fil-A restaurant is in order to honor God), gave all of their charitable donations to LGBTQ organizations and flew the rainbow flag over their stores,” Graham wrote. “Their hatred for Chick-Fil-A is rooted in founder Truett Cathy’s strong stand for biblical ‘traditional’ values and his desire to honor God.”

As long as Chick-Fil-A continues its biblical values, Graham says, the company will continue to be successful.”

“No fast-food chain does a better job. I went through the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A yesterday morning and I thought I might get dinner there—but a whole lot of other people had the same idea!” Graham wrote. {eoa}

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

There are moments in life where it feels like your prayers are hitting the ceiling. No matter what you pray and how long you pray, the breakthrough just isn’t coming. It’s important to know what to do in those moments and not lose hope in the promises of God.

The Bible tells us there are some circumstances that require prayer and fasting for breakthrough. I interviewed Tammy Hotsenpiller for my “Strang Report” podcast to talk about fasting for breakthrough.

Fasting isn’t easy, in fact it isn’t supposed to be easy. The first time I tried to fast in college during the Jesus Movement I felt like was going to die.

“That’s the point. You are dying to your flesh. That’s what you are supposed to do,” Tammy says. As a coach, author and co-pastor of Influence Church in southern California one of the things she teaches is fasting out of conviction instead of guilt.

In her new book, “Fasting For Miracles: A 21 Day Journey to Seeing Faith Become Reality,” Tammy walks you through the biblical meaning and purpose of a fast. In the Greek the word ‘fast’ means to shut your mouth. In the Hebrew the word means no food.

“So when Jesus is telling us to fast, or the Old Testament is teaching us to fast, I believe it’s a food fast, because I’m struggling with my flesh right now in fasting,” she says.

In America we are accustomed to eating whatever we want whenever we want it. When you fast you are clearing your mind and pressing deeper into God. It’s not just about going without food, but it’s an opportunity to grow closer in your relationship with God.

“My focus isn’t on my physical wellbeing it’s on my spiritual breakthrough. I think that’s the difference between a physical fast and a biblical fast,” Tammy says.

In today’s world we hear about intermittent fasting to improver our physical health, but fast for your spiritual health will be prompted by God.

For Tammy, her journey with fasting grew deeper right as the pandemic began. God gave her a prophetic vision of what was going on in the world and she quickly saw the enemy shooting arrows of fear, dissension and confusion.

“This is important because when God gives us prophetic words, He also gives us revelation. He spoke to my spirit and He said ‘pray against the arrows.’ I immediately knew this was demonic. On my walk, the Holy Spirit said to me very clearly ‘fast with Me, fast with Me.'”

Most Christians in churches today don’t understand the purpose and discipline of fasting. In Matthew 17 we read about a father who brings his epileptic son to Jesus for healing. Jesus rebuked the demon and the child was set free. When the disciples came to him later they asked why they weren’t able to cast out the demon. In verse 21 Jesus says, ” But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

In her coaching book, Tammy takes you step-by-step through various fasts and the biblical miracle stories that accompany those fasts. The goal through fasting is to have an encounter with God.

“When the Holy Spirit said to me ‘fast for miracles,’ I knew that He wanted me to do something that would press in deeper than the natural realm,” she says.

There are multiple different kinds of fasts that you can implement in your life. One of the most common fasts is the Daniel fast, often a 21-day fast eating mainly vegetables and water. There are sun up to sun down fasts, and an absolute fast which is no food at all.

Wherever you are at in your fasting journey take a moment and pray and ask the Holy Spirit how you can be fasting for breakthrough in your life. {eoa}

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When police arrested a human trafficker at one of her “gentlemen’s clubs” three years ago, Donna Holbrook began to re-evaluate her life.

She had always believed in God and wanted to help women, but her relationship with Him wasn’t a close one. But after the man was arrested for sex trafficking women in one of her clubs, the Holy Spirit convicted her not only to get out of that business, but also to re-dedicate her life to the Lord.

“I have always known God, but I felt I needed a closer connection,” Holbrook told The Christian Post. “Reverend [El Akuckie] from Fusion Church and I talk, and I was explaining things to him. And so, I gave my life back to God. And then, I had a baptism after that.

“After the baptism, that’s what really changed my whole entire being. I just feel light, and I don’t have heaviness anymore. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

Holbrook, 55, says she worked with a human trafficking task force to apprehend the perpetrator—after she and her husband came to Christ.

Holbrook was baptized at Fusion Church in Lexington, Ohio in 2019. Following her husband’s death from cancer in 2020, she decided to close the doors of the two clubs after five years in business and felt convicted to sell both businesses. She now works as a real estate agent in Ohio.

Holbrook says she and her late husband, Steve, needed a church to attend and they “stumbled across Fusion Church” in Lexington.

“We love the atmosphere and the people,” Holbrook told Frontlines Ohio. “Not only that, but the Holy Spirit is there and that is important to us. In April 2019, we gave our lives to the Lord. But while we were transferring an doing all these things, we still owned two gentlemen’s clubs. So when we gave our lives to the Lord, our hearts changed.”

Holbrook said that she once “viewed her clubs as a safe place for women to dance and for her to share the gospel with as many women as she could, and invite them to church.”

She felt deep conviction that she could no longer participate in such a business.

“Prior to going to church, we were reaching out to these girls (dancers) and helping them get back into college; we found them jobs in order to get them out of the clubs,” Holbrook recalled.

Frontlines Ohio reported that many of the dancers—and some of the bartenders—came to Fusion Church and were welcomed with open arms.

“Our congregation treated them just like we would have treated any other first-time guest at Fusion,” says Fusion Church Lead Pastor Terry Garrett. “The last thing they needed, was to think they had a scarlet letter over their head. Our goal is to create a space for them to grow in their relationship with Christ and to let the Holy Spirit bring conviction.”

Frontlines Ohio reported that a recent wave of sex businesses, including Holbrook’s, have closed in North Central Ohio and are “falling like dominoes.”

“We bought clothing and food for the girls and had a Bible at each of our clubs,” Holbrook said. “These girls (dancers) would be like, ‘What are you doing with a Bible in this kind of place?’ I know this is not normal, but that is what we did. We were not there to make money, we were there to save souls. This was our heart: to be inside the clubs and helping the girls get out.”

And the former dancers’ lives have changed dramatically. They now know Jesus, and they are grateful.

“I still have the girls coming to me—they are managers of stores and restaurants and they thank me for loving them and showing them what Jesus is all about. Some of them have even given their lives to Jesus,” said Holbrook.

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today! {eoa}

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

Unlike the revival at Asbury University in Kentucky this month, the Holy Spirit has been working on the campus of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi for quite some time now.

Students at TAMUCC—many of whom attend New Life Church in Corpus Christi, Texas—have shown their boldness for Christ for many months, leading to many salvations, baptisms and healings at the secular university.

Last Friday night, nearly a couple hundred people gathered for at TAMUCC to prayer for revival for not only their school, but also for America. The event lasted for five hours.

New Life Church Young Adults is a campus-approved club, and it is the largest Christian club on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, says Mike Fehlauer, the senior pastor at New Life Church.

“In light of what God did at Asbury and other Christian universities, it was wonderful to see this gathering of students who have such a heart for God,” Fehlauer says. “There was a strong spirit of repentance and desire for greater holiness.

“We believe that God is up to something on that campus. Each week, we are seeing salvations and baptisms from the 15 different student life groups that meet throughout the week. For me, to see these young people show a true heart of repentance is very inspiring.”

Last August, more than 600 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi students attended a one-night gathering on campus. Fehlauer says there were nearly 100 who received Christ and over 51 spontaneous baptisms.

But that’s not all that’s happening in South Texas these days. The Holy Spirit has overwhelmed students in many high schools in the Corpus Christi area as well. GenZers have been preaching and prophesying for months in the area’s schools and bring about revival among the younger kids.

The schools are allowing Bible clubs in the schools—before and after school and at lunchtime—where students are praying for each other and allowing the Holy Spirit to engulf the meetings.

“There has to be a spirit of repentance, and we’re seeing that a lot among our youth,” says New Life Church Youth Pastor Mario Carrete. “It’s amazing what’s happening in our high schools, but it also incredible what’s happening on our local college campus as well.

“Whereas you have a lot of young adults who have given into the secular culture and want to just have fun and party, well, this is a different kind of party. It’s a party where everyone is invited, and everyone is invited to accept Jesus as their savior. We know that these gatherings—and our young adults’ group—are making a difference in these kids’ lives, and we thank God for it. We thank God that what is happening at Asbury and across the nation. These GenZers’ zest for God is growing and growing. It’s amazing.” {eoa}

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

On June 30, 2022, someone named Robert posted this comment on our ministry’s YouTube channel: “Why would anyone in the 21st century give a [expletive] what illiterate desert dwellers from 2000 years ago thought about anything?” In writing this, he reflected the views of many people today, especially in the younger generation. Why on earth should I care about what this old, outmoded, outdated book has to say? What does it have to do with me?

Of course, the authors of the Bible were anything but “illiterate desert dwellers.” To this day, scholars are still trying to understand all the nuances of the brilliant Hebrew of Job (let alone plumb the philosophical depths of the book), while theologians have written thousands of books and articles debating the meaning of single verses in the writings of Paul. But who cares about facts? It’s convenient to bash the Bible and dismiss it out of hand. “I’ve got better things to do than read the Bible!”

I want to give you a fresh perspective on God’s Word. I want to invite you to get reacquainted with the most wonderful book that has ever been written. Are you ready to come along?

In recent years, I’ve heard lots of people say, “You can’t trust the Bibles you read. They are translations of translations of translations.” Is there any truth to this? Absolutely not. Whether you’re reading an older English Bible (like the King James Version) or a modern English Bible (like the NIV or ESV or NASB), you’re reading a translation into English straight from biblical Hebrew, biblical Aramaic or biblical Greek. That’s it.

You are not reading a translation from Hebrew into Greek into Latin into German into English (or something like that). You are reading a translation straight from the biblical languages (namely, Hebrew and a little Aramaic for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament) into English. Everyone who knows anything about Bible translations knows this to be true, and the translators have spent decades studying the original languages and then many years producing their translations. So, let’s bury that myth about “translations from translations” once and for all.

“But,” you say, “I’ve heard of ancient translations of the Bible like the Septuagint, translating the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, or the Vulgate, translating the whole Bible into Latin. And then scholars today use those versions, meaning, they use translations of translations. What about that?”

Well, you’re right and you’re wrong. It is true that such translations exist, dating as far back as 250 years before the time of Jesus. And it is true that scholars use them to see how ancient readers understood the original text. In other words, when a scholar is translating the Hebrew Scriptures into English today, he will see how the Septuagint translated those same verses more than 2,000 years ago, seeking to understand the Hebrew as best as possible. Why not use all the tools you have? But then—and this is the key point—that scholar will go directly from the original language into the target language, in this case, English.

“But hang on,” you protest. “I understand what you’re saying about these scholars going straight from the biblical languages into the modern language they’re working with. But you keep talking about ‘the original Hebrew’ or the ‘original Greek,’ yet we don’t have any original copies of the Bible. We only have copies of copies of copies. So that undermines your whole argument.”

Actually, it’s true that we only have copies of copies of copies. It’s the same with virtually all the major books from the ancient world. But we must remember that the people copying books and verses of the Bible did so with the utmost seriousness, believing these to be sacred texts, even the very Word of God. It’s true, of course, that with so much interest in these texts, not every scribe was professionally trained or thoroughly meticulous. But there’s good news here too, since we have so many thousands of manuscripts to compare, sorting out the least accurate from the most accurate.

The more you dig into this, the more amazing it becomes. That’s why, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the late 1940s, scholars were amazed to see that among the Hebrew manuscripts found there, some of them dating back to as early as 150-100 years BC, some were identical to the text found in our Hebrew Bibles today virtually letter for letter.

But this should not surprise us. After all, if you look at a Hebrew Bible today, which is based on manuscripts that are roughly 1,000 years old, you’ll see a note like this at the end of the Torah (also known as the Pentateuch, referring to the first five books of the Bible). It lists the total number of verses in the Torah, then the middle verse. Then the total number of words in the Torah, then the middle word, then the total number of letters in the Torah—yes, letters.

This means that, upon finishing his work of copying out the Torah, the scribe would have to go back and count every verse, every word and every letter. (How many times do you have to count something like that before you’re sure you counted correctly?) And what happens if your total deviates by one single letter? You cannot use the manuscript. It is considered defective. Talk about a painstaking job!

It is true that there are some verses in the Bible that we find troubling today, such as the command to drive out (or kill) the Canaanites, a subject I have addressed at length in other books. For the moment, let me just say that there are explanations that make good sense—and I mean good moral sense. But here, I want to focus on another subject. What kind of morality does the Bible put forth? How does God call us to live?

Let’s start with the Ten Commandments. If you’ve forgotten them or are not familiar with them, I’ll print them here in full:

And God spoke all these words:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Ex. 20:1–17).

Now, ask yourself this question. If the whole world lived by these words, would the world be a better place? A safer place? A healthier place? A more moral place? Would it be easier for you to raise your kids in an environment like this? Would there be less crime? Would marriages be stronger? Would people be more at peace with themselves and one another?

The answer is obviously yes—unless you think that more murder and more adultery and more theft and more lying and more dishonoring of parents and more covetousness and more workaholism and more worship of false gods would make the world a better place.

Yet it is these Ten Commandments which lay the moral foundation of the rest of the Old Testament. Perhaps the Bible has some divine wisdom after all. {eoa}

(This is a small section of the chapter ‘Why Should We Care About What the Bible Says?’ from my new book “Why So Many Christians Have Left the Faith: Responding to the Deconstructionist Movement With Unshakable, Timeless Truth,” used here with permission from the publisher.)

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Dr. Michael Brown () is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is “The Political Seduction of the Church: How Millions of American Christians Have Confused Politics with the Gospel.” Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

Originally projected to bring in $7 million during its opening weekend, the Erwin brothers latest film “Jesus Revolution” raked in more than twice that amount and became the third highest-grossing movie over the weekend as the nation continues to experience revival.

The Lionsgate movie “Jesus Revolution” brought in a total of $15,525,000 in more than 2,400 theaters.

The movie’s performance at the box office surprised many, but then a lot of people continue to underestimate God and the pockets of revival that continue to happen throughout the country. A headline from the Washington Examiner read, “Frasier Star Kelsey Grammer and Jesus Revolution Shock Box Office with No. 3 Open.”

Troops and Allies, a Nashville-based marketing agency that is promoting “Jesus Revolution,” said in a release:

“It’s been an exciting weekend for Jesus Revolution. The audience response has been overwhelming. Lionsgate’s ‘Jesus Revolution’ from Kingdom Story Company took in an estimated $ million this weekend (including pre-release awareness screenings), significantly overperforming pre-release tracking. Before the weekend, estimates for the film showed the film opening in the $6-7M range.

“With a 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore, Lionsgate and Kingdom targeted the faith community, and the opening weekend audience at 2,475 North American theaters was 59% female and 89% 25+. The film is positioned solidly with faith-inspired moviegoers.”

To build excitement around the film, Lionsgate organized church screenings, university screenings and other initiatives that garnered enthusiasm for the film prior to its nationwide release.

The film also set a record this weekend: the release of “Jesus Revolution” marks the first time in history that a director (Jon Erwin) has scored four A+ CinemaScore Grades since the company publicly released the results in 1986. These films include:

• I Can Only Imagine
• American Underdog
• Jesus Revolution
• Woodlawn

Many viewers praised the film on the movie’s Facebook page:

• Kelsey Grammer did an outstanding job as did the rest of the cast. This movie is inspirational.
• We absolutely LOVED it! Let the revival begin!
• My family watched a movie on Saturday. The movie theater is full. We all clapped ! Thank you for the good work. I hope to the new wave of revival coming again.
• I’m so glad to see Kelsey Grammer’s Stand for Christ in the midst of Hollywood.

Along with Grammer, the film stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Anna Grace Barlow. “Jesus Revolution” is the true story of one young hippie’s (Laurie) quest in the 1970s for belonging and purpose that leads not only to peace, love, and rock and roll, but that sets into motion a new counterculture crusade, changing the course of his life.

Laurie is the founder and pastor of Harvest churches in California and Hawaii. He is an evangelist and a bestselling author. {eoa}

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