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What the phrase ‘Christ is King’ really means

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Easter is the central miracle upon which the entire Christian faith is based and even depends. Yes, Christmas has more pageantry, and especially for Westerners, it has a longer season than Easter. But without the resurrection of Jesus — His overcoming sin and death for our sake, Christmas is nothing more than the celebration of yet another famous person’s birthday. It’s Easter that makes Christmas meaningful.

Now, every Easter there are the inevitable distractions and misdirections from the centrality of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead like the inevitable documentaries trying to debunk the historical accuracy of the resurrection with titles like “The Secrets of Easter” or “What the Church Doesn’t Want You to Know About the First Easter.”

This year, during Holy Week, some of the distractions are centering around what seems like an obviously Christian phrase: “Christ is King.” Some would say that the phrase is simply an utterance of a core Christian belief that goes back 2,000 years, that Jesus, as the Messiah and redeemer of all of humanity, is King over all creation.

But there are reports of those using this phrase as an antisemitic dog whistle, using it to mask their rhetoric and shield it from criticism by Christians who would otherwise disagree with them. I think of Andrew Tate and SNEAKO, two famous converts to Islam who have actually tweeted “Christ is King” — which is as far from an Islamic belief as it gets — perhaps as a way of criticizing Jews and rally Christians behind them.

Recent history gives us examples of groups turning straightforward phrases into propaganda to sow division and then shield themselves using those same phrases. But at its core, beyond all the rhetorical machinations and social hand wringing, is the original meaning behind the claim that Jesus Christ is King, and it’s not about conquering one set of people for the benefit of others or vanquishing people with whom we disagree. No, Christ is King because He’s no longer dead, and He hasn’t been ever since that first Easter, 2,000 years ago.

For centuries, earthly kings have ruled both benevolently and tyrannically over vast territories, but with all their power and might they all have or will succumb to death and decay. The empires they’ve ruled have either declined or totally fallen. Where earthly kings perish, Christ the King lives. Where earthly kings fight, Christ the King forgives.

Christ is king because He conquered death, the adversaries to which all kings on this Earth have fallen or will fall. Though Jesus’s Kingdom is not of this world, it is a kingdom that beckons all of us — rich or poor, powerful or meek, white or black, male or female, Gentile or Jew — to find hope in the Lamb who was slain and the King who rose from the dead.

In Ephesians 2:14-16, Paul speaks of the unity of Jews and non Jews in Christ: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”

Paul undercuts the use of Christ as King to hurt people. If someone says Christ is King to hurt others, they don’t understand what it actually means for Christ to be the King — the king who kills hostility. It’s Jesus’s resurrection that proved what Jesus set out to do and did, in fact, accomplish.
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

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‘God Still Heals’: Mike Signorelli on Fighting the Demonic, Seeing Miracles — and More

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A New York City pastor is on a mission to help people see that “God still heals.”

Mike Signorelli of V1 Church in New York City joined Billy Hallowell to explain how facets of the secular medical community are now “open to the spiritual realm.”

While some doctors and hospitals are looking for help in the wrong places, he said there is an opportunity for Christians to step into the fold and divert attention toward biblical truth.

“What we have to do is believe that God is going to do what only He can do and let me awaken people to the reality that He still heals,” Signorelli said.

In his own ministry, the popular preacher said he has to remind himself to “pray for even incurable things,” as he puts full trust in the Lord. He said he’s seen and experienced incredible miracles as a result of this trust. Signorelli even shared the example of a woman who was healed of Multiple sclerosis (MS).

“I received an email with all of these PDF attachments of a medical diagnosis of MS, and then as I begin to read the documents,” he said, noting he had prayed for the woman. “It was multiple confirmations that all the lesions were gone. It was completely undetectable and they cleared her and even said, ‘You’re done with medication and any medical intervention.’”

Signorelli continued, “And I wept knowing my own unbelief in that moment.”

These are the very issues CBN tackles in our new documentary “Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles,” as we travel the nation diving into claims of miraculous healing.

“Your film is so important,” Signorelli said of the project. “And I hope many people listening watch it right now because it’s like, listen, I don’t want to serve a God that never heals. … But we also don’t want to distract people from the fact that salvation is the greatest healing and we’re all going to die of something. So it’s like living in that both and is healthy doctrine, healthy theology.”

Signorelli is also on a mission to launch a new effort to inspire faith — the Mission 11:59.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

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Australian Defence Force releases new Bible edition for soldiers

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The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has released a new edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible, two decades after the previous edition was released in 2005.

The launch ceremony took place on March 13 at Russell Offices, the ADF’s administrative headquarters in Canberra, according to an ADF press release. Tina King of Bible Society Australia presented the new Bible to Maj. Gen. Sue Graham, who represented the chief of the Defence Force at the event.

“We acknowledge in the Defence Force how we are continually supported by the public, and the sacrifice from Bible Society volunteers brought forward today is another embodiment of that,” Graham said. “It’s particularly important to have a Bible that is available and relevant to all our soldiers, sailors and aviators.”

The new edition includes content tailored specifically to ADF personnel, such as contextually relevant prayers for those serving in the Navy, Army and Air Force.

“This is not a book for a bookshelf, it is a book to be near. We hope it will be dog-eared, underlined, searched and cherished,” said King.

Bible Society Australia also hosted a historical display at the event, showcasing military Bibles dating back to the Boer War. Among them was a Bible that saved the life of LCpl. Phillip Davies during World War I. Davies was digging for telephone cables at Messines Ridge, near Ypres in Belgium, when two bomb shells exploded nearby. Shrapnel struck his arms and legs, killing one colleague and injuring two others.

The location is known to have seen fierce fighting between British and German soldiers vying to control the ridge, considered important at the time for military advancement as it allowed a strategic viewpoint over the Ypres Salient.

The next morning, Davies discovered a piece of shrapnel stuck in the back cover of his Soldier’s Bible, which he had kept in his breast pocket. The shrapnel had been stopped just inches from his heart. The Bible was one of a million donated at the time by Bible Society Australia.

Director General Chaplaincy—Army, Principal Chaplain Kerry Larwill, spoke at the ceremony, noting the continued relevance of spiritual resources in military life.

“About 44 percent of Australians identified as Christian, and more are interested in spirituality of different varieties,” Larwill said. “For people who serve in Defence, which we know has demands on individuals and their families, it’s a source of light and hope to those who derive their meaning from a Christian perspective or value its wisdom.”

Representatives from the Military Christian Fellowship of Australia (MCF-A) and other chaplaincy networks, such as the Forum of Christian Military Ministries, also attended the launch. The new Bible includes a foreword written by former MCF-A patron and former Gov.-Gen. of Australia, General (retired) David Hurley.
Sources:Christianpost

http://theendtimeradio.com

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Labour council withdraws injunction seeking to ban Christian street preachers

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A Labour-run council in the United Kingdom has withdrawn its attempt to impose an injunction banning Christian street preachers in two Hampshire towns. Rushmoor Borough Council reversed its legal action after sustained opposition from local faith leaders and Conservative councilors.

The council had sought a court order in March that would have prohibited street preachers from praying, singing, handing out Bibles or leaflets, or initiating religious conversations in the town centers of Farnborough and Aldershot, according to the U.K.-based group Christian Concern.

The proposed injunction included restrictions that would have made it a criminal offense to pray for someone without prior permission, offer Christian literature by hand, or engage in discussions deemed “hostile” based on protected characteristics under the Equality Act.

“The Gospel has never been silenced by opposition — in fact, challenges like these have historically refined, not weakened, the Church’s resolve,” said Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, in a statement provided to The Christian Post on Saturday.

“Thanks to the swift action of Christian Concern, the local preachers, councilors and supporters — and the public attention generated — the Council now recognizes the serious error of judgment it made. A meeting is now scheduled between the Council and the preachers to explore constructive and lasting solutions.

The council’s application, filed under provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and the Local Government Act 1972, cited the need to prevent “alarm and distress” among the public. The draft injunction warned that breaching its terms could result in prosecution and up to two years in prison.

Preachers and local churches said they were not consulted and described the proposed restrictions as disproportionate and unprecedented.

Lawyers from the Christian Legal Centre, which supported the preachers, said the injunction risked criminalizing ordinary expressions of faith, including carol singing.

Street preacher Sally McGuinness, who has worked in the area for over 15 years, was quoted as saying that she made several attempts to contact the council after learning of the proposed injunction but received no response.

She told council officials at a meeting on April 23 that the threat of criminalization had weighed heavily on her and accused the council of failing to acknowledge the good done by local Christian outreach.

Several faith leaders, including ministers from Evangelical churches, an Army chaplain and a local vicar, also attended the meeting to raise their objections. During the session, council officers were told that the proposed measures would not only restrict constitutionally protected religious expression but would set a precedent for banning similar public acts of faith.

Preacher Jamie Broadey, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, an arm of Christian Concern, said he had been shocked to read that the draft injunction forbade activities like praying or singing unless the public first gave permission.

He called the restrictions incompatible with centuries of Christian tradition in Britain.

Following the meeting, the council announced it would withdraw the application and consider a voluntary code of conduct for street preaching.

Council leader Gareth Williams was quoted as saying that discussions with the local Christian community helped reach a solution that balanced freedom of worship with the interests of all town center users.

Councilor Gareth Lyon, the local Conservative group leader who had taken up the preachers’ case, welcomed the decision, saying it was the right outcome for both free speech and religious liberty.

Rushmoor’s draft injunction on prohibitions included a ban on placing a hand on someone while praying — even if they consented — as well as any sermon that could be perceived as hostile toward individuals based on characteristics such as sex, gender identity or religion.

The council defended its position by citing complaints from members of the public who claimed the preachers created a “non-inclusive” environment. In one instance, a person said their trans-identified child felt unsafe encountering street preaching. Other complaints referred to the use of a portable PA system, preaching that was deemed judgmental and daytime evangelism that disrupted residents’ sleep.

A meeting between council officials and faith leaders is expected to discuss alternatives to legal enforcement. The preachers are still seeking an apology and assurances that such measures will not be pursued again.
Sources:Christianpost

http://theendtimeradio.com

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