Will Restored Temple Involve Animal Sacrifice?

In the Jerusalem Post’s “Ask the Rabbi” column, a reader poses the interesting question:  “Can we pray for the rebuilding of the Temple without wanting the restoration of animal sacrifices? Does God really expect us to slaughter animals in the Temple?”

Rabbi Shlomo Brody, who responded the question, teaches at Yeshivat Hakotel and is pursuing a doctorate in Jewish philosophy in Hebrew University.  He provides a brief survey of Jewish theories about animal sacrifice and future restoration of the Temple and Temple worship.

According to Brody, Orthodox Zionists largely believe that literal animal sacrifice will be a necessary element of proper worship in the restored Temple.  Moses Maimonides, a 12th Century rabbi, physician and philosopher of Spain and Egypt, wrote 13 Principles of Faith, a commentary on the Mishna, in which he posits that it is impossible for a new prophet to contradict the expressed laws of God.

Some modern rabbis reject the idea that animal sacrifice will be necessary in the future, but most rabbinical literature suggests that blood sacrifice will be reinstituted at the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Click here to read the story.

Former South Dakota District Superintendent Assumes Pastorate of Missouri UPCI Church

Bro. Gray Legg has been elected pastor of Hannibal, Missouri’s Apostolic Holiness Church, a 65-year-old congregation.

Bro. Legg, who formerly pastored in Sioux Fall, South Dakota at Word of Life Pentecostal Church and served 13 years as District Superintendent of that state, is a graduate of Christian Life College in Stockton and Faith Heritage College of Bakersfield, California.

Bro. Legg is only the third pastor of Apostolic Holiness Church in its history.

Click here to read the full story.

McCain’s VP Choice Reassures Evangelicals

By Eric Gorski  (AP Religion Writer )

John McCain’s running mate was raised in a Pentecostal church, has called herself “as pro-life as any candidate can be” and already has energized conservative religious leaders who worried the Arizona senator would choose an abortion rights supporter.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is “straight out of veep central casting,” said Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religion Liberties Commission. Land said he urged the McCain camp to consider the political unknown.

Gary Bauer, one of McCain’s most enthusiastic evangelical supporters, called it a “grand slam home run” that is “guaranteed to energize values voters.”

The 44-year-old mother of five, who led her high school chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was baptized as a teenager at the Wasilla Assembly of God Church, where she and her family were very active, according to her then-pastor, Paul Riley.

Now, she sometimes worships at the Juneau Christian Center, which is also part of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, said Brad Kesler, business administrator of the denomination’s Alaska District. But her home church is The Church on the Rock, an independent congregation, Riley said.

“The church was kind of a foundation for her,” said Riley, who said he gave the invocation at Palin’s inauguration and had her address students at the church last month.

Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said Palin attends different churches and does not consider herself Pentecostal.

As a politician, Palin has sided with the majority evangelical view in opposing gay marriage and expressing a desire to see creationism discussed alongside evolution in schools.

Full Story

Sugar Land church to house newest Starbucks

The Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land is opening a new Starbucks with a unique twist.

The coffee shop, part of the church’s new Family Center, will be located inside — next to the worship area and adjacent to a large, two-story play center. Patrons can sip lattes and surf the web with free Wi-Fi while their children shoot down slides and tumble through the padded obstacle course. A bookstore will provide Christian reading materials, gifts, apparel, movies and music.

With a grand opening scheduled for Sept. 7, this may be Fort Bend County’s first not-for-profit Starbucks. I guess when the Lord sees fit to close one Starbucks another is opened.

Bobby Chandler, director of communications, said the idea for the center came in 2006 when the church saw it would need to expand the child center.

“We wanted a family center not just for children but for adults and gatherings as well,” he said.

Full Story

McCain VP Pick Palin has Pentecostal Roots

By ERIC GORSKI Of the Associated Press – 5 hours ago

Sarah Palin already has energized conservative religious leaders who had fretted that John McCain would pick an abortion rights supporter as his running mate. The Alaska governor was raised in a Pentecostal church and has called herself “as pro-life as any candidate can be.”

To Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religion Liberties Commission, Palin is “straight out of veep central casting.” Land said he had urged the McCain camp to consider the political unknown.

Gary Bauer, one of McCain’s most enthusiastic evangelical supporters, said the Arizona senator had hit a “grand slam home run” and that adding Palin to the GOP ticket is “guaranteed to energize values voters.”

Full Article

ALJC Superintendent Rev. Robert Martin Interview by Popular Apostolic Website

Interview by Kent D. Curry of www.ninetyandnine.com

The Apostolic Report is pleased to feature a great article published by Ninety and Nine.

About the ALCJ from their Web-Site @ www.aljc.org.

The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ is a continuation of the great revival that began on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem, A.D. 30, and is founded upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief cornerstone, (Acts 2:1-41; Ephesians 2:19, 20). Various groups throughout the country went by different names trying and striving to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Finally in the month of March, 1952, three groups known as the Assemblies of the Church of Jesus Christ, Jesus Only Apostolic Church of God, and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, formulated a merger adopting the name Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is Apostolic in Doctrine and Teachings, and the Bible as their guide book.

90&9: Congratulations on becoming the ALJC’s General Superintendent. Tell us about your predecessor’s legacy that you’re building upon.

RM: Bro. Steve Wilson served the previous eight years. He is a prince of a man and a great leader. He is very professional and is full of integrity. He is a visionary leader who promoted outreach and harvest. If our organization can continue with that thrust, we will be effective. 

90&9: What’s been the biggest surprise since you accepted this position?

RM: That I was actually elected to serve this position! The ALJC has many fine ministers who are great leaders, and I am honored to serve with them.

90&9: What do you see as the biggest strengths within the Apostolic movement (not just the ALJC)?

RM: That we preach the truth, not some man-made doctrine. Because of this we are destined to succeed for we are a part of God’s church and not our own. Also, most Apostolic movements are revival-minded, and thus are in touch with Christ’s heartbeat. The combination of truth and a love for souls is a powerful dynamic. 

90&9: What do you see as the biggest challenges for the Apostolic movement (not the ALJC) in 2008 and beyond?

RM: To promote truth and reach the lost with modern methods, without losing our identity. To use every modern means available to facilitate revival and harvest. 

Full Interview Here

Tech Tip: Bible for your iPhone or iPod touch

Have an iPhone or iPod touch? Take the word of God with you wherever you go with these Bibles. With its large screen, the iPhone or iPod touch makes a great Bible reader. Here is a quick review of three of my favorite Bible apps for these devices. All of these can be found (along with many more) in the App store.

 

BibleScope by Kenny Ham
Cost: $4.99
http://www.biblescopeapp.com

Notable Features:

• Includes the ability to navigate all the books and chapters of the Bible using either a “wheel dial” selector or a table selection with a shortcut bar to the right side.
• Add bookmarks to jump to specific locations in the Bible, and have a custom name for each bookmark.
• Compose study notes that are saved with the current book and chapter, or compose loose notes for general study.
• Keyword search to find specific words in the Bible, with search results highlighted in Bible text.
• Settings screen now within BibleScope. Settings include background, font, font size, colors and more.
• Bars at the top and bottom slide in/away with a press of the screen.
• Split-screen display that shows two Bible versions simultaneously.
• Swipe left/right to go to previous/next chapter.
• Daily devotional texts include Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening, Daily Path devotional, and a Daily Bible Reading selection.
• Words of Christ in red for the KJV and WEB translations.

Bible Versions:

Man sentenced to die for having 86 wives

Nigeria: Bello Abubakar challenged Muslim scholars two weeks ago.

According to a story on BBC News, Nigeria’s Islamic authority has told the man, who has 86 wives, to choose only four and repent within three days or else he will be sentenced to death.

The Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI) passed their verdict on Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, according to Sharia law.

This comes two weeks after the Nigerian press and the BBC reported on the case.

The former teacher and Muslim preacher lives in Niger State with his wives and at least 170 children, and says he is able to cope only with the help of God.

“A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them,” he told the BBC.

Study: Church going teens have higher GPA’s

Regular church attendance may boost a student’s GPA, according to a new study.

Students who attend religious services weekly average a GPA of 0.144 higher than those who never attend services, said Jennifer Glanville, a sociologist in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Despite the positive link between church attendance and academic success, the study surprisingly found the importance of religion to teens had “very little impact” on their educational outcomes, Glanville noted, according to the University of Iowa News Services. The study had looked at whether the teens said religion was important to them.

“That suggests that the act of attending church – the structure and the social aspects associated with it – could be more important to educational outcomes than the actual religion,” the sociologist suggested.

Website Spotlight: The Commune-ity

The Commune-ity is a website geared toward empowering youth pastors and youth workers with relevant ministry resources. The website is a ministry of the United Pentecostal Church International, but can be a great resource for any Apostolic Pentecostal youth pastor. Just a few of the resources available include:

• Youth lessons
• Podcasts
• Online store
• Media
• Royalty free images
• Newsletter
  

http://www.thecommune-ity.org

World’s largest sign protests abortion outside DNC

Democrats and convention goers had a scenic view from their hotel rooms in Denver today – complete with the world’s largest sign to remind them about the devastating effects of abortion.

American Right to Life Action, a pro-life organization, has successfully captured a Guinness world record by displaying a 530-foot tall and 666-foot wide abortion protest sign weighing more than 2,700 pounds, sewn together with four miles of stitching linking 2,400 twin sheets.

The sign features bold vertical letters that read “DNC.” Each letter is 160 feet tall – roughly the size of a of a junior high school gym. White letters stretch horizontally, reading “Destroys uNborn Children.”

Brian Rohrbough, vice president of ARTL Action, told WND, “It was a large project. As soon as the DNC announced that it had picked Denver as the host city, we started forming a welcoming committee.”

Click HERE to read the full story.

People of faith challenge Democrats

Eric Gorski
The Associated Press

Religious leaders and people of faith who’ve been invited to the table at this week’s Democratic National Convention are not sitting quietly with their hands in their laps.

The head of a large African-American denomination challenged the party on abortion. An Orthodox Jewish rabbi raised his voice about school choice. A thirty-something evangelical Christian author warned against Democrats who mock believers.

Although well aware that party officials have political reasons for reaching out to them, several faith figures taking part in convention events say they want to go beyond talk about how faith and values inform longstanding Democratic policies. They are also calling for change on core Democratic issues, which could create tension.

“It’s important that people of faith are being listened to just like other constituencies, that we’re not marginalized,” said Alexia Kelley of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, which has pressed the party to support policies aimed at reducing abortion rates. “Just because we’re participating in the process and engaging people who may not agree with us doesn’t mean we’re just a mascot.”

Read the complete story

Hollywood Conversion Sure To Turn Some Heads

One not need know the name Joe Eszterhas to understand his impact on the culture.  The prinicpal author and screenwriter for the baudy and controversial “Basic Instinct” movies has had what he refers to as a “Paul on the Road to Damascus” experience.  And despite his decidedly catholic galvanization, it does seem at the outset that spiritual epiphany coupled with a scary medical diagnosis has opened the blockbuster-creating writer’s soul to further audible truths:

“I was going crazy. I was jittery. I twitched. I trembled. I had no patience for anything. … Every single nerve ending was demanding a drink and a cigarette,” he wrote.  

He plopped down on a curb and cried. Sobbed, even. And for the first time since he was a child, he prayed: “Please God, help me.”

Mr. Eszterhas was shocked by his own prayer. 

 You can read the full story here.

CEO makes time to read Bible

Stella M. Hopkins, The Charlotte Observer

Krispy Kreme’s latest CEO, longtime Charlotte executive Jim Morgan, has had less reading time since taking over the struggling doughnut maker in January, but he makes time daily for the Bible.

“For pure enjoyment, the Bible has got some of the greatest mysteries, love stories, soap operas of any book ever written,” he said. “… It’s probably the greatest book on life and leadership ever written.”

As chief executive of Charlotte brokerage firm Interstate/Johnson Lane from 1994 to 1999, Morgan was credited with reviving the company. He left not long after completing a $230 million merger with Wachovia. Morgan joined Krispy Kreme’s board in 2000. The once high-flying Winston-Salem company has a Raleigh store, as well as locations in Fayetteville and Rocky Mount.

Full Story Here

Apostolic Pastor Permitted to Testify Against Prospective Church Member

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that a pastor may testify against a congregant if a confession was made to clergy outside of the sacred role of spiritual adviser. 

The ruling centers around a case out of Middlesex County, New Jersey.  Two young girls told their mother that their father had sexually abused them from the period 1996 to 2000.  She, in turn, spoke with her pastor, Glenford Brown of New Creation Church of the Apostolic Faith in Somerset, New Jersey.  Brown met with the father, who was not a member of his church, and recommended that he not return to the family home.  Brown refused to baptize the man, who admitted his wrongdoing, on the grounds that he believed the decision to be based on his desire to “cover for his actions” rather than any true repentance for his misdeeds.

Brown claimed that he was not counseling the man as his spiritual leader, and the court has ruled that Brown is free to testify against the man, identified only as J.G.

Click here to read the full story.