But this is also the time for us to refocus on farming as a national economic activity. Throughout the lockdown farmers have continued to work in their fields

Lockdown: Before the lockdown, Kiteetikka Mbuzi Market, commonly referred to as Kumbuzi, was a beehive of activities. Elizabeth Kamurungi visited the area and spoke to some of the few vendors still operating.

[ANGOP] Dundo -An overall 12 Cuban doctors arrived early Friday in eastern Lunda Norte province to support the fight against the covid-19 pandemic, which has already infected 36 citizens in Angola.

[Nyasa Times] Malawi opposition supporters erupted into wild scenes of celebrations on Friday after the Supreme Court on Friday in a unanimous decision upheld an earlier constitutional court ruling that declared President Peter Mutharika was "not duly elected" in a disputed 2019 vote.

[East African] Somalia has launched a portal through which the public and international donors and partners can get information on how donor money is utilised as a step towards instilling transparency.

[Shabelle] The Somali health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 79 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 835.

[Dalsan Radio] The International Rescue Committee has warned that many cases are going untested and undetected. Somalia has faced decades of violence and cycles of drought and floods, leaving its health care system ill-equipped to respond to this outbreak. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been preparing for the spread of coronavirus by training health care staff to screen patients for symptoms and safely isolate potential cases.

[RSF] Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for a full and thorough investigation into the way a Somali journalist was stabbed to death on a Mogadishu street yesterday evening, because the initial evidence suggests that he was the victim of a premeditated murder.

[Africom] As part of the command's commitment to transparency, U.S. Africa Command is implementing a quarterly report on the status of ongoing and completed civilian casualty allegations and assessments. This initiative was directed by U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, to increase transparency regarding civilian casualty allegations that are reported to the command while demonstrating the U.S. military's constant commitment to minimizing collateral damage in the pursuit of

Is the Leaving Cert cancelled or postponed?

The catastrophic impact of the coronavirus on the State's economy is threatening another delay to the construction of the long-awaited new €350m National Maternity Hospital in Dublin.

The executives of the country's two second-level teacher unions met last night to consider the implications of a newly-devised 'calculated grades' system that will replace this year's cancelled summer Leaving Certificate exams.

The Courts Service is to increase virtual hearings and extend the use of physical distancing in courtrooms to allow more cases to be dealt with in the coming weeks.

In normal times such a decision - to require teachers to judge their own students for such a high stakes process as the Leaving Certificate exams - would have caused uproar, striking terror in the hearts of many teachers, and also students and parents. But these are not normal times.

The Teachers Union of Ireland has said that it will cooperate with the newly-devised 'calculated grades' system that will replace this year's Leaving Cert exams. It said it will engage with the Department of Education to ensure that it is "fair and equitable for every student".

The UK Government could be set to announce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all passengers into Britain as part of measures aimed at avoiding a second Covid-19 peak, according to reports in British media.

The report cited findings that suggest that even past severe influenza pandemic viruses, such as the Spanish Flu, were less infectious than the novel coronavirus

The prime minister in this transitional government will ultimately drag the nation in the end to a fourth round of elections.

Aidoc's AI system can detect and prioritize findings from CT scans associated with coronavirus

"Let's keep Singapore healthy," the yellow and black robodog named SPOT said in English as it roamed around.

You want to make a movie and bring down the religious Satmar community? Do it, but do it well and correctly.

No new deaths were reported on Saturday morning, marking the first full day Israel has gone without a COVID-19 related death in over a month.

The new guidelines focus on 13 principles that are designed to guide the decisions and planning of synagogues and communities throughout the United States.

While Singer said there is “nothing new about Evangelical fundamentalist Christians seeking to convert Jews to Christianity,” he noted that the method that GOD TV is using is “completely novel.”

The key for people like me lies in uncoupling uncertainty from risk.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce has pledged its support to government in the formulation of a new Iindividual Investor Programme to ensure the new scheme is compatible with good governance

Commercial Court rules that St Philip's Hospital owner Frank Portelli cannot decide the hospital's fate on his own as HSBC Bank seeks repayment of €11.5 million in loans, appoints two provisional administrators

Murder suspect Alfred Degiorgio does not want to appear in court after COVID-19 lockdown prevented him from seeing family 

The headquarters are being moved from within the city to a new area in the city’s outskirts due to fears of being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

The petition demanded that the funds be directly transferred to Palestinian workers and needy families.

The global pandemic has brought Israel and Hamas closer than ever to a long-awaited prisoner swap.

In the lead-up to the Truth Matters conference in October, we will be focusing our attention on the sufficiency, authority, and clarity of Scripture. Of our previous blog series, none better embodies that emphasis than Frequently Abused Verses. The following entry from that series originally appeared on October 7, 2015. -ed.

Just as a single cell of cancer can metastasize until it spreads throughout the physical body, a single false doctrine can multiply itself and spread throughout a body of believers. A great forest fire can be started by one spark.^[1] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Galatians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1987), 140.

Throughout this series on Scripture’s “Frequently Abused Verses,” we’ve seen how God’s Word has been misunderstood and misapplied, as well as instances when it is intentionally twisted to accommodate blasphemous lies and spurious doctrines. Today we’re going to consider how the misappropriation of one verse—3 John 2—triggered a heretical movement that has been a scourge for God’s people and blight on the testimony of the church for more than half of a century.

The Roots of the Prosperity Gospel

Not long after Oral Roberts’s death—and amidst a tidal wave of glowing praise for the pioneering televangelist—John MacArthur wrote this summation of the preacher’s life and ministry:

Oral Roberts’s influence is not something Bible-believing Christians should celebrate. Virtually every aberrant idea the Pentecostal and charismatic movements spawned after 1950 can be traced in one way or another to Oral Roberts’s influence.

One of his primary legacies is the prosperity gospel. As John explains in the article quoted above, the prosperity gospel “is the notion that God's favor is expressed mainly through physical health and material prosperity, and that these blessings are available for the claiming by anyone who has sufficient faith.”

Roberts might not have been the first person to teach that false doctrine, but through his television ministry he served as its chief herald and the primary catalyst for its rapid growth and widespread acceptance.

And according to Roberts’s biographer, David Edwin Harrell, Jr., the televangelist’s commitment to the prosperity gospel was born out of a crisis of faith and a new perspective on an overlooked verse.

Out of this period of spiritual trauma came a sequence of instantaneous insights, revelations as Oral viewed them. The first occurred one morning as he read III John 2: “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as they soul prospereth.” Oral had rushed out of his house one morning to catch the bus to class when he realized he had not read his Bible as was his custom. He returned, hastily grabbed his Bible, opened it “at random,” and read III John 2. He had read his New Testament, he reported, at least a hundred times, but this verse seemed brand-new. He called Evelyn and read it to her. “That is not in the Bible,” she challenged. “It is,” Oral replied, “I just read it.” “Evelyn,” he said, “we have been wrong. I haven’t been preaching that God is good. And Evelyn, if this verse is right, God is a good God.” The idea seemed revolutionary, liberating. They had been nurtured in a belief system that insisted “you had to be poor to be a Christian.” Perhaps it was not so. They talked excitedly about the verse’s implications. Did it mean they could have a “new car,” a “new house,” a “brand-new ministry?” In later years, Evelyn looked back on that morning as the point of embarkation: “I really believe that that very morning was the beginning of this worldwide ministry that he has had, because it opened up his thinking.”

Oral’s new-found insight was soon put to a practical test. The agent was a Mr. Gustavus, a neighbor who owned the Buick automobile dealership in Enid. Mr. Gus liked Oral, and, although he was a “nonreligious” man, he listened to his neighbor’s preaching occasionally and liked his emphasis on the “here and now.” One morning Mr. Gus noted that Oral’s car looked “pretty bad” and suggested that he buy a new one. It seemed a preposterous idea. Cars were still “practically unobtainable” in these postwar months, and there was no slack in the Robertses’ tight budget. But Mr. Gus showed them a way; he sold their old car for the “highest ceiling” price and acquired a new Buick for Oral at “dealer’s cost.” Mr. Gus, Oral, and Evelyn drove together to Detroit to pick up the car. As they drove back to Enid in their “brand new . . . long, green slick Buick,” Oral and Evelyn pondered the significance of this seemingly impossible turn. Evelyn asked Oral to stop: “We have just got to hold hands and praise the Lord for this car.” For Oral, the “new car became a symbol to me of what a man could do if he would believe God.” Nor was Mr. Gus through. He kept egging Oral on. “Son, the message you are preaching is too big for one town,” he told Oral, “the country is waiting for it. . . . Preach it, son. And you will stir this generation.” ^[2] David Edwin Harrell, Jr., Oral Roberts: An American Life (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1985) 65-66.

Of course there are plenty of other Bible verses that have been contorted by prosperity preachers to support their false teaching—we looked at one of them earlier in this series. But 3 John 2 is the textual soil that sprouted Roberts’s prosperity gospel, and the massive family tree of prosperity preachers who have carried on his heretical legacy.

And when you consider how the lies of the prosperity gospel have permeated and poisoned the church, you understand why the details matter, and the damage that can be done when we play fast and loose with God’s Word. The careless reading and application of this one verse has spawned multiple generations of false prophets and fraudulent healers who have feasted on the spiritually naïve and theologically shallow. And by continuing to perpetuate Roberts’s false teaching, they further tarnish the testimony of God’s Word and His people. In many parts of the world, the face of Christianity is a sneering charlatan with his hand out, preaching the get-rich gospel of health and wealth to people who have neither.

When it comes to biblical interpretation, the details are vitally important.

True Prosperity

And in the case of 3 John 2, the details make the true meaning of the verse abundantly clear. In his short letter to a man named Gaius, the apostle John wrote, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

The reality is that the apostle’s words are not a prophecy of blessing. As John MacArthur explains in his commentary on 3 John, “The phrase ‘I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health’ was a standard greeting in ancient letters.” ^[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1-3 John (Chicago: Moody Press, 2007) 245.

The salutations of the epistles are rich with doctrinal truth (cf. Romans 1:1-7; Galatians 1:1-5; 1 Peter 1:1-2). But it’s not theologically safe or hermeneutically sound to turn a greeting to a specific audience into a promise for all believers.

Moreover, the apostle’s words here don’t support an emphasis on physical blessings like health and wealth, since that’s the opposite of the point John was making. He was praising God for the good report on the quality of Gaius’s character. As John MacArthur explains, the apostle’s focus was spiritual prosperity.

“Prosper” translates a form of the verb euodoō. The term, used only here, Romans 1:10, and 1 Corinthians 16:2, means “to succeed,” “to have things go well,” or “to enjoy favorable circumstances.” The first use of prosper in verse 2 refers to Gaius’s physical health, as the contrast with the last part of the verse makes clear. The apostle’s wish was that Gaius’s physical health would be as good as that of his spiritual.

John’s concern for Gaius is a pastoral desire that he be free from the turmoil, pain, and debilitation of illness so as to be unrestricted in his service to the Lord and His church. . . .

But [in contrast to his physical condition] Gaius’s healthy soul brought far more delight to John. He knew he had a vibrant spiritual life. To borrow from some other apostles, Gaius was among those who are “sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13); constantly “grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18); “walk[ing] in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). ^[4] The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1-3 John, 245-246.

When considering how the Lord might bless us, we need to keep in mind that His blessings are not merely for our benefit. As long as He grants us breath, He has use of us for the work of His kingdom. It stands to reason then that even the physical blessings we enjoy have eternal purposes—and for the sake of His glory and His church, we need to pursue those purposes.

God is in the business of building His church, not handing out Buicks.

Es significativo que uno de los nombres bíblicos de Cristo sea Admirable, Consejero (Isaías 9:6). Él es el Consejero Supremo y Definitivo a quien podemos acudir en busca de consejo; y Su Palabra es la fuente desde donde podemos extraer sabiduría divina. ¿Qué podría ser más admirable que eso? 

De hecho, uno de los aspectos más gloriosos de la perfecta suficiencia de Cristo es el consejo admirable y gran sabiduría que Él suple en tiempos de desesperación, confusión, miedo, ansiedad y tristeza. Él es el Consejero por excelencia. 

Ahora, esto no es para menospreciar la importancia de los cristianos aconsejándose unos a otros. Hay ciertamente una necesidad crucial de consejería bíblica sana dentro del cuerpo de Cristo. No debatiría ni por un momento el importante rol de quienes están dotados espiritualmente para dar aliento, discernimiento, consuelo, consejo, compasión y ayuda a otros. 

De hecho, uno de los problemas que ha llevado a la actual plaga de mala consejería es que las iglesias no han hecho tanto bien como deberían, permitiendo que las personas con esos dones espirituales ministren con excelencia. Las complejidades de esta época moderna hacen mucho más difícil que nunca el tomar el tiempo necesario para escuchar con atención, servir a otros a través de la entrega personal compasiva y proveer la comunión cercana, necesaria para que el cuerpo de la iglesia disfrute de salud y vitalidad.  

 Las iglesias han mirado a la psicología para llenar el vacío, pero no va a funcionar. Los psicólogos profesionales no son sustitutos de gente dotada espiritualmente; y el consejo que la psicología ofrece no puede reemplazar la sabiduría bíblica y el poder divino. Por otra parte, la psicología tiende a volver a la gente dependiente de un terapista, mientras que aquellos que ejercitan dones espirituales verdaderos, llevan a la gente hacia un Salvador todo suficiente y Su Palabra toda suficiente.  

Un Salmo sobre la Suficiencia de la Palabra de Dios 

El rey David fue un ejemplo de alguien quien ocasionalmente buscó consejo de consejeros humanos, pero al final, siempre recurría a Dios en busca de respuestas. Como muchos de los salmos revelan, él era especialmente dependiente únicamente de Dios cuando luchaba con problemas o emociones personales (Salmos 18). Cuando le golpeó la depresión o confusión interna, se volvió hacia Dios y luchó en oración (Salmos 73). Cuando el problema era su propio pecado, él se mostró arrepentido, quebrantado y contrito (Salmos 51). La persona madura espiritualmente siempre se vuelve a Dios por ayuda en tiempos de ansiedad, angustia, confusión o inquietud en el alma ––y se aseguran consejo sabio y liberación. 

Eso es debido a que toda necesidad del alma humana es básicamente espiritual. No existe algo llamado ‘problema psicológico’ no relacionado a causas espirituales o físicas. Dios suple recursos divinos suficientes para suplir todas esas necesidades por completo. David entendió eso. 

Sus escritos reflejaron la profundidad de la experiencia humana, emoción y conocimiento espiritual de alguien quien ha experimentado plenamente los extremos de la vida. Él conoció el regocijo de pasar de pastor a rey. Él escribió acerca de todo, desde el triunfo absoluto, hasta el desaliento amargo. Él luchó con un dolor tan profundo que apenas podía soportar vivir. 

Su propio hijo Absalón intentó matarlo y luego, fue asesinado. Él sufrió una culpabilidad horrible debido a la inmoralidad y asesinato. Sus hijos le trajeron constante aflicción. Él luchaba por entender las dos cosas ––la naturaleza de Dios y su propio corazón. De Dios, él dijo: “Grande es Jehová” (Salmos 145:3), mientras que de sí mismo él dijo: “Lávame más y más de mi maldad, y límpiame de mi pecado” (Salmos 51:2). Él le dijo a Dios lo qué sentía y clamó por alivio ––a pesar que admitió que Dios tenía todo el derecho de castigarlo. 

Al final de algunos de los salmos de David, él miró por una ventana de esperanza, y otras veces, no. Pero David siempre fue a Dios, porque entendió la soberanía de Dios y su propia depravación. Él sabía que sólo su todo-suficiente Salvador tenía las respuestas a sus necesidades y el poder de aplicar las respuestas. Y sabía que esas respuestas eran encontradas en la verdad acerca de Dios revelada en Su Palabra, que es en sí misma perfectamente suficiente. El Dios suficiente se reveló a Sí mismo en Su Palabra suficiente. 

El Salmo 19:7-14 es la declaración más monumental sobre la suficiencia de las Escrituras, que jamás se haya hecho en términos concisos. Escrito por David bajo la inspiración del Espíritu Santo, ofrece un testimonio inquebrantable de Dios mismo acerca de la suficiencia de Su Palabra para cada situación. Refuta las enseñanzas de aquellos que creen que debemos ampliar la Palabra de Dios con verdad obtenida de la psicología moderna. 

En los versículos 7 al 9, David hace seis afirmaciones acerca de las Escrituras. Cada una de las seis afirmaciones resalta una característica de la Palabra de Dios y describe su efecto en la vida de quien la recibe. 

La Escritura es perfecta, convierte el alma. 

En la primera afirmación (v.7), él dice: “La ley de Jehová es perfecta, que convierte el alma”. La Palabra hebrea traducida “ley” es torah, que enfatiza la naturaleza didáctica de la Escritura. Aquí, David la usa para referirse a la suma de lo que Dios ha revelado para nuestra instrucción, sea un credo (lo que creemos), carácter (lo que somos) o conducta (lo que hacemos). 

“Perfecta” es la traducción de una palabra hebrea que significa “entero”, “completo” o “suficiente”. Comunica la idea de algo que es integral, al punto de cubrir todos los aspectos de un problema. La Escritura es integral, corporizando todo lo que es necesario para la vida espiritual de uno. El contraste implícito de David es con el razonamiento imperfecto, insuficiente e incorrecto de los hombres. 

La ley perfecta de Dios, dijo David, afecta a las personas porque “convierte el alma” (v.7). La palabra hebrea traducida “convierte” puede significar “restaura”, “revive” o “refresca”; pero mi sinónimo favorito es “transforma”. La palabra “alma” (en hebreo, nephesh) se refiere a la persona de uno, uno mismo o el corazón. Es traducida de todas esas maneras (y muchas más) en el Antiguo Testamento. La esencia de ella es la persona interior, la persona completa, el verdadero usted. 

Parafraseando las palabras de David, las Escrituras son tan poderosas e integrales que pueden convertir o transformar toda la persona, convirtiendo a alguien exactamente en la persona que Dios quiere que sea. La Palabra de Dios es suficiente para restaurar mediante la salvación incluso a la vida más destrozada, un hecho del que David mismo dio abundante testimonio. 

La Escritura es digna de confianza, imparte sabiduría. 

David desarrolla aún más el alcance de la suficiencia de las Escrituras en el Salmo 19:7, “El testimonio de Jehová es fiel, que hace sabio al sencillo”. “Testimonio” habla de la Escritura como un testigo divino. La Escritura es el testimonio seguro de Dios sobre quién Él es y lo que Él requiere de nosotros. “Fiel” significa que su testimonio es inquebrantable, inamovible, inconfundible, confiable y digno de confianza. Proporciona una base sobre la cual construir nuestras vidas y destinos eternos. 

La Palabra fiel de Dios convierte al sencillo en sabio (v.7). La palabra hebrea traducida “sencillo” viene de una expresión que significa “una puerta abierta”. Evoca la imagen de una persona inocente que no sabe cuándo cerrar su mente a la enseñanza falsa o impura. Él es falto de discernimiento, ignorante, crédulo. Pero la Palabra de Dios lo hace sabio. “Sabio” no habla simplemente de alguien que conoce algunos hechos, sino de uno que es hábil en el arte de la vida piadosa. Él se somete a las Escrituras y sabe cómo aplicarla a sus circunstancias. De esta manera, la Palabra de Dios toma una mente simple y sin discernimiento, y la capacita en todas las cuestiones de la vida. Esto también es en contraste con la sabiduría de los hombres, que en realidad es necedad. 

La Escritura es recta, produce gozo 

David agrega una tercera declaración acerca de las Escrituras. Él escribe: “Los mandamientos de Jehová son rectos, que alegran el corazón”. Los mandamientos son principios divinos y guías para el carácter y la conducta. Ya que Dios nos creó y sabe cómo debemos vivir para ser productivos para Su gloria, Él ha puesto en las Escrituras todos los principios que necesitamos para vivir una vida piadosa. 

Los mandamientos de Dios, dijo David, son “rectos”. En lugar de indicar simplemente qué es correcto y qué es erróneo, la Palabra tiene el sentido de enseñarle a alguien el camino verdadero. Las verdades de la Escritura establecen el camino correcto a través del difícil laberinto de la vida. Esa es una confianza maravillosa. Muchas personas hoy están angustiadas o abatidas porque carecen de dirección y propósito. La mayoría busca respuestas en las fuentes equivocadas. La Palabra de Dios no solamente provee la luz para nuestro camino (Salmo 119:105), sino que establece la ruta enfrente nuestro. 

Debido a que nos conduce a través del camino recto en la vida, la Palabra de Dios trae gran gozo. Si usted está deprimido, ansioso, temeroso o dudoso, aprenda a obedecer el consejo de Dios y comparta el deleite resultante. No recurra a actividades autoindulgentes como la autoestima y la autorrealización. Enfóquese en la verdad divina. Ahí encontrará el gozo verdadero y duradero. Todas las otras fuentes son temporales y fugaces. 

¿No es la Palabra de Dios asombrosa en su suficiencia? Es perfecta, no le falta nada, es confiable y establece el rumbo para una vida productiva. Como tal, nos transforma a la imagen de Cristo, nos otorga sabiduría para cada momento y nos llena con gozo eterno.

¡Qué trágico que es cuando dejamos de lado la fuente de sabiduría divina, prefiriendo la sabiduría del hombre, que es impotente e insuficiente! 

La próxima vez, veremos las siguientes tres declaraciones de la suficiencia de las Escrituras, y saborearemos la dulzura de la Palabra de Dios. 

Únase a la conversación                                                                                                                           

¿Qué Escrituras han tenido un impacto profundo en su vida durante tiempos de lucha con el pecado o el sufrimiento? 

(Adaptado de Nuestra Suficiencia en Cristo) 

Our culture has a growing fixation on diet. That’s understandable considering the undeniable connection between the quality—and source—of the food we eat and the health of our bodies. But as Christians, how much attention do we pay to our spiritual health?

What you believe about the opening verses of Genesis forms the foundation for your view of Scripture. That was the point John MacArthur made recently when we asked him about the importance of the Genesis account.

Why should the modern church subscribe to the outdated roles for men and women prescribed in Scripture? Shouldn’t the culture of the church closely mirror the culture of the world? Won’t excluding women from leadership turn off men and women who need to be reached with the gospel?

Without a doubt, the ground Satan most vigorously and continuously attacks these days is the trustworthiness of Scripture—by which he also strikes a blow at its authority, sufficiency, inerrancy, integrity, and perspicuity. The battle for the truth is the battle for the Bible, and in this fight God’s people cannot flinch.

Most people read a book only once—satisfied they’ve learned the story or the information it communicates, they don’t feel the need to read it again. Some ardent fans might return to a cherished book again and again, but the majority of readers eagerly move on to something new. So why is the Bible different? Why does God’s Word demand our constant attention?

How to approach Christmas with a Christ-honoring attitude is a vexing question for many believers. Should we embrace the various traditions or be antagonistic toward them? Should we vigorously participate or cautiously hesitate?

We can understand why the world is so apt to overlook the rest of Christ’s incarnation at Christmas. But are we, as God’s people, any better? Are we faithfully contemplating and celebrating the Lord in His fullness? Or are we, like the world, too caught up in the seasonal festivities to consider the rest of the story when it comes to Christ’s birth?

God is love. That statement doesn’t only reflect popular modern sentiment. It is actually a direct quote from God’s Word—1 John 4:8, to be precise. But in what sense is it true?

The major theological conflicts of the past should never be dismissed just because they happened a long time ago. Many theological fissures were vitally necessary—and remain crucial into the present. And the Protestant Reformation is perhaps the greatest example of that—a clear and necessary line of doctrinal demarcation that has stood for more than five hundred years. And the lines of division couldn’t be more critical. They mark fierce disagreements over who is the head of the church, whom we should worship, whom we should pray to, what the cross represents, and how sinners can be saved. No amount of time can sweep those fundamental theological differences under the rug. Or so you would think.

We should be grateful for the Reformers’ accomplishments—they recovered precious biblical doctrines, and many of them died defending those essential gospel truths. But our response should go beyond mere remembrance. We recently asked John MacArthur how those lessons from the past should influence the true church today. Here’s what he had to say:

If you’re like most Christians, you probably have a consistent Sunday morning routine. Maybe you rush to church in time to greet your friends, grab some coffee, make your way to your regular seat, and settle in just in time for worship. Your pattern may look different, but it’s fairly certain you have one you stick to.

The church is currently awash with lamentations on the state of the Christianity. And there are good reasons for that. We see charlatans extorting people on Christian television. We witness professing believers exchanging hostilities on social media. We hear of endless scandals in the pulpit. And we are constantly confronted by competing theological perspectives. It can all seem so overwhelming. But what if we realized there is one fundamental problem fueling all the others?

Jesus never promised us lives free of tribulation and calamity. Indeed He warned His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, NKJV). The current COVID-19 pandemic that has engendered so much fear and panic is not the first—nor will it be the last—crisis people will experience in this world.

It should be clear by now that unchecked anxiety isn’t good for you. It’s a sin expressly forbidden by the Lord, so there is the spiritual cost to consider. But it’s also harmful to your health, your productivity, and your relationships. It wreaks havoc throughout your life, and as we saw yesterday, it strangles your mind.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert is among the many foreigners held in Iran's notorious Evin prison on espionage charges.

An exclusive report, citing sources on the ground in Syria and Libya, says Syrian teenagers are being sent to Libya to take part in the civil war there.

The economy would improve once businesses reopen and employ people, and tourism resumes, with measures in place to give visitors confidence in their safety, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday.