What will define the church in the next season is not the usual hallmarks of attendance, facility, budget, equipment, missions’ work, or even fivefold giftings.

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Many churches are faced with the same problem as Moses, where the glory of God is rapidly fading from its face. They are in a season of transition where successes are dwindling—but a new glory of God is about to emerge. What will define the church in the next season is not the usual hallmarks of attendance, facility, budget, equipment, missions’ work, or even fivefold giftings. These things have only a partial impact on the work of a church. What will define success in this next time period is the amount of the glory of God that is resting upon His people corporately. As people intent on one thing—God’s glory—only attracting Him to our midst will be important.
(from Beholding & Becoming)

Graham Cooke

The whole world is reconciled to God. What does that mean?

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The whole world is reconciled to God. What does that mean? He doesn’t have anything against anybody. The way has been cleared. The way is open for every single man, woman and child on Earth to find their way into the Kingdom because from God’s side, there are no obstacles. Everything is freely open. His heart is open and it’s fully engaged. So the whole of mankind is a reconciled society from God’s perspective. Those who have responded to the promise of reconciliation have been redeemed and have atonement. Those who have not yet responded to the promise still have the promise of fully belonging to God available to them. What they need is someone to come and tell them about it!

(from The Church Has Left The Building)

Graham Cooke

15 Eerie Things About Japan’s Suicide Forest | Mental Floss

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There is a spiritual battle being waged every day here and Satan has been winning. Stop this atrocity! Jesus says the gates of hell will not prevail against us as we claim the blood of Jesus and pray against the spirit of death. Jesus said O death where is your sting? Jesus conquered death when He paid mankind’s debt with His blood and justified us when He raised from the tomb the 3rd day. The practice of Suicide is not stigmatized in Japan as it is here. People since the feudal days considered suicide as “taking responsibility”. The good news is God assumed our responsibility when He sent His Son to be our substitute payment. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sins. The lie is that we must take responsibility and we will be in a better place after we do. NOT! For everyone who refuses to accept God’s provision there is a second death that will never go away. Acts 4:12.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/73288/15-eerie-things-about-japans-suicide-forest