The ICC issued tandem arrest warrants on Monday for both Netanyahu and Sinwar. Arrest warrants were also issued for Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.

The move was more symbolic than anything since the ICC has very little enforcement power.

However, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States strongly condemned the ICC’s decision. US President Joe Biden called the prosecutor’s arrest warrant for Israeli officials “outrageous.”

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM) explains, “The issuing of arrest warrants for both of these together suggests an equivalency that doesn’t exist.

“Saying the [prime minister] of the State of Israel who responded to an attack on his people is the same as the terrorists who instigated that attack undermines confidence in the International Criminal Court that they would sort of put those two things together because they’re not the same.”

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Despite international bodies stirring tensions in the Holy Land, Arab and Israeli Christian pastors present a different picture: Focus on the Gospel mission.

Nettleton says, “Pastors on both sides of this conflict were asking the same prayer: ‘Lord, we want to represent you well in the midst of conflict, in the midst of now even war and death around us and bloodshed. We want to represent Jesus to the people who are going through this very difficult time. Pray for us to be able to do that.’”

Please pray alongside these pastors that the Gospel will be elevated above the noise in the region, and for unity in the Church.

Pray ultimately for Christ’s justice and peace, that evil would be defeated and God’s name be glorified.

Header photo courtesy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo courtesy of IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/Wikimedia Commons: https://tinyurl.com/2s4hb6aw)

One week after this report came out, spiritual revival broke out at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.

The revival was characterized by young college students who stayed after a chapel for continued prayer and worship. It persisted in a spontaneous outbreak of confession, worship, and prayer that lasted for several weeks and drew in people from around the world.

Revival at Asbury University (Photo courtesy of OneWay Ministries)

Regular chapel schedules resumed at Asbury yesterday. However, other universities and churches across America are opening their doors as more people — particularly youth — seek the Lord through prayer, confession, and worship. There are even stories and online videos surfacing of worship gatherings in other countries inspired by the movement at Asbury.

Stan Key, Minister at Large for OneWay Ministries, describes America at a spiritual crossroads.

“Oh, my goodness, the world we live in. I think I’ve despaired for our nation. The nation that you’re going to grow up in, your generation, and particularly your children, it’s not going to be a pleasant place to be. So this gives me hope,” Key says. “Lord, can you revive our nation? Can you revive the Church?”

Many Christians have been greatly encouraged by testimonies of repentance and humility out of Asbury University and other related worship gatherings. But other believers are cautious to get excited about the so-called revival. Responses range from curious and questioning to skeptical and even outright critical.

Biblical discernment is important in all things, and especially in any movement that would claim the name of Jesus.

Key says this desire for biblical wisdom in the wake of the Asbury revival is important!

“In terms of discerning what is going on,…I don’t think we should just criticize all those who want to be cautious. I’m a skeptic at heart myself. I need some proof.”

(Photo courtesy of OneWay Ministries)

Was this emotional sensationalism? A bandwagon effect? Did lack of one centralized leader mean it was a spiritually-hyped free-for-all?

Many of the critics simply are curious to see what kind of lasting spiritual effect this revival could have on individual lives and American culture. “I think there’s two kinds of critiques of a move of the Spirit like this,” Key says. “One is the legitimate sort. ‘What is going on? And how should I respond?’…. Most of the critique is quite respectful. It’s like, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ Okay, that’s fair.”

However, Key cautions, “There is a critique in which I sense arrogance and condescension.’”

So what is the spiritual fruit that has come out of Asbury?

Key’s father-in-law, Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, was the president of Asbury College (now Asbury University) during the 1970 revival on campus.

As someone who is familiar with conversations surrounding faithful Christian revivals, Key says, “The word that, to me, always marks the authentic presence of the sanctifying Spirit is the word humility. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they get the Kingdom.’”

Another litmus test is the five characteristics of a work of the Holy Spirit, as outlined by Jonathan Edwards in the First Great Awakening.

Key explains, “If it’s those marks that Jonathan Edwards said — if Jesus is exalted, sin is exposed, the Bible is lifted up, sound doctrine is preached, and it’s about love — where’s my can of gasoline? That’s about as good as it gets.

“If this is of God,…all I want to do is bring my can of gasoline and pour gas on what God is doing.”

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson via Unsplash)

More and more stories have come out of Asbury about students and young people repenting of sin, coming to the altar broken and crying out for Jesus, praying for one another and restoring relationships with one another.

Far from sensationalist reports, those who were there speak of peaceful worship and biblical conviction.

“I did hear the president of Asbury and his team in a prayer meeting with about 500 alumni last weekend,” Key says. “They were responding to questions. But he said something to the effect of they’ve had quite a number of Christian celebrities show up and…a number of them said, ‘If you like, I’ll address the crowd or I’ll be a part of this in some way.’ To a number of them, they’ve said no.”

Students and young people, travelers and townies were not there to see celebrities and political pundits.

This generation is open to — and even hungry for — spiritual truth. Truth that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

The Asbury revival may be over, at the official campus capacity level. But if the Holy Spirit has kindled a fire for the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts of young people in America, may our prayers fan the flames.

May this be a generation that seeks the face of the Lord.

Header photo courtesy of Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash.

While the president denied via Twitter that he ever used those words, the alleged comment understandingly wrought anger not only from the United States, but from nations around the world.

But with several decades of experience working with the Haitian people, Eva DeHart of For Haiti with Love has a response that is both honest and perhaps surprising: “Basically it kind of boils down to: people are up in arms about it in [the United States], and people in Haiti don’t see that much wrong with the comment because they can look around. They need help. They acknowledge that they need help. They have needed help since the earthquake and before, and obviously didn’t get it.”

For Haiti with Love has been operating in Haiti since the 60’s. They’re very familiar with the ongoing needs and systematic challenges that face Haiti and how disasters like the earthquake further impact those challenges.

But DeHart says their focus is never about getting people out of Haiti to escape these challenges. Rather, they’re geared towards long-term solutions and transformation. They’re committed to helping the Haitian people regain a viable homeland.

(Photo courtesy of For Haiti with Love).

“Our whole purpose has always been to make life better where they are living. Not bringing them here for a better life—not encouraging them to come here for a better life.”

So when she hears comments like President Trump’s, she hopes it will draw more people into the solution.

“Things are bad, and they know they’re bad. I find it a little ironic that he used the phrasing he did since one of our newest projects has been to start building community latrines… The people want them, they’re needed. They don’t have any place to go. They don’t have bathrooms in their homes. They don’t have running water in their homes.”

She explains that even where people have cisterns of water, there is not a sanitary system to take care of waste. Flushed toilets empty into the streets.

“Even in Port Au Prince, you step off a curb, you step over the water because you know what’s in it,” she says.

What this means is that there is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to hygiene in Haiti. DeHart says, “everything else is so bad it’s one of the situations of ‘where do you start?’”

But rather than get stuck on that question, For Haiti with Love focuses on what they can do. So that means building latrines, and it means providing medical care through their burn clinic.

“We’re a small organization and we have focused in on helping where we can help, and burns are definitely an area where we can help. We build homes for homeless people when we have the money. We try to always include an outhouse as a part of that project.”

The result of their work is this: God is glorified because people understand that the work being done to improve their lives is only made possible because of God and the people he’s called to help.

(Photo courtesy of For Haiti with Love)

“Everything that you do down there is an opportunity to witness and to thank the Lord,” DeHart says.

She explains that time and time again, volunteers go to Haiti with the expectation to ‘evangelize’ the people there. But what usually ends up happening is those same volunteers come home humbled, and in a way, evangelized.

“Yes, there is a dark side to Haiti. But their light side, their godly side is so strong and so believing and they don’t have a problem understanding that God did this for them.”

If you’d like to engage with this story, start with prayer. Ask God to raise up the people to focus on bringing transformation to Haiti. Pray for renewal and for the Gospel to be known in Haiti. DeHart says we can also pray for those who have left Haiti to not view themselves as escapees, but as part of the solution.

If you’d like to help For Haiti with Love in their outreach in Haiti, click here.