Israel Could Be in Store for Historic Changes

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Now that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to form a coalition government, a new election is on the horizon.

Fox News and others have reported that Israel’s parliament voted Wednesday to dissolve and call for a new election, which will “force Israel back into campaign mode just weeks after Netanyahu narrowly won a presidential mandate following a bruising contest with an upstart party.”

The American Pastors Network (APN) regularly follows news about Israel on its popular radio program, “Stand in the Gap Today,” heard on 425 stations around the country.

Nearly once a week, “Stand in the Gap Today” host and APN President Sam Rohrer focuses on issues surrounding Israel by welcoming expert guests on the topic, as well as addressing news coming out of the Middle East from a biblical and constitutional perspective.

Rohrer noted last week on the show that the situation is unprecedented, and major historic changes could be in store for Israel.

“Just a few weeks ago, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected for an historic fifth term, with one requirement—that he could form a ruling coalition with the parliamentary system,” Rohrer said. “Unfortunately, Netanyahu has been unable to form a new coalition. This debate in the Israeli Knesset could force Netanyahu out and spell unpredictable days ahead for Israel. This next election will not occur until Sept. 3, which seems to potentially leave Israel without any leader for months, and in a real sense, at an increasingly potentially treacherous time with Iran.”

Rohrer is currently traveling in Israel and will be meeting with faith leaders, policy makers and others.

Fox also reorted that all previous Israeli parliamentary elections since the country’s founding in 1948 led to the formation of a government. Netanyahu was “visibly angry” after the decision, stating, “These are unnecessary and wasteful elections that no one needs and no one wants. … The people (already) had their say.”

Rohrer, his co-hosts and guest Jimmy DeYoung of Prophecy Today recently discussed the breaking news from Israel on “Stand in the Gap Today.” Listen to the full program, “Israel Update,” or clips from specific Q&A topics below:

Photo by Blake Campbell on Unsplash

New Study Shows the Bible Is Being Pushed Out of American Lives

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If it feels as though the Bible is being pushed out of the American culture, a new Barna study confirms it.

For its 2019 State of the Bible study, Barna discovered that about half of Americans aren’t engaged with the Bible at all.

In a country built on Judeo-Christian principles and God-given rights, says the American Pastors Network , this is a disturbing trend.

For the most recent survey, Barna and the American Bible Society asked American adults 14 questions about their interactions with and perspectives about the Bible, then defined five segments of Bible engagement measuring concepts such as frequency, centrality and impact.

Nearly half—48%—are classified as “Bible Disengaged,” meaning they interact with the Bible infrequently, if at all, and the Bible has minimal impact on their lives.

“As if this trend wasn’t already evident, this study backs up the fact that not only is the Bible and its universal wisdom being eroded from American families, American government and the American society as a whole, it is the trailing evidence of God being tossed aside in our culture,” said APN president and national host Sam Rohrer. “There was a time in our history when God and His Word—the Bible—was integral to every part of our civilization. We would hardly consider making a decision without it. It was referenced in the home. It was taught in our schools. It was incorporated into our laws and integrated into our courts of justice. It was quoted by politicians, judges, educators and even entertainers. It permeated the great literature of Western Civilization. But with the multitude of attacks on the integrity, inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible over the past century, respect for and interest in the Bible has waned. We no longer have time for the Word of God in our lives. What’s even more dangerous is that when we have no time for the Bible, it means we think we have no time nor need for God!

“What’s being overlooked, however, is the fact that the Bible is crucial to the survival of our nation,” Rohrer added. “Without it, we are lost, our nation declining, freedom fleeting, security gone and God’s blessing removed. As Deuteronomy 4:7-8 says, ‘For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?’ This means that the Bible is the most important book on the planet, in a class by itself, surpassing all others, because the Bible is the Word of God. And for those who choose to push it out of their lives, ruin awaits.”

For the Bible engagement study, Barna also shared these findings:

  • The number of “Bible-centered” adults, the top tier in the survey for Bible engagement, has decreased from 9 percent to 5 percent in the past year.
  • More than one-third of adults (35%) reports never using the Bible in 2019, a 10 percentage point increase since 2011.
  • Roughly two in five U.S. adults (42%) say the Bible has not had such an impact in their lives, while six in 10 adults (59%) believe the Bible has transformed their lives.
  • A separate study from LifeWay Research, as reported in The Christian Post, also found that more than half of Protestant churchgoers (55%) have not shared the Gospel in the past six months.

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American Pastors Network: Nearly Half Would Vote for a Socialist President, But Socialism Is Anti-God and Violates Biblical and Constitutional Truth

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The May 25 cover of World Magazine asks a pointed question—“When will we ever learn?”—followed by a bold declaration—“Socialism typically brings dictatorship and death.”

The American Pastors Network  has delved into the topic of socialism many times on its popular daily radio program, “Stand in the Gap Today,” as well as on “Stand in the Gap TV.”

“What about socialism should be objectionable to the Christian community?” co-host, APN President, Sam Rohrer, asks. “If we go to the heart of socialism—not from the standpoint of an historical idea that we’ve fought wars against, though that should not be lost on Americans—it is more than just another economic system and another way to provide government services. By its nature, socialism arises from an atheistic worldview and is directly opposed to everything that is biblical, of God or of truth.

“Socialism is anti-God,” Rohrer emphasized, “and that’s very easy to prove by the words of those who are proponents of it and what they’ve said about socialism. Those who support socialism directly oppose the Constitution. Anyone in office who promotes socialism, by their very words, violates their oath of office and subverts our representative republic. Socialism represents a frontal attack on biblical truth, the Bible, and on civil truth, the Constitution.”

Alarmingly, socialism’s acceptance isn’t just within those identified as the ‘Left,’ but has tentacles even within the professing church as well, Rohrer said.

“One very shocking and disturbing fact is indicated by multiple studies conducted in the past two years,” he said. “These surveys indicate that between 44 and 58 percent of millennials say they favor socialism as an alternative form of governance to what we have in the United States and, specifically, that they prefer socialism to capitalism.”

This prompts these fundamental questions, Rohrer said.

* How did we get to the place in the United States today where our younger Americans are seemingly embracing what we and our fathers and grandfathers fought and died to oppose?

* How could the godless, atheistic ideology that involved America in two world wars become embedded into American culture?

* How could the nation where ‘in God we Trust’ appears on our coins and in our media and culture become ‘in Government we trust’?

* How has God become so dethroned and rejected? How could the institutions of learning, the media, the government and the church become so silent and even enablers of the very values that were once clearly opposed by our nation and opposite to a Judeo-Christian worldview?

* How could such erosion have occurred so quickly and so dramatically affected our next generation?”

Another study recently found that nearly half of Americans would vote for a socialist president. The characteristic of “socialist” is the last on the list in the Gallup poll for 2019, but 47% is still a significant number. The number was unchanged from 2015 to today, Gallup found.

The question, Rohrer continued, should no longer be “Do we have a generation and nation who considers socialism with its root in atheism acceptable?” but rather, “How did atheism and the promoters of socialism and cultural Marxism actually penetrate the institutions of America and our Judeo-Christian worldview sufficiently to move our nation to this perilous point?”

For the issue exploring socialism, World’s cover story, “The view from ‘Doralzuela”—a Miami suburb in Doral, Florida, now known as Doralzuela because so many refugees from the world’s latest socialist experiment now huddle there—reports how refugees at the ground level describe socialism’s latest failure and also asks, “Will young Americans listen?”

Fox News also recently reported that socialism is “to blame for economic downfall of oil-rich countries,” according to one energy expert. “The oil-rich countries backed by socialist governments have overseen a long economic meltdown due in part to the lack of private sector investments,” according to Fox.

But even with this current, mainstream media coverage, the rise of socialism has been coming for a long time.

“The apparent meteoric rise in the acceptance of socialism in America may seem baffling, but in reality, where we are is the result of where we’ve been heading for a long time,” Rohrer said. “Thinkers like Karl Marx wanted to dethrone God in America, and Friedrich Nietzsche declared that God had been killed in the minds of his culture. To go from then until now requires an enormously powerful deception.

“Over time, it was a purposeful and repeated deception of the American people through the four Marxist steps to successful brainwashing—1) demoralization; 2) destabilization; 3) chaos; and 4) new norm/new order,” Rohrer added. “In each of these steps, a person, a group of people or an entire nation is moved in their thinking and beliefs away from absolute truth, God, a biblical worldview, traditional family and God’s view of human sexuality to, ultimately, a position of chaos with an ultimate craving to cry out to government for help in bringing societal order and thus inviting in atheistic socialism. Does this sound familiar in politics, public education or even some churches? It all starts with a Godless worldview, discarding truth and sowing seeds of doubt.”

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Americans and Pastors Have Differing Views on Direction of Religious Liberty

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NEWS RELEASE:

Over the weekend, Vice President Mike Pence told Liberty University graduates who were celebrating Commencement that they should prepare to be “shunned” for being a Christian, especially as it becomes “acceptable and even fashionable to ridicule and discriminate against people of faith” in the United States.

Americans seem to be on track with the vice president, says the American Pastors Network . According to a new Barna study, more agree that religious freedom is declining. Pastors, however, don’t seem to be as concerned.

“Just by reading the news and seeing case after case of bakers, florists and photographers head to court, Americans realize that our religious liberties are under attack,” said APN President and national radio and television host Sam Rohrer. “With fewer living by a Biblical worldview and fewer identifying as Christian, and with more calling themselves ‘nones’ and more of our politicians heading further left, how can this not be the case? Christians are—and should be—concerned that standing up for their beliefs will become increasingly more difficult. They will likely turn to their pastors and church leaders for guidance, but if ministers don’t see the risk of a loss of religious freedom, there will be a dangerous and demoralizing disconnect.”

Barna conducted the “Faith Leadership in a Divided Culture” study over four years and found that, in 2012, one-third of Americans (33%) said religious freedom was worse than the 10 years before. By 2015, that number had increased to 41% who stated religious liberty had declined, and in 2017, the number ticked up again, to 43%. In all, Barna says, “the general belief that religious freedom in the U.S. is on the decline increased by 10 percentage points over the course of five years.”

Perplexingly, though, Barna found that Protestant pastors’ concern about restrictions to religious freedom is actually decreasing, dropping from 55% in the 2014 survey of all Christian and non-Christian clergy who said they were “very concerned that religious freedom will become more restricted in the next five years.” This percentage fell to below half (49%) in the 2015-16 study and to one-third (34%) in 2017.

Rohrer said the fact that parishioner and pastor views don’t match on this issue is concerning.

“Among the most precious constitutional guarantees is the God-given right to freedom of religion, which is under attack in our nation as we speak and must be defended, lest we awake to the stark reality that while we slept, the enemy crept in unaware,” Rohrer added. “Like the proverbial frog in the water who refuses to jump out as the water temperature increases because the change happens gradually, so are freedoms lost in nations and are being lost in our nation right now. Across the broad spectrum of freedoms we’ve come to take for granted, there are increasing attacks. At first, they are only nibbles, the temperature only slightly increased. Then the nibbles become bites. The temperature goes up. At some point the water begins to boil and it’s too late to move. Then that fragile freedom is gone, never to return to that generation. History is replete with examples of such collapse, moving from freedom to bondage.”

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

National Day of Prayer: We Must Know What God Requires of Us

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Note: This article was originally published on the Lifezette News site HERE.

Thursday is the National Day of Prayer, and it’s clear our nation needs prayer. You’ve heard the phrase, “Prayer changes things,” but do we believe it? The Apostle Paul told us to “pray without ceasing,” and James said “the effectual prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.”

As Christians, we should place great value on prayer—personal and national—because God does. But do we ever wonder why more people don’t pray and why we don’t see more answers to prayer? Most Christians know in their head that prayer is important, and some pray faithfully for our nation and themselves, yet we may see few visible answers.

There are four reasons why God says He won’t answer some prayers. If we plan to assemble and pray for our nation, doesn’t it make sense to know what God requires when we pray?

1. Praying with an Unclean Heart

Prayer can be powerful. It can move mountains, or it can move nothing. Sadly, when most people pray, they just go through the motions with no power or results because their hearts are unclean. Psalms 66:18 says, “If I harbor sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Unconfessed sin is fatal to effective prayer. The Psalmist further says, even if we sacrifice and cry out with great passion but hold sin in our heart, God won’t answer. In fact, He won’t even listen!

Living in sin or harboring unconfessed sin guarantees unanswered prayers. In these perilous days in our nation when few people actually pray, shouldn’t we who do look into our hearts first? Can God answer your prayers or is sin preventing Him from even hearing you?

2. Praying According to Our Will—Not God’s

God wants us to pray, but He demands it be done His way, including for the right reasons. Scripture is clear—answered prayer requires praying according to God’s will. How often do we pray seeking only our desires? When we pray as God requires, He’ll answer. But if we don’t, He won’t hear us.

Jesus Christ prayed according to His Father’s will. Shouldn’t we? Seeing our prayers answered demands obedient living, including a submissive attitude to God’s will. So, as Christ prayed, let us also finish with the words, ‘nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.’ Powerful prayer will reflect seeking God’s will in our prayers.

3. Praying Without Faith

How often do we come to God in prayer but don’t really expect Him to answer? Christ said in Matthew 21:22, “…whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Christ told His disciples, when you pray in faith, truly believing that God can answer, you will be able to do great things—even

move mountains! The opposite is also true—little faith, little power. Sometimes we don’t see answers to prayer because we don’t really believe God can or will answer. Let’s pray in power and with faith believing. God will then answer just like He promised, and even move mountains.

4. Selfish Prayers

Because our national leaders have so arrogantly and repeatedly rejected God’s rule nationally and so many individuals have rejected God’s authority personally, we’re in trouble and we need God’s help. Living in sin, praying according to our own will and praying with little faith will all prevent God from answering our prayers. James 4:3 gives us a fourth reason. James says, “You ask and receive not, because you ask that you may consume it upon your lusts.”

Selfish praying will close God’s ears to our prayers. James makes it clear—when we pray selfishly, asking God for things to elevate our status in the world’s eyes, or hoping for more favor with our friends than favor with God, God won’t answer our prayers.

On this National Day of Prayer, may we pray with clean hearts, pray according to God’s will, pray with faith that God can move mountains, and pray selflessly. It’s time to get serious about our praying.

Church Membership Down ‘Sharply’ Over Past Two Decades

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Half of Americans are church members, which may seem encouraging at the outset, but this figure is down from 70% in 1999.

What are the reasons, and will the trend continue, asks the American Pastors Network. 

The findings are the result of a new Gallup poll, which attributes the decline to an overall decrease in church attendance as well as an increase in the percentage of people who claim no religion at all, also known as “nones.”

“There was once a time when most families would hardly question being at their home church on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights, too,” said APN President and national radio and television host Sam Rohrer. “But today, worship, Bible study and Christian community are being pushed out of our lives. In reality, it’s God Himself who has been replaced with ‘other gods and other worship,’ and the effects on the culture are evident! As secularism abounds, families are split and hurting, and individuals are confused, with even some pastors giving up and refusing to preach the whole counsel of God and the true Gospel at a time when truth is needed more than ever.”

The Gallup poll also found that since the turn of the century, the percentage of U.S. adults with no religious affiliation has more than doubled, from 8% to 19%.

“The decline in church membership mostly reflects the fact that fewer Americans than in the past now have any religious affiliation,” according to Gallup. “However, even those who do identify with a particular religion are less likely to belong to a church or other place of worship than in the past.

The Christian Post reported last month that the “nones” group is now as large as evangelicals in the U.S., with 23.1% of those surveyed identified as having “no religion,” while those who are evangelical, and of any race, represented about 22.8%. The data was gathered through the 2018 General Social Survey, a biennial project run by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

“What can be done about this devastating trend?” Rohrer asked. “And how much further will our culture fall without those who are grounded in their faith and who are engaged members of the local church? It’s not about church marketing, bigger buildings, louder music or attractive programs to entice people to choose church attendance or membership. It’s a heart matter and a matter of truth. Without debate, pastors and church leaders must lead the way in reaching out to their communities and strongly imploring that a life without Christ is no life at all, neither here on Earth nor for eternity.”

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

American Pastors Network: How and Why Socialism Is on the Rise in America

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Socialist ideas were once subtly introduced into American policy, somewhat disguised and under the radar.

But now, says the American Pastors Network, socialism is touted overtly, with no attempt to cover up the fact that the concepts are outright socialist.

APN president and nationally syndicated radio and television host Sam Rohrer has explored the topic of socialism and how it is on the rise in America on the daily, live, one-hour radio program, “Stand in the Gap Today.”

“Socialism’s acceptance isn’t just within those identified as the ‘Left.’ but entrenched within the professing church as well,” Rohrer said. “One very shocking and disturbing fact is indicated by multiple studies conducted in the past two years,” Rohrer said. “These surveys indicate that between 44 and 58 percent of millennials say they favor socialism as an alternative form of governance to what we have in the United States and, specifically, that they prefer socialism to capitalism.

“So, it prompts the fundamental question, how did we get to the place in the United States today where our younger Americans are seemingly embracing what we and our fathers and grandfathers fought and died to oppose?” Rohrer continued. “How could the godless, atheistic ideology that drug America into two world wars become embedded into American culture? How could the nation where ‘in God we Trust’ appears on our coins and in our media and culture become ‘in Government we trust’? How has God become so dethroned and rejected? How could the institutions of learning, the media, the government and the church become so silent and even enablers of the very values that were once clearly opposed by our nation and opposite to a Judeo-Christian worldview? How could such erosion have occurred and so dramatically affected our next generation—and so quickly?”

The question, Rohrer said, should no longer be “Do we have a generation and nation who considers socialism with its root in atheism acceptable?” but rather, “How did atheism and the promoters of socialism and cultural Marxism actually penetrate the institutions of America and our Judeo-Christian worldview sufficiently to move our nation to this perilous point?”

“The apparent meteoric rise in the acceptance of socialism in America is baffling even to the most astute, but in reality, where we are is the result of where we’ve been heading for a long time,” Rohrer said. “In 1933,the Frankfurt School was invited to the U.S. by John Dewey with the goal of destroying America from within, embracing the philosophies and views of thought leaders like Marx, Nietzsche, and Hegels. The dethroning of God in America, which was Marx’s goal, to Nietzsche later declaring that God had been killed in the minds of the American people to where we are today requires an enormously powerful presentation of deception.

     “Over time, it was a purposeful and repeated deception of the American people through the technique of brainwashing, namely through the four Marxist steps to successful brainwashing—1) demoralization; 2) destabilization; 3) chaos; and 4) new norm or new order. In each of these steps, a person, a group of people or an entire nation is moved in their thinking and beliefs away from absolute truth, God, a biblical worldview, traditional family and God’s view of human sexuality to, ultimately, a position of chaos with an ultimate craving to cry out to government for help in bringing societal order and thus inviting in atheistic socialism. Does this sound familiar in politics, public education or even some churches? It all starts with sowing seeds of doubt, just as the devil did in the Garden of Eden.”

For more on this topic, listen to two “Stand in the Gap” programs featuring guest Brannon Howse, founder and host of Worldview Weekend TV and radio, at the links below:

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Easter is About the Power of God, His Hatred of Sin and His Great Love for an Undeserving Mankind

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What’s Easter all about?

What does Easter say about God? About Jesus? To mankind? And what difference should Easter make in our lives today?

These are questions being explored this week by American Pastors Network President and national radio and television host Sam Rohrer on his daily syndicated, 60-second radio feature, “Stand in the Gap Minute.”

“Easter week is the most sacred of all Christian holidays,” Rohrer said. “But why is it so special? Easter is about God’s plan for the ages, the humans created in His image, the reality of Sin, Satan and rebellion, God’s wrath and justice against sin, and His plan of redemption. Early in Genesis, God promised that one day His heel would be bruised but the head of Satan would be crushed. Christ’s crucifixion and death on the cross bruised God’s heel but His resurrection crushed Satan’s head, confirming His victory over sin and death.”

Christ’s blood paid the debt of mankind’s sins and fulfilled God’s demand for justice, providing salvation for all people. All those putting their trust in the Risen Savior, the Promised Redeemer, receive eternal life with Him, Rohrer said.

“God’s promise to crush Satan’s head continued with God’s promise to Abraham of a Promised Redeemer through a promised people,” he added. “Through time, Satan tried to destroy the lineage through whom the Redeemer would come. He led Pharaoh in Egypt to kill the young males and led Herod to kill all baby boys under the age of 2. On the Mount, he tempted Jesus to avoid the cross and tried to destroy God’s redemption plan. But the devil could not trick Jesus, kings could not kill Him, and haters of Israel could not destroy God’s plan.”

That plan included a day 2,000 years ago when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a borrowed donkey. The crowds shouted, “Hosanna!”—blessed is the king of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord. But the envious Pharisees said, “the world’s gone after him,” and they plotted His murder.

“That plot worked, at least physically, and Jesus gave His life to pay a debt of sin He never owed because we had a debt of sin we could never pay,” Rohrer said. “Some by faith alone accept Jesus as Savior and receive eternal life. Others reject Him and sadly choose eternal death. It is truly a matter of life or death.”

Likewise, Easter is not a freestanding or initiating event, Rohrer said. It’s a confirming event.

“While Easter is a witness of God’s Power over death and sin, a fulfillment of his promise of redemption and proof of His victory over Satan, it’s also an historical event,” he said. “Proven and witnessed by hundreds, the power of Easter is also very personal because it was Christ’s willing death on the cross to shed His blood. Easter is a fact. It happened. Jesus died. He rose from the dead. He paid our debt. This Easter, it’s crucial that all who are willing become children of God, restored in relationship to their Creator God.”

And as Christians mark Good Friday, they remember that the greatest battle ever fought was won. Victory was declared. The end of the war was certain. From the cross, bloody and beaten, Jesus declared, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

“With those solemn words, Jesus died, fulfilling His words that no man would take His life,” Rohrer said. “The perfect Lamb—God’s promised redeeming sacrifice—became sin for us and died so we could live. What Satan schemed as victory over Christ was Christ’s victory over Satan, death, and hell. At APN, we rejoice in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Because three days later, to the disciples’ ecstatic joy, they heard the glorious words from the angel’s mouth: ‘Remember what He said to you? He is not here. He has risen!’ And to that we reply, ‘He is risen indeed.’ For all who trust in Him alone—by faith alone—death is swallowed up in victory. And that’s the best news ever. Easter is about the power of God, His hatred of sin and His great love for an undeserving mankind.”

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash

Truth Is Absolute and Comes from Only One Source—the Bible

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What is “truth?” To many in America, truth is relative, and it varies for each person.

But the Bible says people who believe this are “unstable in all their ways” because they have nothing constant or reliable to direct their lives.

“Just as a compass always points us north, Jesus is our ‘true north’ in life—always pointing the way to him, always pointing out what is true and always pointing us in the right direction in life,” said APN president and radio and television host Sam Rohrer. “This is why absolute truth is so crucial. In every aspect of life and culture we can consider, biblical truth has a role—gender, marriage, immigration, fiscal responsibility, government leadership, religious liberty, sanctity of life issues and much, much more.”

So, based on the knowledge that truth defines all things—what is truth?

Rohrer asked this very question on APN’s daily, nationally syndicated, one-minute radio feature “Stand in the Gap Minute.”

“Some time ago, I interviewed a candidate for public office and asked him to define truth,” Rohrer said. “His answer was ‘I don’t know.’ So I asked, ‘How will you make your decisions in office and know you’re right?’ He said, ‘I guess I’ll follow my gut.’ Truth is not subjective. It is not open for debate or found in the gut. Rejecting Jesus as truth ensures no moral compass. Rejecting truth results in confusion, moral bankruptcy, bribery and corruption. Rejecting truth guarantees that no person in office, be they Republican, Democrat or Independent, can lead with integrity, principle and consistency because each desirable character traits hinges on truth as defined by God’s Word and modeled by Jesus Christ.”

That knowledge, however, does not make everything easy, Rohrer said. The enemy will attempt to distort the truth, causing people to second-guess that truth is indeed absolute.

“Isaiah 59:19 says, ‘When the enemy come’s in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against them,’” Rohrer said. “As evil floods our land and truth falls in the streets, Isaiah declares that God’s Spirit will raise up a standard against it. This standard, of course, is Jesus Christ, the Way and the Truth. But God often chooses to raise up His prepared Remnant as the salt and light—the standard to oppose the evil. At APN, we equip, encourage and assist God-ordained pastors in the pulpit to be vanguards for truth. Yet, every true Christian is part of God’s empowered standard to stand against the enemies of Truth. Are we doing our part?”

Because the culture has become morally sick—defining good as evil and evil as good—is there a cure? When truth is rejected and division results, is there healing? There can be, Rohrer said. For those committing to standing for truth—or the Remnant, as Rohrer mentioned, the Bible is the more than just a good book. It’s the only source of truth.

“When it comes to truth, the Bible is always right,” Rohrer said. “It alone defines good and evil. It alone can point the lost and wandering to eternal life. Its truth alone, if obeyed, can heal the lonely heart and restore the broken family. Obedience to God’s Word, the ‘Ultimate Truth,’ can restore our nation and return God’s blessing to us. An absolute cure exists—but only if we embrace absolute truth.”

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Pennsylvania Pastors Network Leader Responds to Attacks on PA Rep. Stephanie Borowicz for Prayer

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The opening prayer from Pennsylvania Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Centre/Clinton) continues to make headlines, as the Christian has been attacked for her prayer that mentioned Jesus.

Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net) Executive Director Gary Dull said that, as one who has had several opportunities to open both the PA House and Senate in prayer, he is thankful there is still enough respect for God and America’s great Judeo-Christian heritage for those prayers to continue to be offered in the state and trusts that freedom will continue.

“As far back as the time of Pennsylvania founder William Penn, God’s Name and His Word have been prevalent in the official representations of our Commonwealth,” Dull said. “In fact, Penn dreamed to establish in Pennsylvania what was referred to as ‘The Holy Experiment,’ in which a colony would be founded that guaranteed religious freedom. But that freedom was based upon the truth of the Holy God of the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ, as it states in John 8:32: ‘And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’

“The preamble of the Pennsylvania Constitution states: ‘We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution…’” Dull continued. “Beyond that, it does not take long for a person to notice when visiting the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg how many Bible verses are posted throughout that beautiful edifice. Certainly, Jehovah Elohim, the God of the Bible, has been respected by many both in word and in voice within those walls over the years.”

Even though prayers are not offered simply to make public statements, they are offered to ask God for His wisdom and direction in doing His will, which is why the House and the Senate open their sessions in prayer, Dull added.

“Often in doing so, Scripture verses are quoted that may be an offense to some people,” he said. “In fact, Isaiah 30:9 says that spiritually rebellious people ‘will not hear the law of the Lord.’ So we should not be surprised when some people object to the Word of God when it is read, spoken or used in our prayers. When a person prays a ‘Christian prayer’ to the Christian God of the Bible, it only stands to reason that Christian and biblical terms will be used in that prayer. That may and will offend some people but that does not mean that such a freedom should be taken away. It has been reported that Rep. Stephanie Borowicz’s Christian prayer offended the first Muslim woman to be elected to and sworn into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Movita Johnson-Harrell, and that it was called ‘Islamophobic’ by some. But it was a Christian prayer that was given, and thus Christian words and concepts were used. Obviously, a Muslim prayer, if it was given, would have used Muslim terms. In our Commonwealth, as well as in our nation, people have the freedom to pray as they desire, and we all must pray that such a great freedom will last for generations to come. It is this freedom that has caused America to be blessed beyond any nation on earth, and if that blessing is to continue then the freedom to pray in the public square, including in governmental buildings, must prevail.”

Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash