Happy Tuesday

A Bold Witness
 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. - Romans 1:16

There is no evidence of timidity on the part of the Christians from Thessalonica. The gospel message did not tiptoe from their lips, nor was it whispered in the hope no one would hear. Having received the gospel, these people entertained no thought of keeping it to themselves.


In 1 Thessalonians 1:5-9, Paul describes his ministry in that city. "Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia...your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it."

Paul was speaking of the gospel that came to them, and ultimately sounded out from them to all of Greece. The words sounded out are best described as the rumble of a tremendous thunderclap that reverberates long after its initial burst of sound. It pictures a bold, straightforward, continuing witness.

Friend, the message of the gospel of Christ, boldly proclaimed, can burst like thunder from your life today. And by the power of God, it will keep on rolling.

Lord, give me a fresh vision of who I am, and gift me to tell others that You have called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Amen.

If God has shed His love abroad in your heart, you will want to proclaim Him to everyone.
Amen!

Daily Smile:
From a passenger ship one can see a bearded man on a small island who is shouting and desperately waving is hands.

 "Who is it?" a passenger asks the captain.

"I've no idea. Every year when we pass, he goes mad."

In The News:

Florida Student Declares Victory After Refusing to Stomp on Paper Bearing Jesus' Name
Liberty Institute has declared victory on behalf of its client Ryan Rotela, the Florida Atlantic University student who was brought up on academic charges and suspended from class out of retaliation for reporting a lesson to university officials that included an in-class assignment involving jumping on a sheet of paper bearing Jesus' name. In addition to apologizing to Rotela on its website and following a closed-door meeting with Liberty Institute, university officials agreed not to take any further action against him. The university will expunge all academic charges from his student records and will allow him to take the course under the supervision of an alternate professor. "We are thankful that the university has conceded and done the right thing, so that our client Mr. Rotela can continue pursuing his education without distraction," said Hiram Sasser, Liberty Institute director of litigation. "Decades ago, the Supreme Court ruled that students do not leave their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate. That is still true today." Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America.

'The Bible' Miniseries Dominates Across Media
History Channel's "The Bible" miniseries continues to draw audiences from across all platforms, including books, DVDs and downloads, as it heads into its finale, according to Grace Hill Media. The series, which has been viewed by close to 80 million people, has continued to outperform all other television shows on Sunday nights. It took over the No. 1 spot on iTunes for top TV show downloads, and is currently ranked No. 2 on the list of 100 on Amazon's bestsellers list in movies and TV. Executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett's novelization of the miniseries, The Bible: A Story of God and All of Us, which debuted Feb. 26, has also climbed to No. 10 on the Publishers Weekly top hardcover fiction list and No. 20 on the New York Times hardcover fiction list. "Roma and I continue to be grateful for the overwhelming global enthusiasm for 'The Bible' series," Burnett said. Downey added: "The audience reaction says so much about what people are looking for these days. We are just thrilled that we were able to bring these stories to life."