Practicing the Gospel of Life
As most Americans now know, the US Supreme Court is considering Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case related to a 2018 Mississippi law that bans abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. The leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft document sustaining Dobbs has created a firestorm of response from people on both sides...
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Building Unity not Racism
On May 31, 1921, the Tulsa (OK) race massacre began. Over two days, white rioters killed as many as 300 people, burned 1000 buildings, and destroyed the thriving African American community of Greenwood. 100 years later, after George Floyd and others, I’m trying to understand better what the African American experience has been, both in...
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We Pray for a New Generation of Women Preachers
The first woman preacher I remember was Sister Katie Campbell. Almost yearly she would come to my father’s church in South Norfolk, Virginia, to hold revivals. She came so often that she became “Aunt Katie” to me. In those days, evangelists usually stayed in the homes of host pastors. Sister Katie was known for her...
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Discipleship Ministries Recommends Resources for Racial Reconciliation
In a previous article, the IPHC stated, “We believe that every person is worthy of equal dignity and respect by virtue of being created in the image of God. In light of current racial discord in the United States, the IPHC urges its members to seek insight and direction from the Bible and prayer. We...
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When the Refugees Come, Be Ready With Open Arms
Jean Pierre Gatera stood in front of a group of Rwandese soldiers, awaiting execution. The solders had mistaken him for a rebel and were holding him until nightfall. “I prayed, telling God, ‘If you exist, if you help me from here, I will serve you,’” the pastor recalls. “And because He is just, He rescued...
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Please Stop Ignoring the Forgotten People
The apostle Paul said our spiritual struggle is invisible. “We wrestle not with flesh and blood,” we are told in Ephesians 6:12. Today many Christians have made this struggle very self-centered. We “fight” to stay pure, we “meditate on the Word” to remain clean, and we “study” to grow in grace. Yet all this ends up...
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Justice: November 2019
As I think about our core value, “We Prayerfully Value Justice,” I am reminded of the fact that the Bible is full of scripture regarding justice. I am drawn to Isaiah 61:8, where it tells us, "For I, the LORD, love justice.” In other words, the Lord here is saying, “I delight in giving...
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We Must Boldly Cry for Justice
Throughout 2019 the IPHC has focused on the biblical issue of justice. In 2020 we will place our focus on our seventh core value: “We Prayerfully Value Generosity.” There is a correlation between justice, and all our other core values, with the spirit and actions of generosity. Our core values are interconnected. As we close...
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Breaking the Silence About Domestic Abuse
Imagine you’ve pastored a church for many years, and one of your church members, Cindy, comes to meet with you. She describes, through tears, an incident when her husband, Mark, threw her to the ground in a fit of rage. She tells you that when he loses his temper like this, he later apologizes and...
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We Must Be His Witnesses in Times of Darkness
Old Testament prophecies usually have a historical and future context. The historical context is often a word of judgment based on the failure to obey God’s revealed will, relating to how we treat one another and others. The future context is often a word of hope and restoration. This is seen in three passages in...
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In This Era of Division, We Must Be Unified
As parents, we feel joy and gratification when we see our children getting along with each other. It puts a smile on a parent’s face to hear an older child reading to younger siblings, or to see brothers and sisters happily playing a game together. However, even the most well-behaved children sometimes argue and fight...
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A Physician's Calling
The Children's Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany, OK, has ties with the IPHC that go back to the 1970s. We thank God for the many ways that He has increased and blessed this remarkable ministry. To find out more about the Children's Center and their history with the IPHC follow this link or visit their...
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Diapers, Bikers, and Churches
Diapers, bikers, and churches. What do these three have in common? Not much, some would say, but according to Mission M:25 Director Gary Burd one thing ties them together… a love for teen mothers and their babies. In 2015, Mission M:25, a ministry to the overlooked, lost, and hurting in today’s society, began the 50CC...
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Justice: September 2019
In the first week of June I found myself sitting on a friend’s kitchen floor, taking notes on my phone as the Lord began to tell me this: “Declare war on the walls.” Without a Bible on hand, I quickly scrolled through my phone to recount a familiar story of a man named Joshua and...
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Reflections from Hope Train 2019
Hope Train was held June 27, 2019, in the South Carolina Conference of the IPHC. This event exists to celebrate Turbeville Children's Home. During Hope Train, the children of the home gave an outstanding performance entitled, "Light in the Darkness." The Women's Ministries of the IPHC also presented a donation to TCH from their fundraising...
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Justice: August 2019
From 2013 to 2016, I took a crash course on the topic of justice. During that time, I watched as God rescued over 60 women and their children from human trafficking and brought them into our shelter for healing and restoration. Many of the survivors faced abuse that most of us will never comprehend. Encountering...
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Justice for All: Every Sphere of Life
Justice is a biblical mandate, a command from Scripture, an imperative from the LORD, a prophetically proclaimed expectation for God’s people. In the Bible, the issue of making justice available is a centuries old, repeated request from the LORD to God’s people. The need for justice is echoed by prophets repeatedly and proclaimed as a...
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Justice: Collective Hope
Left for Dead: The Makeshift Family Helping a Homeless Perth Man Heal Below is an article about Collective Hope, an IPHC ministry, located in Australia. This ministry seeks to ensure that godly justice prevails among those with disabilities in their community. This content was provided by WAtoday. Stuart Riddell is one of many who live...
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Biblical Ingredients of Weight: Seasoned for Justice
If you buy McCormick ® or Lawry’s ® brand cumin in the Seasoning aisle at your local grocery store, you will purchase either the .75-ounce or 1.5-ounce size container. This smaller than palm-size container, a mere one-sixteenth of a single pound of cumin, is frequently used in 1 teaspoon measurements in recipes. This teaspoon of...
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Justice: Danny Williams
WE PRAYERFULLY VALUE JUSTICE Below, you will find a story shared by Danny Williams that emphasizes the life changing effects of God’s Justice. “Something that comes to mind while considering the concept of ‘justice’ is a story about the Dalit, known as ‘the untouchable’ in India. Mahatma Gandhi represented them as Harjins, the ‘mud...
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God’s Justice: Valuing the “Ones”
Pew Research Center has released a well-known study about the “nones,” an increasing number of Americans who consider themselves unattached, uninterested, or “nothing in particular” as it relates to religion. Many gladly wear this label as they wish to walk devoid of identifying to any creed or accountability. In turn, I would like to talk...
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Justice: Bill Schwartz
My Perspective of Justice How would one define biblical or divine justice? Justice can simply be defined as “what should be.” Therefore, as we add the term “biblical” or “divine” as modifiers, we are indicating that God and His Word are the standards to what should be. As we journey through the entire counsel of...
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Truth = Freedom
In late August 2018, I was honored and privileged to be a part of the “Grace Without Borders” Women's Ministries conference in Oklahoma City at the Heartland Retreat Center. I went as part of a ministry team representing Royal Home Ministries (a division of Falcon Children’s Home and Family Services) from Falcon, North Carolina. You...
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Tenemos más trabajo que hacer para TERMINAR EL RACISMO
La 25aconmemoración del milagro histórico de Memphis ocurrió el mes pasado. Líderes de la IPHC se unieron a los casi doscientos delegados de las iglesias pentecostales y carismáticas de Norteamérica (PCCNA) para agradecerle a Dios por el coraje y la humildad demostradas en 1994. Uno de los líderes clave de dicho evento histórico fue el...
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Justice: Kevin Sneed
By missionary, Kevin Sneed In John 18:38 Pilate asks, “What is truth?” Like many today, Pilate was expressing skepticism in objective truth. Jesus had just brought up the concept of truth, but Pilate would not engage the conversation. With his rhetorical question, he dismissed the truth that Jesus wished to convey. Your truth is not...
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Justice: Joe Delport
Injustice in Modern Africa Joe Delport – Regional Director of Southern Africa When considering the IPHC theme, "We Prayerfully Value Justice," I want to reflect on the many injustices which prevail in the world where I live. Justice, for many people, refers to fairness. But while justice is important to almost everyone, it means different...
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Examine Yourself: Is There Racism in Your Heart?
As the IPHC focuses this year on one of our core values, “We Prayerfully Value Justice,” it is critically important to begin by acknowledging that racism is alive in some of the churches we lead. We cannot remain silent about this. I’m not an expert in this area, although I’ve been a catalyst for racial change. Racism has many tentacles, and this article...
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True Heroes
M25 is gearing up for their 14th year to serve our veterans; the true heroes of the USA. We will serve those who feel overlooked and neglected many times. As crazy as it may seem, there are places in this country that our soldiers and veterans are still mocked, called names, and jeered because of...
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Justice: Russell Board
WHY DO WE VALUE JUSTICE? Simple. Because God values justice. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures bear continual witness to God’s concern for justice. God declares that one of His purposes in choosing Abraham is so that he may teach his children and household to “do justice” (Genesis 18:19). The laws God gives to His...
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War Horse
Less than 1% of the residents on the Native American reservation are Christians. Because of this, they are classified statistically as an "unreached people group." And yet they are on American soil: soil they once owned that was taken from them with blood and lies! Today, reservations have the highest poverty rates, the highest suicide...
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