It’s Wednesday, January 22nd, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus.
By Adam McManus (adam@theworldview.com)
Nigerian pastor beheaded by Muslim militants
Rev. Lawan Andimi, who made headlines this month after praising God in a ransom video, was beheaded Monday afternoon by Boko Haram Muslim militants in Nigeria, Africa, reports the Christian Post.
Days after he went missing on Jan. 3 and a video was posted online which appeared to show Andimi being forced into a vehicle by his captors, he was seen in a video released by his captors calling on fellow Christian leaders and state government officials to secure his release.
The Worldview featured his words from that video on January 10th.
ANDIMI: “I have never been discouraged because all conditions that one finds himself is in the hands of God – God who made them to take care of me and to leave [me with] my life. … Don’t cry, don’t worry, but thank God for everything.”
Dede Laugesen, the Executive Director of Save the Persecuted Christians, said, “They murdered him because he refused to renounce his faith. And because they couldn’t raise the money for his ransom.”
Andimi’s captors had demanded 2 million euros, but the church was only able to raise 4,969 euros.
Nigeria ranks as the 12th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List.
Revelation 6:9-10 says, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
Bloomberg runs national TV ads calling Senate to remove Trump
Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is spending millions of dollars of his own billions, launched a new impeachment-focused television ad yesterday urging the Senate to remove President Donald Trump from office, reports the Associated Press.
The ad will run in 27 states, including states represented by vulnerable Republican senators. It comes as the Senate begins its impeachment trial against Trump based on charges he abused his power and obstructed Congress.
McConnell emphasized fairness of Senate impeachment trial
In outlining the process for the Senate impeachment trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell emphasized fairness, reports Politico.com.
McCONNELL: “The Senate’s fair process will draw a sharp contrast with the unfair and precedent-breaking inquiry that was carried on by the House of Representatives. The House broke with precedent by denying members of the Republican minority the same rights that Democrats had received when they were in the minority back in 1998.
“Here in the Senate, every single Senator will have exactly the same rights and exactly the same ability to ask questions. The House broke with fairness by cutting President Trump’s counsel out of their inquiry to an unprecedented degree. Here in the Senate, the president’s lawyers will finally receive a level playing field with the House Democrats and will finally be able to present the President’s case. Finally, some fairness.”
Unusual witness trade discussed ahead of Senate trial
Several Senate Democrats are privately discussing an unusual witness trade, reports MSN.com.
They might be willing to allow Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter to testify about how he benefitted from his father’s threat to withhold U.S. funds from Ukraine if the country did not stop the prosecution of Burisma, the private Ukrainian gas firm, as prosecutors were looking into suspected tax violations in 2014. Burisma paid Hunter Biden $50,000 per month as board member.
In exchange for Hunter Biden’s testimony, President Trump’s supporters might be willing to allow former National Security Advisor John Bolton to testify about what he knew of Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Newlywed Tim Tebow will have a real honeymoon
And finally, beloved Christian athlete Tim Tebow married the 2017 Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Peters on Monday night and said all of his “dreams have come true”, reports the Christian Post.
The former NFL quarterback and Peters professed their love for one another in a sunset ceremony at La Paris Estate in Cape Town, South Africa. The ceremony was 30-minutes and they exchanged handwritten vows to one another.
(Tebow shared a photo from their ceremony, captioning it “forever.”)
The day before the wedding Tebow told People magazine: “I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone special, who I can spend the rest of my life with. I was waiting for the right person to come along. And now I’m marrying Demi. I can’t wait to see what our future holds. All of my dreams have come true. It was 100 percent worth the wait.”
Tebow has been outspoken throughout his college and professional sports career about his celibacy and waiting until marriage to have sex. And during the movie premiere for “Run The Race” he revealed that he and his bride-to-be were both waiting until marriage. He said, “It’s just a choice that we made, that we both wanted to do that together and we’ll try to make it as special as possible.”
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”
Our congratulations to the newlywed couple. They honored God throughout their engagement!
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And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, January 22nd in the year of our Lord 2020. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.