Enemy still talking trash?

June 15, 2024 by  
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1 didn’t listen…

June 5, 2024 by  
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7 Redemptive Names of God in Psalm 23

May 10, 2024 by  
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Psalm 23

  1. The Lord is my shepherd (Jehovah-Raha) ; I shall not want (Jehovah-Jireh).
  2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (Jehovah-Shalom): he leadeth me beside the still waters (Jehovah-Raha).
  3. He restoreth my soul (Jehovah-Rapha): he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Jehovah-Tsidkenu).
  4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (Jehovah-Nissi) : for thou art with me (Jehovah Shammah) ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Jehovah Raha).
  5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies (Jehovah Nissi): thou anointest my head with oil (Jehovah-Rapha); my cup runneth over (Jehovah-Jireh).
  6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Jehovah-Shalom – the Lord is our Peace
Jehovah-Raha – the Lord is my Shepherd
Jehovah-Jireh – the Lord will provide
Jehovah-Nissi – the Lord our Banner or Victor
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – the Lord our Righteousness
Jehovah-Rapha – the Lord that healeth
Jehovah-Shammah – the Lord with us or is present

Alive, alive, alive forevermore!

May 5, 2024 by  
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baba-dida-v-dialog-s-baba-djenka1Rev. Dony K. Donev, D. Min.

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

2 Timothy 1:5

My Grandma, Todorka Mindova, was one of the first Sunday school teachers in the Bulgarian Pentecostal Union. After successfully graduating from a training course in the city of Sliven led by Donka Kinareva and personally organized by Dr. Nicolas Nikolov, she was allowed to minister in the denomination. But for grandma, the faith was more than teaching or a sermon. It was life. Many Bulgarian Pentecostal ministers can testify to the effectiveness of her ministry. And for her constant fasting and thousands of answered prayers I could write a book.

But far more interesting for me as a child was the fact that being a Sunday school teacher, Grandma never tried to preach to me. In the hardest moments of life she would only confess these words, which I have remembered from my childhood: “We serve a living God.” More was not needed. For Grandma preached with her life. Read more

Climbing Mount Everest AGAIN!

April 30, 2024 by  
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The above is from a book by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2024. And something I wrote back in 2017:

To translate the Bible is like to climb upon top of Mount Everest. You put everything at stake. You spend yourself to the last. You forget the pain and fatigue. You leave behind the unimportant things. You carry only the most important ones. Every breath is for eternity. Every step is last. And so, all the way to the top! The price is unbearable, but the reward is extraordinary. Because there, from the top, you finally see things differently. And it is almost impossible to go back down. Even if you can, down now feels different. And one can only hope others too will climb this peak, to perceive and translate for the next. So, that they too can see. For this reason, our interlinear is by no means the last. It is only a seed, which will bear long lasting fruit. For the generations…

MORE Signs of the Last Days

April 20, 2024 by  
Filed under 365, Featured, Missions, News

Many things likely come to mind when you think about the end times. You probably envision fire coming from the heavens, chaos erupting globally and life as we know it coming to an end. While these are common associations, several signs will occur before the last days that we should pay attention to. We understand that these are signs of the end times because Jesus tells us so. Here are the final 11 signs of the end of the world.

Signs of Deception

One of the major signs of the end times is deception. The Bible warns us of false prophets who will say they are the Messiah. They will also claim they have answers for all the problems of the world. Jesus gives us very specific warnings that speak to our generation now, referenced in Matthew 24. In this passage, Jesus mentions the false prophets who will use wonders to deceive us. These false prophets can include people in government, elected officials and other leaders. We must guard ourselves and be on the lookout for these deceivers. We are also told in the Bible these aren’t ordinary men. In the last days, many will cry out for leaders, and they will turn to these false prophets who claim to have the answers.

Hunger and Famine

Another significant sign of the end times is famine and hunger. These are some of the biggest issues plaguing our world right now, and many people are trying to figure out if this is a sign we are entering the end times. According to key statistics, 11 percent of the world’s population is hungry. That means 805 million people are undernourished daily. While we are blessed with a large and fertile planet, millions of people are going hungry each day.

Natural Disasters

When natural disasters take place, many people are concerned that they are pointing to the end times. Some of these recent events and disasters include record-breaking heatwaves not only in America and in Europe. People have also cited devastating earthquakes and wildfires that have taken out whole communities. This has come against the backdrop of political tension, which has only left people more fearful.

The Spread of New Diseases

Revelation 6:5-8 warns that our world will be rocked by new diseases and subsequent plagues in the end times. Luke 21:11 also cautions that there will be pestilences in various places and fearful events in the last days. Many people have wondered if the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the new diseases the Bible speaks of. Some believe that the pestilences that Jesus referenced will be fulfilled in the first three and a half years of the Tribulation period that comes after the rapture.

War

We are told in scripture that there will be disputes among nations. Scripture warns us that a big sign of Jesus’ ultimate return is discord and war among groups of people. This is another sign many people are wondering about is occurring right now. The Book of Revelation references a period called the Tribulation. During this period, we are told there will be a great deal of war. This war will appear to have no end. The Bible also tells us that as we enter the end times, including national battles, conflicts at the border and race wars.

Rumors of War

In addition to listing war as a sign of the end times, Jesus also mentions rumors of war. Many people think that Jesus is simply warning us of war in the last days, but Jesus is really instructing us to not allow rumors of war to concern or alarm us because “the end is not yet.” Jesus was doing the same thing when He spoke of false Christs in Matthew 24:5. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:8 that “all these are the beginning of the birth pains.”

Signs in the Heavens

God references numerous heavenly signs that point to the end times. The 6th Seal of Revelation goes into great detail about the signs in the heavens which haven’t been witnesses since creation. One of the biggest passages that reference these signs is Revelation 6:12-14. This passage says, “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” While many believe these are signs of despair, they are indeed signs of hope.

Persecution

One of the signs of the end times many people don’t talk about is persecution. During the final days, there will be a rise in the persecution of Christians. We will also see hatred and betrayal increase. In Matthew 24, right before Jesus references the rise of false prophets, He warns the disciples, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other.” This is why we must be disciplined in our prayer lives.

Lawlessness

Jesus prophesied in the final days that there would be lawlessness. Many people think the lawlessness associated with the end times is as simple as people disobeying the 10 Commandments. It goes much deeper than this. Remember, Jesus was a big proponent of God’s law. Not only was His life governed by the law, but He also taught people to obey the law. In Second Thessalonians 2:8-9, Paul uses the word lawless to reference the most powerful false religious teacher in the last days. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus warns us that God will reject those who practice lawlessness.

Jesus

The most significant sign of the end times is Jesus. In Acts 1, the risen Lord spoke his parting instructions to his followers. They asked the Lord, “Is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” While the disciples didn’t fully understand Jesus’ full purpose, they were filled with the hope that He would act victoriously and decisively on their behalf. Jesus’ response serves as a reminder that while we will not be privy to the exact day and moment of Jesus’ ultimate return, we will not be oblivious to the signs that the day is close.

While the world appears to get darker, and we face more spiritual warfare than ever before, we have real hope through Jesus Christ. He defeated death and remained victorious. We can have the same victory when we put our total faith in our Lord and Savior. When we trust in the words of Jesus and the prophets, we can be better prepared for what’s to come.

90 Years Ago, Narraganset Church of God Led in Benevolence

April 1, 2024 by  
Filed under 365, Books, Featured, Missions, News, Publication, Research

Narraganset Church of God was started by a women-preacher with only 10 members. Rev. Amelia Shumaker started the church only 15 days before the Great Depression began in 1929. She became a widow five years prior to moving to Chicago. Passing through the Great Depression by 1934, only five years after its establishment, the Narraganset Church of God was already a leader among the state benevolence ministries.

Located at 2254 N. Narraganset Avenue, the church officially took the name of its location in 1955. Early issues of the Church of God Evangel describe it as a South Side church, later corrected to the only Chicago Church of God. By 1994, the congregation has become one of only three Church of God locations in Chicago Metro. It was also where the first and only Bulgarian Church of God congregation in North America was founded also with only 10 members. (More from this timely research soon…)

HOMESCHOOL SANCTUARY COUNTY

March 5, 2024 by  
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Celebrating 30 Years in America

February 5, 2024 by  
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I received my first visa for the United States exactly 30 years ago, after a meeting with Dr. Lovell R. Cary and Bobby G. Ross. My interview was consecutively scheduled for the day before Christmas, December 23, 1993. Because of the short time, it was conducted and approved personally by the head consular at the U.S. Embassy in Sofia. The cost of the visa was $23. I had only $18 in my pocket. If five bucks had ever made a bigger difference in my life…

I landed in New York late one cold, snowy, January night. Being barely 19 at the time (fixing to be 50 now), I had recently watched Home Alone: Lost in New York. Landing over the brightly lit Manhattan was just like in the movie. The feeling was indescribable.

The first person I spoke with on American land was of course the customs officer. Having reviewed my student visa issued for East Coast Bible College, he suddenly went on an endless rant about how bad Bible colleges are, what is done to students in secret, and how they often operate as a cult. Just now, 30 years later, I am making the connection that as a law enforcement officer, he may have been influenced by the recent David Coresh incident. With this sour taste in my mouth, a blizzard outside and too late to catch even the red-eye flight, I somehow managed to book a hotel for the night and flight for the next morning.

I went under the slow falling snow outside the JFK terminal to wait for the hotel shuttle, only to find myself next to a distinguished lady with a long fur coat waiting for her limo – a NY type, as I am reflecting now from the distance of time. She asked if this was my first time in America – must have been that obvious. And when I affirmed, she pulled a dime out of her pocket, placed it in my hand and to my greatest surprise asked if I knew what it says. I had enough Latin under my belt to tell her the meaning of E Pluribus Unum, to which she replied, “Welcome to America! All of us have come here from somewhere.”

And so, my journey began. Having preached multiple times a week in Bulgaria, my heart was burning to share my experience and message as for the first time in my life, I was seeing churches on virtually every corner. Let’s just say that in the mid-90s, most Pentecostal churches in the Bible Belt were not too eager to let in their pulpit a big Bulgarian with thick Balkan accent. Not much has changed to this regard in 30-years of course. But the ones who were willing are still friends to this very day. And though there have been many agendas for my life, I am still here, still preaching. And still planning to continue to do exactly the same. So, help me God!

 

CONFESSIONS of a Pentecostal Preacher

To Mark Alan
We know not why good people have to die,
but we do know we must tell their story…

Chapter I: Beyond the Church and into God

Be without fear in the face of your enemies.
Be brave and upright that God may love thee.
Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death.
Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong.
That is your oath.
~Kingdom
of Heaven (2005)

 

Separation of church from politics of false religiosity

The phone rang heavy and long. It was 4 AM in Bulgaria, but I was already up. A friend on the other end of the line was calling from South Carolina with a warning of some bad situation. The following morning, I was going to be contacted by the Director questioning why we were ministering in churches outside of our denomination.

The truth was we had ministered in some 300 local churches across the Balkan country of Bulgaria crossing all denominational boundaries and gathering youth from just about every confession. God had used us not only to reach and minister and to lead, but to step into an untouched spiritual realm, to undertake an unfamiliar ministry paradigm and to approach a brand new dimension of reality where He was to be the center of it all. And we had obeyed without questions. Now it was time to pay the price!

* * *

Our denomination, the one to which I remain both critically loyal and loyally critical, spreads over some five generations. Through its century old existence, the struggles and tension between theology and praxis has been in the center. And there, in the very essence of Pentecostalism itself, while some are always celebrating and being celebrated in the office or temple, others are always pushed in the periphery of normal life, hidden from the world behind closed doors and seeking a much deeper experience with God.

These modern day mystics are not only forgotten, but often forbidden. For their riot for righteousness cannot be conceived, contained and controlled by the religious norms of organized officiality. They speak as prophets to a world they so fervently try to escape from, about a reality that does not exist in the normal believer’s mindset. A stage of spirituality that cannot be preached without being lived in the social existence. And a relationship of God that goes far beyond common relationism and into God himself. That God, Who does not abide in offices and temples, but on the cross outside of the city walls…

But I knew nothing of this until that cold winter morning when the phone rang through darkness of the night. Knowing what is coming, rarely changes what we have done to get here.

7 Years in Bulgaria: CONFESSIONS of a Pentecostal Preacher
by Dony K. Donev, D.Min.
Upcoming Releases for United States

15 Prophetic Signs of Jesus’ Imminent Return

January 15, 2024 by  
Filed under 365, Events, Featured, Missions, News

1. The world’s focus would be on the Middle East.
2. Russia would begin to align with key Muslim nations.
3. Israel would be surrounded by those bent on its annihilation.
4. Anti-Semitism would dramatically escalate.
5. Religious deception would be rampant.
6. Political chaos would increase, and a political star with plausible solutions would rise up.
7. Extreme famines would occur in different parts of the world.
8. There would be wars and rumors of war, especially relative to the Middle East and Israel.
9. Epidemics and pandemics would spread.
10. Earthquakes and natural disasters would escalate in frequency and intensity.
11. Technology would advance in astonishing ways.
12. Terrorism would jump to the forefront.
13. There would be an abnormal emphasis on sex and materialism, and morality would be twisted.
14. Betrayals, multiplying family problems and resistance to God’s messages would be prevalent.
15. A genuine, Holy Spirit-led revival would emerge as a remnant of godly believers focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and His power.

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