Missionary Couple Married 66 Years Meet Jesus Minutes Apart 

It’s getting harder to find uplifting stories in these dark times. But I think that the brethren will be blessed by this one.

From foxnews.com

Bill and Esther Ilnisky spent nearly seven decades together as Christian ministers and missionaries, working in the Caribbean and Middle East before preaching for 40 years in Florida.

They complimented each other — he the bookworm, she outgoing and charismatic. One without the other seemed unthinkable.

So when they died minutes apart of COVID-19 this month at a Palm Beach County hospice, it may have been a hidden blessing, their only child, Sarah Milewski, said — even if it was a devastating double loss for her. Her father was 88, her mom 92. Their 67th wedding anniversary would have been this weekend.

“It is so precious, so wonderful, such a heartwarming feeling to know they went together,” Milewski said, then adding, “I miss them.”

Bill Ilnisky grew up in Detroit, deciding at 16 to devote his life to God, Milewski said. He headed to Central Bible College, an Assemblies of God school in Springfield, Missouri. He preached at nearby churches and needed a piano player. Friends suggested Esther Shabaz, a fellow student from Gary, Indiana. They fell in love.

“When my dad proposed, he told her, ‘Esther, I can’t promise you wealth, but I can promise you lots of adventure,'” Milewski said. “She had a lot, a lot of adventure.”

After graduation and their wedding, Bill Ilnisky opened churches in the Midwest. In the late-1950s, the Ilniskys took congregants to Jamaica for a mission, fell in love with the island, and stayed on to run a church in Montego Bay for a decade.

It was during that time they adopted Milewski, then 2, from a Miami foster home. In 1969, the family moved from Jamaica to Lebanon, where Bill Ilnisky ministered to college students and taught. His wife started an outreach center and had a Christian rock band.

“At that time, Lebanon was an amazing country — gorgeous,” Milewski said.

But in 1975, civil war broke out between Christian and Muslim factions, and Beirut, the nation’s capital, became a battleground. Twice, bombs exploded outside their apartment — the first knocking Milewski out of bed, the second slamming her father to the ground.

“My mom thought he was dead,” Milewski said. “My mom and I went and hid in the bathroom all night, crying and praying.” The next morning, bullet holes pocked the walls of apartments on every floor except theirs.

“We attributed that to prayer,” she said.

They fled in 1976 when U.S. Marines evacuated Americans, catching the last plane out.

Shortly after their return to the States, Bill Ilnisky became pastor at Calvary Temple in West Palm Beach, later renamed Lighthouse Christian Center International. His wife started Esther Network International, aimed at teaching children to pray.

Tom Belt, a retired missionary in Oklahoma City, was a teenager at Calvary Temple when the couple arrived. He said Bill Ilnisky’s tales of missionary work whetted his desire to travel.

Belt said the Ilniskys “were very accommodating, believed in others and very forgiving.”

Bill Ilnisky retired three years ago, and while physically healthy for a late octogenarian, had some dementia. His wife still ran her prayer network and did Zoom calls.

When the pandemic hit last year, the couple took precautions, Milewski said. Her mother stayed home and had groceries delivered, but Bill Ilnisky occasionally went out.

“He couldn’t take it,” his daughter said. “He needed to be around people.”

Sarah Milewski and her husband visited her parents on Valentine’s Day, her mother’s birthday. A few days later, her mom became ill, and not long after, the couple was diagnosed with the virus and hospitalized.

While the prognosis was initially good, the disease overtook them. The decision was made Feb. 27 to put them in hospice. Jacqueline Lopez-Devine, chief clinical officer at Trustbridge hospice, said in her 15 years working with the dying, no couple had arrived together. She said there was no hesitation about putting them in the same room for their final days.

Because of the virus, Milewski said her goodbyes through a window, a microphone carrying “I love you” to her parents’ bedside. They looked like they did when sleeping, her father lying on the right side, her mother facing him. He would nod as Milewski spoke; her mom tried to speak but couldn’t.

At 10:15 a.m. on March 1, Esther Ilnisky died. Fifteen minutes later, her husband followed.

“They were always, always together,” Milewski said. “So in sync.” Source

I have been praying to God for something uplifting to write to the brethren. Yes, this precious Christian couple did succumb to Covid, but their lives lived for Jesus and the incredible work they did for Him is so inspiring, I felt that the readers should be lifted up by this story. I know that I was.

Bill and Esther are now in the presence of their Lord and Savior for all Eternity. Hallelujah!

How Can I Be Saved?

Shalom B’Yeshua

MARANATHA!!

grandmageri422@gmail.com

Articles at grandmageri422.me

German Pastor Fined by Government for Teaching Word of God

Olaf Latzel has been continually under the scrutiny of the German government – with requests to see his sermons by government officials.

Recently, Pastor Olaf was fined an exorbitant amount of money because he preached from God’s Word that homosexuality is an abomination to our God.

Fromlifesitenews.com

Christian pastor in Germany fined for ‘inciting hatred’ against homosexuals

The pastor had merely reiterated biblical teaching on homosexuality in a private seminar.

February 12, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — In a stunning sentence late last year, a court in Bremen, Germany, sentenced Rev. Olaf Latzel of St. Martini (part of the Evangelical Church in Germany: EKD) to a fine of €8,100 for “inciting hatred” against homosexuals in private remarks made to church couples. During the seminar, Latzel defended the biblical definitions of gender and sexuality, condemning the Berlin Pride March and referring to gender ideology as “an attack against God’s order of Creation.”

Latzel’s defense lawyer called the sentence, which the pastor is appealing, a “catastrophe” and warned that free speech was under threat: “While today this is about a view found in the Bible, tomorrow it will be about any other opinion.”

Latzel’s lawyer told the court that the Bremen pastor was condemning behavior rather than people, but the judge stated that the “homosexual orientation of a person is a part of [his] personality.” Some Protestant leaders in Bremen appear to be more concerned by how biblical teachings reflect on their popularity rather than by threats to their ability to proclaim the Gospel, announcing in response to the sentence that they “condemned in the strongest terms” Latzel’s words. The EKD is a largely liberal denomination, and Latzel’s traditional views have made him a controversial figure for some time. St. Martini church, where Latzel serves as pastor, has even had services interrupted by LGBT activists.

To discuss the implications of this ongoing case, I reached out to Manfred Müller with the German office of Voice of the Martyrs. Müller told me that Latzel was prosecuted in a “political show trial” in “a huge public space rented in order for many people to attend the public spectacle.” His case, Müller said, needs international attention.

What is the significance of this case? Is there a precedent for it?

There is no precedent for it. It’s the other way around: This will serve as a precedent for future cases. That makes it so significant. We have seen this coming for a long time. Even a few years ago, some conservative Christian might have already said: If I were to imagine persecution coming to Germany, I might imagine it along the lines of moral — especially sexual — ethics.

Now, with Olaf Latzel, for the first time, a German court restricts religious freedom (Article 4, Basic Law) for the benefit of the homosexual lobby. Or to put it in more neutral terms: to protect the feelings and rights of homosexuals.

At the expense of freedom of speech, religious freedom, etc., homosexual rights are protected. This will have consequences (if the judgment will hold against the appeal) for churches in Germany that reject gay blessings and weddings. This could, for example, in the future cause them to lose their status [as charitable organizations]. That would [be] a huge financial disadvantage.

What is the potential outcome for other conservative clergy members?

Already: intimidation to take a biblical stand on this issue. In addition, new realities will be created in the regional church, meaning that in the future, pastors with a critical attitude towards blessing homosexual couples or even conducting weddings will not be admitted to the church as clergy. Before being employed, an interview could be held asking them about their stance on those issues. Thus, facts are created, and pastors with a biblical view of homosexuality will then no longer exist.

How was Latzel’s trial a “show trial” — a very loaded word in the German context?

By relocating the trial to the public arena (a local theater) instead of the courtroom, thus allowing for more people to attend. Plus, the rush to judgment in the media and the prejudice by all the involved parties. All that created prejudgment and pressure on the judge to make the “right” decision.

How was the trial unfair?

The whole accusation does not hold. There was never the intention to publish what Olaf Latzel shared in this internal Bible study group for couples. It was a closed event. No way that this could or even should have served to spark public hate, let alone “incitement of the masses” (the accusation).

So, to begin with, the seminar was not public. It should never be on the internet (actually the recording of the event records Pastor Latzel himself saying this at the beginning: This is not to be published.) In the talk Pastor, Latzel always speaks of “homosexuality,” not of “homosexuals,” differentiating between sin and sinner. This differentiation has not been taken into account by the court, which would have been absolutely necessary for the verdict.

Can anything be done to redress the situation?

Jesus is Lord. HE can change anything and everything. Speak but one word. He only has to speak one word. That is why prayer is so important. If folks could just pray for our Brother Latzel.

Also, pressure. International pressure. It might be helpful to write letters to the church.

How does this bode ill for the future?

The position for those who are faithful to the Bible and for conservative congregations will change and has already become more difficult. We should not forget that the church Pastor Latzel is serving, the St. Martini church in Bremen, is also [being] harassed. In Germany, the Pietists were seen as crown jewels of society (in Württemberg). But today, they are no longer considered socially acceptable. Source

Brethren, this could very well be the future of the Remnant Church in America. We MUST be ready for this. Some of us will probably be jailed. Others may be martyred.

But God is with us every minute of every day, so we should not fear!

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

How Can I Be Saved?

Shalom B’Yeshua

MARANATHA!!

grandmageri422@gmail.com

Articles at grandmageri422.me