The Bible is pretty straightforward about the most important command Christians have in regard to one another. It sounds so simple: Love one another.When you want to really accomplish something for the kingdom, a very small discipleship group is an effective tool.And yet it doesn’t seem so simple, perhaps. Where can we go for practical instruction on how to do this right?I think a good place to start might just be the very first church.It perhaps is a bit presumptuous to assume that we are in the “later” days of the church age — the church age being defined as the period between Christ’s ascension and His return. But aren’t there an awful lot of signals that we’re getting closer?So for my purposes here, I’m going to call us — Christians on the earth today — the “late church,” as opposed to the early church, the first believers described in the book of Acts.How are we doing compared to our brethren of 2,000 years ago? It’s a topic worth considering, since their example shines brightly for us.They lived in an upside-down culture characterized by sin, idolatry, despair, pride, hatred, division, and societal expectations completely at odds with Jesus’ teaching. Sound familiar?But they had it far worse than most of us in the Western world today. Thus far our culture hasn’t quite devolved into killing humans for entertainment on a regular basis.Meet your oldest brothers and sistersThe very first report we have resulted from the day of Pentecost, when 3,000 souls joined God’s family in Jerusalem:And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. —Acts 2:42“They were continually” indicates this became a pattern, so let’s break down how they were devoting themselves.1. They were gathering together to hear teachingAt that point, there was no New Testament, so the apostles — men who had had personal contact with Jesus Christ — were directly sharing Christ’s teaching with His new children.The apostles were also explaining how Christ fulfilled the scriptures they did have (the Old Testament), and helping the new believers understand how to imitate Him and be part of His family. Eventually these early believers became the first to hear the New Testament writings, as many were letters to their various congregations.We no longer have apostles, but we do have the books the Holy Spirit inspired them to write that became the New Testament. Hearing all the scriptural teaching is of primary importance. Then, as now, God's word should be the focal point of any good church.2. They were fellowshipping, gathering together physicallyOf course these days you can hear the word preached while sitting on your sofa — but they were gathering together physically. Plenty of scripture backs that up as a commandment we are to follow (Hebrews 10:24-25, Colossians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 14:26, to name a few).How are we doing on that, Late Church? Are we still sitting on the sofa six years after COVID? Fellowshipping — of course — is meant to be done in person.Food for thought: Should churches stop sharing their worship services online? What are the pros and cons of continuing to make it easy for people to “do church” from home? I’m not sure of the answers, but I think the question is worth contemplating.3. They were eating togetherA couple of verses after describing Pentecost, Acts expands its description of the new believers’ day-to-day existence:And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart. —Acts 2:46So they weren’t just taking Communion (which is likely what verse 42 referred to), but after meeting together in the temple, they were breaking into smaller groups and going from house to house, sharing meals (gladly!).4. They were praying togetherPraying together, the last thing on this list, could well have meant larger corporate prayer — but likely also meant smaller groups praying together. This is the only way, logistically, that thousands of people can pray together meaningfully for each other. They have to break into small groups.How are we doing on smaller, accountable groups of fellow believers, Late Church?Unless your church is very tiny, you need a smaller group of believers to live out these excellent examples of eating and praying together in each other’s homes, as well as digging deeper into scripture, meeting each others’ needs, and providing and obtaining accountability.But just because something is called a small group doesn’t mean it is. Some churches just throw everyone into a few Sunday-school classrooms each week and call it good. Others offer groups that are far too large for the kind of one-on-one accountability and care that a true small group provides.RELATED: Reclaiming Pentecost: Fire, spirit, and the forgotten power of God sedmak/iStock/Getty ImagesA dozen does itJesus demonstrated that a very effective size for a small group is a dozen. That’s about the right size for fellowship where we get to know and trust one another well enough to pray for each other, know each other’s needs, and literally show love for one another. And with that number, you might even be able to meet — and eat — in each other’s homes.My friend Pastor Sam Evans says the smaller the group, the greater the growth — and some churches understand this and encourage very small discipleship groups of two or three individuals (same-sex, usually, so that they can be intimately acquainted). This too is a pattern Jesus demonstrated with His “discipleship” group of just three disciples — the three He met with even more often: Peter, James, and John. When you want to really accomplish something for the kingdom, a very small discipleship group is an effective tool.Our early brothers and sisters were easy to spotAuthor Kristi McLelland notes that the early Christians were easy to spot because they refused to participate in that upside-down culture of their time.First, they refused to worship the emperor or other gods — which meant they were branded as heretics because Roman emperors were to be worshipped as gods. Instead, they stood as committed followers of Jesus Christ.How are we doing on worshipping what the world worships, Late Church?Sports, politics, celebrities — any of that too high on our priority list? Too much of our budget?Second, they revered life, in a culture that routinely abandoned newborn babies to die (often girls). Instead, they rescued and raised those children.How are we doing on issues related to life, Late Church?Do we understand why it is always wrong to kill an unborn child, or do we waffle on that to be seen as more “center”?Do we support pro-life centers and causes?Do we reach out to help vulnerable young mothers, foster kids, kids who need a permanent home?Are our churches filled with families who have adopted at-risk kids?Do we speak out against societal trends, like gay marriage, that put adult desires ahead of children’s needs?Do we speak out against the destruction of innocent life in any form?Are we willing to risk being jailed, as we have seen happen to some pro-life activists?Third, they ignored the ironclad stratifications of Roman society. Christians who were nobility fellowshipped and ate with Christians who were slaves.How are we doing on true inclusiveness, Late Church?Do we ignore the boundaries that some mistakenly promote and reach out to individuals at their point of need?Fourth, they gave generously, although many suffered significant financial loss as a result of becoming a Jesus-follower. They sold their belongings and shared so that “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34).How are we doing on generosity, Late Church?Do we buy in to the culture’s message that we deserve that new car, fancy vacation, or remodel of a home that’s practically new, or do we want to seek to help our fellow believers?Do we see the world’s needs through God’s eyes, remembering that everything we have comes from Him, and give accordingly?Finally, they not only lost livelihoods, they often lost their lives.Late Church, are we willing to lose our wealth — our freedom — our lives for the cross?They were, and they did. Not one of them was perfect, just like we are not perfect. But shouldn’t we all work harder at engaging with the “late world” the way they engaged with the “early world” — while we still have the time?BONUS RESOURCEIf your heart was stirred by the description of the early church here, you might want to consider a new church undertaking, if there’s one of these near you. Church Project is a church, and a project, aimed at building local church communities that mirror the early church, along the lines of the descriptions above.A version of this essay previously appeared at She Speaks Truth.

It used to feel good to be a Democrat in California.Emphasis on used to — and President Trump’s recent State of the Union address illuminated exactly why I left the party.California is not failing because it cares too much. It is failing because it confuses caring with governing.In Silicon Valley, voting blue often feels like the default setting.In many professional circles, especially in technology and venture communities, political alignment is assumed. Fundraisers double as social gatherings.It feels compassionate, enlightened, on the right side of history.But that night, the president challenged any member of Congress to stand who believes that the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. Shockingly, Democrats remained seated, providing a stunning visual of the current values of the Democratic Party.What changed my mind was not the rhetoric. It was the outcomes. California is the glaring example of the failure of liberal policies.Three areas illustrate the pattern.Elections: Confidence is a safeguardCalifornia does not require photo identification to vote in person. A voter provides a name and address and signs the roster. More than 30 states require some form of voter ID, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Countries such as Canada, France, and Germany require identification to vote. A 2023 Gallup poll found roughly three-quarters of Americans support requiring photo identification at the polls, including majorities across party lines.Even if large-scale fraud is difficult to quantify, administrative failures and inconsistent verification practices fuel public doubt. Visible safeguards deter misconduct and preserve confidence in the system.When California Democrats treat voter ID as ideological heresy, they weaken the legitimacy of the system they claim to defend.Family: When the state becomes the decision-makerUnder California law, minors ages 12 and older may consent to certain mental health services without parental notification if deemed mature enough by a provider. State law also allows minors to access reproductive health services confidentially. Recent legislation has expanded confidentiality protections in sensitive areas.The justification is protection, but the effect is state supremacy in decisions that belong to parents.The Supreme Court has long recognized parental rights as fundamental. Family authority is the first layer of civil society.When the state positions itself as the confidential decision-maker in significant medical and psychological matters involving minors, it undermines that sovereignty.It is not compassionate to expand state authority at the expense of parental sovereignty. It is government overreach into the most intimate sphere of civil society. As the co-founders of Moms for Liberty have put it, “We do not co-parent with the government.”Compassion cannot justify dissolving the family as the primary unit of accountability.Fiscal reality: Math still appliesCalifornia’s budget rests on a narrow and volatile base. The Legislative Analyst’s Office has documented that the top 1% of earners account for close to half of the state’s personal income tax revenue. That revenue is heavily tied to capital gains and is therefore inherently unstable.Instead of broadening and stabilizing that base, state leadership has repeatedly targeted it. Wealth-based tax proposals focus on the very taxpayers who fund a disproportionate share of state commitments. Capital is mobile. IRS data shows sustained net out-migration of high-income households from California to states such as Texas and Florida over the past decade.Then comes execution.California’s high-speed rail project, approved in 2008 at an estimated $33 billion, is now projected to exceed $100 billion and remains incomplete. Florida, by contrast, expanded Brightline passenger rail through a public-private partnership model that attracted private capital and delivered major segments on time.Between 2019 and 2023, California spent roughly $24 billion on homelessness programs. During that same period, homelessness rose statewide. In 2024, the California state auditor found the state failed to consistently track whether billions in spending produced measurable results.The pattern is simple.Spend expansively. Measure loosely. Promise morally. Deliver inconsistently.The issue is not the stated goals, but the absence of discipline.In each case, the rhetoric was noble, and the result was dysfunction.RELATED: Gavin Newsom’s California is looting Medicaid in broad daylight Photo by Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty ImagesThis is the governing model Kamala Harris rose within and that Gavin Newsom refined over time. Not because they lack intelligence, but because the system they represent rewards virtue-signaling over measurable performance. It resists basic electoral safeguards despite broad public support. It expands state authority into the family. It builds budgets on volatile revenue while accelerating out-migration. It spends billions without demanding outcome verification.If that framework scales nationally, the consequences will be dire.I did not leave the Democratic Party because I stopped caring about vulnerable people. I left because I care about institutional durability. Compassion matters. But governing requires discipline. California is not failing because it cares too much. It is failing because it confuses caring with governing. Compassion without competence becomes institutional rot.If you are a Democrat in California who feels uneasy but cannot quite articulate why, I understand. I defended the language long after I stopped believing in the results. At some point, loyalty to outcomes must matter more than loyalty to a label. It did for me.Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

Apple has had a hard time lately with critical exploits plaguing iPhones all around the world. In mid-February, Google’s Threat Analysis Group discovered a critical zero-day vulnerability in Apple’s iOS software that gave hackers full control of a “small subset” of targeted iPhones. This month, reports revealed that an entire exploit tool kit has been successfully used by hackers in Russia and China. The worst part is that mounting evidence suggests the kit came from the United States, possibly even from our very own government.Chock-full of vulnerabilitiesAccording to Google’s full report, the exploit tool kit — dubbed Coruna — consists of five exploit chains and 23 exploits in total, all targeted at iPhones running iOS 13 to iOS 17.2.1. Mobile security experts at iVerify corroborated the report, claiming that 42,000 iPhones were affected.Are there more zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS that we don’t know about? Almost certainly yes.An exploit chain is the path a hacker can use to bypass a device’s security controls via exploits to gain access. In other words, if your phone’s software was a map, an exploit chain is the route a driver could take through different toll areas to reach the final destination. Even one exploit chain — or route — is enough to break into a device, but the fact that five routes exist within Coruna makes it a sophisticated hacking resource unlike anything security researchers have seen on iOS.Google notes that Coruna has already been exploited by a “customer of a surveillance company,” as well as foreign nations, namely China and Russia. More alarming than that, however, “multiple threat actors” have also gained access to exploit techniques that can be customized to leverage new and unknown vulnerabilities for future attacks. Image credit: GoogleWhere did Coruna come from?Now that Coruna is out in the open, it only makes sense to wonder where it came from. Its sophisticated nature makes it highly unlikely that an independent hacker threw it together. Instead, several pieces of evidence point toward government intervention.For starters, the tool kit’s source materials are all written in native English, suggesting English origins. Second, two of the exploits in the chain are linked directly to Operation Triangulation, a hardware vulnerability discovered in Apple’s first-party processing chips by Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky. Russian government officials blamed the NSA for this exploit back in 2023, but the U.S. government denied any connection. Third, iVerify’s co-founder and COO, Rocky Cole, reportedly called Coruna’s code “superb,” going on to state, “It was elegantly written. It’s fluid and holds together very well. There were comments in the code that, as someone who’s been around the U.S. defense industrial base for years, really are reminiscent of the sort of insider jokes and insider remarks that you might see from a U.S. based coder. Certainly they were native English language speakers.”For what it’s worth, Kaspersky recently denied that Coruna is linked to the NSA, despite the evidence outlined above. Regardless of the tool kit’s origin, researchers are unsure how it made it into the hands of foreign entities.RELATED: Apple issues a critical software update for iPhone. Install it now! Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty ImagesBigger signs of Apple’s compromised securityApple’s iOS mobile platform is notoriously hard for hackers to crack, thanks to its closed nature, often frustrating U.S. criminal investigation agencies with its strong end-to-end encryption practices. The Coruna tool kit, however, changes everything. It’s the biggest collection of exploits to hit iOS since its inception in 2007. It’s also part of a growing trend that undermines Apple’s once-impenetrable software security and privacy protocols.Just last month, Apple released iOS 26.3 to patch a critical zero-day vulnerability dubbed CVE-2026-20700. Although this remains to be a major threat to iPhone users, this exploit is not part of the Coruna tool kit. These are completely independent issues. Are there more zero-day vulnerabilities in iOS that we don’t know about? Almost certainly yes.Tips to secure your deviceThat doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. As software vulnerabilities become more prevalent, the best way to keep your devices safe and secure is to make sure you always have the latest iOS updates downloaded and installed on your phone, tablet, and laptop.The exploits in the Coruna tool kit that plagued iOS 13 through 17.2.1, as well as CVE-2026-20700 for iOS 26, have all been patched. If you haven’t updated your iPhone to the newest software, or if you’re not sure which version you have, check for updates by opening the Settings app. Then go to General, Software Update, and make sure you’re on one of these versions, depending on your phone’s model:iOS 26.3.1 (iPhone 11 and up);iOS 18.7.5 (Phone XS, XS Max, and XR);iOS 16.7.14 (iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X);iOS 15.8.6 (iPhone 6s and 7); oriOS 12.5.8 (iPhone 5s, 6, 6 Plus).If you want even more protection from exploits and vulnerabilities, you can secure your private data with Apple’s Advanced Data Protection built directly into iCloud. Then for maximum protection, Apple offers Lockdown Mode, though this feature isn’t meant for everybody. Since it will ultimately restrict many of the features and functions of your device, it’s only meant for high-profile cyber-criminal targets like politicians, celebrities, and investigative journalists.

Events surrounding Iran’s women’s national soccer team continue to attract global attention. It started when the players refused to sing the national anthem before their opening match against South Korea at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia — a silent protest that sparked backlash from Iranian officials, who labeled them "wartime traitors," leading to fears for the women’s safety upon their return.After the team was eliminated from the tournament, tensions escalated dramatically. Several players escaped team monitoring and sought asylum. Australia granted humanitarian visas to several of the players, allowing them to remain permanently.But Glenn Beck says there’s a part two to this tragic story the mainstream media is neglecting: the aftermath in Iran. While some stayed in Australia, several of the players bravely chose to return home.“Those girls now live under a cloud they didn’t create,” Glenn says, “and the authorities are going to ask them questions. Security services are going to conduct interviews that might last hours or days. None of them sang the national anthem, so they’re all traitors to the regime.”And then there’s the families of the players to consider.“Sources say now that in Iran, families find themselves under quiet surveillance. Reports now speculate that some family members may have already been arrested, detained, or questioned,” Glenn says.“Authoritarian systems protect themselves through pressure, and that pressure spreads outward from any act of defiance. One athlete leaves — the regime has to remind everyone else there’s a cost,” he adds.That pressure to maintain control is higher than ever right now as the foundations of the regime begin to falter.“Women are refusing the hijab. Students are marching through the universities. Workers are striking in oil fields and factories, and now athletes, people chosen to represent the nation itself, decide freedom is worth more than the career they were given,” Glenn says.All it takes is “a few people [stepping] outside the lines” for the masses to realize that “the walls surrounding them might not be so permanent after all,” he says.“Young girls all across the country will hear about it for decades. They’ll understand exactly what those players risked and exactly why they did it, and somewhere — maybe among the next generation of women — they’ll decide that life under the Islamic Republic is no longer the only future available. And that is how real change begins,” he adds.To hear more, watch the video above.Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.