Dear family & friends in Christ, 1) Please pray for God's favour (and watch if possible) as Pr Daniel will be on Channel 10 tonight Monday 28th Jan between 6.30pm…
Christian Post America – Jan 11, 2013
Pastor Louie Giglio’s withdrawal from President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony has left Christians lamenting over what they see as a new era of religious intolerance.
More specifically, anyone who holds the view that homosexuality is a sin is being forced out of the public square.
Russell Moore, a Southern Baptist theologian, put it this way: “When it is now impossible for one who holds to the catholic Christian view of marriage and the gospel to pray at a public event, we now have a de facto established state church.
“Just as the pre-constitutional Anglican and congregational churches required a license to preach in order to exclude Baptists, the new state church requires a ‘license’ of embracing sexual liberation in all its forms.”
Giglio, founder of the Passion conferences and Passion City Church in Roswell, Ga., had been invited to deliver the benediction during Obama’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 21. He accepted the invitation and told The Christian Post earlier this week that he was honored to lead the nation in prayer.
But the pastor began to face criticism when the liberal blog Think Progress pointed to an “anti-gay” sermon Giglio delivered almost 20 years ago. In that sermon, Giglio affirms homosexuality as a sin, says Christians must respond to the “aggressive” homosexual agenda, and stresses that all are sinners and in need of the healing power of Jesus.
CPN America- Jan 11, 2013
Their are 3 brands of “duct tape” that keep Christians quiet about Jesus. These types of tape seek to seal our mouths shut about the good news of Jesus. Some brands are big and bold. Others are small and sticky. But they all result in the same thing…silence.
As the President of Dare2Share Ministries I’ve been traveling the nation equipping teenagers to share the gospel for over twenty years. I’ve also had the privilege of equipping hundreds of thousands of adults to share their faith along the way. And, as I’ve energized others to share the good news, I’ve heard many reasons why Christians don’t share the gospel. The vast majority could be categorized into one of three very different brands of invisible duct tape:
The “Um, I’m not sure” Duct Tape
If you put a microphone in the face of the average Christian leaving church and asked, “What is the gospel?” you’d probably get a variety of answers that range from “um” to dumb. The bottom line is that, for the most part, church leaders are not doing enough gospel training. We may be committing “the sin of assumption” by assuming that the teens in our youth groups and adults in our churches already know the gospel because, well, they are Christians.
But just because you own a guitar doesn’t mean you can play it. First, you must learn the chords. Then you must practice. In the same way, just because we have put our faith in Jesus, doesn’t mean we automatically know how to share the gospel. We must master the chords and learn to play the beautiful music of the gospel ourselves.
Dear family & friends in Christ across Australia in this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit, 1) This is a final reminder that the 2013 National Australia Day Prayer…
Charisma News – 1/12/2013 – Reinhard Bonnke
“AFRICA SHALL BE SAVED.” I heard God’s message so clearly. In response my family moved from Lesotho to South Africa in 1974. But how was Africa going to be saved? Clueless, I sat with my head in my hands. As unknowns, we moved out into the unknown, with no prospects mapped out for us, hoping for further instruction from the Lord.
And sure enough, God spoke again. I was to rent the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, for a gospel crusade. The only group willing to work with us was a church of 40 members.
I walked through the little city, not knowing how to put the loose ends together, and made a provisional booking for the stadium by faith. It was the right move.
To my disappointment the campaign began with only 100 people in attendance but then God entered the field. Before I had prayed for the sick or said anything at all about healing, my sermon was interrupted by dramatic healings. It was as if Jesus just could not wait to do His wonders! He was “itching” to start.
As a missionary I knew what it was like to preach to no more than five people at a time, but now I had 10,000 of them, with many receiving salvation and many being healed. As the news spread, the stadium filled up and the miracles of salvation and healing multiplied.
Then came another impulse from heaven: “Pray for converts to be baptized in the Holy Spirit!”
By Paul de Vries , Special to CP – November 27, 2012
As the Bible teaches us, we should love all our “neighbors,” including all people, everywhere, with special attention in thought and action to show love to the “neighbor” in need. In the present Gaza conflict, we should love all the Palestinian people and all the people of Israel at the same time. Tragically, the hate-filled policies of Hamas, the group that rules Gaza, are very destructive both to the people of Gaza (by using its own women and children as shields) and to the people of Israel (by viciously targeting its civilian population centers). In spite of some of the general media’s efforts to gauze-over the Gaza realities, in this on-going mortal conflict there is no moral equivalence between the two side’s policies. Nevertheless, at time of the writing of this essay there is peace, and we are grateful.
Along with love and peace, patience and endurance are taught in the Bible, too – as well as “turning the other cheek” when attacked on “one cheek.” With remarkable public consistency, the present nation of Israel has for seven years endured an incessant storm of over 11,000 missiles and mortars raining on its people from the terrorist residents of Gaza. As a nation desiring to live at peace with all people, it has mostly restrained itself – and rarely responded with violence to years of deadly violence against it. Now as the vicious, violent attacks upon all the Israeli people have been dramatically increased – with a missile launched against Israel averaging every 6 minutes for seven days, starting November 14, 2012 – Israel has had to respond strongly.
As President Obama observes, absolutely no one can blame Israel for defending itself. The absurd verbal attacks against Israel by the media and by many American Muslim leaders defy credibility, defy basic humanity. All people should now stand strongly with Israel and for its right of self-defense – and to defend all its diverse citizens – including Muslim, Druze, Christian, Jewish and all others.
Dear friends and family in Christ, The Lord Monckton Tour presentations begin in South Australia on 2nd February at the Adelaide Convention Centre. That the presentations are titled: “Carbon tax,…
Media release - For immediate release On Australia Day January 26 from 10am – 1pm hundreds of patriotic Aussie’s from different churches, denominations, ethnicities, and states will gather in Melbourne,…
Colorado Springs, December 21 2012 (World Watch Monitor) — By Steve Rabey
Jesus warned his followers that they would experience persecution, a prediction that was already coming true before the books of the New Testament were completed. Today, Shortt argues, “the greatest curbs on religious freedoms take place in Muslim majority countries.”
Take Egypt, where Christianity grew deep roots in the centuries before Mohammed. Today, there are more than 10 million Christians among a population of more than 80 million. But Christians have faced increasing pressures in recent decades, and the overthrow of a dictator and a historic election that promoted the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi have complicated matters even more.
The book documents how attacks and bombings of churches have increased since the election; forced emigration is shrinking the Christian population; Coptic Christians (the largest group of Egyptian Christians) face systematic obstacles to promotion in the army, police and legal professions; Coptic women have been abducted and forced to convert to Islam; and Muslims who convert to Christianity may be shunned, harassed, physically harmed and even killed.
JewishWorldReview.com | At the height of the Nazi Holocaust, the wretched human cargo spilling out of cattle cars onto the platforms of Auschwitz was immediately subject to a brutal selection by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele, whose flick of a finger to the left meant immediate death in a gas chamber; to the right, slave labor and slow death from starvation or disease.
Fast forward to 2012 Nigeria, where a latter-day incarnation of selection has been used—this time not against Jews, but against Christians.
Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. Among its chief blessings are oil and a large array of religious, tribal and language groups. Yet conflict, violence and terrorism are part of reality there, too.
Teresa Neumann (Breaking Christian News – Nov 27, 2012)
“We want to dedicate this nation to You so that You will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfil what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: ‘Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. A people You have chosen as Your own’ . . . And I hereby covenant Uganda to You, to walk in Your ways and experience all Your blessings forever.” -President Yoweri Museveni
(Uganda)—A report in Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, New Vision, states that at the National Jubilee Prayers in Namboole, President Yoweri Museveni made history when he openly repented of his sins and the sins of Uganda.
The following is the text of Museveni’s repentance speech:
Father God in Heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda. We are proud that we are Ugandans and Africans. We thank you for all Your goodness to us.
I stand here today to close the evil past—especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history. [We are] at the threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for Your forgiveness.
Joel Richardson WND -December 5, 2012 in Updates
On November 29, 2012, 138 nations passed U.N. Resolution 67/19 on “The Question of Palestine”. The resolution expresses support for the right of “the Palestinian people… to their independent State of Palestine”.
In light of this deeply profound and historical event, and in light of the overwhelming emerging global bias against the Nation of Israel, it is essential that all students of the Bible stop to consider what the it says about the future of both the nation of Israel and “Palestine”.
When one surveys the many Biblical passages that speak of the return of the Messiah, it quickly becomes apparent that among the primary issues that Jesus returns to confront, is the persecution, marginalization and unjust treatment of Israel by the nations of the earth. Despite the fact that the anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist propaganda of the age are widely embraced even by large segments of the Christian Church, the Bible is clear that when Jesus returns, he will specifically execute judgment against the enemies of Israel.
According to the prophet Joel, just prior to the return of Jesus, a vast number of nations will invade Israel and surround the city of Jerusalem. Joel tells us that Jesus will execute judgment against all parties involved in this invasion as well as any who force the dividing of His land:
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
It is clear from this prophecy that a distinct Palestinian State will become reality. The prophet goes on to speak of the Lord executing vengeance against those from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories who have engaged in violence against the people of Israel:—Joel 3:2
By Michael Gryboski , Christian Post Reporter – December 26, 2012
A British think tank has released a lengthy report claiming that militant Islam is the greatest existential threat to Middle Eastern Christianity, bringing Christian communities in the region “close to extinction.”
The London-based Civitas, also known as the Institute for the Study of Civil Society, published the report in December. “Christianity is in serious danger of being wiped out in its biblical heartlands because of Islamic oppression,” reads a statement from the group issued Sunday.
“But Western politicians and media largely ignore the widespread persecution of Christians in the Middle East and the wider world because they are afraid they will be accused of racism.”
Titled “Christianophobia” and written by reporter and Religion Editor for The Times Literary Supplement Rupert Shortt, the report details the persecution of Christians in Burma, China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
By Jeff Schapiro , Christian Post Reporter – November 1, 2012
The persecution of Christians in the 10/40 Window has increased by 400 percent over the last 10 years, which is why Gospel for Asia (GFA) is calling on Christians to spend an entire day, not just a few minutes, fasting and praying for the persecuted church.
“Americans who have not experienced persecution do not fully understand what it means to have their lives threatened, homes destroyed, rights violated and loved ones imprisoned, all because of embracing faith in Jesus Christ,” said K. P. Yohannan, GFA founder and president, in a statement. “In the 14 countries we serve, persecution of this sort has become a normal way of life, especially for those directly involved in mission work.”
The 10/40 Window is a section of the world – between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator – that encompasses those nations that have been least reached with the Gospel message. These nations include China, India, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Sudan and Nigeria, just to name a few.
On Sunday, Nov. 4, churches across the U.S. took time to pray for persecuted believers around the world as a part of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), but GFA says a simple “nod” toward the problem isn’t enough.
The organization hopes churches will do more than say a brief prayer as a part of their morning worship services on Sunday. Instead, GFA wants them to intercede for their Christian brothers and sisters for the entire length of their services. The organization is also encouraging those who are physically able to fast for the persecuted church, and, if possible, take a day off from work to spend time in prayer.
Charisma News – 1/27/2012 – George Thomas/CBN News Sr. Reporter
They are called “untouchables,” or dalits–millions of Indian men, women, and children born into a caste system that views them as impure, less than human. Despite laws to protect them, these outcasts face daily discrimination. (CBN)
They are called “untouchables,” or dalits—millions of Indian men, women and children born into a caste system that views them as impure, less than human. Despite laws to protect them, these outcasts face daily discrimination.
They are also the single largest victims of human trafficking in the world. Now, one Southern California church is on a mission to help free the Dalits of India through education, a biblical message of hope and a movie about their plight.
A Dalit’s Destiny
Every single day, somewhere in India, a Dalit is humiliated, assaulted, raped, beaten and killed. Considered outcasts not even worthy to be in the caste system, the vast majority of them are poor, illiterate and survive on less than $2 a day.