A Brutal Ambush at Sea

Demonstrators holding flags protest against against an attack by Israeli forces on the international Gaza aid flotilla that has killed 20 people, including Turkish activists,in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, May 31, 2010. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)By Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynetnews

Ron Ben Yishai recounts the bloody clash aboard Gaza-bound vessel: The lacking crowd-dispersal means, the brutal violence of ‘peace activists,’ and the attempt to bring down an IDF helicopter.

Our Navy commandoes fell right into the hands of the Gaza mission members. A few minutes before the takeover attempt aboard the Marmara got underway, the operation commander was told that 20 people were waiting on the deck where a helicopter was to deploy the first team of the elite Flotilla 13 unit. The original plan was to disembark on the top deck, and from there rush to the vessel’s bridge and order the Marmara’s captain to stop.

Officials estimated that passengers will show slight resistance, and possibly minor violence; for that reason, the operation’s commander decided to bring the helicopter directly above the top deck. The first rope that soldiers used in order to descend down to the ship was wrested away by activists, most of them Turks, and tied to an antenna with the hopes of bringing the chopper down. However, Flotilla 13 fighters decided to carry on.

Navy commandoes slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back. (more…)

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The Perfect Storm – The True Story in Israel

Israeli FlagJerusalem Prayer Team – Mike Evans Ministries

On May 31, Israel walked straight into a trap—a trap set by a group of so-called activists determined to break Israeli attempts to halt the flow of arms and war materiel into the Gaza strip.

Having been warned in advance that the intent of the Free Gaza movement flotilla was to shatter the Israeli blockade, the IDF prepared to board the ships and divert them to Ashdod for inspection. A member of the Free Gaza organization credited with launching the flotilla, Greta Berlin, clarified the intent of the group: “We’re not trying to be a humanitarian mission.”

Apparently, Israel was ill-informed that the ship carried 700 pro-Palestinian activists prepared to do whatever necessary to reach their goal. American-born pro-Palestinian activist Hawaida Arraf threw down the gauntlet with the assertion: “We fully intend to go to Gaza regardless of any intimidation or threats of violence against us. They are going to have to forcefully stop us.”

According to Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon “the armada of hate and violence in support of the Hamas terror organization was a premeditated and outrageous provocation. The organizers are well-known for their ties to Global Jihad, Al-Qaeda and Hamas. They have a history of arms smuggling and deadly terror. On board the ship we found weapons that were prepared in advance and used against our forces…” (more…)

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Why are Liberals So Afraid of Prayer?

Bishop Harry JacksonBy Harry Jacskson Jr – The Christian Post  – Apr. 27 2010

The last two weeks have been anything but calm in the world of faith and religion. Conservative Christians are wondering whether they are being betrayed by both the White House and the court system. The ruling of a Wisconsin judge that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional and violates the concept of the separation of church and state has been like a blow to the solar plexus for battle weary Christians. In the much-touted culture wars, there has never been such an open case of liberals throwing down the gauntlet in a specific area that has been deemed “Christian territory.”Perhaps the blame for this change in the political atmosphere should be laid at the feet of the current administration and it’s concept of pluralism. After all, the president boldly declared last year that the U.S. was no longer a Christian nation. This remark infuriated the faithful and set the stage for millions of rank and file Christians to question his personal faith. Next, he did not attend the National Day of Prayer and refused to make a declaration or statement until late in the day last year. Conservative Christian powerbrokers watched tentatively as the administration attempted to bring new leaders into the president’s advisory circle. These new leaders had no real national cache’ with the Christian masses. Despite the fact that the president attended a Congressional prayer breakfast earlier this year, his approach seems to have been aimed at “defanging” the politically powerful, religious right.

(more…)

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Hundreds Commissioned for the End-Time Harvest at CTFM with Brother Yun from China

Brother YunDear friends and family in Christ,

1) Wow, what an amazing weekend in the Spirit of the Lord we experienced at Catch the Fire Ministries with the visit of Brother Yun from the Chinese Underground Church! 

The building was absolutely packed on the Friday night with so many people coming from many churches, denominations, and different places that we had to close the doors to the building as there just wasn’t enough room to accommodate everyone! Approximately 800 people attended over the two meetings on the Friday night and Saturday morning. 

A wonderfully culturally diverse team of six people travelled with Br Yun from China, Finland and America.  Firstly, a well known sister from America previously known as Evie ministered in song in her beautiful soprano voice telling of the goodness and love of Jesus, our Mighty King! Then a brother who interpreted for Br Yun spoke of the Back to Jerusalem Ministry, colouring his talk with many heart-warming and emotional testimonies of salvations and changed lives of humble God needy people.

Then the grand finale was when Brother Yun came up to speak!  Such a humble but God centred man!  He spoke of his persecuted life and leaving all for Jesus.  He stated that there were many nameless people in the Bible describing the 70 who were sent out to preach the gospel, cast out demons, and heal the sick.  He explained that it doesn’t matter who you are, you can be used by God.

Then it was time for the prayer ministry to begin!  A Holy Ghost pandemonium ensued as unnecessary chairs were moved  away and crowds surged forward for deep soaking and commissioning prayers.  Brother Yun’s call was for those willing to suffer anything, even death for Jesus as he explained in the past during much persecution he had said to the Lord “I’m ready to die for You”.  (more…)

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Drama at Sea – War on Israel

Standing With IsraelSituation at sea as reported in Jerusalem Post, HaAretz, and Ynet – 1st June 2010

Hysterical reports and misinformation have beclouded the unfolding confrontation between the Gaza Flotilla and the Israeli Navy. NTV, the Turkish Television, reports up to 15 people killed, others reported 14. Perhaps the IDF’s (Israel Defense Forces) own reporting is the most accurate; it reported 10 dead and 10 commandos wounded, 2 seriously.

The Israeli military said ten activists were killed after its troops came under fire while intercepting the convoy.

“Navy fighters took control of six ships that tried to violate the naval blockade (of the Gaza Strip) …During the takeover, the soldiers encountered serious physical violence by the protesters, who attacked them with live fire,” a military statement said.

Activists attacked a commando with iron bars as he descended onto the ship from a helicopter, the army said. The IDF said its rules of engagement allowed troops to open fire in what it called a “life-threatening situation.” (more…)

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The Orwellian logic that’s turning the faith Britain was built on into a crime

Dale McAlpine was hauled to court after telling a gay police community support officer he thought homosexuality was a sinBy Melanie Phillips – 3rd May 2010

Terrifying as this may seem, the attempt to stamp out Christianity in Britain appears to be gathering pace.

Dale Mcalpine was preaching to shoppers in Workington, Cumbria, that homosexuality is a sin when he found himself carted off by the police, locked up in a cell for seven hours and charged with using abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

It appears that two police community support officers – at least one of whom was gay – claimed he had caused distress to themselves and members of the public.

Under our anti-discrimination laws, such distress is not to be permitted.

Dale McAlpine was hauled to court after telling a gay police community support officer he thought homosexuality was a sin.

And so we have the oppressive and sinister situation where a gentle, unaggressive Christian is arrested and charged simply for preaching Christian principles.

It would appear that Christianity, the normative faith of this country on which its morality, values and civilisation are based, is effectively being turned into a crime. (more…)

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Cootamundra, NSW Catches the Fire on Pentecost Weekend – Healings & Salvation

Pastor\'s Daniel\'s daughter Shannen leading worship

People in Cootamundra, NSW surrender to the Lord at the altar

Dear family & friends in Christ,

Once again we thank and praise our Heavenly Father for a glorious weekend in Cootamundra NSW as people from 7 different churches hungry for more of Jesus received a mighty touch from the Spirit of God during this past Pentecost weekend!

We praise and thank the Lord for the local Four Square Gospel Church and the Baptist church for organizing these combined church revival meetings.

Pr Daniel led a team of ten others from CTFM, mostly youth on this trip. The Spirit of God used these young men and woman to minister in leading worship at all the services and then to pray for and prophesy over people. Everyone was so blessed to see the young men and woman of God serve the Lord with so much passion and commitment!

Pr Daniel stated,  I was so full of joy to see the next generation at Catch The Fire take on the baton and led people into the presence of God. They did such a fantastic job. I was so blessed to see the way they ministered under the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. We desperately need the next generation to rise up and operating under the Anointing.” (more…)

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Franklin Graham: Christians Will Lose the Power to Pray Outside Church Walls ‘Maybe in My Lifetime’

C:\\Documents and Settings\\JASONG\\Desktop\\Franklin Graham.jpgWednesday, May 05, 2010 By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor, CNS News
Two top evangelical leaders sounded a defiant tone on the eve of National Day of Prayer — warning that the American right to freedom of religion “is being eroded every day” and may be lost in an onslaught of secularism unless Americans “have the guts to stand up.”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, who last month was officially “dis-invited” by the Army to speak at a National Day of Prayer ceremony at the Pentagon for statements he made about Islam, said he will not back down in preaching the Gospel as he sees it.

“We’re living in a time where we cannot compromise, we cannot back up, we cannot retreat,” Graham said Wednesday during a live Webcast from the Washington, D.C. offices of the Family Research Council.

“The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be preached to the ends of the Earth – that’s what He’s called us to do,” he said.

Graham, the honorary chairman of this year’s National Day of Prayer, made his comments in a sermon to an audience of leaders making final preparations for Thursday’s National Day of Prayer. (more…)

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When the Thought Police Come Knocking on Your Door

Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatchCultureWatch  – Bill Muehlenberg’s commentary on issues of the day…

Let me tell you in advance something you will need to know. If in the near future you notice that no new articles are being added to this website, and no new comments are being posted, there will be one very good reason for this: I will be in jail, or fighting a lengthy court battle, because of Victoria’s new EOC law which was just passed.

Now I realise that for my many enemies this will be tremendous news indeed. But for those at least concerned about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience, this should be a very worrying development.

And to be honest, I am perfectly aware that there will be some Christians as well who will see the closure of this website as a good thing: “Yes, Bill was just too radical, and too much of a trouble maker. It is probably a good thing he has been put away. He was giving Christianity a bad reputation”.

Of course I will not find such attitudes surprising. Jesus had warned about these very things. He told his disciples to be ready for the coming persecution: “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you” (John 16:1-4). (more…)

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Freed Female Converts to Face Iranian Judge Again

Islamic womenBy Ethan Cole|Christian Post Reporter Fri,  Apr. 09 2010

The two Iranian female converts to Christianity, who were released in November, will again appear before a judge next Tuesday, an Iran-focused Christian ministry reported.

Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were summoned for a court hearing on April 13.

According to Elam Ministries, which has been following their case from the beginning, the women are still in frail physical condition from their time in prison. The two had spent 259 days in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison where they were reportedly subjected to psychological abuse and their medical requests were ignored.

Since their conditional release on Nov. 18, the women have been recuperating and receiving medical treatments. Elam reported on Thursday that they “remain unwell, weak and suffering from various illnesses.”

Despite their sufferings, Rostampour and Amirizadeh are “determined to be faithful to the Lord and speak the truth in court whatever the consequence of personal cost,” the ministry said. (more…)

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Ex-Muslim Defends Franklin Graham’s Islam Remarks

By Michelle A. Vu, Christian Post Reporter, Thursday April 29th

Graham and others like him who criticize Islam are not saying they hate Muslims, said Sabatina James, a well-known Paskistani convert to Christianity who lives in Europe, in an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday.

The granddaughter of a mullah weighed in on the Franklin Graham controversy this week, contending that there is a difference between critisizing Islam and Muslims

 “Make the difference between sin and sinner,” said James, “between Islam and Muslims. Don’t say that every Muslim is a terrorist and every Muslim is bad because that is just not true. But there are definitely things that need to be changed in Islam or else you can’t live in a democracy.”

James, who is living under police protection and constantly on the move because of death threats against her, said Islamic rights do not fit in a country like the United States.

“Nobody is allowed to beat up his wife just because she’s not obedient but that is written in the Quran,” she said. “You know you have to think about it.”

“Is there a different Quran? No they are teaching the same Quran where it is written ‘beat your wife if she is not obedient.’ They are teaching the same Quran where it is written ‘the Christians and Jewish people are evil.’ It is written in the Surah Al-Maidah. It is written there ‘don’t take Jewish and Christian people as your friend.’ That is what you are taught in the Quran schools.” (more…)

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Tolerating Ahmadinejad’s Jew-Hate

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadby Anav Silverman on Apr 14th, 2010

Four years ago, the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust’ was held in Tehran on December 11, 2006. Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated at the time that the aim of the conference was to “neither to deny nor prove the Holocaust but to provide an appropriate scientific atmosphere for scholars to offer their opinions in freedom about a historical issue.”

Those who contributed to the scientific atmosphere at the conference, included David Duke, a Ku Klux Klan leader and former US state representative, Robert Faurisson, a convicted Holocaust denier from France and a number of other academic professors and educators all engaged in Holocaust Denial research and rhetoric. One such professor, Dr. Fredrick Toben, an Australian citizen, runs an Internet site vilifying Jews while promoting that Nazis did not commit the mass murder of the Jewish people. Several right-extremist politicians from Germany’s neo-Nazi NPD party were invited as well, although the German government barred them from attending.

However, the central purpose of the conference went beyond providing a friendly environment for international Holocaust deniers to share their twisted sentiments. The Iranian Foreign Minister elaborated that “If the official version of the Holocaust is thrown into doubt, then the identity and nature of Israel will be thrown into doubt. And if, during this review, it is proved that the Holocaust was a historical reality, then what is the reason for the Palestinians having to pay the cost of the Nazis’ crimes?” (more…)

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Spiritual War report and thank you to Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatchDear family & friends in Christ,

Pastor Daniel and a team from Catch The Fire attended the below mentioned debate in order to prayerfully support Bill Muehlenberg in his stand for the Lord’s righteousness. We want to thank the Lord for people like Bill who stand up for the truth of the Word of God. He did a fantastic job in standing up for marriage between a man and a woman as God has ordained it to be in His Word.

At the end of the debate Pastor Daniel with a few others approached Rodney Croome and asked him, “Is Federal Labor or Liberal more sympathetic to the homosexual cause?” He first refused to make a clear statement, but then acknowledged that under Labor they were able to get 80 + pieces of legislation passed in Parliament to support homosexuality, which they could not do under the Howard Liberal era.

Following is one of Bill Muehlenberg’s recent emails with some very important information for your continued prayer and moral support in fighting the good fight of faith in our nation of Australia. (more…)

Continue ReadingSpiritual War report and thank you to Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatch

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU’S SPEECH ON HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NethanyahuPress Release from the office of the Prime Minister of Israel

Tonight, the eve of Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day,  we remember our brothers and sisters who were murdered in the death camps,  in the forests and in the killing fields. We listen to the voices of the survivors who serve as the voice of the millions who died. Before their deaths, many of the murdered begged, “Do not forget us. Tell our story—tell the world, tell the coming generations – how great our suffering was, how terrible the horror was, how great our sacrifice was.”

Several months ago, I headed the Israeli delegation to the ceremony marking 65 years since the liberation of the death camps Auschwitz and Birkenau. The candle-lighting ceremony took place outside in front of the monument. It was 15 degrees Celsius below zero, but it was still warmer than the terrible winter of 1944-1945 when temperatures ranged from 30 to 35 degrees below zero. We stood for about 30 minutes during the ceremony, well-dressed for the weather, nevertheless, we were freezing. Suddenly I understood a simple, chilling truth about millions of my brothers and sisters who ended up in that cursed place: those who didn’t burn, froze; and those who didn’t freeze, burned.
 
Several months earlier, I visited the Wannsee Villa in Berlin. There, I saw the original invitation for the meeting of high-level Nazi officials, in which they decided to wipe out the Jewish people. On the invitation that was sent by the Deputy Head of the SS was written: “The chief of the Reich main security office, Reinhard Heydrich, cordially invites you to a discussion about the Final Solution to the Jewish problem. Breakfast will be served at 09:00.” This is how, in an elegant villa on the shore of a pastoral lake, over breakfast and glasses of cognac, 15 men sat and decided how to destroy our people. No one batted an eyelid; no one expressed any doubt regarding the mission, either its necessity or its justness. (more…)

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ISRAEL CELEBRATES ITS INDEPENDENCE

Israeli FlagThe Jerusalem Post

Israelis celebrated 62 years since the founding of the Jewish state with fireworks and street parties after sundown on Monday 20th April. The festivities continued until sundown on Tuesday, with thousands flocking to parks and nature reserves for traditional barbecues and family gatherings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the day as a “double miracle in the life of the Jewish people”. “The first miracle is the restoration of Jewish sovereignty,” Netanyahu said in an Independence Day message.

“The second miracle is what we’ve done since the establishment of the Jewish state. Israel is fast becoming a regional economic power and one of the world’s leading technological powers,” he said. Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, which according to the Jewish calendar corresponds this year to April 20. Celebrations began after a state ceremony that marks the annual transition from a day of mourning for Israel’s fallen to Independence Day celebrations.

Earlier in the day, traffic ground to a halt across Israel as drivers joined pedestrians in two minutes of silence while sirens wailed in commemoration of fallen soldiers and attack victims. The memorial day started at sunset on Sunday and continues for 24 hours. For the duration, radio stations play sombre music and television channels replaced regular entertainment programs with documentaries on Israel’s wars. The two minutes of silence was announced by air raid sirens at 11am (1800 AEST) and official ceremonies were scheduled at dozens of military cemeteries and memorials. (more…)

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