Dear family & friends in Christ across this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit, As many people have been inquiring, we're very excited to announce that the next National…
December 30, 2014 – International Christian Concern
The term “Dalit” is a term used in India to describe people from Hinduism’s lowest caste. Forced into poverty for generations from the India’s Caste system, the people from this caste used to be called “Untouchables,” but for the most part, that term died out with the British Empire. Today, an estimated 25 million Dalits across India have converted to Christianity, but are forced to choose between openly out their faith and a government benefit program that gives benefits only to Dalits coming from select religious backgrounds.
This choice has significantly affected the constitutional right India’s citizens have to freely choose a religion for themselves. It also has left millions of Dalits to have to decide between choosing to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior and receiving government benefits that have the ability to take their families out of poverty. All added up, this discrimination has affected the official appearance of India’s religious landscape.
Dear friends & family in Christ,
On this Australia Day Monday 26th January 2015 from 10am – 1pm, hundreds of patriotic Aussies from many different ethnicities, Christian denominations and churches will unite as one to pray for peace in Australia at the premises of Catch The Fire Ministries at 30 Star Crescent in Hallam, Victoria.
This intercultural interdenominational prayer vigil will focus on beseeching Almighty God’s Grace, Peace and Protection over this Great South Land of Australia.
Special guest speaker is Reverend Donnie Swaggart, son of the well-known Reverend Jimmy Swaggart from USA.
Special dance presentation from 25 Indonesian Australians from Sydney and many other special cultural items.
There will be bible reading from Psalms 23 & 91 and the Lord’s Prayer.
This National Prayer Day for Australia is a major opportunity for reconciliation and unity as different ethnicities, churches, and denominations, including Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Protestants, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Evangelicals, Salvation Army and others, come together to corporately pray for our nation’s Government, Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and protection over our country from bush fires & Islamic terrorism.
Ps Daniel stated “As government leaders look for answers as to how to deal with the increasing threat of fundamental Islamism, we as the church need to play a major role in praying and standing shoulder to shoulder with our fellow countrymen to protect our nation. The church must not stay silent, as the silence of the church in history was partly the reason for the success of Nazism, Communism and now Islamism. I call on the church will rise up, pray and act as a united voice to stop the violence and to promote peace.”
Monday, December 22, 2014 – by Pat McCarthy – ASSIST News Service
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (ANS) — Although Israeli-Palestinian relations are probably best known for conflict, a group of parents from both sides has spent 20 years working for reconciliation, inspired and united by the common experience of bereavement.
More than 600 families belong to the Parents’ Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) – brought together by the pain they share through losing a close family member in the ongoing conflict.
The grassroots group was initiated in 1995 by Yitzhak Frankental, a Jew, whose firstborn son Arik was abducted and murdered by Hamas militants while he was serving in the Israeli army.
“After Arik was murdered, I understood that I had failed as a father,” he recalled in a newspaper interview. “I had brought a son into the world but he did not live — not because he was sick, but because there was no peace. Because I didn’t do anything to promote peace.”
Mr. Frankental said eyebrows were raised over his conciliatory activity in his religious congregation in Jerusalem, but he never wavered in his religious faith. “My approach to religion,” he said, “is that I worship God, not the other way around. Everything that God does is for the good, even if I do not fully grasp it.”
November 26, 2014 – Israel Today – David Lazarus
A new generation of Arab and Jewish followers of Jesus met together last week to strategize on how to “turn Israel upside down.”
Two hundred and sixty Messianic Jewish and Arab pastors, youth leaders, evangelists, Bible-school teachers and ministry leaders gathered for a three-day council to discuss, study, pray and work together to effectively bring the word of God in power to Arabs and Jews throughout the whole Land of Israel.
These seasoned men and women of faith embody decades of labor proclaiming the Gospel to local Arabs and Jews. Most have given up everything to preach Messiah to their unbelieving Muslim and Jewish families and friends. Despised because of their faith, they have lost jobs, suffered rejection and endured multiple other hardships, yet their passion to bring the Good News to their people remains unquenched.
“We will keep preaching and teaching the Word of God until it changes the people of Israel,” declared one leading pastor. “We must be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel and keep going no matter what happens. God will accomplish His will through the power of His word.”
January 02, 2015 – Baptist Press – Rolan Way
A group of Southern Baptist pastors squeezed their way into a small area with crowds of Hindu faithful to watch the ritual slaughter of goats at the Kali temple in Kolkata, India. Those with cameras were swatted with batons by temple security guards adamant the group not capture images of the beheadings.
That scene, combined with earlier scenes of idol worship and ritualistic cleansing in other South Asian cities, was a clear reminder of why these pastors — which included Fred Luter, who was Southern Baptist Convention president at the time — had journeyed there. The Old Testament was played out right in front of them, real and tangible, even brutal. But they had come to tell South Asians that the fulfillment of the Gospel in Jesus changed everything — for all.
“We as believers, we understand that the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God — [our] Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross — is the best and is the only one sacrifice that has been done in history,” said Humberto Gonzalez, minister of First Euless en Español, a Spanish-speaking ministry of First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. “So we don’t have to kill more animals. Jesus died for all of us.”
1) You may click the following link to read an excellent article titled, Ex-Muslim's Open Letter to America: 'What else has to happen so you wake up?' http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/01/ex-muslims-open-letter-to-america-what-else-has-to-happen-so-you-wake-up 2) You…
Baptist Press – William Bagsby –
A year after more than 85 churches and Christian institutions across Egypt were destroyed and burned, and three years after the country’s longest serving president stepped down in the wake of nationwide protests, Christian workers there are finding an openness rarely experienced before.
Some workers noted that forgiveness — along with persistence in sharing the Gospel — shown by local Christians toward Muslims has played a large role in the change.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down after 18 days of nationwide demonstrations during what is now called the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Since then Egypt has gone through various protests, elections, presidents and the quake of upheaval.
In August last year more than 85 churches and Christian institutions were attacked and burned as a result of demonstrations across Egypt calling for an Islamic state.
11/18/2014 Mark Andrews – Charisma News
Franklin Graham, who is widely respected as the heir-apparent to his father, iconic evangelist Billy Graham, isn’t shy about speaking out for God’s truth. So when he saw Christians compromise their principles to reach out to false religions in the name of ecumenicalism, it was no surprise that it drew a harsh response.
Graham this week slammed the National Cathedral in Washington for allowing Muslims to hold their first prayer service there last Friday.
“It’s sad to see a church open its doors to the worship of anything other than the One True God of the Bible who sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth to save us from our sins,” said Graham, head of the Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian aid ministry.
The younger Graham took to Facebook and spoke to the news media to register his extreme displeasure that a Christian cathedral—long a Washington landmark—would willingly be handed over to Muslims by the Cathedral’s Episcopalian leadership.
By Dr David Curry , Christian Post Guest Contributor – November 13, 2014
In June and July of 2013, Tahrir Square became a place where history was made. This Cairo, Egypt landmark housed the largest outpouring of protest against the radical Jihadist agenda in the Middle East, with estimates of over 20 million people protesting the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood. The loss of power for the Muslim Brotherhood brought repercussions to Egyptian Christians, both Coptic and evangelical, as the Brotherhood sought to both appeal for support among Islamic radicals, and punish Christians for speaking out against the brutality of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hundreds of churches were burned to the ground, homes and businesses were attacked and many Christians lost their lives.
As CEO of Open Doors USA, I have the privilege of regularly interacting with heroes of the faith, people who have suffered great persecution. I often meet people who have lost their entire families, businesses and homes, simply because they choose to be followers of Jesus. I was in Tahrir Square last January when Egyptians voted to adopt the new constitution and chart a path away from the rule of Islamic Jihadists. I watched as the Brotherhood demonstrated with violence, desperately trying to hold on to their death-grip of power over Egyptians. And I watched as Christians were targeted for brutality.
But just days ago, I returned again from Egypt. What I saw this time was a Church that has grown strong in spite of the horrendous difficulties that it faces. I saw Christians, both Coptic and evangelical, who have come to understand they must seek a common path together in faith. These are important first steps. What I saw was the first steps in the rebuilding of an Egyptian Christian Church focused on the saving grace of Jesus.
9/18/2014 Peter Youngren
Muslim militants are committing unspeakable and barbaric atrocities. If America and its allies ever needed “boots on the ground,” that time may be now. This evil must be stopped for a host of reasons, including for the sake of Christians whose lives are threatened in Syria, Iraq and across much of the Islamic world.
Unfortunately, in this climate of fear, some are ready to write off the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims as beyond the hope of salvation, unfit for redemption and predestined to be eternal enemies of God and His gospel. To do so would be a grave error.
Scripture gives many reasons to expect a gospel awakening across the Islamic world.
1. God promised Abraham that the Arab world would know “the way of the Lord.” Abraham had at least eight sons, first Ishmael with Hagar, then Isaac with Sarah and finally six more sons with Ketura (Gen. 25:1). While Christ would come through Isaac, God promised that all of Abraham’s “children” would know the “way of the Lord,” for “I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Gen.18:19). Ishmael and the sons of Ketura are forefathers to the Arab world, and God’s promise is clear that they will know the way of the Lord. That divine promise can only be fulfilled if they know Him, who said “I am the way.”
2. God promised blessing to Ishmael. “As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly….I will make him a great nation (Gen. 17:20). God promised His blessing on Ishmael. Is there any blessing apart from the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Later when Hagar and Ishmael were dying of thirst, God opened Hagar’s eyes, and “she saw a well of water.” If God cared enough to show them a spring of water to quench their physical thirst, is it not reasonable to expect God will also show Ishmael and his descendants the “living water”?
Dear friends, Further to the email we sent around six weeks ago, you may click the following link (then click the Springvale Dandenong region) to read an excellent front page…
By Stephanie Samuel , Christian Post Reporter – September 19, 2014
Megachurch pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie chided a teaching known as the “prosperity gospel” for twisting what it means to be prosperous and explained that the prosperity promised Christians in the Bible does not erase hardships from their lives.
In his September 16th blog, Laurie took issue with the prosperity gospel’s assurances that Christians are meant to be “wealthy, healthy and wise.”
He wrote, “Sometimes I think that today’s ‘prosperity preachers’ have hijacked a legitimate biblical term. After all, God does want His sons and daughters to prosper. But what does that really mean? That you’ll never get sick? Never have problems? Never run out of money? Never have strains in your relationships? No, that is not what the Bible means by ‘prosperity.'”
Laurie explained, using the apostle Paul and his ministry in Rome as an example, that the path to biblical prosperity is often littered with unexpected problems and unforeseen circumstances.
Dear family and friends in Christ,
First let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted, supported and prayed for us. This was the first State Election that Rise Up Australia Party contested (although we contested the Federal Election last year) and I must say that we learned a lot.
Something very significant happened in this election in Victoria. The Christian values based parties worked together as a block in sharing first preferences with each other and the results were very good.
In most regions with the strategic preferences, we came very close to winning Upper House seats, and it seems that at least one Upper House seat will now be secured, with three more seats currently in question. (Some 90% of the upper house votes are yet to be re-checked).
This clearly shows the power of unity as Jesus said, where He prays for all believers in John 17:20-23.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me”.
On another note, although some church leaders I know of spoke out regarding the election, once again many church leaders refused to speak out and tell the people how to vote.
9/9/2014 Joseph Mattera – Charisma News
It is evident there are many in the body of Christ who attempt to integrate their Christian faith with the pursuit of happiness. Some have even gone so far as to have a theology of happiness, in which they obey or disobey Scripture based on what gives them the most happiness. Several years ago a prominent pastor in New York City divorced his wife and married someone else in his church because, he said, “God wants me happy!”
Ultimately, If God’s highest purpose for us is our personal happiness then He wouldn’t have put us on the earth since Jesus said we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33).
As believers, our value system should not be based on a temporal paradigm (view) of materialism and earthly significance but on an eternal paradigm based on faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Many in the church succumb to the temporal view because it takes a walk of faith to continually surrender our desires to a God we can’t see, feel, or touch physically.
In examining this subject I believe one reason believers focus so much on happiness is because of a confusion of the concepts of joy and happiness.
Joy is an inward sense of peace, contentment and even ecstasy due to our righteous standing in Christ and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Joy should be present in all believers in spite of the circumstances or challenges one might be facing. Joy is a supernatural experience that cannot be explained outside of a supernatural act of God. As the song writer said, “The world didn’t give us joy so the world can’t take it away!”