On Pakistan’s Death Row, Awaiting Her Final Hearing, Asia Bibi Sends a Message of Forgiveness for Her Persecutors

Jeremy Reynalds : Dec 29, 2015 : ASSIST News

“Christmas is a celebration of God’s mercy. I forgive my persecutors, those who have made false accusations against me, and I await their forgiveness.”

A story by Paolo Affatato for La Stampa, an Italian newspaper published in Turin, reported that this was the seventh Christmas she spent behind bars, in the women’s prison in Multan. That’s a town in the province of Punjab, where Asia awaits the outcome of a re-examination of her blasphemy conviction.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court, the third and final stage in the trial, has accepted Asia’s petition to appeal against her death sentence. The wait is now on for a hearing date to be set so that her final verdict can be issued.

For this 50-year-old mother of five, Christmas in the Year of Mercy, is a celebration of forgiveness.

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It Began with a Tree

Monday, December 7, 2015

And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. —Genesis 2:9

The Christmas story begins with a tree, but not the kind of Christmas tree with brightly colored lights or ornaments. The Christmas story begins with a tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in the Garden of Eden.

God had given Adam and Eve only one restriction in that literal paradise: stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But before long, that’s just where we find them. Of course, we know the rest of the story. They listened to the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit. And once that happened, they lost their sweet fellowship with God.

A few verses later, we come to the first Christmas verse in the Bible, where God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (more…)

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Where is Israel on evangelical Christian voters’ list of priorities?

August 27, 2015 by Paul Stanley of JNS.org

Seventeen Republican presidential candidates are vying for the support of evangelical Christian voters from the swing states of Ohio and Florida, to the cornfields of Iowa, to the small towns of the Deep South. Within the varied spectrum of 2016 election issues such as the economy, immigration, and health care, do evangelicals highly prioritize candidates’ positions on Israel and the Middle East?

Major evangelical leaders in America are saying, “Yes.”

“Studies show us there are approximately 90 million Christians in America who consider their beliefs to be evangelical,” Tony Perkins—president of the Family Research Council (FRC), a Christian education and lobbying group—told JNS.org. “Of that number around 9-10 percent have what we call a ‘biblical worldview,’ in that they believe what the scriptures say pertaining to Israel. That’s a large number of voters who can definitely make a difference in a primary or general election.”

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Jeremy Lin Shares Christian Faith in Beijing, Says ‘True Success Is Found in Understanding God’s Love’ in Speech Broadcasted to 100 Million Chinese

By Leah Marieann Klett Aug 28, 2015

In a televised sharing broadcasted live to hundreds of millions of Chinese, NBA All-Star Jeremy Lin spoke unreservedly about his Christian faith and why he believes true success is found in understanding God’s love.

“If I can encourage you guys to do anything today, it would be to love God and love others because God loves you,” the 27-year-old athlete told a crowd of thousands gathered in Beijing for a charity event entitled “Beyond Dreams.”

As earlier reported by the Gospel Herald, Lin joined other famous artists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China for the August 8 event, which was hosted by the Prince of Peace Foundation and sought to raise money for special needs children throughout China.

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Flying the Australian flag on Australia Day does not make you a racist / Reclaim Australia in Canberra on Sat 6th February

https://youtu.be/5nxf8TkTIWk Dear friends & family in Christ, Please watch and share this 6 minute video from RUAP’s Daniel Nalliah, titled ‘Flying the Australian flag on Australia Day does not make…

Continue ReadingFlying the Australian flag on Australia Day does not make you a racist / Reclaim Australia in Canberra on Sat 6th February

Ps Daniel, CTFM, RUA & RUAP in Egypt News in Australia / Melbourne teacher named as holding ‘sympathetic opinions’ about Islamic State

Dear family & friends in Christ, 1) Please click on the photos to read the newspaper articles about Ps Daniel, Catch the Fire Ministries, Rise Up Australia prayer & Rise…

Continue ReadingPs Daniel, CTFM, RUA & RUAP in Egypt News in Australia / Melbourne teacher named as holding ‘sympathetic opinions’ about Islamic State

Thousands of Young Female Soldiers Take Up Arms Against ISIS to Defend Christians, Religious Minorities

August 17, 2015 – The Christian Post – Hermoine Macura

Thousands of young female soldiers have taken up arms in recent months in the fight against Islamic State as the terror group attempts to expand across Syria and Iraq, killing and enslaving thousands of women and children in its path.

“Islamic State is planning to increase their territory as they did in Syria,” 24-year-old Nasreen Kobani told The Christian Post. ” …They are fighting to be holy and qualify for Jannah (Islamic paradise), despite committing countless crimes against humanity. After they kill civilians, they mutilate their corpses, burn their bodies and cut out their eyes.”

Many women from across the Arab world are standing up to defend their families, land and freedom. Today about 8,000 women from all over Syria, Iraq, Iran,Turkey and elsewhere have volunteered to join the YPJ, also known as the “Women’s Protection Unit,” which defends the Kurdish population of Syria and other innocent civilians, including Christians, from Islamic State.

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Audio Promo & Leaflet for National Australia Day United Prayer & Holy Spirit Revival Meetings in January 2016 in Melbourne with Pastor Petrus Agung from Indonesia (20,000+ member church)

Dear family & friends in Christ across this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit,

Please listen to & share the audio promotion for the next National Australia Day United Prayer Gathering in Melbourne from 10am – 1pm on Tuesday 26th January 2016.

https://reformationharvestfire.com/rise-up-australia/australia-day-prayer-2016/

You may click the photo leaflet on the left for more details.

This national prayer gathering which brings together hundreds of prayer warriors from many churches, denominations and ethnicities across Australia, will be held at the CTFM at 30 Star Crescent in Hallam.

This interdenominational Christian prayer gathering, with special guest speaker Pastor Petrus Agung from Indonesia, will be preceded by a series of Holy Spirit miracle healing revival meetings where he will also be ministering on Friday 22nd at 6:30pm, Saturday 23rd at 6:30pm & Sunday 24th January at 10am & 6:30pm.

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Continue ReadingAudio Promo & Leaflet for National Australia Day United Prayer & Holy Spirit Revival Meetings in January 2016 in Melbourne with Pastor Petrus Agung from Indonesia (20,000+ member church)

Muslim Imam Converts to Christianity, Now Preaches Jesus to Islamists

August 7, 2015 | By: Heather Clark

A former Muslim imam in Africa is sharing his story of how he converted from Islam to Christianity and now preaches Christ to Islamists throughout his country.

World Watch Monitor recently released the video testimony of a man who once was taught to persecute Christians as a Muslim and is now facing persecution himself as he preaches the gospel as a convert to the Christian faith. Tofik—not his real name—shares that as a child and young adult, he participated in violence against Christians as instructed.

“In school I only learned about Islam,” he stated. “Parts of our teaching were about destroying Christianity. So we did what we learned, by attacking Christians once we finished our training.”

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Former DIA director: Obama White House made “willful decision” to support al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood in Syria

August 8, 2015  Robert Spencer

Mehdi Hasan is a highly suspect analyst and Foreign Policy Journal appears to be a pro-jihad paleocon publication, and Al Jazeera is certainly a pro-jihad propaganda outlet. All that is noted, but if this transcript is accurate, former DIA director Michael Flynn is confirming that the Obama Administration knowingly decided to support al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, and directly enabled the rise of the Islamic State. And given the Obama Administration’s general stance toward the global jihad and Islamic supremacism, what would be unbelievable about that?

In a sane political atmosphere, this would be enough to bring down the Obama presidency. Instead, it will get little notice and no action whatsoever.

“Rise of Islamic State was ‘a willful decision’: Former DIA Chief Michal [sic] Flynn,” by Brad Hoff, Foreign Policy Journal, August 7, 2015 (thanks to Joshua):

In Al Jazeera’s latest Head to Head episode, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn confirms to Mehdi Hasan that not only had he studied the DIA memo predicting the West’s backing of an Islamic State in Syria when it came across his desk in 2012, but even asserts that the White House’s sponsoring of radical jihadists (that would emerge as ISIL and Nusra) against the Syrian regime was “a willful decision.” [Lengthy discussion of the DIA memo begins at the 8:50 mark.]

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Germany pays the price for accepting Muslim refugees – says Nalliah

Dear friends & family in Christ, Please watch and share the following 6 minute video from RUAP’s Daniel Nalliah, titled ‘Germany pays the price for accepting Muslim refugees.’ https://youtu.be/BwNbDKfk1Mc Following…

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Why Christians Must Fight Boycotts Against Israel

8/13/2015 Tom Brennan – Stand With Israel

Israel has faced many enemies in the past and faces even more today. Muslim terrorist armies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the malevolent individuals within the Palestinian Authority are in the closest proximity.

The rapidly advancing ISIS and Caliphate forces and the expansion of Tehran and its goal of eliminating the Jewish State and all unbelievers has been moving towards active hostilities in their proxy wars. But the BDS activity has been perhaps as damaging as the violence because it attempts to harm Israel by causing financial harm to the nation of 8.2 million shekkels.

Boycotts are being staged in nations which have large Christian majorities and many are adopted by church denominations. Academic and professional groups adopt resolutions that use boycotts to support pro- Palestinian positions. The Palestinian Authority and other Muslim activists promote their position with a sophisticated social media campaign that utilizes outright lies, fraud and a willing media which follows any story that puts Israel in the worst light. The mainstream media has abandoned any semblance of balance, due diligence and fact checking to get attention from a gullible public.

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UK: Extremists in the Heart of Government

by Samuel Westrop – August 14, 2015

  • Given the sort of views and preachers to which this member of the government’s counter-terrorism programme subscribes, he should not be entrusted work in publicly funded counter-extremism. But in the eyes of the media and government, Sulaimaan Samuel’s arguments against ISIS make him a suitable “moderate.”
  • Once again, hardline preachers and Islamist extremists have been rewarded and praised rather than ostracized. If Britain is to win the battle against Islamist extremism, public officials need to be held to account for their irresponsible choice of partners.

A British government body responsible for monitoring the counter-terrorism procedures among Britain’s 44 police forces has admitted, the Daily Telegraph reports, to employing “one of Britain’s most notorious Islamic extremists.”

Abdullah Al-Andalusi, whose real name is Mouloud Farid, worked at Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, at which he was privy to “highly sensitive and classified police and intelligence information.”

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Kim Phuc, Woman in Iconic 1972 Vietnam War Photo, Learns to Forgive through Her Christian Faith

By Isaiah Narciso (news@gospelherald.com) Jun 27, 2015

The iconic image that portrayed the horrors of the Vietnam War featured a 9-year-old girl running away naked from a napalm attack, suffering from burns back in 1972. That girl, Kim Phuc, recently met the photographer who shot that famous picture and is now a Christian.

According to Dianne Bourne of the Mirror, 52-year-old Phuc reunited with Vietnamese photographer Nick Ut, who took the picture that made front page news around the world, in England. She now works as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and campaigns for peace around the world.

“When I look at the image I’m just amazed that I’m still alive, I’m so grateful and thankful for that,” Phuc said. “I have learned from tragedy, from the pain, from the challenges, and I’m so grateful to be healed.”

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