PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH & WORLD AWARENESS

Transcription

1 PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH & WORLD AWARENESS March, 2015, Vol. 2 Items and issues to watch carefully in prayer and to ponder as to their implications in relation to the fellowship and increase in Christ. The purpose of Prayer Release is to keep you informed and mobilized in prayer and intercession for the needs of justice and religious liberty in the Church around the globe, so that we can stand together for the work of the Kingdom and the healing of the Nations. The Prayer Release is comprised on the basis of different credible resources. We request prayers that the church would continue to serve the nation and faithfully share the Gospel of Jesus Christ which brings about reconciliation with God and one another. HEADLINES We Can t Go There, but They Can Pray for Frontliners Holocaust Remembrance Day April 15, killed in church bombings in Pakistan EFI Condemns the Rape of a Nun in West Bengal EFI joins global dismay over denigration of Mother Teresa Indonesian Officials Seize Muslim School Books Teaching Killing Of Infidels Boko Haram Kills 50, Kidnaps 500 In Nigeria DETAILS We Can t Go There, but They Can Zingak is among the first on the scene following an attack on a Christian village in Nigeria, Qabil distributes Christian literature at an Islamic festival in Pakistan, and Rolo drives through the jungles of Colombia to give Bibles to those living in guerrilla territory. These faithful believers are just three of the more than 30,000 workers partnering with The Voice of the Martyrs and risking everything to share the gospel. We invite you to join them in their daily service to God in restricted and hostile nations PRAY!!! Not all of us can serve on the front lines, but we all can help support those who are there Holocaust Remembrance Day In just a few weeks, on April 15 as the world marks Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day we will be hosting a great global gathering of Believers for I Will Not Forget. We are going to stand together to say to the world that we support and defend Israel and the Jewish people. We are going to remember the darkness, but we are also going to pledge to be the light! We are going to show God's love to His Chosen People in a way that they have never seen and heard it before...and it is going to make a huge difference. God is greatly blessing this effort with His favor. The former president of Israel, Shimon Peres, has already recorded a message for this special day. My friend, Benjamin Netanyahu, will be doing so in just a few days, and so will Nobel Prize winner, Elie Wiesel. In addition, we are featuring content from the Lights in the Darkness segment of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center experience. This will be a powerful

2 message that will never be forgotten. Thousands of churches all around the world have signed up to be part of I Will Not Forget. They will host congregations and small groups who will gather for this prophetic day. In addition, we will be live-streaming a broadcast on our website, and three satellite networks God TV, the Church Channel, and Inspiration Network International will be broadcasting this special program. Please pray for the Jewish People and for Israel. - Jerusalem Prayer Team 17 killed in church bombings in Pakistan 18 March, Twin suicide bomb attacks at 2 churches in Lahore, Pakistan killed at least 17 people and injured around 70 people on Sunday. According to reports, the attackers targeted St. John s Catholic Church and Christ Church which are located near each other. It is believed that around 500 Christians were inside the churches when the incident occurred. The bombings also sparked 2 days of protests by members of the Christian community in the area. According to reports, angry protesters set fire to cars and attacked buses and shops and chased police and politicians from the scene. It is also reported that at least 1 person suspected of being involved in the bombings was lynched during the protests. Prayer points: Pray for Jesus comforting presence over those grieving the loss of loved ones Pray for God s healing mercy over those injured in the bombings Pray that Christians would not respond with violence but would remain calm during this time of distress Pray for God s protection over all Christians in Pakistan EFI Condemns the Rape of a Nun in West Bengal The Evangelical Fellowship of India expresses the disgust, anguish and anger of the citizens of India, and in particular of the Christian community, at the gang rape of a 71 year old Catholic Nun on March 14th, 2015, and the desecration of the chapel in a convent in Ranaghat in Nadia District of West Bengal. Several other nuns were injured in the attack reportedly by a group of 12 armed men. This outrage comes in the wake of a series of acts of violence and targeted political action in several other states of the country, and while the national focus is on gender crimes. EFI had in its report on anti Christian violence in India in 2014 listed documented crimes, including two murders, traced to elements connected with communal elements. The chief minister, Ms. Mamata Bannerjee, who has ordered a probe by the Criminal Investigation

3 Department, has herself spoken of the communal polarization sought to be created in the state where by fundamentalist groups, senior police officers have been quoted in the media saying "religious considerations" for the violence are not ruled out. The EFI points out that the Convent had repeatedly told the police and civil authorities to ensure its security because it had received threats in the past. This security was not provided. Aysha Bibi is a Christian who works as a housekeeper in Pakistan, where false allegations against believers are common. According to the British Pakistani Christian Association, she was accused of stealing from her employer's home, a charge she strongly denied. Police then arrested her son and tortured him in front of her. After they sent her away, they killed him and dumped his body in front of her home. The grieving mother says, "I have great faith in my Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is my Savior and he suffered death for my sins. I am asked to convert to Islam every day. I have lost my son but I will not give up my Lord. Instead, I will serve Him and one day I will meet again with my precious son." Last February 23, ISIS raided 35 Christian villages in Syria, abducting between 263 and 373 men, women and children. They continually demanded that the hostages convert to Islam. The believers knew that ISIS had been slaughtering Christians, but the entire group refused to recant their faith. Some have been released, but reports indicate that 15 others have been murdered. The fate of the rest is not yet known. Last week, police arrested a man who stood outside a Miami Beach synagogue and allegedly threatened those inside. He reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is greatest," then told one person in the synagogue, "I will cut your head off." He later told a television reporter, "They can be as angry as they want. I have freedom of speech." The president of Germany's Central Council of Jews recently stated, "These are the worst times since the Nazi era. On the streets, you hear things like 'the Jews should be gassed,' 'the Jews should be burned' we haven't had that in Germany for decades.... And it's not just a German phenomenon. It's an outbreak of hatred against Jews so intense that it's very clear indeed." I met recently with the leaders of Global Media Outreach, an amazing Internet evangelism and discipleship ministry. Since its founding in 2004, GMO has shared the gospel with more than a billion people. More than 125 million have indicated a decision for Christ through their websites. People around the world are coming to Jesus in greater numbers than ever before. Should we be surprised that Satan is fighting back? The devil seeks "to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). However, he works strategically, attacking those who most threaten him. Rising persecution proves that God's Kingdom is advancing. (Tweet this) If you're not serving Jesus, you're no danger to the enemy. If Satan is tempting, discouraging, or attacking

4 you, be encouraged he thinks you're worth the effort. He tempted Eve in the Garden, discouraged Elijah after Mount Carmel, and attacked Jesus on a cross. You are in good company. And you have a great King. EFI joins global dismay over denigration of Mother Teresa Mother Teresa, Bharat Ratna and Nobel Laureate, is a global icon, beloved of the people irrespective of their age, gender, race and religion. It is a matter of great satisfaction to the Christian community in India that the billion-strong Hindu community of the country and the Indian diaspora have collectively denounced the political attempt to denigrate her memory and insult her work of service and compassion to the orphans, destitute and dying. The Evangelical Fellowship of India leadership and members join in this sense of shock and disbelief over the remarks of Mr Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, and senior members of the Bharatiya Janata party which now governs India, that her lifelong service across the globe was to convert people to Christianity. "This shows an absolute lack of understanding of selfless love and service which Mother Teresa exemplified," said Dr Richard Howell, General secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India. "Teresa, as a follower of Jesus Christ, obeyed His command to love one another. She saw Jesus in people who had been rejected by society, neglected by the State, stigmatised by society." Mr. Bhagwat's rhetoric is keeping with the ideology of hate and the agenda of polarisation of Indian society that has brought such agony to the nation, and its people. The Evangelical Fellowship of India affirms the commitment of the Christian community and the church to the service of the marginalised, the Dalits and the Tribals in this country. It also stresses that the Christians' seeking security and peace for their worship and their work is rooted in their citizenship, and their celebration of India's commitment to the United Nation's Bill of Fights, which is also such an important component of its Constitution. Indonesian Officials Seize Muslim School Books Teaching Killing Of Infidels Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) The Religious Affairs Ministry banned the distribution of an Islamic religious textbook for high school grades that contain radical religious notions. Alarm bells were set off after controversial content was found in an exercise book for 11th graders in Jombang, East Java. Indonesia s Minister of Education and Culture Anies Rasyid Baswedan gave the order to pull all the copies of the textbook and announced an investigation into the case. The government s quick response prevented it from being distributed to the country s schools.

5 The textbook contained notions based on the radical Wahhabi school of thought (which is dominant in Saudi Arabia). Page 78, for example, says, People who worship anything other than Allah are infidels and it is permitted to kill them. Moderate Muslim leaders slammed the textbook. Kamaruddin Amin, director general for Islamic education at the Ministry, said he was disturbed by the story. Just imagine if the book had been distributed throughout Indonesia and had been read by 57 million children. According to Kamaruddin, the textbook s authors (whose identity has not been revealed yet) do not understand the democratic identity that Indonesia has developed in recent decades. The authors have to understand Indonesia s diversity. Even Salahudin Wahid, an Islamic cleric, condemned the Wahhabi doctrine contained in textbooks. In his view, they contradict the values of Islam. Killing people is not allowed, he added. According to Minister Baswedan, the inclusion of extremist material in textbooks is the result of a rushed job. The quality of the book has been compromised. This should not have happened, he said. Boko Haram Kills 50, Kidnaps 500 In Nigeria Reuters reports that the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has just killed at least 50 people in Damasak, Nigeria and kidnapped as many as 500 women and children. Some will be killed, others will be sold as sex slaves or forced into marriages with Muslim terrorists. According to one eyewitness, They took 506 young women and children (in Damasak). They killed about 50 of them before leaving, a trader called Souleymane Ali told Reuters in the town. We don t know if they killed others after leaving, but they took the rest with them. AllAfrica.com also reports on the incident: A 40-year-old resident who gave her name as Fana said the insurgent s had rounded up captives in the main mosque before taking them out of town. She said she saved her two children by hiding them in her house. Troops from Niger and Chad last week found the bodies of at least 70 people in an apparent execution site under a bridge leading out of Damasak, where the streets remain strewn with debris and burnt-out cars after the fighting to liberate the town. Nigerian, Chadian and Niger forces have driven militants out of a string of towns in simultaneous offensives over the past month. Last April, Boko Haram kidnapped 300 girls from a school and forced them into marriages, sold them as sex slaves, or killed them. Boko Haram has recently become a franchise of the Islamic State and will likely receive an infusion of money and weapons from ISIS, (which is now an oil-rich terrorist army marching across the Middle East killing Christians and destroying ancient Christian cemeteries and churches.) We request for the prayers that the church would continue to serve the nation in spite of innumerable suffering and pray also for those who are persecuting that they may experience the love of Christ.