Showing posts with label islam. Show all posts

Saturday, October 31, 2015

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH TODAY

Many who have been on the front-lines with brothers and sisters in Christ who are the victims of the vilest forms of persecution worldwide, tell us that they all have the very SAME request: "Please Pray for Us!" This simple request is stunning, when you consider it comes from people who are not just being persecuted for just being the peace-loving Christians they are, but have their cities and homes destroyed, their churches burned and in too many cases now - lose their actual lives.

The period from last year's International Day of Prayer (November 1, 2014) to now, one year later, marks incredible devastation to the Body of Christ worldwide and increasingly here in the United States of America.

- Just this past week, Bremerton High School (Washington State) Football Coach Joe Kennedy was suspended from his job for praying with his team....while three teachers in the same school invited members of the local Satanist temple to come to the game! (ABC News).

- In an eerie similarity to Columbine back in the 1990's, a vile shooter singled out Christians at an Oregon's Roseburg Community College and then killed nine of them on October 2, 2015 (Washington Post).

- Then there is Kimberly Davis, the Kentucky County clerk and first Christian openly imprisoned in America for her Christian beliefs about Biblical Marriage. (Breakpoint formerly with the Late Chuck Colson).

PLEASE READ: SEVEN SNARES IN RELATING TO THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

CLICK TO READ HOW PRAYERS
HELP SYRIAN CHRISTIANS!

These are just a few examples of a worsening trend in the USA, but nothing tops what is happening to millions of Christians whose family lines go back further than the islamic religion which represents most of the current configuration of the Middle East. This is a hard Truth for the average "open minded" westerner to grasp who cannot grasp the enormity of this form of religious persecution. In order to help us understand, the following article will assist tremendously:

HERE ARE THE TOP 30 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD WHERE PERSECUTION IS THE MOST HORRID (PER CAPITA. STATS: COURTESY OPEN DOORS):

2015 World Watch List Country Fact Sheets

ACTION POINT FOR THIS YEAR'S IDOP 2015:

Adopt one of these countries or more than one, and pray for ALL Christians who live there, attempted to live there and are still evangelizing entire villages and regions, before being found. Click on the "pdf" listed for that country:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PRAYER RESOURCES FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT & BEYOND. Also, these are just starting points. The key is persistent prayer.

To assist in this, here are just five Prayer Points, courtesy Campus Crusade (now called "Cru") with the Bible verses, which I have linked, to go with them. Let's get to it:

Please pray persecuted believers would know the hope God gives (Ephesians 1:18).

Pray the Holy Spirit would strengthen them (Ephesians 3:16).

Please pray persecuted believers would know how much God loves them (Ephesians 3:17)

Pray they would know how to share the gospel (Ephesians 6:19).

Please pray persecuted believers would fearlessly tell others about Jesus (Ephesians 6:20).

Thursday, October 2, 2014

AMERICA GONE WILD, PART 4 - ACCURATE1964 PROPHESY FROM PAUL HARVEY

"If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"....Psalm 11:3

America is in a deep spiral into a pit of its own digging, allowed to slide into the spiritual wasteland it has become, by the same God Whom the country has rejected. Scripture warned, but no one listened.
Romans 1:18: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness"
Romans 1:21-22: "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools "
Romans 1:24a: "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness."
Romans 1:26a: "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions".
Romans 1:28b-29: "God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness."

Here is the result of people without the Hand of God directing them, in a land with the biggest and richest churches in the world:
- the spread of violent islam across America.
- the spread of deadly viruses and unknown diseases.
- the endless drought in California where the culture spits in the Eyes of Holy God.
- the rise of violent swings in unpredictable and extreme weather patterns.
- the wars and rumors of wars.
- the rise of false religions and promotion of it by America's leaders in society and politics
- the eternally dangerous compromises of the Church, which undermine the Power, Purity and Position of the Gospel in daily life.
- the corruption of the education system by godless liberals, atheists and pagans.
- the lack of any leadership from the corner house to the church house to the state house and beyond,

Because God's undershepherds and His people have abandoned their posts to Sheol, we are left with the horrid panorama of direction less youth and listless adults. Fifty years ago, the great and late American radio host, Paul Harvey had a prophetic statement on his radio show, which has stood the test of time.

Paul Harvey spoke of things in this 50 year old audio clip, which did not even exist at that time in 1964, yet he was more than prescient, he was prophetic, as if the Lord Himself gave Paul those words. Listen to it and you will find motivation to try and effect transformation, rather conformity, in our own corner of our world. Good day!

READ:

America Gone Wild Part 1

America Gone Wild Part 2

America Gone Wild Part 3

Saturday, July 5, 2014

777 - SEVEN DAYS OF PRAYER (JULY 1-7, 2014)

DAY 5 (JULY 5, 2014):

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen... (2 Timothy 4:18 ESV).

The popular cultural and societal notion is "there really is no evil" in this world. Even those in the liberal mainlines churches refuse to come to terms that there is a devil - Satan - who is the accuser of the saints seeks to kill, steal and destroy. The atheist and the liberal deny the existence of evil for a simple reason. That reason is, to accept the existence of evil, one has to accept the existence of Good....and Who is Good? God is good!

Those who are under the oppression of evil know it exists. They know it in the Christian towns of the Islamic Middle Eastern Countries, in Pakistan, throughout Africa where hordes are rampaging through Christian countries. The persecuted know that evil is not just those who suffered under Stalin, Hitler, Castro, Mao and Pol Pot.

To deny the existence of evil, and blame "society, or capitalism or democracy", is easier than recognizing that our own sin opens us up to be brought down and put in spiritual bondage by evil. This sort of thinking prevents many from coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and it remains an obstacle to most professing Christians, who accept the defeat of the devil. Both sets of people are outside of the Victory which God, through Christ, provides in the following:

Romans 8:31-39:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

LET US PRAY:

Most Holy and Righteous Father in Heaven, our Help in ages past and our Hope in years to come, be Thou our guide while life shall last and our Eternal protector from the wiles of the evil one. Father, You, through the Mighty Son - Jesus Christ - rescued us from the dominion of darkness, set our feet upon a rock - the Rock of Christ - and put a new song in our heart, and saved us out of the pit. Father, we know that we are victorious because of the Cross and are under the protection of Heaven.

Holy Father, we also know we are under the attack and accusations of the evil one who desires not just to fall, but failing that, to keep us distracted from you. Father, entire generations have been lost to the kingdom in the recent past because we have confused works for worship and self-praise with prayer.

Your church, which Your Son gave His life for, has gone silent, ineffective and even corrupt. Because we have failed You as a Body and a unit, we have failed in our mission to keep our families together, our towns and cities together, our country together and as a result, both the culture and the country now stand in Judgment of You.

By doing almost nothing, saying nothing and even conforming to this latter day evil, those who call themselves by Your Name are a defeated and ineffective bunch themselves. For that, I repent, oh God. I see Your forgiveness and ask that You not just keep us from Temptation but deliver us from the wiles and cunning of the Accuser. I pray that You, from Your High and Lofty Throne in Heaven, look down upon us, send Your angels to watch over us to keep us from getting blinded-side. I pray that You not just build strong fortresses around our families and homes, but that You build a wall of fire around our hearts that our love for You will growing stronger and stronger and never grow old or cold.

Lord, we thank You that You are our standard-bearer and is always there for us when we call on You. We love You, praise You and worship and adore You and ask Your Mighty Hand upon us as we rest in the very shadow of Your Mighty Wings, in Jesus Strong and Mighty Name, amen.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHURCH TODAY

We should be praying for our brothers and sisters in persecuted lands, now more than ever - and daily. It is good to have special days set aside each year to remember them however, and the week of November 3-10 2013 has been set aside for the annual International Day of Prayer(IDOP) for the Persecuted Church. Today is such a day.

Even if your church does not observe it or fails to pray for persecuted brethren, you and I should. Not just that, but we should be very intentional about praying for them, but for the Grace of God, there goeth you and I! In fact, days are already here in the United States where true believers are already persecuted in these very United States of America, where Freedom of Religion is guaranteed in the US Constitution. We are not just talking about the annual "Wars on Christmas and Easter" by the secular liberal humanists and progressives.

We are seeing all sorts of persecution of Christian small businesses in the US by gay rights activists, because they refuse to conduct the gay "wedding" ceremonies or US military chaplains being told they cannot pray in the Name of Jesus or the Fox Sports broadcaster who was fired for believing in biblical marriage. There is the health care mandate on Bible publishers Tyndale to pay for pills that induce abortion or Hobby Lobby etc. More and more American Christians are being told to keep our faith behind the four walls of the church on Sunday. But it will not be long before the anti-God forces come in to to monitor what is preached from the Bible. Romans 1 preaching is already banned in certain parts of Canada because of the warning against all kinds of Sin therein.

Therefore, it is our duty to pray for those under painful persecution, worse than you and I can imagine, around the globe. Why? Because one day we may need their prayer as well. In fact, I was made aware, by reliable sources, that saints in the underground Chinese Church and in certain African cities are actually praying for American Christians because they know we are not strong in Faith and Righteousness, should we have to face what they have been for over 70 years of communist oppression!

Therefore, the following are some examples for us to consider in prayer, along with any others you may know about. These are direct links back to the original articles. American Pastor Saeed is being treated like this and sent to the Iranian "death row" to disappear, because the Iranians know the American authorities and most of our western churches do not care either. God will hold those accountable for that. We know who know better should pray for him and his family over here. So without further ado, here are some headlines etc to consider at this time:

Pastor Saeed Abedini Placed in Cell With Death Row

BY STOYAN ZAIMOV, CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

November 7, 2013|2:50 pm

Pastor Saeed Abedini has been placed in a single cell with five death row inmates in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj and is prevented from having any visitors, the American Center for Law and Justice said, raising further concerns that officials placed him there to "disappear."

"Rajai Shahr is a murders' jail. It's a violent criminals' jail," said ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow on Fox News following news that the U.S. pastor was abruptly transferred from Evin Prison in Tehran on Monday. "He is not allowed any visitors, and he is under quarantine. He is in Ward 9, which is the murders' ward. So he's sharing a 10x10 cell with five people who have been convicted of violent crimes, these are people who are basically on death row.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

Half a Million Churches to Pray for Persecuted Believers for IDOP

Christians around the world will observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) either this Sunday or on Nov. 10, but those being persecuted for their faith want other believers to not just pray for them, but pray with them.Jerry Dykstra, director of media relations for Open Doors USA, told The Christian Post that prayer is the "number one request" of believers in persecuted nations, and even those who are among the persecuted are praying for Christians in other nations.

Christians in Nigeria, for example, pray for other persecuted believers in the Middle East, said Dykstra. A century ago about 20 percent of the population in North Africa and the Middle East was Christian, according to Open Doors, but Christ-followers now make up only four percent of the population there due to persecution.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

CHRISTIANS IN SYRIA:

CNN claims ISIS has taken control of key entry points into the city of Aleppo. David Holt / Flickr / Creative Commons

A SYRIAN CHRISTIAN VILLAGE

A new survey of Syrian towns by CNN suggests that much of northern Syria has come under the control of radical Islamist groups. CNN claims that Islamist militants, led by a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), are attempting to impose a strict Islamic ideology on Syrians across the region.

ISIS is said to have complete control of a number of towns in the region, including Keftin, Tal Rifat, Azaz, Ad Dana, Dar Ta Izzah, Binnish, Taqqa, Ma’arrat, Misrin, Jarablus and Al-Bab, while many others are said to contain a strong ISIS “presence”. The effect of this on minority groups within the region, including Syria’s Christians, is a cause of growing concern. Recently, ISIS was implicated in what has been described as the “biggest and most serious massacre” of Christians since the start of Syria’s civil war.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

NORTHERN IRAQ NO LONGER SAFE FOR CHRISTIANS

The Kurdish capital of Erbil is one of a number of cities where bombings have left Christians feeling unsafe.

CHRISTIANS IN NORTHERN IRAQ LIVED THERE FOR ALMOST 2000 YEARS!

An increase in violence against Christians in northern Iraq has increased the flow of Christians leaving the country. The north, generally considered a relatively safe area of the country, had become home for many Christians fleeing from the tumultuous central and southern regions.However, several bombings in the north in recent months have caused panic among the Christian community.

On September 22, a suicide bomb went off outside the home of Christian politician Emad Youhanna in Rafigayn, part of the Kirkuk province, injuring 19 people, including three of Youhanna’s children.Several bomb attacks have also taken place in the northern city of Erbil, for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility. In early September, Christians in the village of Deshtakh complained that they were facing harassment from local police.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

WORLDWIDE WATCH LIST OF TOP 26 COUNTRIES (PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS)
Source: Open Doors

(RED SIGNIFIES EXTREME & ORANGE SEVERE PERSECUTION)