AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* GREECE EXPERIENCES MASSIVE BIBLE OUTREACH
* IRAN ESCALATES REPRESSION AND PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
* ACTOR FINDS NEW SUCCESS AFTER REFUSING RISQUE ROLES
* CHURCHES IN ALGERIA ORDERED TO CEASE ACTIVITY
* STUDENTS PUNISHED FOR OPPOSING HOMOSEXUALITY
* FLOODING CAUSES HAVOC IN PAKISTAN
* JEWISH PRAYER FOCUS 2010 BEGINS SEPTEMBER
8.
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GREECE EXPERIENCES
MASSIVE BIBLE OUTREACH
Greece has recently been the epicentre of a missionary outreach that
has reached and touched thousands of homes as a team of 180 from
countries as diverse as Canada, Romania, Italy, South Africa,
Germany, Holland, the USA and Albania has descended on the region of
Sparta. In all 60,000 households have received a copy of the New
Testament in contemporary Greek as part of a project called Operation
Joshua. One participant described it as a “Tsunami of blessing” as
energetic teams criss-crossed the sparse and mountainous region.

They have gone to over 800 villages in some of the remotest areas of
Greece bringing the message of life. How does this project compare
with other evangelistic efforts? In a word, “historic”. In a country
where there are less than 20,000 people recognized as evangelical
Believers, this was truly a significant event. Greece has never had a
reformation or a revival. It has never held any mass evangelistic
campaigns. So in the context of Greece’s history, to spread 60,000
copies of God’s Word in one week can only be described as momentous
and even seismic.
Despite the fact that the New Testament was originally written in
Greek, very few modern day Greeks can understand the 2,000 year old
version. Very few Greeks actually own a Bible because there is no
point having a book they can’t understand. If they do own one it is
regarded as an ornament or a good luck charm. With that in mind
Jonathan Macris, the President of Hellenic Ministries has launched an
ambitious project to distribute one million copies of the New
Testament throughout Greece over the next few years.
Hellenic Ministries is “a mission to Greece and the nations,”
established by Jonathan’s parents, Kostas and Alky Macris in 1980.
They were previously missionaries to Iryan Jaya for 16 years. Kostas
then contracted a series of tropical diseases which the doctors
regarded as terminal and he was sent home to die. But God spared him
for another 25 years during which time he started what was then known
as the Hellenic Missionary Union. As Greece does not acknowledge the
need for any missionaries the name was subsequently changed to
Hellenic Ministries.
The mission gained wide publicity when Kostas, along with two YWAM
missionaries, Don Stephens and Alan Williams were arrested for
proselytizing. The incident occurred when a 16 year old boy visited
the YWAM ship, Anastasis, together with his father and was given a
New Testament in Greek. His estranged mother, a well-known vocal
atheist, immediately protested and took the trio to court. Under
Greek law it was illegal to pass out any religious literature to any
young person under the age of 18 and the three men were each
sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment.
There was a worldwide outcry; thousands of people were praying, and
protests poured into the Greek government. Greece was in the process
of entering the European Common Market so such religious intolerance
did not sit well with the authorities. Subsequently the sentences
were overthrown. But Greece became the focus of worldwide attention
from the Christian community and Hellenic Ministries was well and
truly on the map. 25 years later Hellenic Ministries is at the
forefront of evangelistic efforts to reach the population of Greece.

Whilst 95% of the population profess to believe in God and 97% are
members of the state church it is estimated that less than 0.2% of
the population are born-again evangelicals. The challenge is immense
but the visionary President of Hellenic Ministries is confident that
the tide is turning, “God’s time for Greece is here. We are planning
on significant growth and the planting of churches all over Greece.
More than that as revival comes to Greece we believe it will overflow
to the surrounding Muslim lands bringing life and hope to millions
who have never heard of Jesus.”
Source: Assist
News
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IRAN ESCALATES
REPRESSION AND PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
Biblical revelation preaches freedom in love. Islam (like all
man-made religions) demands submission to law. While the God of the
Bible demands perfection in love. he freely provides a remedy for sin
– Jesus Christ. This is indeed Good News! On the other hand, while
Islam demands submission to law it provides no remedy for sin, and so
can only culminate in failure. Meanwhile, the dictators of Islam
employ religious forces to police ‘vice and virtue’. Driven by
apostaphobia, they wage war against fitna (anything that could tempt
a Muslim to doubt Islam).
Islamic revolution has only produced repressive, totalitarian police
states wracked with poverty, cruelty and despair. In Iran, the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) and the Ministry of
Intelligence and Security (MOIS) were established to eliminate all
opposition and dissent through purges, terrors and serial killings.
When President Khatami (1997-2004) pressed for reforms, Ayatollah
Khamenei engineered his removal. Through the presidency of Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad (2005 – ), the hegemony of the blood-stained IRGC and
MOIS hardliners has been restored.
The regime has just announced a massive boost in funding for the
Basij (state sponsored Islamic vigilantes) to enable more recruitment
and to establish 7000 new Resistance Bases across the state.
Persecution of the church escalated through 2009, aided by the fact
that on account of Iraq, the US now needs Iran more than Iran needs
the US –leaving the US without leverage. The regime is escalating
repression in order to curtail unrest emanating from widespread
social dissatisfaction and economic distress.
A wave of persecution hit the church in late 2009 and early 2010
during which numerous Christians were harassed, interrogated,
threatened and arrested. While most have been released on bonds, some
remain incarcerated and others have been added to their number.
Pastor Behrouz Khanjani, who was arrested in January after responding
to a request from the authorities that he present himself for
questioning, was bailed on 17 March only to be rearrested on 16 June.
His wife, Fatemeh Torkkajouri, was arrested the following day and
placed in solitary confinement in Evin Prison.
After informing Pastor Behrouz of his wife’s fate, the authorities
reportedly incarcerated him in ‘Plate 100’, a dungeon of the
intelligent services in Chiraz. Their daughter Esperance is in the
care of Muslim family members. Fatemeh was released on bail of
$20,000 on 22 July. Meanwhile, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who was
arrested in Rasht on 13 October 2009 for protesting the regime’s
plans to force Islamic education on all children in violation of the
constitution, has reportedly been sentenced to death.

Furthermore, Pastor Yousef’s wife, Fatemeh Passandideh, was arrested
and placed in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. The authorities
have threatened to remove the couple’s two children, Yoel and Daniel,
to an Islamic institution. On 18 July 2010, a group of 15 new
believers travelling together by bus to the provincial town of
Bojnoord were ambushed by informed security forces and arrested in
the city of Mashhad. After one week of harsh interrogations,
believers who signed ‘confessions’ were freed on conditions including
that bail payment would be forthcoming.
Source: Religious Liberty
Monitoring
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ACTOR FINDS NEW
SUCCESS AFTER REFUSING RISQUE ROLES
Standing up for his religious and moral beliefs has paid off
for actor Neal McDonough. McDonough was fired from a television
series for refusing to perform sex scenes. Far from ending his
career, his career has been rejuvenated with a role in a major
Hollywood film and the lead in a new television series called
Vigilante Priest. McDonough was fired from the TV series “Scoundrels”
for not caving into demands to shoot a sex scene. McDonough, married
with 3 children said “no,” saying that would violate his Christian
faith and his role as a husband and father.
For his stand McDonough may have lost as much as $1 million in
pay. While McDonough has lost job opportunities for his stand, he is
now producing the pilot for a one hour drama on the Starz channel
about an ex-cop turned Catholic priest. McDonough plays the title
role and his character, reportedly, takes an unconventional approach
when it comes to cleaning up the crime ridden streets of Los Angeles
“one sinner at a time.” Starz is fast-tracking the project. Depending
on the success of the pilot, it could turn into a new show for
McDonough.
McDonough is also co-starring in a movie currently being filmed in
London, which is scheduled for theatrical release in July 2011. For
McDonough there is a bitter-sweet irony in the whole situation ¢â‚¬”while
ABC execs may have forced him to walk off the set of Scoundrels, the
life-expectancy of the show is looking very short, after just eight
episodes. The summer television drama has fizzled with Broadcasting &
Cable news reported as a 38 percent audience drop from its June
premiere. It is not expected to run another season.
Source:
LifeSiteNews
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CHURCHES IN
ALGERIA ORDERED TO CEASE ACTIVITY
Police have ordered two Algerian churches to cease activity. Police
notified Pastor Salah Chalah to close his1200 member Full-Gospel
Church in Tizi Ouzou, 100 kilometres east of the capital Algiers.
Similarly, security officials issued notice to a second pastor,
Mustapha Krireche, to close down his church in Tizi Ouzou’s Nouvelle
Ville district.The written closure notice demanded that the churches
conform to articles of a law governing non-Muslim worship but did not
make clear how the churches had violated it.
The law forbids attempts to convert Muslims to other religions and
bans material intended to “shake the faith of a Muslim.” As all
Algerian Christians are converts from Islam, the new law could make
nearly all churches in the country illegal. The Algerian government
has ordered 10 churches closed in recent months. Pray that God’s
people in Algeria will find peace and comfort in Christ as they face
opposition for His Name. Ask God to provide wisdom and guidance to
the leaders as to how to nurture their congregations, and equip them
to share the message of Christ with the lost.
Source: Voice of the
Martyrs
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STUDENTS PUNISHED
FOR OPPOSING HOMOSEXUALITY
Christian students at two universities are being punished for
disagreeing with their schools’ policies on homosexuality. Julea Ward
was expelled from a school counselling program at Eastern Michigan
University. She had told her professors that her faith would keep her
from affirming the gay lifestyle for homosexual clients. A federal
judge has upheld her expulsion by the school. The Alliance Defence
Fund has stepped in to help Ward appeal the ruling. “Christian
students shouldn’t be expelled for holding to and abiding by their
beliefs,” said Senior Counsel David French.
Meanwhile, a counselling student at Augusta State University in
Georgia is also being punished for standing up for her beliefs.
Jennifer Keeton said she was told she would not be allowed to
graduate unless she changed her Christian beliefs against
homosexuality. The ADF has filed a lawsuit on her behalf as well.
“It’s an emerging issue, without question,” French said. “Requiring a
student to change his or her beliefs to graduate is “punishment of
free speech.” “That is not the role of the state and it is not within
the power of the state,” he added.
Source: CBN
News
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FLOODING CAUSES
HAVOC IN PAKISTAN
Flash floods in Pakistan caused by heavy monsoon rains have killed
over 2,000 people and many are missing from devastated communities in
some 30 districts. The country ¢â‚¬â„¢s Provincial Disaster Management
Authority, says over 3.5 million people have been affected. Children
are always among the most vulnerable during emergencies. An estimated
400,000 children have been impacted by the flooding. With communities
hard to reach because of damaged roads and bridges, and many families
with only a two- to three-day supply of food, children are extremely
vulnerable to hunger.
Families are without clean drinking water and shelter, with children
particularly vulnerable to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea.
The lack of sanitation means that hygiene is even more difficult to
maintain. Health posts have been destroyed, meaning that people in
remote communities no longer have local access to basic health care.
No epidemics of disease have been reported so far but the U.N. World
Health Organization warned hundreds of thousands of people are at
risk of contracting diseases from contaminated water.
Source: Intercessors
Network
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JEWISH PRAYER
FOCUS 2010 BEGINS SEPTEMBER 8.
The Jewish Prayer Focus is a call to intercession for the Jewish
people for the 22-day period (Sept 8-29) during the Holy Days of the
Biblical calendar in Lev 23:26ff. Our main focus is to pray for the
salvation of the Jews and also to prepare ourselves for the return of
the Messiah, which these holidays foreshadow. The prayer guide
contains prayer points, teachings, testimonies, and introductions to
Israeli congregations, mostly written by Messianic leaders
themselves.
Copies of the Prayer Guide are available from: Jewish Prayer Focus,
PO Box 54, Kerrimuir, VIC 3129, [email protected] or call
03-9899.7231. The cost is AUD$8.00 each, $15 for 2, $22 for 3, or
$65 for 10 incl postage. Cheques to Living Way Christian Network
(JPF is a sub-entity). Also available at Koorong. For more
information visit http://jewishprayerfocus.org/
Source: Jill Curry – Jewish Prayer Focus
Co-ordinator

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