Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 164 | Wed 20 Jun 2012

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BURMA & SUDAN: WARFARE AGAINST CHRISTIANS       (Plus Nigeria)
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by Elizabeth Kendal

Earlier this month two horrendous wars marked one year since the breakout
of hostilities. The Islamist Arab-supremacist regime in Khartoum, Sudan,
began its genocidal campaign against the predominantly Christian Africans
of the Nuba Mountain, South Kordofan, on 5 June 2011. The Buddhist Burman-
supremacist regime in Naypyidaw, Burma (Myanmar), launched its military
campaign against the Christian Kachin of Kachin State in northern Burma on
9 June 2011. In fact these are only the most recent episodes in two long
histories of military brutality, ethnic cleansing and even attempted
genocide. Despite the enormity of the human suffering, the ‘international
community’ and the mainstream media are largely uninterested, for these
conflicts – one a declared Islamic jihad, the other a blight on the
Burmese fairytale – are just too hot to handle, too politically incorrect
to touch. Furthermore their poor Christian victims are actually an
inconvenience to those who make decisions based on economic and geo-
strategic interests, as distinct from righteousness and justice. These
‘inconvenient’ Christians – victims of greed and racial-religious hatred –
need our prayers.

BURMA (Myanmar): ETHNIC CLEANSING OF THE KACHIN

UN figures put the total number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in
Kachin State at over 62,000 with some 24,000 in camps in government-
controlled areas. Another estimated 40,000 are in areas controlled by the
Kachin Independence Army (KIA) where government blockades ensure that
humanitarian aid (including food and medical supplies) is scarce. The KIA
puts the number of IDPs at closer to 100,000. Well over 7,000 refugees
have fled across the border into China. Medics fear that without mosquito
nets the rainy season will herald an explosion of malaria cases. Further
to this, a Human Rights Watch consultant and Burma specialist, Matthew
Smith, warns that ‘the IDP camps are essentially pools of prey for human
traffickers’. Military violence has left some of the IDPs severely
traumatised (e.g. speechless, incontinent). Churches throughout the state
who are providing for and sheltering hundreds of IDPs each are struggling
greatly, especially as Burmese soldiers routinely intimidate pastors and
attack churches. The Kachin are a Christian people with a distinctly
Christian culture and Burma’s Buddhist Burman-supremacist regime wants to
exploit their resource-rich ancestral lands.

SUDAN: GENOCIDE OF THE NUBA

Hundreds of thousands of displaced predominantly Christian Africans in
South Kordofan are facing a slow and agonising death by starvation due to
famine engineered with genocidal intent by the National Islamic Front /
National Congress Party regime in Khartoum. The Nuba are a predominantly
Christian African people and the Islamist Arab-supremacist regime in
Khartoum is in the process of annihilating them so it can control their
resource-rich ancestral lands. In refugee camps in South Sudan, some of
those who have survived the long trek from South Kordofan and neighbouring
Blue Nile State have been dying from dehydration, diarrhoea and sheer
exhaustion. The Jamam refugee camp in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State holds
some 20,000 refugees. An aid worker from Oxfam, Peter Struijf, told
Associated Press (18 June) that children are already perishing and the
camp will be out of water in a week. Whilst the impending rainy season
will provide much needed water for refugees, it will exacerbate the plight
of the estimated 40,000 IDPs still trekking south.

‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this
present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armour of God . . .
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and
supplication.’ (Taken from Ephesians 6:12-18 ESV.)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT –

* Jehovah-Jireh (the Lord who provides) will provide Kachin and Sudanese
refugees with all their needs; may the Holy Spirit strengthen their
hearts, keeping faith and hope alive, so they will seek the Lord and
experience his grace and power.

* Yahweh Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts / the commander of heaven’s angelic
armies) will intervene for his people to deliver vengeance to their
enemies and recompense to the victims (Isaiah 35:4; also 40:10).

PRAYER: ‘O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will
strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the
fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may
strike terror no more.’ (Psalm 10:17,18 ESV.)

To view this RLPB with hyperlinks, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer
Bulletin blog:  http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

~~~~

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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WARFARE AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN BURMA & SUDAN

A war of ethnic cleansing is being waged by Burma’s Buddhist Burman-
supremacist regime against the Christian Kachin of Kachin State in
northern Burma. Up to100,000 Christian Kachin have been displaced,
humanitarian aid is routinely blockaded, children are kidnapped and
trafficked, and civilians are so brutalised by the military that some are
severely traumatised. Meanwhile, genocide is being perpetrated by Sudan’s
Islamist Arab-supremacist regime against the predominantly Christian
African populations of the ‘new south’ (Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue
Nile). The National Islamic Front / National Congress Party regime in
Khartoum has engineered a famine that could kill 500,000 in coming months.
Whilst hundreds of thousands have escaped into refugee camps in South
Sudan, weak and frail children, wounded and elderly are perishing from
dehydration and sheer exhaustion. Please pray!

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

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NIGERIA: TERROR STRIKES AGAIN

On Sunday 17 June Islamic terrorists struck five churches in the central
middle-belt state of Kaduna.   Boko Haram has claimed responsibility. The
Kaduna state government has imposed a 24-hour curfew. Two churches were
bombed in the Muslim-dominated north of the state: the Evangelical Church
of West Africa (ECWA) church in Wusasa, Zaria Local Government Area (LGA)
and Christ the King Cathedral Catholic church in Sabon Gari LGA, just
north of Zaria city. Three churches were bombed in Christian-dominated
Kaduna South LGA: the Shalom Church in the Trikania, along with two
churches in Nassarawa and Barnawa. Ethnic-Christian youths responded to
the massive, multiple bombings at Shalom Church with rioting that claimed
seven lives and left dozens wounded. The weekend’s toll: at least 52 dead
and more than 150 wounded. Please pray for the Church in Nigeria.

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For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ <http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com>.

Previous RLPBs may be viewed at <http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/>.

CIRCULATION CODE 3.  OPEN.   May be circulated to general mailing lists, outside organizations, and quoted from freely in reports citing “Middle East Concern” as the source of the information.

12 June 2012

Dear friend,

Greetings in the name of Jesus, Lord and Saviour

Last week we requested prayer concerning the Iranian government’s campaign of intimidation against Christians and Churches.

We regret to report that one church has been forced to close. On Tuesday 5th June the Assemblies of God church in Tehran’s Janat-Abad suburb was told to cease all activities, and threatened with the confiscation of its building.

Recall that in early May leaders of another Assemblies of God church in Tehran were ordered by the Ministry of Intelligence to submit the names and ID numbers of all members. Church leaders provided a list of names and ID numbers of church members who had given their consent, some of whom have subsequently been pressurised by the authorities.

Recall also that, since early February, two other legally recognised churches in Tehran have been ordered to stop holding Farsi-language services on Fridays, and that several members of Anglican, Presbyterian and Assemblies of God Churches have been arrested. Two of these are among at least 20 believers (most from Muslim backgrounds) who are known still to be detained.

Iranian Christians supporting these believers thank us for our prayers. They request our continued intercession asking that:

a.   The closure order will be reversed and other restrictions on churches lifted

b.   All Christians in Iran will know the protection of the Father, comfort of the Son and the guidance of the Holy Spirit

c.   They will be able to meet for worship, prayer, Bible study and fellowship with like-minded believers

d.   Those believers currently detained will know the presence and peace of Jesus, and be released soon

e.   Church and fellowship group leaders will know the Spirit’s discernment and wisdom

f.   All officials involved will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him.

~~

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 163 | Wed 13 Jun 2012

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EGYPT: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 16-17 JUNE      (Plus Nigeria)
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by Elizabeth Kendal

Egyptians are set to return to the polls over 16-17 June to elect their
president. The two contenders – the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi and  Mubarak’s Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq – are poles apart and 50 percent of
voters did not vote for either of them in the preliminary polls. The
youths who led the protests in Tahrir Square feel betrayed by the process.
Rather than choose between political Islam and a secular police state –
something one described as a choice ‘between two wrongs’ – they are
organising a boycott.

On Thursday 14 June Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court will be ruling on
the constitutionality of the Political Isolation Law which the Islamist-
dominated parliament passed in April. The law, which bans senior officials
of Mubarak’s regime from holding political posts, saw Shafiq disqualified
from contesting the presidency. However, Shafiq won an appeal against the
law which was then referred to the Constitutional Court. If on 14 June the
court declares the law valid, then Shafiq will again be disqualified and
fresh elections will be called. Whilst the ‘revolutionary’ forces are
hoping for a cancellation that would give them time to re-organise for
fresh elections, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) want the
elections to go ahead this weekend as they believe Morsi will have little
trouble defeating Shafiq.

To seduce Christians, the MB signed an agreement with Egyptian
evangelicals promising to advance religious freedom and equality.
Christianity Today questioned whether the MB could be trusted after
reneging on its promise not to field a candidate for the presidency. When
MB representative Mahmoud Ghozlan responded to this, he said the Islamic
prophet Muhammad justified reneging on promises when he said: ‘If someone
swears by his right hand, saying “by God this or that” but then sees
something better, he may atone for his right hand and take that which is
better.’ Ghozlan said the MB promised not to field a candidate before the
parliamentary elections showed just how keen the nation is for Islam.
After gaining dominance over the parliament, the MB deemed it would be
‘better’ for democracy if Egypt had a MB president. If the MB win the
presidency doubtless they could deem fundamentalist Islam and Sharia Law
‘better’ than a pact with evangelicals.

The elections could cause a profound fracturing of the state and trigger a
spasm of political and sectarian violence. As noted in RLPB 161, Islamists
and revolutionary forces have unfairly and unjustifiably attributed the
surprise rise of Shafiq (who ran on a platform of stability and security)
to a conspiracy by the Coptic Church. Egypt’s indigenous Christian Copts
could well find themselves being set up as a convenient scapegoat for
national anger, no matter who wins. Please pray for God’s faithful in
Egypt.

[Check for updates on the election on Religious Liberty Monitoring
http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com.au/    where it will be followed
closely.]

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL —

* revive Egypt’s churches and historically Christian peoples, so that
lawlessness and threat will not hinder their preaching of the gospel,
their commitment to prayer and their walk of faith: only through Christ
shall Egypt be ‘blessed’ (Isaiah 19).

* awaken Egypt’s Muslims to the fact that Islam is not the solution:
though there be pain, may there be healing so that Egypt will ‘return
to the Lord’ (Isaiah 19). [Egypt was overwhelmingly Christian before
the Arab-Islamic conquests of the 7th Century.]

* give Coptic and other Christian leaders great spiritual discernment and
wisdom to lead the Church in faithfulness and hope and according to the
will of the Lord.

* be a shield and refuge to those who put their trust in him; may he
protect their families and provide all their needs.

~~~~

SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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EGYPT: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 16-17 JUNE

Egypt’s presidential election – to take place this weekend unless
cancelled by the Constitutional Court – could readily fracture the state
by triggering political and sectarian violence. To secure the evangelical
vote, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) – which has already broken its promise
not to field a presidential candidate – has signed an agreement with
Egyptian evangelicals promising to advance religious freedom and equality.
Meanwhile they are blaming the Coptic Church for the rise of their
opponent Ahmed Shafiq. However, the MB might adhere to its Islamic
principles and renege on a pact with evangelicals if it secures the
presidency. Also there is great concern that Egypt’s indigenous Christian
Copts will be made the scapegoat for national anger no matter who wins.
Please pray for God’s faithful in Egypt.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

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NIGERIA: TERROR STRIKES AGAIN

On Sunday 10 June a massive suicide car-bomb ripped through Christ’s
Chosen Assembly Church in Jos, in the central, middle-belt state of
Plateau. The blast occurred around 11am during morning worship and was so
powerful the church collapsed. Pastor Monday Uzoka, his wife and two
children are amongst the wounded, with Uzoka and one of his elders in a
critical condition. Meanwhile, gunmen opened fire inside and around the
EYN church in Biu, in the north-eastern state of Borno. [EYN stands for
‘Church of the Brethren in Nigeria’ in the local Hausa (Muslim) language.]
The weekend’s toll was at least six believers dead and 52 hospitalised,
with many still missing. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for both
attacks and vowed to continue attacking state institutions and churches
‘until we achieve our goal of establishing an Islamic state in place of
the secular state’.

REMINDER: The National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria,
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has declared Saturday 16 June a day of national
prayer and fasting for the country. Please continue in prayer for the
Church in Nigeria.

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To view this RLPB with hyperlinks, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer
Bulletin blog  http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

AUSTRALIAN   PRAYER   NETWORK   NEWSLETTER

June 2012

• SUDANESE AUTHORITIES CLOSE CHRISTIAN OFFICE IN SOUTH DARFUR
• SYRIAN CHRISTIANS AFRAID OF POSSIBLE ISLAMIC RULE
• UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AFFIRMS HOMOSEXUALITY IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH CHRISTIAN TEACHING
• GIRL HEALED FROM PNEUMONIA AFTER VISITATION BY ANGEL
• ELECTION OF HARD LINE ISLAMIST GOVERNOR IN ACEH INDONESIA SPELLS TROUBLE
• NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER HEDGES BETS ON HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE
• U.S. ABORTION GROUPS ALARMED AT GROWING PRO-LIFE SUPPORT
• CATHOLIC BISHOPS DENOUNCE THREATS TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

SUDANESE AUTHORITIES CLOSE CHRISTIAN OFFICE IN SOUTH DARFUR

Security agents in Sudan’s South Darfur state have closed down the Nyala offices of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) and relief group Sudan Aid, sources say. Agents from the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS)arrived at the organizations’ compound in Nyala recently and ordered SCC staff members to hand over keys of offices and vehicles and, without explanation, ordered them to leave immediately, an SCC staff worker said.”They came early in the morning to our office and took all the keys of the offices, chasing us out of the compound with no reason given to us,” the SCC staff worker said.   Three staff members from Sudan Aid were arrested in the course of the closure and were taken to an undisclosed location, the source said.

“Their families are living in agony due awaiting word of their fate,” the worker said. NISS agents also closed down a church clinic that was serving the needy in the area. The actions came as Christianity is increasingly regarded as a foreign faith to be excised from Sudan, which has begun transporting ethnic South Sudanese to South Sudan following the latter’s secession last year. An estimated 350,000 ethnic South Sudanese, many of them Christian, remain in the Islamic north, with many having never lived anywhere else. The day after the closure of the SCC and Sudan Aid offices,staff members reported to work only to find more than a dozen security personnel, some carrying arms, cordoning off the compound. The security agents told the employees the offices were closed and to go home.

The agents took the keys of five cars and drove them away, according to an SCC press statement. Three motorbikes were also taken. “We do not know the whereabouts of the cars,” the SCC officials said. Sudan’s federa lHumanitarian Aid Commission has frozen the bank accounts of the SCC in Nyala. The security agents also took four cars and five motorbikes from Sudan Aid, sources said. Five staff members were arrested, though two were later released. Sources said the incident left churches in South Darfur deeply disturbed and frightened. At the same time, Sudanese President Omaral-Bashir, sought by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in Darfur, has vowed to rid the Nuba Mountains of Christians and those he claims are agents of the West.

He has ordered the Sudanese military to rid the Nuba Mountains of everyone who opposes his Islamic rule, and the past several weeks he has repeatedly declared jihad against the ethnic Nuba peoples, which include many Christians. The government has declared jihad against Christians in the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile state and in South Sudan. State-owned TV and radio play songs urging Muslims to “fight the infidels” and “cleanse the land” of their presence, increasing the fears of ethnic South Sudanese Christians trapped in the hostile north. Humanitarian agencies consider the Islamic government’s targeting of civilians in the Nuba Mountains an “ethnic cleansing” against non-Arab peoples in the multi-ethnic state, with the added incentive of ridding the area of Christians.

Additionally, as military conflict escalates between Sudan and South Sudan, Bashir has vowed to liberate South Sudan from what he described as “insects.” “We do want to see these insects making our pure land unclean,” he said. The hostile speeches by Bashir and other Sudanese officials are aimed at mobilizing Muslims abroad to fund military operations in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, sources said. Muslim religious leaders in Sudan, said to have ties with hard-line Muslim Salafists, have asserted that there should no longer be room for churches and Christians following South Sudan’s secession on July 9, 2011. Life is becoming more difficult for Christians in South Kordofan as the Sudan government mobilizes Arab tribes, arming them with guns to kill the ethnic Nuba people.

Source: Compass Direct News

SYRIAN CHRISTIANS AFRAID OF POSSIBLE ISLAMIC RULE

Christians living in conflict-ridden Syria are afraid that their community would fall victim to religious extremism if President Bashar al-Assad regime collapses and Islamists come to power. “I am afraid that we will suffer bad times,” a member of Damascus’s Christian community, who identified himself as Jorge. A full-fledged civil war will break out in Syria if Assad’s enemies and their western supporters continue efforts to topple the president, he continued. “If the regime falls…, Islamists will come to power,” Jorge said, adding that Islamists “wrongly believe that we support the current regime,” and for that reason they will complicate the life of Christians.”

Sunni Muslims who predominate Syria think that if President Assad’s regime representing the interests of the Alawi minority falls, they will live better. But I personally think that they are wrong. Syria is a secular state and its people, including Moslems, will not like it if the new power starts thrusting orthodox Islamic norms of moral and behaviour on them,” he added. According to Jorge’s opinion, extremist forces rather than liberals would come to power in Syria. Another Syrian, an engineer from Homs, said on conditions of anonymity that he is sure that if Assad’s regime falls, Christians will be “expelled from the country in one day.”

Presently, the situation in Homs is quite complicated, almost all of the local Christians have moved away. Their homes have been occupied by militants and their families, and the shops have been looted. Refugees are temporarily living in other regions of the country. Jorge said Islamists are trying to show that if the regime changes, Christians would not come under attack. “They do it to appease the Christians, attract them from supporting the regime,” he said. Moslem leaders put messages on social networks saying that Christians and Moslems have for centuries lived together in Syria; theyalso try to distance themselves from the damage that has been inflicted on Christian homes and churches in Homs.

The engineer from Homs said that government forces could have “pushed out “Islamist militants from Homs if they continued shelling the city for at least three more days. “But then they adopted UN and League of Arab States Ambassador Kofi Annan’s plan and gunfire was terminated. But this does not bring anything good to us. Our homes remain occupied by militants.” He said the majority Christians do not consider emigration a possibility. “This is our homeland. Christians have been living in Syria long before the Moslems. Why should we move away?” Christians make up about ten percent of Syria’s 23-million population. Approximately half of Syria’s Christians belong to the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

Pray for the Christians in Syria who find themselves trapped in a very unstable position with the government. Pray for their safety and strength. Pray for their needed provisions such as food and health. Pray for wisdom in their decisions as family members and as church leaders.

Source: Intercessors for America

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AFFIRMS HOMOSEXUALITY IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH CHRISTIAN TEACHING

Members of America’s largest mainline Protestant church has voted to maintain the doctrine that homosexual actions were “incompatible with Christian teaching”.   The United Methodist Church voted down two proposals to water down its stance on homosexuality. One proposal called homosexuals “people of sacred worth” and acknowledged differing viewpoints on the issue, while another said humans did not know enough about human sexuality to prefer one lifestyle over another.   The Religion News Service reports after delegates defeated the pro-LGBT proposals, “gay rights activists flooded the assembly floor and disrupted the session by singing the hymn ‘What Does the Lord Require of You?'” They refused requests to stop singing, forcing him to curtail that morning’s session.

The church’s position, enshrined in its Book of Discipline, conflicts with the words of one of the United Methodist Church’s most prominent members, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.   Clinton said those who cite “religiousor cultural values” that oppose homosexuality are “not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honour killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation.” Clinton has since placed normalizing homosexuality at the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda.

The denomination’s more traditional members were overjoyed by the vote.”Thanks to its global membership, United Methodism uniquely is growing in members and rejecting liberal accommodation of secular Western culture, unlike declining U.S. mainline Protestant denominations,” Mark D. Tooley, president of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, said. Tooley, along time critic of the UMC’s liberal drift, said the denomination is “likely to have an African membership majority within a decade or so, United Methodism can anticipate a bright future ahead that is more tied to vibrant global Christianity than to dying liberal Protestantism in America.” The United Methodist Church has 12 million members, 8 million in the United States.

Source: LifeSiteNews.com

GIRL HEALED FROM PNEUMONIA AFTER VISITATION BY ANGEL

Chelsea had been plagued with health problems since her 5-week premature birth. At almost 15 years of age-old, Chelsea was in the battle of her life, suffering from severe pneumonia. After being hospitalized and on a ventilator for 2 months, doctors said there was little they could do, and her mother had to make the heartbreaking decision to discontinue her daughter’s life support. But then a miracle happened. Caught on the hospital’s hall   camera, there was an inexplicable bright light outside Chelsea’s hospital door. Moments later, Chelsea’s condition miraculously improved, and doctors confirmed the good news. Chelsea was able to celebrate her 15th birthday, thanks to a guardian angel.   “I don’t think I would’ve brought Chelsea home if the angel had not appeared,” explained her mother.

Edward Grinnan, the editor-in-chief of Guideposts magazine said “Surveys show that about 70% of the American population believes in angels. And, about half of those people have claimed to see an angel in one form or another. I think what really proves an angel’s appearance is the effect it has on the people who see that angel, or encounter that angel in some way,”Grinnan continued. “We found from our readers that angels change people’s lives – they’re never quite the same after they see one.” Of course, as a Christian, I would add that the very word “angel” – literally translated from the Greek “angelos” – means “messenger,” according to Webster’s Dictionary.

The Hebrew word for angel is “malakh,” which also means “messenger.” Where there is a messenger, there has to be one who sends the messenger. That One is God. The Bible carries many accounts, in the Old Testament and New, of angels sent by God to minister to His children. Because of this, I’m never surprised when I hear of these angelic encounters, and am always blessed by it, as it points to the great love of our Father God. After all, as Psalm 91 reads,”. He will give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. “And, the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” –

Source: Intercessors Network

ELECTION OF HARD LINE ISLAMIST GOVERNOR IN ACEH INDONESIA SPELLS TROUBLE

The election of a hard-line Islamic governor in Indonesia’s Aceh Province appears to have opened the way for a crack-down on the minority Christian community, which saw 17 churches sealed shut during May. Emboldened by the election of Zaini Abdullah of the militant Aceh Party (PA), hundreds of Islamists demonstrated in front of the office of Aceh Singkil regency demanding that church buildings in the area not only be sealed, but also demolished. Christian leaders said that besides the usual pretext of lack of church permits – applications for which local authorities routinely deny or delay – the demands were based on a controversial agreement that Christians were reportedly forced to sign in 2001. It mandated that there be only one church and four chapels in the regency.

The number of churches in the regency had grown to 22. The Secretary of the Indonesian Fellowship of Churches, Jeirry Simampow, said the demonstrators were upset with the Interfaith Harmony Forum for allowing the growth of area churches. Of the 17 churches closed, 11 belong to the Protestant Christian Church of Pakpak Dairi. The Rev. Elson Lingga, the Church district superintendent, said that the mob clamoured for the demolition of the church buildings, and a new acting regent had agreed to the demand. “This position was supported by the police chief, who said that all he wanted was a schedule of the church demolitions,” Lingga said. He added, “It’s not that Christians will not apply for permits, but it is almost impossible to secure permission even after putting in maximum efforts.”

“The number of Christians has reached 12,000,” Simampow said, adding that the church growth has not been accompanied by building permits. “Some houses are forced to function as churches, and some buildings are only semi-permanent.”

Source: Compass Direct

NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER HEDGES BETS ON HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE

New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key says he would support a bill to legalise same-sex marriage at its initial stage, but will not guarantee his support would continue through to the final reading that would see it become law. Mr Key expanded on his views on gay marriage after saying that he was not opposed to it – a change from the past when he had declined to give a view. He said that if a member’s bill came before Parliament, he would support it at its first reading to allow it to be debated in select committee. However, when asked if he would support it at the final reading he said, “I don’t know.” Mr Key has previously said he votes on conscience issues according to the views of his Helensville constituents – he told the Herald in 2008 that he was “more liberal than my voting record”.

He said the Government itself would not put up a bill for same-sex marriage.”It’s not my number one issue, that’s for sure. That has been true of most of those conscience or moral issues. The previous Government had a lot of those on the agenda from prostitution law reform through to civil unions. We haven’t had any and that’s reflected that these are tough economic times and we need to spend our precious time in Parliament resolving those issues.” He said he recognised it was an issue “for a small group of New Zealanders” but it was not a big issue for the Government. “But if a member wants to put a bill in, we can’t – and wouldn’t – stop that process and I’m more than happy for a debate to be aired through a select committee process.”

Source: The NZ Herald

U.S. ABORTION GROUPS ALARMED AT GROWING PRO-LIFE SUPPORT

Nancy Keenan, leader of the U.S.A.’s largest pro-choice organization, has announced that’s she’s stepping down amid concerns of a lack of abortion support among young voters. Pro-life groups see the decision as proof of a growing revolution against abortion in America. “Babies losing their lives, will probably decrease in this generation,” said Chuck Donovan, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund. He added that Americans can expect to see more activism as young people mobilize. “And I hope that it will also occur in the medical field,” Donovan said. ” I think it’s just radically optimistic.” That’s good news for the pro-life movement but not for pro-choice groups like the National Abortion Rights Action League.

The group’s own research showed a new trend: young, pro-life voters feel much more intensely about the abortion issue than young pro-choicers. The NARAL survey found that 51 percent of pro-life voters age 30 or younger feel abortion is a very important issue for them at the polls. Only 26 percent of pro-choice voters feel so intensely. “We’re basically seeing twice the intensity among pro-lifers than among young pro-choice voters,” Donovan explained. Pro-life voters are already making an impact at the polls. Donovan said pro-lifers were a crucial part of turning 15 state legislatures conservative in 2010, along with sweeping many Republican governors into office. The result has been a huge wave of new anti-abortion laws across the U.S.

Source: CBN News

CATHOLIC BISHOPS DENOUNCE THREATS TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Canada’s Roman Catholic bishops say religious voices have a right to be heard in public debates and shouldn’t be shouldered aside in the name of separation of church and state. They are also encouraging civil disobedience in cases where public policy runs foul of private morality on questions such as abortion, contraception and gay marriage. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a 12-page pastoral letter on religious freedom, arguing that freedom of worship includes the right for believers to publicly state their views on key questions of the day. The letter says there are radical elements that want to relegate religion to the private sphere, denying it any influence on society.

It says the idea of banning religious feasts and symbols supposedly out of respect for members of other religions or non-believers is a sign of the marginalization of religion, and Christianity in particular. The bishops also cite abortion, the morning-after pill, gay marriage and euthanasia as areas where the state makes no allowance for conscientious objection. They say it is wrong for any Roman Catholic to support the right to abortion or euthanasia; rather, there is a clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection.

Source: Intercessors Network

Have you visited our Web site?  Australian Prayer Network

Earlier in June 2012:

BURMA – SOME ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS

CHINA PLANS TO ERADICATE HOUSE CHURCHES

MISSIONARIES MADE IN CHINA

SUDAN IN TROUBLE

BABY BOY RAISED FROM THE DEAD

TELEVISION SEX RAISES TEEN PREGNANCY RISK

BURMA – SOME ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS

Following is a report issued by David Eubank of the Free Burma Rangers (FBR). The Free Burma Rangers’ mission is to provide hope, help and love to displaced people inside Burma, regardless of race or religion. FBR reports on human rights abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR also provides medical, spiritual and educational resources for communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military attacks. The report is an exciting account of prayer and reconciliation from the front lines for which we can rejoice and give thanks even as we must continue to pray for God’s full healing of the conflicted nation of Burma.

Last year we wrote a letter to the Government of Burma (Myanmar) telling them that we pray for them, encouraging them to reconcile with all people in Burma and telling them that we were willing to be of help in any constructive way. The Burma government let us know indirectly that they were interested in meeting. We did not know if and when a meeting would take place but unexpectedly we recently met the government delegation. Present at the meeting were former Burma Army Generals Aung Min and Khin Gyi and others who were in the middle of a KNU/Burma government prisoner release/negotiation. The meeting was warm, and I told them, “It is good we did not meet on the battle field, one of us or all of us would probably be dead!”, and we all laughed.

I gave them our FBR DVDs and FBR annual report and told them they may be angry when they look at all of these but that we reported what was true and tried to speak the truth in love. I acknowledged we were looking at things from one side and one perspective but were open to seeing the other side and all sides. They told me they would like to meet again and invited me to come to Burma. They then proceeded to the meeting hall where the official release of Mahn Ye Maung would take place. Many of us in FBR joined the meeting and stood in the back of the room. When the official handover of Mahn Ye Maung to the KNU was over the delegation moved back out, and we hugged and prayed with Mahn Ye Maung.

On the way out Aung Min saw Baby Suu standing with me. He smiled and introduced himself, asking who she was – Suu shook his hand and introduced herself as Baby Bear and Suu. I took Aung Min’s hand in mine and asked him if I could pray – he looked surprised but smiled and said yes, so I prayed – first in Burmese – “May God bless you” then in English-asking God to lead, help, and bless us as we try new ways that we do not know. Aung Min squeezed my hand as we prayed, and I felt God’s love with us. After this we took a photo together. Then the Burma and Karen delegations ate lunch together at the next long table over from our FBR and Dogwood Cross group – very amazing positioning.

After lunch, one of the Karen leaders asked me to stay on as the Karen and Burma group would continue meetings. Later that afternoon, the meeting finished, and now the delegation met our whole family and invited us to Burma for a meeting. There were real smiles as the kids introduced themselves and saluted as a team. We talked about the FBR mission, the multi-ethnic focus of our work, how we do this together as a family and how this is grounded in love and the desire for freedom for all. We said goodbye and they departed. We do not know what will come of the meetings with the Burma government and if there will be any more.

Let’s continue to pray for the full healing and reconciliation of Burma and its peoples. For more information, please visit http://www.freeburmarangers.org/

Source: John Robb, Chairman International Prayer Council

CHINA PLANS TO ERADICATE HOUSE CHURCHES

China ¢â‚¬â„¢s government is engaged in a 3-phase campaign to eradicate Protestant house churches, according to a statement released by the China Aid Association (CAA). The government ¢â‚¬â„¢s strategy is outlined in a document which calls for local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of house churches nationwide and create dossiers on each of them. In phase two, authorities are to strongly encourage unregistered churches to affiliate with the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM); and in phase three, to be completed within 10 years, churches refusing to comply would be shut down, according to the CAA. Officials would also ban the words  ¢â‚¬Å“house church ¢â‚¬  from websites and other media and replace the term with  ¢â‚¬Å“house gatherings ¢â‚¬ .

In a recent random survey conducted by the CAA, over 95% of house church leaders said they had already felt the impact of these investigations, while 85% said local religious affairs departments had already created a dossier on their group.  ¢â‚¬Å“Since the beginning of 2012, we have noticed an increase in the frequency of persecution, ¢â‚¬  the CAA said in a press statement. The campaign first emerged in December 2010 through a secret document entitled  ¢â‚¬Å“Operation Deterrence, ¢â‚¬  issued by the Communist Party ¢â‚¬â„¢s Central Committee. This directive urged officials at all levels to  ¢â‚¬Å“guide ¢â‚¬  house church Christians to attend only churches belonging to the government-approved TSPM and to break up large house churches into smaller groups.

Shouwang Church, numbering some 1,000 members, felt the effects of this directive almost immediately. Having blocked Shouwang ¢â‚¬â„¢s attempts to register legally or to find a suitable worship venue, officials in April 2011 began to arrest and interrogate church members who sought to meet outdoors in a public plaza.  ¢â‚¬Å“In the past year it has been His grace and peace that have protected us and sustained us, ¢â‚¬  a church staff member wrote.  ¢â‚¬Å“May the power and glory of the Lord become our strength while waiting upon God in this difficult circumstance. ¢â‚¬   ¢â‚¬Å“Operation Deterrence ¢â‚¬  also empowered SARA to certify and create files on all Protestant clergy as a means to further implement China ¢â‚¬â„¢s Regulations on Religious Affairs  ¢â‚¬“ a process that should be completed by the end of 2012.

According to a statement in January by SARA Deputy Director Jiang Jianyong, Churches led by clergy who are not certified under this system will then be at greater risk of being shut down. Simultaneously, the China Christian Council and the TSPM are rolling out joint  ¢â‚¬Å“Training Sessions for Ministerial Certification ¢â‚¬  across China. These sessions include instruction on China ¢â‚¬â„¢s Regulations on Religious Affairs and the need for patriotism, according to the CAA. According to the document circulated last September, the government plans to use  ¢â‚¬Å“humane law enforcement measures ¢â‚¬  to achieve the total eradication of house churches.

It remains to be seen how  ¢â‚¬Å“humane law enforcement, long-term implementation and  ¢â‚¬Ëœunited front ¢â‚¬â„¢ style registration ¢â‚¬  will impact house churches in the future.

Source: Compass Direct News

MISSIONARIES MADE IN CHINA

First-time visitors to China are staggered by the sheer numbers of people crowding the streets and public transport. With a population over the 1.3 billion mark, this nation is home to 20% of the planet. Beijing claims 19 million residents, Shanghai 20 million, and cities with only one or two million are considered small.   It ¢â‚¬â„¢s also hard to ignore the in-your-face wealth of the cities. Cartier, Rolls Royce showrooms and luxury hotels seem to advertise capitalism rather than Communism. These are clearly China ¢â‚¬â„¢s glory days ¢â‚¬”small wonder the West is looking to the East to bail them out of their economic woes. China is rapidly expanding its holdings all over the world. The International Monetary Fund is predicting that by 2016, it will surpass the U.S. as the world biggest economic superpower.

What does this burgeoning prosperity and nationalistic pride mean for missions and the Chinese Church? The first Protestant missionary made it to China in 1807, a full 500 years behind Roman Catholic missionaries. On the voyage out, the cynical ship ¢â‚¬â„¢s captain asked Robert Morrison if he really expected to make any impression on the idolatry of this vast empire.  ¢â‚¬Å“No, sir, ¢â‚¬  Morrison humbly replied,  ¢â‚¬Å“but I expect God will. ¢â‚¬  And God has. By the 1920s over 10,000 missionaries were working all over China. When the establishment of the People ¢â‚¬â„¢s Republic forced a mass exodus of foreign workers, the church not only held firm, it flourished. Chinese believers took over the leadership and the vision to reach their country and beyond.

Today China ¢â‚¬â„¢s 100 million-plus Christians outnumber its 80 million Communist party members. Mission activity thrives, although it looks a lot different to what it did in Morrison ¢â‚¬â„¢s era. Today a typical missionary may live on the 24th floor of an apartment block surrounded by skyscrapers. He or she may be leading a business team that is influencing hundreds of others, through the marketplace. And this team could be completely composed of Chinese men and women. More than 300 million Chinese people have studied English either as a major course or as an elective subject. Many young people are like Stephen, a farmer ¢â‚¬â„¢s son who was determined to leave the countryside for an education in the city. In spite of the competition he won a scholarship to a university with over 50,000 students.

Separated from his family, Stephen became depressed. He met some Christian students and began attending a Bible study. Stephen observed that the lives of his fellow students changed as they came to faith. He craved the same assurance. After 3 years of searching he knew he ¢â‚¬â„¢d found what he was looking for and was baptised in the  ¢â‚¬Å“bath ¢â‚¬  of a foreign teacher ¢â‚¬â„¢s apartment. Stephen graduated, was head-hunted by a major corporation, and today continues to be committed to looking for ways to reach his family and colleagues. With some 85% of the people groups within the country still unreached and millions of Chinese living in other countries, missions  ¢â‚¬Å“made in China ¢â‚¬  is the way of the future. China has the potential to become the biggest mission-sending country within the next 20 years.

Source: Charisma News

SUDAN IN TROUBLE

Sudanese President Omar Bashir has practically declared war against South Sudan by stating that his main goal is now to “liberate” the southern people from their rulers, following recent border fighting. The Heglig oil field, which is recognised by the international community as part of Sudan, was seized by the southerners this month. Bashir told a recent rally “Either we end up in Juba and take everything or the Southerners end up in Khartoum and take everything.” That clearly means, if Bashir acts accordingly, it will be open war between the Khartoum government in the north and the southern authorities based in Juba. It is the peak of tensions between Khartoum and Juba since South Sudan became an independent state after decades of a bitter civil war which killed two million people.

The Juba government says that it was forced to seize Heglig because the northerners had been using it as a base to launch attacks on South Sudan, which is ruled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. Forces of the north and south have been fighting since South Sudan seceded from Sudan following a referendum held last year. The feud is essentially a creation of the British colonial power, which gave little regard to the sharp disparity between the Arab Muslim-dominated north and the mostly African south when it ended its rule of the area in the 1960s. The north-south conflict had been simmering since then, but it burst out into an open civil war in the mid-1980s. An internationally brokered agreement ended the fighting in 2005 and led to the 2011 referendum and creation of South Sudan.

However, Khartoum and Juba failed to agree on several key issues. It is estimated that there are 500,000 southerners in Sudan and 80,000 northerners in South Sudan. The two sides accuse each other of supporting rebel groups. There is no longer any pretence of peace nor understanding between Bashir and South Sudan President Salva Kiir. Both sides are said to be building up their forces for a major clash. An all-out war will be disastrous to both sides. Their oil-dependent economies cannot withstand a conflict. The currencies of both sides have all but collapsed. The two stand to suffer from hyperinflation and massive food deficits if they spend any large amount on war. Both northern and southern Sudan have suffered enough but could face a worse situation.

PLEASE PRAY:

*     that God will end the conflict and bring many to Christ as a result. Pray for the innocent who are suffering.

*     for nourishment and shelter for the hungry and the homeless

*     for workers in the field – for their safety and personal needs.

Source: Windows International Network

BABY BOY RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Dr. Marta Mart ƒ ­nez is a respected doctor from Montevideo, Uruguay, who believes that God still heals the sick today. She tells about an extraordinary miracle that she witnessed and was personally involved with. “I experienced this miracle some years ago, while I was working in a hospital in a small country city,” she said. “It concerned a baby who was about one month old and his mother was an adolescent and very poor. “The baby boy had come to the hospital in a very bad condition, with malnutrition, dehydration and septicaemia. There appeared to be nothing we could to do for him. Finally he died. At the moment of his death, I thought: ‘It is better for him to die, because in his environment, he would have not any chance of success, the rest of his life would be lived without hope.’

“At that moment, I felt God speaking to me saying: ‘He has the right to live’. So, immediately, I put my hand over him, and started to pray and thank God he was ‘resurrected’ ¢â‚¬”he came back to life! It was an amazing miracle.” Dr. Martinez went on to say that the baby was then sent to “a better hospital” in Montevideo called “Filtro” for further treatment. “After some months, I went to the ‘Filtro’ hospital just to visit a patient and while I was there, I asked one of the nurses about this baby that I had prayed for. She told me that ‘he’s here right now and he’s five months old.’ She added: ‘He is fine now, but we have him still here just so he can gain more weight. Would you like to see him?’

“When I saw him, I was astonished to see that, by now, he was a very big and healthy baby. God allowed me to see the complete miracle. “I have also seen other healings and I believe in divine healing because, first of all, it is written in the Bible, and secondly I have seen others healed in a miraculous way and have also experienced it in my own body.” Dr. Martinez said she thought other doctors should also believe in the power of prayer to heal the sick, and she replied, “Not just Christian doctors, but all Christians should believe in divine healing because it is written in the Bible and also, it was a very important part of Jesus’ ministry on this earth, and also because the Holy Spirit dwells in us.”

Source: ASSIST News Service

TELEVISION SEX RAISES TEEN PREGNANCY RISK

Exposure to some forms of entertainment is a corrupting influence on children, leading teens who watch sexy programs into early pregnancies and children who play violent video games to adopt aggressive behaviour, researchers claim. Researchers said their three-year study was the first to link viewing of racy television programming with risky sexual behaviour by teens. The researchers recruited adolescents aged 12 to 17 and surveyed them three times over a period of 3 years asking about television viewing habits, sexual behaviour and pregnancy. Of the 718 teenagers surveyed there were 91 pregnancies. The top 10% of adolescents who watched the most sexy programming were at double the risk of becoming or causing a pregnancy than the 10% who watched the fewest such programs.

Comedies had the most sexual content and reality programs the least. “The television content we see very rarely highlights the negative aspects of sex or the risks and responsibilities,” Dr Chandra said. “So if teens are getting any information about sex they’re rarely getting information about pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.” Teen pregnancy rates in the US have declined sharply since 1991 but remain high compared to other industrialised nations. Nearly 1 million girls aged 15 to 19 years old become pregnant yearly, or about 20 percent of sexually active females in that age group. Most of the pregnancies were unplanned, the report said. Young mothers are more likely to quit school, require public assistance and live in poverty, it said.

“Television is just one part of a teenager’s media diet that helps to influence their behaviour. We should also look at the roles that magazines, the Internet and music play in teens’ reproductive health,” Chandra said. Living in a two-parent family reduced the chances of a teen getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy.   Teenagers with discipline problems, had higher risks. The report suggested parents limit their children’s access to sexually explicit programming. A second study in the journal added to existing evidence that youths who play violent video games  ¢â‚¬“a worldwide trend with American children averaging 13 hours of video gaming a week  ¢â‚¬“led to increased physically aggressive behaviour. Researchers found that “Aggressiveness in children is also associated with violence later on in life.”

Source: Intercessors Network

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