Displaying items by tag: Praise

Ahmad Quraisy (not his real name) was a commander of the feared Islamic State of Indonesia, a militant terror group. He has come a long way since he nearly blew up a Protestant church in Jakarta. Now, the 48-year-old former terrorist leads an underground movement in Indonesia converting Muslims to personal faith in Christ. His movement has grown into some 7,000 members, all of them former Muslims. They meet in house churches across the country, he revealed in an extensive interview. Leaving Islam remains a high-risk undertaking in the world’s largest Muslim nation. But, he says, ‘it was worth all the hardships we endured’. For his story, click the ‘More’ button.

Spring has burst forth in all of its beauty and splendour. Blossom still covers many hedges, and flowers have increased in size and structural complexity. Leaves have unfurled in their fresh, green shades as trees begin their yearly quest, hungry for the sun's rays. All this seems to be in total contrast to the lockdown restrictions that have been imposed on us all, and reflects the fact that God's Spirit is moving throughout the land equally unfettered. Give thanks that God loves to work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. See the Lord enthroned in splendour, see Him high and lifted up, yet His touch is light and tender, His love an overflowing cup.

Psalm 136 says, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures for ever.’ During lockdown thousands are encountering God through prayer and praise with online networking. ‘Germany together in prayer’ brought a million Christian churches, ministries and groups plus prominent political leaders together to pray online.In the same week ‘World Prayer Together’ united millions of worshippers across the nations. Meanwhile, Holy Trinity Brompton reports a record number of Alpha sign-ups and there is an increased openness to the gospel as more people seek spiritual truths on search engines. Praise God for declining rates of infection and the solidarity of communities practising limited communal contact. And for many the ‘imposed’ furlough is resulting in families having more time together and the rest resulting from cancelled non-essential travel.

The Freedom Church in Kingswood (Bristol) has set up Freedom Groups which meet weekly via Zoom. Church members in the groups are encouraged to invite neighbours to join. The church has also created a prayer line, Prayer4You, where people can contact the church for spiritual support. ‘We wanted to offer a bit more than a leaflet through the door offering help,’ explains associate pastor Revd Dr David Hull. ‘We wanted to offer the opportunity to engage in a light touch way with questions of faith.’ As well as places to talk, pastors record a short weekly video message for groups to watch. Each broadcast introduces a faith issue which the group can then discuss. ‘It is an opportunity for people outside the church to begin to think about and discuss questions of faith in any way they want to.’

On 29 April Carrie Symonds, Boris Johnson's partner, gave birth to a baby boy in a London hospital. They have received many congratulations from politicians and are also being prayed for by church leaders, many of whom have written their messages and prayers online. The Archbishop of York wrote, ‘May the angels of God be your shield and defender. A candle is lit for the three of you, and prayers offered.’

Technology is a powerful tool for light and life in this pandemic. A surge in Google searches around the theme of hope and faith plus a phenomenal increase of people searching Christian websites means that more are hearing the Gospel. Global Media Outreach registered a 170% increase in clicks on search engine advertisements about finding hope. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Campus Crusade (Cru) created special internet tools for ministry in the pandemic. Cru’s student page is expected to receive 20 million more visitors than last year, and BGEA’s outreach had 191,000+ online visitors and 11,000 decisions to accept Jesus as Saviour. See also Intercessor Focus: praying for the local church.

During these days of isolation, United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) is now offering an alternative to the negative news bombarding us 24/7 by bringing a new radio programme, ‘Hope For Every Home’. Their vision is to spread God’s Word far and wide with real-life stories of what God is doing in people’s lives. Prayers of thanksgiving for all the good things happening right now, and celebration as they welcome the many new listeners receiving hope directly into their homes by listening to UCB Radio. They hope to reach more people than ever before with an hour of life-changing messages. To listen now, click the ‘More’ button.

Missionary workers are a special kind of people: restless, visionary, with a touch of adventure and a rock-solid belief that the message of the Gospel deserves to be heard by everyone. The impact of the pandemic will be enormous in the predominantly poor areas where missionaries work and where social abstinence is not an option. They are used to badly stocked stores and substandard medical care, and accept situations as they occur. They give us hope and confidence that a transition in challenging times is possible. To read their encouraging stories, click the ‘More’ button.

99-year-old Captain Tom Moore pledged to walk 100 laps of his garden just after hip surgery - and just before his 100th birthday (on 30 April) - to raise money for the NHS. He captured the hearts of the nation and raised over £28million for hospital sleep pods and ‘wobble rooms’ where staff can release emotions after a traumatic experience. Wellbeing packs for staff, described as ‘Hug Boxes’, provide mental health support for staff and volunteers involved in dealing with the pandemic. Electronic tablets will be available for patients in isolation, enabling contact with families. The money raised will go to NHS Charities Together. Later in the year Captain Tom will be awarded a Pride Of Britain Award at an awards ceremony.

Poorer school children could lose out when lessons are being taught online. Now disadvantaged teenagers will be able to borrow laptops to help them study at home while schools are closed. The Department of Education is supporting 180 free online lessons for primary and secondary pupils through to year 10 with laptops or tablets for those without access to a computer, taking the pressure off parents who have children at home.