Displaying items by tag: Religion

Ex-Muslim Nabeel Qureshi has asked for prayers as he undergoes chemotherapy for cancer and struggles to eat. In his post he also said he saw Jesus in a dream. ‘It's something that I have never seen before. A lot of people who leave Islam and become Christians do so because they have seen Jesus in a dream or a vision. I received dreams and visions when I was seeking God, and I saw things that led me to the Gospel. Later, I was thrilled to see Jesus in a dream. I had been praying for it. I had been asking for guidance and I think I got some.’ To read his story and find out about his unusual prophetic act, click the ‘More’ button.

Cuba was an atheist country during the Castro era. In 1960 Rev Naranjo spent two years in a labour camp for his evangelical preaching. Now, his church is full of life with 200 worshippers on Sundays, providing clinical care for disabled children and hosting a Bible study group. Across Cuba tens of thousands gather for evangelical worship every week even though the government still doesn't allow religious groups to construct their own houses of worship and have demolished church buildings. Presbyterian pastor Joel Ortega Dopica said, ‘There's a revival of churches of diverse denominations; all of them are growing, not just in the number of members, but in their capacity to lead and act in society'. Dopica is the president of the Council of Churches of Cuba, an official association of 32 Protestant denominations.

The Apostle Paul refers to himself and his brothers and sisters in Christ as ‘co-workers’ with God. If communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ is a task, the team to accomplish that task is the Church. If the team doesn’t pull together the job won’t get done. Pray for the Church across Britain, that we will work together with great effectiveness to complete the task of sharing Jesus with every man, woman and child in this land.

(Lyndall Bywater, Salvation Army)

Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has expressed his disappointment with how society continues to be suspicious of people who have faith. Speaking to the Evening Standard, he suggested people are afraid to talk about religion as a result. He said, ‘In America you've got to invent a faith to be taken seriously; in the UK you have to pretend not to have one. You shouldn't be ashamed.’ Talking about his own faith, he said it helps him put ‘everything in perspective’. He has always been open about this, staying strong even when criticised by the media. Pray for leaders in all parties who are playing down their faith. Pray that the culture shift away from religiously defined morality will end, and that the Church will be more visible in government, media and commerce.

What kind of veil lies over Germany that keeps most people from a living relationship with Jesus? The gospel is veiled where ‘the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ’. (2 Cor. 4:4) They don’t believe in a Creator or Redeemer - or they think everything will be fine because they belong to a church. They believe in the hollow and deceptive ‘spirit of the age’, which depends on human tradition and the principles of this world rather than on Christ. Please pray according to a German hymn, ‘O come, Spirit of truth, come and dwell in us; spread light and revelation, banish falsehood and pretence.’ Pray for many people to have supernatural encounters with Jesus and so turn to him. (Acts 9:3-5)

In a referendum on 16 April, Turks will vote yes or no to constitutional amendments to shift Turkey from a system where executive powers lie with the prime minister and are checked by parliament to one giving unprecedented powers to the president. Many fear this will lead to one-person rule, with power to suspend parliament and appoint all ministers and high-ranking officials. Turkish Christians are concerned about rising nationalism, and also the random arrests since last summer’s coup attempt. American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in detention since October, still has no clear outline of the charges against him, although the prime minister has promised to speed up his court case. He and his family have been in Turkey for over twenty years, leading a church in Izmir. See:

Ex-UKIP chief Nigel Farage has accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of hypocrisy for attacking US President Trump’s travel ban while inviting ambassadors from countries which refuse entry to Israeli citizens. At a meeting in City Hall on Tuesday night, Khan condemned Trump’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ for being a ‘cruel, prejudiced and counterproductive’ policy. Also present at the reception were diplomatic representatives from eleven of the sixteen countries which do not allow entry to Israelis. Farage took to Twitter to call the London mayor a hypocrite. However, LSE professor and Middle East expert Fawaz A Gerges told the Independent that the two situations are totally different. ‘Trump’s ban is a Muslim ban, based on religious discrimination and racial discrimination. The relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbours is one of war since 1947 - for the last 70 years. By trying to force comparison, it just flies in the face of reality, it’s apples and oranges, sky and sea,’ he said. ‘What Trump has done has undermined America as a moral voice in the world.’

The Samoan government wants to change the constitution to define Samoa officially as a Christian nation. The constitution already references Christianity in the cover and preamble, but not in the main text. Prime minister Malielegaoi said, ‘Instead of "Samoa is founded on God", the constitution will state that “Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”’ The Samoan parliament has shown widespread support for these amendments. Many are wondering why this tiny nation suddenly wants to make such a bold statement. The prime minister says it is a way to fend off religious wars that have stormed other countries, primarily in the Middle East and Africa. He wants to clarify that this is a Christian country and that faith will be integral to the country’s law. Other faiths and religions will not be undermined, said a member of the governing party.

Global persecution of Christians has risen for the fourth year in a row and is on a "rapid rise" in Asia fueled by "extreme religious nationalism," a new report warns.

The report from Open Doors UK, released Wednesday, offers a stark picture of Christian persecution around the world.

"Religious nationalism is sweeping the globe according to figures released today as part of the Open Doors 2017 World Watch List," said Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, Catholic News Agency reported.

"Persecution levels have been rising rapidly across Asia and the Indian subcontinent, driven by extreme religious nationalism which is often tacitly condoned, and sometimes actively encouraged, by local and national governments."

According to the report, all top 10 countries with the worst persecution of Christians are in Asia and Africa.

North Korea is still the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian, with Somalia ranking second, followed by Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea, the report found.

Other "key findings" were:

• Islamic extremism is the main engine of persecution in 14 out of the most hostile 20 countries in the World Watch List, and 35 of the top 50.
• In the Middle East, Christians face pressure under both radical and autocratic regimes.
• Over 200 million Christians in the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian experience high levels of persecution because of their faith.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/christian-persecution-middle-east-africa/2017/01/12/id/768326/

Let’s pray for the rejection and overthrow of religious nationalism and for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in the countries listed, who continue to suffer great abuse and even death for their faith.

On Wednesday François Fillon, the frontrunner for the French presidential election due to take place in April, bucked tradition by declaring his Christian faith. He was picked as the presidential candidate for the French centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party in November. His declaration of faith has caused a stir in a country where the government, and elected officials, are legally not allowed to endorse a certain religion or the lack of religion, a policy known as laicité - secularity. He told the TF1 television channel, ‘I am a Gaullist and furthermore a Christian. It means that I will never take a decision that would run counter to the respect of human dignity, the respect of the individual, and solidarity.’ He was urged by politicians to keep his faith out of his campaigning. They accused him of using religion to win votes. 60% of people in France identify as Christian.