Displaying items by tag: faith

Evelyn had an MRI scan and was told that she had an inoperable, benign tumour on her brain. While she went through five rounds of radiation, her husband was dying and she needed to take care of him. ‘God, where are You through all of this?’ she cried. She recruited a prayer group to support her. After six months, the tumour had grown and engulfed the optic nerve. She might go blind. Instead of flagging in faith, Evelyn experienced a surge of faith. She believed God wanted her to stop asking for healing and start praising Him for healing. Evelyn requested her prayer group and family members to do likewise. They reluctantly followed orders. Nine months after her initial diagnosis, the doctor said the tumour was dead. The tumour dissolved, and her husband lived long enough to know that she was well, so she is grateful for that.

Raheem Sterling, 24, one of England's most talented footballers, has described his Christian faith as ‘massive’. He was interviewed by GQ, a news magazine based around music, models, women and news and directed at young adult males. Sterling says he was brought up in the church, and his mum taught him about faith from an early age. When he moved from home, his faith deepened and now he has ‘no doubt’ that God exists. ‘I know for sure. A lot of scientists, the cleverest people in the world, will tell you that there has to be a creator. They need answers, but you just have to sometimes accept that it's bigger than you and you have to leave it at that.’

Twelve months ago Army Chaplain Jose Rondon wrote, ‘There is nothing more exhilarating than seeing people come to Christ.’ Rondon experienced that exhilaration with 1,459 professions of faith in six months. There’s a spiritual awakening at Fort Leonard Wood. Retired Major-General Doug Carver said, ‘Fort Leonard Wood is not an exception. There are 1,348 military chaplains in the Southern Baptist Convention at work. Our troops are increasingly hungry for truth and relevancy in their lives and finding a faith that works through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The spiritual awakening at Fort Leonard Wood indicates a great move of God taking place within the Armed Services.’ Army chaplains are currently baptising an average of 70 soldiers during every basic combat training cycle at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The military has built more chapels since 9/11 than any other period of American history, except for World War II.

The Iranian Church is growing with increased momentum, with daily encouraging reports. Despite persecution, Christians are courageously preaching Christ. Hundreds who have received training through mission agencies are teaching the Gospel. Over one million Scriptures have been distributed to Iranians since 2003. Christian TV is beamed into millions of homes, reaching families who otherwise may never have heard the Gospel. Thousands respond to programmes every month. An estimated 28 million have access to satellite TV as dishes (officially banned) are hidden in upper rooms and lofts. ‘Underground’ house churches serve people from all segments of society. Former hard-line Islamic mullahs and drug addicts worship Jesus together. Highly educated university professors, lawyers, taxi drivers, street vendors, and nomads follow Christ together.

In December around a hundred Chinese Christians from a church in Chengdu, including the pastor and his wife, were imprisoned on allegations of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ (see). In a public letter, Pastor Wang makes clear that he does not seek to overthrow the state but to worship freely. He writes, ‘Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family - the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith.’ Barnabas Fund is urging Christians to pray for the imprisoned pastor through their new webpage ‘Christian Prisoners of Conscience’.

Just days after the Archbishop of Canterbury called on the Government to do more to aid Christian communities in regions facing ‘imminent extinction’ (see), Prince Charles has praised their ‘extraordinary grace and capacity for forgiveness’. Speaking at a special Advent service for persecuted Christians at Westminster Abbey, he said he had been ‘deeply humbled’ by meeting Christians from the Middle East ‘who, with such inspiring faith and courage, are battling oppression and persecution’. He said, ‘Extremism and division are by no means inevitable. In this season of Advent, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who himself knew exile, injustice and suffering, I can only assure you of our steadfast support and most heartfelt prayers as you take forward your works of restoration, justice and healing, so that God's will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.’

North Carolina Baptists on Mission and the North Carolina conference of the United Methodist Church have made a name for themselves during previous hurricanes and disasters by feeding people, clearing debris, gutting uninhabitable homes and rebuilding them. On 12 September, in preparation for Hurricane Florence, they were deciding how to deploy their volunteer armies and equipment. ‘God has opened a lot of doors and given us a lot of opportunity,’ said the Baptists. ‘We are thankful for that. We want to glorify God if we have opportunities to, and we’re looking for the best way to do that right now.’

Most Israeli Jews believe in God. The US is the most God-fearing country in the West. The figures for faith in God are almost identical for the two nations, leaving other ‘Christian’ countries far behind. At a time when Jewish settlers and evangelical Christians appear to run foreign policies in both Jerusalem and Washington, it is hard to escape the conclusion that religion has a pivotal role in the special relationship between them. Also the tense political relations between Israel and the EU and between the EU and Washington are defined by religious beliefs. Israelis and Americans view Europe as godless and decadent, while Brussels believes Israel and the USA are drifting into fundamentalist crazy-land. These specifics come from a recent poll by the Dialogue Institute that surmised, ‘Religious beliefs are also a reliable marker for political views’.

A was 19 when Jesus spoke to her in a dream. She dreamt that she walked into a Christian’s home and heard a magnificent voice. ‘I have never heard anything like it before or since,’ she said. ‘Later, I was very unwell for two days. I asked my friends to take me to church and there I wrote a prayer request on a piece of paper and asked the pastor to pray for me. All signs of illness disappeared. I knew Jesus was the truth and I committed my life to Him.’ A was forced to leave her family as the Christian faith is ‘Haram’ deserving death. She fled into the woods and prayed, ‘If the men in my family find me now, they will kill me. You know how angry they are at me. You know the community expects them to punish me. Show me the way.’ She was taken in by a pastor’s family and now attends a twice-weekly Bible study.

Nearly 3,000 athletes will compete in 102 events in this year’s Winter Olympics. Among them are Christian Olympians who have spoken openly about their faith. Kelly Clark (snowboarding halfpipe) said she didn’t get her worth from what she did, it was from Christ. David Wise (freestyle skiing halfpipe) said his Christian faith ‘plays a huge role because it enables me to be confident’. Elana Meyers Taylor (bobsled) said, ‘Regardless of whether I win gold or not, I just have to trust that God has a plan for my life and I’m called to be his representative through the sport and outside the sport.’ Katie Uhlaender (skeleton) said God guides her and gives her the strength to keep going. Gigi Marvin (hockey) said her mission is more than winning medals: it’s about sharing Christ and leading others to him.