Displaying items by tag: Praise

On 9 December, Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under IS control along the Syrian border and secured the western desert. This ended the war against the militants, three years after they had captured about a third of Iraq’s territory. The following day a military parade in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone celebrated the final victory, with prime minister Abadi looking on as troops marched in formation, their bodies spelling ‘victory day’ in Arabic. He announced that 10 December would be an annual national holiday. However In his victory speech he did not mention the Peshmerga, who played a big part in the fight against IS. Instead he hailed the Iranian-trained and backed PMF Shiite militias, many of whom are loyal to Iran.

A momentous prayer meeting, likely to have lasting significance, has taken place in South Africa’s parliament. The focus was reconciliation. White people asked forgiveness from blacks, who in turn confessed their sins against the white community. Many were brought to tears during an extended time of prayer and confession. MP Steve Swart confessed the government’s anti-Semitism during World War II, when Jews fleeing the Holocaust were not allowed to disembark in Cape Town. The meeting was held in the parliament’s former main chamber where many discriminatory laws were passed. As Ezra drew people back to God by reading the Law, so South Africa is experiencing restoration in spirit and in truth. People repented of apartheid, inferior education, corrupt laws, detentions, imprisonments, discrimination, tortures and violence. To comprehend the enormity of the meeting, click the ‘More’ link.

A mother wrote to Karen Swallow Prior, ‘I met you outside Women's Services. I was 15 years old. I was alone, about to start a two-day procedure. On day one of the would-be termination, I was to wait at home, come back the next day and complete it. That night I felt my son move. The next day, before entering the building, I met you. You read me some scriptures and made me aware of other options. So I decided to have the laminaria removed and continue with the pregnancy. You saved my son’s life. You took me home and never left my side, took me to your church, linked me to several agencies. You were truly a blessing to me. Today my son is almost 20 and in his second year at college. I miss him so much, he’s the best thing that ever happened to me.’

Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who resigned after a row over whether gay sex was sinful, gave this year’s Theos Annual lecture on 28 November. One of his comments was: ‘Genuine Christianity has always has been countercultural, going against the norms of the day. In Revelation 17, we read about the final fall of Babylon: materialistic, complacent, ambivalent towards the poor and vulnerable, self–satisfied, and proud. The Babylonian empire had been dead for hundreds of years by then, so why mention it? Because Babylon stands for every empire, every society where human beings choose to live for themselves and not for God. So Babylon in 90 AD was Rome, and today it is our society, and as Christians we are to live as aliens in such a land.’ He also said that Christians are deemed ‘dangerous and offensive’ by the public.

Over the years Prayer Alert has highlighted prayer requests from ‘Cry Out Now’. Your prayers protected believers and birthed many disciples across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. At a recent Cry Out Now prayer conference, a lady at the hotel heard their worship and was drawn to the room. She said she felt that God was there. After some women shared with her, she gave her life to Jesus. They also prayed for a group of believers who were standing on a large map of the region that they came from. Once the prayer time was finished, there were tears on the map. The conference was called Harvest Rain, and during the sessions there was physical rain across Lebanon. Also people working among the Bedouin shared encouraging stories of getting opportunities, for the first time, to share the gospel and pray for the sick.

The Christian Post recently joined Cross Catholic Outreach to pack Box of Joy gifts for children around the world. James Cavnar, president of the organization, was inspired by Samaritan's Purse to approach Catholic churches to follow in the evangelical organization's footsteps during the holidays. Operation Christmas Child is a popular evangelism tool used by Samaritan's Purse during Christmas to help provide gifts to children in need. Cross Catholic Outreach modelled their program, Box of Joy, after the same format and fills shoeboxes with gifts for less fortunate children. This year, Cross Catholic Outreach will send 60,000 boxes to children in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Haiti.

In August 2011, Tottenham Hale in north London was at the centre of a series of riots, arson attacks and looting which ignited in London, the Midlands and the north-west of England. Two years later the work started on building St Francis. The first purpose built local church in 40 years provides a place of worship and also allows the congregation to grow and play an important role at the heart of Tottenham Hale life by hosting pop up cafés and the Make Lunch project, designed to tackle food poverty in the area.  The new St Francis in the Engine Room Church is part of a planned 100 new Christian communities to be planted in the diocese. Elsewhere in London, planners have given consent for the 1970s Holy Trinity Church in Swiss Cottage to be demolished and replaced by a six-storey complex including a 450-seater auditorium, recording studio, and accommodation for vulnerable young people.

For many years intercessors have prayed that Christian persecution would be replaced by interfaith tolerance. Recently the king of Bahrain took unprecedented action in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region and issued a declaration of interfaith tolerance that he believes will promote similar action in other MENA nations. Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars reviewed the king’s declaration and hope it will gain sign-offs globally from leaders of all faiths. Individual religious freedom is specified as one of the five points in the declaration. Terrorism, suicide bombing, sexual slavery, inciting extremism, and the abuse of women and children are specifically disowned. Preaching hatred and violence in the name of God is condemned as a desecration of His name. The king has also promised to build a museum of tolerance.

In 1867, two visitors to Ottoman Palestine separately showed that Palestine had declined since the Jews had left. First a British archaeologist, Charles Warren, conducted major excavations of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and found relics of King David’s city; then American writer Mark Twain, after visiting the Holy Land, wrote a hugely popular travel memoir entitled ‘The Innocents Abroad, or the New Pilgrims’ Progress’. In 1917 the British defeated the Ottoman Empire and took control of Palestine. On 2 November 1917 they issued the Balfour Declaration pledging to support the establishment of a Jewish national home in the territory. In 1948, Zionists drove the British out of Palestine and founded the state of Israel. Then, when Israel captured eastern Jerusalem and its holy sites from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, some claimed the messianic era was nigh.

Jason and Nisae Williamson are planting a church among the Iski people group in Papua New Guinea. Anka, an elderly man, was sent to their village so that he could hear the good news, as the believers in his family were concerned about his age and declining health. Anka is at least 80 with a palpable fear of death. Local religious leaders said he had to earn his way to heaven, and he needed to worship and appease the spirits. The Williamsons prayed that Anka would receive Jesus before he died. After four months of morning Bible study, Anka was overflowing with joy: ‘Now I know that Jesus paid for my sins and I’m a child of God. I do not fear death any more, I will die and be with God!’ He had been born again and was filled with the Spirit.