4.5 Million online decisions for Christ
17 Jan 2013Frenchman Eric Célérier heads up Jesus.net, an internet evangelism movement he founded over seven years ago and that now involves more than 100 people from 20 countries. Jesus.net is best known for the websites Knowing God and Peace With God. Since the movement started, Célérier has seen more than 36.8 million people click on one of the Jesus.net websites that deliver a gospel presentation through video format. More than 4.5 million people have indicated they prayed to receive Christ and roughly 25 per-cent of those have filled out a personal information form, which has been used to send discipleship material as well as help new believers get plugged into a local church. A network of 330 churches has signed on to help new Christians grow in their faith. You might want to check out the fascinating Google Earth map with real-time decisions for Christ in 3D. Every minute three people come to Christ.
Praise: God for the many thousands of decisions for Christ every day. (Joel.3:14)
More: http://about.jesus.net/about/decisions-to-know-jesus/
4,000 receive Christ at outreach in Venezuela
19 Jul 2013Three weeks of worldwide evangelistic outreach culminated this past Saturday at Juventud Libre, a lively, open-air festival in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. An estimated 45,000 people converged at the city’s bicentennial fairgrounds, forming a crowd so large that it swelled into nearby streets. Approximately 4,000 response cards were received, each representing an individual who made a decision to either follow Jesus Christ or to reconcile their relationship with Him. Cards are being sorted and distributed to local churches, in order to connect new believers with a local congregation to begin the follow-up and discipleship process. The theme for the festival, which was largely aimed at the younger generation, was ‘Venezuela abre tu corazón a la esperanza’ (Venezuela, open your heart to hope). The theme reflected festival organizer Gabriel Blanco’s desire to see the generation transformed by entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ, living a life influenced by biblical morals, and discovering hope in the midst of uncertain circumstances.
Praise: God for the wonderful response to this outreach. Pray for the local church as it takes up their responses to follow Jesus. (Ro.8:31)
More: http://blog.godreports.com/2013/07/4000-receive-christ-at-outreach-in-venezuela/#more-3798
300 new churches planted in Norway
13 Jun 2013In Norway 300 churches have been planted in the last 15 years. This is reported by Oivind Augland, director of DAWN Norge, a national network for church planting in which many denominations and churches participate. DAWN Norway is serving a network of people who recognize that when we stand together as the Body of Christ, we have the opportunity to see the nation filled with living cells, groups and congregations of believers in all geographic areas, ethnic and cultural groups in the nation. Churches in Norway are actively working together and have a vision beyond their own nation. They want to ‘ignite multiplying church planting movements all over Europe.’
Praise: God for this encouraging cross-denominational growth in Scandiinavia and beyond
15 years of Christian broadcasting in Arab world
02 Jun 2011
SAT-7: SAT-7 is celebrating 15 years of broadcasting Christian programmes across the Middle East and North Africa. The ministry started out as a single channel format but has enjoyed unexpected success over the years and now broadcasts SAT-7 Arabic, SAT-7 Pars, SAT-7 Kids and SAT-7 Turk. Until SAT-7's first transmission on 31 May 1996, fear of government reprisals meant the media had largely been out of bounds for the Arab Christian community. Rita El Mounayer, Executive Director for SAT-7's three Arabic channels sees a continuing hunger in the Middle East and North Africa for SAT-7's holistic and uplifting programming. ‘We're very excited about our shows and the people making them - people who want to make a real difference in the lives of our viewers,’ she said. The 15th anniversary coincides with the Arab Spring sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa. Praise: God for the blessings that SAT-7 has brought to the Arab world. (Is.44:3)
Earlier this month about 10,000 Christian young people came from all across Egypt for three days to worship the Lord and to seek God's blessing for their country. The worshippers, mostly ranging from ages 13 to 30, gathered from 10 o'clock in the morning until 8 each evening. Many travelled hundreds of miles to the worship site in the middle of the desert north of Cairo. ‘To sit among over 10,000 young people, worship with them in a roaring holy noise, listen to powerful and challenging messages and pray for God's powerful presence in our lives; really, it is hard to describe in words,’ says a Christian leader. ‘Sitting at the very back of the small soccer stadium gave me a good view of the scene. Thousands were sitting to my right, thousands to my left and thousands more in the middle. Hardly any empty gaps!'
Praise: God for this gathering and may He bless all those who attended. (Gen.28:3)
'Wow' factor teaches kids about Jesus
22 Jun 2012Thousands of schoolchildren in the UK will benefit from a £62,000 makeover of a classroom hi-tech mobile pod which teaches about Jesus. Secondary school children visiting GSUS Live will enjoy an up to date experience with a renewed 'wow' factor. It’s run by Christian charity Counties and visits secondary schools across the UK providing lessons for Key Stage 3 pupils. Volunteers from local churches present teachings on fear, forgiveness and rejection to help them discover how Jesus is relevant today, and includes multi-media computer motorised all in one touch computer screens which rise out of tables, new desks and benches for pupils plus improved wheelchair access. One church volunteer helping on it said, ‘The opportunity to be involved in local mission with such a fantastic programme was awesome. The children were amazed at the technology and it was great to show them Christianity is not boring but very much relevant today.’
Praise: God for every hi tec advance that opens doors into His Kingdom.
More: http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/Stories/National?storyaction=view&storyid=55
'The Bible' mini-series earns Emmy nomination
25 Jul 2013The Bible' mini-series has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the ‘Outstanding Mini-series or Movie’ category, it was announced last week. History Channel's biblical miniseries will be competing with five other programs for the category's top spot, including FX Network's ‘American Horror Story: Asylum,’ HBO's ‘Behind the Candelabra,’ HBO's ‘Phil Spector,’ USA's ‘Political Animals’ and Sundance Channel's ‘Top of the Lake.’ The show, which was produced by husband and wife team Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, has also been nominated for ‘Outstanding Sound Editing for a Mini-series, Movie or a Special’ and ‘Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Mini-series or a Movie’ for its premiere episode, ‘Beginnings.’ ‘What a blessing this is. Mark and I have poured our hearts and souls into this series,' Downey said in an email to The Christian Post. ‘We have worked so hard for four years now, It has been a labour of love that deepened not just our faith but our marriage and our friendship.’ (See also Prayer Alert 13-2013 & 15-2013)
Praise: God for this further opportunity of spreading your message
'Mother ship' traffickers arrested off Libya
16 Nov 2013The Italian navy has arrested 16 human traffickers aboard a so-called ‘mother ship’ in international waters off Libya. The ship was located some 500 kilometres southeast of Sicily, near Libya, the Navy said on Sunday. Submarine surveillance ahead of Saturday's raid was ‘of particular importance, notably for gathering proof’ against the traffickers, the Navy said in a statement. The fishing boat served as a staging area from which the traffickers dispatched their clients - Syrian migrants seeking asylum or a better life - aboard smaller, often rickety vessels to destinations in southern Europe. The boat had been under surveillance, including by drones, hi-tech radars, night-vision equipment and the submarine, under stepped-up operations launched after two shipwrecks last month claimed some 500 lives.
Praise: God for the success of the Italian Navy in bringing these traffickers to justice. (Pr.21:15)