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Two million Christians from all over Brazil trekked the streets of Sao Paulo over the weekend to join in on the country's largest religious gathering, ‘March for Jesus.’ The annual event, organized by Pastor Estevam Hernandes of Renascer em Cristo, or Reborn in Christ Church, and other Pentecostal churches, included speeches and prayers from pastors, political figures, and entertainment from various Brazilian gospel artists. ‘After so many years, the event continues to have an impact,’ Pastor Estevam Hernandes told Brazilian press outlets, adding that the success of the event was due to years of ‘work and prayer.’ This year's theme was ‘New Time,’ which describes the nation's hope for change as it faces its worst social turmoil in over 20 years with Brazilians taking to the streets to demand the government find solutions to provide citizens with a better quality of life.
Praise: God for this powerful alternative to protest marches. (Ps.88:2)
Forty of USA's richest people pledged on Wednesday to donate over half of their fortunes to charity as part of ‘The Giving Pledge’ campaign organised by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and legendary investor Warren Buffet. The group includes CNN founder Ted Turner, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Hollywood director George Lucas, as well as Microsoft mogul Gates and investment guru Buffett. The idea, which was announced just six weeks ago as ‘The Giving Pledge,’ is to convince billionaires across the country to give up most of their money - 50 percent or more - to charity. ‘The pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract,’ a statement released Wednesday said by www.givingpledge.org Praise: God for the generosity of these people and pray that their gifts will bless the most needy. (2Cor.9:11-12)
Bible chapter and verse references have been printed on the face of this year’s Christmas stamps, unveiled by Royal Mail to mark 400 years of the King James Version of the Bible. The series of seven stamps feature Bible references taken from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The stamps also include pictures of nativity scenes. Royal Mail, which alternates between religious and secular themed stamps each Christmas, released the new designs last week. Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: ‘Christmas stamps help deliver festive messages of good cheer and celebration across the UK and around the world. This year’s stamps feature scenes from the Nativity, together with the Gospel references from the King James Bible which inspired them.’
Praise: God that the message of His Word will be seen on all our mail this Christmas. (Ps.18:30)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/royal-mail-reveals-nativity-stamps/
The UK's 2011 bestseller lists might have been dominated by cookery, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, and romance, courtesy of David Nicholls, but Norwegian readers were plumping for another sort of book last year: the Bible. The first Norwegian translation of the Bible for 30 years topped the country's book charts almost every week between its publication in October and the end of the year, selling almost 80,000 copies so far and hugely exceeding expectations. Its launch in the autumn saw Harry Potter-style overnight queues, with bookshops selling out on the first day as Norwegians rushed to get their hands on the new edition. ‘We only printed 25,000 to start with and thought it would last six to nine months, but it was launched mid-October and by the end of the year it had sold 79,000 copies – it's just incredible,’ said Stine Smemo Strachan, who worked on the project for the Norwegian Bible Society.
Praise: God for this incredible thirst for His Word. (Is.52:7)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/03/bible-2011-bestseller-norway
The BBC will air a new dramatisation in prime time on BBC 1 of all the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ in the week leading up to Christmas. Four half-hour episodes at 7pm will follow the biblical narrative and highlight the identity of Jesus God’s Son coming to earth in fulfilment of God’s promise. It is expected to attract audiences of several million. Andrew Marsh will debate the nativity on Radio 5 Live Praise: God for enabling modern technology to reveal the reality and relevance of Jesus Christ to our nation. (Is.35:5)
Masud grew up in a strict Muslim home in a remote part of Bangladesh. Not only was his family strict, but his father was also an Imam. Masud grew up with full knowledge of the Quran and considered himself to be a radical Muslim. As he grew, however, he began to wonder about the Jesus he read about in the Quran and asked his father many questions: ‘Who is Jesus? Is the Quran true? The Quran says we must study the teaching of Jesus because he was more than a prophet. Why don’t we?’ These questions made his father, the Holy Religious Leader, very angry and he would beat Masud and say: ‘Stop asking questions. You must not question Islam.’ One day, Masud was sitting with friends when a Christian pastor came and shared the Gospel, using the Quran as a tool to point them to Issa (Jesus). Masud was moved in his spirit and recognized that the Gospel was the truth.
Praise: God for Masud and his wife as they live and work for the Gospel in a country where as a religious minority they face danger and persecution for their devotion to Jesus. (Rom.8:35)
More: http://blog.godreports.com/2013/05/son-of-imam-becomes-underground-pastor/#more-3533
A Scottish schoolgirl who raised money for a Catholic charity by posting photos of her school lunches online has beaten an official ban trying to prevent her from doing so, reports Catholic News Agency. Nine-year-old Martha Payne, who attends Lochgilphead Primary School, began posting photos in late April of her daily lunch on her blog titled ‘NeverSeconds.’ She gave each one a score for healthiness, tastiness and the number of mouthfuls it took to consume. Her aim was to raise $11,000 for Catholic charity Mary’s Meals to allow them to build a kitchen in a school in Malawi in Africa. Within a few weeks, Martha’s site had received more than two million hits and a third of the donations required to build the kitchen. However, after the success of Martha's blog was highlighted in a national newspaper June 14 – under the headline ‘Time to fire the dinner ladies’ – she was told to stop her activities by school officials.
Praise: God for this young lady's' initiative to raise money for those in need. (Pro.22:1)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue16614.html
Unsung Christian heroes from across the UK were recognised for their community work at the Inspire Awards last week. More than 120 nominations were whittled down to just three winners who were awarded during a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament attended by Christian MPs. The award for the Inspiring Individual went to Christine Deponio, who runs Emmanuel House in Gateshead, a free service to those suffering with terminal cancer. Lifeline Church, in Essex, was presented with the Inspiring Church award for its Open Doors project. The project has been running for 10 years and offers friendship and care to vulnerable and isolated women. Green Pastures, which provides accommodation for 200 formerly homeless people in Southport, received the award for Inspiring Project. The annual Inspire Awards are hosted jointly by Inspire magazine and the Evangelical Alliance.
Praise: God for all those recognised for their gifts as they reach out to those in need. (Ac.10:4b)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/awards.recognise.unsung.christian.heroes/28920.htm
Flash floods and a powerful cyclone have taken a toll on Australia this year, but in the midst of their hardship, many residents have found the ‘good news.’ Pockets of revival are breaking out in the country and miracles have been reported as a result of the prayer movement ‘Rise Up Australia.’ Australia was once considered a Christian nation, but aggressive secularization has caused many people to grow cold to Christianity. Only about 10 per-cent of the population regularly attends church, yet a number of churches and ministries are becoming more resolute in praying for the nation and desperately crying out to God. ‘Rise Up Australia’ was started in 2000 by pastor Daniel Nalliah, president of Catch the Fire Ministries. Now, more than 10 years later Christians are gathering for monthly prayer meetings in 75 Australian cities.
Praise: God for the stirring of His Spirit and the growth of prayer across Australia. (Ro.12:12)
More: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=35639&PN=1&TPN=1
Twenty of Australia’s senior church and denominational leaders have urged the Government to protect the definition of marriage in Australian law. The Joint Statement on the Significance of Marriage follows: Marriage is the lifelong commitment and faithful union of one man and one woman. As such, marriage is the natural basis of the family because it secures the relationship between biological parents and their children. As Christian leaders representing different denominations or churches, we join together and affirm our shared commitment to promote and protect marriage. We honour the unique love between husbands and wives; the vital place of fathers and mothers in the life of children; and the corresponding ideal for all children to know the love and role modelling of a father and mother. We call on ourGovernment to: protect this definition of marriage in Australian law, and not change the meaning of marriage by adding to it different kinds of relationships.
Praise: God for this stand by the church and that the Government will protect traditional marriage. (Jer.29:6)
More: http://ausprayernet.org.au/newsletter/DisplayNewsletter.php?e_id=00000002315#st2