Displaying items by tag: Praise

Only a week after Mike Overd and Michael Stockwell's public order convictions were overturned at Bristol Crown Court, another preacher has been acquitted of a public order offence charge. Andrew Frost had been accused of causing harassment, alarm and distress to two men in a homosexual relationship. In March, he had been preaching on the consequences of sin in Nottingham city centre, quoting Luke 13:1-5 and Matthew 15:19. As he did so, two men holding hands walked by, and shouted abusive comments at Andrew. He continued to preach from Scripture.

The Church of England has recognised that pioneers are vital for the future of the Church. The Church Mission Society’s pioneer mission leadership training programme provides a designated pathway for ordination as an ordained pioneer minister - alongside the more traditional routes for teachers and pastors. This year there has been a further growth in numbers; an eclectic mix of missionaries will graduate this week after completing their studies in theology, ministry and mission. The pioneers included some being ordained into the Church of England as deacons or admitted to the order of Lay Pioneers. Mission pioneers are giving the Church a glimpse of the future, where mission will not be delivered solely by large para-church organisations, but increasingly through agile, innovative and creative pioneers, witnessing to love in action.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, hospital doctors have found no explanation for the quick recovery of Martin Chain, a three-year-old boy who fell from the ninth floor when he was playing on the balcony of his apartment. The accident left the boy on the verge of death. However, he only took twenty days to recover and shows no signs of long-term complications. Florencia, his mother, said that in face of her son's serious condition they didn't stop praying. 'One day while I was singing him a song to the Virgin, he woke up.' From that moment, Martin began to recover. He first went to intermediate care, then they took him off the respirator, and finally he was discharged. The doctor said, 'There are times that for us professionals, there's nothing left but to put ourselves in God's hands. I'm Catholic, and I believe that miracles exist. Something happened there.'

In 2010, an Iraqi pastor miraculously survived a car bomb. 'Every part of my car was destroyed except for my seat. I had no scratches. The car was in flames, but I wasn't burned. I found pieces of glass in my hair and four parts of the bomb in the scarf I had around my neck. As if a scarf could stop a bomb. Nothing touched me, I lost not even a drop of blood.' The pastor knows it was God who allowed him to survive, and he believes God did so because He still had work for him to do. 'God gave me additional time. He put his stamp on my ministry, He said 'Go on.' God encouraged me that day.'Pastor Joseph now witnesses to many Muslims who are turning to Christ despite the threats they face. 'We have new blood, born-again new believers.'

'The villagers started punching and kicking us, all over our bodies. They asked us to praise Hindu gods. We refused. They kicked us harder.' This is what happened to Sohan, after he decided to follow Jesus and began sharing the gospel with others. His attackers then called the police and accused him of converting people to Christianity. He was imprisoned for four days, and saw God work in amazing ways. Sohan says, 'I preached the gospel and prayed for an inmate who was sick. He was healed and believed in Christ instantly. My other cellmate was a person suffering from intense depression. He kept saying that he wanted to kill himself. I prayed for him and the suicidal thoughts left him. He also accepted Christ. I also met a young man falsely accused of raping a woman; he was very upset and felt hopeless about his life. I shared the gospel with him, and he also accepted Christ. This way I saw God's immense power and deliverance.' Open Doors partners were able to bail Sohan out of prison, and are helping him to fight the false claims filed against him.

Recently, after an anonymous tip-off, anti-trafficking authorities in the Dominican Republic, working in cooperation with International Justice Mission (IJM), found two young girls and their mother - who was exploiting them - in a crime-ridden and impoverished neighbourhood in Santo Domingo. The mother was arrested, and IJM social workers are working to ensure that the girls will recover from the trauma they endured. In another story, in South Asia, IJM and police had been investigating a sex trafficking network for over a year. On 25 June the team successfully rescued two young girls from a private brothel and arrested four suspects. Please pray for follow-up on the legal case, and pray for comfort and healing for these girls as they settle into a loving aftercare programme.

On Saturday 8 July 2017 at 3 pm, over 40,000 people of all ages will gather at the Emirates Stadium in London. Thousands will hear how the Good News of Jesus can transform lives and bring purpose. The simple idea is that JustOne will enable 20,000 people to invite a ‘plus one’ - a relative, friend, neighbour or colleague. The event is being led by J John - born less than two miles from the Emirates Stadium - who will talk about the relevance of Jesus and what he can do in our lives today. Worship will be led by Matt Redman, Hillsong London, Dr Noel Tredinnick with a large children’s choir, Noel Robinson. and the London Community Gospel Choir. Canon Andrew White (Jerusalem Ministries), Julia Immonen (Sport for Freedom), Lord Michael Hastings (KPMG) and Linvoy Primus (Faith and Football) will be among a number of people sharing their testimonies.

On 15 June Jacob Stockdale, 25, allegedly used a shotgun to kill his mother and younger brother at his family's farm in Ohio. When deputies went to investigate, he shot himself, and is now in a critical condition in hospital. His oldest brother Calvin said: ‘I don't know why Jacob did what he did, but I do know he is my brother; I speak for our family when I say we love him and forgive him. The prayers and support for my family have been deeply appreciated and we ask for continued prayers for Jacob's healing - body, mind, and spirit.’ The reasons for the shooting are not clear. The Stockdale family are members of the Zion Reformed Church, part of the Presbyterian Church in America, The church is now accepting donations to help the family, and already more than half the $40,000 goal has been raised.

So far, more than 60,000 people worldwide have watched a one-hour Instagram live video that begins daily at midnight for people to praise God, tagged as the #HallelujahChallenge. Nigerian gospel artist Nathaniel Bassey began hosting the session on 1 June to just over a thousand people, urging Christians to join him in worship for a month. Helped by the promotion of numerous popular Nigerian artists, Bassey (who describes himself on his Twitter page as an ‘authentic Jesus lover’) tweeted, ‘It is a revival and a revolution. JESUS is in charge!’ It is thought to be the most widely-circulated praise and worship movement on social media. Bassey said, ‘The Challenge is a mandate from God, and I am just a vessel. Beyond all the miracles and testimonies, God is doing something eternal - something that will outlive generations.’

Harvest America 2017 was an evangelistic event broadcast live on the Internet with updates posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This event, similar to a Billy Graham crusade, used the latest media platforms to give a very straightforward presentation of the gospel. At 5 pm on 11 June Pastor Greg Laurie delivered a gospel message via live satellite from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. Artists joining him for the free one-day event included ‘The Voice’ sensation Brennley Brown, ‘American Idol’ winner Jordin Sparks and CCM artists NEEDTOBREATHE, MercyMe, Trip Lee and Phil Wickham. There were 38,000 in the stadium, and 2,904 made decisions for Christ. Also, people across the country invited friends into their homes to watch it and then prayed with them. Last year it live-streamed to over 7,200 locations and drew 357,000 participants, with 25,000 people coming to faith.