Displaying items by tag: Praise

Human rights defender Nguyen Bac Truyen and his wife Bui Kim Phuong arrived in Germany on the evening of 8 September after he was released from Gia Trung prison in Vietnam. Truyen, a Hoa Hao Buddhist and legal expert who provided pro bono legal assistance to families of political prisoners, victims of land grabs, and persecuted religious communities, was abducted by Vietnamese police in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2017. He was held in incommunicado arbitrary detention for nine months, and in April 2018 he was sentenced to eleven years in prison on charges of ‘carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the government’. Serious concerns were raised for his safety and wellbeing on many occasions during his imprisonment, including in May 2019 when he went on hunger strike along with three other prisoners of conscience in protest of the grievous ill-treatment of a fellow prisoner. Five other activists were sentenced at the same time as Truyen: two of them were released into exile in June 2018, but the other three are still in prison.

The first translation of the Bible into the Mohawk language has been published in Canada. Portions of the Bible in Mohawk were published in 1715 in a book of Morning and Evening Prayer, but this is the first time the entire Bible has been in print in the language indigenous to North America. Harvey Satewas Gabriel has studied his native language all his life and dedicated 40 years to his goal. In a recent interview, 84-year-old Harvey said, ‘You never get tired of working with the Word of God’. Translation of and engagement with the Scriptures is strategic and valuable for revitalising language and culture. The Canadian Bible Society hopes that having the whole Bible in print will make a positive contribution to the life of the Mohawk church.

‘We believe that what we are seeing is a legitimate move of God. We are seeing revival across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. We are seeing thousands of non-believers come to Christ each month and thousands of believers becoming pillars of faith in their communities. We heard from the Lord to start planting house churches because persecution was coming, so that's what we did. Several years later, we have over 4,000 house churches planted and thousands of people saved / actively making other disciples. We believe this is only the beginning. We believe that where there is faith, there will be a move of God. One Way Ministries International is a ministry focused on the Great Commission that isn't satisfied with mediocre results. We have a large vision and great faith in the God we serve. He will always do exceedingly and abundantly more than we think or ask for (Ephesians 3:20).’

A handful of twenty-somethings went outside the four walls of their church to share the Gospel on the streets every Sunday night for five years. On fire with Holy Spirit power, they led their peers to Jesus - even changing the spiritual atmosphere of the area. They knew there was more for them than saving souls, and their actions led to planting a church for the new Christians led by Ivan, the son of the pastor who encouraged their outreach. He organised the United Church to disciple, train, and send followers of Jesus to proclaim His salvation. The church then birthed Jesus March, a ministry of United Revival Ministries, both under its auspices. The ministry has hosted 125 prayer and worship events, connected with 200 churches, commissioned 6,500 evangelists, and introduced thousands of people to Jesus since its formation five years ago. By 2024 United Revival will have brought Jesus March and evangelism training, worship, and prayer to nine American cities.

Najma, a young woman from Egypt who had been taken captive by Muslim extremists, has been released. Najma was held against her will as radicals attempted to get her to recant her faith in Jesus. She refused. Authorities were able to track her down through surveillance.

War terror is causing millions to flee, including Jewish people who also face antisemitism from both sides. Boris, from Donetsk, said it was very dangerous to stay in an area being frequently shelled. He and his wife practically lived in the basement for fear. ‘And when a shell hit a neighbouring house, we immediately began to gather our documents.’ So the whole family has now been able to join their middle son, who had been urging them to come and live in Israel for the past five years. Nina, from Tbilisi, says being forced out of her country added to her heartache following the death of her husband. But she is now hoping for a little rest, and a better life, in Israel, where she has relatives.

A new drive to uphold the right to pray and express religious beliefs in public settings has been launched. First Liberty Institute Texas announced the ‘Restoring Faith in America’ campaign seeks to defend the right to display the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes and other faith affirmations, as well as to protect the right to pray openly. Christian football coach Joe Kennedy was sacked from Bremerton High School for praying on the field after games. A lawsuit was filed against the school district: the Supreme Court ruled in Joe’s favour, and he was reinstated. His attorney for the case is encouraging Americans to ‘take a knee’ with Coach Kennedy as he returns to the field in September, supporting public affirmations of faith.

Migrant communities from West Africa and India are renewing and revitalising Manchester churches. As many of them work at hospitals, Fr Paul Hutchins has added a mid-week service to make attendance easier for people working at weekends. He also encourages members to shape the worship, bringing hymns and prayers from their churches of origin, helping them feel as at home as possible. He says, ‘Five years ago we had sparks of promise as a multicultural congregation, but in a short space of time we have seen huge increases in new worshippers from Ghana, Nigeria, and South India.’ Three churches in the diocese have seen huge boosts to their congregations, mostly thanks to the families which have migrated to the area.

Illinois pastor Robby Dawkins recently shared on Facebook a photo of him praying for a former Taliban leader in Afghanistan. It was a powerful moment which quickly went viral. ‘This (now former) Taliban leader attended our training in Afghanistan. He was so hit by the Holy Spirit’s power that he crumpled to the ground when I laid hands on him and prayed.’ People are praising God for encountering a leader of the Taliban, as Afghan Christians have been through brutal persecution by the group. ‘Several there said this guy would normally kill us if it wasn’t for the impact Jesus made on him, transforming his entire life.’ Afghanistan needs Jesus today more than ever: let us continue to pray for revival in the nation.

In an Instagram testimony a young lady testified before the congregation about a miracle she witnessed in a street outreach. One Friday night, she and her team were in the street to worship God, preach the Gospel and lead people to Christ. But after the outreach finished they noticed a commotion. Police were surrounding a lifeless lady on the street. One of their team members felt a conviction from the Holy Spirit that they needed to pray for resurrection. So, they went closer and began praying for the lady, who still had no pulse. She had been dead for ten minutes already, but they began to declare life for her. At first nothing happened, but they didn’t give up. They kept praying. A few minutes later, the lady’s eyes opened. It was a miracle. She began to breathe again.