prayer

To Christians In Iraq: ‘Move Along Now’

If something happens and it isn’t reported in the main media, did it happen?

“Get up! Grab your things. We need to go!” Imagine these words said in panic, as you and your family are given less than 24 hours to gather your belongings and leave your home in Iraq.

Open Doors USA says for thousands of Iraqi Christians, this scenario has become a real life nightmare, as extremist Muslims force them to either leave their homes or pay with their lives.

Often, believers only have time to grab a few essentials and leave with the clothes on their back. Among these items is usually a Bible, as they cling to it and its message of hope.

To help these refugees, Open Doors is aiding in the set up medical projects, as well as distributing emergency packs, which include basic necessities.

Source: Believers forced to flee from their homes

As the Americans continue their stand-down, draw-down, get-out-of-here exodus from Iraq, will matters get much worse for Christians in Iraq?

Bibles in Iran

Christians in Iran are remaining faithful witnesses, even at the risk of death.

Vision Beyond Borders said that in some house churches across Iran, believers conclude their service by praying over New Testaments. Then, each believer takes seven New Testaments with them, handing out at least one copy each day to a non-believer.

In this radical Muslim country, if they were caught, the punishment would be death. However, they are willing to lay down their lives to spread the Gospel.

In fact, instead of letting the persecution dissuade them from being bold witnesses, they are letting it fan the flames of a revival spreading across Iran. With current oppression in the country, more Iranians are looking for answers other than the ones they have always been fed, and they are finding these answers in Jesus Christ.

Source: Believers in Iran risk their lives to give Bibles

Iran: Christians Targeted

Iran’s supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims this week to fight the “blind and savage terrorism” fueled by the West. That bodes ill for believers, who are often targeted because of assumptions that Christianity is Western.

Greg Musselman with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says there’s reason for concern. “Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that he is going to really go after the underground churches. [He claims] they’re illegal, they shouldn’t be happening. There’s these apostasy laws…. We need to be praying for the legislators in Iran that they would do the right thing and that they would be guided by the Lord.”

Will these statements unleash a wave of violence against Christians? “Unfortunately, when there is this kind of violence taking place, Christians are targeted,” explains Musselman, adding that it is not always the faith aspect that draws negative attention. Sometimes, it is not directly faith-related. He says, “The churches, if they’re displaying crosses or if they’re not dressing like Muslims,” can paint the mark.

However, the harsh reactions aren’t necessarily creating the response expected. A combination of disillusionment and despair is actually acting as a catalyst for the Gospel. Musselman notes that “we’re seeing these underground churches springing up all over Iran, where there are young people coming to know the Lord.”

Read the full article here: Iran ramps tension with the West

Empty Cups at the World Cup

I know this is far away. And about people we don’t know. And we have enough cares and woes and responsibilities close by.

But still….

With an increase in people comes an increase in demands. South Africa has discovered this firsthand as they’ve upped the ante on transportation, hotel space, and shopping for the World Cup. In an attempt to meet every need, however, there has been one disturbing consequence.

Human trafficking has increased immensely in South Africa in preparation for the international tournament, mostly but not exclusively for the purport of prostitution. There have been several reports of an influx in human trafficking since the games began, but business moves swelled long before the June 11 kick off. Many of these dealings have been in the works for years.

“[Traffickers] started the trafficking of people in 2004 as soon as they found out the World Cup would be in South Africa,” says Martha Richards, a missionary for International Mission Board in South Africa. “That’s when the traffickers started organizing official trafficking for this event.”

There is a common misconception–even by South African police, who turn their heads from prostitution because it brings revenue into the country–that women prostituting themselves at these sorts of events are earning money and have chosen their profession on their own. But these lies are not reality. Many men, women and children as young as 10 have been enticed into this lifestyle having no idea they would soon be enslaved, and they don’t keep a penny of the money they make.

I excerpted less than half of The lesser-known sport of the World Cup. You really should read the whole thing.

And pray?

Survivor: Urie Sharp

I am amazed that the Mennonite Blogosphere doesn’t seem to be reporting this. Well, a correction to that: Google isn’t turning up any blog references to the matter.

State troopers of the Ohio Highway Patrol post at New Philadelphia are investigating the possibility that a car might have caused a single-truck crash that injured a 74-year-old Bolivar area resident Monday night.

Urie J. Sharp of 7995 St. Peters Church Rd. was reported in satisfactory condition in Aultman Hospital at Canton Tuesday night.

Troopers said Sharp was hurt when his northbound 1994 Ford Ranger pickup truck went off the right side of I-77 and hit a guardrail in Goshen Township at about 8:20 p.m. His vehicle then slid into and crossed the median, coming to rest in the southbound lanes of I-77 about a half mile north of the New Philadelphia exit.

Sharp told troopers that he was driving in the left lane to avoid a car that was entering I-77 from the on-ramp when the car came up fast behind his truck and a passenger yelled at him. He said that when he moved into the right lane, the other vehicle “flew past” him.

The driver then got in front of his vehicle and slammed on the brakes. Sharp said that when he also applied his brakes, his truck slid into the guardrail then went into the median.

He described the other vehicle as being a newer model, gray in color. He said the passenger was a white female in her 40s, with blonde hair.

Sharp initially was taken to Union Hospital at Dover and later transferred to Aultman.

Source: Troopers looking for driver of car that motorist says caused crash

We learned about this last night from our daughter LaVay who learned about it on Facebook from Urie’s wife herself. Her report at the time was that Urie has a broken back — a shattered 4th vertebra. I haven’t heard any amendments to that report.

May God bring about full restoration to Urie.

Survival: USA, President Obama, Israel

Can they all survive these perilous times?

I got to pondering that question on Tuesday of this week (ie April 6, 2010).

My conclusions?

  • I do not see how President Obama can survive to complete his first term in office.
  • Nor do I see how the United States can survive almost three more years of what it has experienced in the first year plus of the Obama Presidency.
  • About Israel, well, take man’s measuring rod and she’s doomed also.

I should remind you at this point that I am a two-separate-kingdoms Christian. I am apolitical and my comments are likewise.

I believe we are in a period of intense peril for the USA, for President Obama, and for Israel. I believe this great peril exceeds anything any of those three have experienced before (at least if we limit the scope of that comment to the modern nation-state of Israel and not historical Israel).

The course presently charted for the US will hasten its collapse or at least the collapse of her system of government (which would be catastrophic enough). I will not elaborate on why I think that.

President Obama surely has more than the usual potential assassins plotting his destruction. Again, I’ll not take the time to elaborate. I don’t see how the Secret Service can keep him safe.

Israel need only look at the radical change this week in the American nuclear posture to doubt her own survivability. The US has just declared it has taken a nuclear counterstrike off the table as a response to a non-nuclear WMD attack. If the US will not retaliate that way to such an attack on itself, why should Israel think the US will stick its neck out for her when she’s attacked with chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons? Couple that with other developments of late, and Israel appears dangerously alone.

Well, I have taxes to do. And a Sunday School class to prepare to teach in the morning. And missionary reports from Mexico to get ready for tomorrow afternoon’s Mission Board meeting. And other pressing matters pressing me. I already spent too much time on this. I shall have to forego the pleasure of expanding my points.

In closing, these points:

  1. As I understand the Scriptures, Israel survives, thanks only to dramatic divine intervention.
  2. About the United States and about President Obama, I don’t know. I’m not that kind of prophet.
  3. I just don’t see how they survive another three years.
  4. I pray they do.

I call on God’s faithful people to pray that way as well.

PS: Am I going off the deep end?

PS, Jr: I’m not fearful nor paranoid. Nor am I a kook. 😉

Above all, love God!