Thursday 24 September 2020

China Censors Teachers from Mentioning God

Christian Persecution

A new report from the Center for Studies on New Religion's publication Bitter Winter reveals China is spying on and censoring any religious teacher to make sure they don't mention God.

The Center for Studies on New Religion, a human rights organization focusing on abuses by the Chinese Communist Party's regime, published the report in an effort to help end the crackdown.

According to the report, Chinese authorities will monitor teachers and make sure they refrain from mentioning anything about democracy, freedom, religion,
or God.

The report also says that religious teachers are already considered a threat to the Chinese Communist Party simply because they are religious, regardless of what they have taught. The report cites complaints from multiple teachers in both colleges and elementary schools. The teachers were kept anonymous so the Chinese Communist Party cannot find and persecute them for speaking out about the regime's treatment of its own citizens.

One teacher noted that they “were observed during every class." Bitter Winter goes on to summarize the rest of what she stated, writing, "She added that the Chinese Ministry of Education adopted Opinions on Building and Improving a Long-term Effective Mechanism for College Teachers’ Ethics Construction in 2016, demanding teachers 'not say or do anything against the Party line in their educational or teaching activities.' Student informants planted in classes by authorities help ensure that teachers implement this order."

Already, "numerous" educators have been punished for not emphatically teaching the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda, with no indications the persecution of free-thinking teachers will end.

This isn't the first time China has censored or attacked Christians. Christian Headlines recently reported that the Chinese Communist Party had shut down a 1500-member church after they refused to install surveillance cameras in their church. The authorities also confiscated what they called "illegal promotional material" which likely included mostly Bibles and church literature.

Historically Black college welcomes white pastor with passion for racial justice

When Chris Caldwell thinks about student housing and food services, his pondering goes deeper than the mere campus amenities that concern administrators at most colleges.

“We have many students who are insecure in terms of their housing, and we have significant problems with food insecurity,” said Caldwell, vice president for academic affairs at Simmons College of Kentucky. At Simmons, a historically Black institution in Louisville, it is not uncommon to hear of students sleeping in their cars, he noted. “We try to do everything we can to try to help with those situations.”

Some students are single parents, so the housing situation for them is even more complex. Since Simmons has limited college-owned housing, it looks to various community resources to aid students in their search for a decent place to live.

Like most schools, Simmons stresses the importance of class attendance. Yet its leaders know students can be present but too hungry to pay attention. “We work hard at feeding our students during the day so they can focus on class,” Caldwell said.

While not all Simmons’ students come from dire circumstances, most come from impoverished backgrounds they are seeking to transcend. This is a key part of Simmons’ mission, and its leaders believe Historically Black Colleges and Universities, like Simmons, are uniquely positioned to empower all segments of the African American community.


From a tall-steeple white church to Simmons

Caldwell, who is white, came to Simmons as a part-time professor in 2015 and moved to full-time status in 2017. He had been pastor of Louisville’s Broadway Baptist Church, a congregation situated in an affluent neighborhood eight miles across town from Simmons. He assumed his vice-presidential role in 2018.

An academic vocation was not a novel idea for Caldwell. As he finished his doctorate in New Testament at Baylor University in 1997, he was considering a career in either the classroom or the pastorate. An address by former President Jimmy Carter at Baylor helped him choose parish ministry. “He talked about his post-presidential period and how he had been guided by a pretty simple concept,” Caldwell said. “He went where he was needed.

“I thought about that and prayed about that and at that point, there were a hundred people lined up for every job in the academic world,” he recalled. He sensed he could make a larger contribution by serving moderate Baptist congregations that were “seeking to navigate the waters of those times.”

It was an era when many moderate congregations had either recently left or loosened their ties to the Southern Baptist Convention because of its far rightward shift. Caldwell has no regrets serving in congregational ministry and would “absolutely do it all over again.”


Racial justice observed as a child

However, when he decided to follow his calling to Simmons, it was a step in a long journey of interest in racial justice that began when he was a child in the 1970s. Growing up in a northern suburb of Nashville, he frequently heard racist epithets and lived on a street where a cross was burned on the lawn of an African American family. He did not forget the anguish he felt, and it helped spur him to engage in interracial work as a pastor.

His energies became more focused in 2015 when pastors from predominantly white East Louisville started meeting weekly with pastors from predominantly Black West Louisville. The group, known as Empower West, “put some wheels on the vehicle when it came to the passion I had,” he explained.

“It gave me an opportunity to learn a lot,” he continued. “I had given thought to a lot of those issues but basically from a white perspective.” He and other white pastors began reading books written by Black intellectuals and learning more about the structural injustices encountered by Black people, such as the wide wealth gap that separates white and Black Americans. They began sharing their knowledge with their church members and inviting them to greater interracial involvement.

Through Empower West, Caldwell learned more about Simmons College, an institution founded in 1879 by former slaves. While it eventually became a comprehensive university, it ran into financial difficulties during the Great Depression and sold its property to the University of Louisville. The campus became the home of Louisville Municipal College, the arm of the university that served Black students during the days of segregation. Simmons continued to hold classes on the campus but limited its course offerings to theological studies. After U of L integrated in the 1950s, Simmons moved to a new location and became known as Simmons Bible College.


Season of growth at Simmons

Kevin Cosby, senior pastor of St. Stephen Baptist Church in Louisville, was elected president of the school in 2005 and began to greatly expand the curriculum. Simmons now offers bachelor’s degrees in business entrepreneurship, cross-cultural communication, music, sociology, and religious studies. It also reacquired and moved to the property it had sold to U of L. Under Cosby’s leadership, Simmons gained accreditation by the Association of Biblical Higher Education and recognition from the U.S. Department of Education as the nation’s 107th Historically Black College and University.

Asked why HBCUs remain important, Caldwell said they provide students “ethnic armor,” a term he said Cosby often uses. “We pass along the skills for students to be successful and thrive in the dominant white culture, but we also pass along the intellectual and academic traditions of the African American community,” he said.

Simmons students live in a city where feelings of anger and alienation now permeate the African American population due in part to the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, on March 13. For months, protesters have taken to the streets demanding the officers involved be charged.

The city’s housing patterns have helped inflame racial tensions, Caldwell said. “Louisville is a very segregated city. It is one of the most segregated cities in the United States, but it is not an outlier by any stretch.”

While much racial justice work needs to be done in Louisville a
nd elsewhere, Caldwell sees Simmons as an example of empowerment that can help society move toward racial equity.

Motivating students to be “agents of change” is a priority at Simmons, Caldwell said. “We are trying to help students make their life situations better, but also to remember they have a calling to reach back and bring others along.”

While some Simmons students are “academic rock stars,” most come to Simmons “woefully underprepared,” he said. Yet he emphasizes when a student demonstrates potential Simmons is determined to help them achieve. “We don’t lower the bar,” he said. “We show them where the bar is and help them get there.”

Colleges and universities typically gain prestige by touting the sterling academic credentials of the students they attract. Yet Caldwell measures academic quality by a different standard.

“The measure of excellence of a school is not what kind of students you attract but how far the student travels in four years under your tutelage,” he declared. “And by that measure, you can make a case that Simmons is the best college in the state.”

The True Gospel

Imagine a corporation needed to train new sales representatives to expand its market. Unfortunately, the company could not bring all the new employees to its headquarters, so it was decided to send out trainers to the various new markets and train the salespeople there. 

However, the trainers all had different ideas about what the corporate philosophy and sales methods were! The new salespeople were all taught different things! What confusion!

A similar difference in teaching has occurred in the various Christian churches, each of which has its own understanding of what the true gospel is. Some say it is "the gospel of grace." Others call their version "the gospel of salvation" or "the gospel of Christ." To others, it is "the gospel of God" or "the gospel of the Kingdom." Which is it? How does the Bible define the true gospel? The only true gospel is the one presented in its pages, and we can search it out! Below are eight QUESTIONS;


1. Does it matter what gospel Christians believe? Galatians 1:8-9.

Indeed, it does! Paul pronounces a double curse on anyone who preaches a gospel different from the one preached by the apostles! The gospel is a serious business! The apostles were taught directly by Christ, who gave them a commission to "preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15).


2. What gospel did Jesus Himself preach? Mark 1:14.

Jesus preached "the gospel of the kingdom of God"! "Gospel" derives from an old English word meaning "good news." He came proclaiming the good news that God's Kingdom would come and restore all things (Acts 3:19-21). Jesus is the King of a literal Kingdom that will reign over the whole earth when He returns (see John 18:36-37; Revelation 5:10; 19:11-16; 20:4-6). The gospel explains, not only that it is coming, but also how we can be a part of it. That is great news!


3. What did Christ say we must do to enter it? Mark 1:15.

The conditions for entering God's Kingdom are simple in concept: "repent and believe in the gospel." Repentance is a complete turning or changing of the mind and way of life to follow God. And God's way of life is defined by His commandments (Matthew 19:17). We repent by quitting our former sinful way of life and keeping God's commands.

Believing the gospel encompasses both believing in Christ as well as believing what He said (John 8:30-31). Millions believe that He came as their Savior and now lives eternally as their soon-coming King while rejecting the very message He brought to save them! What a paradox!


4. Where did Christ's message originate? John 12:49-50; 14:24; 17:7-8.

Jesus spoke only what His Father in heaven told Him to speak! Thus, our Messiah, Jesus Christ, was a Messenger from God the Father, bringing the message of God's plan for all mankind, the message of the New Covenant (Malachi 3:1). The gospel of God, the gospel of Jesus, and the gospel of the Kingdom are the same gospel! It originated in God, was proclaimed by His Son, and tells of the coming rule of God and our part in it!


5. What is "the gospel of grace"? Acts 20:24-25.

In these verses, Paul is speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus about his ministry. He explains that his ministry had testified "to the gospel of the grace of God." And what had he preached? The Kingdom of God (see Acts 28:30-31)! God's wonderful offer of grace and salvation is also part of the gospel of the Kingdom!


6. Is the church the Kingdom of God? Colossians 1:13.

While Christians await the establishment of God's Kingdom on the earth at the return of Jesus Christ, they are considered by God to be spiritually a part of His Kingdom. Having voluntarily placed themselves under Christ's rule, they are said to have their citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and be "members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). As members of Christ's body, they are "in Christ" (Romans 8:1; II Corinthians 5:17), and therefore are actively participating in the advancement of God's Kingdom. However, Christians have not yet inherited the Kingdom in its fullness, an event that will not happen until they are resurrected and glorified at Christ's coming (I Corinthians 15:50-54). In addition, their being "in Christ" does not preclude their falling away from Him in the future (Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31).


7. Is the Kingdom of God "within you"? Luke 17:21.

This sadly mistranslated verse has led many sincere people astray. Without even knowing the Greek language, we can see that Jesus could not mean that the Kingdom was some ethereal quality in the hearts of the Pharisees! On the contrary, He castigated them often for their unbelief! Entos, translated "within," should be translated "in the midst of" or "among." Jesus, the coming King of the Kingdom of God, was in their midst or among them! The thrust of His teaching in this section is that unbelievers will not recognize the working of God's Kingdom among them, just as the Pharisees had not recognized their Savior among them.


8. What gospel is to be preached before the end comes? Matthew 24:14.

The gospel of the Kingdom is for today! It is preached, not only when we proclaim that Jesus Christ will return soon to establish His government upon this earth (Isaiah 9:6-7; Zechariah 14:9), but also when we teach both believers and unbelievers how to live God's way of life (I Corinthians 15:1-2; Philippians 1:27; I Thessalonians 2:8-9). That is truly good news!

Pandemic

The word "pandemic" should send shivers down our spines. Worldwide disease epidemics are on the rise, and several authorities are predicting outbreaks of some diseases medical science thought they had all but eradicated.

For us, however, it is not surprising. Jesus Christ plainly prophesied that pestilence of major proportions would arise in the last days (Matthew 24:7). The last of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, pestilence is a pale, or greenish-yellow, the horse was ridden by a being called Death. Hades, or the grave, follows after. They are given the power to kill one-quarter of the earth's population by means of war, famine, plague, and beasts (Revelation 6:7-8).

It presents a striking scenario: War often causes famine. Malnutrition and starvation breed disease, which under the right conditions erupts into epidemics. The bites of animals and insects transmit certain diseases, and sickness and weakness make people easier targets for attack by hungry wild beasts. Though it may be difficult to imagine events like these in our day the Bible shows the progression and the certainty of the prophecy.


Diseases Old and New

Unfortunately, the signs of old and new diseases on the verge of pandemic are already showing. One professor of microbiology at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra, Australia, told a conference of his peers in Sydney: "We don't know what it [the plague] will be, or where it will be, but there will be one, we only have to look at history." He cites deteriorating refugee conditions worldwide, fast-increasing populations, high-risk sexual habits, and the scarcity of pure drinking water as factors that presage global epidemics (Intelligence Digest, September 3, 1993, p. 3).

Two American researchers, writing in the British medical journal Lancet, warn that the recent cholera epidemic has pandemic potential. A new strain of cholera, called "Bengal cholera," has already infected several hundred thousand people from India to Thailand this year, of which about five thousand have died. Cholera is contracted through sewage-tainted drinking water or food, or following contact with someone who is already contaminated by those means.

Classic cholera is currently infecting thousands in much of the former Soviet Union, where internal conflicts and a general breakdown in sewage and disposal services are common. The El Tor variety of cholera surfaced in Peru in 1990 and spread quickly as far as Colombia and Bolivia, killing sixty-three hundred people.

New forms of diphtheria have surfaced in Russia, where over four thousand cases had been reported within the first eight months of 1993. Several cases of bubonic plague, the Black Death that killed about forty million in medieval Europe, have been reported in Kazakhstan. Ten non-fatal cases of bubonic plague struck Americans in 1992. Tuberculosis, thought eradicated by many, is on a comeback in Russia, Europe, and the U.S.

And new diseases, like hantavirus, which first affected Navajo Indians in New Mexico, have doctors and researchers baffled. It has been found in rodents over the U.S., China, Korea and northern Europe.

On top of all this, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes that several new rodent-borne diseases, like bubonic plague and hantavirus, could be unleashed globally in the near future. To this point, they have refrained from proclaiming war on rats because killing them releases the fleas that actually carry the diseases. They have no idea how to respond to the threat.

Of course, there is AIDS as well. Having surfaced in Asia, WHO predicts that over the next decade more AIDS cases will occur in Asian countries than in Africa, which currently leads the world in infections. Nearly one-third of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa are currently testing HIV-positive. WHO also predicts that between 10 and 15 million children will be orphaned by 2000 in this region alone as a result of AIDS-related deaths. And possibly one-third to one-half of the children will themselves have AIDS.

The U.S. said to have the best health-care system in the world, is unprepared for any major outbreak of viral infections. Robert Shope, professor of epidemiology and committee co-chairman of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, reports that the nation is vulnerable to an outbreak comparable to the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic that killed 20 million worldwide. "It can happen again," he warns (Insight, October 11, 1993, p.16).

Frederick A. Murphy, former director of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Infectious Diseases, believes that an influenza-like disease that "transmits fast and broadly" is the most likely candidate for the next pandemic. And the damage will be done before America's "porous line of defense against viral invaders" can respond (Ibid., p. 19).


Promised Protection

Again, we should not be surprised. God warned Israel in their wilderness wanderings about what would happen if they did not obey His commandments. "I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever. . . . [W]hen you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you" (Leviticus 26:16, 25; cf. Deuteronomy 28).

But He also promises protection and healing from such diseases. "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God . . . , I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you" (Exodus 15:26; cf. 23:25; Deuteronomy 7:15; Psalm 103:3).

As we hear the approaching hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen growing ever louder, we have only one refuge from their relentless onslaught.

Surely He shall deliver you . . . from the perilous pestilence. . . . His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid . . . of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. . . . Because you have made the LORD . . . your habitation, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. (Psalm 91:3-10)

As the Horsemen converge on this nation from every side, we must keep our focus on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), forbidding any distraction to hinder us. In doing so, we will be prepared for both the troubles and the joys that lie just ahead.




By Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," January 1994

Monday 21 September 2020

Will I Be Forgiven For Abortion?

What’s It Like to Abort Your Own Child?

If you are asking “Will I be forgiven for the abortion I had?” then you already feel the guilt of your sin. Perhaps you feel your guilt afresh as a result of the videos exposing the work of Planned Parenthood. What do you do with your guilt?

One young man I met on the street a few years ago knew this guilt. He had grown up in an evangelical Christian home. About twenty years old, he had rejected the God of the Bible and argued vehemently with me against the Lord's very existence. Our discussion somehow moved to the moral argument for God. Why is murder wrong? What about abortion? At that point, most unexpectedly, the hardened young man burst into tears. He buried his head in his hands and blurted out, “I don’t need any God to know abortion is wrong!” He rapidly recounted impregnating his girlfriend, taking her to the abortion clinic, paying for the abortion, and the guilt he had carried ever since - all while repeating. “I knew it was wrong!”

After a few moments, he gathered himself and looked up. He was as surprised at what he had confessed as I was; we both knew he had said far more than he intended to say. His guilt remained. No matter how much he tried to deny the existence of his Creator and Judge, he could not escape his guilt before God. Guilt is real. It doesn’t just go away with time.

Our culture may tell you, “Don’t worry, it wasn’t wrong.” But guilt cannot be wished away, and we know it because we cannot escape from God. When King David committed adultery and murder, he hid his sin for a time, but finally confessed it saying, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you [God], you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:3-4). Our guilt remains even though the Lord may patiently allow us to continue with life – as we try to make it appear that nothing is wrong because “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty” (Nahum 1:3).

However, the Lord promises a “guilty” verdict can be turned to “innocent.” But, we need a substitute who is qualified and willing to take our guilt and the resulting punishment of death and the wrath of God. No mere man could do it. So, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to become man, live without sin, and die like a sinner before rising from the grave. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For our sake he made him be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus takes the place of his people in punishment, and we gain his place in righteousness. Bethany Jenkins has said it beautifully with respect to this particular sin: “Abortion says, ‘Your life for mine,’ but Jesus says, ‘My life for yours—even if you’ve killed your own child.’”

Your guilt will be taken away forever if you confess that guilt to the God you have offended. Take heed to the word of God from Isaiah the prophet and believe his promise: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool" (Isaiah 1:18). Freedom is waiting for you if you would simply humble yourself before God. If you need some sense of where to start in the midst of your confusion, these words by Dr. David Powlison can serve as a guide. Other forgiven sinners are waiting to help you too. Talk with a pastor or another mature Christian; we long for you to experience forgiveness.

The young man I talked to that night would not confess his sin to the God he denied or trust Jesus’ saving love. But his denial did not erase either God or his own guilt. I do not know what happened to him after we parted. Because the Lord is slow to anger, my friend’s life may have gone on without much visible change. But, his guilt remains if he has not yet turned to the God of mercy. Your guilt does not need to remain.


James Faris: Child of God. Husband to Elizabeth. Father of six. Pastor of Second Reformed Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Ordained as a pastor in 2003.

Today's Prayer Requests

We Are Praying With You

 

"Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Romans 15:30 

 

Annabella Afranie | Prayer to stand firm in my faith and be strong in Christ Jesus

Carolyn Spencer | I'm just feeling a little lost and trying to find my way again my faith hasnt faltered but I have I recently lost everything in my life my home my children my dog everything that I loved Dearest of close to my heart I've lost so I'm trying to pick myself back up and it's been real real real tough

Kim | Pray for my family that everything turns out alright. Pray God give me the strength to get through it.

KB | Hi,   Please pray for me and my family and our future. I am greatly concerned about my dad. He's now stuck in a wheelchair and can no longer walk. The doctors say he may soon die from a 3rd heart attack! My mom says if he dies, we'll be stuck living on the streets!   Worse, now the doctors are now saying my mom may soon die in less than 3 years from cancer! I don't know how to live all by myself! There's no way I can pay for my dad's house since I only make several hundred dollars a month! I will need a lot more to pay for the house and to live! I'll be a prisoner in my house all alone because the doctors say I have seizures so I can't drive! I have no friends. Only my pet cat Fuji. And now he's acting like he may soon die! I'll be left all alone with no one in my life to keep me company!   I don't know what I'm going to do! So please pray for me and my family and All My Daily Prayer Requests! Thank you and God Bless! 

Joe Gbeadeh | I would like you to pray for me and my family, our churches in Liberia and Liberia as large/whole. Thanks for your support, care concern for the world.

Ravi | do pray for my promotion and Carrier aspect

TK | please pray for my daughter LEESHA to come back home she living with my in laws and they are holding her in bondage,my baby girl is only 10 years old and i miss her very much please please pray that she comes back home to me in JESUS NAME

Odette De | Please pray for me to be rich. Amen.

Patricia Agaba | I have come to say "Thank You Father" for all he has done for me and my family, the ones he is still doing and about to do, am grateful Lord Jesus and I return all my Praise to You. Have Your way in us always. Help me make a joyful noise to our God, Hallelujah!!

Pastor Dr HUMPHREY MALIPINI | I'm Pastor Humphrey Malipini in Zambia. And my mission and calling is to reach the unchurched people in remote rural areas and plant churches. Due to the high levels of poverty in these areas and the effects of Covid-19, ministry is becoming a bit difficult for us who are full time ministers. Due to covid-19 pandemic there is no income coming from the church, and we have been evicted from the house by the landlord for failing to pay 6 months arrears. Kindly please pray for me and my family, we need a financial assistance so that we continue doing the good work of the Lord despite the covid-19 pandemic. please please please pray for us, we are homeless and I don't know where to take my family.

lankanaveen | Please pray for my best future and my mother is going to write examinations which was far away from our living place it is so difficult to go in this pandemic times so please pray for postponement of examinations

Devain |  I just happiness in my Life!

DAVID MCCANN |  I ASK GOD TO HEAL THE SICK THE WEAK IN SPIRIT AND THE UNFAITHFUL. PRAY THAT MY NEW JOB BE BLESSED FOR LONGEVITY AND THAT I SUSTAIN THROUGH THIS NEW JOB MY FAMILY FOR YEARS TO COME.AMEN

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life

Simon | Expansion of the ministry.Together for Christ.

Jennie | I ask for prayer for my son Christian. Hes 18 and is going down a dark path. I ask that God will be with him and bring him back home. Thank you

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life immediately

Macay | Iam praying to god to guide me threw disapointmemt, and hurt, amen

Sheila Wilson | I pray that the lord increases the love between my love interest, and remove the obstacles in between us. Intertwined as one. Amen

orebek | Total healing, and grace

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life

Alarice Banasihan | Health and Finances

Helen Todaro | Career and Relationships

Arlene | I ask a prayer for myself and my family that we may grow closer to god, especially in this time of trouble.

Oluwatobi | Mike, I pray God's purpose and plan manifest in my life, I also pray for a good job I have lost my job since ending of March due to covid19 pandemic till now I am jobless with a wife and two kids to take care. Finally I pray for God's peace to reign over the whole world. Amen

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life immediately

PE | Hello good night I pray the Lord will touch your heart to help me,I am a single mother and I am really in need of some diaper and formula for my baby please help me please.

Missionary Aaron Langston | I just moved to Los Angeles I'm homeless and doing the Lord work. I need prayers from heaven.

Vijay | Plz pray for a financial miracle in my life

JS | Prise tha Lord I'm from India so please pray my mom health issues kidney disease please pray and director sir please kindly help me money we r so suffered sir please help

Adeolu |  I am Adeolu Ojo. I am diagnosed with kidney cyst of about 8cm, large enough to cause discomfort. Kindly join me in prayers for healing so that my Kidney will not be cut for this.

Oluwatobi | I pray God's purpose and plan manifest in my life, I also pray for a good job I have lost my job since ending of March due to covid19 pandemic till now I am jobless with a wife and two kids to take care. Finally I pray for God's peace to reign over the whole world. Amen

Dacia | Prayers for a widow and broken heart

tommie hoff | praise god ! i pray for people to be happy during these times of greef i pray that this pandemic leaves us soon amen in jesus name amen  tom

vijay | Pl pray for a financial miracle in my life immediately

b.zechariahtamilmaran | in our church 1617 sqft in cement sheet we pray it is converted into congreete.budget 10 lakhs,kindly pray.our lord jesus christ meet our emergency need.

Nyalok Tong | My prayer request today is towards being financially stable. Help me find a job. I’m struggling with bills.

Szndy | Please pray for my family and pray for me to recover from alcoholism. I've been clean since August 24th 2020. Amen.

Michaelle pierre | I'm 15 year old and I need prayer for me and my mom she's not a Christian she lives in Haiti she got nobody to help her I'm the only one she have I'm only 15 year old I can't help. She a Jehovah witness . I don't want when god come Back she won't be saved . And I also need help to have faith and god . And I also struggle to stay faithful to god .

Sheila Wilson | Please unite Paul and I in a loving relationship becoming committed together through and by Christ. Amen.

Coreen Henery | Please pray for my mother Rachel Jones who was diagnosed with leukemia and breast cancer. She also has a stuffy nise that wont go away. Also please pray for me coreen henry. I think i have some sickness in my body and i have a lot of pain all over pkease pray for healing for both of us. Amen

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life

SANDY QUINTANA | Please pray for my family and pray for me to recover from alcoholism. I've been clean since August 24th 2020. Amen.


If you have a prayer request, feel free to reach via the contact form or send an email: businessofchrist@gmail.com 

Thursday 17 September 2020

Today's Prayer Requests

We are praying with you

"Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." Romans 15:30 

Kimberly cancer Rankin | Please pray forme. I have do?on cancer and please pray The LOrd takes me soon. I am really suffering. Also please pray people start treating me better that mea me Christians. God bless you.Kimberly

Appah Mensah Bismark | Please am Bismark from Ghana, please help me in prayer because now am not able to prayer as I use to pray. I want to be revived again.

DanizeObama | We pray at this hour that God , our Heavenly, most high Father can lift up the Clouds that has plague all nations from this Pandemic. We pray that God can trust M/D. with more knowledge in proving better medical care effects to our patients. We pray that God can send his Sea Angels to cleanse our waters from bacteria diseases. We pray that our ocean is less polluted and more water fresh resources to regions all over the World. God give us the strengths, and knowledge mentality to combat this war.

DAVIDMCCANN | PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS TO OBTAIN WISDOM FROM GOD AND PRAY THAT MY FAMILY OVERCOMES FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AND I OBTAIN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT SOON.GODBLESS YOUR MINISTRY WTH GRACE AND BLESSING AMEN

RB | thank you all and God for helping me with the needed guidance I was asking a d so badly in need for. Please pray with us to help me keep my strength up on my journey in life. Thank you God.

THERESA | PLEASE PRAY FOR ME I AM TRUSTING GOD FOR A MY OWN HOUSE.BLESS YOU MAN OF GOD

Jose | please pray for my wife Dina. She just finished last night going thru a Liver transplant operation and she is in stable condition but she needs every prayer possible. Thank you and God 3

THERESA | PLEASE PRAY FOR ME I AM TRUSTING GOD FOR A MY OWN HOUSE.BLESS YOU MAN OF GOD

vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life

Tina Thorwaldson | Please pray for my friend Frank  Morrill. He might have pancreatitis cancer. Thanks

BELLA | For healing on Rowan Louie Kappelmann that he will overcome every obstacle

Teressa | Could you please put Dale Doss and june Doss for a good job for dale and vehicle to come their way. and their marriage of 33 yrs the devil not to destroy through technology 

Karen | I need prayers for my son William going through some hard times, and homeless and need prayers to help him fine a good paying job.

Athreya | I pray, Oh! Lord, that I find the sufficient strength of mind to repent of my sin and find peace in our Lord Jesus. I pray that I find sufficient strength of mind to turn away from Satan and the multifarious temptations that he has to offer. Oh! Heavenly Father, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. SHALOM

Patricia | Kindly Pray along with me for the Lord to direct my grandchildren on the right path and deliver them from all the works of the power of darkness , leading them to their destiny and testimonies in Jesus Powerful Name  AMEN.

Jasmine Padilla | Juan and jasmine padilla perez perez pray for healing and our marriage to grow in Christ. And health to be healed from all pain and memory loss

TB | God, please continue to guide us though our lives and to help us convict the unjust of your righteous.

Keri Williams | prayer for several very serious diseases in my whole body these are live and death diseases please pray for mercy and grace and big healing miracle from the Lord Jesus Christ desperate and very afraid need prayers and healing miracles please pray for me

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life

LF | Pls pray for my family divine protection, spiritual strenght and approval for our land to install a satellite, for building our church and my promotion for my job and to give our diferencial.. Thank you andGod bless

Mike |  I may lose my home, on the verge. Please Pray that a miracle comes my way so I don't become homeless

Michael | My niece's boyfriend is under going cancer treatment Please pray that God gives him the strength that he needs to go through this and beat this disease

Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life immediately


If you have a prayer request, feel free to reach via the contact form or send an email: businessofchrist@gmail.com 

Church Cares for Pastor Family During Cancer Battle

Bless Your Pastor

Brian and Sandi felt called by God to pastoral ministry when they were both 45 years old. Brian left his leadership position with a national nonprofit and took a $70,000 pay cut to become a pastor.

Two years into accepting the call to become a pastor of a 250-person church, Sandi was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was told she would only live about another year. In addition to dealing with the tragic news and fighting cancer, they also were parents to three school-age children who were 9, 7, and 5 years old.

The cancer was taking its toll on Sandi and Brian in every way – physically, financially, and emotionally. Sandi went through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, which left her feeling fatigued on a regular basis. Additionally, more than $100,000 in medical bills were beginning to pile up. They were having a hard time making ends meet with the medical bills, five mouths to feed, and Brian’s income. But, they were not alone.

Church families and others voluntarily rallied around them to provide financial support and free meals. They paid all of their medical bills and provided so much food that it left their refrigerator and freezer overflowing.

While much appreciated, Brian and Sandi realized that the food preparation, clean up and returning dishes were sometimes creating more work, not less. What was the solution? Church families started providing gift cards to all of the local restaurants and fast food establishments. All that Brian and Sandi had to do was pick up the kids after their school activities and ask, “Where do you want to eat tonight?” No food prep, clean up, or dishes to return. 

Instead, they were able to spend quality time as a family eating hot meals together and feeling loved and cared for by their church families and friends.

And, that’s not all. Miraculously, it turned out that the doctors were wrong. Sandi didn’t live just one year she lived eight years before God called her to heaven. And, they had a year’s supply of restaurant gift cards after Sandi passed away. As a widower and new single dad, Brian could ensure that his three hungry children, who were now teenagers, were fed.

Many churches have limited budgets and are not able to compensate for their pastors, or church staff very well. But the Bless Your Pastor's movement is mobilizing Christians and churches everywhere to show and share God’s love for their pastors and church staff. 

What can you do to bless your pastor with your time, skills, and resources? The Bless Your Pastor's website has free video training and a toolkit of resources that will encourage and empower you, your church board, and families to care for your pastor and church staff.

Churches Report Giving Boost Months after Pandemic Started

State of the Plate research

(Religion News Service) — Giving to congregations has shifted upward after churches closed their buildings earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, a survey shows. The new State of the Plate research finds that close to two-thirds (64%) of churches across the country reported in August that giving is either up (22%) or steady (42%). By contrast, in April, a similar share of churches (65%) said they had seen a drop in giving.

“This is encouraging news for churches across America,” said Brian Kluth, a former pastor who is now a national spokesperson for the National Association of Evangelicals’ Financial Health initiative. “These new findings show that most churches and their families are figuring out ways to survive and even thrive in the midst of all the challenges that the pandemic has thrown their way.”

The findings are based on responses from 1,076 mainline, evangelical, and independent Protestant churches. Seven in 10 of them had less than 200 attenders before the pandemic. A third of the responding churches were in cities or suburbs, almost another third were from towns, about a quarter was from rural areas or small towns, and 9% were from large cities.

The vast majority of respondents — 87% — said their congregations are currently meeting for in-person worship services. But more than half (58%) said the attendance in person is half or less compared with pre-pandemic times. Six percent said they had seen an increase in attendance.

A survey released in July by LifeWay Research found that 71% of Protestant churches met for in-person services in mid-July, with almost all taking some precautions to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Barna Group, in a similar survey at that time, found 49% of church leaders said they were meeting inside their buildings.

Despite the upturn in giving, Kluth said pastors continue to face financial pressures from disruptions related to the pandemic.

“Even as finances stabilize for many churches, our research prior to the pandemic showed that 90 percent of pastors feel some level of financial stress in their family and church work,” Kluth, who also is the national spokesman for the NAE’s Bless Your Pastor movement, said in a statement. “This has been an especially stressful year for pastors and church staff.”

The research, conducted Aug. 7-30 in partnership with Christianity Today’s Church Law & Tax, had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Corona Visas for Evangelical Volunteers Leave Catholics Frustrated

Courtesy: HaYovel

But Israel Today confirmed there is no conspiracy to favor Evangelicals over Catholics or Orthodox

Waves have been made in the Israeli media over an Evangelical Christian group managing to secure visas for its foreign volunteers at a time when the country’s borders are closed to non-citizens.

HaYovel is a US-based ministry (though the core staff resides in Israel much of the year) whose primary mission is aiding Israeli farmers in Judea and Samaria (the so-called “West Bank”) during the annual grape and olive harvest seasons. While here, the group’s volunteers are also educated and equipped to become ambassadors for what God is doing in Israel today.

Needless to say, the coronavirus policies that have shut Israel off to all but returning Israeli citizens were a devastating blow to HaYovel’s vision and mission. Or at least, they would have been. Instead, the closure produced what could be seen as a tremendous testimony.

“We were worried about having to shut down the operation since we only had eight of our staff members in the Land. Normally for a harvest season, we get 300 volunteers coming through in addition to staff,” HaYovel’s Executive Director, Zac Waller, told Israel Today. “So we talked to the vineyard owners to figure out a solution, and at one point even considered bringing in a mechanical harvester to complete the mission. We also reached out to our contacts in government, and finally started to see miracle after miracle. In the end, we were able to get 50 volunteers here.”

The use of the word “miracle” here is not an exaggeration. As noted, Israel has closed its borders to all non-citizens. The obvious victim of this policy has been the tourism industry. But no less impacted have been Israel’s small farmers, many of whom rely on foreign volunteers and laborers to tend and bring in seasonal crops. In the best of times, Israel’s government pays inadequate attention to these farmers. So for HaYovel’s petition to get before the right eyes, let alone be considered and approved, is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle.

Even with a Divine hand opening doors, everyone assumed to be shut and locked, this is still Israel. The bureaucracy is thick, and the feet are often dragged. And though the approval for HaYovel’s volunteers came in what many would consider record time for a visa matter, the mandatory quarantine for all incoming passengers still meant they wouldn’t quite get to the vines in time. But then another miracle occurred – the grapes waited for the volunteers.

“We always base the timing of the harvest on the biblical feasts,” explained Waller. “And every year we hit it spot on, but this year the grapes just weren’t ready. They were about three weeks later than normal. But it just so happened that the first day of the red grape harvest was the first day that our volunteers got out of their mandatory two-week quarantine after arriving in the Land. Thank God, it’s just all coming together.”

In addition to being the fulfillment of prophecy (see Isaiah 61:5), the work of HaYovel’s volunteers is crucial to the success of small farmers in the biblical heartland.

“We need volunteers, too!”

HaYovel’s incredible story did not go unnoticed. Sadly, the only bit that the secular Israeli media focused on was how these Christians had somehow sidestepped restrictions under which others have been left groaning.

And that caught the attention of other Christian institutions that likewise run volunteer programs, and who felt that in light of HaYovel’s success, they were being unfairly denied visas by Israel’s Interior Ministry.

“We need visas, too!” read the headline of a letter sent to the Israeli government by The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land.

The Catholic officials said they were “astonished” to learn that American Evangelical volunteers had secured visas, while they have been unable to do the same for volunteers that normally serve at hospitals, schools, and elderly homes that are administered by the Catholic Church.

“We have been repeatedly told that visas cannot be given because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Catholics complained, seeming to suggest that the Israeli government was giving preferential treatment to more pro-Israel Christians.

Waller proposed a simpler answer.

“Agriculture is kind of a special category,” he noted. “Even in times of lockdown, agriculture has got to continue so that the stores can stay stocked. In addition to that, we are living and working in rural areas, aren’t doing tours, we aren’t around a lot of people or going into populated areas. Our risk of exposing or being exposed is minimal.”

Israel Today can indeed confirm that there is no special consideration being granted to Israel-supporting Evangelical ministries in regard to volunteer visas. Many of the Evangelical ministries based in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have had to operate during this period with greatly reduced staff numbers due to the blanket ban on entry visas.



Wednesday 16 September 2020

Ayo Mary Laurent, A Royal with a Royal Inheritance In Christ and Ministry

Family and Ministry. Photo by Luis Quintero (pexels)


In Deuteronomy 8:6-7, the Scriptures commanded parents to teach diligently our children the way of the Lord. This is ultimate in Christian upbringing.


“6. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7. For the Lord, your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills”


Family is the principal plan of God’s for the happiness and growth of His children. 


The fact that God Himself established families from the onset of creation and shows us various examples of strong families. It also teaches us how to have a loving, happy, and successful family. God made it very clear that families are fundamental when he created Adam and Eve. The Bible calls them “man and . . . wife” (Genesis 2:25), and the first commandment  He gave them was to "...be fruitful and multiply...", meaning to children ( Genesis 1:28).


According to a study, Christian upbringing contributed towards a number of positive outcomes as well, such greater happiness, more volunteering in the community, a greater sense of mission and purpose, and higher levels of forgiveness

God promises blessings for your children when they know and obey gospel truths: “If your sons will keep My covenant, And My testimony which I shall teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.” (Psalm 132:12).


For Christian parents, the main objective is to establish and develop in their children’s early receptive years, so they will consistently have the hunger and desire to wholly seek God as their Father. That is the ultimate goal.


Family and Ministry

The personal example set by parents is of the utmost importance! Children must see the real God through their parents.. children’s’ knowledge of God is predominately by their parents’ example. "go into all the world and preach the Gospel" (Mark 16:15). Christ made it clear that "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).


Every Christian parent wants their children to grow up to love God and His Word. We know the immersed benefits that God’s law will bring to Ministry and children, both now and in the life to come—a firm and fulfilling life now, and in due course, eternal life in God’s family at Jesus Christ’s return.


Ayo Mary Laurent, Photo by Pereza Zang

In Nigeria, Ayo Mary Laurent, whose family background as a ministerial one, her late dad, was a Senior Evangelist of The Celestial Church of Christ, the mum, a Minister of God, and her grandmother Elderly Princess Florence Oni is the Chairperson of the very renown Cherubim and Seraphim prayer movement, white garment church with Headquarters in Osun state Nigeria is an example of Christian upbringing and ministry.


She is today, a devout Christian, an ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and an anointed evangelist from the Zion International School of Evangelism. There is no richer inheritance that parents can give their children than to see, hear, and experience the fullness of the blessings that come from choosing obedience and fulfillment in God. 


Parents who are in ministry and devote the time and the commitment—showing genuine love and interest in their children—will receive a reward that will bless them, and their children, to the end of their days! "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them" (Psalm 127: 3–5).


Children stepping in parent’s tracks, taking the mantle of leadership on the great commission is of great joy to parents and Hosts of heaven.


Wednesday 9 September 2020

Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for 'blasphemous texts'

In July, a man accused of blasphemy was shot dead in a courtroom in the northwestern city of Peshawar
In July, a man accused of blasphemy was shot dead in a courtroom
in the northwestern city of Peshawar

Asif Pervaiz, 37, who has been in custody since 2013, given the death penalty for sending 'blasphemous' text messages.

Islamabad, Pakistan - A court within the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore has sentenced a Christian man to death for having committed "blasphemy", his lawyer says, in the latest case of Pakistan's strict religious laws being applied against minorities.

Asif Pervaiz, 37, has been in custody since 2013 when he was accused of sending "blasphemous" text messages to a former supervisor at work, lawyer Saif-ul-Malook told Al Jazeera.

The court rejected his testimony wherein he denied the charges and sentenced him to death on Tuesday.

"The complainant was a supervisor during a hosiery factory where Asif was working under him," said Malook.

"He denied the allegations and said that this man was trying to induce him to convert to Islam."

Speaking in his own defense in court earlier in the trial, Pervaiz claimed the supervisor confronted him after he quit work on the factory, and when he refused to convert he was accused of having sent blasphemous text messages to the person.


Blasphemy laws

Muhammad Saeed Khokher, the complainant within the case, denies wanting to convert Parvaiz, according to his lawyer, Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry.

"He has taken this defense after the actual fact because he had no other clear defense," Chaudhry told Al Jazeera. "That's why he accused him of trying to convert him."

Chaudhry said there are other Christian employees at the factory, but none have accused Khokher of proselytizing.

Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws prescribe a compulsory execution for the crime of insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad, and strict penalties for other infractions like insulting Islam, the holy Quran, or certain holy people.

There is currently a minimum of 80 people in prison in Pakistan for the crime of "blasphemy", with a minimum of half them facing life sentences or the execution, in line with the United State's Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Those accused under the laws are mainly Muslim, during a rustic where 98 percent of the population follows Islam, but the laws disproportionately target members of minorities like Christians and Hindus.


Aasia Bibi case

In one of the foremost high-profile blasphemy cases within the country's history, the Supreme Court ruled in October 2018 that a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, had been framed in her case during which the laws had inadequate oversight for false accusations.

Those accusations can have deadly consequences. Since 1990, a minimum of 77 people is killed in relation to blasphemy allegations, according to an Al Jazeera tally.

Those killed have included people accused of blasphemy, their members of the family, lawyers, and judges who have acquitted those accused of the crime. Bibi fled Pakistan in 2019 as a result of threats against her life.

The latest such murder occurred in July when a man accused of blasphemy was shot six times in a courtroom during a hearing in his case.

His murderer was apprehended and was garlanded with roses by far-right supporters during subsequent court appearances.

This month has seen a sharp spike in blasphemy cases being registered in Pakistan, particularly in the most populous province of Punjab. Many of these cases have targeted the country's sizeable Shi'ite minority, which forms roughly 15 percent of the population.

Since a series of large-scale sit-in protests on the matter of blasphemy in 2017, political parties have increasingly been including messaging on blasphemy in their platforms.

The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, formed by firebrand scholar Khadim Hussain Rizvi before the 2018 polls, campaigned on a platform supported the defense of the blasphemy laws.

While it won few seats, it garnered the fourth-highest share of the countrywide popular vote by one party.

Sudan Agrees with Rebels to Remove Islam as State Religion

Lieutenant general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of Sudan holds up a pen before signing a peace deal with rebel groups on August 31.
Lieutenant general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of Sudan holds up a pen before signing a peace deal with rebel groups on August 31.

Peace deals include bold pledges on religious freedom. But much work remains for the transitional government after three decades under Bashir’s strict sharia.

In signing successive peace deals with entrenched rebel movements last week, Sudan drew upon the legacy of Thomas Jefferson.

“The constitution should be based on the principle of ‘separation of religion and state,’” read the text of an agreement between the North African nation’s joint military-civilian transitional council and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM–N).

“The state shall not establish an official religion.”

The declaration of principles further cements Sudan’s efforts to undo the 30-year system of strict sharia law under President Omar al-Bashir, during which Islam was the religion of the state.

The agreement was signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, four days after a more inclusive peace deal was signed with a coalition of rebel groups in the Sudan Revolutionary Front in Juba, South Sudan.

The Juba agreement established a national commission for religious freedom, which guarantees the rights of Christian communities in Sudan’s southern regions.

Sudan’s population of 45 million is roughly 91 percent Muslim and 6 percent, Christian. Open Doors ranks Sudan at No. 7 among the 50 nations where it is hardest to be a Christian.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) interpreted the agreement even more widely: to protect the rights of all Sudanese people to practice their religion of choice.

With a stronghold in the southern Nuba Mountains within the South Kordofan region, an area with a significant Christian population, the SPLM–N held out of the initial peace deal specifically because it did not guarantee the separation of religion and state.

“There are no equal citizenship rights, there’s no distribution of wealth, there’s no equal development in the country,” one rebel leader told South Sudan in Focus.

“There’s no equality between black and Arab, and Muslim and Christian.”

But now including most of the major rebel movements in the western Darfur region and the Sudanese south, the democratic transition can continue with national unity.

Following months of popular protests, Sudan’s military overthrew Bashir in April 2019. An interim constitution—which notably omitted reference to sharia law as the primary source of legislation—was signed in August 2019, establishing a ceasefire and a six-month window to achieve peace.

Negotiations began in late 2019, and the February 2020 deadline was extended.

Autonomy is granted to the southern regions of the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Darfur, which had been split into five regions, will be reunified under its own governor with a special revenue-sharing agreement.

Rebel parties will receive 35 percent of government ministries, and 75 seats in the upcoming 300-member transitional parliament. Individual militants will be incorporated into the national army.

Sudan is currently led by an 11-member Sovereign Council, with one member a Coptic Christian. Currently headed by a military figure, a civilian will take the helm halfway through the three-year transition ending in 2022, with new elections.

Since the conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003, about 300,000 were killed with 2.7 million displaced from their homes. Thousands more were killed in the south since fighting began in 2011.

The civilian prime minister has already implemented significant changes.

In September 2019, Sudan and the United Nations agreed to open human rights offices in marginalized areas with significant religious minorities.

In December 2019, the public order law—used to punish individuals, especially women, in non-conformity with sharia law—was repealed.

And in July 2020, the Miscellaneous Amendments Act repealed the apostasy law, ended flogging for blasphemy, banned female genital mutilation (FGM), and permitted non-Muslims to drink alcohol.

The government additionally disbanded church councils used to control Christian congregations, declared Christmas a national holiday, and stated it is working on a uniform law for all religious worship.

But there is still much to do.

USCIRF noted that promised compensation claims for churches destroyed or confiscated during Bashir’s reign have been held up by bureaucracy. It called for full repeal of the blasphemy law, which still stipulates six-month imprisonment. And much work is necessary to reform remaining Islamist imprints in the judiciary and Ministry of Education.

Despite earlier hopes, Christianity will not be introduced for the first time in the national school curriculum. One pastor has complained that compulsory Islamic education sometimes results in the forced conversion of Christians to Islam.

And following the July repeal of sharia-based measures, thousands of Sudanese rallied against the “apostasy government.”

Sudan has witnessed several failed peace deals in the past, and significant hurdles toward full religious freedom remain.

But Christian leaders are hopeful.

“People here prefer to be cautious,” said Tombe Trille, Catholic bishop of El Obeid, capital of northern Kordofan, to the Vatican’s news agency. “But it is very important that a signature has finally been reached.


“We are all very happy.”



Article Source Link

Wednesday 2 September 2020

Israelis Excited to Visit United Arab Emirates

Israel Tourism Minister Assaf Zamir
Israel Tourism Minister Assaf Zamir


One of the “fruits” from the Israel-UAE peace deal should be bilateral tourism.

“We are looking forward to the arrival of UAE citizens in Israel and the day we can fly to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We will not limit the number of tourists from the UAE. The peace agreement creates enormous potential for the Israeli economy and tourism, and we will do everything we can to promote cooperation between the two countries.”

This is what Israel Tourism Minister Assaf Zamir (pictured) said in an interview with UAE journalist Fahd al-Amiri.

Zamir added: “The two countries are geographically close to each other. It’s only a 3-hour flight between Israel and the Emirates. Israelis also like to travel to new destinations… and the amazing achievements we hear about the UAE make [many Israelis] excited to go there.”

The Minister mentioned in the interview that the main Arab countries Israeli citizens can visit are Egypt and Jordan. And there, too, Israelis go only in small numbers of about 200,000 tourists a year. Many more Israelis visit Asian countries, such as India and Thailand.

Segments from the interview:

Can tourists from the UAE visit Jerusalem?

“We want all tourist sites to be open without restrictions to tourists coming from the Emirates, both religiously oriented sites and non-religious. In general, I think all Israel will be open to the Emirate tourists.”

How will direct flights of airlines between the two countries attract more tourists?

“… mainly because … that makes it easier for the tourist to fly and travel between the countries.”

How does Israel see the tourism industry of the Emirates?

“I think Israeli tourists are excited to visit your country because we know that your country is a hospitable country and welcomes tourists from all over the world. In addition to the great beaches and restaurants you have, the unique culture attracts crowds to your country from everywhere.”

What tourism products will the State of Israel offer to tourists from the United Arab Emirates?

“The religious sites all over the country and chiefly the city of Jerusalem… not only the religious sites but also the cultural sites and other historical sites in Israel. In addition, we offer tourists diverse culinary experiences; the city of Tel Aviv and its wonderful restaurants and beaches; Eilat and desert attractions; the Negev, also the Upper Galilee and beautiful Mount Hermon covered in snow.”

Abdullah al-Mohiri, owner of the Golden Eagle Travel and Tourism Agency in Ras al-Khaimah, UAE said that peace and prosperity are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot be achieved without the other. Abdullah expects that the peace agreement will contribute to cooperation with the Israeli side and to the prosperity of all economic spheres, especially tourism, by virtue of being linked to stability in the region.”

On our side, tourism agents in Israel are eagerly awaiting the moment the peace agreement will enter into force. On the one hand, the agents think that many Emirate tourists will want to come to the holy sites in Israel and especially to Jerusalem. On the other hand, they think that the demand of Israelis to fly to Dubai and Abu Dhabi will outweigh the demand to fly to Turkey or Greece.

Tuesday 1 September 2020

Even Arafat’s Wife Accepts Israel-UAE Normalization


Speaking to Israeli media, Arafat’s widow says she knows secrets that could bring down the Palestinian Authority


The Palestinian Authority is finding itself increasingly isolated in its fierce opposition to the announced normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Only Iran and Turkey have joined the Palestinians in loudly opposing this move toward peace.

In fact, even the widow of none other than Yasser Arafat, the man who made a career of trying to destroy Israel, has publicly accepted this dramatic development or at least is telling other Palestinians to stop opposing it.

After fellow Palestinians reacted to the news by publicly burning UAE flags and pictures of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Suha Arafat took to Instagram to apologize to the Emiratis and their leader:

“I want to apologize, in the name of the honorable Palestinian people, to the Emirati people and their leadership for the desecration and burning of the UAE flag in Jerusalem and Palestine and for insulting the symbols of the beloved UAE country. These is not our morals, nor our customs, nor our traditions. The difference in opinion does not spoil the friendship. I tell our people to read history well to know how the UAE, past, and present, supported the Palestinian people and the cause. I apologize to the people and leadership of the Emirates for any harm done by any Palestinian to this generous and kind people who have always welcomed us.”

Now she’s under fire from Palestinians who see her, too, as a “traitor.”

“There are instructions to turn me into a traitor and these instructions come from the head of the president’s office,” Suha said in an interview last week with Israel’s Kan TV news.

She said the man who is after her is PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s private secretary Intisar Abu Amara, who Suha revealed is quietly controlling the Palestinian Authority behind the scenes.
Arafat’s widow went on to criticize the Palestinian Authority under its current leadership for falling into the trap of opposing the UAE peace deal as if the Palestinians don’t also cooperate with Israel.

“If Yasser Arafat were alive he’d go to Mohammed bin Zayed and [appeal for help in dealing with] Netanyahu,” she explained. “But to go and say an Arab country is a betrayer? Enough with the slogans. We collaborate with Israel, with the Shin Bet, and Mossad. Who are you kidding?”

Suha concluded the interview with Israeli media by threatening to expose deep, dark secrets about the current Palestinian leadership if they don’t back down in their attacks on her.

Red flags raised

That there are secrets dark enough to bring down the Palestinian Authority if exposed to its citizens should raise some pretty big red flags for anyone trying to birth a sovereign Palestinian state under that leadership.

The idea of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is that the Palestinian state it establishes should not only live in peace with Israel but be fully democratic and wholly self-sufficient. A true partner for a better future. If it’s going to end up being a hopelessly corrupt haven for armed gangs that’s entirely dependent on the goodwill of Israel and Jordan to stay afloat, then what’s the point?

Pipe down

Suha Arafat’s rare outspokenness on this issue also reveals the deep concern of Palestinians who are able to look past the propaganda and understand the risk posed by insulting the rich Gulf states.

The UAE in particular does not take kindly to criticism of its leaders.

Israel’s N12 news portal reported that Saudi Arabia had privately warned the Palestinian Authority to restrain its reactions, especially rallies atop the Temple Mount decrying the Israel-UAE deal. Burning UAE flags and referring to the Emirates as “traitors” could do irreparable damage to the Palestinian cause, said the Saudis.

Jordan is said to have issued a similar warning over concern that the Palestinian rallies could be seen as a threat against any Emiratis who take advantage of the new peace with Israel to visit the Temple Mount, which Jordan officially oversees.

But from the Muslim Brotherhood to Saddam Hussein to Iran, the Palestinians have a history of backing the wrong horse and putting themselves on the outs with the rest of the moderate Arab world.

It’s no surprise that they are doing the same thing now.

Today's Prayer Requests


Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. Romans 15:30


You also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:11



Lisa Lee | Prayers for other. Healing for Christopher Sims Reese. Doctors can't do nothing else. But I know God the Doctor who can heal anybody or anything. George Melton Jr. Healing from a stroke. Doctor given up. But Doctor Jesus has the last word. In the mighty name of Jesus. I know he can, will and able to heal them with one touch or one word. If it is the will of God to heal them. I pray that he will heal their weak bodies in the name of the Lord. Prayers for all around the world who are sick that can not get well from this virus Covid-19 or some other illness. God, show your miracle sign of healing for all if it is your will. I love you Jesus. Do your will and not ours. And when it is all said and done down here on earth. Please dear Jesus. Give us a place somewhere around your mansion in the sky(Heaven).


Mike |  I may lose my home, on the verge. Please Pray that a miracle comes my way so I don't become homeless.


Michael | My niece's boyfriend is under going cancer treatment Please pray that God gives him the strength that he needs to go through this and beat this disease


Melissa | Prayer requested for my step dad who had a mini stroke due to stress from his divorce. Prayer for my son who’s lost his way. Prayer for my entire family’s health and for my daughter and husband to be successful in their endeavors. AMEN


MC | know God is not going to bring a save beautiful woman in my life so please pray that I'll stand and serving the Lord by my self....Please pray for me I asked the Lord for the woman I loved and many have said they never returned home!!! So pray that I stand for the Lord alone. Many are on the 50's and 60's and 70's and still praying for the spouse return and no answers from the Lord. Now it my time to live alone as well and serve the Lord!!!


Vijay | Plz pray for a financial miracle in my life


Vicki | Please pray for help for my son Jerry to overcome his addiction to drugs and lead the productive life he was meant to have.


Carol | Praise the Lord , God is good. Please pray for my grand daughter in New Jersey in the USA that she will live a Godly life and put her trust in God.


IFEANYI | Please join me and thank God for life and family and also pray that God should grant me my heart desires and perfect all that concerns me this year


Vijay | Worried about debts heart squeezes plz pray for a financial miracle in my life immediately


Unterius L Carson | After I lost My job, I've been homeless here in Houston since last Saturday; August 22nd and I would like for you to Pray for Me.


Shannon | Please pray for baby Isabelle, she may have the entrovirus. Please pray for my children and grandchildren that they will come to know the Lord as their personal savior.

Pray for all those dealing with covid and the medical professionals taking care of them. Please pray for those with hate in their hearts that they may find forgiveness like Jesus has forgiven them. God bless you all.


UTTAM PRADHAN | pray for us


Joshi Kirubakaran G | I have started a new business - INSPIRE DEGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS INDIA. and it will commence from tomorrow on wards. The target is very tough. Please pray for the staff who will work to complete the task.


NG |  Please pray for my father. He has heart failure problem and in hospital. Let God touch him with a healing hand.


UB |  Please pray for God's helpful guidance in my time of searching.


David Fowler | Please pray for open hearts for the lost as we will be in Ohio sharing the gospel this week.



If you have a prayer request, feel free to reach via the contact form or send an email: businessofchrist@gmail.com 

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