India Authorities and law enforcement officials Halt Worship in Churches

Officials, Police in India Halt Worship in Churches

NEW DELHI, INDIA - Authorities and law enforcement officials in Tamil Nadu state, India, have directed 10 churches to put an end worship services, sources said.
Hindu extremists forced state officials and police to issue instructions for the churches in Coimbatore District to halt worship only if they acquire permission through the collector’s office, additionally, the extremists plan to target 20 others likewise, church leaders said.

“It is actually a well-planned conspiracy against the Christian community because the Hindu extremists understand that it is tough to deal with the collector’s office for such permissions,” pastor Johnson Sathyanathan, president for the Synod of Pentecostal Churches of Coimbatore, told Morning Star News. “The time to get such approvals can stretch from a year and a half up to many more years.”

The district revenue officer (Tehsildar) told church leaders that orders against six churches were issued on the complaint of members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist, the paramilitary organization widely regarded as the parent organization of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Orders were issued in one case based on a complaint by the Hanuman Sena, a fairly new Hindu extremist group.

A Christian delegation met the minister of Internal Affairs of Tamil Nadu early last week and expressed concern and fear about the recent notices. The state minister on Oct. 24 called on the deputy superintendent of police and the local Member of the Legislative Assembly of Sulur to look into the matter and take steps to ensure that the worship services can resume, Pastor Sathyanathan said.

“Altogether there are 10 churches that have been directly affected in the last two months,” he said. “They are generally residents of this area, and people have not had problems with all these churches before. These pastors have been doing ministry for many years now.”

Besides the six churches, another congregation, an Assemblies of God Church in Thennampalayam, was first targeted during its Vacation Bible School this summer, when the members of RSS attacked its van transporting children, assaulting three young people. The revenue officer has closed down the church based on a complaint by the RSS, saying the pastor must secure permission from the collector to continue worshipping.

The pastor has been leading the church at its present location for more than five years.

Other Churches Shut-Downs

In Myleripalayam, pastor of an independent fellowship, Solomon Raja, was called in by police inspector after a complaint by members of the Hanuman Sena and compelled him to sign documents declaring that he would “obtain proper permission” to carry on worship services.
“This happened with Solomon on Sept. 1, because of that, no church worship service has been set up or taken place his church,” Pastor Sathyanathan told Morning Star News.

In Mathampalayam, where pastor Vinod Kumar had built a minor hall for church services, about 25 RSS members on Oct. 15 interrupted a church service and contacted police.
“The inspector intentionally left the church, and Kumar was directed to halt carrying out worship in the future,” Pastor Sathyanathan said.

Nevertheless, no case has actually been registered against Kumar, he has been threatened with dire warnings to stop worship services or bear the punishment, he said.
In Kalampalayam, police officers along with 20 RSS members approached a church leader known only as Pastor Charles and instructed him to shut down services until he procured permission from the collector, Pastor Sathyanathan said.

In Sulur, pastor Selva Singh of Sultanpet has submitted a court case with police opposed to the notice the revenue officer given to him. A court grants him one month’s permission to keep on the normal church service, however with a condition that there shouldn't be any use of amplifiers during service. The permission will probably be voided in case there are complaints.
The court instructed Pastor Singh to obtain permission from local officials within one month.
Pastor Singh has actually been leading the neighbourhood church for over 10 years.

Request to Re-Open Churches

Nearly 500 protesting Christians contacted the district sub-collector and the superintendent of police on Oct. 11 and submitted a memorandum asking for protection and appealing for all the churches to be re-opened.
Pastor Sathyanathan, who took part in the protest, told Morning Star News that the city superintendent of police flatly rejected any assistance or measures.

“They told me that they could do nothing concerning this, and why must we create pointless problems, that instead, we will need to go ahead and get legal permission for all our churches,” he said. “We had planned a day of silent protest on Oct. 21, but we have been denied permission to hold it out, as they claimed that it was a law-and-order situation.”
Making clear reports that 30 churches ended up being targeted, Pastor Sathyanathan said Hindu extremists had yet to act against 20 of them.

“The Hindu extremists have openly threatened Christians that they are going to do the same in 20 more churches in the area that they have done to these 10,” he said.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, the hostile tone of his National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists in various regions of the country to attack Christians, religious rights advocates say.

India ranked 15th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch Listing of the countries in which Christians go through the most persecution.



SOURCE

Leading Leaders

Truths to Understand When Leading Leaders

More often than not, once the subject of leadership is introduced up, we have a tendency to immediately begin speaking on how to lead "doers." By doer, I merely mean those who are there to perform a job.

They agreed to volunteer inside your ministry. You hired the right results inside a specific department. They're in your team and therefore are expected to handle tasks. They're doers.

That is certainly as opposed to leaders. If you're in leadership for just about any timeframe, there'll most likely be a time where you will have to lead other leaders. Leading other leaders is, in several ways, distinct from leading doers. Leaders require that you connect with them differently.

Actually, There are free facts that I believe that all leaders who lead other leaders need to comprehend:

Leaders need resources

This may include money, equipment, and people. Something about it frustrate a leader quicker than firing them up with a persuasive vision and then not equipping them with resources to achieve the vision. Leaders are goal-driven and an essential thing to them is attaining the finish line-without resources, you are making it impossible for them to get there.

Leaders need freedom

Leaders have to have the vision, however, they do not need you to lay out each and every step along the way for them. Leaders should have the freedom to lead from their strengths, experiences, and preferences-and it's highly likely that all of those are not the same as yours. Let them have the freedom to make decisions, freedom to become creative and freedom in making mistakes. Freedom can result in a better result and better leadership.

Leaders need space 

Micro-management may not work for leaders. When you are leading a leader, you ought to let them have the vision as well as the goal and then get out of the way for them to use the team they're leading toward that bulls-eye. Continuous looking over the shoulder of a leader or moving infrequently to give unwanted input and guidance will push the leader to question why they are even needed. Often, I have found, anytime leaders I lead are given the room to lead, they come up with ideas I might never have and achieve goal better/more quickly/more creatively than I could ever have myself.

Leaders need the vision

Although leaders are often capable at vision casting, if you are leading them, they want to know and get into your vision. From that, they will then inspire the team they lead, but it needs to be aligned with your vision. Asking them to lead something and not connecting it to a larger vision can seem like busy work or insignificant work and may lead to burnout for that leader and those that he/she leads.

Leaders need feedback

Sure, leaders need space ... however, they don't need you to be missing. Whenever they know the vision, their goal is to achieve that vision. And it is your vision. Additionally, good leaders demand feedback on their performance. They wish to know what they're doing well and what they are able to improve. They have to hear it from you, and you have to know that they are on course and going into the direction that you expect. Leaders who don't have any responses from the person leading them could find themselves wondering whether progress is being made and whether they're greatly regarded as a leader.

No matter who, leading-doers or leaders-leadership has never been easy.

However, if you're a leader who is leading leaders, there are a few specific truths that apply ... in case you miss them, you might find that you will not be able to keep leaders and that you're missing the goals you have for your work, family members, your ministry and more.

Prayer Requests

Today's Prayer Requests

Michael Welch | I cheated on my finance early this year. I want to ask for forgiveness and repent for my sin. She is the love of my life and I feel into tempation. I can never forgive myself.

mary pando | i need help in finnanice real bad

Mikaila | I am saved and my husband is not. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will open his eyes to God's saving truth, that he will be saved and know the love of Christ. Thank you brothers and sisters.

Gabriel Cabello | Can you pray for my friend Shane, that his soul would be delivered from deception and hellfire and brimstone? And that he would accept, receive and live by the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Praying for Shane Usta to become a true disicipe of Jesus Christ.

Cheryl Semrau |  Please pray that God will bless me with a job. That God will bless me with a congregation. That my family will get closer to God. Thank-you.

vijay aggarwal | Plz pray for money in abundance for a comfortable life

You Posses the Spirit of God

The Spirit of God in You

In all individuals, everything moves, the Spirit, and that is God.

In John 8:58; "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." Beyond speech, beyond thought, beyond sight is this living presence, this light that forever burns, this power that is life, that is God.

And Colossians 1:26-27 26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: John 11:25. He spoke from the divine. He spoke the universal language that all understand.

"I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

"But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." John 10:38. Right here is the everlasting unity. Which is the everlasting truth. In the face of the everlasting, most of the things which challenge our days seem simple and inconsequential.
We overlook quite a few encounters, but we don't forget always the Truth that we pick up.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Matthew 6:25.

Food and clothes and shelter are very important to all of us all, nonetheless, the joy of life does not originate from all of these. The joy of existence wells up within us when we are mindful of God in us, when we touch the divine in thought and feeling, as we see ourselves as children of God, as living souls eternally and without end making our way toward the unfoldment of the ideal self.

People sit in a living room enclosed by four walls, however, the Spirit in us feels no walls. We take note of a time clock ticking, but Spirit in us knows no time. We celebrate a birthday, but Spirit in us knows no age. We go through a sickness, but Spirit in us knows no pain.

Considering the Spirit and us; you will find in certainty only Spirit. We have created separation where there is none. We have created in our minds a God outside ourselves when constantly God is speaking to us from the depths of our own being. We tried to grow to be holy when presently we are hallowed, when already we are created in the image and likeness of God. We have sought for God in churches and found God there since there is no place that God is not; because wherever we are God is.

We certainly have called on God to help us and believe that somehow from God's heavens God answered, not acknowledging how close the heavens are-as close as the cry of our souls before ever our lips have time in making the words of a prayer.

We still have considered several persons as holy, when perhaps the meanest one of the street is full of the Spirit of God within. God is in all and through all. Whenever you feel the presence of God, everything finds a way to shout God's glory. It is as though you had reclaimed sight after blindness. Like the man that Jesus healed, you say: Whereas I was blind, now I see.

Although you might be uneasy and concerned with yourself and your issues, soon you feel great peace and trust in the everlasting God who is within you, who is within all. You may say, "This too will pass," not with a sense of resignation to hopelessness but with a feeling of inner poise which comes when you are aware that Spirit is greater than experiences, that only Spirit is everlasting and unaffected by the things that from a human understanding seem impossible to deal with.

As soon as you know you are Spirit, you are not frightened, for you realize that nothing can hurt or harm or destroy the indestructible Spirit in you. You will not be frightened of life or death, for you know that, come what may, the Spirit in you is unchanging, unending, unafraid.

Marcus Stanley Testimony

'I Saw an Angel,' R&B Artist's Violent Wake-Up Call

Gang members shot him 8 times; an angel saved his life

Marcus Stanley is a gifted pianist, playing for quite a few of the biggest names in the music business.
His career almost came to a tragic end when he was shot eight times at close range. Thanks to divine intervention, he's now playing music set to a different tune.

Music has flowed through Stanley's blood for as long as he can remember.

On April 2nd, 2004, during the peak of his success, Marcus was shot 8 times at point blank range with a .45 calibre automatic weapon while touring as an initiation act by gang members.
Due to the shooting, Marcus became temporarily paralyzed on his right side, lost the ability to walk, and leaving one bullet permanent lodged near his spine.

With God’s grace and mercy, Marcus was successfully able to regain the strength to walk and recover most of the feeling in his right arm. However, Marcus became withdrawn and isolated. In order to suppress the pain and hurt, Marcus became addicted to pain medication and heroin.
With repeated attempts of detox and short-term drug rehabilitation programs, Marcus wrestled with his addiction, leaving him broken, lost, and hopeless.

Your Testimony - God’s Story in You

You have a story and if your story is God’s story in you, then that story is a testimony and can be a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. Sharing your story requires thought but no special training. “You are an expert on what happened to you!” And you can share your testimony anywhere with anyone and give them the “reason for the hope that is in you.” 

You can share about Jesus Christ through your story - what God has done for you, what He is doing, and how you have experienced his grace and goodness in your life.

Here’s a question for you: Are you Ready to share your faith story with others and how God’s story has transformed your story?  please use the contact us form or send an email via businessofchrist@gmail.com

Visit Marcus Stanley website for more...

Ministry through Business

 Ministry and Sharing Jesus through Business

To an average person, the word ministry refers exclusively to the Pastors and Preachers of the gospel; it does not apply to anyone who does not fall directly or indirectly under these two individual categories. Well, that may seem like a popular opinion held by the majority, but it does not in any way make it a fact. Biblically, ministry as a word and the engaging of ministry as an act does to apply to Preachers or Pastors alone. Instead, it refers to every Christian who desires to carry out God's commandment through their lives and in whatever they do.

The earlier that Christians understand that in whatever area or field of life they find themselves, that God expects them to do the work of ministry, affect people’s lives positively and bring glory and honour to His name, the better and easier it will be to affect the cooperate world for God. Be it in business, politics, government appointment or multinational companies.

For Christians who go into business, beyond the sales and the profit made from the business, one thing must always be on their mind, and that is transforming nations through business. When Christians develop this kind of mindset, even in the marketplace, it helps a great deal in spreading the gospel of the Kingdom of God to all the corners of the universe. As Matthew 28:19 said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The truth that must be told is that the Preachers alone within the walls of the church cannot fulfil this task, there is, therefore, need for every hand especially businessmen and women to be on deck in winning souls in the business world and other fields of life.

Changing Lives beyond the Church Walls

A fact that cannot be denied is that every Christian (Preacher or not) have been called by calling into a full-time life of Christian service. This service extends beyond our various church walls and mission fields. It goes right into the cooperate world where we live and make daily communications with people.

In fact, a majority of Christians are not working in the church as Preachers or Missionaries. They are working in common spheres of life such as the civil service business, healthcare, academics, skilled craftsmen and the rest. This so means that the greater tasks of changing the lives of people as Gods representatives lie not within the four walls of any church but outside it which is in the cooperate society.

When Jesus spoke in Matthew 9:37 that “…the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few”, h was simply implying that the Pastors and church workers along are not enough to get the job done. This is because a large number of person out there in the cooperate world who are yet to experience a change and accept Christ as their saviour. One factor that must also be noted is that a lot of these unsaved or unchanged lives will not come any closer to the church building. Not to talk of being spoken to by the Pastor, so this is leaving them practically to the mercies of those Christians in the common spheres of life who understand their ministerial assignment even outside the church and are faithfully keeping to it.

Effectively Impacting People through Business

Having established that business is supposed to be a ministry for Christians; an avenue to spread the kingdom of God to the entire nation, another truth that needs to be established from now on is that the aim of ministry in business is not just to show up every morning in your marketplace.

A business with a bible and trying to convince people to believe in God, the aim is to establish changing lives business, a business that through its operation and reputation, the lives of people around is transformed and imparted on positively. If that is the aim, it, therefore, means that every Christian in business should understand and appreciate the fact that business and soul winning can be inter-related in so many ways.

To adequately fulfil these ministry aims of changing lives and effectively impacting the lives of people, this ministry business needs to, first of all, be instituted using basic foundations. As well as procedures for establishing an excellent and profitable business, but then after that, there are key points that must be considered seriously which are of uttermost importance. They exhibit great value to the business of which integrity, stewardship responsibilities, fairness, and uprightness are practised.

other points worth noting, which enables a business to have a transforming impact on people are;
1. Serving people rather than just business for profit
2. God-centered business, not self-centred business
3. Business as Christ’s ambassador


You can see also Business Ethics and Christian Faith

New York Truck Attack 'act of terror'

Truck driver kills eight in New York 'act of terror'

A pickup driver killed eight people in New York on Tuesday, mowing down cyclists and pedestrians before striking a school bus, in the city's first deadly attack blamed on terror since September 11, 2001.

Eleven others were seriously hurt when the truck driver struck in broad daylight just blocks from the 9/11 Memorial, on the West Side of Lower Manhattan, close to schools as children and their parents geared up to celebrate Halloween.

"This was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them," said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Law enforcement sources identified the perpetrator as Sayfullo Saipov, 29. He was arrested in Missouri on a traffic fine last year.

The Uzbek citizen living in Tampa, Florida had recently been staying in New Jersey, where the truck was rented, reports said.

President Donald Trump denounced him as "very sick" and a "deranged person."

Confronting what could be the most serious terror-related incident since taking power less than a year ago, the Republican commander-in-chief announced that he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up his "extreme vetting program" on foreign travelers to the country.

The United States "must not" allow Islamic State jihadists to "return, or enter" the country after being defeated overseas, Trump said, albeit as New York officials declined to link the assailant to a specific group

The Uzbek citizen living in Tampa, Florida had recently been staying in New Jersey, where the truck was rented, reports said.

President Donald Trump denounced him as "very sick" and a "deranged person."

Confronting what could be the most serious terror-related incident since taking power less than a year ago, the Republican commander-in-chief announced that he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up his "extreme vetting program" on foreign travelers to the country.

The United States "must not" allow Islamic State jihadists to "return, or enter" the country after being defeated overseas, Trump said, albeit as New York officials declined to link the assailant to a specific group

Police said he drove a rented Home Depot pickup down a bike and pedestrian lane, where tourists and New Yorkers were out enjoying brilliant fall sunshine, at 3:05 pm (1905 GMT), before colliding with a school bus, wounding two adults and two children.

The suspect then exited the vehicle brandishing weapons that were subsequently identified as a paintball gun and pellet gun, before being shot in the abdomen by a police officer and taken into custody, police said.

- 'Defeat evil of terrorism' -

Television footage showed the mangled wreckage of the pickup truck, bicycles crushed to smithereens and bodies wrapped in sheets and lying on the ground.

Eight people were killed, six of them men who died on the spot, and two others pronounced dead in hospital. Eleven other people were taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, officials said.

Five Argentines were among the dead, the Foreign Ministry said. Brussels said a Belgian woman was killed and three other Belgians were wounded.

European allies and Mexico's president condemned the attack. "Together we will defeat the evil of terrorism," said British Prime Minister Theresa May. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "Our fight for freedom unites us more than ever."

US media said the suspect shouted "Allahu akbar" and police chief James O'Neill confirmed that he made a statement when he exited the vehicle.

"If you just look at the M.O. of the attack, that's consistent with what's been going on. So that along with the statement has enabled us to label this a terrorist event," O'Neill said.

He was later operated on and was expected to survive, US networks reported.

The FBI and New York police urged members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist the investigation, which the mayor said preliminary information suggested was a lone wolf assault.

The attacker struck in TriBeCa, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. In the aftermath of the attack, worried parents and children were seen being evacuated from a nearby public school.

- 'Little bit crazy'-

"There was a smell of gunshots," said John Williams, 22, who arrived at the scene 30 seconds afterward en route to the park. "There was a man lying on the ground. It looked as if he'd been shot."

"When the cops shot him, everybody started running away and it got a little bit crazy right there. So when I tried to look again, the guy was already down," a witness who gave his name only as Frank told local television network NY1.

Heavily-armed police fanned out across the city of 8.5 million, home to Wall Street, Broadway and one of the biggest tourist draws in the United States.

Security was stringent at airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems, with bag searches at Manhattan's Grand Central transit hub and police stationed along a subway platform in Brooklyn.

A planned Halloween parade went ahead as scheduled, albeit under tight security and a large police presence, as State Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the new World Trade Center to be lit red, white and blue "in honor of freedom and democracy."

Tuesday's attack was the first deadly terror-related incident in the US financial and entertainment capital since the Al-Qaeda hijackings brought down the Twin Towers, killing more than 2,700 people on 9/11.

It came 12 months after a pipe bomb exploded in September 2016 in Chelsea, lightly wounding 31 people. An American of Afghan descent, Ahmad Khan Rahimi, was convicted of terrorism on October 16 in relation with that attack.

In May, a US Navy veteran plowed a car into pedestrians in Times Square, killing an 18-year-old woman and injuring 22 other people in what de Blasio said was not terror-related.

On May 1, 2010 Pakistani immigrant Faisal Shahzad planted a car bomb in Times Square that failed to explode. He was arrested after boarding a flight to the Middle East and sentenced to life behind bars.

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

Prayer Requests

Today's Prayer Requests

Tausha Miller |  would like prayer for my daughter Lauren whom is out on the streets suffering with addiction, afflictions such as mental illness . Please pray that we hear from her and that the Lord lifts her up and out of the mess she is in and sets her feet on a rock and the same prayer goes for my cousin kamone. ease pray that God continues to heal me sensory and short term memory and empowers me and blesses ,me to complete all tasks/jobs that he has called and allowed me to do. In Jesus name amen. Also my grandmother Ann's legs have been swelling and she need supernatural release of all the fluid in her legs and a relief from a painful lump in her shoulder. Please pray for all of our health. Thank you and God bless. I'd like to pray for the salvation of everyone I work with. amen


VERA BANKSTON-JONES | FATHER GOD, GUIDE MY DESTINCTION AND PATHS!.......SELAH

vijay aggarwal | Plz pray for money in abundance for a comfortable life

Michelle Celillo |  Praying for peace and to sell our home as we make our final move. God bless. Thank you.

Jews Speak Up For Christians

 A relatively new sensation has appeared on the Middle East scene by means of Jews standing up for persecuted Christians.

It’s an honest wonder, considering the outrageous history of Jewish persecution at the hands of the ‘church’ throughout the centuries. But it is also inevitably a warm reaction to the growing worldwide support for Israel among Christian people, particularly in Africa.

Thereby, keen to build upon this expanding friendship, the Israeli government has recently hosted an unprecedented media summit in Jerusalem for Christian journalists from around the globe.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the opportunity to speak up for embattled Christians in Iran and neighboring Syria. “Christians today are generally lashed for sipping wine during prayer services,” he said, “brutally tortured for doing nothing rather than practicing their faith. Some world leaders are likely to ignore this oppression and appear to appease Iran, but I am not one of them.”

Yes, even majority of the Western church is silent over the issue, apparently indifferent to their suffering.

Canon Andrew White, referred to as ‘Vicar of Baghdad’ and also speaking in Jerusalem, asked why, adding: “Here we see Jews standing with us, but where is the Church?”

White saw most of his large congregation murdered during the crisis that followed the invasion of Iraq, and countless Christians have been compelled to flee in the face of the Islamic State advance.

Will this weak reaction to the plight of persecuted Christians reflect the flabbiness of our faith? Do we simply fail to comprehend what it must be like because we are so comfortable and therefore not able to recognize what suffering for Christ means? Generally, we are not even prepared to defend what we believe - for the gospel and also the truth of the Bible - if perhaps we should be charged with ‘hate speech’ or ‘homophobia’.

Although some indeed have spoken out and paid dearly for it, the rest of us are generally fearful into silence as we retreat into our holy huddles. However, if we can’t stand reduced heat now, in what way will we fare once the temperatures are turned up and we are called to experience the sort of persecution Jesus predicted for his followers?

“Be alert,” he warned. “You will probably be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues…You will probably be hated by everyone because of me, however, the anyone that stands strong to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 10. 17, 22) Many Christians remained quiet while Jews were taken away to the gas chambers and, although now a little bit more secure in their very own state, they are still in very serious danger, and therefore we mustn’t neglect them this time around. Nevertheless, they are ready to help us! 

It’s moment to forsake cowardice and accept the kind of bravery which Christians in some regions of the world are having to exhibit in bucketloads. Consider the believers in Iran, for instance, where Mr. Netanyahu drew the media’s attention. Regardless of the danger of following Jesus there, 20 Iranian Christians recently nailed their colors to the mast in a mass baptism. “I’ve been anticipating this moment for nearly nine years,” said one convert. “This was my wish before I die,” said another. Christianity is expanding thereby extreme measures amid reports of Muslims encountering Jesus through dreams and visions. “We have actually been praying for a long time that Iranian people believe in Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) and get baptized. Now this dream is coming true,” said a convert whose brother was murdered for his faith in 1994.

Yet another tremendously high-risk country to be a Christian is in North Korea, where believers are practically gathering in holes in the ground, much like the faith heroes of old had done according to Hebrews 11.38.

A missionary friend of mine occasionally travels to some part of Africa that is certainly equally dangerous, infested since it is by the Al Shabaab terror organization. Due to this fact, some Christians are forced to sleep in the forest! But my friend was resolute to bring comfort directly to them with his inspiring teaching skills, so he made his way there despite Foreign Office warnings avoiding the region, and the fact he was not able to even be protected by travel insurance for that part of his journey. In addition to that, he nearly died from being infected he picked up on his last trip to the area!

That takes bravery, but he said it was worth it just to see the sheer joy on the faces of his brothers so happy and encouraged by his visit.

I conclude with the heartwarming story of Israeli tennis player Dudi Sela who, due to the courage of his religious convictions, declined the possibility of reaching the semi-finals of an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour event. Just eight minutes into the deciding set, he realized it was almost sunset, which marked the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (the holiest day of the year for Jews). So the 32-year-old informed the umpire of his decision to retire and left the court.

The match was originally scheduled for Yom Kippur itself (i.e. the next day) but was changed to commence ahead of the fast following demand from Israeli tennis officials. Unfortunately for Dudi (ranked 77 in the world), his quarter-final clash went to three sets and couldn’t be finished in time.

The Day of Atonement, when Jews seek forgiveness for sins committed throughout the last year, is finally fulfilled by the coming of Yeshua, their Messiah, who atoned for our sins through his death on the cross as the perfect Lamb of God. (Isaiah 53.6; 1 John 2.2)

SOURCE

The Book of Acts: Small Group Study Review

The Acts of the Apostles; Study Guide Summary

Through small group study at my local church (Life Church), we've recently concluded the study on "The Acts of the Apostles" using Acts (N.T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides).

ACTS by N. T. Wright

Introduction 

The Acts of the Apostles is an exceptional piece, hence its an important book of the New Testament. It alone offers an intensive view of early church life and history.The book focuses on the acts of two apostles, Peter and Paul. And it also provides the continuation “of everything Jesus began both to do and teach” (1:1).

It provides the acts Jesus achieved after His ascension, through the Holy Spirit, in establishing the church. Saint Luke obviously follows the Great Commission in expanding this theme, showing the commencement in Jerusalem, the outreach to Judea and Samaria, and also the spreading to the faraway city of Rome (1:8).

And Luke's Story

The name of the book of Acts originates from the Greek word praxis, a term often used in early Christian literature to refer to the good accomplishments of the apostles or alternative remarkable believers. This name correctly demonstrates the contents of the book, which is actually a compilation of the lives of key apostles (specifically Peter and Paul) in the years right after Christ’s ascension into heaven.

Luke’s recognition as the author of this work was unquestioned all through history. It indicates an obvious advancement from the gospel according to Luke, picking up precisely where that book ended. A historical prologue to Luke’s gospel suggests that Luke was first a follower of the apostles after which became close with Paul.
This really is the way the book of Acts unfolds, starting with Peter and finishing with Paul. Luke even started to speak in the first person plural in the latter part of Acts, while he traveled the Roman Empire alongside Paul (Acts 16:10).

The Importance of the Book of Acts?

The book of Acts is considered the only biblical book that chronicles the background of the church soon after Jesus’s ascension. Consequently, it gives us with a useful record of ways the church was able to expand and spread out from Jerusalem throughout the entire Roman Empire.
Within thirty years, a small number of frightened Christ-followers in Jerusalem became an empire-wide phenomenon of people who had devoted their lives to Jesus Christ, ending on a high note with Paul on the verge of making the gospel towards the greatest government official on the land-the Emperor of Rome.

Breaking It Down

Acts could be beautifully broken into two segments, the starting dealing mostly with the ministry of Peter in Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts 1-12) while the Ending following Paul on his missionary journeys across the Roman Empire (Acts 13-28). Acts is important for chronicling the spread out of the gospel, besides geographically but also ethnically and culturally.

It points out the switch from bringing the gospel to the entire Jewish audience-with Peter speaking to a few people in the Upper Room-to the gospel going among the Gentiles, mostly under the ministry of the apostle Paul. The switch is best illustrated by Peter’s vision where he heard a voice telling him, “What God has cleansed, will no longer consider unholy” (10:15).

This led Peter to then share the gospel with so many Gentiles. The lesson? God wants His message of hope and salvation to increase to all people-“in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and also to the remotest part of the earth” (1:8).

Applying The Book

What chances for sharing the gospel are you able to take advantage of in the occasions are available? This question should ring through your mind while you study through the entire book of Acts. In practically every chapter, apostles, for instance, Peter and Paul powerfully present the gospel to persons and groups of people.

The apostles shown in Acts stood out with evangelistic energy, showing an eye-catching transition from the often misguided disciples of the Gospels. Clearly, the apostles’ faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus produced an obvious change in their hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Many times, our individual lives usually do not reflect that kind of change. We battle with fears over how others will deal with our faith or with breaking away from our own routine considerable enough to invest in the life of another person else who needs the gospel.

Allow Acts to inspire you to walk more closely with God so that you will make Christ’s name known with all the boldness and the enthusiasm of the apostles.

Lastly, Luke wrote to demonstrate to the Roman world that Christianity is not a subversive political movement. In comparison to some of the Jews of Judea, Christians had not been wanting to overthrow Rome. However they spoke of a different King and rejected the emperor as “lord,” they submitted to political authority.

Nevertheless, the apostles were often imprisoned, they were constantly exonerated. In some cases God Himself intervened; in other cases the governmental authority did, But every time they were vindicated.

Holy Bible

Big thanks to Emerald study group members; Bro Ong, Sis Crystal, Bro Richard, Sis Joanana, Elder Denny, Sis Iris, Bro Kevin & Sis Siet-Choi