Pneuma Informer October-November 2009

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The October-November 2009 PNEUMA INFORMER

 

          In this issue

 

What's New at www.PneumaFoundation.org

     New Online Articles

     New Links and Content Worth Noticing

 

Reports from Around the World

     Middle East: Victim forgives and shocks authorities

     Ethiopia: Radio ministry reports huge increase in contact with listeners

     UN being used to support persecution

     Nigeria: The Spiritual Film Boom

     USA: Hispanic Evangelicals identify 7 Priorities

     Pakistan: Repeal of blasphemy law still seems far off

     Germany: "A Lost Generation"

     Vietnam continues war on religion

     Ministry Uses Shoes to Spread Hope, Gospel

     News and Headlines

     Report the News

 

Conversations with Readers

 

Resources You Can Use

     Church Website Research Dissertation

     Should Multisite Campuses Be Church Plants Instead?

     Christian History Institute

 

Excerpts from THE PNEUMA REVIEW

     Daniel D. Isgrigg, "Pilgrimage Into Pentecost:

          The Pneumatological Legacy of Howard M. Ervin"

     Paul King's ONLY BELIEVE, Reviewed by Henry I. Lederle

     Power Evangelism and the New Testament Evidence

 

Prayer Requests


* Read the entire issue online at: (available soon)
     http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pi.jsp?pi=/2009/pi_1011_2009.xml

What's New at www.PneumaFoundation.org

New Online Articles
  • In Depth Book Review: Bruce L. McCormack, Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008). Reviewed by John C. Poirier. Added October 1, 2009. On the In Depth Resources page: http://www.pneumafoundation.org/resources/in_depth.jsp
  • In Depth Book Review: David E. Aune, Apocalypticism, Prophecy, and Magic in Early Christianity (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008). Reviewed by John C. Poirier. Added October 1, 2009. On the In Depth Resources page: http://www.pneumafoundation.org/resources/in_depth.jsp
New Links and Content Worth Noticing

Reports from Around the World

Middle East: Victim forgives and shocks authorities
An E3 Partners worker in the Middle East is recovering after being brutally attacked by a radical Muslim. According to the Middle East Director for E3 Partners, Tom Doyle, the worker whom we'll call Jamal was attacked by a conniving Muslim. "Jamal was sharing with a Muslim who really seemed to be seeking. He seemed to know a little bit about Christianity. He was talking about dreams and visions, and there was some trust there. Jamal was completely surprised that the man attacked him." Jamal was stabbed and beaten after the man asked Jamal for some Christian literature. The skirmish got the attention of neighbors who called police.
Doyle says while the Muslim was being taken away to jail, Jamal showed love to his attacker. He said, "I forgive you. There's nothing between you and me. I want to come visit you in prison. There's nothing between my family and yours, and I hope to see you when you're out of prison. I know God is going to use this in your life, and I'm going to pray for you."
It was heard by authorities. Doyle says this is a unique message in the Middle East. "There's no forgiveness there. You do something to my family, I do it back to your family, and it just never ends."
Doyle says, "Jamal's display of forgiveness is the most powerful message because it's not the message of the other religion. That puts Christianity in a different category, which it really is. This message of forgiveness - that's what's needed there."
Source: Adapted from Mission Network News, 9 October, 2009. http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13363

Ethiopia: Radio ministry reports huge increase in contact with listeners
During the spring, the Ethiopian partner organization of the Swedish IBRA media group started announcing a telephone number in their radio programs where listeners were encouraged to call. There was suddenly a massive increase in the number of persons who contacted them after they had listened to the program in Amharic or Oromo. There are now almost 5000 persons per month who contact the office!
One of the listeners, from Western Ethiopia shared recently:

"I have been sick for a long time due to a tumor. No doctors could help or assist me in any way. When you pray in your evening programs, I often pray along with you. Recently, when you were praying in my own language, I began to cry and just in that instant I was healed from my illness. This is why I think that your work is extremely important, because it has become my spiritual and physical doctor! Now I am healed, Praise the Lord!"
Source: Adapted from News from IBRA (September 2009). www.ibra.se

UN being used to support persecution
The Organization of the Islamic Conference, a 56-nation bloc of Islamic countries, has a long game in view. For 10 years, they've pressed the United Nations to adopt non-binding resolutions condemning the defamation of religion. Carl Moeller with Open Doors says, "The laws that have been used by these nations to prevent Muslims from turning to Jesus Christ in faith, or to prevent the practice of Christianity openly, will be validated by the United Nations." Precedent is laying the foundation for something much worse. "Pray on behalf of the 100 million Christians around the world who would be impacted directly by this UN resolution becoming part of the UN charter and protocols." Moeller is campaigning against yet another passage of the resolution. Why? "The validation of these anti-conversion laws will be just a horrible reality for Christians to have to face. Imagine a government saying, 'We can persecute you, and the UN says everything we're doing is okay.' That's really what we're here to fight against."
Source: Mission Network News, 29 October, 2009. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13441

Nigeria: The Spiritual Film Boom
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra , "Christian Movie Capital of the World: Spirituality fuels Nollywood's booming film industry" (Christianity Today, November 2009).
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/november/7.17.html

USA: Hispanic Evangelicals identify 7 Priorities
America's largest Hispanic Christian Organization, The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), announced the 7 Priorities the Evangelical organization will focus on from now until 2015.
"21st century challenges require an evangelical community to speak on a moral and biblical platform that is culturally and prophetically relevant."
To read the announcement, visit: http://nhclc.org/about/7priorities.html

Pakistan: Repeal of blasphemy law still seems far off
In Pakistan, six anti-Christian extremists were released from prison just two months after they helped kill 11 believers. The Christians who were killed had been suspected of blasphemy against Islam, a federal offense in Pakistan. But Jonathon Racho with International Christian Concern says, "What is blasphemy for a Muslim can be completely alright for a Christian. For instance, if you say that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is our belief as a Christian. But for a Muslim, they're still offended by it. So it becomes very hard for Christians to evangelize, and Christians can easily be killed for doing so." Some are working to repeal the law, but change seems far off. In the meantime, "The Christians in Pakistan feel that they are not protected by the officials of Pakistan. They definitely feel that they are being treated as second-class citizens." Racho urges you to help defend Pakistani Christians.
Source: Mission Network News, 16 October, 2009. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13390

Germany: "A Lost Generation"
Susan Wunderink reports, "Mainline churches in East Germany rediscover a sense of mission."
From the October 2009 issue of Christianity Today.
Read the article: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/october/12.11.html

Vietnam continues war on religion
The Vietnam government is strengthening its efforts to press minority ethnic Hmong Christians to renounce their faith. Patrick Klein with Vision Beyond Borders: "We met with about 28 pastors and leaders. We asked them how many of them are harassed by the police. Every one of them raised their hand. They're routinely harassed by the police, summoned to the police station. Police come and question them, and try to intimidate them and bully them. It's because of their faith in Jesus Christ." The government recently changed tactics on their clampdown. Why? "The tribal peoples, especially, are very, very open to the Gospel. The church is growing very, very fast. So the government seems to be threatened by them." Klein says they are working with an overwhelmed pastor in the region. "They're saying, 'Pastor, we need more Bibles. Can you get more Bibles?' Then we showed up that night with a thousand more Bibles. The pastor was so excited that he said, 'Can you bring me 10,000 more Bibles immediately?'"
Source: Mission Network News, 25 September, 2009. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13298

Ministry Uses Shoes to Spread Hope, Gospel
A Nigeria-born Pentecostal minister who received his first pair of shoes at age 9 is on a mission to distribute 10 million pairs of shoes to impoverished children worldwide. Through his Charlotte, N.C.-based Samaritan's Feet, Manny Ohonme has distributed nearly 1 million pairs of shoes in more than 40 nations. Read the full story: http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-news/65-news-main/18690-minister-gives-shoes-to-change-the-world

News and Headlines
Visit links.jsp for Current News and Links

See other news to pray and praise God about in the Prayer Requests department below.

Report the News
We are looking for stories about what God is doing in the world, reports about the persecution of Christians, and information about significant trends and ministry opportunities. If you have a news item to report, please send an email to the PNEUMA INFORMER. http://www.pneumafoundation.org/contactus.jsp

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Conversations with Readers

Thanks for the great work and including our website in your list of Ministry Friends.
— Rev. Steve A.

We are very glad for seeing your website. It is awesome. I appreciate your good ministry.
— Brother Johny P

Thanks so much for providing a site with all ministry schools.
— Jane C.
Our links to Pentecostal/Charismatic Bible Schools: http://www.pneumafoundation.org/links_schools.jsp

Thank you so much for the gift of your prayers... the best gift in the world.
— Trula, Reference Number: 90038951

Dearest faithful in Christ Jesus, my friends at the Pneuma Foundation,
May peace , grace and love of the Lord be with you as you remain faithful serving His Body.
It is a great joy every day to know that the Faithful Lord Jesus Christ has place some where a group of men and women who are praying for you , this is a great encouragement in our hearts. Thank you so much for deciding to stand with us in prayers and that you will be able to spread even to other of our faithful brethren in Christ. Praise His holy name. ...
I believe as we join together in prayers the Lord will provide. Please, receive our greeting from here in DR Congo, we love you and you are in our hearts too.
Truly your fellow brother in Him, Pastor Fred W.
Reference Number: 90038393

The Lord bless you in your rich and important ministry.
With love and thanks,
— Jim, in Scotland

Thank you for the service you render in the kingdom of God and all your effort for the Lord. We do appreciate the emails we get monthly, we learn more from it and also from the website.
— Pastor David

Greetings of Peace to you all from Pakistan.
I am very happy to see the beautiful site where I found so much biblical material. May God Bless this ministry abundantly and shower his blessings upon you.
— Pastor S.C.


Resources You Can Use

Church Website Research Dissertation
Ceri Longville, a student at Redcliffe Bible College in Gloucester UK, has just published her college dissertation on church websites.
Having been a church webmaster for five years, Ceri saw the clear need for research. She says, "While working as web developer of a church website, I could see the potential for it to be used as a tool to make the church more accessible and relevant to the non-Christian/unchurched folk in the local community."
Her 'Reaching the Community with Church Websites' is a valuable insight into the potential for making church sites truly 'outsider friendly'. Very little research has been published recently on church sites, as far as we know. Download this free 95-page PDF e-book, and also add your comments when you have read it: http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/945
Source: Web Evangelism Bulletin October 09

Should Multisite Campuses Be Church Plants Instead?
Read a Christianity Today discussion with church leaders and observers weighing in on a current debate
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/october/8.12.html

Christian History Institute
Christian History Institute provides Christian history resources, regular email newsletter, and the popular Torchlighters DVDs, retelling the stories of Christian heroes for children: www.chitorch.org
Source: Web Evangelism Bulletin September 09


Excerpts from THE PNEUMA REVIEW

THE PNEUMA REVIEW is a quarterly printed journal of ministry resources and theology for Pentecostal and charismatic ministries and leaders. For more information about THE PNEUMA REVIEW, and to learn how to subscribe, please visit: Introducing THE PNEUMA REVIEW. www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp

For a full index of the contents of all Pneuma Review issues, visit: http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pr_archive.jsp.




Daniel D. Isgrigg, "Pilgrimage Into Pentecost: The Pneumatological Legacy of Howard M. Ervin"

From the Fall 2009 issue

Pilgrimage Into Pentecost: The Pneumatological Legacy of Howard M. Ervin
By Daniel D. Isgrigg

. . .

Pilgrimage into Pentecost

During his time at Eastern, Ervin studied under what he calls a "rare group of men."[6] He credits one professor, Dr. Adams, with a philosophy of interpreting Scripture by the maxim, "What does the text say?"[7] Because of Ervin's commitment to good exegesis he has been able to "depart from traditional theology if the text supports it."[8] It is this very principle that would lead Ervin on what he calls his "Pilgrimage into Pentecost."[9] Determined to preach only what the scripture teaches, Ervin prided himself on exegetical, verse-by-verse teaching of the whole Bible. This commitment to the text brought him to the realization that he was living under the experience of believers that was communicated in the Bible. He recalls, "When I read the Scriptures it made my own experience seem like another world. If my experience was normative, there was something wrong with the Scriptures. If the Scriptures were normative, there was something wrong with my experience and the experience of the church as I know it."[10]

Through a series of circumstances, he was given testimonies of men like Harold Bredesen and John Osteen who had received the Holy Spirit. The stories he heard resonated with him because these men struggled with their own emptiness in ministry and were looking for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. After finding out about the baptism in the Spirit from these men, he read Acts 2 again and it all finally made since to him. Ervin began to tell God, "How soon can I have the experience? Don't leave anything out or I am going to feel cheated. I don't want to wait till it becomes popular. Let it cost me something."[11] Shortly after, he met with a well known Pentecostal man named David du Plessis who was speaking at Ervin's alma mater, Princeton. David du Plessis and Ervin would eventually become lifelong friends.

In 1960, Howard Ervin's pilgrimage into Pentecost was realized. After a year and nine months of investigation and prayer, Ervin received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues. Ervin had been invited to come to a FGBMFI meeting in Miami, Florida.[12] After one of the sessions, David du Plessis and Dennis Bennett prayed with Ervin to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. When they had laid hands on him, he felt what felt like ten thousand volts of divine electricity go through him. Later that night Ervin began to hear in his head a language he did not know. That night, while he was in shower of his hotel room, he received the baptism in the Spirit in its fullness and spoke in tongues. Though his pilgrimage into Pentecost was complete, his pilgrimage into Pentecostalism was just beginning.

Howard Ervin would now begin to bring this experience of Spirit baptism back to his Baptist church in New Jersey. He always maintained a "Baptist" Sunday morning service but offered an evening Pentecostal healing service.[13] Theses late night healing services lasted three years and had visitors that ranged from "Quakers to Catholics, a number of whom traveled fifty miles and more to attend the charismatic services."[14] This would be the beginning of Ervin's ministry to all denominations. Through his relationship with Full Gospel Businessmen Men's Fellowship International, Ervin established friendships with men like Demos Shakarian, David du Plessis, Harold Bredesen and Oral Roberts. With the help of these men, Howard Ervin was able to bring the message of the baptism in the Holy Spirit to people all over the nation. Through FGBMI, Oral Roberts was introduced to Ervin's ministry and invited him to his multi-denominational Oral Roberts Ministry partner seminars. For the next three years, Ervin would establish a special friendship with Oral Roberts as he spoke at the partner's seminars and FGBMI meetings around the country. This was the beginning of a relationship that would bind Howard Ervin to Oral Roberts University for the next forty years.

. . .

Editor's Note: Howard M. Ervin, Pentecostal/charismatic scholar, died on August 12, 2009.

__________

Daniel Isgrigg, B.A. and M.A. in Theological and Historical Studies (Oral Roberts University), is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Bangor University in Wales working on the origins of Assemblies of God eschatology. He is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, a member of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, and serves as Associate Pastor of Christian Chapel in Tulsa, OK. Daniel is also the author of Why I Want To Be Left Behind (Word & Spirit Press, 2008).

Footnotes appear in the printed version of this article excerpt.

Read the rest of this article and many other articles in the Fall 2009 issue of THE PNEUMA REVIEW www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp



Paul King's ONLY BELIEVE, Reviewed by Henry I. Lederle

From the Fall 2009 issue

Paul King, Only Believe: Examining the Origin and Development of Classic and Contemporary Word of Faith Theologies (Word & Spirit Press, 2009), 408 pages, ISBN 9780981952604.

Paul King is a scholar at Oral Roberts University and an ordained minister of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. In this volume of some 400 pages, beautifully published by Word & Spirit Press of Tulsa, Oklahoma he examines the thought of the Word of Faith movement. He does this in a novel and innovative way. Instead of the "overkill" approach that we saw among the heresy hunters of the 1980s and 90s, King first takes a good look at the history of Christianity. Among the Early Church Fathers, Medieval Mystics, Protestant Reformers, Puritans and Pietists he finds precursors of many Faith teachings. He gives special attention to the classic Evangelical authors of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. This is an area where King is an acknowledged expert. He is well acquainted with the Holiness, Healing and Pentecostal movements. He even makes a distinction between the Keswick and Higher Life movements that I have always seen as one movement.

Throughout this very readable book, you will find numerous citations from classic faith leaders such as George Mueller, A.J. Gordon, R. A. Torrey, A. B. Simpson, Charles Spurgeon and Andrew Murray. King has made a detailed study of John A. MacMillan who wrote the seminal volume, The Authority of the Believer.

From this solid historical basis King develops his major thesis, namely that the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to practice a healthy faith that is both strong and solid. What this looks like is worth pursuing, and King is a thoughtful and helpful guide.

By ferreting out the faith doctrines among the classic authors of the previous two centuries, King is illustrating to us what should have been obvious - that Word of Faith teaching did not just suddenly fall out of the sky. It grew organically out of a nineteenth century context. It may be that the unfortunate and jarring overreaction of much of established Christianity to the amazing work of God in the Azusa Street revival of 1906 - 1909, with some writers describing the first steps of Classical Pentecostalism with extreme pejoratives such as "the last vomit of Satan" led to the total disjunction and separation of these branches of Christianity. King's book is a bridge to restore dialogue and mutually beneficial conversations.

The major part of this study probes the theological and practical issues that one usually sees as distinctive of the Word of Faith movement. King prefers the term "contemporary faith." These issues include the nature of faith, the authority of the believer, spiritual laws, logos and rhema, revelation knowledge and Healing in the atonement. He also looks at positive confession, discernment and prosperity. Where necessary he expresses his reservations clearly.

One can see that King knows the field and has read exhaustively in the Word of Faith movement. Unlike many authors, King does not just leave us with an analysis of what is wrong. He concludes with twenty-two statements of what a balanced and healthy faith should look like and a final recommendation, both to contemporary faith leaders and to the critics of contemporary faith teachings. This book is highly recommended to anyone interested in the role of bold faith and in finding out how the Word of Faith movement is maturing in its thinking. It is the conviction of this reviewer that a balanced Faith movement represents the growing edge of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements across the globe.

Reviewed by Henry I. Lederle

__________

Henry I. Lederle, D.Th. (University of South Africa) and M.A. (University of Orange Free State), is Professor of Theology and Ministry at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. He is the author of Treasures Old and New: Interpretations of Spirit-Baptism in the Charismatic Renewal Movement (Hendrickson, 1988) and several collections of essays, articles and reviews.

Read more reviews and other articles in the Fall 2009 issue of THE PNEUMA REVIEW www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp



Power Evangelism and the New Testament Evidence

From the Fall 2009 issue

Part 2 of 2. By Gary S. Greig and Kevin N. Springer

. . .

Signs and Wonders Confusing One's Focus on the Gospel?

The claim is made by some that power evangelism is something other than the proclamation of the gospel and will confuse one's understanding of the gospel:

If "power evangelism" is something other than the proclamation of the truth of the gospel of God's grace, then is it not something more, by definition? ... When the focus is on the unusual phenomena of signs and wonders rather than on the rational content of the gospel itself, confusion as to the main features of that message is bound to arise.[43]

As shown above, in the Gospels, Acts, and the epistles, signs and wonders are a part of the proclamation of the gospel and are not separate from it. Romans 15:19 explicitly describes the full proclamation of the gospel as including signs and wonders:

Rom. 15:18-19 - "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed [44] the gospel of Christ."

One might also ask if Jesus' focus was confused by the fact that healing had a central role in His ministry of proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom according to Matthew 11:1-5, 21; 12:15-18; 21:14 (and Luke 21:37); Luke 4:18-19; 7:22; 10:13-15; 13:32? Or was Peter's focus on the gospel confused when he described Jesus' ministry largely in terms of healing in Acts 10:38 (cf. 2:22)?

Was the apostles' focus on the gospel confused when they did "many wonders and signs" in Jerusalem (Acts 2:43; 5:12)? Was Stephen's focus on the gospel confused when he "did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people" (Acts 6:8)? Was Philip's focus on the gospel confused when he proclaimed Christ in Samaria and also did "miraculous signs," healing the lame and driving out evil spirits (Acts 8:6-7)?

Was Paul's focus on the gospel confused when, in describing his proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles, he devotes the majority of his description to the signs and wonders which were part of the full proclamation and expression of the gospel in Romans 15:18-19? Or was Paul and Barnabas's focus on the gospel confused when they did "miraculous signs and wonders" to confirm the "message of [God's] grace" in Iconium (Acts 14:3, 9-10)? Was their focus on the gospel confused when they characterized the work of God through them among the Gentiles by telling about "the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them" (Acts 15:12)?

Was God Himself confused about the gospel in Ephesus when He "did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them" (Acts 19:11-12)? Or was God confused about the message of salvation when He "also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will" (Heb. 2:3-4)?

The answer is obviously no. The New Testament evidence shows that signs and wonders, healing and spiritual gifts do not confuse one's understanding of the gospel, they reveal the grace of God through the gospel.45 It is for this reason that they regularly accompany the proclamation of the gospel in Jesus' ministry as well as that of the apostles and the early churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Why should the way the Church evangelizes today be any different?

__________

Footnotes appear in the printed version of this article excerpt.
This chapter is from Gary S. Greig and Kevin N. Springer, eds., The Kingdom and the Power: Are Healing and the Spiritual Gifts Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the Church Today? A Biblical Look at How to Bring the Gospel to the World with Power (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1993). Used with permission.
Some Scripture quotations are direct translations by the authors and contributors. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers). All italicized words and phrases in Scripture quotations are added by the authors for emphasis and clarification.

Read the rest of this article and many other articles in the Fall 2009 issue of THE PNEUMA REVIEW www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp


Prayer Requests

  • Pray for persecuted Christians in North Africa. Thirty native believers, exposed by American missionaries within the same North African country, were recently arrested by local police, tortured through electrocution and beatings, and put into prison.
    One of the American missionaries was murdered by Muslim extremists while "illegally proselytizing" outside of a mosque. When the police questioned his American missionary friends, they accused the native believers of murdering their friend and fled the country, even though Al-Qaida had publicly boasted of the shooting. Full story, with updates: http://www.christianaid.org/Missionaries/MIR/mir20090911.aspx.
  • Pneuma Foundation President, Jim Dettmann, is recovering from a major surgery at the end of October that removed his ruptured appendix. Please pray that he will heal and regain his strength quickly. Reference Number: 90038735
  • The church I lead has been moving well and the grace of God has been with us. But our urgent prayer request is that we had to stop meeting where we have been gathering. The land lord sold it without our knowledge and the buyer broke the building down, so now we have no place to fellowship. We are resting on God to hire another building if God provides. We need your prayers please.
    With much love,
    Pastor David
  • Child sacrifice on the rise in Uganda. As famine looms, child sacrifice in Uganda is on the rise. A police report confirms 23 deaths since the beginning of the year. But Lee DeYoung with Words of Hope says there's a startling trend: "The numbers have increased, and at least in some cases, those have been the bodies of children of believers." Christian radio broadcasts have contributed to the growth of the church. DeYoung says, "The church is being mobilized to speak against this terrible evil. When a child is executed in this kind of ritual sacrifice fashion, it is a violation of Ugandan law. However, human trafficking is less clearly prohibited in the legal code." He urges prayer. "It does seem that where the Gospel is spreading, the enemy retaliates. We need to be in prayer that those who experience this may be able to respond, may be able to persevere, and that the Lord's provision will prevail."
    Source: Mission Network News, 3 November, 2009. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13459
  • Pastor IK in Katmandu, Nepal asks for prayer for Nepali churches and the difficulties they are facing. Reference Number: 90038339
  • The World Evangelical Alliance calls Christians to prayer for the persecuted church.
    - Pray for the small, suffering community of believers in Somalia, who have to be daily encouraged to stay strong for their faith in time of fear and tribulation. Pray that those who seek the lives of Christians in Somalia will see the love and grace of Jesus through the lives of their victims.
    - Pray for the safety of church leaders and their families in the Cordoba region in Colombia. Pray that Christ might be glorified through the life and the death of His people in every place and circumstance of persecution.
    - Pray for significant and lasting advances in religious freedom in Uzbekistan. Pray for spiritual strength and wisdom for the persecuted for their faith in the country.
    - Pray that Christians in Myanmar (Burma) will be sustained, kept safe and blessed with faith, peace, and the assurance of God's love and presence in their lives.
    - Pray that God will protect Christians in Sri Lanka from the schemes of Buddhist nationalists so that they may witness and worship with liberty and security. May God empower the Sri Lankan Church as a peacemaker to show the light of truth in the midst of long-term ethnic conflict.
    - Pray for God to embolden the young church in Bhutan to be a wise and sensitive agent of blessing in the midst of pressure and opposition. Pray for the Spirit of Christ to infiltrate and transform Buddhists, softening and enlightening their hearts and turning them towards peace and progress.
    Source: WEA Religious Liberty Prayer News, November 1st, 2009
  • "This is our prayer request: please pray for the people of the Philippines, several typhoons have hit in our country. So much property was damaged and hundreds of people lost their lives while others are homeless and suffering from hungers and sickness. Our relatives and loved ones of our members was hit by the typhoon. They are asking for help from our church but our local mission cannot help them all, we also need help so that we can also extend help to them. Please pray for us here in the Philippines.
    "Thank you so much we love to hear from you soon.
    "In His Service, Ale and Dorothy" Reference Number: 90038948
  • Eritrea inflicts another blow on Christians. Evangelical Christians are facing even more problems in Eritrea. Open Doors USA reports Eritrean security forces raided the home of the founding elder of the Full Gospel Church in Asmara. Three people were arrested during the raid, seven more people two day later. More than 2800 Christians remain behind bars for worshipping outside of the state-sanctioned Orthodox, Lutheran and Catholic churches. At least ten believers have died while being incarcerated.
    Source: Mission Network News, 21 October, 2009. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/13411
  • A Pastor in Myanmar (Burma) writes: "This is my privilege of making prayer request in the lord. I have decided to be involved in the Church planting ministry at the north western of Myanmar among the NaGa people, so I need your prayers for the success of the church planting ministry. Thank for having you as my prayer partner in the ministry of the Lord." Reference Number: 90038612
  • Pastor Sergey says, "Pray for a move of God on Ukraine. Start here, in and through the church we serve in." Reference Number: 90039185

 

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