"Millions to Gather [THIS] Sunday to Pray for Jerusalem," - by Chris Mitchell, October 04, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2013/October/Millions-to-Gather-Sunday-to-Pray-for-Jerusalem/ JERUSALEM, Israel -- "This Sunday millions of Christians and thousands of churches around the world will take part in a global day of prayer, fulfilling the biblical command in Psalm 122:5 to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.Organizers of this year's day of prayer, Oct. 6, say it's vital to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Robert Stearns co-founded the call a decade ago."So we gather together the first Sunday of every October globally, 174 nations participating. Close to 300,000 churches registered last year praying for the peace of this city," Stearns told CBN News....The Day of Prayer event will be broadcast globally by God TV."
Oct. 4 - "Muslim Youth Torch Church, Riot in Kenya after Imam Killed," - http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=2169 - "Young Muslims set fire to a church, burned tires and clashed with police in Kenya’s main port city of Mombasa on Friday, after the killing of an Islamic cleric his followers blamed on security forces..."
As the Lord leads, please pray: 1) About ongoing radicalization of youth across sub-Saharan Africa by factions of Al Qaeda. 2) For Christians of Kenya as they become targets of Islamist terrorism.
9/30 UPDATE: President Obama Calls for Pastor Saeed's Release," - CBNNews.com; September 30, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/September/President-Obama-Calls-for-Pastor-Saeeds-Release/ - "President Obama asked Iran's President Hassan Rouhani to have American Pastor Saeed Abedini released from prison, according to the American Center for Law and Justice. Mr. Obama talked by phone with the new Iranian president Friday afternoon, marking the first conversation between leaders of the two nations in more than three decades. ... This is the first time President Obama has addressed Abedini's plight despite publicity campaigns for him to do so." [For more info on Pastor Saeed, see below]
NEWS FLASH: "Syrian Rebels Execute Christian Villagers," - CBNNews.com, September 12, 2013; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/September/Syrian-Rebels-Execute-Christian-Villagers/ - Syrian rebel fighters apparently executed three Christians fleeing the fighting in Maaloula this week, Britain's Sky News reported. Hundreds of Christians held a funeral in Damascus for the men, who were cousins. Sky News reports the men were trying to escape the Christian town of Maaloula, which has been under attack by rebel troops. The men reportedly were killed by forces with the al Qaeda linked Jabha al-Nour. Mourners say two of the victims had their throats cut and another was shot. Most of the mourners are also refugees from Maaloula, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. [PRAY for the Christians throughout Syria who face greater persecution should rebels, particularly Islamists along the line of the Muslim Brotherhood, end up in charge of the country.]
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Syrian Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."
[EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST- Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - The United States is willing to engage North Korea to secure the release of imprisoned American Christian Kenneth Bae. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States is "willing to consider a number of different options" to bring him home.In a video recently released by a North Korean newspaper, Bae requested the United States send a high-ranking official to North Korea to seek his pardon. It is unclear if he spoke of his own volition in the video. Bae, 45, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for sharing his faith. He suffers health problems such as diabetes and is currently hospitalized.[PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison. This afternoon, thousands of Americans from coast to coast will pray for his release. Events will be held in 40 states at capitols, city halls, parks and churches. Thousands more will join from 15 nations around the world
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: "Syrian Christians Brace for Strike, Ask for Prayer," - by Gary Lane, August 31, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/Syrian-Christians-Brace-for-Strike-Ask-for-Prayer/"As Syrians brace themselves for a possible U.S. military attack, many of the county's Christians are praying for divine intervention. They say military action against the Assad regime will only bring them greater hardship and suffering and they're asking Christians worldwide to pray that God intervenes to bring peace to their nation. They believe the collective prayers of Christians around the world could reverse an escalating conflict..."
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- BOLDly (Beside Our Leaders Daily) for leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release.
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"Christian Persecution - Why We Must not Remain Silent,"- by: John Stonestreet|Published: October 4, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/23494?spMailingID=7099649&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=91563625&spReportId=OTE1NjM2MjUS1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
On September 22, suicide bombers connected to the Pakistani Taliban entered All Souls Anglican Church in Peshawar during services. The resulting explosion killed 78 men, women and children.It was only the most recent attack on Pakistani Christians, who make up just two percent of the country’s population. Apparently, even that tiny percentage is too high for some there.
What’s happening in Pakistan is, in turn, part of a larger global pattern. As we’ve said on BreakPoint, Christians around the world are often “harassed, arrested, jailed, tortured, raped, beaten, and killed.” Christian “churches and homes are bombed or burned to the ground.” Children are even “taken from their Christian parents lest they become too tainted with faith in Jesus.”
Yet the vast majority of Americans, and American Christians, would be surprised to hear we’re living in what’s been called “the age of martyrs.” Kirsten Powers of the Daily Beast has had enough of what she calls the “deafening silence” on this issue, especially from American Christians. The lead to her recent column reads like an indictment: “Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. One would think this horror might be consuming the pulpits and pews of American churches. Not so.”
In addition to the Peshawar attack, she points to the recent attack in Nairobi in which, according to eyewitnesses, the gunmen said “if you are Muslim you are on the safer side, but if you are Hindu or Christian you will be killed.” She introduces readers to an ominous Jihadist slogan: “First comes Saturday, then comes Sunday.” It means “On Saturday we kill the Jews; on Sunday we kill the Christians.”
This is the world in which millions of Christians live.
Now the good news is there’s evidence of a growing appreciation for our brethren’s plight. For instance, many American Christians opposed intervention in Syria out of concern for the possible impact on Syrian Christians.The better news is that if we insist on keeping the issue of the persecuted church on the front burner, it can yield results. A case in point is a recent phone call between President Obama and Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani.During the call, the President expressed his concern over the jailing of Iranian-American pastor, Saeed Abedini. Abedini’s incarceration has been the subject of an international campaign to draw attention to his plight and secure his release.Abedini’s wife rightly called Obama’s raising of the issue an “answer to prayer.” It’s also a response to concerted efforts to ensure that her husband is not forgotten.[It needs to be noted that the President was asked to speak up personally on the pastor's plight A YEAR AGO but only acted now.]
This is the kind of effort we must make on behalf of all our persecuted brethren. As Hebrews13 tells us, we are to remember “those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body.” That’s one reason I’m so concerned about preserving religious liberty here in America. While we’re not at the point of shedding blood, Christians in this country are under enormous pressure—from government, from activist groups, and increasingly, from a judge’s bench—to compromise our faith. And if the freedom to speak out is lost here, who will be left to advocate on behalf of our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world?
So before I sign off, I’d like to invite you to listen to the “National Briefing on Religious Liberty” sponsored by the Colson Center. http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/TNG_2013_MP3.mp3 I was privileged to be a part of this important discussion with Dr. Timothy George, the Acton Institute’s Fr. Robert Sirico, the Manhattan Declaration’s Eric Teetsel and the Heritage Foundation’s Jennifer Marshall.Newsletter
FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
ARTICLES:
"Christian Tragedy in the Muslim World" - by Bruce Horton | Hoover.org | July 25, 2013 ) http://www.hoover.org/publications/defining-ideas/article/152651
"A Global Slaughter of Christians, but America’s Churches Stay Silent," - Kirsten Powers | The Daily Beast | September 27, 2013 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/27/a-global-slaughter-of-christians-but-america-s-churches-stay-silent.html
"Can We Finally Start Talking About the Global Persecution of Christians?," - Mollie Hemingway | The Federalist | September 25, 2013 http://thefederalist.com/2013/09/25/can-we-finally-start-talking-about-the-global-persecution-of-christians/
WEBSITES:
- Open Doors USA - Resources for International Day of Prayer 2013 - November 3, 2013;http://www.onewiththem.com/resources/?utm_source=opendoorsusa.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=nav&utm_campaign=idop
- Persecution.org
- Voice of the Martyrs.org
- Freedom House.org
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