# 821 (3/16) SUNDAY SPECIAL - "Muslims Dreaming of Jesus - A Wind in the House of Islam"

The Bulletin Board:  (Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)

URGENT NEWS/PRAYER ALERT!"Kim Jong-un Calls for Execution of 33 Christians" - 3/7/2014; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3651 "North Korea tyrant Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered that 33 Christians believed to be working alongside South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook be put to death. The South Korean missionary - who was arrested last year - and his accomplices have reportedly started 500 or so underground churches..."[PRAY that the plans for execution would be rescinded, and these believers released.] [Che\ck out: They'll Be Dead By Morning (What Difference Will It Make) http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-what.html

Fri. March 14 - PRAYER ALERT! from American Center for Law and Justice: This has been a traumatic 48 hours for American Pastor Saeed Abedini.Nearly two weeks ago he was moved from his prison cell to a local private hospital and promised medical care. Then, two days ago, Iranian guards banned visits from his family, shackled him, and ordered that he return to his prison cell untreated. This was devastating for Pastor Saeed and his family. He needs to undergo surgery for internal injuries he sustained from prison beatings. You immediately took to Facebook and Twitter to share what had happened. Thousands began praying in earnest for Pastor Saeed. Just yesterday we learned that Iranian prison officials reversed course calling the whole ordeal a "mistake." Pastor Saeed is now unshackled, but while he remains in the hospital, he is still not receiving critical treatment. He still desperately needs surgery and to be released to his family in the U.S. You spoke out this week and made a tremendous impact. We need you to Be Heard again. Sign the Petition Demanding Pastor Saeed's Release Today - http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign

SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november

WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:

NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
LATEST NEWS ALERT! - "Ukraine Diplomacy Stalled, Congress Eyes Sanctions" - CBNNews.com, March 06, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Ukraine-Diplomacy-Stalled-Congress-Eyes-Sanctions/ "Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine are off to a very slow start, with talks between U.S., Ukrainian and Russian leaders going nowhere...Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is rushing to impose stiff sanctions on Russia, whose troops have seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula..."
NEWS /PRAYER ALERT! - Ukraine Accuses Russia of 'Invasion, Occupation'- By George Thomas, Friday, February 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Ukraine-Accuses-Russia-of-Invasion-Occupation-/ - SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine -- Russian troops now control an airport near their naval base in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is calling the siege a "military invasion and occupation." "It is in violation of all international treaties and norms," he charged. "This is a direct provocation to armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state."... [Let's be in prayer as the Ukraine is facing an ever increasing threat of civil war. Pray esp. for beievers to be submitted to and guided by the Holy Spirit in how to BE JESUS during these turbulent times. May many who are and will encounter great suffering as a result of this continuing conflict find their hope and strength in Jesus by coming to faith in Him. - Stan]

NEWS/PRAYER ALERT! "Ukraine President Becomes Fugitive from Justice "- By George Thomas, Monday, February 24, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Opposition-Takes-Presidency-in-Divided-Ukraine/  KIEV, Ukraine -- ...On Saturday, Ukraine's parliament stunned the nation by voting overwhelmingly to impeach Yanukovych. Hours later, members of parliament picked Oleksandr Turchynov, a prominent evangelical Christian, as interim president until new elections in May. "Christians were praying on Independence Square," Pastor Kaluzhny said. "We were praying in our churches. People around the world were praying for us, and God did a miracle! Ukraine is a new country." What happens next is uncertain.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
-That the turmoil in Ukraine will be resolved
-That the leaders of Ukraine will be able to peacefully resolve their impasse
-Safety for those trapped by the violence in the nation

Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors  may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan] 

Continue to Pray for 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.]  

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/  - 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.] 

November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ IRAN - 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. 

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
- 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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"Muslims Dreaming of Jesus - A Wind in the House of Islam"; By: John Stonestreet|  Breakpoint.org: February 10, 2014;
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/24501?spMailingID=7934063&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=120829011&spReportId=MTIwODI5MDExS0 [AS i SEE IT: I was particularly excited to read this commentary because after I had begun praying every day for our troops in Afghanistan last year, one day God led me to begin to pray for the Islamist fighters who were attacking our troops. I had heard elsewhere about God using dreams and visions to lead Muslims to Christ and so began to pray that each Islamist would have repeated dreams and visions of Jesus that would cause him to turn from Islam and from wanting to fight. Also, last year for the first time, I did a partial fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan praying for Muslims to turn to Christ (not realizing I was part of a world-wide effort as described below). It's exciting to think of how OUR PRAYERS and the efforts of those directly reaching out to Muslims with the gospel might be used of God to stir a great spiritual awakening. - Stan]

God is moving in the House of Islam in a remarkable way, and Christian prayer has something to do with it. Good news for us and for Muslims,...

Terrorist attacks, the threat of nuclear weapons, persecution of Christians, the abuse of women—these are just some of the recurring themes whenever the American news media get around to covering the Muslim world—which isn’t often. It’s enough to tempt you to think that the House of Islam is beyond redemption or hope.

Well, I’m thrilled to tell you that God is doing miraculous things in the House of Islam. David Garrison, a missions expert with the Southern Baptists, has written an amazing new book called “A Wind in the House of Islam,” which describes an unprecedented movement of Muslims into the Christian faith over the last twenty years... Upon hearing the increasing stories of conversions recently in the Islamic world, David went on a journey of 250,000 miles to speak with Muslims in West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Persian world, South Asia, and the Indo-Malaysia archipelago, asking them the fundamental question, “What did God use to bring you to faith in Jesus Christ?”

His research uncovered that in the fourteen hundred years since Muhammad founded Islam, there have been eighty-two movements of Muslims turning to Christ. As a starting point, he defined “movement” as 1000 Muslims receiving Christian baptism, a public statement of their faith in Christ.
Now 82 movements in 1400 years doesn’t sound like a lot. But David Garrison points out an amazing fact—84 percent of those movements have started in just the last 20 years. There is indeed a new wind blowing!

“We’re seeing a moment in salvation history,” Garrison claims, “that we’ve never seen before in the history of Christianity’s interaction with the House of Islam.” In many cases, Garrison notes, the Lord is using dreams and visions of Jesus Christ to overcome old barriers and reach Muslim hearts. Those dreams are often followed up by a Christian who points the seeking to the gospel. The latest issue of Christianity Today tells one of these dramatic stories, and Garrison’s book, “A Wind in the House of Islam,” provides many more.

When I asked Garrison why God might be giving more dreams to Muslims today, his answer was sobering: “My fear,” he said, “is that they may have been having dreams and visions for fourteen centuries, but there was no one there to tell them who Jesus was, no one there to give them a New Testament in their own language to share with them the good news that God loves Muslims.”Thank God there are more people today, like my friend Paul Filidis.

 You see, over the last two decades of these astounding Muslim breakthroughs, Paul has led a significant prayer movement, “30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World,” held annually during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Why Ramadan? “It’s a time of year,” Paul told me, “when [Muslims] are more deeply aware of spiritual matters. A devout Muslim wants to gain access to Allah… and we want to pray that indeed the real God would meet them during that time.” Paul also joined me on the BreakPoint this Week interview where he described his prayer ministry, and how you, your church, your family can join the 75,000 other North American Christians that will be praying for God to move in the Islamic world during Ramadan.

As Garrison says, this fresh wind in the House of Islam centers not on human method but “the reality of Jesus Christ. “They are encountering the living Christ,” he said. “They are falling on their knees, finding in fact that this is the living God who has come into the world—God with us, God among us—who is bringing them salvation that they were never able to find in the Islamic faith.”

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
A Wind in the House of Islam, book info and website - David Garrison; http://windinthehouse.org/
"A Wind in the House of Islam" - Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/WindintheHouse
"30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World" - Participation information; http://www.30daysprayer.com/
"Christ Called Me Off the Minaret" - Nabeel Qureshi | Christianity Today | January 8, 2014; http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/january-february/christ-called-me-off-minaret.html?utm_source=ctdirect-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=9496034&utm_content=243275136&utm_campaign=2013