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:
LATEST NEWS ALERT - US Pastor Saeed Remains in Iranian Hospital, Instead of Prison - By Jordan Sekulow, Filed in IRAN, Mar. 31;http://aclj.org/iran/us-pastor-saeed-remains-in-iranian-hospital-instead-of-prison We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - 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
The U.S. State Department believes the Russian army is now prepared to launch an invasion of eastern Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin decides to pull the trigger, according to a senior Administration official."At this point, they are amassed and they could go at a moment’s notice if Putin gave the go ahead," the official said...Top Ukrainian security officials said Thursday that Russia now has 100,000 troops on its side of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Beast)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
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
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.
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.]
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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.]
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The Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed! What does it mean for us to be people of the resurrection? .
I trust that you had a blessed Easter. I pray that the message of this holy day, Jesus’ triumph over evil, sin, and death, has filled you with the hope that is your birthright as the children of God.Now I want to talk to you about what comes next: life as the people of the resurrection.
From the start, the bodily resurrection of Jesus was seen by his followers as much more than just what happens to us after we die. It was, in a sense, a second creation. In raising Jesus from the dead, God demonstrated His intent to set the world aright and do for the entirety of creation what He had done for His son.
This belief is why the Gospel of John begins with the words “in the beginning,” a reference to Genesis 1, and then prefaces its account of the resurrection with, “now on the first day of the week.” John wasn’t saying that our Lord rose on a Sunday (although He did)—John was emphasizing that the new creation had begun.
And we are to have an active role in that new creation. In his book, “Surprised By Hope,” N.T. Wright tells us that, as a result of Jesus’ resurrection and ours, “what you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it . . .” What we “do in the present,” whether it’s “painting,” “preaching,” “building hospitals,” “campaigning for justice,” caring for the needy” or simply “loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God's future.”
It’s all part of “[colonizing] earth with the life of heaven,” the divine project initiated at the resurrection of Jesus. At the heart of this divine project is restoration: bringing peace to a broken world through works of grace, acts of justice, and words of truth. It’s easy—too easy, in fact—to identify and decry all the ways the world is broken. And while identifying these ways is a part of our mission, it’s only so that we can then devote ourselves to repairing and restoring what sin has broken.
If you need an illustration, look no further than the work of Prison Fellowship. It’s difficult to imagine a more vivid example of brokenness than the impact of crime on all those concerned: offenders, victims, and society at large. As Chuck Colson understood, left to itself the justice system would only exacerbate the injuries caused by crime. That’s why he founded Prison Fellowship and, later, Justice Fellowship. For us, “colonizing earth with the life of heaven” means restoring offenders and their families; that is, restoring (or helping them establish) their relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ; restoring them to their families and their communities. It also means promoting policies that recognize the human dignity of offenders and victims while also creating safer communities and fairer, more cost-effective justice systems for all.
We do this because we understand that God did not send his Son to the cross and raise Him from the dead for our private benefit. He did it to make those of us who say “The Lord is Risen!” the light of the world.
The Mishnah, which is the early third-century compilation of Jewish tradition, uses the phrase “tikkun olam,” which means “repairing the world.” That’s what it means to be the resurrection people, especially since in raising Jesus from the dead, God has guaranteed that our efforts will not be in vain.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
RESOURCES
Justice Fellowship website - http://justicefellowship.org/
Prison Fellowship website - http://www.prisonfellowship.org/
Colson Center website - http://www.breakpoint.org/wfp-home
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church - N. T. Wright | HarperOne | February 2008
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