PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
P.S. – May 31st - PRAISE GOD! An American soldier has just been released by the Taiban after being held captive 5 years! Join me in praying that the military office responsible for the return of Americans who are P.O.W. or M.I.A. who have as their goal to see such a thing happen DAILY! It may sound impossible (but then, with God nothing is really impossible, right?) but I believe it would give a sense of urgency to THE military department that should always seek to be out of business ASAP! - Stan
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 SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said...""
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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What is the point of work? Can we really glorify God not just with your work, but in our work?
Here on BreakPoint, our goal is to help you live out a consistently Christian worldview, not just on Sundays at church, but Monday through Friday at work—and even Saturdays.But as easy as this is to say, it’s much harder to put into practice. Every day we’re tempted to embrace a dualistic worldview, one that neatly divides some of our experiences into what we call “sacred” or “spiritual,” and the rest into what we call “secular.”
Of course, there’s been a lot of growth in our Christian understanding of work over the last several decades, but often it doesn’t quite go far enough. Many of us grasp that the workplace is not just where we earn money but also a place of ministry. And it’s also very important to know why. We get that we need to be ethical on the job, that we need to reach out evangelistically to our friends and colleagues, and that we’re to glorify God by pursuing vocational excellence. That’s all good—very good—but there’s even more good news about our vocations.
Amy Sherman, author of the book “Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common,” reminds us that work is also about the renewal and restoration of creation. As Amy told me recently on “BreakPoint This Week,” our whole lives—even our nine-to-five lives—have real significance before God. You can find a link to our discussion by coming to BreakPoint.org and clicking on the “This Week” tab. But for now, I want to give you a preview and encourage you to get Dr. Sherman’s book.
Amy told me that this dualistic worldview sneaks into our thinking all the time. What’s a sign? Well, if you hear someone say that he or she is leaving a job to go into “full-time Christian ministry,” it’s a good bet this dualism is at work. As Amy told me, this kind of comment illustrates “an unfortunate tendency to say that ‘religious activities’ are more important than what we do every day.”
Now don’t get me wrong. Work in and for the church is right and good—teaching Sunday school, doing evangelism, and even, you know, Christian radio! Amy is not trying to denigrate these ministries; she’s raising our awareness of what ministry really is. It’s not confined to 52 Sundays a year or to certain people with clerical collars. It’s 24/7/365. Work done right by anyone, actually helps to create culture, and not just for today. Somehow, Amy says, all the culture-making we do is going to endure for eternity. More on that in a minute.
So how did we go off track into a worldview of dualism, of thinking that work isn’t really spiritual? Amy told me at root it’s a theological problem that occurs in three dimensions. First, we don’t take the doctrine of creation seriously enough. The Bible teaches us, from Genesis to Revelation, that people are made for embodied life in culture. Not for nothing does the New Testament say that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Second, we’ve failed to think through the scope of Christ’s redemption. He didn’t just die to give us a “personal relationship” with Himself—though, gloriously, we who trust in Him have one. He also, though, wants to restore our relationships with ourselves, and with others, and with the creation itself. We shouldn’t reject this world for all of its flaws; we should participate in its restoration.
Third, we don’t think enough about eschatology—or last things. The Nicene Creed says that we’re to “look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” Amy points out that this world isn’t just going to burn up. The New Jerusalem, a beautiful city, is going to come down from Heaven in a recreated Paradise. Amy says, “Without this proper understanding of creation, redemption, and eschatology, we leave ourselves bereft of the theological resources for understanding that all we do in this world really does matter.”
Throughout my interview with Amy Sherman is even more about how to see your work as a living expression of Christ’s coming kingdom. You’ll find it so encouraging, wherever you live out your vocation. And come to our website today, and we’ll tell you how to get a copy of Amy’s book, Kingdom Calling, as well as some other resources on how to transform our workaday lives.
[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]
RESOURCES:
Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good - Amy Sherman | IVP Books | January 2012
"The Evangelical Work Ethic" - Greg Forster | Christianity Today | October 21, 2013; http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/october-web-only/evangelical-work-ethic.html
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