Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Too Busy To Care?


What do you see when you look at the photo above? I hope you see a contrast between Western Christians and Eastern Christians.

On Sunday April 19, 2015, ISIS released a video showing the mass execution of 30 Ethiopian Christians. 

Half were beheaded 

the others were shot execution style 

It was on Sunday morning at 6am, as my alarm woke me up so that I could get ready for church since I was singing with the worship team, that my insomniac husband told me the news. I quickly jumped onto Facebook to see if there was news about this. I jumped on Twitter. Yes indeed, it was true.

Perhaps it was too early in the morning for Pastors and churches in the U.S. (at least in California), to be aware of this tragedy. As first service began, I could not be as energetic and smiley on stage like usual. I just wanted to tell everyone what happened and join together as one body, mourning with family we have never met, who have lost their loved ones. 

I just kept thinking...."In the OT, people would tear their clothes, put on a sackcloth, and cry out to God."

While we sing praises and sermons  are preached suggesting a false hope that everything will be OK because God will not "allow more than we are able to bear," the truth is that suffering IS part of God's will in our lives. God does allow tragedies. His ways are not our ways. Yes, things will work out for our good according to Romans 8:28, but WHAT IS GOOD? What does GOD see as the definition of "good?" His "good" is not the same as what we would consider "good." To us, "GOOD" is equivalent to good health, wealth, happiness; basically for things to go our way.

I am curious as to how many congregations in the U.S. discussed the martydom of these Ethiopians. Or how about the 14 year old boy who was set on fire in Pakistan for his faith this past week? 


If the Bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn, why aren't we mourning as a whole? Why aren't churches setting a side a service specifically to discuss the harsh realities of persecution, with time of prayer and learning about what we as a body can do to help our brothers and sisters?

We are all so consumed with our own agendas and "visions." I'm not saying those things can't be done or that they should be sacrificed, but sticking to our plans sometimes forces us to sacrifice what God instructs us to do. Like Mary & Martha. 

 "Martha had a sister named Mary, who was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. 40 But Martha was busy with all the work to be done. She went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me.”41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. 42 Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39-42)

Sometimes we just have to pause for a moment and seek His face and intercede for others.  Yes, we have our own problems. But we are ONE BODY. When will the West wake up? When will the West finally realize the foolishness of division and unite for the common cause of Christ? 

We cannot stop persecution from happening, Jesus said IT WOULD HAPPEN. But we can help those in the midst of war. We have ministries there. People need resources. If you and I can't physically go and care for refugees or smuggle Bibles and food, then we must financially support those who do go. 
If you can't afford it, I'm sure you could do fundraisers at church or on your own. I mean, have a garage/yard sale! As much as I hate to admit that money is needed, it is the truth. 

But just as important is the awareness that is needed. What mighty things can be done when the body of Christ decides to do in unity. But it seems like many don't take it seriously, don't care, or are too busy with other ministries.

Can we at the very least, remember them in prayer, on a weekly basis, Pastors??? 

For those who are interested in learning more about how you can help, the following organizations are legit. They advocate, provide aid, and provide education:

Voice of the Martyrs

Friday, November 8, 2013

Obama Accused of ‘Crimes Against Humanity’

by  on November 7, 2013 in IslamOther Matters
According to Egyptian newspaper El Watan, a group of Egyptian lawyers has submitted a complaint charging U.S. president Barrack Hussein Obama with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.
The complaint charges Obama of being an accessory to the Muslim Brotherhood, which incited widespread violence in Egypt both before and after the June 30 Revolution.
Along with Obama, the complaint reproduced by El Watan mentions several Brotherhood members by name, beginning with the leader of the organization Muhammad Badie, and other top ranking leaders such as Mohamed al-Beltagy, Essam al-Erian, and Safwat Hegazi, adding that “Obama cooperated, incited, and assisted the armed elements of the Muslim Brotherhood in the commission of crimes against humanity in the period from 3/7/2013-8/18/2013, in the Arab Republic of Egypt.”
According to the published text, the complaint begins by quoting Article 7/1 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, titled “Crimes against humanity,” which is reproduced below:
Article 7
Crimes against humanity
1. For the purpose of this Statute, “crime against humanity” means any of the following
acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against
any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack:
(a) Murder;
(b) Extermination;
(c) Enslavement;
(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;
(e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;
(f) Torture;
(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced
sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;
(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial,
national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other
grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international
law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime
within the jurisdiction of the Court;
(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;
(j) The crime of apartheid;
(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great
suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.
Next, the complaint shows how Muslim Brotherhood leadership violated some of the above definitions, for example, by torturing, mutilating, raping, and killing Egyptians in their “sit in” camps (first reported here), with a highlight on the role the Brotherhood played in inciting violence and the killing of peaceful protesters around Itthadiya Palace back in December.
Above and beyond the accusations of crimes against humanity that the lawyer-drafted complaint cited by El Watan levels against the Brotherhood, one need only look to the fate of Egypt’s Christian minority, who were especially targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood—and thus, by extension, their supporter, Obama—to see numerous examples of nearly every aforementioned definition of crimes against humanity, as follows:
Religious Persecution and Apartheid (see h and j) 
Right after Morsi was ousted, the Muslim Brotherhood, including its supreme leader, Muhammad Badie, and its spiritual leader, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, as well as several of the other Brotherhood members mentioned in the complaint, publicly scapegoated the Christian minority for daring to support the popular June 30 Revolution (that is, for acting like equal citizens as opposed to coweddhimmis as required by Islamic law).  The aftermath of the atrocities committed against the Copts are well known (to those who do not exclusively rely on the so-called mainstream media), and include the torching, destroying, and plundering of at some 85 churches, some of which were ancient.  Islam’s back flag was raised above some churches; anti-Christian graffiti littered the sides of other churches and Coptic homes.
Murder and Extermination (see a and b)
Among many others to be murdered in response to Brotherhood-incitement against the Copts, aten-year-old girl was shot and killed while walking back from Bible class.  In the Sinai, a young Coptic priest was shot dead in front of his church, while the body of another Copt was found mutilated and beheaded.  Four other Christians were slaughtered by Muslims in Luxor province.  Most recently, a church wedding was attacked, leaving, among others, two girls, aged eight and twelve, dead and riddled with bullets.
As for “extermination,” the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have long been threatening the Copts with annihilation if they ever opposed them.  Back in December 2012, Safwat Hegazi (a leading Brotherhood member named in the complaint, publicly declared during a Brotherhood rally:
A message to the church of Egypt, from an Egyptian Muslim: I tell the church—by Allah, and again, by Allah—if you conspire and unite with the remnants [opposition] to bring Morsi down, that will be another matter [screams of "Allah Akbar!" followed by chants of "With our soul, with our blood, we give to you, O Islam!"]… [T]here are red lines—and our red line is the legitimacy of Dr. Muhammad Morsi. Whoever splashes water on it, we will splash blood on him” [followed by more wild shouts of "Allah Akbar!"]
Around the same time, and more to the point, Dr. Wagdi Ghoneim—another vocal Brotherhood agitator who earlier praised Allah for the death of the late Coptic Pope Shenoudacursing him to hell and damnation in a video he posted on YouTube—made another video telling Egypt’s Christians:
You are playing with fire in Egypt, I swear, the first people to be burned by the fire are you [Copts].” … The day Egyptians—and I don’t even mean the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafis, regular Egyptians—feel that you are against them, you will be wiped off the face of the earth. I’m warning you now: do not play with fire!… What do you think—that America will protect you? Let’s be very clear, America will not protect you. If so, it would have protected the Christians of Iraq when they were being butchered!
Ghoneim’s words have proven prophetic—an indicator that this Egyptian hatemongering sheikh, who was expelled under Hosni Mubarak, knows the conduct of America’s leadership better than most Americans.  Along with Iraq’s and Egypt’s Christians, he could have mentioned the Christians of Syria as well, who are being decimated thanks to Obama’s support for al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists, AKA, “freedom fighters.”
Deportation, Extortion, Kidnapping, and General Abuse of Copts (see c, d, e, f, g, and i)
Since the Muslim Brotherhood publicly denounced the Copts, entire towns and villages have been emptied of Christians—for example, more than 100 Christian families from El Arish. After mentioning the mass destruction of churches during a recent conference, and speaking of a different incident, Dr. Sherif Doss, an Egyptian activist, said, “But worst of all, about 140 families were evicted from their own homes; and worse still is that, not only were they thrown out of their houses, but their shops and properties were robbed and destroyed… General Sisi has promised to rebuild the churches and this takes time to be done. But we can’t wait all that time for those people destitute and in the streets, with no place to live and nowhere to work…. These people are in a very bad condition. If you go and see these villages, you will be amazed—it is as if a nuclear bomb exploded there. People burned and plundered their homes without mercy.”
Similarly, Muslim Brotherhood supporters are extorting Copts, rationalized in the context of making them pay jizya—the money, or tribute, that conquered non-Muslims historically had to pay to their Islamic overlords “with willing submission and while feeling themselves subdued” to safeguard their existence, as indicated in Koran 9:29.  For instance, the roughly 15,000 Christian Copts of Dalga village in south Minya province were recently forced to pay jizya.  In some cases, those not able to pay were attacked, their wives and children beaten and/or kidnapped.  As a result, some 40 Christian families had fled Dalga, joining the ever growing list of displaced Christians in the Middle East.
Days before the June 30 Revolution, letters addressed to the Copts threatened them not to join the protests against Morsi, otherwise their “businesses, cars, homes, schools, and churches” might “catch fire”—which of course they all did. The message concluded by saying “If you are not worried about any of these, then worry about your children and your homes.”
Such threats, as mentioned, were hardly limited to anonymous letters.  During a TV interview, Sheikh Essam Abdulamek, a then member of parliament’s Shura Council, warned Egypt’s Christians against participating in the June 30 Revolution against Morsi, threatening them by saying “Do not sacrifice your children” since “general Muslim opinion will not be silent about the ousting of the president [Morsi].”
And the children of Copts have certainly been targeted—both during and after Morsi’s tenure.  Some, especially young girls, are regularly abducted, raped, and shamed into converting to Islam and “marrying” their rapists. Coptic boys have increasingly been abducted from the doorsteps of their churches and held for ransom. Recently, a 6-year-old Christian boy was murdered by his kidnapper—after the boy’s family paid the ransom.  (Read more about the jihad on Egypt’s Christian children.)
——
In short, by simply focusing on the plight of Egypt’s Christians, almost every criterion found under the category of “crimes against humanity”—including murder, extermination, deportation, torture, rape, disappearance, apartheid and religious persecution—are met.
Only one is necessary for the charge to stick.
As for the Obama administration’s support for the Brotherhood, if most Americans are clueless or indifferent about it, average Egyptians have long known and resented it—hence the many large placards and signs held during the June 30 Revolution calling on Obama to stop supporting terrorism and calling on Americans to wake up.
One need only follow the words and deeds of Anne PattersonJohn McCain, Lindsay Graham,Hillary Clinton, et. al. to know that the U.S president is a firm supporter of the crimes-against-humanity-committing Muslim Brotherhood.
Of course, whatever the merits of El Watan’s report—here is another English-language articletalking about apparently a different complaint of crimes against humanity leveled against Obama by Coptic activists—all these complaints seem futile, as the U.S. is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court.
However, all technicalities aside, the facts are clear: by any definition, the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters have committed numerous crimes against humanity in Egypt, especially in the context of the Christian Copts; and by its ongoing support for the Brotherhood, the Obama administration is complicit.   Remember this next time the Obama administration cites concerns about “human rights” violations as reason to involve the U.S. in war—as it recently tried to do in Syria, again, to support more Islamic terrorists who are committing even worse crimes against humanity.
Watch Raymond Ibrahim discuss this report on CBN News:

Thursday, October 17, 2013

North Korea- The Most Difficult Nation To Be A Christian



For the past 11 years, North Korea has been ranked #1 on the
 Open Doors World Watch List.

It is ILLEGAL to be a Christian in this totalitarian state. 
Christians cannot attend church openly. If their faith is discovered, 
they and up to three generations of their family could be sent to a 
prison camp for life. If they are caught with a Bible, they could be 
publicly executed.

North Korea seems like a dark and hopeless place- but the 
light of Christ is still shining!

Even though it is illegal, it is estimated that there are 400,000 
Christians in North Korea
… and the church continues to grow!

Open Doors is able to help North Korean 
Christians by providing safe houses, 
emergency aid and other needed items.

the most hostile nation on earth? 
Your gift will not only save lives, but will allow the
 gospel to prevail in this seemingly 
hopeless place.

Thank you for standing with our North Korean brothers and sisters!



Friday, October 11, 2013

News and Prayer for the Persecuted Church



ICC Logo






Government Continues Mental Torture of Pastor as Court Frees and Immediately Re-Arrests Him 
10/9/2013 Kazakhstan (International Christian Concern)
Pastor Kashkumbayev, 67, was released to house arrest after having been imprisoned since May for his Christian activities, only to be immediately re-arrested for religious extremism.  He is not receiving adequate medical care while imprisoned. It is believed the government is making an example of him for being a Christian. 
  
  • Pray for Pastor Kashkumbayev's safety and protection while being detained
  • Pray that God would bring comfort to Pastor Kashkumbayev's family during this difficult time
  • Pray for international awareness for Pastor Kashkumbayev's quick and full release


Muslims and Christians in Pakistan Protect Churches with Human Chain
10/8/2013 Pakistan (Opposing Views)

In protest to the September 22 bombing of All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan Christians and Muslims joined together this past Sunday to form a human chain protecting a church.  Recent incidences of persecution in Pakistan include terrorist bombings of churches in response to US drone strikes. 

  • Pray the protests will be a catalyst for greater unity between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan 
  • Pray for the healing of victims from the September 22 All Saints Church bombing
  • Pray that the government will provide protection for Christians and religious minorities in Pakistan

More Than 60 Church Leaders Remain Locked Up in Communist Vietnam

International Christian Concern has received a tragically long list of the names of 63 Christian pastors and church leaders who remain locked up in deplorable conditions in four prison camps around the country.  There is hope that these Christians will soon be freed- the American government is working on passing a bill that will deny Vietnam certain aid until the human rights situation improves.
  
  • Pray for the health and safety of the imprisoned pastors and church leaders
  • Pray for hope in the midst of suffering for the families of the imprisoned leaders
  • Pray that Vietnam would stop its persecution of Christians and religious minorities


China Relentless in Persecution of House Churches

There have been many recent incidences of beatings, detainment, vandalism, and general persecution of Christians in China. China claims to support religious freedom, but the only protestant church they officially recognize is the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and it seems to be more an instrument of suppression than a true church.
  
  • Pray that China's intolerance for religious minorities will garner the international concern it warrants 
  • Pray the house churches will be legally recognized by the government and they will stop being targets for raids  
  • Pray the local authorities will be stopped from persecuting Christians by higher authorities 

Two Indonesian Christians Sentenced to Three Years Behind Bars for Evangelism
10/3/2013 Indonesia (International Christian Concern)
It has been confirmed that two Indonesian Christians were sentenced to three years in prison on August 2 for conducting evangelistic activities among Muslims. The Christians, known as Kashfi Rosyid and Jalaudin, are brothers and were arrested by police on March 20 in Sukabumi, West Java,after an angry mob of approximately 200 Muslims attacked their home.
  • Pray for courage and strength for the two brothers while they are detained
  • Pray the Indonesian government will realize their policies that encourage religious tolerance are being violated 
  • Pray this incident will not incite a rise of Christian persecution in Indonesia


Out of the Darkness:

Isolated Christians in Laos Consistently 
 
Refuse 
 
to 
 
Give up on Christ

  
Christians in Laos are facing persecution for refusing to worship false gods. Though they are constitutionally given religious freedom, Christianity is not always recognized as a religion and foreign missionaries are not allowed to enter. Most occurrences of persecution are reported from small villages. The Christians being persecuted are showing strong resistance.
  
  • Pray for strength and resolve for Christians who are facing persecution in Laos
  • Pray the situation in Laos will gain more recognition which will lead to greater freedom for Christians






"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of the destitute."

- Proverbs 31:8

Monday, September 30, 2013

A Global Slaughter of Christians, but America’s Churches Stay Silent

Christians are being singled out and massacred from Pakistan to Syria to the Nairobi shopping mall. Kirsten Powers on the deafening silence from U.S. pews and pulpits.

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. The silence has been nearly deafening.
As Egypt’s Copts have battled the worst attacks on the Christian minority since the 14th century, the bad news for Christians in the region keeps coming. On Sunday,Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 85 worshippers at All Saints’ church, which has stood since 1883 in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. Christians were also the target of Islamic fanatics in the attack on a shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya, this week that killed more than 70 people. The Associated Press reported that the Somali Islamic militant group al-Shabab “confirmed witness accounts that gunmen separated Muslims from other people and let the Muslims go free.” The captives were asked questions about Islam. If they couldn’t answer, they were shot.
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Pakistanis protest against violence against Christians in Lahore on Sept. 24, 2013. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)
In Syria, Christians are under attack by Islamist rebels and fear extinction if Bashar al-Assad falls. This month, rebels overran the historic Christian town of Maalula, where many of its inhabitants speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The AFP reported that a resident of Maalula called her fiancĂ©’s cell and was told by member of the Free Syrian Army that they gave him a chance to convert to Islam and he refused. So they slit his throat.
Nina Shea, an international human-rights lawyer and expert on religious persecution, testified in 2011 before Congress regarding the fate of Iraqi Christians, two-thirds of whom have vanished from the country. They have either been murdered or fled in fear for their lives. Said Shea: “[I]n August 2004 … five churches were bombed in Baghdad and Mosul. On a single day in July 2009, seven churches were bombed in Baghdad … The archbishop of Mosul, was kidnapped and killed in early 2008. A bus convoy of Christian students were violently assaulted. Christians … have been raped, tortured, kidnapped, beheaded, and evicted from their homes …”

Lela Gilbert is the author of Saturday People, Sunday People, which details the expulsion of 850,000 Jews who fled or were forced to leave Muslim countries in the mid-20th century. The title of her book comes from an Islamist slogan, “First the Saturday People, then the Sunday People,” which means “first we kill the Jews, then we kill the Christians.” Gilbert wrote recently that her Jewish friends and neighbors in Israel “are shocked but not entirely surprised” by the attacks on Christians in the Middle East. “They are rather puzzled, however, by what appears to be a lack of anxiety, action, or advocacy on the part of Western Christians.” 
As they should be. It is inexplicable. American Christians are quite able to organize around issues that concern them. Yet religious persecution appears not to have grabbed their attention, despite worldwide media coverage of the atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.
It’s no surprise that Jews seem to understand the gravity of the situation the best. In December 2011, Britain’s chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, addressed Parliament saying, “I have followed the fate of Christians in the Middle East for years, appalled at what is happening, surprised and distressed … that it is not more widely known.” “It was Martin Luther King who said, ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’ That is why I felt I could not be silent today.”
Wolf has complained loudly of the State Department’s lack of attention to religious persecution, but is anybody listening?
Yet so many Western Christians are silent. In January, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) penned a letter to 300 Catholic and Protestant leaders complaining about their lack of engagement. “Can you, as a leader in the church, help?” he wrote. “Are you pained by these accounts of persecution? Will you use your sphere of influence to raise the profile of this issue—be it through a sermon, writing or media interview?”
There have been far too few takers.
Wolf and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) sponsored legislation last year to create a special envoy at the State Department to advocate for religious minorities in the Middle East and South-Central Asia. It passed in the House overwhelmingly, but died in the Senate. Imagine the difference an outcry from constituents might have made. The legislation was reintroduced in January and again passed the House easily. It now sits in the Senate. According to the office of Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), the sponsor of the bill there, there is no date set for it to be taken up.
Wolf has complained loudly of the State Department’s lack of attention to religious persecution, but is anybody listening? When American leaders meet with the Saudi government, where is the public outcry demanding they confront the Saudis for fomenting hatred of Christians, Jews, and even Muslim minorities through their propagandistic tracts and textbooks? In the debate on Syria, why has the fate of Christians and other religious minorities been almost completely ignored?
In his letter challenging U.S. religious leaders, Wolf quoted Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed for his efforts in the Nazi resistance:  “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
That pretty well sums it up.
-Kirsten Powers
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