The crisis in Syria has created a flood of refugees. According to the United Nations, the number fleeing the regime's wrath has risen by several thousand in the past few days and now tops 34,000. Their most recent numbers show that hundreds of thousands are thought to be displaced within Syria. Bill Bray with Christian Aid Mission (http://www.mnnonline.org/groups/CAM) says, "Almost every day, we're getting new reports of increasing numbers of refugees and increasing sacrifice being made by the Christian community in the surrounding countries to reach out."
Most of the poor refugees, made up of nominal Christian and other minorities, are fleeing to neighboring countries where the reception has been chilly. "They are trying to contain the refugee crisis, and displaced persons within Syria and not welcoming them across their borders. All the borders are mined and armed--protected. They don't want a huge rush of refugees from Syria coming into their countries.
"God uses times of crisis to soften hearts to the gospel," added the Christian Aid staff spokesman. "This may be a time of harvest among Muslim and Christian refugees. God is sovereign. He cares for Muslims. Countries in the Middle East are going through great upheaval. Now many Muslims are turning to Christ. Maybe the long turmoil in Syria is God's way of bringing this about."
PRAY:
• Pray for strength for the Christian community and wisdom in dealing with the government and local police officials. A lot of these people are illegal immigrants, they're undocumented; there are no jobs for them so we need to pray for the Christian community as they try to integrate these refugees into their churches and into the community."
• Pray for continued open doors for the Gospel.
• Pray that God will cause seeds of the Gospel to grow.
• Ask God to provide the resources for this response.
Read full article http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16959
LIGNET has uncovered information suggesting Syria could provide Iran with sensitive nuclear technology and a secret stockpile of uranium to assist in the building of weapons of mass destruction. This is an urgent concern as the United States watches the situation in Syria deteriorate and terrorist groups like al Qaeda get a foothold.
The United States must start thinking about how to secure Syria’s nuclear program and to locate the missing uranium and nuclear weapons-related technology before they can find their way into the hands of the Iranians or terrorist groups, LIGNET Managing Editor Fred Fleitz said in an interview this week.
“If Assad thinks he’s in danger, he just may decide to transfer some technology, or maybe some uranium, to Iran,” Fleitz said of the Syrian president, who has earned international opprobrium for his brutal crackdown on the opposition.
“Now in terms of falling into the hands of terrorist groups, that is a real worry. The worry that militia groups could seize these weapons, such as militias in Libya did after that conflict, is a real concern.”
“Things always happen when we pray, especially when we pray in loving unity. (We) can hear God together and come to agreement. (We) can stand in the gap, ask forgiveness, bind and loose, and proclaim blessing.” John Dawson
Tehran, Iran: The ruling Islamic Regime of Iran is not only worried about the growth of Christianity inside the country, but is also concerned about the increase in tendency of Malays towards Christianity.
Following a recent conference focused on the Indo-Malay world of Southeast Asia, we sense the Holy Spirit freshly stimulating us to loving and united intercessory prayer
for the country of Malaysia and the Malay people.
• Praise the Lord there is more going on than any one of us knows ... thus we pray: ‘Your Kingdom come, Lord, all across Malaysia ... among every community, in every situation ... for Your glory!’
• Pray for an outpouring of grace upon every worker, every believer, every church community, and for an overflow of the love of God toward the unreached majority in the nation.
• Pray for an increasing, sovereign stirring of the Holy Spirit in the heart of every Malay, and breakthrough with millions opening to Jesus.
• Pray for God to raise up among the Malays those with an apostolic calling and gifting to reach their own people with the Gospel.
Prime Minister urged to support Christian cases
Christian Concern has launched a new campaign this Easter, urging Prime Minister David Cameron to back up his recent words of support for the Christian faith with some ‘solid action’. Last week,the Prime Minister held a private ‘Easter Reception’ at Downing Street, where he told a gathering of senior church leaders that the nation needed Christian values and also that he supported a ‘fight back’ against rising secularism. Mr Cameron told attendees: ‘I think there's something of a fight-back going on, and we should welcome that. The values of the Bible, the values of Christianity are the values that we need.’ However, critics have noted that this does not align with the recent Government submission to the European Court of
Human Rights, which backs the rulings against four Christians in their freedom of belief and conscience cases that are currently before the European Court.
Pray: for our Prime Minister and his government that they would recognise the importance of the Christian faith. (Tit.1:13)
My hand was healed by God says Tory MP
‘Not Ashamed of the Cross’ campaign is urging the Government to support historic Christian values in Europe while 400,000+ signed the Coalition for Marriage petition asking the Government to support historic Christian values at home. In 2012 Christians in Parliament need our prayers more than ever. On Easter Sunday former Government Minister Gary Streeter gave his testimony in a national newspaper, ‘My hand was healed by God, as he challenged The Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) stance against Healing on the Streets claim that God heals today being unfounded and breaking the law. 'My wife put her hand on my back and prayed for me and job done.' He also asked ASA if they would rebuke football fans who prayed for Fabrice Muamba. We can praise God for Mr Streeter’s challenge and pray for more Christians in positions of authority to speak out when Christian truths are challenged by our policymakers.
Pray: for Christians in the Government to stay true to Christian ethics and for the Prime Minister to act on his words, ‘Britain needs the values of the Bible more than ever.’ (Jas.2:17)
Concern at Stoke-on-Trent council’s move to scrap prayers
A council in Staffordshire is facing criticism after it ditched the saying of prayers at the beginning of its meetings. The move comes despite the Government writing to all local councils in England telling them that new laws restore their power to hold prayers at official meetings. The original case was brought against Bideford Council by the National Secular Society, after councillor and atheist Clive Bone complained about the prayers (See Prayer Alert 07 & 08-2012) Bideford town council has decided not to reinstate their prayer meetings due to concerns that new Government powers to protect the practice are not strong enough. A church minister usually leads the prayers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, but following a ‘compromise’ move, people who want to pray at council meetings must now do so separately 15 minutes beforehand. The move has provoked criticism from The Daily Express newspaper which said in an editorial: ‘The role of Christianity in our national life does not threaten freedom but bolsters it’.
Pray: that prayers within council meetings will continue to be recognised as central and that the recent judgement will be strengthened. (Ps.9:19)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/concern-at-council%E2%80%99s-move-to-scrap-prayers/
Concern at Stoke-on-Trent council’s move to scrap prayers
A council in Staffordshire is facing criticism after it ditched the saying of prayers at the beginning of its meetings. The move comes despite the Government writing to all local councils in England telling them that new laws restore their power to hold prayers at official meetings. The original case was brought against Bideford Council by the National Secular Society, after councillor and atheist Clive Bone complained about the prayers (See Prayer Alert 07 & 08-2012) Bideford town council has decided not to reinstate their prayer meetings due to concerns that new Government powers to protect the practice are not strong enough. A church minister usually leads the prayers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, but following a ‘compromise’ move, people who want to pray at council meetings must now do so separately 15 minutes beforehand. The move has provoked criticism from The Daily Express newspaper which said in an editorial: ‘The role of Christianity in our national life does not threaten freedom but bolsters it’.
Pray: that prayers within council meetings will continue to be recognised as central and that the recent judgement will be strengthened. (Ps.9:19)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/concern-at-council%E2%80%99s-move-to-scrap-prayers/
Turkey’s religious freedom record slides
Sentiment against Christians in Turkey has persisted long enough for a US religious rights monitor to recommend it as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ and pastor Orhan Picaklar knows such anti-Christian hostility first-hand. Picaklar, of Agape Church in Samsun, lives in the Black Sea region where Christians live under increasing pressure. He has seen his building attacked and his family and congregation threatened. Picaklar said. 'We have been here for 10 years, and people here still treat us like cursed enemies'. Picaklar’s son received death threats on Facebook. A man caused minor damage to Picaklar’s church building last month, the latest in a series of aggressions that has led the church to file charges after long declining to do so. Police called Picaklar in the middle of the night on March 4 because a young man had disturbed neighbours near the church building. Neighbours heard the suspect, yelling, ‘Corrupt, perverted Christians, we are going to bring this church down on your heads, get lost,’ among other threats, Picaklar said.
Pray: for pastor Picaklar and others like him as they lead the church in places of hostility. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/index.php?newsitem=1&date=09apr2012&country=turkey
Turkey’s religious freedom record slides
Sentiment against Christians in Turkey has persisted long enough for a US religious rights monitor to recommend it as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ and pastor Orhan Picaklar knows such anti-Christian hostility first-hand. Picaklar, of Agape Church in Samsun, lives in the Black Sea region where Christians live under increasing pressure. He has seen his building attacked and his family and congregation threatened. Picaklar said. 'We have been here for 10 years, and people here still treat us like cursed enemies'. Picaklar’s son received death threats on Facebook. A man caused minor damage to Picaklar’s church building last month, the latest in a series of aggressions that has led the church to file charges after long declining to do so. Police called Picaklar in the middle of the night on March 4 because a young man had disturbed neighbours near the church building. Neighbours heard the suspect, yelling, ‘Corrupt, perverted Christians, we are going to bring this church down on your heads, get lost,’ among other threats, Picaklar said.
Pray: for pastor Picaklar and others like him as they lead the church in places of hostility. (Ps.5:11)
More: http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/index.php?newsitem=1&date=09apr2012&country=turkey
Russia: An affiliated Saddleback Church to open in Moscow
During a meeting with the leaders of the Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith, Tom Holladay, one of the pastors of the Saddleback Church led by Rick Warren, stated that Moscow together with 12 other world cities had been chosen for the creation an affiliated Saddleback Church, reports Christian Telegraph in reference to the Union Press Centre. The Christian leaders discussed Rick Warren’s future visit to Moscow scheduled for this summer. Pastor Tom Holladay noted that, according to Warren’s vision, their main task is to find Christian leaders within the culture where a Church is being created and then support them. More than 400,000 pastors from different parts of the world have already been trained in the Saddleback Church’s training centre. Also, the Church will be focused on covering non-believers. ‘We seek to find new people,’ underlined Pastor Holladay.
Pray: that the Saddleback training programme will bless Moscow and other cities in building the church. (1Cor.3:10)