Iraq: 3 Minutes to Change a Nation | 309 | Report 6

Imagine if thousands of churches each pray for 3 minutes a week for a city in Iraq. Imagine those prayers answered:
- the violence can be ended.
- spiritual foundations laid for transformation.
- the nation and church can be rebuilt.
Organisers say, “This prayer initiative for Iraq comes out of a word from the Lord and out of partnership with prayer leaders from many nations. Our desire is to see the church worldwide agree in prayer to see an end to the violence in Iraq. God loves the people of Iraq! If we can see the nation of Iraq saturated with prayer from around the world, then we can see the forces of violence defeated. Our fight is not against flesh and blood.” Through the website www.iraqprayer.org churches can sign up to pray for a particular city in Iraq. Individuals can do so also, but organisers would love to see whole churches crying to God for a particular city.

Source:Revival Media; Iraq Prayer.

BIBLE STUDY: Jeremiah 33:1-8

PRAISE: God for this initiative. Encourage your church to join, and expect the miraculous!

Christian Radio Still Vital to Iraq | 303 | Report 28

Supported by FEBA Radio, Iraq FM is a Christian “family” station operating amidst the uncertainties. Programmes focus on Bible basics, especially the person of Jesus Christ, the validity of the Bible, the love and forgiveness of God and other misconceptions that Muslim listeners may have. Iraq FM also provides much needed programming on health and the family, and has just begun a 15-minute daily English lesson, realising that young people want to learn English. “God is leading us and we are doing this for His glory. I believe that our station is touching the people who are hurting,” says one producer.

Source: FEBA Radio

BIBLE STUDY: Proverbs 20:12

PRAY: That Iraq FM may effectively present Jesus.

Victory in Jesus in the Middle East | 303 | Report 9

Christians, in the Middle East, who boldly profess their faith often suffer dire consequences as a result. But there are huge blessings for the faithful. Several years ago, an Iraqi Christian under the alias of Hassan, started a church in Mosul. The body of believers grew from several people to 60 in about five months. One day a gunman in a passing vehicle shot him. He suffered a spinal cord injury and will never walk again.
Hassan continues to share Christ with others, but today he does so from a wheelchair. “When I witness to people about Christ, they know that I really mean what I say,” Hassan said. “Of course living for Christ in Iraq is not easy for anybody… despite this the salvation of souls is taking place in big numbers among masses in Iraq.”
Many Muslims throughout the Middle East are coming to Christ through signs and wonders. In Syria, an evangelist named Rasim shares his faith in a mosque with the imam. “I told him if you read the Bible, you’ll believe and your mind will be changed – the Lord is God and he died for you,” Rasim said. “He took the Bible and he said, ‘maybe.’”
Several Christians joined Rasim in the mosque and prayed for an elderly Muslim man named Bakram. He could barely walk because he had broken his knee and it had not healed properly.
“Bakram was healed and he started dancing and was very happy,” Rasim said. “Hallelujah! There’s a miracle in the mosque!” Rasim says he feels the peace of God once he steps through the door in faith. “We have fear, but Jesus is with us,” Rasim said. “… and we need to go to the mosques and everywhere to tell people the truth about Him and His love.”

Source: CBN News

BIBLE STUDY: Isaiah 53:4-6

PRAISE: God for faithful servants of the living Christ in the Middle East. Pray for a great salvation.

Iraq's Long Journey to Freedom | 31st May 2010

“Today I feel much hope for my country,” said 70-year-old Qadimeyah Hussein, as she sat outside a polling station waiting for her turn to vote in the March 7th Iraqi Parliamentary elections. “We have suffered a lot and I am going to die soon, but I voted today for my grandson’s future. We will change the devil and his shirt because now we have knowledge about the process that we didn’t have before,” she said.

Source: The Guardian

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 9:9

PRAY: That the devil may indeed suffer defeat and many may experience true freedom in Christ in Iraq.

Iraq War Inquiry to be thorough, will banks escape charge refunds, and Susan Boyle's reality triumph

Weekly News Review from a Christian Viewpoint. Patrick Woodward talks to Victoria Laurence (pictured) News Editor of Premier Christian Radio, about the latest news from a Christian standpoint. Today, will the latest Iraq War inquiry reveal any more truth, why people are angry with banks again, and  Susan Boyle’s X Factor triumph.

Story links:

Iraq Inquiry:

guardian.co.uk Iraq inquiry’s game-changing evidence

iraqinquiry.org.uk  Official site

channel4.com Iraq Inquiry blog

Banks:

guardian.co.uk Warning over bank charges refund websites

timesonline.typepad.com Morning roundup: dismay at bank charges ruling

Susan Boyle’s X Factor

susanboylemusic.com official site

dailymail.co.uk Susan Boyle set to top the charts

itv.com Susan Boyle Britain’s Got Talent

Iraq: Millions Watch Christian TV | 7

A recent television survey has found that 97% of the Iraqi population have access to satellite television and that 18.8% of all Iraqis watch SAT-7, the Middle East’s Christian broadcaster. This means that 5.3 million people are watching SAT-7 in Iraq, 2.6 million of them on a regular basis. These are fully reliable figures as the poll was conducted by Intermedia, the same independent audience research company that provides viewing figures for the BBC and Al Jazeera.

Terry Ascott, International CEO of Sat-7 explains why there are so many viewers in Iraq: “Partly it’s the on-going violence and instability that has turned Iraq into a nation of TV viewers… But it may also reflect the popularity of our new SAT-7 KIDS channel.” SAT-7 reaches across the entire Middle East and North Africa. Its programmes are touching the lives of young people, families and children not only in Iraq, but even in other difficult places like Gaza and Iran. “SAT-7 is reaching literally millions of people with the saving news that Jesus died for them, to reconcile them to God and to one another,” Terry Ascott added.

Source: SAT-7 Trust Ltd

BIBLE STUDY: Luke 8:4-15

PRAISE: God for the people who are listening to the message of Christ. Pray for a great move of the Holy Spirit.

Look and See How God is at Work! | 5

The countries with the largest ‘un-evangelised population’ are located in the 10/40 Window. 85% of the World’s poorest of the poor live in the 10/40 Window. Most countries that persecute Christians are in the 10/40 Window. Yet God is at work there!

Egypt – During the 1990s, the Egyptian Bible Society used to sell about 3,000 copies of the JESUS Film each year. Last year they sold 600,000 copies. They also sold 750,000 copies of the Bible on tape in Arabic and about a half million copies of the Arabic New Testament.

Iraq – More than 5,000 Muslims have come to faith in Christ over the past 4 years. There are 14 new churches in Baghdad and dozens more in Kurdistan, some with up to 800 members.

Afghanistan – Eight years ago there were only 17 known Muslimbackground followers of Christ. Today there are more than 10,000.

Nepal – In the early 1980s there were only 75 known Nepali believers. Today there are an estimated 500,000 believers. Twenty years ago there were almost no churches. Today there are over 6,000 churches and house fellowships today.

Sudan – In 1960 only about 5% of southern Sudan was Christian. Today, after decades of terrible warfare and
persecution, the figure is close to 70% Christian.

Indonesia – In the most populated Muslim nation in the world, of 235 millions, more than 60,000 house churches have sprung up in recent years. The last census taken in 2000 puts the Christian population at 9%, of which 19 million are defined as Protestants. Many observers believe the census underestimates the size of the non-Muslim faiths.

Israel – More Jews have embraced Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah since 1967, when the Jews took control of Jerusalem, than in all the years between 100 AD and 1967.

Source: The Joshua Project; Operation World; Revival Media

BIBLE STUDY:1 John 3:11-24

PRAISE: God that Christ is being made known all around the world. Pray for revival to spread.

Alcohol ban for under 15's, Tony Blair "troubled" over Iraq, and is broadband wanted by senior citizens?

Weekly News Review from a Christian Viewpoint. Patrick Woodward talks to Russ Bravo, (pictured) editor of Inspire Magazine, about the latest news from a Christian standpoint.  Today, a proposed ban on under 15′s drinking alchohol, former PM Tony Blair says he’s “troubled” by the war in Iraq, and Broadband Britain by 2012, but does everyone want to be online?

Story links:

Alcohol ban:

guardian.co.uk Children under 15 should not drink any alcohol

Hope UK alcohol and drugs advice site

dash24.com Binge drinking teenagers ‘risk long-term memory loss’

Tony Blair on Iraq:

timesonline.co.uk Tony Blair: I suffer doubts over Iraq

Broadband by 2012:

culture.gov.uk Digital Britain Interim Report

bbc.co.uk Plans Target Digital Britain push

G8 summit faces huge issues, former Iraq hostage speaks out on non-violence, and Vatican fake priest exposed

Weekly News Review from a Christian Viewpoint.

Patrick Woodward talks with the editor of Inspire Magazine, Russ Bravo,  about the latest news from a Christian perspective. Today, will the G8 face up to major world issues, former Iraq hostage Norman Kember speaks out on non-violence, and Vatican officials expose a fake priest on the premises!

Story Links:

G8

g8summit.go.jp  G8 Japan official site

bbc.co.uk Summit Ends with Climate “vision”

Norman Kember

Christian Peacemaker Teams

inspiremagazine.org.uk  Norman kember discusses non-violent protest

Fake Priest

cnn.com Fake priest infiltrates St Peter’s