Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Christian, Israel Love Story - Breaking Israel News

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Christian, Israel Love Story

“It’s a love story about Israel. so an American high school student, Christian or Jew, can learn something.”

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The Incredible Inauthenticity of Bernie Sanders

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By Jim Fletcher
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Friday, April 20, 2018

Missionary Tortured by ISIS Led 40 to Christ - MARK ELLIS/ASSIST NEWS

Petr behind bars with other Christian prisoners.
Petr behind bars with other Christian prisoners. (Voice of the Martyrs)

Missionary Tortured by ISIS Led 40 to Christ

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Charged with being a spy, Czech missionary Petr Jasek endured a 14-month imprisonment in Sudan where he was tortured by fellow cellmates. But Jesus supernaturally imparted peace during his confinement and he became a bold witness, winning many to Christ.
In his role as the Africa regional director for Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Jasek went to Sudan to document the persecution of Christians, which was happening in the Nubah Mountains in clashes between the government and rebels.
He was detained by the Sudanese police at Khartoum Airport in December 2015. It seems immigration staff found a duplicate passport Jasek carried for security purposes, which led to his immediate arrest and imprisonment.
"I arrived at this cell at about 1:30 a.m.," he told VOM. He found the cell overcrowded, with people covering the floor. "They had to squeeze a little bit so they would create some small room for me to lie down on the floor."
The conditions were sparse. "I had no blanket ... two extra T-shirts and one extra pants and a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap; that was all."
Guards refused him blankets or a mattress, because he was from the Czech Republic and they told him they thought he should be used to cold weather.
At 5:30 a.m. he was awakened by the Islamic call for prayer. All six of his cellmates began praying fervently. "They showed me a place behind them where I was supposed to stand while they were praying. The rule is that me as a Christian, I had to stay behind them so they would not look at me while they are praying."
After the prayers, they identified themselves as DAESH, the Arabic acronym for ISIS. All his cellmates were ISIS fighters!
"Two days later they started to openly torture me and beat me ... I was hit with their fists into my face many times. They called me 'filthy pig' or 'filthy rat.'"
One of the ISIS fighters barked an order: "Filthy pig, come here."
"I decided at first I would not respond to these rude names and when I did not respond, I got hit with a wooden stick they unscrewed from the sweeper that was there to clean the floor."
Jasek was hit on the head, shoulders and fingers or they kicked him in the stomach and back with their boots. "At that time I was really thinking about the Lord Jesus what He had to go through when He was arrested and they also were beating Him with a wooden stick and were ridiculing Him, slapping Him.
"I became like their slave," he told VOM. "I was really [made] to wash their clothes, wash all the dishes, clean the toilet with my bare hands. They were just making fun of me. I did not resist."
"I could clearly see the Lord Jesus and how He suffered for us."
Then Jesus imparted something to him that was amazing and unexpected, considering the circumstances. "I received a wonderful peace at that time and surprisingly, when I was physically attacked I was experiencing the greatest peace in prison time ever, all these 14 1/2 months.
"I could even pray during these beatings for my family members, I could pray for other fellow prisoners and I was not moved to the point when I used to be before, because I had this peace from the Lord at this time of the physical attacks on my body.
When Jasek began to exalt and and glorify the Lord's name during his beatings, this made them even more furious. "They decided to torture me even in much worse way.
"Eventually, they decided to do waterboarding to me. It's a way of torture where a person lays on his back and they cover his mouth and pour water, which gives you the feeling that you are getting drowned.
The Sudanese guards had not intervened to stop Jasek's torture, because they were intimidated by the ISIS fighters. "It is [thought] that if these Islamists get released they will get revenge on those guards."
Jasek didn't have access to a Bible during his captivity, so he meditated on Scriptures he memorized as a young person.
"I was literally asking the Lord that He will keep my mind sound and that I wouldn't lose my mind through the situation," Jasek said. "The Holy Spirit kept reminding me some of the verses that I had memorized. This was just enough for me, to give me enough strength everyday to pray," he told VOM.
He also thought about Jesus' teaching about loving enemies. He was startled when he heard his abusers weeping late at night when they could not sleep.
"They were crying. They were also missing their family members. They were also crying to God for help," he recounted. "That allowed me to easily continue to pray for them. I was praying for those fellow prisoners, the interrogators, for the guards, for the prosecutors and for the judge, that the Lord would reveal Himself as the Lord, Savior and God."
Remarkably, one of the guards intervened to prevent the waterboarding. Jasek said he felt the Lord used the guard to move him out of the cell.
"Later on I told the guard that he saved my life and we became close friends," Jasek said. "I gave my email address and I started to share the gospel with him. He was very passionate. I told him that if he ever makes it to Europe, he can stay at my house and we will take care of him."
Then Jasek was moved to another prison where conditions were even worse.
"We were squeezed in a small room—15 by 18 feet. There were sometimes 40 of us. That was the situation and I was able to lead 40 Eritrean refugees to Christ," he said. "It was like new revelation for me. I started to be courageous and openly shared the gospel with other fellow prisoners. Later on, that resulted in them putting me in solitary confinement again."
Shortly after being placed in solitary confinement, Czech consular officers were able to bring him a Bible.
"I didn't have to do anything else but read the Bible all day. I could not read the Bible all day because I could only read when there was enough light, which was about 8 [a.m.] ... until 4:30 p.m. I had to stand reading on the bars so that I could have enough light. I was so hungry for Scripture. I read from Genesis to Revelation within three weeks."
Jasek noted that he gained a profound "new understanding of Scripture."
He was eventually removed from solitary confinement and moved to a larger prison that can hold about 10,000 people.
"I went from solitary to a cell where there were like 100 people in one cell," he explained. "We were squeezed. There were 75 beds. Only 75 could have a bed and 25 had to stay on the floor."
Amazingly, guards at the new prison allowed him and two incarcerated Sudanese pastors to hold worship services.
"The first day I came to the chapel to spend time in Scripture with the Lord. They asked me to preach. I would preach once a week, sometimes twice a week," Jasek said. "Of course, they were monitoring us and they were reporting what we were teaching about. There were two other pastors from Sudan and we knew that nothing worse could happen to us."
Preaching in prison allowed Jasek and the other pastors to witness to "people that were hopeless."
"They were real criminals — murderers, rapists, thieves, drug dealers. It was such a wonderful time," Jasek said. "They responded to our teaching. We were just teaching the gospel. It was so wonderful to see the changed life of those who dedicated their lives to Christ."
In February 2017, he was granted a presidential pardon and Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir ordered his immediate release. He returned to the Czech Republic on Feb. 26, 2017.
During the time Jasek was interrogated by the jihadis in prison his wife was in a Bible study back home and the leader stopped the study to pray for the "situation that he is right now in."
"They stopped reading and started to pray for the Lord's presence over the situation," Jasek said. "When I came home, I realized that was exactly the time when I was on my knees before the Islamists and they were beating me. But I was experiencing a supernatural peace."
"I came for four days to Sudan. But I was there 445 days," Jasek told VOM. "When you think about all the hardships and seeing what the Lord was able to do through us, then what else can we say but the Lord's ways are much better than our ways."
"We know from the words of apostle Paul that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. I felt like I received my life back. I was first threatened to be sentenced to be executed. [Then] later on, life imprisonment. Then, my life was returned back to me. I told the Lord, 'My life does not belong to me anymore. It belongs to the Lord.'" 

Friday, November 10, 2017

Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign Battles Intimidation, Censorship - LIBERTY COUNSEL STAFF CHARISMA MAGAZINE

The Liberty Counsel's annual Christmas campaign is aimed to make sure that manger scenes like this one aren't outlawed. (Kevron2011 via Getty Images )

Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign Battles Intimidation, Censorship

LIBERTY COUNSEL STAFF  CHARISMA MAGAZINE
Liberty Counsel has launched its fifteenth annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign. The campaign educates, and if necessary litigates, to make sure that Christmas and Christian themes are not censored.
Liberty Counsel has been actively monitoring cases across the country where there is intimidation by officials and groups to remove the celebration of Christmas in public and private sectors. These threats include atheist groups seeking to ban nativity scenes from public property, senior living centers that prohibit residents from singing Christmas carols, public schools that ban students from wearing the Christmas colors of red and green, school officials who censor religious words from Christmas carols and retailers which profit from Christmas while pretending it does not exist. Liberty Counsel has successfully educated and reversed these anti-Christmas actions in all of these situations.
Liberty Counsel provides a memorandum to offer guidance to public officials and schools regarding the public celebration of religious holidays. For example, publicly sponsored nativity scenes on public property are constitutional if there is a secular symbol of the holiday in the general context. Privately sponsored nativity scenes or religious symbols are also permissible on public property that has been opened to the general public for expressive activity. No secular symbol is necessary in the context of private speech on public property.
Classroom discussion of the religious aspects of the holidays is permissible in public schools. A holiday display in a classroom may include a nativity scene or other religious imagery so long as the context also includes secular symbols. A choral performance also may include religious and secular holiday songs. If the students select their own songs independent of the direction of school officials, there is no requirement that the songs include secular selections. Students may distribute religious Christmas cards to their classmates during noninstructional time, before or after school or between classes. If the students are not required to dress in uniform, then they may wear clothing with religious words or symbols or religious jewelry.
"Censoring Christmas or Christian themes is not only insensitive but often unconstitutional," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Censorship is patently obvious when other holiday themes are permitted but Christmas, or references to God or Jesus, are not. Celebrating or acknowledging Christmas is legal in public schools and in public venues." 
For the original article, visit lc.org
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Friday, November 3, 2017

Jerusalem - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Jerusalem

Now Think On This
Steve Martin


“After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” (Luke 19:28, NAS)


Jerusalem, my favorite city in the world. And I am not even a Jew. Imagine that.

I find it fascinating when American Jews ask me why I go to Jerusalem so much. I have made 15 trips from the USA since 1987 to the land of Israel. In these later years, I have tried to make it an annual event, as we are committed to doing this. Supporting Israel is especially the main objective for us, to keep a firm stand with them, through the work of Love For His People.

Why does a Gentile, goyim (Hebrew), former Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic Christian, white Caucasian, Southern 63-year-old male from Cedar Falls, Iowa, born in Minnesota (any more descriptions I need to include?) want to go to Jerusalem so much?

Because those who live there are continually in the Lord’s heart (Jesus, Yeshua), and thus being a disciple and believer in Him, Jerusalem, and His People are also in my heart.


It was in Jerusalem where He came to earth, having been sent there from His Father and Holy Spirit; where He lived, was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. And from Jerusalem He then instructed His apostles, messengers, to take His Gospel, the Good News, to the ends of the earth, before He returns for the second time.

And thus this capitol, eternal city of Israel since the days of King David, is very important to the King of all kings, Who is my King too.

“Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. "You are witnesses of these things.  "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:44-49, NASU)

Having established Jewish friends now in the Land, it surely makes my prayer life and desire for protection over them even more fervent. When you have family, you care more. At least that is how I was raised by my good mother and father. Israel is like family to me. The Jews are my friends, and I stand with them at all times.

While in Jerusalem, walking in the footsteps of Jesus is a big deal, even if the actual street level is 15-20 feet down below the current level. Centuries of ruin and captivity have layered the city. Archeological digs all over have proven this city has been the city of the Jews.


In 1917, when the Balfour Declaration was written, the homeland for the Jews once again began to be re-establish. In 1948 the Jews once again proclaimed Israel as their rightful, biblical state; and in 1967 they once again recaptured Jerusalem, never to lose it ever again. Prophetic words, spoken by Messiah Himself, had come to pass. Jerusalem is now eternally in the hands of the Chosen People. His prophesied return is thus getting real close.

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthews 24:3-14, NKJV)

Jerusalem is the center of the world. It is the focus of all attention, whether some like that or not. It will continue to be in the headlines, news clips, social media sites, and all airwaves. The Living God of Israel has chosen to make Himself known among the nations, and Israel, especially Jerusalem, is His main concentration point. His Name will be held in high esteem, as He shows Himself strong on their behalf.

Watch the Jews. Watch Israel. And especially watch Jerusalem. That is where it all will happen in the end. This is where it will all be fulfilled, the completion of His work, the ingathering of the Jews to establish His purposes and ultimate plans.

His eternal destinies will be accomplished and established. No one or nothing will stop Him. Jerusalem – where the King will reside on His Holy Mountain.

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.
  
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I recorded an Arms of Love video message on this. 
Click here to watch it now: Jerusalem & Friends

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Now Think On This - in the Year of our Lord 11.03.17 - #328 – “Jerusalem”, Friday, 4:10 pm