NEWS FOR PRAISE AND PRAYER

March – April 2010

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of
the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14

MEMORY VERSE
Ask of me, I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
Psalm 2: 8
Prayer Fellowship international is a spiritual fellowship of God´s
people who serve the Lord and pray and do His will so that disciples of
our Lord Jesus Christ may be made among the people of every tribe,
language, and nation. (Matthew 24:14)
News for Praise and Prayer is published 6 times a year to provide
information, inspiration and mobilization for prayer and world
evangelism. You are encouraged to take an active part in this ministry.
Your prayers, letters and contribution are appreciated.

Email: dsathiaraj@gmail.com Phones: 9140 27654350, 27676249

 2

Children’s popular character visits book fair

Egypt (MNN) — At a recent book fair in Cairo, young viewers of

SAT-7 KIDS, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East
and North Africa, had the chance to meet one of their favorite
characters. Essam or “Mr. Know” answers kids’ questions on the show,
“Why is That?” As thousands of kids lined up to get his autograph,
“Mr. Know” was encouraged by the tremendous response. At a young
age, kids in many closed countries are hearing about Christ’s love and
the hope of eternal life. [19 Feb]

Church Bomber in Nepal Repents

KATHMANDU - the leader of a militant group said that contact with

Christians in prison had led him to repent of bombing a Catholic church
here in May 2008.
Ram Mainali (37) chief of the Nepal Defense Army, was arrested on
Sept. 5 for exploding a bomb. Mainali is married and has two
daughters. He had been attending a prison church since he was
transferred to Nakkhu Jail 4 months ago. “I have been reading the
Bible also, to know what it says.”
He experienced the graciousness of prison Christians. “Although I
bombed the church, Christians come to meet me everyday,” he said.
“No rightwing Hindu has come to meet me even once.”
[Source: V. Arora, J. Lindner]
CANADA: Hindu Family Healed, Lost Keys Found
“Jesus died on the cross. He is God. I want all of my family to know
Jesus,” [said the Hindu man, after his whole family was healed from
painful diseases]. This started a journey [of] getting to know Jesus
better.
 3

One day when he lost the keys to his office, he said: “I couldn’t find
them anywhere. I prayed, ‘Jesus, you healed me. I now believe you are
God. Lord, you’ve got to help me find those keys.’
“Immediately I felt an urge to roll down the passenger window of the
car. 30 seconds later someone cut me off. I swerved and jammed on the
brakes to avoid a collision. I then heard a ‘crack’ like an object hitting
my dashboard. I looked on my dashboard and there were the keys!’
[Joel News, missions catalyst]

CANADA: Former Muslim Shares the Gospel

After many years of ministry in Pakistan, Nadeem Qazi began to
receive letters from the Pakistani government warning him to leave the
country because his life was in danger. He and his wife Jamila escaped
to Canada.
The Qazis have started a couple of Bible studies in Brampton that they
hope will grow into a church.
[Source: Baptist Press, February 9, 2010, missions catalyst]

Millions in Tanzania Receive Scripture in Heart Language

More than 20 denominations helped support the work. English and
Swahili are Tanzania’s official languages but 124 other minority
languages are spoken throughout the country. [Dec 29, RT]

VIETNAM: 40,000 Gather for Christmas

Some 40,000 people gathered in a hastily constructed venue in Ho Chi
Minh City to worship God, celebrate Christmas and hear a gospel
message on December 11 - an event of unprecedented magnitude.
[missions catalyst]
 4

MALAYSIA: “Allah” Is OK
Christians in Malaysia have the constitutional right to use the word
“Allah” to refer to God, the country’s high court declared. At least
three churches were firebombed on Friday in Malaysia as Muslims
protested a court ruling allowing the use of Allah to refer to the
Christian God.
60.4% of Malaysia’s 25.7 million people are Muslim. Around 19.2% is
Buddhist, and 9.1% is Christian. Muslims enjoy special privileges in
Malaysia. [missions catalyst, religious news, 09 Jan. 10]

Ecuador: In the midst of need God multiplies

“In the endless discussions about tithing, giving, money, budgets, and
financial crisis in our institutions, we have to realize that in the
Kingdom it’s not the amount that we have on hand that counts, but
whether or not the need and our giving are truly matching with the
interests of the King,” writes Guy Muse, a missionary to Ecuador.
“When Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fish, they were more
than enough to feed 5,000 men. Money in true Kingdom ministry works
in the same way. It has nothing to do with the amount of money we
have, and everything to do with God assigning value to our ‘copper
coins’.”
“Month after month I watch in amazement as fellow servants engaged
in all-out service to the King have their needs provided for by the Lord
with dollar amounts that normally would cover a week’s expenses, and
yet, somehow, the money stretches to cover the entire month,” says
Muse. “I have seen countless times in house church gatherings where
there was food in the pot for maybe 7-10 people, yet 20 ate their fill
with leftovers to take home. I will never forget at a baptism celebration
watching a 2-liter soda shared amongst believers stretching for an
entire church of 20+ adults and children to all have a cool drink. Over
the years, we have received modest monetary gifts for the ministry that
bore ten-fold fruit in relation to the amounts given.”
 5

[Joel News]

Historic progress on Bible outreach

(MNN) — Faith Comes By Hearing is doubling the number of
Scripture recording teams this year. New technology makes this project
possible in rural areas. The teams are equipped with a portable
recording studio “composed of laptop computers and all of the mixing
and audio equipment that’s necessary. Our objective is to record 2,000
languages by the year 2016.” Even though the translations are available
in the heart languages, high illiteracy still keeps people from reading
God’s Word. “However, if we then come along and do the recording of
that translated language, while they can’t read, they CAN listen, and the
Word of God can then transform their lives.”

Corruption biggest concern for Afghans

Corruption, not violence and poverty, is the biggest concern for
Afghans, who had to pay about $2.5 billion in bribes last year.
Based on a public survey, bribes amounted to 23% of Afghanistan’s
gross domestic product for the year — not far below the $2.8 billion in
revenue from the Afghan opium trade. [religious news]

Persecution -- the need for a voice There have been persecution

against Christians. Hence a pressing need for the Obama administration
to appoint an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
The post has been vacant for over a year. (MNN)
Discipleship comes through story telling
Ghana (MNN) — Many children are not in school. Because of the
problem of illiteracy, OneHope has started a program called “17
Stories” in order to share the Gospel through storytelling. They started
“17 Stories” to help kids understand the Bible through pictures in 17
weeks. They hope to reach 8 million children in five years with this
teaching method. [March 3]
 6

Food for the Hungry — A study yields the hope of Christ

(MNN) — One in two children lives in poverty around the world. Many
of them die invisibly. Judy Davis, an advocate for Food For the Hungry,
says, “When people start to think about one child, one heart, making a
difference to that one person, then it becomes manageable.” She
encourages people to get involved not only on a financial level, but also
a personal and spiritual one. “When you walk the walk that Jesus has
laid out there for us, many times—without ever speaking a word of the
Gospel—we can share and show the love of Christ.”
[6 Jan]
A leading Saudi cleric on the Al-Jazeera TV network lamented the
fact that 6 million Muslims are converting to Christianity every
year.

European Court Rules against Turkey’s Religion ID

Compass Direct News reports that a European court on Feb. 2 ordered
Turkey to remove the religious affiliation section from citizens’
identification cards, calling the practice a violation of human rights.

BOOKLET SAVES A LIFE - Iraq

We met a Muslim man, 53, who had tried to commit suicide four
times because of financial problems. Before his fifth attempt, he
received a free booklet with the title “Why God?” and read it. He sent a
message asking: “Is it God’s will that I kill myself?” We answered him
with a strong NO!
Later, he told us his whole story. We shared with him how much the
Lord loves Him and we prayed with him. Praise God for the little
booklet and for the local workers who were willing to serve this man
and tell him about God’s love and plan for his life.
1000s of pieces of literature and DVDs are sold and distributed every
year in Iraq. Daily our co-workers receive text messages requesting
 7

more information, and people seeking answers to their lives’ desperate

questions. [OM]
Teachers needed immediately in Nepal

1.8 million people in Nepal are waiting to read a copy of the

Scriptures in their heart language. Wycliffe Associates has Bible
translators in Nepal, but these hardworking missionaries need educators
for their children. A secondary science teacher and a 5th and 6th grade
teachers are needed immediately to serve in the Christian school for
missionary children. www.mnnonline.org.
[MNN, 4 Feb. 10]

Bulgaria: With God on stage, the contract is different

Philip Rashev of the Global Day of Prayer in Bulgaria: Together with
his team he prepared for a national prayer rally in Sofia on Pentecost
Sunday, 31 May 2009. “Most people who see the stage, the cameras,
the advertisements, the media, and everything else, ask: ‘How do you
organize such a thing and how much does it cost?’ To speak the truth: it
cost us 10 euros!”
Although Rashev and his team made a budget for the event and tried
to raise money, by the end of March they had only 10 euros in their
ministry bank account. How would that ever work out? Also, because it
was election time, they could not find a hall for the Global Day of
Prayer. But God was in charge. In one of the team prayer gatherings He
directed them to the Alexander Battenberg Square, the largest square in
Sofia. “Unfortunately, when we called the City Hall and
explained to them why we needed it, their first responses were very
negative. We gathered again and devoted time to pray about this
problem. The Holy Spirit filled our hearts with the knowledge that this
square would be needed not for us, but for the Lord. We went back to
the City Hall to talk to them again and boldly said the square was
needed for God. This time they gave us permission to use the square!
They also ordered that all incoming and outgoing streets were to be
closed.”
 8

[Joel News]
Pakistan — Blasphemy law atrocities

On February 25, 2010, Christian Qamar David was sentenced to

life imprisonment and fined 101,000 Pakistani Rupees (approx. $1,187
USD) for alleged blasphemy. Presiding Judge Jangu Khan of Additional
District and Sessions Court cited Sections 295 A and C of Pakistani
Legal Code for his ruling.
On January 11, 2010, a court in Faisalabad sentenced Imran Masih
to life imprisonment and fined him 100,000 Pakistani Rupees after his
Muslim neighbor, Hajji Liaquat, accused him of burning the Qur’an.
ICC sources stated that on July 1, 2009, Masih was cleaning his shop in
Faisalabad when he came across Arabic literature. Before trashing it, he
asked his Muslim neighbor, Liaquat, whether the book was Islamic
literature. Liaquat assured him that it was not an Islamic book.
However, after Masih burned the book, Liaquat showed the half-burned
book to passersby and accused Masih of desecrating the Qur’an. Later,
the local mosques incited a mob to attack Masih. Masih hid at his house
before the police arrived to arrest him. At the time of arrest, a mob of
400 had gathered outside Masih’s home.
The family of Masih immediately fled from Faisalabad in fear for their
lives. According to the family, Liaquat falsely accused Masih of
desecrating the Qur’an because he wanted to rent the shop that
Masih used to run his business.

The first thing you can do is stop right now and ask the Lord to
intervene in both these cases and others that are developing. We have
also found that evil prefers to stay hidden and when we shine the light
on it, it flees.
Go to ICC website and electronically sign the petition.
Print out the petition and take it to your friends and church and have everyone
you know sign it. Send it back to us by March 31so we can present it to the Pakistani
Ambassador. Feel free to print out extra signature pages for large numbers of sign ups.
When you have collected all your signatures, please mail the signature pages to:
ICC, PO Box 8056, Silver Spring, MD 20907, USA or fax them to icc (301-585-
5918). [ICC]
 9

Philippines: Drug lords abandon crime thanks to Gospel

In the district of Quiapo (Manila), over 150 drug lords have

abandoned their criminal activity and are finding an alternative life for
their families. [Joel News]

Christians of Egypt are massacred

The Copts number 12 million, about 15% of Egypt’s population.

Attacks against Christians are now carried out by their Muslim
neighbors. Egypt, the recipient of $2 billion yearly of American foreign
aid since 1978, cannot abuse the human rights of its Coptic Christian
citizens.

WORLD: Protesting the Apostasy Law

Free to Worship - Set My People Free to Worship Me, an annual
worldwide protest against the apostasy law in the Muslim world, will be
held on Saturday, April 3, 2010, with demonstrations in New York,
London, Cairo, Khartoum, Juba, Berlin, Melbourne, and in a number of
other cities around the world at 12:00 noon (local time). You can join a
protest or organize your own in your hometown or in a nearby city.
There are now open communities of Christ-followers in almost every
Muslim country. For example, there are at least 70,000 Muslim-
background Christians in Algeria alone. Will you uphold the oppressed?
Sign the petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/2010smpf/petition.html
[Source: missions
catalyst]

China: 100,000 house church leaders receive Radio Church Kits

Since 1994 Trans World Radio has distributed more than 100,000
Radio Church Kits to house church leaders in China. Each kit contains a
Chinese Bible, Christian literature and a shortwave radio, so individuals
and groups can listen to teaching / discipleship programs. The church in
China is one of the fastest growing in the world, even though only 5%
 10

of the country is Christian. Pray the leaders will combat false doctrines,
spread the gospel throughout China, and raise up new leaders.
[Joel news]

Middle East — God shows the way to a Muslim

Kawan was a diligent student of the Quran and the Hadith. When a
Kurdish friend shared the gospel with him, he started to study the Bible.
After a while he was so confused, he did not want to read either book.
One night, he prayed: “Oh God, what is the right way?” Then Kawan
heard a voice calling his name: “I am Jesus the one you are seeking.”
Kawan asked: “What do I need to do?” Jesus: “I want to give you a
new heart, but first you must die.” Kawan felt some strange sensation in
his body and was afraid. The Lord said: “Why are you afraid? Just trust
me!” Starting from his feet, he slowly lost the feeling in his body. He
woke up his wife and told her that he must die. She was in shock and
wanted to call the neighbours, but Kawan assured her that the Lord is
with him. After a while he came back to life and felt like a new man.
[OM]

Nine believers including Rev Issavi arrested in Iran

On February 2, Rev. Wilson Issavi, of the Assyrian Evangelical
Church, one of the few churches in western Iran, was arrested by
Iranian state security agents, while visiting friends in another city .
Also, 8 other Christians were arrested. Recently, Issavi’s wife, Medline
Nazanin, said he is being held in extremely poor conditions and has
faced physical abuse in the unmarked prison where he is being held.
Pray. [RT, 5 Mar]

David Livingstone
 11

“I will place no value on anything I have or may possess except in

relation to the Kingdom of God. If anything I have will advance that
Kingdom, it shall be given away or kept only as by giving or keeping it
I may advance the Kingdom of Him I love.”
Mary his wife died in 1861. Lonely, Livingstone explored deeper into
the heart of Africa, preaching to the African chieftains wherever he
went. For months on end, the world watched while Mr. Stanley, a New
York reporter, searched for, and eventually found, the “lost
Livingstone” far in the interior. Sometime later, on May 1, 1873, his
faithful workers discovered Livingstone kneeling at his bedside, head
buried in his hands. He had died in the act of prayer.
His body was buried at Westminster Abbey in London, but his heart
remained in Africa, where he had given 33 years to exploration so that
the gospel might come to all tribes.-AL [Global Prayer Digest]

Government Sponsored Cruelty Continues in Communist Laos

48 Laotian Christians, marched from their village at gunpoint, have

been abandoned on the roadside 3 miles from their homes. Their return
to home and family is blocked by armed police squads. [MI]

Radio stations and medical clinic launched in Ghana [18 Feb]

Nigeria–Muslims Burn Down Christian Shops, 8 Churches on

Feb. 21.

Eritrea Releases 14 Believers on Bail

Sources inside Eritrea estimate that 2,221 Christians remain
incarcerated in Eritrea’s harsh detention centers.
UK Bishop Calls for Freedom in Eritrea
43,000+ people in the United Kingdom have signed a petition
demanding religious freedom for Eritrean Christians suffering in their
home country. [RT, 14 Jan]

Demand for Bible Outstripping Supply in China

 12

The need for Bibles in China grew again in 2009, when an estimated
half million people converted to Christianity. About 4 million Bibles
were distributed across China last year, but continued growth means
that more are needed. According to official numbers, about 28.6 million
Christians live in China, but that figure could be as high as 90 million if
unregistered house churches are included. [RT]

Palestinian Christians
In 1948 the number of Christians in the area that today is ruled by the
Palestinian Authority was 110,000. By 2004 this had dwindled to
50,000, and today it is believed to be as low as 5,000. Christians suffer
ill-treatment from militant Muslims within their region as well as from
the unsympathetic Israeli government. Discrimination means that in
some churches up to 80% of Christians are unemployed. They receive
no government-sponsored social security or health insurance.
[world news]

Before the Throne

Headlines and Brief News

Algeria: Protesters block church service

Christians in India Faced Three Attacks per week in 2009
India: Police Interrupt Church over ‘Forced Conversions’
[RT, 5 Jan 10]
North Korea on Top Persecutor list

Car Bomb Explodes Near Iraqi Church; Dozen People Injured

[RT, 6 Jan]
 13

Moroccan Authorities Raid Bible Study, Arrest Christians

Film on national TV addresses cycle of violence — Colombia
2 in 5 Presbyterians Affirm Jesus as Only Way to Salvation
[RT, 18 Jan 10]
Indonesian Churches Demolished by Mob [Dec 23, 09]
Two Church Buildings Burned in Indonesia [RT, 1 Feb. 10]
40,000 Haitians Profess Faith in Christ since Earthquake

Azerbaijan and Tajikistan — Deadline for re-registration passes

(MNN) — Oppressive new religion laws took effect in Azerbaijan and
Tajikistan on January 1st. Uncooperative officials prevented most
churches from meeting the deadline to re-register, so now the churches
face illegal status. [4 Jan]

Chakmas respond to the Gospel

One GFAsia-supported pastor has a heavy burden for the Chakma
people of India and Bangladesh. These people are poor, oppressed, and
completely illiterate. The pastor and some Bible college students began
visiting the children and holding a Sunday school for them. Now dozens
have decided to follow Christ, and 200 have expressed interest in
learning more about the Gospel. Pray for salvation for these people and
for spiritual growth for the new believers. [MNN, 6 Jan]

Attacks on Christians in Karnataka Furious

Karnataka state recorded the highest number of anti-Christian attacks
in India last year. Christians in Karnataka are being attacked “at rapid
regularity” and “with near impunity[freedom from punishment],” said
Dr. B. Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
India. On Feb. 1 in Thagadur village, Kodagu district, Hindu extremists
dragged 11 Christians - including four women - from their homes and
colluded with police to arrest them on such false charges. The Global
Council of Indian Christians reported that all of the Christians were
tortured at the Siddapur police station to pressure them to admit to the
charges. [RT, 8 Feb]
 14

Eritrea Arrests 7 Christians for Praying Together

Forced Islamization of Christian Girls Supported by Egypt
A Christian TV channel that broadcasts into Egypt has helped to
expose the “phenomenon of abduction.” One of the testimonies shared
was that of girl (16) who was abducted at the age of 12 on her way to
school. She was raped by five men on the first night. Over the next
month, she said, she had suffered like this by many men. When she was
finally found by her father, she was beaten by security officers. The girl
sobbed during her testimony, saying, “Until today they have done
nothing about it and will not do anything because I am a
Christian.”[source: icc]

Prison ministry expands into Asia

(MNN) — Crossroad Bible Institute just opened its first Distribution
Center in Singapore. Director Paul Tan is discipling inmates at Changi
Prison. 15 Buddhist inmates were so impressed with the testimony of
current students that they have converted to Christianity in order to
enroll in the Bible study program. Pray that these believers would
continue to have a clear, strong testimony for Christ to those around
them. nam@hk.om.org

Christians Most Hit by Religious Freedom Violations in Indonesia

A moderate Muslim research institute in Indonesia found that 28 of all
35 cases of government violations of religious freedom were against
Christians.

Orissa: Christians Forced from Camps before EU Visit

“We cannot go back to our village, because they will not allow us to
live there if we do not convert to Hinduism,” said Meena Nayak, a
mother of two. [RT, 19 Jan]
 15

Protests Erupt as EU Delegation Visits Orissa

Radical Hindu groups met an visiting EU delegation in Orissa with
multiple protests. “It is the responsibility of our government to deal
with the problem,” said Gouri P Brahma, GS, the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad. The delegation agreed not to conduct a fact-finding mission in
the area, where at least 40 Christians were killed and another 25,000
displaced by Hindu radicals in 2007. [RT, 4 Feb]

Christians in Uzbekistan
Christian, Tohar Haydarov [age 28], was framed [made to seem
guilty] in Jan 2010 on drug charges. “The drugs were planted on his
person and also in his apartment, and now he’s facing a sentence of 10
to 20 years.”

Pakistani Christians Sentenced to 25 Years for ‘Defiling Quran’

A Pakistani court sentenced a Christian couple to 25 years in prison for
allegedly defiling the Quran.. On Tuesday, Munir Masih and Ruqqiya
Bibi were sentenced for touching the Quran with unwashed hands.
[RT, 5
Mar]

Bloodshed In Nigeria!
Another wave of Muslim/Christian violence sweeps the city of Jos in
central Nigeria. Muslims burned churches with worshippers inside. Gun
battles kill hundreds.
Jos was once the safest city in all of Nigeria. The name came from
Jesus Our Savior, and it was 100% Christian from its beginning. It is
the place where, almost every foreign missionary who is now in the
country stays in big houses surrounded by high walls with watchmen
24/7. The violence began when a church was attacked and burned
down on Sunday, January 17. [Christian Aid Mission, Jan. 26] The
 16

recent conflict left more than 200,000 people homeless and at least 40
killed.

Despite Democracy, Christians in Bhutan Remain Underground

Christians, whose official identity falls in the “others” category in the
census, are estimated to number between 3,000 and 6,000. They live out
their Christian lives under-ground; no church buildings, cemeteries or
Christian bookstores are yet allowed. [RT, 27 Jan]
LRA attacks believers
Dem. Rep. of Congo — The Lord’s Resistance Army has forced many
believers out of their homes in recent weeks. Since late December, a
pastor has been brutally murdered, churches have been burned, and
Christians have lost all of their possessions. Pray that believers would
remain bold. [MNN, 28 Jan]

Pakistani Christians neglected

About 2,000 Pakistani Christians are living in squalid [dirty] conditions
in roadside tents beside an open latrine after the government reneged on
a promise to relocate them after the loss of their former land.
[World news]
PRAY FOR

1. the removal of blasphemy and sharia laws and their abuse

2. an end to bonded labour
3. Fear of the Lord to come upon all.

Burma Army Burns Houses, Intensifies Attack on Karen

More than 70 houses, a mobile health clinic and two schools in

eastern Burma have been burnt down by army patrols stepping up the
 17

offensive on a Christian minority. Thousands of people have been

displaced and are still in hiding following the attacks, according to Free
Burma Rangers (FBR), a relief organization. [RT, 12 Feb]

Iran’s Anniversary Pushes Some Away from Islam

Iran’s inner tension did not ease for Thursday’s 31st anniversary of the
Islamic Republic. “The greatest freedom in the world is in Christ, so
that’s why so many people are turning to Christ.” One Iranian leader
says the most effective evangelist in Iran is the Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini. “When he came in, it exposed what real Islam is all about.”
Iran publicly executed two opposition leaders as “enemies of God” last
week. [RT, 15 Feb]

BURKINA FASO: New Church Begins

A new cell church is starting in Fulani village “Y,” where we have
been visiting and sharing the message of Christ for many years! They
would listen respectfully to the good news of Christ, but generally
showed no inclination to follow for themselves.
Eventually one man, “M,” gave his life to Christ. As the only believer
in his village, it was not easy for him, and it was a 40km walk to
Gorom-Gorom to come to church. Sadly, after a few years, M died. We
have kept up contact with his family, helping them when we can.
Now a Christian teacher has been posted to Y, and his pastor, Pascal,
has been going to visit. Together, they have seen a small group come
together to follow the teaching of Christ, and the first person who
decided to convert was M’s son!
Please pray for Pascal and the teacher, and the small group in Y as they
seek to follow the path of Jesus together.
[Acacia Partnership Trust, 12Feb.10]

Human Rights Group Releases Persecution Shame List

ICC lists India along with North Korea in this year’s list of worst
persecutors worldwide. The human rights group’s list included Eritrea,
Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and China. India
remains on the top 10 worst persecutors list “due to constant violent
 18

attacks against Christians.” [26 Jan. 10,

RT]

Thousands of Deaf will see the Gospel

(MNN) — A new Bible may revolutionize outreach to the Deaf
community in Kenya. Mike Toupin says: The Seed Company helped
with a project that will bring hope to this group. “It’s a sign language
Bible that was actually recorded as a DVD so that those who are Deaf
or hearing impaired can see in sign language someone signing out the
Scriptures in their heart language. And that’s the first time that’s ever
taken place.” Once the Deaf receive the Gospel, it will likely travel fast.
[4 Feb]

Prejudice strong against Islam

According to a Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, 43% of the

Americans said they felt at least some prejudice toward Muslims, while
18% said they felt that way toward Christians, 15% toward Jews and
14% toward Buddhists. [religious news]

Indonesia:

Pray that
Islamic fundamentalism will weaken and radical Muslim organisations
will be removed by God; the terror of the LORD will fall on those who
persecute Christians; and the Angel of the Lord will protect Christians;
the Government will give permission for the (re)building of churches.

Nepal — The number of Christians in Nepal is still at a low 0.6%.

India: Prayer walking is a key to church planting

Simple church coach Felicity Dale attended the World House Church
Summit in India and reports that she met several people who have more
 19

than 100,000 new believers in their networks. She interviewed a

middle-aged housewife who is responsible for seeing more than 6,000
churches. Reflecting on this, Felicity says: “I know that numbers are the
world’s way of judging success, and that God is more interested in our
faithfulness and obedience than anything else.”
The first thing that is strikingly clear is the commitment of Indian
church planters to prayer, and prayer walking. “We have an Indian
friend who tried an experiment,” Felicity says. “He picked two villages.
The first he prayer walked regularly before trying to reach out to the
people who lived there. The second he did not. Forty-five families
became believers in the first village. He was thrown out of the second
one.”
A similar experiment was tried several years ago in Phoenix, Arizona,
as documented in the book ‘The Praying Church Idea Book’ by
Douglas A. Kamstra. The church randomly selected 160 names from
the phone book and divided then into two groups. For 90 days they
prayed for one group while they ignored the other. At the end of 90
days they called all 160 homes, identified themselves and offered to
stop by and pray for the family and any needs they might have. Of the
80 homes that were not prayed for, only one person invited them in.
From the 80 homes that were prayed for, 69 people invited them to
come over and of those people, 45 invited them into their homes.
David Watson, who has seen more than 40,000 churches start in
North India and more than 5,000 in Africa, surveyed his top 100 church
planters to see if he could identify any common characteristics in the
methods they used. The only one he found was a commitment to prayer.
Even though these people mostly had jobs, they prayed 3 hours per day
on their own and then 3 hours per day with their teams. Fasting was
also important to them. [Joel News]
Chinese authorities seek to destroy large unregistered churches
Since June, China closed at least 13 churches, Bible-training schools,
and homes, forcing others to file suits against the bans placed on their
churches illegally. Pray.

What an awesome and orderly GOD!!

 20

God’s accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs. For

example:
-the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
-those of the canary in 14 days;
-those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
-those of the mallard in 35 days;
-The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!)
The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way
for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try
to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only
the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them
to a profitable end.
God’s wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of
this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other
quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge
body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it
four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.
The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow
rises
from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in
all His works of creation!
God’s wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and
segments, as well as in the number of grains.
-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
-Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of
bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even
number and the next row an odd number.
-The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all
kinds of weather.
 21

All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord
specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundredfold - all even numbers.
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times
during the day, so that Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he
had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and
temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that
were open and those that were closed!
Thus the Lord in His wonderful grace can arrange the life that
is entrusted to His care in such a way that it will carry out His
purposes and plans, and will be fragrant with His presence.
[PASSING-IT-ON4JESUS@ yahoogroups .com]

MORE THAN DREAMS —

5 Muslims who follow Jesus
Muslim men and women without knowledge of the Gospel or contact
with Christians have experienced dreams and visions of Jesus Christ.
Thousands of Muslims started following Jesus as a result.
Five of these moving and life-changing stories have been captured on
the unique DVD ‘More Than Dreams’. Every story of 35-40 minutes
was researched, recreated in docu-drama format, and broadcasted on
satellite television across the Mid East and N Africa.
Take Mohammed from northern Nigeria, who had seven dreams of
Jesus and survived various attempts on his life, before leading his father
to faith in Christ. Take Khalil, a radical Egyptian terrorist, who despised
Christians and Jews. His heart was changed forever when the Savior
appeared to him in a dream that penetrated his soul. Take Khosrow, a
teenager in Iran, who saw Jesus extend his hand in a vision, an
experience he describes as “waves of electricity flowed through my
body over and over again. I wept for the first time since I was a child
and joy filled my heart.” Also the stories of Dini from Indonesia and Ali
from Turkey (who encountered Jesus in Mecca) are powerful examples
of God meeting people right where they are.
 22

service@joelnews.org
Ethiopian Convert Still Jailed Despite Lack of Charges

Prosecutors and police are trying to concoct a terrorism case against an

Ethiopian convert who has been jailed since May without formal
charges. Bashir Musa Ahmed, 29, was arrested on May 23 when police
found him in possession of eight Bibles in Jijiga. [RT, 19 Feb]

USA: Messianic leader reports revival among Jews

Sid Roth, founder of Georgia-based Messianic Vision and host of the
“It’s Supernatural” television broadcast, said he has seen dozens of
Jewish Americans profess faith in Christ in recent months during
evangelistic events in New York and California. Last summer in N.Y.,
nearly 400 Russian Jews reportedly attended an evangelistic meeting
billed as a lecture on the paranormal. People were healed, Roth said,
including a wheelchair-bound woman who had not been able to walk
for five years. “There was just a move of God’s Spirit, and almost the
entire group stood up to make public professions of Messiah,” Roth told
Charisma.
Later, in California, roughly 30 Jews professed faith in Christ. “In my
opinion this is unprecedented in America,” said Roth, who has
ministered among Jewish communities in the Soviet Union for more
than 15 years. “I’ve been in Jewish ministry over 35 years, and I’ve
never heard of anything like this before.” [Joel News]

If You Can Find a Better Deal, Take It!

by Ann Coulter [extracts]

With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean and
your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even
though you don’t deserve it. It’s the best deal in the universe.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
 23

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your
own doing; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you
believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no
choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual
promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient
old people or unborn babies — no doing what all the other kids do.
And no more caring what the world thinks of you — because “The
world will hate you.”

A few people ask questions about God, guilt, forgiveness, peace, etc.
in the Question/Answer feature in www.rediff.com. You are
welcome to participate in it and counsel people.

From the Editor

Dear Co-worker with God,

By God’s immense grace, we are in the 21st year of this ministry.
Praise be to Him for His provision and guidance. My third book,
No man spoke like this Man -
His Words & Teachings,
contains 100 devotions, each with notes / comments and prayer [112
pages]. 1000 copies are to be printed in March / April 2010. If you
 24

wish to invest in this work and partner with us for the glory of God, you
may do so.
Those who are desirous of obeying all the teachings of Jesus or would
like to gift the book to their friends and thus do God’s ministry may
order 10 or more copies [Rs 300 for 10 copies, postage free] and send
me the amount ahead. Please contact me: dsathiaraj@gmail.com

Daniel Sathiaraj