"The Bishop of Kadugli is calling upon Christians worldwide to pray and fast ahead of South Sudan’s secession next month.
Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail has warned of a possible “genocide” in the Nuba Mountains region, where violence has broken out in recent weeks.
The region, home to many Christians, will remain under the control of Khartoum and the Muslim North when South Sudan gains its independence on July 9.
As Sudanese tanks and artillery move in, hundreds of thousands of Nuba are fleeing their homes and development agencies have withdrawn their staff.
UN officials and eyewitnesses escaping the bloodshed tell of elders being executed by the Sudanese Army and bombing campaigns that have destroyed churches and homes.
With Khartoum ordering the UN peacekeeping mission out, there are serious concerns that atrocities will spiral unchecked across the state of South Kordofan.
“Once again we are facing the nightmare of genocide of our people in a final attempt to erase our culture and society from the face of the earth,” said Bishop Elnail".
We have to change the kind of prayer points we concentrate on in our churches. Please pray for the Church in Sudan. They are passing through difficult times. May your voice be heard. If you are in a position to influence the prayer meetings in your church, please remember these brethren.
God bless you!
To read more go here!
Monday 27 June 2011
Sunday 26 June 2011
Egypt: Christian Girls Kidnapped and ‘Sold’
"The two girls, Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14) were on their way to church Sunday, June 12, when they were seized. Their abductors demanded $200,000 Egyptian pounds for their release. The people of the region quickly put their savings together and came up with the ransom money; but when they tried to give it to the kidnappers, they rejected it, saying they had already “sold” the girls off to another group which requires $12 million Egyptian pounds to return them.
Christine’s father, who has been harrying the police since the minute he discovered the girls were kidnapped—to little avail—says he and his family “have been in a living hell since Christine’s abduction.” Nancy’s father laments that “My daughter has not even outgrown childhood; she is only 14 years old, the youngest in the family, our baby….Since her disappearance my household has been living in continuous depression, misery, and weeping.”"
Wedding is a celebrated event in this part of the world. Many of us have argued that Christians here do two or three types of Marriage Ceremonies in the course of getting married: Traditional Marriage, Court Marriage and Church Wedding and in all of them, we spend extensively. Many of us save for years before we are able to get enough to carry out these activities. What a day of joy when it comes at last!
Unfortunately for these two Egyptian Christian Girls, the dream of a wedding and those ceremonies are gone, maybe for good. This is just one of the many other stories depicting what Christians are going through in Muslim dominated lands. When next you see a wedding ceremony going on, remember Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14). When next as a pastor, you are officiating in a wedding, remember Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14). When next you are conducting a prayer meeting and urging the people to pray as if material prosperity, positional promotion and marriage are the only reasons why the Lord Jesus kept us here on earth, remember Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14) and pray for other persecuted members of the body of Christ.
Read the whole story here!
Christine’s father, who has been harrying the police since the minute he discovered the girls were kidnapped—to little avail—says he and his family “have been in a living hell since Christine’s abduction.” Nancy’s father laments that “My daughter has not even outgrown childhood; she is only 14 years old, the youngest in the family, our baby….Since her disappearance my household has been living in continuous depression, misery, and weeping.”"
Wedding is a celebrated event in this part of the world. Many of us have argued that Christians here do two or three types of Marriage Ceremonies in the course of getting married: Traditional Marriage, Court Marriage and Church Wedding and in all of them, we spend extensively. Many of us save for years before we are able to get enough to carry out these activities. What a day of joy when it comes at last!
Unfortunately for these two Egyptian Christian Girls, the dream of a wedding and those ceremonies are gone, maybe for good. This is just one of the many other stories depicting what Christians are going through in Muslim dominated lands. When next you see a wedding ceremony going on, remember Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14). When next as a pastor, you are officiating in a wedding, remember Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14). When next you are conducting a prayer meeting and urging the people to pray as if material prosperity, positional promotion and marriage are the only reasons why the Lord Jesus kept us here on earth, remember Christine Azat (aged 16) and Nancy Magdi (aged 14) and pray for other persecuted members of the body of Christ.
Read the whole story here!
Thursday 2 June 2011
The Coming Fire
No nation on earth prays like Nigeria. We hold the twin record of the largest place of worship on earth as well as the largest Christian gathering. So, why isn’t the fire coming down?
As made clear in James 5: 16, it is not just prayer that brings down the fire from heaven; it is the “effectual prayer of the righteous man” that “availeth much”. Nigerians pray a lot, maybe we are not praying in righteousness. With all the number of Nigerians who attend church, there should be no talk of corruption in the country. Lo, not only is corruption galloping in the Nigerian society, it has also entered into the church. The scandals that rock the church should not be mentioned. They are awful.
Spirit-driven church or poverty-driven people?
True, there has been an explosion in church growth, but can we really say that Nigeria has experienced revival? A look at the history of revival in the world shows that every revival is accompanied by repentance, restitution, societal transformation, and genuine turning to God. The opposite is the case in Nigeria. We have experienced increase in church attendance, but in the true sense of the word, we are yet to experience revival.
According to Wesley Duewel, “revival days are not normal days in the church. They are super normal, supernatural. They are the great days of the church when God manifests His presence in overwhelming reality”.
The Nigerian church is filled with many “great men of God”, “fathers, daddies and mummies in the Lord”, prophets, deliverance ministers, evangelists, anointed men of God, and so on, but in recent years there has been no revivalist. There is yet to emerge a spiritual leader that will mobilize people in the power of the Holy Ghost to genuinely repent from sins, carnality, worldliness, evil and turn to God without expecting anything in return. Most of the “spiritual leaders” in the country today are “spiritual negotiators” and “motivational speakers” skilled in the art of getting material wealth from heaven for men, in exchange for payment of tithes and church attendance.
It is imperative that Nigeria must experience genuine revival if the nation is to escape the judgment of God. The Most High will not always tolerate the iniquities and transgression that have become the hallmark of the Nigerian church and the Nigerian society. Duewel puts it succinctly, “when God calls for repentance and people refuse to repent, how can He awaken them to their danger? He has no alternative but to send judgment. …when people who have had God’s light reject revival, judgment is inescapable”.
Revival or judgment?
Before the Nigerian society can be transformed, the church must experience revival. If the church resists the Spirit of revival, then “the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning” (Isa.4:4) shall visit the church. Before God will judge the politicians, the police, the judiciary, the military and the business class in Nigeria, He must first and foremost judge the charlatans, the conmen and the clowns masquerading as servants of Jesus Christ though they may be bishops, pastors, prophets, ‘daddies’, ‘mummies’ and ‘papas’. Thus saith the spirit of judgment, “…begin at my sanctuary”. Ezekiel 9:6.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: 1 Pet.4: 17. The clarion call in the church now must be the cry for revival. Every prayer meeting must cry for revival. Every heart must yearn for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God. “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Psalm 85: 6. The Spirit of revival must move over this land if we are to avert the danger that is ahead. It is far better that we accept the correction of the Lord than wait for His chastisement.
Culled from OCCUPY Magazine 2011 Vol.30 No.1, a publication of Calvary Ministries (CAPRO). Pastor Bosun Emmanuel pastors the Truth Sanctuary, a missions church in Surulere, Lagos, and is the author of The 7 Signs of Spiritual Maturity. He can be reached at sunemmanuel@yahoo.com
As made clear in James 5: 16, it is not just prayer that brings down the fire from heaven; it is the “effectual prayer of the righteous man” that “availeth much”. Nigerians pray a lot, maybe we are not praying in righteousness. With all the number of Nigerians who attend church, there should be no talk of corruption in the country. Lo, not only is corruption galloping in the Nigerian society, it has also entered into the church. The scandals that rock the church should not be mentioned. They are awful.
Spirit-driven church or poverty-driven people?
True, there has been an explosion in church growth, but can we really say that Nigeria has experienced revival? A look at the history of revival in the world shows that every revival is accompanied by repentance, restitution, societal transformation, and genuine turning to God. The opposite is the case in Nigeria. We have experienced increase in church attendance, but in the true sense of the word, we are yet to experience revival.
According to Wesley Duewel, “revival days are not normal days in the church. They are super normal, supernatural. They are the great days of the church when God manifests His presence in overwhelming reality”.
The Nigerian church is filled with many “great men of God”, “fathers, daddies and mummies in the Lord”, prophets, deliverance ministers, evangelists, anointed men of God, and so on, but in recent years there has been no revivalist. There is yet to emerge a spiritual leader that will mobilize people in the power of the Holy Ghost to genuinely repent from sins, carnality, worldliness, evil and turn to God without expecting anything in return. Most of the “spiritual leaders” in the country today are “spiritual negotiators” and “motivational speakers” skilled in the art of getting material wealth from heaven for men, in exchange for payment of tithes and church attendance.
It is imperative that Nigeria must experience genuine revival if the nation is to escape the judgment of God. The Most High will not always tolerate the iniquities and transgression that have become the hallmark of the Nigerian church and the Nigerian society. Duewel puts it succinctly, “when God calls for repentance and people refuse to repent, how can He awaken them to their danger? He has no alternative but to send judgment. …when people who have had God’s light reject revival, judgment is inescapable”.
Revival or judgment?
Before the Nigerian society can be transformed, the church must experience revival. If the church resists the Spirit of revival, then “the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning” (Isa.4:4) shall visit the church. Before God will judge the politicians, the police, the judiciary, the military and the business class in Nigeria, He must first and foremost judge the charlatans, the conmen and the clowns masquerading as servants of Jesus Christ though they may be bishops, pastors, prophets, ‘daddies’, ‘mummies’ and ‘papas’. Thus saith the spirit of judgment, “…begin at my sanctuary”. Ezekiel 9:6.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: 1 Pet.4: 17. The clarion call in the church now must be the cry for revival. Every prayer meeting must cry for revival. Every heart must yearn for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God. “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Psalm 85: 6. The Spirit of revival must move over this land if we are to avert the danger that is ahead. It is far better that we accept the correction of the Lord than wait for His chastisement.
Culled from OCCUPY Magazine 2011 Vol.30 No.1, a publication of Calvary Ministries (CAPRO). Pastor Bosun Emmanuel pastors the Truth Sanctuary, a missions church in Surulere, Lagos, and is the author of The 7 Signs of Spiritual Maturity. He can be reached at sunemmanuel@yahoo.com
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