Brother Youcef Nadarkhani acquitted and released.

It is with great joy that we announce to you the release of our brother Youcef Nadarkhani from prison in Iran. Present Truth Ministries announced this on Saturday that Pastor Youcef was acquitted of apostasy charges but found guilty for proselytizing Muslims. He was sentenced to three years which he has already served during his detention in prison. He has been reunited with his family.

"He said, "Thank you to everyone that has supported me with your prayers." He is now home with his family."

Many of you responded to our call to prayer and really prayed. It is worthy that you equally share in this good news.

"Please continue to keep Youcef in prayer. Another prisoner with apostasy charges, Pastor Mehdi Dibaj, was realeased and then murdered shortly thereafter. Let's pray for safety and protection for our brother, as well as everyone involved in his case." 

Please make sure you continue to pray for him and all the persecuted brethren from around the world. God bless you!

Break that chain!

Break that chain!

 “For sin shall not have dominion over you” Rom 6:14 KJV.

This is a true saying and nothing but the truth. Sin shall no longer have dominion over you. You do not have to continue to live a defeated life under the dominion of sin.

When sin comes, it looks as if it is alone, but far from it. Sin comes with a chain of other sins. It comes with a chain of bondage, not just to itself but also to other sins that you never bargained for.

For example, there are many people today who have committed murder through abortion. Not because they set out to commit murder, but the sin of lust and immorality had it attached to their chain, but the victim never saw it. Let’s look at David; the day he saw Bathsheba taking his bath, he never planned to eliminate her husband so as to have her. One thing led to another and at the end of the day, David’s lust brought adultery and in a bid to cover it up, he conspired against Uriah, betrayed his young army officer, set him up and he was murdered. I suspect that if there was any confidant around David after the whole drama, he would confess to him, “I never intended or planned to murder an innocent blood in my life. I avoided killing King Saul even when I had the opportunity. I don’t know how I entered into this mess”.

The jealousy and hatred of the brothers of Joseph had in its baggage, betrayal, murder and lies. The day they were asking Joseph to shut up in the house after he told one of his dreams was not the day they set out to kill him.  However, that sin of hatred had a chain that was dragging lies, conspiracy, and murder from behind. They did not see them until the time when circumstances arranged themselves. Indeed, sin comes with a chain. One sin leads to another and to another and to another. If the chain is not broken early, it leads to other bondages. Our prisons today are filled with many people who have the remaining part of their lives wondering what made them do what they did. There are a lot of people whose lives are broken because of some things they have done and they are wondering how they got to the point they are today. Some will even look at their childhood pictures and are wondering what happened that the innocent face in the picture has put his hands into sins he never dreamed. It just started with one innocent-looking enticement to sin and then the chain entangles.

The last person we will look at is Judas Iscariot who kept stealing money from the money box he was keeping for years, parleying with some wrong people in power and never knew that all these would create insensitivity towards sin in his heart, so strong that he would conspire to betray and sell his Master. The day the Lord Jesus called Judas, he did not set out that he would end up committing suicide. He followed like every other person. However, one opened door to sin led to another and the chain continued until he lost all sensitivity towards sin.

Child of God, never you underestimate any sin. It is not alone. It has a chain no matter how simple and innocent-looking it may seem. If you are already trapped, you do not have to continue in the slippery road; you will only end up sliding down even into things you never bargained for in your life. Snap that chain! Sin shall not have dominion over you. That is the truth.

Now one may ask, how can I break the chain?

Godly sorrow: breaking the chain of sin starts with godly sorrow. The prodigal son came back to his senses, asked himself sincere and personal questions which people around him possibly did not know about. He changed his mind and decided to snap the chain of his sinful living. He humbled himself and was even ready to accept becoming a servant in his father’s house.

You must stand before God as somebody who has no arguments in defense. Accept His verdict and tell Him you are sorry. Ask for mercy.

Radical action of turning: breaking the chain of sin involves taking some radical steps no matter whose ox is gored. Whose life is being ruined? Yours! Whose life is entangled? It’s yours! Hence, who will take the radical turn? You! Again, the prodigal son dammed the shame and headed home to face the father he disappointed through his riotous living. He did not stop on the way. He did not branch into bypass. He headed home to face his father, elder brother, relatives and servants. His chain was snapped the day he turned, parked his bags and headed home, not the day he cried over his life of suffering. There are people who may need to move from where they are now to another location if their chains must be broken. Others may take some costly decisions. But in all, make sure that you break that chain. Sin shall not rule over you!

The exorbitant price of sexual sin - My list. Make yours!

Make a list of what can be the possible consequences of your sexual sin if you fall into it.

Whenever I think about sexual temptation, I find it helpful to review what effects my ungodly action could have:

1. Bringing dishonor to my Lord and Savior who has brought me this far.
2. Deeply hurting my wife and children. She may never trust me again in life.
3. Wasting years of ministry experience for a long time, maybe permanently.
4. Bringing great pleasure to Satan, the enemy of God and all that is good.
5. As a ‘wanted man’ anything can happen to me.
6. Being the firstborn in my family, transferring battles to my next generation which ordinarily would have ended in my generation.
7. Undermining the faithful example and hard work of other Christians in our community.
8. Possibly bearing the physical consequences of such diseases as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, and AIDS; perhaps infecting my wife or, in the case of AIDS, even causing her death. I always remember Sis A who died of AIDS with all her prophetic gifts.
9. Creating problems for my younger brother who is a pastor and has looked up to me for years. In his challenges, I know that he has been watching me.
10. Heaping judgment and endless difficulty on the person with whom I committed adultery.
11. Possibly causing pregnancy, with the personal and financial implications.
12. Bringing shame and hurt to my ministry partners and elders who have trusted me over the years: (list names)
13. Bringing shame and hurt on all that will hear it from far and near who have been blessed through my ministry.
14. Causing shame and hurt to friends, especially those I’ve led to Christ and discipled: (list names)
15. Invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment upon Myself.
16. Getting entangled in a sin-chain that may be very difficult for me to break till I die.
17. The Lord coming and meeting me in sin.

I will continue to update this list as days/years roll by!

Try making your own list. When you weigh the consequences of sexual sin in advance it’s a frightening prospect! May God help all of us! Amen.


Adapted from Randy Alcorn’s article THE REAL AND UNTOLD COST - The exorbitant price of sexual sin. See Randy's list here.

Continue to pray for Brother Youcef - Charge against him changed to "banditry and extortion".

Our brother, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been charged with new offences - "banditry and extortion" according to a recent update from International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. They seem to have replaced the old charge of apostasy which has drawn much international condemnation with these new charges, just to make sure our brother is punished and suffers for being a Christian.

For those who may be new to this story, Pastor Youcef was a pastor of a church in Rasht which had a congregation of about 400 members. He was arrested for converting to Christianity after being a Christian for more than 10 years. He has been languishing in prison with other Iranian brethren. The good news is that his faith is intact. In fact we shared one of his letters he wrote from prison here. What an encouragement!

Look at what the Bible says: Rom 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" NIV.

Please continue to pray for him and the other brethren in Iranian prisons. Pray that their faith will remain strong. Pray that they will finish strong. Also pray that their testimony will bring conviction to all the people around them. May they released from prison soon. May these spurious charges against Youcef be struck out. Pray for their families.

God bless you as you participate in this ministry towards the persecuted.

For more information, please go to ICHR in Iran.

Urgent Prayers for Pastor Behnam Irani

We have been updating all our friends and viewers on the persecuted brethren in Iran and other parts of the world calling us to prayers. It is very easy to relax and become complacent when we live in parts of the world where there is relative peace and you are not being harrassed for your faith.
However, for every peaceful night of sleep you enjoy, know that there are brethren who are spending the same night in prisons without comfort. For every opportunity you have to visit a hospital to treat either your self or loved one, remember that there are thousands of believers who are languishing in prisons around the world who are not granted access to medicare. They are being eaten up by their diseases or sicknesses, seeing their death before them and are helpless about their condition. Except God intervenes, their stories will not be different from that of those who have died.

Please look at this prayer request below and make sure your family, fellowship group, and church participate in praying for Brother Behnam Irani. Equally do not forget that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is still awaiting execution, except God intervenes through our prayers.

"We have an urgent prayer request for pastor Behnam Irani of Karaj, Iran. He continues to suffer from bloody stool, and within the last week was so sick that he became unconscious. As a result he was finally allowed to go to the prison hospital. It appears that what he was suffering with was not intestinal, but rather a bleeding ulcer. We are thankful that he has been allowed to see a doctor and is being treated for his illness, but since the situation is so serious, we ask for your prayers for his healing. Jesus said, “If thou canst believe all things are possible,” Mark 9:23. Let’s put our faith together in prayer for our brother who is suffering and believe for his healing. Please pass the prayer request on to your churches, prayer groups, and bible studies."

For further information, please go to http://presenttruthmn.com/

Anointed in the midst of his brethren

“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers,…” 1 Sam 16:13 NIV

It is amazing how the Lord makes His choice!

God asked Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of the sons of Jesse as king to replace Saul. As usual with God, He did not tell Samuel who to anoint specifically. When God calls a man to follow Him, He does not give him all the details. If you are waiting to see everything, hear everything, know everything and have everything before you go on to obey God, you may never obey Him at all. It takes faith to walk with God. No wonder “without faith, it is impossible to please God”.

Samuel went and began to look at the sons of Jesse like every one of us would do. He thought it was Eliab, and then Abinadab and then Shammah but the Lord told him that none of them was His choice. What is worthy of note here is the strong word the Lord used when the first son, Eliab came forward, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him…” Vs 7. What will label a man, “rejected” in God’s programme even though he may have all the qualifications that can appeal to us as humans? The same verse gives us a hint, “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Now let’s look at God’s choice, David. The first description in verse 12 referred to his physical appearance, “He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.” However, the Lord had found a different heart in him compared to what He saw in Eliab. His spiritual disposition to the Lord was different from that of his elder brothers. Apart from that, look at the six other qualities the servants of Saul mentioned when they were recommending David to King Saul, “…(He) knows how to play the harp (The instrument he was using to praise God in the forest). He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him." 1 Sam 16:18.

But the time Samuel came, as far as their father, Jesse was concerned, David’s name did not qualify to be even mentioned. He was remembered only when every other person had been brought forward and could not make God’s choice. Circumstances turned out to request for him. It is amazing how God’s favour can distinguish a man in spite of the opinions of men. It is amazing how protocols can be overridden when God wants to lift a man. David was not anointed in the forest where he had been working and walking faithfully with the Lord; he was anointed right there in the midst of his brethren. The same place where others felt he was not qualified to be mentioned with the others, he was anointed, lifted and set apart. God’s choice has no query.

Does God still do the same thing today? The answer is “YES”. Our faithful work and walk with the Lord prepares us for His lifting. May God single you out for blessing today! Amen.

God bless!

Youcef Nadarkhani: A Day of Prayer and Fasting for His release.

PLEASE JOIN US IN THIS PRAYER PROJECT.

Pray as a family; pray as a church and as a fellowship; pray as an individual for this brother and all other persecuted brethren around the world! God bless.

Easter Sunday Car Bomb Explosion kills over 25 persons in Kaduna Nigeria

A car bomb exploded along a busy roadway Sunday morning in a central Nigeria city, killing at least 38 people in the latest attack on a region beset by religious, ethnic and political violence, an official said.
The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn across a major road in the city where many gather to eat at informal restaurants and buy black market gasoline. Nearby hotels had their windows blown out of by the force of the powerful explosion, which engulfed a group of motorcycle taximen.

At least 38 people were killed in the blast, said Abubakar Zakari Adamu, a spokesman for the Kaduna state Emergency Management Agency. Others suffered serious injuries and were receiving treatment at local hospitals, Adamu said.
The explosion badly damaged the nearby All Nations Christian Assembly Church as churchgoers worshipped at an Easter service, the possible target of the bomber. Witnesses said it appeared the explosive-laden car attempted to go into the compound of that church before it detonated...

Please continue to pray for the Nigerian Church for a re-awakening. Pray that God may console those who are grieving and cause the perpetrators to repent. Pray that those in leadership positions will have the will to do what is right.
Read more!

Faithfulness Part 3: Be faithful with other people's 'riches'.

TO GET YOUR OWN, BE FAITHFUL WITH OTHER’S RICHES

This is the last in this series on how faithfulness affects our Christian life.

Remember we are learning kingdom principles taught by the Lord Jesus Christ. They are as valid today as they were the very first day He taught them. "If you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" Luke 16:12.

Many of us are working for companies and corporations. Every person prays for promotion. Every person looks up to better condition of service and pay raise. As I noted in the previous write up, many have been deceived into believing that serving God is like a magic - It does not matter how you live. It does not matter the choices you make. Once one man of God or the other prays for you, prosperity comes upon you like rain. Once you attend one open door crusade, the sky is your limit. Once you pay your tithe or give a special offering, favour becomes your portion irrespective of your life. These are the lies from the pit of hell to make you miss all that God has prepared for you and cage your soul eternally.

It is actually a fundamental problem with much of today’s preaching. We tend to make the people believe that they will become somebody else once we lay hands on them. We make them believe that once they attend one program or the other, suddenly, their condition will change. It is a half-baked truth. What God does in our lives is all interconnected. What He is currently doing today is connected to what He did yesterday and is connected to what He will do in our lives tomorrow. That is why God brings people back to certain schools of experience. For them to progress, they must pass the test. The circumstances of the experiences may not be exactly the same, but if you look very carefully, you will see that God is asking for the same thing. Let’s encourage God’s people to be patient and live right. Let’s encourage faithful living among our church members.

The Lord is saying that if you desire to have your own, be faithful where you are working right now no matter how menial it may look to you. Many people do eye service. Unfortunately, believers join them to do the same thing. They forget that it is the Lord who sees in the secret that blesses openly.

It is God that will plant you in the heart of your boss to favour you even against his own will. It is God that will open your file where you will be remembered because you have been faithful. Mordecai was faithful serving as a Gateman in the king’s house. His reward was kept by God for an appointed time. It was not forgotten but it waited for the due season. At a very critical time in his life and that of the Jews in Susan, God caused his file to be opened. His faithfulness paid off. Not only was he lifted, his life and that of the other Jews were spared, while Herman was hanged on the same gallows he prepared for Mordecai.

Faithfulness has no alternative. If you want God to bless you, be faithful where you are now. Your boss may be bad, be patient. Others may be giving eye service, even using you to promote themselves, be faithful. Pray for them. One beautiful thing is that no man can limit God. It is not a must that God will reward you exactly in the place where you are right now. Where you are now may be a stepping stone. It is possible for storms and divine shaking to come like in the case of Mordecai that will pave your way to where God wants you to be. Like I said before, God cannot be limited. There are thousand and one ways He can do one thing. The economy of God controls the economy of the nations, even where you are right now. If your boss does not want to promote you, God will. Only remain faithful.

What I have shared with you are biblical principles that have worked for our faith-fathers. They are eternal principles that have stood the test of time. They are truths of the kingdom. The Lord asked it as a question, “If you are not faithful with that which is not yours, how can you get your own?” Make no mistakes, there are no short cuts in God’s kingdom.

God bless you!

See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Faithfulness Part 2: Faithful with unrighteous money the key to being entrusted with true riches

This is the second in this series on faithfulness as the Lord Jesus taught in Luke 16: 10-13. See Part 1 here.

Many of us may not believe that the way we handle money has a connection to what our spiritual life looks like. The way we see money and the way we handle it tells a lot about our Christian life regardless of what we say or claim.

The Lord taught a lot about money both in His expositions and parables. Almost in all of them, He emphasized faithfulness.

Many people are on God’s waiting list for empowerment because of their attitude to money. Truly, many have stayed on the list for a long time. Why? The answer is because their attitude has not changed. Many want to be great in God’s hand but He has postponed His plans because of what they have done with the little money that He allowed to enter their hands. They never knew that the little mammon God allowed them to handle was part of their test for a higher opportunity, an exam for bigger stewardship. They never knew, so they blew it. They wonder why God has kept them one place for a long time.

Money has the capacity to become an idol.
Money has a powerful influence. Money is capable to change the message of a preacher. Money is able to change the commitment of a child of God. Money is able to remove our trust from God. Money has a false security. Many people’s character change once they see money. The Lord Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon”. Money is capable of being a master to the extent that it can compete with God in our lives. Remember, the Semitic word, mammon, can refer not only to money but also to riches and wealth generally. Now note that the issue is not necessarily the quantity or amount of riches you have but your attitude to it. Are you ruling over what you have or is what you have ruling over you? What is the position of money in your life? Is it your master or your slave? Does money determine how you live? Does it determine your values and your view about life? Does it determine how you relate to the next person? Does the desire for money drive you? Money is good. It is not an evil in itself. It is a tool for living. It is used for solving problems. But anytime money becomes anything more than a tool, it creates problems for us, especially in our relationship with God.

He wants us to be faithful to Him in money matters. Instead of money using us, we are to use money to serve and glorify Him. He wants us to surrender our lives and possessions to Him and allow Him to direct us. God wants us to see our money as His gift to us and our attitude should be that of a grateful and faithful steward; that guarantees that we will be relevant to the kingdom agenda.

love of money has already killed many people. It has changed the character of many. Many churches have changed their doctrine because of love of money and consequently lost their true riches. Many preachers are already captives to money. Many are in the battle as we speak. One thing is clear in all of these, the battle with money for control is a battle of your life. You must win it if you are to be a container for eternal riches. Your heart does not have the capacity to hold the love for God and love of money together at the same time. One must give way for the other.

Remember, the Lord is not saying that it is wrong to have or acquire riches. He is saying that we have to be faithful stewards as it concerns money and being faithful qualifies us to handle true riches. It is a lie for somebody to be unfaithful in money matters and still claim to be a carrier of spiritual wealth. The two do not go together. It is a deception for a Christian to refuse to be accountable in money matters and still think he is as spiritual as ever.

Please, in your offices, in your market places, in all the areas of your life that concerns money, do not separate them as being secular. The life you live daily both in and outside the Church walls put together make up your worship life. Your attitude to money determines whether God will entrust you with true riches. Be faithful in money matters if you want God to use you.

God bless you!

See part 1 here.

Faithfulness Part 1: Faithfulness in very little things

FAITHFULNESS IN VERY LITTLE THINGS MEANS FAITHFULNESS IN MUCH

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? "No servant can serve two masters; ... You cannot serve God and wealth." Luke 16:10-13 NASU

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” Luke 16:10 NASU

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:10-11 NIV

There are three critical issues the Lord raised concerning faithfulness which we will be sharing in three parts starting from this part 1.

The first point is that if a man is faithful when he is entrusted with a little responsibility, he will equally be faithful when he is entrusted with a bigger responsibility. In the same vein, if someone is not faithful with little responsibility, he will not be faithful in a bigger responsibility. Faithfulness is a virtue of keeping trust and staying true to what you believe. It means being reliable, loyal and trustworthy.

There are a lot of young people who desire to do “big things” for God. They want to suddenly become ‘great men of God’ but do not want to be under anybody’s instructions. They do not see any link between what they are doing today and what they believe God has called them to do tomorrow. They do not see what is presently in their hands as having anything to do with what God wants to place in their hands tomorrow. Hence, they handle what is in their hands now with levity. They behave anyhow now because they have the mindset, “this is not what I am cut out for. This is not where I am going to be anyway”. This makes them to be careless in what they are doing today.

They are waiting for when God will announce them. They are looking up to when God will make them great and lift them above their fellows. They believe that God has promised them a worldwide ministry though right now, they are in one obscure environment under an administrator they even feel they are better than. Because of the vision they have, they tend to be rebellious and despiteful toward their superiors. The truth is that they have failed to understand the principles of the kingdom the Lord Jesus is teaching us in the passage above. Many of us today wish that these principles sank into our hearts when we were very much younger.

In the kingdom, there are no short cuts, except you choose to remove yourself away from the covenant. As long as you are in the kingdom, these principles stand. When God begins to look for people to be saddled with greater responsibilities, He looks for those who have been faithful in the little things. This is because the kingdom believes that he who is faithful in very little things is faithful in much. Please note that He did not say that the person WILL BE. Instead HE IS faithful in much.

The little choices you make today impacts your destiny. What you are doing today defines what you will ultimately become. What you are doing today defines where you are going. Where you will be tomorrow is determined by the direction you are headed today. Never you think that circumstances will interrupt your life and suddenly you are lifted to be in charge of much when you are not faithful in the very little that is in your hand today. You are the one to interrupt yourself and begin to be faithful now.

What is in your hands today?
It may be much or little in your own eyes but what you do with it is what matters. What happens is that many a times people do not value what is already in their hands. They despise it and refuse to commit themselves to it. Greed, envy, jealousy and pride are the killers in this area. Why is it that you cannot concentrate and finish well what you are doing now? Why is it that you are neglecting what you are doing now meanwhile you want a higher place? What is that in your hands? It may be a position, a ministry or a job. Do not misbehave in it.

Now, it does not matter what people think about where you are right now. It does not matter their opinion about how lowly what you are doing now is. What matters is what you do with it. There are people who are running some businesses who are not eligible for promotion no matter how hard they pray or fast. God cannot give you a promotion that is bigger than your character. Each time God wants to lift their business and wants to start with moulding their character, they resist Him or bolt out of training half way. They want to remain the way they are. You cannot remain the way you are and walk with God at the same time. God cannot give a kingdom to a child to run. The few times He did it in the Old Testament, He placed them under some tutelage and guidance.

God orders the steps of the righteous.
This is a biblical truth every child of God has to believe. In most cases it is a bitter pill to swallow. Firstly, if you have been in a position whereby it is as if your mates have left you behind and moved on with life and you are faced with the challenge of either following the short cuts of unrighteousness and meeting up with them or obeying God and remaining where you are, you will understand how bitter the pills can be. The truth is that you cannot do righteousness and remain where you are. But already there is a big problem here. We are never encouraged to compare ourselves with ourselves. Secondly, if you are in an employment where obviously you are being paid lower than you think you are supposed to earn and you believe you should be somewhere else better, you may understand what I am sharing. However, the truth is that that seemingly lowly place is a stepping stone. God brought you there.

All I am doing is to make you see the connection between where you are now and where you are going. Even if you cannot see it with your physical eyes, see it with your spiritual eyes. Faith has eyes and can see. In fact, what faith sees is more of a reality than what the physical eyes see.

One who compromises in one area will most likely compromise in other areas. It will be very much easier for one who is firm against sin in one area of his life to have victory against sin in other areas of his life. Please never you play or despise what you are doing today. Humble yourself. Be faithful and committed to it. God will lift you up in due time.

Watch out for part 2.

Please continue to pray for our brother Bishop Umar Mulinde of Gospel Life Church International

"Doctors at Sheba Hospital in Tel-Aviv, Israel, are still not sure what kind of chemicals Muslim extremists cast on Bishop Umar Mulinde of Gospel Life Church International outside of Kampala last Christmas Eve, but they know that the acid is threatening the vision in his remaining eye.

“I am regaining my sight, though the healing progress is a bit slow,” Mulinde told Compass by phone. “Doctors are still looking for ways to save it, but it seems a complicated case. The chemical was very strong, and each day it was going deeper, with pain increasing day by day; even the doctors are interested to know which type of acid it was, because it really did great damage to me.

"Mulinde, a former sheikh (Islamic teacher) who became the target of Islamic extremists after converting to Christianity in 1993, said his left eye has been getting better under the specialized treatment he has been able to receive..."

Remember the story we shared here some months ago.

"Mulinde said he was encouraged that ministry is continuing at his church in Namasuba, about 10 kilometers (six miles) outside of Kampala, though his friend Zachariah Serwadda, a pastor with an Evangel Church congregation, was ambushed on Feb. 4 after an evangelistic outreach in the predominantly Muslim town of Mbale."

Pray that Mulinde will retain his sight. Thank the Lord for the faithfulness of Mulinde and his friend Serwadda. Pray that the Lord will bless their efforts to spread the gospel. Pray that the perpetrators of these attacks will repent and come to know Jesus Christ. Please pray that increased persecution in Uganda will result in increased boldness among believers (Acts 4:29-31).

See the whole story here at Compass Direct. You can get more information on how to pray and participate in the ministries to the persecuted by going to VOM website. Please pray, pray and pray.

The Pastoral challenge from the life of Steve Jobs.

In this age when most people are career preachers and pastors instead of being men and women really called by God to serve His Church; highly conscious of their positions in the organizations they work instead of serving the people God has put into their charge, many have driven men away from the Light instead of drawing them closer. Many fight whatever they do not understand and try to bring down whatever seems to intimidate them. If you do something the pastor may not be able to do, you will be seen as a threat instead of a complement. If you ask a difficult question, you will be branded and brought low and nobody will care to address your concerns. If you behave differently (Not sinful anyway) or raise biblical issues that are not ‘comfortable’ to the denomination or issues they consider ‘no go areas’, you will be seen as a non-conformist and a trouble maker. All these put together have affected our attitudes in leadership and the way we treat people. They have equally hindered us from training the men that God brings around us. We see the power plays within the pulpits, between the pulpits and the pews and within the pews and ask ourselves, “what would the Lord Jesus do if He were to be around today in the Church?”

My heart was broken when I read a write up on the life of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, by Gordon MacDonald, the editor at large of Leadership Journal and chancellor of Denver Seminary, The Soul of Steve Jobs. Gordon just finished reading Steve’s biography written by Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs. I admired Steve Jobs and his accomplishments and have listened to one or two of his motivational messages but that is not the focus of my discourse here. What really moved me to write this piece is the comparison Gordon made on the three major influences Steve had early growing up as a young boy:

“"(My father) loved doing things right," Jobs reflected. "He even cared about the look of the parts you couldn't see." Decades later this principle learned in boyhood would shape the development of Apple devices. Jobs always insisted that the inner parts of anything bearing the Apple name be as perfectly designed and built as the outer parts, even though a customer would never see them…

When Jobs began school, his parents and teachers soon discovered that he was a "problem child." It showed in his rebelliousness, in his boredom with the curriculum, in his unwillingness to fit into ordinary classroom regimens. He resisted learning in the traditional cookie-cutter ways.
It's startling to realize that Steve Jobs might have ended up a social discard—a delinquent—had it not been for an observant teacher who suspected that she had an exceptional child in her classroom. Under her guidance Jobs quickly accelerated in his learning experiences. "I just wanted to learn and to please her," Jobs said, looking back on her efforts.
Unfortunately the same did not happen in his church experience. When Jobs was 13, he asked his pastor a simple (yet not so simple) question.

Isaacson writes: "In July 1968 Life magazine published a shocking cover showing a pair of starving children in Biafra. Jobs took it to Sunday school and confronted the church's pastor, 'If I raise my finger, will God know which one I'm going to raise even before I do it?'

"The pastor answers, 'Yes, God knows everything.'

"Jobs then pulled out the Life cover and asked, 'Well, does God know about this and what's going to happen to those children?'

"'Steve, I know you don't understand, but yes, God knows about that.'"

The pastor's answer badly underestimated the young teen's intellect and left him unsatisfied. According to Isaacson, Jobs walked away from the church that day and never returned.”

Gordon MacDonald now made a prayer which I will encourage every reader, who is a leader to pray:

"Lord, make me aware of the implications of any (any!) word I say to people during the course of the day. Who can know when a spoken word directs someone toward the right path … or the wrong one?"

As I read this, I wondered how many young people we must have not listened to, how many yearning hearts we may have carelessly by-passed without noticing what God was doing in their lives, how many souls we have not paid attention to in their struggles. Externally, we only saw a ‘rebellious person’ who refused to agree with us, but we couldn’t see the needy person inside. We saw a church member ‘fighting’ us but couldn’t see the struggling man inside. We saw a man that must be condemned but couldn’t see the man inside that is crying for freedom. The list can go on and on. Today, there are some things I taught years ago that I wish time will rewind so that I give better explanations. Imagine what would have happened if Steve’s pastor in 1968 saw in him a needy inquisitive young boy that needed discipleship and took time to address his questions and not just telling him ‘'Steve, I know you don't understand…”.

The hard working and detailed father did his lot on Steve Jobs. His observant teacher in school did her part. It was the pastor that failed in his own contribution to his life. Maybe as he left church, the pastor felt a relief that the issue of the ‘problem child’ has finally been solved and no one bothered to look for him. My pain is not that it happened in 1968 and Steve Jobs walked away from the church that day and never returned. My pain is that such and related stories seem to be repeating themselves in our churches today.

May God help us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to raise men for Him setting aside all these distractions driven by fear and competitions.

Please make sure you pray that prayer in your own words. The next time a church member or a participant in your Bible Class asks a question, concentrate and listen, no matter how ‘silly’. You may never know when someone is on a brink of a defining moment, an important turn in his life. Your answer may be what will determine the direction of the turn – right or wrong.