You Should Know

Matthew 28:18-20 

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

What are you doing to carry out Jesus Christ's command?

Revelation 3:3 

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Jesus Died!

The Death of Jesus: Matthew 27:45-54 

45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ""Eloi, Eloi," "lama" "sabachthani?""--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

   Psalm 22

 A Psalm by David

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. 4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 8 "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. 10 From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. 19 But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. 22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him-- may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him-- those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn-- for he has done it.  Isaiah 531 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.   

Prayer Request: Egypt - Christian Mother & 7 Children Sentenced to Prison

Remember Saeed Abedini!

Please sign the petition to help free Saeed Abedini from an Iranian prison.

Please pray for Saeed, his wife, Naghmeh & their children.

Prayer Request: Uganda - Acid Attack on Church

Prayer Request: China's House Churches

Prayer Request: Pakistan: Blasphemy cases converge on court in Lahore

Lahore High Court - Pakistan

Mar 06 2013

Release partners in Pakistan are calling for urgent prayer as a series of blasphemy cases are due to be heard in court in Lahore today.

Asia Bibi, the first Christian woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy, is appealing her case at Lahore High Court. Final arguments in the Martha Bibi case are also due to be presented. Martha, who has six children, was accused of blasphemy in 2007 after an argument with local builders.

A decision is still awaited in the case of Younis Masih, who was arrested eight years ago after complaining about the level of noise at an Islamic ceremony. At his last High Court hearing on February 27 demonstrators called for everyone found guilty of blasphemy to be put to death. Release partners say the intention was to pressure the judges to find him guilty. Younis, who has four children, recently suffered a heart attack.

Lahore High Court will also decide today whether to grant bail to Ghazala Khan, who has also been accused of blasphemy.
(Source: Release partners)

For more news and a country profile about Pakistan, click here

• Please pray for all the Christians who are due to appear in court. Pray that God will give courage to the judges to speak boldly and act justly. Pray for protection for the accused as they attend the court hearings, and for safety for their legal representatives.

Asia Bibi

Younis Masih

World Watch List 2013

The World Watch List (WWL) is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst. First of all, the list covers persecution of Christians of all denominations in the entire country. The focus is on persecution for their faith, not persecution for political, economic, social, ethnic or accidental reasons.

Read more about the World Watch List by clicking here.

They came first for the communists,

And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the Jews.

And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

And I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

And by that time, no one was left to speak up.

- A poem attributed to Martin Niemoeller, an influential Lutheran pastor from World War II, who was arrested and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp for withdrawing his support of Hitler, illustrates the importance of challenging hatred and injustice.

Be-A-Voice Network Prayer Request: Vietnam

Brimstone Found at Sodom & Gomorrah

Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

Genesis 19:24-25

You can read more about the discovery of Sodom & Gomorrah and other Biblical evidence on ArkDiscovery's website: http://www.arkdiscovery.com/sodom_&_gomorrah.htm

Extraordinary: by Open Doors

"Something extraordinary is happening! Prayer groups are forming, disciples are being trained, and God's word is changing lives! Freedom is being pursued, and it begins with you! www.OpenDoorsUSA.org"
More info: www.OpenDoorsUSA.org

Be-A-Voice Network Prayer Request: Wife of Martyred Evangelist Killed in Colombia

Shockwave 2013

http://www.opendoors.org.au/comingevents/youthevents2013

SHOCKWAVE is an exciting global prayer movement that focuses on uniting youth and young adults, from all over the world, together in prayer for the persecuted Church. Do not miss your opportunity to be part of the global SHOCKWAVE.

Release International Prayer Request: Laos: Three Pastors held

http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/country-profiles/laos.php

http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/posts/laos-three-pastors-held-over-christian-film-1082.php

Exodus 14:14

ADONAI will do battle for you. Just calm yourselves down! - Exodus 14:14 (Complete Jewish Bible)

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. - Exodus 14:14 (NIV)

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. - Exodus 14:14 (NKJV)

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. - Exodus 14:14 (KJV)

The Beauty of Jesus Christ - Paul Washer

Voice of the Martyrs Prayer Request: Burma

Prisoner Profile: Alimujiang Yimiti

Prisoner Profile

PRISONER NAME: Alimujiang Yimiti

LOCATION: China
ARRESTED: February 2008
REVISED: January 29, 2013
  
In September 2007 Chinese government officials closed Alimujiang Yimiti's business and accused him of using it as a cover up for "preaching Christianity among people of
Uyghur ethnicity." He was later arrested in January 2008 and accused of "subversion of the national government and endangering national security," a crime punishable by
death.


Alimujiang, a former Muslim, became a Christian more than 10 years ago and has
been an active Christian in the growing Uyghur church. On May 27, Alimujiang's case went to trial. His case was referred back to the Chinese Public Security Bureau's prosecutors due to "insufficient evidence." He remains in custody.

A Brief Overview of the Case:

On Sept. 13, 2007, the Kashi Municipal Bureau for Ethnic and Religious Affairs of Xinjiang stated: "Since 2002, Alimujiang Yimiti has been engaging, in the name of employment, in activities of illegal religious infiltration which include preaching Christianity among the people of Uyghur ethnicity, distributing religious materials and converting Christians."

However, on Jan. 12, 2008, the Kashi Municipal Public Security Bureau placed Alimujiang on criminal detention on the two charges of "suspicion of inciting people to secede from China" and "illegally providing state secrets to foreigners." On Feb. 20, he was formally arrested.

On Aug. 6, 2009, the Kashi District Intermediate Court secretly sentenced Alimujiang to 15 years imprisonment on the charge of "illegally providing state secrets to foreign nationals."
It was not until Oct. 27 that the court in Kashi notified Alimujiang's wife, Gulinuer, and his lawyer of the sentence. Alimujiang appealed.

On March 6, 2010, the Higher People's Court of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region tried the case in private, refusing to let the lawyer appear in court. They upheld the ruling from the Kashi District Intermediate Court, sentencing Alimujiang to 15 years of imprisonment and depriving him of political rights for five years.

On April 12, 2010, Alimujiang's wife Gulinuer got a phone call notifing her that Alimujiang had been transferred from Kashi Detention Center to serve his sentence in No. 3 Prison of Xinjiang in Urumqi.

In Nov. 2010, the Higher People's Court of Xinjiang accepted the appeal by Alimujiang's wife and mother and decided to retry Alimujiang's case of "disclosing top state secrets". After Christmas 2010, the Higher People's Court of Xinjiang told Gulinuer that they had already made the decision through a collegial bench on December 20.

In Feb. 2011, the Higher People's Court of Xinjiang notified Alimujiang, who is serving his sentence, that they upheld the original sentence of 15 years of imprisonment in the reconsideration.

Family Visits to Alimujiang Cut

Prison officials informed Alimujiang's wife, Gulinuer, that her monthly visits to the prison were being reduced to one visit every three months. Gulinuer went to visit her husband on Jan. 23, but was denied entry. Their last meeting in November 2012 lasted just 15 minutes. Since then, she has only spoken to her husband once by phone, on New Year's Day. Gulinuer believes the prison authorities' decision could be connected to her husband's current appeal. His lawyer believes the restrictions are illegal, since the normal allowance for prison visits is once per month.

Please add

Alimujiang Yimiti

to your prayer list.

Release International Prayer Request: Eritrea

Eritrea: Church leaders arrested in capital
Monday, January 28, 2013

Release partners say that more than 20 Christians have been arrested in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, in the past ten days.

Release Eritrea says that officials have been targeting church leaders of various denominations, including the Full Gospel Church and the Mesret Kristos (Mennonite) Church.
All those detained were arrested at home – prompting suggestions that this had been a 'pre-planned' campaign.
These arrests come against a backdrop of mounting political uncertainty in the East African nation. Last week, a group of dissident soldiers reportedly tried to seize control of the Ministry of Information, apparently to demand political change. Three army officers are reported to have been arrested. Strained relations with Ethiopia have worsened since the death of Ethiopian premier Meles Zenawi last August.
Eritrea has been a one-party state since independence in 1993, under the repressive leadership of President Isaias Afewerki.

For more news and a country profile about Eritrea, click here
(Sources: AP, BBC, Christian Post, Release Eritrea)

• Pray God's peace and protection over His people in Eritrea, and in Asmara particularly. Pray that they will draw near to God for His wisdom and guidance.

• Pray for a breakthrough in the struggle for greater religious liberty in Eritrea, where non-conformist Christians are widely considered dissidents and a threat to national security.

Iran Sentences Pastor Saeed Abedini to 8 years in Evin Prison

Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is an American citizen, has been beaten and tortured since his imprisonment last fall and is now facing eight years in Evin Prison, one of the most brutal prisons in Iran. He has been convicted for his involvement in house churches in the early 2000s.

Evin Prison is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. Beatings, torture, mock executions and brutal interrogations are the norm at Evin prison.

Farshid Fathi is also being held at Evin Prison.







You can sign a petition, calling for his release by following this link.

Please pray for Pastor Saeed, his wife Naghmeh, and their two children who live in the U.S.

You can read more at  America Centre for Law and Justice's website.

Release David: Release International

A short, fast-paced film from Release International that asks what response Christians should make if fellow believers are unfairly imprisoned.

• I pray,
• I blog,
• I try to raise awareness on various social networks.

 What do you do? I welcome your comments!




Please click on Releases International's logo beneath to comment on this film.

Seek The Lord in Scripture!

Prayer Alert: Younis Masih's Life Sentence for Blasphemy Heard in Court Tomorrow!

Pakistan Christian Younis Masih is scheduled to have his appeal against a life sentence for blasphemy heard in court tomorrow. The Punjabi father-of-four has been detained since November 2005 – after asking local Muslims to reduce noise levels during their worship. Younis is still recovering from a heart attack last week which caused him to be hospitalised. Continue to pray God's protection over him, his family and Release partners supporting them: some fear that Younis may be at greater risk of attack from extremists while he is in hospital. 

 

(Source: Release partners)

Younis Masih, a Christian father of four, is serving a death sentence in Pakistan for blasphemy & suffered a serious heart attack,  according to Release International's prayer alert on 8 January 2013.

Younis, who is detained in a jail in northern Punjab, was transferred to a civilian hospital. His wife, Meena, and their children live nine hours' drive away from the prison, which has made visiting hard since his transfer there in July. Meena featured in our DVD, Pray for Pakistan.

Younis has been in jail for more than seven years. He was detained in November 2005 after a Muslim cleric accused him of making derogatory remarks about Islam's prophet, Mohammed. Younis's supporters say he was falsely accused after asking those attending an Islamic religious ceremony in his neighbourhood to make less noise.

Release partners are concerned that Younis could be at greater risk of attack from Islamist extremists while he is in hospital – and have gone immediately to try to visit him. They are also handling his appeal against the death sentence. A court hearing has been set for January 17.

(Source: Release partners)

http://www.releaseinternational.org

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

(Micah 7: 7-8)

SRI LANKA: Pastor Injured in Attack on Church

Please click the link below if you are able to join the Be-A-Voice Network & pray for our brothers & sisters, who are being persecuted for worshipping Jesus Christ.

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

Prayer Alert: Farshid Fathi

PRISONER NAME: Farshid Fathi
LOCATION: Iran (Islamic Republic of)
ARRESTED: 26 December 2010
REVISED: January 16, 2013

Farshid Fathi was arrested on Dec. 26, 2010 in a wave of arrests of believers in Tehran and other areas. Of the 22 believers arrested by security forces in Tehran, 10 were released after intense questioning and after they signed agreements to refrain from Christian activities. Eleven others were also later released. By the end of April, 2011, only Farshid remained in prison, though his family had paid an enormous bail sum. He spent nearly a year in solitary confinement.
Farshid, a Christian convert from Islam, was charged with "acting against national security through membership of a Christian organization, collection of funds, propaganda against the Islamic Regime by helping spread Christianity in the country," and sentenced to six
years of imprisonment on March 5, 2012. Though the charge is for his Christian work,
authorities tried to cast his activities as political offenses.

Farshid's appeal against the charges was rejected in June 2012. He is due to serve the rest of his sentence in Evin Prison.

According to Elam Ministries, Farshid is a shining beacon for Christ in Evin, so much so that the son of an Iranian ayatollah commented on Farshid's sweet nature in a YouTube video. The two shared a cell. The man remarked on how beloved Farshid is among the inmates. Elam described Farshid as "a man after God's own heart."

Farshid is married to Leila, and has two children, Rosana and Bardia. Pray that they will be comforted during this time. Pray for steadfast endurance, deep Godly peace and for protection for Farshid in prison. Pray he will remain a shining light in prison and pray for his release.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long;we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:35-39)

Ice Flowers

I took these photos this morning of our "sunroom" windows. These ice flowers are beautiful testimony to our Glorious God!