Displaying items by tag: Pacific

In June police raided Australia's national broadcaster and arrested a prominent journalist, Annika Smethurst, after government allegations of ‘publishing classified material’. At the time ABC stated, ‘An untrammelled media is important to public discourse and democracy’. Recently Australia’s biggest news outlets, normally fierce rivals, united in support of press freedom with a campaign including blacked-out newspaper front pages and slots on prime time broadcasts. The media are highlighting the constraints on them under strict national security legislation. The news outlets joined forces through a coalition known as the 'Right to Know’, in a joint action designed to agitate readers into action. One newspaper asked, ‘When government keeps the truth from you, what are they covering up?’ Annika Smethurst now faces possible criminal charges, ironically because she reported that the government was considering new powers to spy on all of us.

From Queensland to New South Wales, successive droughts and the need for extra water to fight bushfires have caused unprecedented shortages. Regions face the prospect of taps running out within months. This is a portion of a national prayer for rain issued by Christian leaders: ‘We acknowledge that You are the Lord of the universe, the One who provides the rain to water the Earth so that crops, livestock and humans can flourish. We ask that in Your mercy You would send rain. We pray for physical rain and spiritual revival rain to flow through Australia. We thank You, Lord, for past revivals, and pray that the latter rain would be even greater than the former rain. Bless the work of our hands, especially the farmers on the land, and give us peace. We thank You for renewal of our land and renewal of our faith.’ See also

A five-year-old boy, from a family of Holocaust survivors, suffered anti-Semitic harassment at a school in Melbourne where pupils hounded him in the school toilets, calling him a ‘Jewish cockroach’. He was chased continuously to the bathroom and laughed at for being circumcised, to the point that he started to wet himself in class rather than using the toilet. His mother said that after behaving strangely for months, one morning he burst out crying over breakfast and literally fell down on the floor, saying, ‘Mummy, you shouldn’t love me. I’m a worthless Jewish rodent. I’m vermin’. Meanwhile a 12-year-old Jewish student was forced to kneel and kiss the shoes of a Muslim classmate. Then nine boys beat him up. Because the incident happened outside school, education officials denied responsibility for the incident. Melbourne media also reported other acts of anti-Semitism.

Mission Australia is a Christian charity supporting disadvantaged families and children, fighting homelessness and issues around mental health and addiction. They have invited young people aged 15-19 to participate in a wide-ranging national survey. Last year’s survey identified mental health as the top issue facing young Australians, with a rating of 43% (it was 34% in 2017 and 21% in 2016). The top three personal concerns in previous surveys were coping with stress, school or study problems, and mental health. The annual survey provides a valuable snapshot of where young people are and offers important insights that inform the work of charities, community groups and government decision makers.

Western and central New South Wales faces a water crisis within months unless it rains. The Murray-Darling basin in south-eastern Australia has two rivers (Murray and Darling) draining 1/7th of Australia’s land mass. They expect 10% reduced water entitlements in Australia’s most significant agricultural area. In 114 years of record-keeping, 2019 is among the driest years and it is getting worse. The NSW government sent 13 representatives to towns to discuss their water supplies and assess the impact of the prolonged and severe drought on businesses. Burrendong Dam is at 5.9% capacity and even with water restrictions, will be empty within 12 months. There is no ground water to be accessed by bores. Authorities are considering building emergency pipelines. The Bureau of Meteorology has put Australia on an “El Niño WATCH. Meaning a 50% likelihood of El Niño developing. Meanwhile India focuses on acute water challenge in major cities. See

The Australian Christian Lobby is raising the profile of the need to protect religious freedom. They are stating that for some time now, the threat to religious freedom in Australia has not been merely a threat, but a reality and Australians now live in a country where religious freedom isn’t guaranteed. Countless court cases and new laws have already prevented Christians from living out and sharing their faith – and the cost is great. Loss of religious freedom paves the way for loss of other freedoms, and also restricts Australian Christians from sharing their faith with others. Pray for the voice of the Christian Lobby to be heard by the Governor-General, and in the Senate and the House of Representatives, and for those in society who are doing and thinking wrongly to be changed.

Townsville, with 180,000 people, has been facing tropical cyclones, king tides and drenching summer rain. Over a metre of rain fell in seven days, leaving many residents without power; others were cut off by flooded roads. The Ross River dam flooded beyond capacity, necessitating the opening of gates and the release of 1,900 cubic metres of water a second. 20,000 homes were flooded. A flotilla of boats rescued hundreds, with police, emergency services and soldiers stretched to the limit. Authorities have now warned residents not to swim in flooded suburbs, where crocodiles and snakes have been spotted. More monsoon rain is forecast for next week. Meanwhile, parts of southern Australia are in the grip of a severe drought, and record temperatures of 49.5C have caused bushfires and hospital admissions. See

Many thousands of Christians came to Melbourne for ‘Awakening Australia’, as part of a mission to bring 100,000 Australians to Jesus. Leaders spent the weekend preaching the gospel, leading people to Christ, and commissioning them to share the love of Jesus with others.

Participants included Bethel Music, Todd White, Heidi Baker, Jake Hamilton, Daniel Kolenda, and Bill Johnson.

‘Hundreds were born of God as they responded to Jesus. There is truly something remarkable happening in Australia! There is an Awakening, a sound in God's people here, that will shake the nation’, said Ben Fitzgerald, leader of Awakening Europe.

The weekend saw powerful moments of freedom, deliverance and salvation, followed by mass baptisms for those who gave their lives to Christ. Thousands proclaimed the gospel in the streets. ‘I can't believe this is happening in Australia,’ Fitzgerald said.

IPC colleague, Donny McGregor from Generation Fire, Sydney, was involved with a team who ran 100 hours of prayer in the lead up to the Awakening Australia event.  Just that event saw 200 lives saved! 

‘We experienced a change in the spiritual atmosphere during the 100 hours of Prayer', said Donny.  'Our prayer focus moved from targeting the strongholds to speaking open heaven, breaking discouragements and hearts to be receptive to the Gospel… and we saw God move!  The hunger for God was off the chart!’

Awakening Australia saw an estimated 1,600 first time and renewed commitments and 250+ baptisms. Thousands of believers were involved in the witnessing around the city. 

Praise: God for the changed spiritual atmosphere in Melbourne; thank Him for breaking strongholds and opening hearts to respond to His truth. (John 8:32)

More: https://www.awakeningaustralia.org/  AND www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/cwn/2018/november/i-cant-believe-this-is-happening-thousands-experience-gospel

Faithful missionaries brought the Gospel to Tonga in the 19th century. The bold red cross displayed on the country's flag represents its Christian heritage. Today nearly everyone in Tonga has access to the Gospel. But the islands are experiencing a slow and steady spiritual decline. The church is plagued with bitter schisms, selfishness, politics, false teachings, and nominalism. Many are being drawn away to ‘new’ teachings. Tonga has the world's highest percentage of Mormons, and 4% follow Baha'i teachings. Some say that faith across the Pacific has become so shallow that the region must be re-evangelised. A move of God is desperately needed. Pray for freedom from the love of money among young adults tempted to seek riches abroad. Pray for emigrant believers to keep their Christian identity in their host nations. Pray for hope and eternal purpose for youth turning to crime and drugs as solutions to boredom.

An Australian Christian Lobby blogger states ‘The cultural climate of our day often makes the politically engaged Christian in Australia feel isolated. So many issues are beyond us. Safe schools, the rights of parents, conversion therapy, abortion, euthanasia, religious freedom, moral decay, children’s innocence, political apathy, weakened churches. The voices seeking to redefine truth, justice and morality are very loud and increasingly effective.’ He went on to say, ‘Elijah faced an infinitely more desperate set of political and cultural circumstances. He was overwhelmed and desperately cried out to God, ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, demolished your altars, I alone am left, and they seek my life.’ God’s astonishing answer was, ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ God has preserved a great many in Australia who have not bowed the knee.’ We can pray for our Australian brothers and sisters to engage more vigorously, and confidently to make an enormous impact on Australian society.