Pakistan Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the cabinet’s only Christian minister, was gunned down by four assailants in broad daylight in the capital Islamabad. Shabaz had received death threats for urging reform of the blasphemy law. This law carries a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam. The Governor of Punjab, Salman Taser, was also killed by his own police guard who felt he was being blasphemous in opposing this unjust law.
The situation looks more grim as the extremist forces working in Pakistan are making it harder to oppose this law or propose any reform of this discriminatory law. This law is a sword of death hanging over every Christian as any one out of animosity can accuse you of blasphemy. Before you can be taken to court to prove your innocence, they will kill you with help of extremist mobs. During trial or in prison, you can also be killed by the police assigned for your protection.
We as a prayer ministry need your prayer support as we have been mobilizing focused, strategic prayers on a nationwide scale to see this law changed. If the prayer tracts sent to churches to pray for this issue fall into the wrong hands, we can face trouble also.
On 25th February an explosive device was thrown at the home of a doctor who works at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital, run by the Anglican Church. The bomb was thrown towards the parking area of his home and damaged a relative's car. Nobody was injured but the family has been badly shaken by the incident and subsequent threats made against him and his family.
The Christian community in the Gaza Strip is deeply impacted by this attack. In addition to the pressures that they share will all the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, they feel very vulnerable as a small Christian community in an area controlled by Hamas and other strongly Islamic groups. There is growing pressure against them, for example to stop any activity in which boys and girls participate together. There are an estimated 3,000 Christians amongst the 1.6 million population of the Gaza Strip (i.e. 0.2%). Many Christians have moved to the West Bank or further afield, and many of those that remain wish to leave.
The Director of the Palestinian Bible Society issued a call to prayer today (i.e. 4th March) in which he stated: "As I look into Gaza, my heart is broken over this place. I feel that there are serious attempts by the enemy to darken this place by taking out the light and salt of it. I invite you today to stand with the persecuted body of Christ in Gaza by praying for them and keeping them lifted in front of the throne."
Palestinian Christians request our prayers that:
a. The doctor and his family will know the peace, presence and protection of Jesus at this time. Likewise for all Christians in the Gaza Strip
b. Church leaders in the Gaza Strip will be sustained in their ministry by Father, Son and Holy Spirit
c. Officials will act to provide effective protection; and will love mercy, act justly, learn about Jesus and choose to follow Him
A dozen died and about 140 were injured in an outbreak of violence between Christians and Muslims in the Mokottam area of Cairo on March 8. A ministry leader in the city reports:
“Egypt is going through very tough times, with a crumbling system of law and order and an army which—though the only authority “in charge” at present—seems to be quite weak and at time indecisive. Although the Revolution brought some good and necessary changes, it also caused quite a collapse in the fabric of society, including the economic system. Millions of people are out of work, partly because foreign companies, investors and tourists have not returned. Naturally, this all has a negative impact on people who are trying—in vain—to feed their families and is causing great social unrest.”
Mission Network News reports:
“The transitional period is key to the freedoms minorities will experience. The Muslim Brotherhood is taking a pro-democracy stance. What that means in practice could be very different from "freedom." Moeller explains, "Unfortunately, as is often the case in revolutions, the ones that emerge as the most organized and the strongest on these things are the ideological committed In this case, these are the extremists groups that are calling for a more radicalized Sharia law based Egypt in the future."
"Our prayer is that it doesn't take a violent turn, as these indicators [predict]. However, we recognize that the church will be under pressure in the next few months--and maybe more pressure than ever before," Moeller says.
Right now, it's hard to anticipate what the future holds for believers. Pray for those facing economic and social challenges because of their Christian faith. Pray that the new government will uphold the constitutional freedom of religion. Pray that the ministry of churches in Egypt will continue and that the Gospel will be preached throughout this nation.”
On 11 March 2011 (now often called by the Japanese, "3/11"), a magnitude 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami up to 38 meters (124 feet) in height hit Eastern Japan, known as "Tohoku." These two disasters were followed by a crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant which was hit by the earthquake and tsunami and consequently began to emit high levels of radioactive substances. Over 25,000 are dead or missing and over 300,00 people displaced. As of 1 May, the nuclear crisis is yet to be fully resolved.
Generous aid and assistance has come to Japan. As one small part, in March, Dr. Joe Ozawa led a team of intercessors to Iwaki, Fukushima, near the nuclear exclusion zone of the damaged reactor. and with local residents, they "stood in the gap between the living and the dead," (Nu 16). Joining with Korean and Chinese people of prayer, the Japanese intercessors then prayed over strategic points in Tokyo. Dr. Ozawa also taught many seminars on "Tohoku humanitarian emergency response: Counseling and Healing," to volunteers, NGOs/NPOs, university students, church workers, and those who were involved in disaster response.
Please pray for:
1. The love, life, and truth of Jesus Christ (John 10:10 and John 14:6) to be poured out upon the Japanese people.
2. The “deception” over the Japanese regarding “death” (esp. ancestor worship) to be broken and their eyes opened to the truth of “eternal life” through Christ.
3. Dr. Ozawa’s message that humanitarian crisis and disaster response requires a holistic approach (relief work + emotional / relational healing + spiritual development in Christ) go forth like ripples to all those in the nation to whom the Lord wants to hear this message.
4. In His divine mercy, the Lord contain any further nuclear crises and withhold any future catastrophic disasters from Japan.
Thank you,
Dr. Joe Ozawa
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly delayed his March 23 trip to Moscow following a bombing at bus stop in central Jerusalem that injured as many as 34 people. The bombing follows a series of recent mortar and rocket attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip reaching as far as the outskirts of Ashdod and Beersheba, as well as the March 11 massacre of an Israeli family in the West Bank settlement of Itamar. Netanyahu, already facing a political crisis at home in trying to hold his fragile coalition government together, now faces a serious dilemma. There were strong hints that Netanyahu may hold a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow to restart the peace process and avoid becoming entrapped in another military campaign in the Palestinian territories, but that plan is now effectively derailed. Though the precise perpetrators and their backers remain unclear, a Palestinian faction or factions appear to be deliberately escalating the crisis and thus raising the potential for Israel to mount another military operation in the Palestinian territories.”
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the calming of these rising tensions. Continue to intercede for effective and successful efforts at long-term reconciliation and peacemaking between Jewish and Palestinian governments and peoples.
STRATFOR warns: “ Libya's opposition is a poorly defined group of mutually hostile factions that have not formed a meaningful military force thus far, and are even less likely to form a functioning government. The U.S., France, and Britain have intervened, and major foreign energy outlets - plus Western ideology - are at stake. Will the turmoil sweeping across North Africa end in regime change? Or will a power vacuum transform Libya into the Somalia of the Mediterranean?”
www.stratfor.com/campaign/libya-war
Let’s pray that the current oppressive regime of Muommar Gaddafi will be replaced with a government that serves its people with honesty and fairness and that radical extremist groups will not be able to get the upperhand in any intervening power vacuum.
About 650 Christian leaders from across the USA will gather for this "post" Lausanne gathering being arranged by the Mission America Coalition (MAC).
Paul Cedar, Chairman of MAC has said, "One of the major ministries of the Mission America Coalition/U.S. Lausanne Committee (MAC/USLC) is to convene Christian leaders to focus upon how we can be more effective in ministering together to invite as many people as possible to become disciples of Jesus Christ…We will spend a lot of time around tables praying, interacting, and strategizing together both in our general plenary sessions and in 30 affinity consultations."
Pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with great unity and clarity for this strategic gathering. May there be valuable new ministry initiatives to reach the increasingly diverse society of Americans as well as real breakthroughs in spiritual revival and social transformation.
The violence at our nation’s southern border has escalated to unprecedented levels. In response, a prophetic directive given by Cindy Jacobs of Generals International, beginning April 15 and leading up to a National Day of Prayer on Cinco de Mayo (May 5), the United States Hispanic Prayer Network is spearheading the implementation of a highly strategic 21-day prayer and fasting initiative to contend for righteous trade, peace and security at our nation’s southern border. Repentance and reconciliation is needed on both sides of the border. Prayer leaders from the United States and Mexico will convene in Dallas, TX, in Mexico City, Mexico, and at the border to cry out with one voice for a breakthrough of God’s power that takes down the drug cartels and secures our nation’s southern border. We invite you to consecrate April 15 - May 5 for 21 historic days of prayer, intercession and fasting for God’s power to be released in both the United States, Mexico and the Border. For more detailed information about the significance of Cinco de Mayo, the Cinco de Mayo Initiative, to sign up for a prayer watch and to access the 21-day Prayer Guide, visit our website.