Brazil: a new style of president?
18 Oct 2018
Amid rampant political corruption and a crime epidemic in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is on the verge of becoming Brazil’s next president on 28 October. He has expressed enthusiasm for former military rulers (particularly Carlos Brilhante Ustra, a colonel who ran a military torture squad in the 1970s). His chosen deputy president, a former general, said that the military may be needed to clean up corruption. For many years former army captain Mr Bolsonaro was a marginal Congress figure, known for defending the military dictatorship and making offensive comments about women, blacks, gay men and lesbians. Earlier this year he was investigated for inciting hatred and discrimination. His critics accuse him of racism and misogyny, and tens of thousands of women organised protest marches with the slogan #EleNão - or #NotHim. But he came out of the first round of voting with a strong lead, thanks to last-minute backing from the evangelical lobby and powerful business and commerce groups.
Praying like Paul
17 Oct 2018
Prayer was integral to Paul the Apostle; he fills his letters with his prayers for the churches he is writing to. What can we learn from Paul’s approach to prayer? Let’s look at his wonderful, inspiring words (from the Passion Translation)
“I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the richness of the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of revelation to know him through your deeper intimacy with him.” Eph.1: 17
“I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling —that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!” Eph. 1:18
“ I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power.”
“May the blessings of divine grace and supernatural peace that flow from God our wonderful Father, and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus, be upon your lives.” Phil.1: 2
These are wonderfully generous prayers of blessing. They are the prayers of a man who knows God’s abundance. His prayers are full and passionate because he knows the depth of God’s love for other Christians.
So, let’s pray like Paul with generosity. Let us really listen to God’s heart and ask that we can powerfully release blessing. I love the Passion Translation it captures this dynamism in Paul’s prayers. Increasingly I find the words shown above are a wonderful tool to pray for my church leaders, my friends, and my family.
Use these four verses above to pray a blessing. Meditate on God’s heart and deep love for the people you are praying for. Carry them around so you can be blessing people throughout the day. Pray like Paul!
Article by Steve Botham, Director of World Prayer Centre
Wholehearted Worship
17 Oct 2018
Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love towards me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead. Psalm 86:11-13
I recently enjoyed a rare trip to the Cinema with 2 of my children. We watched ‘The Meg’ (short for Megalodon – a giant, but extinct shark). We enjoyed the silly nature of the film (didn’t come close to Jaws for me!) and left with a belly full of popcorn to get on with our lives.
But this kind of story stirs something in me. Just as the swimmers innocently paddle in the ocean while there is a monster quietly hunting them beneath the water, what is happening in the unseen realm all around us as we go about our daily business?
We get a glimpse of this unseen realm in 2 Kings 6 as Elisha sees the hills ‘full of the Lord’s horses and chariots of fire’. And Peter writes of our ‘enemy the devil prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’. (1Peter 5) There is a battle raging over us everyday, one that we are often too unaware of. And the prize is our heart, our devotion and allegiance.
David understood this. That is why he prays ‘Give me an undivided heart’. He knew that we are called to worship God wholeheartedly. And when we do this, we break into this battle in 3 key ways:
We humbly bow
As we offer worship, we are admitting that we need God. That we are dependant on Him, lost without Him. That He has the answers, not us. As we worship we let go and we let God lead us.
No other gods
David prays ‘give me an undivided heart’. Yet how often do we give in to the voices that fight for our attention? Can I honestly say that I am fully devoted to God? Or have I been lusting after that new guitar just a little too much. I wonder what it is that captures you - your appearance, or house, or job, or reputation? It is said that an idol is anything that takes the place of God. But God, by His nature, deserves nothing less than our all.
Everything, everyday
David’s desire is that he will ‘walk in truth and glorify God’s name forever’. Not just on a Sunday with the gathered congregation, but on a Monday heading into work. When we are with family and friends who don’t know Christ. Or alone late at night in front of a screen. That every minute of every day, with every inclination of our hearts we would live according to his ways, bringing glory to Him. How do we do this? We sing of God’s unfailing love, we declare His goodness and we offer our lives and hearts to Him again and again.
Wholehearted worship is a lifestyle to aspire to and commit to. It is a lifelong journey of learning, failing, coming back and learning again. But in the process, God is doing something glorious. He is revealing Himself to us and through us. And while I still shiver at the thought of what might be lurking at the bottom of the ocean, I try to keep in mind the real war over my heart, as I seek to daily offer wholehearted worship to the one true God who loves me and saves me.
Article written by Marcus Pagnum
One thousand New Testament translations!
12 Oct 2018
The thousandth New Testament translation, completed with involvement from SIL and Wycliffe Bible Translators, was launched on 11 August in a celebration in northwest Uganda. The translation is for the Keliko people and represents the first time they can hear and read the New Testament in their own language. The Keliko, whose homeland is in South Sudan, travelled from all around to be present. Many came from local refugee camps in Uganda; others hitched rides from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The event was attended by church leaders and local government dignitaries, as well as by international visitors from across Africa, Europe and North America. The translation represents a triumph over adversity. Twice translation efforts were interrupted by civil war. The translators are Episcopalian pastors, very godly men, and they pressed on. Although SIL provided technical and advisory support throughout, this project belongs to the Keliko church.
Christian bakers win Supreme Court fight
12 Oct 2018
Daniel and Amy McArthur from Ashers Baking Company told activist Gareth Lee they would not make a cake supporting gay marriage, and they were prosecuted for their decision. After a long-running legal battle over whether they had broken discrimination laws, on 10 October the five Supreme Court justices unanimously found them not guilty. The court’s president, Lady Hale, said that the McArthurs did not discriminate against the customer by refusing to make the cake. They refused because the message was offensive to them, not the person requesting the message. She said, ‘It is an affront to human dignity, to deny someone a service because of that person's race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief. But that is not what happened in this case.’
Peace on our streets
12 Oct 2018
Tens of thousands of young people are caught up in criminal activity and violence every year. The recent upsurge in knife crime is both terrifying and heart-breaking. It is time now for Christians to fight this battle with prayer. Following a popular prayer campaign held just before the summer holidays (a time traditionally when violence increases), Christians from across the country and across denominations are being called to harness the power of prayer to reduce knife violence. A recent survey revealed that although few youths admitted to owning a knife 15% said that they have friends who carry knives. The Peace on our Streets campaign encourages people to sign up to receive a daily prayer by text and then pray every day at noon using either the text or the downloadable prayer information sheet as a prompt to their prayers. To watch a video by a youth and children’s worker explaining the issues, click the ‘More’ button.
Transgender - concerns over damage to girls
12 Oct 2018
Therapists fear losing their jobs if they attempt to help a child explore why they may feel they were ‘born in the wrong body’. Therapists can only affirm a patient’s confusion or face being found guilty of ‘conversion therapy’. Meanwhile concerns are growing that teenage girls are turning to transgenderism as a coping mechanism in the same way many have with anorexia and self-harm. An anonymous child protection officer said, ‘If I have concerns about a child who says they identify as transgender, I can’t pass them on, as I could be labelled a bigot. But I have spoken off the record to GPs, education psychologists, and social workers, and many of us are questioning why so many young women are doing this to their bodies. We should at least be allowed to ask: “Are you sure?” It is a growing issue that needs to be addressed in a fair and balanced way.’
Bishop challenges Government on climate change
12 Oct 2018
Following a report by a UN panel (see article ‘New UN report on climate change’ in world section), the Bishop of Salisbury said that the evidence shows that climate change risks are now critical. Ours is the first generation to know and understand this, and probably the last to be able to do something meaningful towards climate justice. ‘We have a narrow window now to act if we are to protect God’s creation for generations to come.’ He challenged the Government to lead in this change. ‘Building on the ten-year anniversary of the Climate Change Act, an ambitious UK Government would seek to be a world leader by committing to a target of net zero emissions by 2050.’ Christian Aid reported recently that major cities in the world including Houston, Shanghai, Jakarta, and London are in danger of being flooded if sea levels continue to rise at the current rate.