Ukraine: historic national day of prayer
01 Jul 2016
For the first time in Ukraine’s history, all the churches of the country came together for a National Day of Prayer for their nation in Kiev. It was attended by thousands and broadcast ‘live’ by three national TV channels. An especially enthusiastic welcome was given to East Ukraine church leaders and the leader of Ukraine’s Messianic Jewish Community. It was a far cry from the media images of politicians fighting in parliament, Russian tanks, corruption, economic stagnation, and a civil airliner being shot down. Ukraine’s history, culture and language are closer to Russia than any other country. The Russian Orthodox Church comes from what is now Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians prayed for Russia and President Putin! For Russia, Ukraine is in the blood. For Ukraine, Russia is in the blood. Even Mr Putin’s first name, Vladimir, is Ukrainian in origin.
Eight suicide bombers attacked a Lebanese Christian village in the latest violent spillover of the Syrian war into Lebanon. Security sources believe IS was responsible for the bombings in Qaa village, on Lebanon’s border with Syria. The first wave of attacks involved four suicide bombers at 4am, killing five civilians. A bomber blew himself up after being confronted by a resident, then the other three detonated their bombs as people arrived at the scene. Four soldiers were among the wounded. A second series of attacks, involving four bombers, took place in the evening as residents were preparing the funerals of those killed earlier. Two blew themselves up outside a church. Residents were urged to stay at home and shoot anyone suspicious.There is now a curfew on Syrian refugees in the area. Medics said five were killed and fifteen injured and that they had entered an episode from hell. On 24 June Hezbollah warned of car bombs being prepared in the border area between Syria and Lebanon.
USA: Trump a 'baby Christian'?
01 Jul 2016
One of America's leading evangelicals, James Dobson, claims to know the person who ‘fairly recently’ led presidential candidate Donald Trump to accept a relationship with Jesus Christ. This week Dobson called Trump a ‘baby Christian’ and said, ‘We all need to be praying for him.’ Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and one of the most prominent social conservatives in the United States, gave his account at a meeting Trump had in New York on Tuesday with hundreds of evangelicals. Dobson was part of a small group that met privately with Trump later on Tuesday and said that if he has had a religious rebirth he is still learning the ropes: ‘He refers a lot to religion, and not much to faith and belief.’ This claim has been compared to how former US President George W Bush captured vigorous support from evangelical voters by his claim of having been born again.
Turkey: airport suicide bombings
01 Jul 2016
On Wednesday, Europe’s third busiest airport, Ataturk, was attacked by three suicide bombers, leaving 41 dead and 239 wounded. They were in the arrivals hall when Turkish security officials stopped them. When they began shooting AK-47 rifles, the officers returned fire. A police officer wrestled one to the ground before he blew himself up in a bombing coordinated with two other suspects. The gunmen appeared to be trying to reach the area where the planes are. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was due to land there when the attack occurred. Rama is overseeing a crackdown on a small but devoted group following IS. A hundred or so Albanians have travelled to the Middle East to join IS. Airports are tantalising targets as they are designed to allow international access, with open planning that has many people in a confined space. An attack creates headlines and fear into people globally. President Erdogan proclaimed the attack ‘will not divide or split our country.’
Iran: Christian back in prison after treatment
01 Jul 2016
On 4 December we highlighted the plight of Maryam Naghash Zargaran, a Christian believer from a Muslim background who had been in Evin prison for three years and urgently needed medical treatment which the prosecutor refused to grant. However, following a hunger strike to protest against the lack of medical care, Maryam left prison on 6 June to receive treatment on a bond of 350 million toman. On 19 June the court ordered Maryam to return to prison. She was still not well enough and her family applied for an extension. However, the prosecutor’s office refused to extend her leave and threatened to retain the money submitted as a bond. Last Tuesday she was back in Evin Prison. She’s suffering from many health issues, to the concern of family members and fellow-prisoners. Pray for the continuation of her medical treatment by the prison authorities and a speedy return to health. Pray also for the spiritual and political climate inside Iran.
Afghan: suicide bombers
01 Jul 2016
Taliban bombers attacked a police convoy of buses outside Kabul, killing more than thirty and wounding fifty. The convoy was carrying graduates from a ceremony on the city's western outskirts. All but two of the dead were police cadets. The cadets were returning to Kabul from a training centre and were about to go on leave. According to the district’s governor, a suicide bomber struck first, followed by a second car bomb explosion detonated between two buses in the convoy. At the time of writing, officials are still trying to confirm the precise number of dead, but witness and sources describe a scene of carnage. In a similar attack last week, fourteen were killed, including some Nepali security guards working for the Canadian embassy.
USA: thousands homeless after floods
01 Jul 2016
Parts of West Virginia are facing a prolonged clean-up effort after widespread flooding killed 23, left thousands homeless, and prompted Governor Earl Ray Tomblin to declare a federal disaster. The inundation swamped entire areas of the state, washing out roads, flooding and destroying structures and cutting off power to thousands. More than 1,200 homes were severely damaged or destroyed in the state. In a single county, Roane, 500 homes were lost to the deluge. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is accepting applications from residents in the three hardest hit counties and climatologist Kevin Law said that this is the third-deadliest flooding event on record for the state and the worst since a 1985 flood that killed 38.
The event which brought together representatives from various Southwestern tribes was organized by Cornerstone Ministries, a network of Navajo pastors and ministries led by Pete Belon. It has become evident that the Father is doing a unique work among the Navajo by the fact that the President and Vice-President, along with 16 members out of the 24 Tribal Council, are Christian. Also, the unique step taken by the previous Navajo President, agreed upon by the Tribal Council, to make an official covenant of friendship with the nation of Israel. This, coupled with he unique location of the Navajo at the ‘Four Corners’ of our nation in the Southwest, emphasizes to us the importance of the Body of Christ nationwide; to take notice, pray for, and resource the redemptive Kingdom activity happening among the Navajo and the tribes of this region.
I sincerely believe this was a historic gathering because of the advancement of two critical structures which will serve the long term transformation of the native peoples of the Southwest, and our nation at large. There is a growing awareness in the Body of Christ that we need to provide the continuum of ministry mentioned in Jeremiah 1:10 AMP: "See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of nations, and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
During the conference, a special gathering of the Navajo leadership established the First Nation Healing Coalition for the Southwest Region. Vision casting and practical training for the tribes of the Southwest will be carried out by Ivan and Linda Doxtator to create a strong foundation of emotional health for individuals, families, and leadership within all spheres of their culture, is absolutely essential for long term, generational impact.
Jean Steffenson of the Native American Resource Network shared the vision that has been on her heart for some time, a Native American Business Institute. Jean will be working in tandem with the Doxtators and other native and non-native leaders, to create a leadership curriculum that is foundational for serving the existing, successful native business leaders (some of whom were present and led in the sharing) as well as call forth and equip future business leaders. This is just the beginning of a new level of leadership training which is necessary to impact every realm of society, as well as their call to the nations.
Both of these new structures are involved in creating nationwide unity to bless and serve the nine major language groups of the First Nations of the US,Canada, and into Mexico. There is also a keen awareness that we would draw on the breakthroughs among First Nations of other nations and regions. Even now, there is a burgeoning work bearing fruit among the Fist Nations in Montana, led by the Pacific Island peoples of Samoa.
The felt need of the Navajo leadership was to lay a foundation of understanding and expand their existing understanding in these major topics:
1. Kingdom Culture as it relates to the Navajo People and the future of the burgeoning Navajo Church/Ekklessia.
2. Native Psychological Dilemma and the Victim and Predator Spirit as it related to the Native people, with specific reference to the Navajo history.
3. The Watchman Calling and the unique role of the Navajo and the First Nations of the region to be mobilized and trained to take their place on the Wall to see the destiny of the United States realized.
Prayer points:
- Ask God to continue to strengthen and protect the Navajo Christian Leaders, Churches, ministry organizations, and business owners as they endeavor to see God transform their people and nation according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
- Pray for the mantle of true humility to rest upon the Native Christian leaders and the non-Native ministers and business people who are working together to see God come to transform the Native nations and America.
- Ask God to bless the two initiatives (First Nations Healing Coalition and Native American Business Institute) introduced to the Navajo Christian leadership to bring healing and restoration to their people and economic independence, growth, and stability to their Nation.
- Ask God to use the development and establishment of these two initiatives as a template for other tribal nations in the US, Canada, and beyond.
- Ask God to heal and restore First Nations Christian leaders so in wholeness and stability they can rise up to fulfill their call as God’s originally appointed people to spiritually gate-keep and steward the North American continent.
- Ask God to powerfully anoint these leaders that they might successfully stand against the dark spiritual forces attempting to undermine and shipwreck God’s intended purpose and destiny for the United States and Canada.
- Ask God for the release of financial resources for the healing and restoration of the First Nations people and for those key leaders and ministries that would humbly walk alongside legitimate Native leaders, ministries, and their community transformation initiatives.