Category: God and country

Even though Christians are heavily persecuted in China, there has been a steady increase of Christianity in the country over the years. In fact, the ministry Bibles for China believes China is slowly shaping up to be one of the world’s most Christian nations. Bibles for China has been distributing Bibles in the Asian country for almost five years now, and they have already handed out tens of thousands of Bibles. Just last December, they were able to distribute 10,000 Bibles. “Constantly, we hear (the people) say to us, ‘This Bible will touch a generation for Christ because it will be shared with family and their families,’” Bibles for China’s Wendell Rovenstine told Mission News Network. “We feel sowing God’s Word in the interior part of China opens up a great opportunity for God to move.” Bibles for China plans to expand its mission by training local pastors to help spread God’s Good News. During their upcoming mission trip to China, the ministry’s representatives will be staying “one day longer with a pastor that is prepared and equipped.” “We have power point presentations that they can work from. The pastor is spending a day of just giving leadership principles from God’s Word,” shared Rovenstine. Bibles for China says there is a “thirst among the Chinese to learn more about Jesus Christ and develop a deeper relationship with Him.” This is why the ministry’s leaders are planning to raise enough funds to enable them to distribute Bibles written in China’s primary language, Mandarin. They said they have already partnered with 28 ministry organisations from different countries to achieve this goal. “He’s provided. We just thank Him and thank our partners that are going to Bibles for China’s website and accepting the leadership of the Lord to do what He calls them to do,” said Rovenstine. Originally posted 2016-03-01 12:37:16.

It seems as if every day is a different international awareness day of some sort. But, Random Acts of Kindness Day (17th February) is surely one that Christians can readily get involved in. Although, there is nothing random about the reasoning behind acting kind when it comes to Christianity. Kindness is an attribute that Jesus exhibited throughout his life and a characteristic that he taught his followers to adopt (John 13:34-35). As Christians, we endeavour to be more like Christ – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12-14). And we seek opportunities to show others kindness because we recognise the incomparable love and kindness that God has shown each and everyone of us. But, despite being aware of Christ’s example, we can all identify occasions where we could have been kinder. And sometimes, if we get caught up in the busy nature of our lives or overwhelmed by the amount and extent of suffering in the world, finding more ways to show kindness can be challenging. The current refugee crisis has captured the attention of Christians around the globe. But with such a wide-reaching tragedy which affects countless individuals, how can we extend kindness to refugees? Donate If your church is collecting donations for refugees, this is a straightforward way to contribute. Although money and material donations are essential in helping refugees, time is also an incredibly valuable gift. Donating your time to help with anything from teaching English classes to assisting with the completion of legal documents, is another way in which you can help. Pray There is great power in prayer so it makes sense that we can often feel a great need to pray when we feel powerless. Why not add a section on the current plight of refugees into your next prayer? Petition Christian charities and organisations are regularly campaigning for the government to change laws to lessen the plight of refugees and asylum seekers, but they need their supporters to add their voices to truly be heard. This is a relatively simple way to show kindness, but it can be very effective. It can also lead to a better understanding of the situation. It’s not just refugees and asylum seekers that can benefit from acts of kindness, the examples above could also be adapted to help the homeless, the elderly and anyone in need. Originally posted 2016-02-18 09:20:25.

There has never been a worse time to be a Christian, according to persecution charity Open Doors who will launch their annual report this afternoon. “Global persecution of Christians is more extreme than ever before,” the charity said in a statement ahead of publishing its 2016 World Watch List. The list highlights the 50 countries with the worst persecution record and will be discussed at a launch event at the House of Commons later today. Working on a points based system, the list reflects the dramatic surge in persecution recorded by the charity. While the lowest ranking country in 2013 had 35 points, this year’s lowest ranking country had 53 points – an increase of more than 50 per cent just to make it on the list. Lisa Pearce, Open Doors’ CEO, said the rapid rise was a “cause of great concern” and urged the UK government to do more to protect Christians around the world. “The persecution of Christians is getting worse, in every region in which we work – and it’s getting worse fast,” she said. “The trend is stark, as are the consequences for real people – we should not expect that to change unless we are part of changing the situation. “As a key voice within the international community and a generous provider of aid to a number of the countries on the 2016 World Watch List, I urge our government to do everything possible within their spheres of influence to affect what happens next. We will not get these days back.” North Korea remains top of the list as the worst place to be a Christian according to Open Doors, with 70,000 Christians estimated to be held in brutal labour camps. Elsewhere, ISIS’ ongoing brutality means Iraq has replaced Somalia as the second most dangerous place to be a Christian. Eritrea comes in at number three and, according Open Doors, is “nicknamed the ‘North Korea of Africa’ due to high levels of dictatorial paranoia.” “Syria and Iraq are the tip of the iceberg,” the charity said. More people are killed for their faith in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world. RELATED Prince Charles donates to persecuted Christians after meeting Iraqi and Syrian refugees Pakistan: Man caught burning Bibles as violence against Christians escalates Bishops’ Middle East tour highlights plight of Iraqi refugees The surprising surge of Christianity in the Middle East Top European politician: We can no longer ignore persecution of Christians “As fundamentalism in the form of radical Islam spreads across Africa westwards from Somalia, almost every country from Kenya upwards is affected,” a statement read. “Eritrea, Kenya and Ethiopia have all seen sharp rises in persecution levels.” The Open Doors World Watch List uses a variety of indicators to measure how faith gets squeezed in five distinct areas – private life, family life, community life, national life and church life – as well as covering violence such as rapes, killings and church burnings. Dr Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, Director of Research at Open Doors International, said this was to ensure persecution levels around the world are measured as accurately as possible. “It is possible for persecution to be so intense in all areas of life that Christians fear to witness at all,” he explained. “And so you may find very low levels of violence as a result since incidents of persecution often result from acts of witness” Originally posted 2016-01-14 15:53:01.

Muslim Converts to Christianity After Seeing Jesus in a Dream. He then gets attacked with acid for converting – GRACE VINE. Originally posted 2015-11-24 13:45:09.