HOPE Revolution to release young people in UK mission

Thousands of young Christians will be released by HOPE Revolution to lead word and action mission across the UK in 2014. It is supporting thousands of churches across the UK as they plan their mission activities for the year of outreach. Young people will be resourced to pioneer mission through new Mission Academies. The Mission Academies will equip 14 to 18-year-olds to become bold followers of Jesus with the courage to share their faith and encourage their peers to do the same. The effort is being supported by the Crossing London mission initiative. Colin Saunders, of the Crossing London team, said: ‘With the encouragement of their local church and their Mission Academy learning community, we want to see them step out of their comfort zones to demonstrate God's love through words and action 24/7. The goal is a generation of young people living a lifestyle of mission.’

Praise:

God for all the young people engaged in mission work both here in the UK and overseas. (Jn.20:21)

Wave of revival sweeping through South African schools

A new wave of revival is sweeping through schools as God is moving among the youth of South Africa, says Matt Hogarty, principal of Oasis Christian Academy in Howick, Kwa-Zulu-Natal. He says that as a result of what God has been doing at Oasis, a team from his school was invited to minister at a Government school in Pietermaritzburg earlier this month and about 500 learners there committed their lives to Jesus. There was also a powerful time of ministry during which children opened up about issues of abuse and trauma in their lives. Since last month Gateway News has reported on a growing prayer walk movement at Port Elizabeth schools with reports of healing miracles and changed lives; a powerful move of God at a Uitenhage Christian School that has impacted a neighbouring Government school and spread to a Christian school in Alexandria; and an outbreak of revival at a Christian school near Tzaneen in Limpopo.

Praise:

God for this move of the Holy Spirit through the schools and young people. (Mat.28:19)

PM praises Christianity but admits there are ‘challenges’

David Cameron speaking at a national parliamentary prayer breakfast has praised the role of Christianity in society, but an Oxford professor says many Christians feel marginalised. The Prime Minister told delegates at the prayer breakfast, held in Westminster Hall: ‘It is encouraging that Christianity still plays such a vital role in our national life.’ He said: ‘It has had an immense historic influence in the development of our culture and institutions and it motivates British people to wonderful acts of service and self-sacrifice. We are a country with a Christian heritage and we should not be afraid to say so.’ John Lennox, an Oxford University maths professor pointed to a “vocal minority of influential minds” which he says mocks and ridicules the faith. He said: “Although we no longer burn the Bible in this country, a vocal minority of influential minds mock and ridicule it”.

Pray:

for Mr Cameron's words to be reflected in the legislation and work of Parliament. (Eph.5:6)

Concern over teenagers buying alcohol via online shopping

Young people are increasingly using online supermarket delivery services to buy alcohol, figures show. A total of 21% of 14-15-year-olds questioned for the Alcohol Concern Cymru Wales-wide survey said they had bought alcohol online. The charity surveyed nearly 1,000 teenagers aged 14-17. Calls for procedures to be toughened have been made but retailers have said they take their responsibilities seriously. The Alcohol Concern Cymru survey found that 15% of all respondents said they had successfully bought alcohol online while 7% had tried to buy alcohol online but were unsuccessful. Mark Leyshon, policy and research officer for Alcohol Concern Cymru, said young people regarded internet shopping as an ‘easy’ way to buy alcohol. ‘Retailers offering home delivery services need to toughen up their processes to ensure that children and young people are prevented from accessing alcohol through this channel,’ he said.

Pray:

that the authorities will be able to find ways to stop this form of alcohol abuse. (1Sam.23:21)

Police ‘Stop and search’

Home secretary Teresa May wants an overhaul of police powers in England and Wales which have been disproportionately used against black and minority ethnic people. She said the widespread use of the powers of ‘Stop and search’ has been seen as sharply divisive among Britain’s black and minority ethnic communities. She is launching an immediate Home Office consultation over the future use of the powers following a successful pilot scheme in five police forces, including the Metropolitan police and the West Midlands force, which has seen a more ‘intelligence-led’ approach. A report showed that black people are subjected to ‘routine’ street searches at roughly five and a half times the rate of white people. There was also particular concern about the use of ‘exceptional’ section 60 searches, which were introduced to curb football violence but are widely used to combat knife crime. Black people are up to 25 times more likely to be subjected to a section 60 Stop and Search than white people.

Pray:

that police officers will use the powers they have to build public trust.

Live streaming of child sex abuse an 'emerging threat'

Live streaming of child sex abuse via webcams has emerged as a method of exploitation, experts have warned, amid a doubling of reported indecent images. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said children were being ‘abused to order’. Offenders targeted vulnerable families overseas, paying them to facilitate child abuse, according to its report. CEOP said those carrying out abuse used a ‘hidden internet’ to disguise their identity and avoid detection. Their report found the number of still and moving child abuse images reported to CEOP had doubled in the last year to 70,000. The child protection body - part of the Home Office's Serious Organised Crime Agency - said it received 8,000 reports of indecent images of children being shared last year. It said live streaming emerged in 2012 as a means of producing and distributing images. ‘We're seeing cases where they're effectively being abused to order for paying customers,’ Chief Executive Peter Davies told the BBC.

Pray:

that CEOP will have success in exposing offenders who distribute such material and especially as they use live streaming. (Eph.5:11)

The Church of England's General Synod

Will it be another Anglican bunfight or will the new Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby hold the communion together?' asks Sam Jones in last Sunday's Guardian. He writes “On Friday afternoon, the Church of England's General Synod will descend on York to begin the Herculean task of clearing away some of the debris from its last meeting. The synod's failure in November to approve draft legislation that would have allowed female clergy to become bishops was memorably described by one member as ‘a train crash of epic proportions’. Few would disagree. With parliament breathing down its neck and many angered by the Church hierarchy's opposition to same-sex marriage, the C of E knows it cannot risk another embarrassing meeting. On Friday evening Justin Welby, will address his first Synod. Even for a man who has travelled to some of the most dangerous places on earth in the hope of bringing about peace and reconciliation, the five-day meeting will be a tough gig.

Pray:

for Justin Welby and all attending the General Synod that they will be open to God and be led by the Holy Spirit. (Ro.8:28)

Abortion in Ireland: Divorcing Church from State?

The Dail, (the Irish Parliament), is expected to conduct the first of a series of votes on the controversial issue of abortion in the coming days. If passed, the new legislation will allow abortion in Ireland in limited circumstances. Until now, abortion has been banned in the Republic, a traditionally Catholic country. But figures suggest at least 11 women leave every day for an abortion in Britain. BBC NI Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison reports on current Church-State relations in Ireland. There was a time when the Irish state and the Catholic Church had a very cosy relationship. But the revelations of child sex abuse by priests and its cover-up by bishops who were more worried about the Church's reputation than the plight of the victims, changed all that. Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny told the House: ‘I am proud to stand here as a public representative, as a Taoiseach who happens to be a Catholic, but not a Catholic Taoiseach.’

Pray:

for the Taoiseach as they vote on this issue that they will be guided to make the right decision. (Ps.48:14)

Archbishop of Canterbury plans credit union for the clergy

The Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to expand the reach of credit unions as part of a long-term campaign to boost competition in the banking sector. He has approved proposals considering how the Church of England's reach could boost access to credit unions, which are financial co-operatives that offer short term, affordable loans to members. The church is planning a credit union, possibly in partnership with the Church of Scotland, which would lend to members of the clergy and become a source of expertise on the credit union sector. There are also plans to encourage Church members with relevant skills to volunteer at credit unions. Small, local lenders could also be invited to use church buildings and other community locations with the help of Church members. With a more diverse financial sector there should be less need for payday lenders who extract exorbitant interest rates.

Pray:

for this innovative idea that it will expand and be a force for good. (Ex.22:25)

Hostility against Christians in Europe on the increase

Martin Kugler of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians has spoken about the growing acts of intolerance against Christians in Europe in an interview with MercatorNet magazine. The interview marks the 1700th anniversary of the birth of religious tolerance in Europe and seeks to explore the significance of the occasion for Western Christians, whom Mr Kugler says are now facing increasing social hostility. ‘It is not nominal Christians who are fully aligned to society’s mainstream who suffer discrimination. It is those who strive to live according to the high ethical demands of Christianity who experience a clash with the dominant culture,’ he says. ‘These are not in the majority. And even if they were, history has shown that a minority can discriminate against a peaceful majority.’

Pray:

that this trend of hostility towards Christians will cease. (Ps.78:49)

Hungary: Introduction of controversial Church rules

Smaller evangelical congregations and other groups were weighing their options after Hungary's parliament introduced new rules on recognizing churches, despite the Constitutional Court’s annulment of several passages in a controversial church law. Criteria for recognized churches include a history of at least one hundred years or minimum two decades of activities in Hungary. Additionally, a church should count 0.1 percent or more of Hungary's 10-million population as its members or supporters. The adjusted law appeared to revive Communist-era rhetoric, demanding that recognized churches must ‘not pose a risk to national security’ and ‘cooperate with government agencies for community purposes’. The government-sponsored amendment demands that churches are those faith groups ‘recognized by parliament’. Other organizations that pursue religious activities must be registered by the Municipal Court. Formal recognition qualifies churches for government support and allows them to collect donations during services and do pastoral work in jails and hospitals of this heavily Catholic nation.

Pray:

that the parliament will recognise churches and faith groups for their spiritual beliefs and not just historical criteria. (1Cor.16:18)

NIGERIA: Anglican Church seeks capital punishment

Anglican Archbishop Nicholas Okoh asked the Federal Government to impose capital punishment for perpetrators of rape and killing. He also advised young ladies to avoid indecent dressing and nudity in order to avoid people who lacked sexual self-control. At Tuesday's press briefing in Abuja he counselled religious leaders to concentrate on teaching morality, not how to make money adding, ‘My church has not met to discuss the issue of capital punishment for rapists. But rape is becoming an embarrassing situation in this country and as religious leaders we must continue to react against deviant behaviour. We must continue to support marriage in order to build a decent society.’ He told the story of an incident of violent rape of a family, particularly the mother, by armed robbers and the perpetrator being executed adding, ‘The law of capital punishment for those who rightly deserve it should stay.’ Many favouring the death penalty quote Genesis 9:6.

Pray:

that the broken systems in Nigeria will mend and administer justice not more victims. (Mat.6:14)

Egypt: At a tipping point

Egypt’s democratic experiment is at a tipping point and President Obama is trying to nudge Egypt’s bitterly divided antagonists toward compromise with limited influence. Unpopular President Morsi was democratically elected but needs to strike a workable deal with Egypt's military without alienating millions of protesting Egyptians. Egypt's size and leading position in the Arab world mean its political course will be felt throughout the region, where the United States is already struggling to stem Islamist militants and sectarian strife. The White House is not enamoured with Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader whom it sees as having failed to form an inclusive, effective government. Obama has not hosted Morsi at the White House, and officials cancelled a visit by the Egyptian leader last year after a video surfaced in which Morsi described Israelis as ‘descendants of apes and pigs.’ For INSIGHTS into the roots of Egypt’s violence, the Muslim Brotherhood’s commitment to a unified community of Islamic nations and world rule, please go to: http://site.prayer-alert.net/index.php?option=com_docman& ;task=doc_download&gid=448&Itemid=93

Pray:

for God to bring peace, reconciliation and freedom to Egypt. Pray also for a new constitution that would enhance equality of citizenship and religious freedom. May Egypt one day be known as a haven of tolerance for all.

Global: 43 million refugees

Persecution, violence and war have displaced 43 million people globally. Consider how your world would change if you were forced to leave your home and possessions at little or no notice and relocate somewhere where you knew no-one. Plus, you have no idea where your next meal is coming from. A refugee is outside their habitual residence because they have suffered (or fear) persecution and/or oppression on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a persecuted 'social group' or they are fleeing natural disaster. They are an 'asylum seeker' until recognized by the state where they make a claim. In Isaiah God told His children to provide shelter to Moabites (a people group the Israelites often fought) This past Sunday we observed World Refugee Sunday! Let us not stop praying for these ‘forgotten’ people of the world. Pray that we will obey the words of Isaiah 16:4 and give shelter to those who have been our enemies.

Pray:

and cry out to God to have mercy on the millions of refugees, asking him to give them a future and to foil the plans of the enemy for their lives. (Jer.29:11)

Syria: Residents of Christiantvillage massacred

Almost 40 people, including women and children, were killed when opposition fighters attacked the village of Dweir, on the outskirts of Homs, on 27 May. A Barnabas Fund partner reported that the rebels tortured some residents before they killed them. On the day after the incident, independent United Nations investigators warned that opposition forces were becoming increasingly radicalised, and that only a minority of them were pro-democracy and wanted a state for all Syrians. Despite these developments, Western governments are moving towards increased support for the rebels. The United States will now provide direct military aid to the Syrian opposition for the first time. We are asked to pray for the Lord to guide Western governments as they respond to increasing radicalisation amongst the rebels, and pray that He will bring hope to Syrian Christians, whose position in their own country is becoming more and more precarious.

Pray:

for comfort for all those who lost loved ones in the massacre. Pray also for those who had to flee their homes and may be traumatised by what they have witnessed. (Ps.34:17-18)

USA: Lavish lifestyles of preachers on reality TV

Fast cars, lavish mansions, infidelity and angst-filled episodes are displayed in prosperous lifestyles of six mega-church pastors featured in a trailer for the new reality show, ‘Preachers of L.A.,’ on the Oxygen network in the Autumn. ‘The Bible says I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. I believe that,’ declares Bishop Clarence McClendon, one of the stars of the show in the trailer posted to YouTube on Thursday. His international broadcast reaches 250 million homes with the prosperity gospel, on Oxygen (NBC Universal.) ‘P. Diddy, Jay-Z, aren’t the only ones who should be driving Ferraris and living in large houses,’ says cast member Bishop Ron Gibson who ministers to 4,500 people at Life Church of God in Christ. Pastor Wayne Chaney explained, ‘being a pastor is very dangerous because you have to be perfect at all times. ’However the show focuses on the imperfection in the lives of very famous and very rich ministers.

Pray:

against a carnal, superficial image being portrayed. Pray that no one in the body of Christ will be hurt through these ministries. (Mic.2:11,12)

Somalia: Child Soldiers

On 3rd July 2012 Somalia signed a UN-backed agreement to end recruitment and use of child soldiers. See: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42390#.UdP7d20p tr8 This week Win10/40 reported that in a school room in Somalia for 14 and 15 year old boys the stillness was shattered by the heavy, uneven footfall of people running. Then turbaned men wielding machine guns dragged young boys away. Instinctively others got up to run but none escaped the men who herded them into trucks - like cattle to the slaughterhouse. The boys were kidnapped, abducted, trafficked. The terrorist group Al Shabab sexually abused them, used the boys in militant battles as cannon fodder to protect the lives of adult terrorists, and stripped them of their childhood and human dignity. A 15-year-old boy who escaped Al Shabab recounted his horror to Human Rights Watch, ‘Out of all my classmates - about 100 boys - only two of us escaped, the rest were killed.’

Pray:

that Somalia would honour its agreement with the UN, and for child soldiers to find healing and wholeness in the love of Jesus Christ (Mat.19:14)

Myanmar: Child soldiers

June 27th was the 1 year anniversary of Myanmar making a commitment to the UN to stop recruiting and using children as soldiers. The agreement acknowledged a longstanding problem and a willingness to correct the practice. However the Tatmadaw has continued to recruit and use children since it signed the action plan, although in lower numbers. It has only released 66 children from its ranks, a fraction of those recruited by troops since the UN started monitoring this issue. Myanmar continues to stall UN access to identify and release children from some of its military sites despite having signed an agreement to do so. The Border Guard Forces (BGFs), which are within the remit of the action plan and for whom the Myanmar military is responsible, have felt no pressure to initiate steps to verify, demobilise or rehabilitate children in their ranks.

Pray:

that Myanmar will ensure that under-18s do not serve in the armed forces and immediately begin to honour their 2012 agreement with the UN. (Ps.72:4)