Christian worker wins tribunal case

Sarah Mbuyi (31) was fired from her job as a nursery nurse after a conversation with a homosexual colleague. She explained the biblical position on homosexuality and marriage when her colleague asked whether she would be welcomed at church and if God approves of her civil partnership. Sarah said that ‘God is not okay with what you do’ but that ‘everyone is a sinner and God offers forgiveness’. Miss Mbuyi recalled, ‘When I said ‘No, God does not condone the practice of homosexuality, but does love you and says you should come to Him as you are', she became emotional and went off to report me to my manager’. Following the complaint by her colleague, Sarah was investigated and sacked for gross misconduct within three days of the conversation. She was supported by the Christian Legal Centre, and represented by a human rights barrister. In a brave judgment, the Watford Employment Tribunal found she had been directly discriminated against because of her beliefs.

Praise:

God that the tribunal agreed that Christian views are worthy of respect in a democratic society. (Php.4:4)

Iran: National football team captain is a Christian

Christians will be delighted to see that Iran has appointed a Christian as the team captain for its national football team. This is a warm gesture in line with similar signals sent toward established minority communities such as the Armenians and Jews. President Rouhani has used social media regularly to send good wishes to Jews and Christians on their religious holidays. But such gestures do not detract from the situations of around eighty known Iranian Christian converts currently held in jail, nor the latest news that an additional one-year prison sentence on top of the six years he is serving has been upheld for Pastor Farshid Fathi. He and fellow believer Alireza Sayyedian are being held on the same wing as prisoners convicted of robbery, violence and drug-related crimes.

Praise:

God for the small positive steps being taken by Iran, and pray that the country will continue in this vein. (Is.25:9)

Trumpet Call on 4 July

Numbers 10:9 says, ‘When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy that is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.’ From that and other scriptures we see that the sounding of trumpets were for gathering the people, moving the people, calling the people to war and celebrating all that God had done. We, God’s Church, are ambassadors of Christ and on Saturday 4July we will stand together at the INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE in Birmingham in unity and SEEK THE FACE OF GOD that He would, in response to our repentance and prayers of faith, hear our cry, have mercy and pour out His Spirit on our land. Readers of Prayer Alert are invited to come, if they are able, and pray. There’s nothing more powerful than when saints pray and seek God’s Kingdom, standing in the gap for the lost. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Please join us for a historic gathering of believers from across the UK crying out for a transformative move of God. Watch the Videos

Pray:

that many will come and pray for our leaders and our land. (1Ti.2:1-3)

David Cameron 'wrong' on Mediterranean migrants, says Amnesty

Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director Steve Symonds said ‘At least half of those risking their lives in the Mediterranean are fleeing persecution in places like Syria, Eritrea and Somalia’. Amnesty International has said the Prime Minister David Cameron was ‘completely wrong” to say at Prime Minister’s Questions that ‘the vast majority of Mediterranean migrants are not asylum-seekers’ in answer to a question about the UK’s refusal to take part in an EU refugee quota system on the issue. Amnesty and other monitoring groups have said that the single largest group by nationality attempting the Mediterranean crossing in recent months have been people from war-torn Syria, nearly all of whom will be internationally-recognised refugees. The next single largest group comprises Eritreans - with the great majority of these also very likely to be refugees (see related article in Prayer Alert World Section).

Pray:

that the Prime Minister will honour his duty to stick to facts at PMQs, particularly where tens of thousands of people’s lives are at stake. (Job 6:25)

The rise of the awkward half-grace - and why it needs to stop

There was a time when Christians felt self-confident enough to thank God in a public restaurant for the food, for the people who prepared it and for the establishment in which they were consuming it. We didn't care. Today, as Christians attend the same restaurant, the food is brought out, around the table we fidget with forks, someone adjusts their chips and adds sauce. But no-one makes a move; everyone instinctively knows that this might be the point where someone decides they should make a show of themselves. Then, to audible sighs of relief all round, someone says grace. The awkward half-grace. ‘Well,’ someone says, with forced confidence. ‘Thank you Lord!" The deed is done. Has the awkward half-grace emerged because we don't want to look different to the culture we live in and draw attention to ourselves? See THE MILL GATHERING Statement

Pray:

that the Christian culture in the UK will not be lost because of trying not to offend others. (Mt.5:10)

Police crime figures 'dead in the water', says City of London police chief

Crime figures compiled by police are ‘dead in the water’, said the Commissioner of City of London police Adrian Leppard. ‘Police figures provided only a small prism of the harm to communities’. Victim-based surveys offer more insight into offending levels. Statisticians ‘capped’ the number of ‘repeat’ offences at five per victim; however violence against women and domestic violence is happening repeatedly, much more than five instances per person. 45% of violent crimes are against women. Banks and businesses often failed to report fraud to police. Victim-based surveys need to be extended, with a move to include fraud and cybercrime. This would add three million offences to the figures. Lisa Harker, from the NSPCC, said the organisation had to send Freedom of Information Act requests to police forces in order to obtain data on child sex offences.

Pray:

for better communication between agencies, for the cap on repeat offences to be removed and measures introduced to put an end to unreported crime so that the true levels are revealed. (Pr.2:2)

Media still discussing euthanasia and its influence on disability

A businessman who was paralysed by an accident when he was a teenager has said legalising assisted suicide would be ‘very detrimental’ to disabled people. Adam Thomas now designs kitchens specifically for disabled people, but says that when he was younger he would have thought such a life to be impossible. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Thomas explained that introducing assisted suicide as an option would ‘change the way we look at disability’. His comments come as Lord Falconer again attempts to introduce assisted suicide - although his Bill is unlikely to be passed into law.

Pray:

for more people to speak against assisted suicide in the media, to enable the public to have a balanced view on this subject.(Deut.32:39a)

UK could host US nuclear missiles

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Philip Hammond said the government would tentatively consider hosting US nuclear missiles on UK land for the first time since the height of the Cold War in light of recent developments in Russia and Eastern Europe. ‘We've got to send a clear signal to Russia that we will not allow them to transgress our red lines," he said. ‘At the same time, we have to recognise that the Russians do have a sense of being surrounded and under attack, and we don't want to make unnecessary provocations either.’ The foreign secretary's remarks were yet another sign of the declining relations between the West and Russia, now at their lowest ebb since the end of the Cold War.

Pray:

against Russians developing what they call a symmetric warfare doctrine and for US, EU and a number of other nations’ sanctions on Russia to produce a positive response. (Ps.2:10,11)

Head teacher sets ‘digital detox’ challenge

Smart phones and tablets are everywhere these days, including schools. In fact, one in three children between the ages of five and fifteen has their own tablet. One primary school head teacher has got so fed up with children being glued to their electronic devices that he has called for his pupils and their families to go on a ‘digital detox’. To view the two-minute BBC video of this article.

Pray:

that this experiment will prompt more investigation into the impact of social media on children. (Job 6:24)

European Trumpet Call this autumn

This is an early invitation to all Prayer Alert readers to join with other European churches, prayer ministries and mission agencies to pray and seek God’s kingdom for the lost in Europe. (2 Chronicles 7:14). There is nothing more powerful than when saints stand in the gap. A great shift is happening in Europe and many are aware of it. It is time to gather, to move forward together, to lift our voices and rejoice together in prayer. God is calling His people to come together to blow the trumpets for the whole continent of Europe, for ‘When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies’ (Numbers 10:9). Please join us in Timisoara, Romania for a historic gathering of believers from across Europe as we cry out for a transformative move of God on our continent.

Pray:

that this trumpet call to prayer will be heard by many with a heart to pray for our leaders. (1 Tim. 2:1-3)

G7 summit: A brief summary

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that time is running out for a deal to keep Greece in the Eurozone. Speaking after the G7 summit in Germany, she said Europe would show solidarity but only if Greece ‘makes proposals and implements reforms’. Also on the agenda was climate change, with the G7 calling for a transformation of electricity generation towards renewables and nuclear power by 2050; they also said that fossil fuel should not be burned in any sector of the economy by the end of the century. This is a seismic shift, but huge questions remain. On the Ukraine the G7 hoped Russia would comply with a ceasefire agreement signed in February by pro-Moscow rebels and the Kiev government. But sanctions could be strengthened if necessary. Barack Obama echoed Mrs Merkel’s comments, saying, ‘The G7 is making it clear that if necessary we stand ready to impose additional significant sanctions against Russia.

Pray:

that all decisions made by these leaders (whom God has chosen) will be wisely and successfully implemented.(Ro.8:28)

Libya: IS captures 88 Christians

The IS terror group kidnapped 88 Eritrean Christians from a people-smugglers' caravan in Libya last week, a U.S. defence official confirmed on Monday. The defence official confirmed initial reports of the mass kidnapping to Fox News after seeing a recent intelligence report. The independent Libya Herald newspaper reported that the convoy was ambushed by militants south of Tripoli before dawn this past Wednesday morning. Meron Estafanos, the co-founder of the Stockholm-based International Commission on Eritrean Refugees, told the paper that the group of migrants included about twelve Eritrean Muslims and some Egyptians. They put them in another truck and they put twelve Eritrean women Christians in a smaller pickup. The militants had initially stopped the truck and demanded that the Muslims on board make themselves known. Everyone who responded was asked about the Koran and their religious observance in an attempt to catch Christians pretending to be Muslims.

Pray:

for an end to Libya's ongoing instability and the presence of IS and other terror groups. (Is.5:21)

Global: 30 days of prayer for the Muslim world

30 days of Prayer is an international movement of intercession for the Muslim world. The purpose is to mobilise the church to pray! The origin of this call to prayer and fasting for the Muslim world came about as a group of Christian leaders were praying about the Islamic world during a meeting in the Middle East in 1992. God put a burden on the hearts of these men and women to call as many Christians as possible to pray for the Muslim world. Today this event draws millions of Christians worldwide to a united, global prayer meeting. In 2015 the prayer will start on 18 June and finish on 17 July. A wave of mission mobilisation and Muslim mission awareness is occurring across the globe, and this prayer event is planned to coincide with the Islamic month of Ramadan.

Pray:

for many to comprehend the power released when interceding for Muslims to meet Christ. (Ps.66:5)

Pakistan: New Christians enrolled on a course on prayer

In an area where being a Christian is very dangerous, brave intercessors are running courses on how to pray and to hear from God with the vision of building a strong network of prayer groups in 24/7 prayer for Pakistan. The organiser said, ‘During this course we shared how God has worked in hopeless places around the world to bring change. We had periods of forgiveness and reconciliation between churches and denominations, with them coming forward and asking forgiveness. People told of how they had never done this in person before and the blessing it was to them. With demonic activity more evident against Christians, we taught ‘cleansing your house of evil’ - using Scripture to rebuke the evil one and send him out of your home. Many came back the next day telling of the peace they had for the first time in their homes.’

Pray:

that Pakistani Christians will see the authority they have in Christ and use it for God's victory. (2 Sa.22:29)

USA: 'Lucky to be alive' - prisoners’ getaway in New York

A man and his friend saw 48-year-old Richard Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat in their backyard with what looked like a guitar case. The witnesses' identities are being withheld because of safety concerns. When the witnesses confronted the men they said they were lost and then ran away. The man added, ‘we’re lucky to be alive.’ The escaped convicts used power tools to cut through a steel wall in their adjoining cells and escape through a steam pipe. The search for the two men has been extended to Canada and Mexico as well as New York. Matt was serving a life sentence for killing and dismembering his former boss. Sweat was also serving life for torture and murder.

Pray:

that these violent, desperate men are caught before they commit more murders. (Ex.20:13)

Australia: Faith leaders write to PM on marriage

Australian Christian Lobby Managing Director Lyle Shelton has joined with 38 leaders of Christian and other religious groups in signing a letter to the Prime Minister urging him and the parliament to uphold the true meaning of marriage. Mr. Shelton said that such a demonstration of support from Australia's faith communities for man-woman marriage and the rights of children it protects was a welcome development in what has been largely a one-sided debate. ‘It is so important our nation does not sleep-walk into a legislative change to the definition of marriage without considering the consequences,’ Mr Shelton said. The letter was signed by Catholic and Anglican Archbishops and 36 heads of many other denominations.

Pray:

that Prime Minister Tony Abbott will resist pressure to allow same sex marriage, and for Australia to uphold marriage as the mutual love of a man and a woman. (Lev.18:22)

Nigeria: Violence follows recent elections

Horrific violence has followed the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari in May, as Boko Haram militants attacked the city of Maiduguri, capital of Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state and birthplace of the Islamist insurgency group Boko Haram. Gunfire and explosions reverberate through the city and scores have been left dead. ‘We don’t know what happens next,’ a church leader told Barnabas. ‘Pray for the believers in the city of Maiduguri. Pray for God’s special intervention.’ On 29 May, militants launched 50+ rockets into the town, killing scores of people. On Saturday, a suicide bomber killed several people as he detonated himself in a mosque. On Sunday, a bomb went off near the Gomboru market, killing scores more. On Tuesday 2 June, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Gomboru market, killing at 20+ people. In his inaugural speech President Buhari announced that the command centre for security forces would be moved from Abuja to Maiduguri.

Pray:

against mindless, godless terrorism in Nigeria and for God to protect the innocent.(Ps.64:1,2)

Eritrea: Human rights abuses - crimes against humanity?

A UN report accuses the Eritrean government of extrajudicial executions, torture, national service and forced labour that create a climate of repression driving many to flee. It catalogues a litany of human rights violations by the ‘totalitarian’ regime of President Isaias Afwerki on a scope and scale seldom witnessed elsewhere. The government uses imprisonment, forced disappearance, surveillance and censorship to create a culture of permanent fear and crush all dissent. The year-long study, which was carried out without the cooperation of the Eritrean government, is based on first-hand testimony gathered through 550 confidential interviews with witnesses in third countries and 160 written submissions. After Syrians, Eritreans were the most common nationality to arrive on European shores, comprising 22% of all people entering Italy by boat last year. Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation they feel powerless to change, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans are fleeing their country.

Pray:

that the Eritrean regime will change. Pray for refugees to reach safe havens and be accepted. (Ex.22:21)