Friday, December 26, 2008

And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:1-16

VOICE OF THE MARTYRS ….

Twenty- year-old Sandul Bibi is in prison in Pakistan, charged with violating section 295-B of the Pakistani legal code, the “blasphemy” law. Sandul is falsely accused of ripping pages from the Quran. On Oct. 9, a large crowd of Muslims attacked Christian families at a church, throwing stones and firing guns. They were shouting, “Kill Gulsher and his daughter Sandul.” Sandul and her father, Gulsher Masih, were arrested after a mob from the local mosque surrounded their house. Loudspeakers from different mosques broadcast accusations that Christians had disgraced the Quran, calling Muslims to attack and burn their homes. The angry crowd threw stones at Sandul’s home. Christians believe Sandul and her father were targeted and arrested because they were aggressively winning villagers to Christ. To send a letter of encouragement to Sandul Bibi, click here.

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Recent Articles

 PAKISTAN – Young Christian Woman and Her Father Imprisoned

 INDONESIA – Riots Erupt in Indonesia over Christian Teacher’s Alleged Blasphemy

 Send a Letter of Encouragement to Sandul Bibi

 CHINA – Underground Christians Arrested

 NIGERIA – Six Pastors Killed, 40 Churches Destroyed

 Bless Your Family and Friends With The Remember the Persecuted Shadow Box

 House Church Leaders Released from Prison

 NIGERIA – Christians Attacked by Muslims

 Send Your Family and Friends an Illegal Bible Cover as a Gift This Christmas

 CHINA – House Church Leader Sentenced to “Re-education Through Labor”

Good Morning Beloved,

Happy Friday!!!   Welcome to the last Friday of 2008!

We are so blessed.  Christmas Day is gone, but “Christ-mas” need not ever end.  Did you realized that God’s people were called “Christians” as a kind of slur.  Unbelievers would sneer and say, “here come those “Christians”, or little Christs”.  They were so named, because they endeavored to do what they saw their Lord do… act the way they saw their Lord act, speak what they heard their Lord say.  I included the above headlines as a gentle reminder for us to pray for our brothers and sisters in hostile territories… at home and abroad.  Pray for their strength, their protection, their provision, their families.  Even if we cannot financially support them at the moment, our prayers are invaluable, and can go places we cannot go.  We are the Body of Christ and every part is significant.  No part is greater than any other part.  I found this to be true last Saturday.  It was the end of the second of three performances.  I had a very quick change and I was running up 2 flights of stairs with boths hands full.  I tripped on the robe I was wearing and banged my toe on the step.    Every part of my body felt and re-acted to the pain in my foot.  I made it through the end of the second show, and limped myself over the the nurse’s station.  Thankfully, it was not broken, but it still hurt.  The pain affected how I drove home (it happened to be the ‘driving foot’), how I walked, the shoes I wore, my mind (…because now I thought about how to avoid any movement that would affect that toe), and even how I knelt to pray.  Almost a week later, and it is still a little sore… but nothing like it was.  Well, the blessing, is that Jesus is our head, He sees all, is concerned about everything, and has the power to heal whatever is going on in His Body.

… and that my friend is Good News!

CosConstructionte -1 Peter 2:5 55 of 105   If we offer ourselves in service to the Lord, He already knows just the right place we are best suited for. November 18, 2007