Let’s be among those who systematically stand in prayer and political voice
- against Isis and radicalised terrorist brotherhoods and individuals
- for the protection of precious human life;
- and for protection of our national borders and our security, freedom and respect.
There are some valuable updates from James Goll and the Australian Prayer Network below.
These are things you can do:
- Without fear pray for our nation and all those affected by terrorism and threats of terrorism.
- Pray with us on Instapray – a mobile app connecting people in continuous 24/7 prayer across the world. If you have an iphone just go to the Mobile App Store on your phone and search for Instapray. Join up and then go to”Explore” to find “SueTinworth.” Hit “Follow” to pray with me. instapray.com/
- God TV Donations to Iraq https://www.god.tv/iraq-donate
- Prayer for Nations 7.30-9.00 Fridays @ Stairway 171 Rooks Rd Vermont in external prayer room at front entrance– with Karen & Tim Wilson followed by soaking adoration with Andee Sellman
- Let us know other ways we can help.
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Updates from Australian Prayer Network
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TENT CHURCHES EMERGE IN IRAQI REFUGEE CAMPS
Fatima, an Iraqi woman who had fled atrocities committed by the Islamic State (IS), was drawn to the sound of singing in a tent in a refugee camp in Dohuk, a city in the Kurdish region of Iraq. She approached cautiously. Though embarrassed when the Christians worshipping inside saw her, she came closer and asked if she could enter and listen to what they were saying. By the time the meeting finished at 4 a.m., she was on her way to embracing Christ as her Saviour and asked if she could bring friends and family to the next meeting. Fatima, her husband and three daughters put their trust in Jesus for their salvation, and within a few weeks her involvement led to another 60 families making the same commitment.
“Tent churches are going on everywhere,” said one ministry leader. “Last week we had 68 families surrender their lives to the Lord. With their large needs and difficult situations they are going through, they thank God for the indwelling of Christ in their hearts. Twelve of those families were Muslim.” In addition, 200 children who received Bibles and colouring materials prayed to accept Jesus into their hearts. Near Amerli, which Islamic State fighters besieged for more than 2 months before Kurdish and Iraqi forces aided by US warplanes drove them out on September 1, the ministry leader’s team encountered people in need of water, food and medicine.
In the northern city of Erbil, the leader’s team met with displaced Yazidis, a predominantly Kurdish ethnic group that practices a mix of Zoroastrian, Islamic and Christian rituals, who suffered the slaughter of an estimated 500 of their members at the hands of IS. Some 130,000 Yazidis had fled to Erbil or farther and north to Dohuk. “Our ministry to them was filled with tears and broken hearts as we heard stories about abducted children and women and the slaughter of men,” the team leader said. “They asked us if God even exists for this to be allowed to happen. It was very difficult, but the Lord has given us grace in their sight. They asked us to come back and took all our Bibles ‘in secret along with tracts and colouring books.’
Source: Baptist World News
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CALL FOR PRAYER FOR SYRIAN CHRISTIANS
Samir, his wife and two little children are still living in Aleppo. But for how long will this Christian family be willing to continue there? “We are afraid,” Samir admits. “Islamic State (IS) is coming closer and closer. We hear daily explosions, shootings. The explosions become bigger and louder.” Samir works in a children’s ministry in one of the churches in Aleppo, a job which he says he can “still do” despite the circumstances, simply because they are used to it. But his mind still wanders to the life the family could have away from the constant bombing and threats. “To be honest, we think about leaving Syria more than we did before,” he says. “The situation is difficult.”
“I think more than half of our church has left. Most of them dream of going to Europe. Almost every day I say goodbye to someone from the church. The work we did before with eight volunteers, we now do with four. We lack leaders, they’re gone. It’s very hard to continue doing the work.” Still, even though the situation in the biggest city in Syria is challenging, Samir is planning a children and youth camp in Aleppo. It will be in a safe location away from the church building, which is too close to the fighting. As he says, “they need to have fun to forget all the terrible things that happen around them.”
“We expect some 70 participants, most of them children,” Samir adds. “Children need to have a good time together; they need to play.” There is no denying the situation in Syria remains immensely difficult. Having spoken with a wide range of church leaders of local churches and contacts, Open Doors now estimates around 25 per cent of Syria’s 1.8 million Christians have left the country since the civil war began in 2011. By the end of August this year, the number of refugees from Syria in surrounding countries was over three million – but with no organisations (including the United Nations) registering religious status, it is impossible to tell exactly how many Christians are amongst them.
We continue to support our brothers and sisters in Syria. Open Doors currently assists local churches by providing 9000 families with food, medicine, rent subsidies and other supplies – 2000 of those families are in Aleppo alone. We are also offering leadership and trauma awareness training, providing empowerment training to church leaders to help them become involved in the huge relief operation to internally displaced Syrians and also supplying Christian literature. And we are constantly reminded that God is at work. Although believers like Samir are dismayed at how many are leaving the church, there are also millions of internally displaced Syrians on the move within the country.
Please Pray:
* for the brave Syrian believers who have decided to stay in the country. Pray that they will be strengthened by the Lord to do their work.
* that many people may see the love of the Lord through the work of the brothers and sisters who serve in churches and assist internally displaced Syrians. Praise God for those coming to know Him through His believers at this turbulent time.
* for wisdom for those deciding whether to stay in Syria and Iraq or leave for another country. Pray they will lean on God for answers and stay firm in their faith.
Source: Open Doors
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SAUDI ARABIA, IRAN AND “CALIPH IBRAHIM’ VIE FOR POWER
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi says he’s the “leader of Muslims everywhere.” He proclaimed his eminent status in an announcement in July. al-Baghdadi now goes by the title “Caliph Ibrahim,” presumably to draw on the biblical Abraham whom Muslims refer to as the patriarch of Islam. The Sunni-Shia split in Islam occurred after Mohammed died without naming a successor, or “caliph.” The two branches of Islam formed after disagreement on who was fit to take the job. This has defined the battling sides ever since. Now “Caliph Ibrahim” is using wordplay and trying to unify terrorist groups to prove his legitimacy as caliphate. A true caliph carries authority, as dictated in Sharia law, to declare jihad in which Muslims worldwide must participate.
Saudi Arabia’s apprehension over emerging “caliph” al-Baghdadi is valid. They are also concerned with the threat from radical Sunni militants. The Saudis overcame an al-Qaeda insurgency in their own homeland a decade ago. Islamic State is straddling the border of Iraq and Syria. As regional superpower, Saudi Arabia shares a 500-mile desert border with Iraq. This is where IS seized towns and cities in a swift and brutal takeover in June. IS may become a threat to Saudi Arabia, a Sunni state. This fuels the potential alliance Saudi Arabia may forge with Iran, a Shia state. Iran also vies for regional power. Whether regional unity resolves the IS takeover, hope lingers for the reconciliation of Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Please pray:
* for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to seek God’s wisdom during this time of political and military uncertainty.
* that peace and cooperation will unfold between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Pray this peace spills over to the region
* that the “caliph” and other regional leaders recognize King Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Source: Windows International Network