India: “We Just Want God to Show Up”

In north India, Brother Jonathan (see Day 19) met with a coalition of 1,000 pastors working in Uttar Pradesh (UP). One young minister told him: “I bang on my drum until a crowd comes and then I preach the Gospel. We see people’s hearts touched, we see them repent and we see the birth of a church.”

“What about other times?” “Oh, they beat me.” “What do you do then?” “When I wake up I ride to the next village.” Jonathan noted there are 1,000 other young ministers like him riding around UP State on their bicycles doing the same thing. The result is that UP State has gone from almost no Christians to about three percent Christians – about 6,000,000 believers. The spark for the Gospel wildfire is the Holy Spirit, Jonathan observes. “Dreams and visions are becoming so common among Muslims that when we meet someone for the first time we ask if they’ve had any strange dreams lately.”

Among Hindus and Buddhists he is seeing signs and wonders. One pastor told Jonathan, “Maybe we’re lazy, but we don’t want to spend 12 weeks convincing them that Jesus is God. We just want God to show up.” “When the church is persecuted the church thrives,” Jonathan notes.

Source: Joel News International

Bible Study: 1 Corinthians 14:20-25

PRAISE God for the dedication of these Christians.

PRAY that God will continuously show up with power.

The Goal of India’s Church Planters | 324 | Report 31

India is home to over 400 million people who have never heard the name of Jesus. Mission India’s Church Planters are going into India’s remote villages, urban slums, and cities to proclaim the love of Jesus. During their year of combined classroom training and “hands-on” fieldwork, Church Planters have a goal of planting 2 churches. The impact of a Church Planter’s ministry is far-reaching and long-lasting. Whole families and communities are being set free through the truth of the Gospel. These vibrant, reproducing churches are the key to saturating India with the Gospel.

Source: Mission India

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 9:10-12

PRAISE: God for the faithful work of His servants.

Christianity Spreading Fast in India | 322 | Report 10

Anthropologist Dr Prabhu Singh claims that Christianity in India is growing at a rapid rate among middle and high caste Indians and young people, according to the latest issue of Unfinished magazine. “With more than 71 million claiming Christianity, India is now the eighth largest Christian nation in the world,” says Rev Dick McClain, of The Mission Society.

The current “remarkable receptivity to Christ”, across Indian society, is one of five dominant themes identified by Dr Singh that define today’s India. In his article “Welcome to the New India” in the current issue of Unfinished, Singh states that with greater receptivity to Christianity among some also comes alarming persecution and violent resistance to Christianity among others.

India’s Christian history has come full circle from colonialism to the “New India” that sends out thousands of its own missionaries and is home to hundreds of self-supporting ministries. But, “India still has more people groups unreached with the Gospel than any other nation”, Singh says.

Source: Unfinished Magazine; Breaking Christian News

BIBLE STUDY: Amos 8:11-13

PRAISE: God for interest in Christ in the New India. Pray that the nation may experience real revival.

Syria: Increase in Bible Distribution | 322 | Report 9

The United Bible Society has reported a sharp increase in the number of Christian Scriptures distributed in countries where believers suffer the highest levels of persecution. Global Scripture distribution rose from 381 million in 2011 to more than 405 million in 2012, of which 32.1 million were Bibles.

The highest increase was in Syria; in the midst of its huge humanitarian crisis, over eight times more Scriptures were distributed through a network of church volunteers, in 2012 than 2011; 163,000 in total last year. “Christians in Syria are under enormous pressure and are in great need of encouragement,” said Mike Bassous, General Secretary of the Lebanon Bible Society. “Staff in Syria are working hard to produce enough Scriptures to meet these needs.”

There has been a similar substantial increases in Iraq, Egypt, India, Laos and Nigeria, all countries where Christians are suffering some of the highest levels of persecution. United Bible Societies Director General Michael Perreau says, “With rising persecution of Christians in certain parts of the world, and increasing secularisation in others, it is encouraging… to see that God’s Word is more sought after and cherished than ever before.” There has also been “a huge boost” in digital access to Scripture, which is particularly helpful in countries where it is dangerous to read printed Christian literature.

Source: Christian Today

BIBLE STUDY: Proverbs 30:5

PRAISE: God that so many people are receiving the blessing of God’s Word. Pray for those undertaking the task of distributing Scriptures in these countries.

Rescuing Children From Prostitution | 322 | Report 5

More than 1 million children are trafficked worldwide each year, and 43 percent are forced into sexual slavery. “Trafficked: a Hope in the Dark,”is a new documentary produced by Christian ministry Vision Beyond Borders, which details sexual trafficking in Nepal and India. Patrick Klein, executive producer of the film, said there are instances of girls as young as 5 years old being taken from villages. Sometimes they’ll actually be sold by their own family members,” he said.

Filmmaker Jennings Barmore said the market for young girls is growing at brothels. Vision Beyond Borders worker Debbie Chai said sex workers never get a break from their degrading lives. If they become pregnant, many of these girls are forced to have abortions. Klein said he’s witnessed this new development in Kathmandu, Nepal. “We’re seeing abortion clinics coming up all over the place providing free abortion services,” he said.

Badar was 15 years old when a “friendly” man offered her a job. She accompanied him to a movie theatre where he drugged her. She fell unconscious, and later awoke in a Mumbai brothel. Klein said he
produced “Trafficked” because people need to become aware of the problem. He also says, “When Christians begin to pray and cry out to God, we see God working.” When these girls come to know Jesus
as their Lord and Saviour, they find forgiveness for their own sins. But they are able to forgive the men and women who have used them,” Klein said. What about Badar? She gained her freedom
when some Christians led the brothel owner to Christ.

Source: CBN News

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 139: 13-16

PRAISE: God that prayer does make a difference to impossible problems such as these. Pray believing.

Christianity Spreading Fast in India | 322 | Report 10

Anthropologist Dr Prabhu Singh claims that Christianity in India is growing at a rapid rate among middle and high caste Indians and young people, according to the latest issue of Unfinished magazine. “With more than 71 million claiming Christianity, India is now the eighth largest Christian nation in the world,” says Rev Dick McClain, of The Mission Society.

The current “remarkable receptivity to Christ”, across Indian society, is one of five dominant themes identified by Dr Singh that define today’s India. In his article “Welcome to the New India” in the current issue of Unfinished, Singh states that with greater receptivity to Christianity among some also comes alarming persecution and violent resistance to Christianity among others.

India’s Christian history has come full circle from colonialism to the “New India” that sends out thousands of its own missionaries and is home to hundreds of self-supporting ministries. But, “India still has more people groups unreached with the Gospel than any other nation”, Singh says.

Source: Unfinished Magazine; Breaking Christian News

BIBLE STUDY: Amos 8:11-13

PRAISE: God for interest in Christ in the New India. Pray that the nation may experience real revival.

Syria: Increase in Bible Distribution | 322 | Report 9

The United Bible Society has reported a sharp increase in the number of Christian Scriptures distributed in countries where believers suffer the highest levels of persecution. Global Scripture distribution rose from 381 million in 2011 to more than 405 million in 2012, of which 32.1 million were Bibles.

The highest increase was in Syria; in the midst of its huge humanitarian crisis, over eight times more Scriptures were distributed through a network of church volunteers, in 2012 than 2011; 163,000 in total last year. “Christians in Syria are under enormous pressure and are in great need of encouragement,” said Mike Bassous, General Secretary of the Lebanon Bible Society. “Staff in Syria are working hard to produce enough Scriptures to meet these needs.”

There has been a similar substantial increases in Iraq, Egypt, India, Laos and Nigeria, all countries where Christians are suffering some of the highest levels of persecution. United Bible Societies Director General Michael Perreau says, “With rising persecution of Christians in certain parts of the world, and increasing secularisation in others, it is encouraging… to see that God’s Word is more sought after and cherished than ever before.” There has also been “a huge boost” in digital access to Scripture, which is particularly helpful in countries where it is dangerous to read printed Christian literature.

Source: Christian Today

BIBLE STUDY: Proverbs 30:5

PRAISE: God that so many people are receiving the blessing of God’s Word. Pray for those undertaking the task of distributing Scriptures in these countries.

Rescuing Children From Prostitution – 322 – Report 5

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:40 — 1.3MB)

More than 1 million children are trafficked worldwide each year, and 43 percent are forced into sexual slavery. “Trafficked: a Hope in the Dark,”is a new documentary produced by Christian ministry Vision Beyond Borders, which details sexual trafficking in Nepal and India. Patrick Klein, executive producer of the film, said there are instances of girls as young as 5 years old being taken from villages. Sometimes they’ll actually be sold by their own family members,” he said.

Filmmaker Jennings Barmore said the market for young girls is growing at brothels. Vision Beyond Borders worker Debbie Chai said sex workers never get a break from their degrading lives. If they become pregnant, many of these girls are forced to have abortions. Klein said he’s witnessed this new development in Kathmandu, Nepal. “We’re seeing abortion clinics coming up all over the place providing free abortion services,” he said.

Badar was 15 years old when a “friendly” man offered her a job. She accompanied him to a movie theatre where he drugged her. She fell unconscious, and later awoke in a Mumbai brothel. Klein said he
produced “Trafficked” because people need to become aware of the problem. He also says, “When Christians begin to pray and cry out to God, we see God working.” When these girls come to know Jesus
as their Lord and Saviour, they find forgiveness for their own sins. But they are able to forgive the men and women who have used them,” Klein said. What about Badar? She gained her freedom
when some Christians led the brothel owner to Christ.

Source: CBN News

BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 139: 13-16

PRAISE: God that prayer does make a difference to impossible problems such as these. Pray believing.

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